History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county, Part 43

Author: Turner, O. (Orsamus); Lookup, George E. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1851
Publisher: Rochester, W. Alling
Number of Pages: 640


USA > New York > Monroe County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Allegany County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming > Part 43
USA > New York > Livingston County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Yates County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Ontario County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Wyoming County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Steuben County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Genesee County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Wayne County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43
USA > New York > Orleans County > History of the pioneer settlement of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and Morris' reserve; embracing the counties of Monroe, Ontario, Livingston, Yates, Steuben, most of Wayne and Allegany, and parts of Orleans, Genesee, and Wyoming. To which is added, a Supplement, or Extension of the pioneer history of Monroe county > Part 43


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67


Mr. - Hunt, the Pioneer at Johnson's Creek, Niagara county, was a prisoner at Fort Niagara during the Border Wars. Walker was then on the other side, and one day was sent by Col. Butler over to enquire of the com- manding officer of the Fort if he had any news? "Tell Col. Butler," said the British commandant, "that there is bad news; the d-d rebels have carried the day, and there will be no place left for us but Nova Scotia, where it is colder than -- is hot." *


* This was just after the battle of Yorktown. The reader may fill the blank with the name of the warmest locality he can think of. The Walker alluded to by Messrs. Shaeffer and Hencher, was from Minisink. Becoming a Butler Ranger, in the flight of that corps to Canada after the unsuccessful attempt to arrest the march of Sullivan, he stopped at the mouth of the Genesee river, on the east side, erected a log cabin, and lived there until his removal to Canada. He will have to be considered the first of


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Isaac Scott was the first owner and occupant of the present vil- lage of Scottsville. He emigrated from Vermont, in company with Aaron and Jessee Beach,* in 1790. to Avon, and they located at the mouth of Allan's creek soon after, if not in the same year. Scott died in 1818 ; many of his descendants reside at Whitewater, Indiana. Other early settlers there not named in other connections : - Hinds Chamberlin, Samuel Cox, Israel Hall, William Frazier, James Woods, D. S. Winter, John Smith, who was an early sur- veyor employed by Messrs. Phelps, Williamson and Wadsworth, Robert and Thomas Smith, of Chili, are his sons.


Samuel Street of Niagara Falls, C. W., purchased soon after 1790, (of Ebenezer Allan it is presumed,) what has long been known as the Street farm, at Dugan's creek on the river. In earliest the years of settlement, Jeremiah Olmsted, his brother-in-law, came from Fairfield, Conn., with his family, and occupied it. Considerable improvements had been made upon the farm by Allan and Dugan, and Mr. Street had stocked it largely for that early period. Of the family, and those employed upon the farm, ten persons died the first year of the "Genesee fever," among whom was Mrs. Olmsted. In '98 or '9, Mr. Olmsted moved down the river and occupied a hut, on the present site of Rochester, south of the House of Refuge, near where M'Kerchney's brewery now stands, where he cleared a small spot. This was the first blow struck in the way of improvement, other than at the Allan mill, on all the present site of the city of Roch- ester. "The shantee," says the author's informant, "had been put up by one Farwell ;" one of the brothers it is presumed, who are named in another connection. Mr. Olmsted remained upon the spot but one year ; long enough, however, to produce the first crops


* A daughter of Isaac Scott, who was the wife of Jesse Beach, now resides with her son, Cyrus Beach, at Cambria, Niagara county ; aged 82 years. She says her father and the Beaches paid 50 cents per acre for land in and about Scottsville. The author gives a reminiscence in her own words : - "There was a man they called Allan about there when we came ; he kept a number of cattle on the flats, and had two or three squaws that staid with him ; they browsed and took care of the cattle."


our race who inhabited all the present county of Monroe. He had with him either two step-daughters, or women living in a more questionable capacity. He Funted, fished, and trafficked with hatteauxmen. An early map of all this region, engraved in London, has upon it no sign of civilization or habitation, on all the Lake shore between Os- wego and Niagara, except the picture of a log cabin at the mouth of the Genesee river,and underneath it the word "Walker's."


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ever grown upon the site of Rochester. He went upon the Ridge, becoming the neighbor of Daniel Rowe. He was the collector of taxes for Northampton, in 1799, and like his predecessor, Simon King, and his successor, Peter Shaeffer, his tax roll embraced the whole region between the Genesee and Niagara rivers. IIe changed his residence to Handford's Landing in 1816, where he died the same year. Harry Olmsted, of Greece, his son and successor, still survives ; has been long known as a tavern keeper, on River road, near Handford's Landing ; another son resides in Canada, and Mrs. Billington of Allegany county, is a daughter. Harry Olmsted, was at the mouth of the river, and upon Niagara frontier in the war of 1812, at one period a member of Capt. Rowe's company, at another enrolled in the cavalry of Major Stone. He was in the battle at Lundy's Lane, and was at Fort Erie in the affair of the 15th of August.


As early as April, 1797, all the region between the Genesee river and Lake Erie, was made a separate town of Ontario county, called Northampton. The first town meeting was held at the house of Peter Shaeffer. "The vote was taken by Gad Wadsworth, Esq., of the town of Hartford." Josiah Fish was chosen supervisor, Eli Granger, town elerk. Other town officers: - Joseph Morgan, Jo- siah Fish, Peter Shaeffer, Elijah Kent, Jeremiah Olmsted, Gideon King, Christopher Dugan, Isaae Scott, Hinds Chamberlin, Simon King,


It will be observed that there were but three road districts. They were on the river, from Canawagus to Lake Ontario; no road then leading into the interior. The inhabitants were so few, that one man held no less than three town offices. Fifty dollars was raised to defray the expenses of the town. In that year 18d., was au- thorized to be expended for "election boxes."


In 1799, most of the same officers were re-elected, and Jesse Beach who had settled on the road west of Caledonia, was made a path master, the first west of Caledonia Fifty dollars was raised for town expenses, and the like sum, " payable in labor or produce," for the erection of bridges.


In 1800, the town officers chosen were distributed along on west bank of the river and along the main road to the village of Buffalo. For instance : - two path-masters resided upon the river, one at Le Roy, another at Stafford, another at Durham's Grove, another


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at Clarence Hollow, and another in Buffalo. In this year, $200 was raised for building a bridge over the creek at " Buttermilk Falls." In an account current between the town, and Josiah Fish, supervisor, for the years '97, '8, '9,'90, he is credited for money expended on " Bridge over Deep Hollow," (Rochester) $475. In this year, Peter Shaeffer was collector of the town. The number of names upon his tax roll was less than 150, and a large number of them were those of non-residents. Although the whole tax was over $8,000, the sum paid by resident landholders was less than $2,00. In the collection of it Mr. Shaeffer found it much cheaper to pay himself many of the small amounts, than to look up those to whom they were assessed, scattered as they were in the forest. To reach the town of Lewiston, from Buffalo, he had to cross the Niagara river and go down on the Canada side.


In 1801, $100 were raised "for destroying wolves, and paying other contingent charges of the town." It was voted that the "wolf's head must have the entire skin thereon." A resolution was passed, that " from the extensive boundaries of the town, it is neces- sary it should be divided."


A glance at the records of 1802, shew the progress of settlement westward ; although the town meetings were still continued at the house of Peter Shaeffer, and Col. Fish was continued supervisor, the path-masters began to occupy a wide range : - Abel Rowe was a a patlı-master in the now town of Greece; Asa Utley, near Scotts- ville ; Daniel Buell, at Le Roy ; Jas. M'Naughton, Caledonia ; Ezekiel Lane, Buffalo; Joseph Howell and Lemuel Cooke at Niag- ara Falls and Lewiston ; Richard M. Stoddard of Le Roy was one of the commissioners of highways ; and Isaac Sutherland of Batavia was a constable.


In 1803, the towns of Leicester, Batavia, and Southhampton, were erected from Northampton by a resolution adopted at a special town meeting. The commissioners appointed to fix the boundaries of the four towns, were : - Elijah Kent, R. M. Stoddard, Samuel Tupper, John Thompson.


The first general election for all the region west of Genesee River, was in April, 1800. For Congress, Thomas Morris had 37 votes. For members of Assembly, Nathaniel Norton had 37, Lemuel Chip- man 25, William Dunn 10. In 1801, Stephen Van Rensselaer had 78 votes for Governor, George Clinton 10. For delegates to state


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convention ; - Moses Atwater 52, John Knox 77, Israel Chapin 21, Amos Hall 6. In 1802, for Congress, Oliver Phelps 117, N. W. Howell 16; for members of Assembly, Joseph Ellicott 117, Aug. Porter 117, Daniel Chapin 121, Thaddeus Chapin 5, Ebenezer Merry 2, Pollydore B. Wisner 12. This was the last election previous to the erection of Genesee county.


First road recorded is from Braddock's Bay to distillery of Stephen Peabody, on River, a short distance below Mr. Shaeffer's. This, it is presumed, was what had been called the " Williamson road," - the first avenue opened to reach the Bay from the Buffalo road. The 2d :- " From Landing place below the Falls, to Land- ing place above the Allan mill." 3d :- Across the flats of the River near Cuylerville. 4th : - From "mouth of River to Canawa- gus, and from thence to east bounds of Peter Campbell's lot, at the upper end of Scotch settlement." In 1802 the road was recorded from Le Roy to Batavia ; from "Batavia to mouth of Buffalo creek. near John Palmer's house ;" from "Niagara Falls to Lewiston and Fort Niagara." In 1797, there were three path-masters west of Gen- esee River :- Christopher Dugan, Joseph Morgan, and Josiah Fish. In 1799, there were five : - Jessee Beach, Asa Baker, Peter Shaeffer, Elijah Kent, Samuel Hicks. In 1800, there were seven :- Jotham Curtis, Garrett Davis, Asa Ransom, Joshua Chamberlin, Stephen Peabody, Timothy Madden, Jr., Daniel Curtis. In 1801, eleven : - Nehemiah Weston, Simon King, Solomon Blood, Joseph Cummings, Perez Brown, John M' Vean, Daniel Davis, John Pal- mer, John M' Naughton, Salmon Scott, Asa Ransom.


Col. Josiah Fish, the early Supervisor of the wide region of Northampton, was from Windham, Vermont. Having in a pre- vious visit to the country, purchased a farm at the mouth of Black Creek, on the Genesee river, in 1795, with his son Libbeus, he came on to commence upon it. Hiring his team work of Mr. Shaeffer, he broke up a few acres of the open flats, planted it, put up a log hut which he got the Indians to cover with bark; after which, the father and son went down to board with Sprague, who was then in charge of the Allan mill, at the Falls; "and pretty hard board it was," says the son : - " We had raccoon for breakfast, dinner and supper, with no vegetables; and upon extra occasions, we had cakes fried in raccoon oil." This, with the fever and ague added, was a specimen of pioneer life in what is now Rochester. Taking


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the son up to Mr. Berry's at Canawaugus, where he had a winter's sickness, the father returned to Vermont for the family ; and in April, the whole were in their new solitary home at Black Creek, living without doors, floor, window or chimney. Over half of the family were soon prostrated by disease, which continued the great- er part of the season. In November, Mr. Williamson having hired Col. Fish to take charge of the Allan mill, the family moved down to the Falls, and occupied a board shantee for cooking, sleeping in rooms partitioned off in the mill, where was not even the luxury of glass windows. In this way they wintered and summered. The next fall, they put up a three walled log house, against a ledge of rocks on the river bank, the site being that now occupied by the old red mill, near Child's basin ; the ledge of rocks serving for one wall of the house ; a fire place and chimney being excavated in the rock. They found for their neighbors, Messrs. Hencher and Hos- mer, at the mouth of the river; and soon after they had located at the Falls, they were much gratified in the accession of some new neighbors - the Atchinsons - at Braddock's Bay. In 1798, Col. Fish, being a magistrate for Ontario county, held a court at Lewis- ton for the trial of a person who had sold liquor to the soldiers of Fort Niagara. He remained in charge of the mill until 1804, when he moved back to his farm. In 1807, he sold his farm, and moved upon the Ridge, near Parma, where he died in 1811. Libbeus Fish, formerly of Batavia, now residing at Jackson, Michigan ; John P., Chicago, are his sons.


The Atchinson family were from Tolland county, Conn. It con- sisted of Bezaleel Atchinson, his brothers, Asa, Jacob, Sylvester, Stephen and John, his two sons, and two daughters. Sylvester Atchinson surveyed the town of Naples for Phelps & Gorham. In 1794, they purchased lands there, some of the brothers remained and made improvements, and in 1796 were joined by Bezalcel and his family, who remained there but a short time, and in March, of that year, went to Braddock's Bay, two brothers accompanying him. Although all the Atchinson brothers, six in number, were at the Bay as early as 1802, Bezaleel with his family, and two brothers, Stephen and John, were the Pioneers. Mr. Williamson having just opened the town of Parma for sale, held out some inducements for them to commence the settlement at the Bay. They came in by the way of Canawagus, crossing the river on the ice, and on arriving


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at the Allan mill, found a hunter by the name of Parks, a wanderer, with his dog, gun, and blanket - the Leather Stocking of the Gen- esee valley - who they hired as a pilot,- not having even the bene- fit of marked trees after they left the river. They were three days making the journey from where Rochester now is, to Braddock's Bay, making their own road as they went along. With the boards from their sled, and some blankets, they made a shelter, in which they lived six weeks; in which time they built a log house without nails, boards or glass. Starting from Naples with four oxen they lost one on the road, and two, soon after they arrived at the Bay, leaving them but one ox for their team work ; but with this one ox, they logged eight acres and prepared it for summer crops. They used him with a crooked yoke and traces.


Michael Beach, had the summer previous, come in and made a small improvement, on the farm now owned by Judge Castle. Within one, two and three years, the Atchinsons were joined in their new settlement by George Goodhue, Silas Leonard, Timothy Madden and their families. Leonard was from Stockbridge, Mass- achusetts ; there came in with him his sons Jonathan and Silas. The next year after they emigrated, the father went to the salt works at Onondaga to chop cord wood, and was killed by the fall- ing of a limb of a tree. Capt. Jonathan Leonard, upon whom the care of the family devolved, who married a daughter of Wm. Hench- er, is yet living at the Bay. He says : - " We suffered much from sickness. After being in three years we lost all our household ef- fects by fire ; we could raise no money for anything except cattle, with which we paid for our land ; with a crop of three hundred bushels of wheat, we could not raise one shilling in money. We experienced the utmost kindness from Mr. Williamson, and his suc- cessors." Silas Madden, of Parma, is a son of the early Pioneer ; another son, Alpheus, sickened upon the frontier in the war of 1812, and died soon after reaching home.


Roswell Atchinson, Esq., of Parma, is a surviving son of the early Pioneer, Bezaleel Atchinson. He says ; - " I have heard my mother say that she lived eight months without seeing a white woman. The Indians often come to the Bay to hunt, trap, and pick cranberries. Salmon were abundant in Salmon creek ; I have known my father to take three barrels in a short time. We had for neighbors, the first winter, a colony of beavers. Their dam was on


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Salmon creek ; we did not molest them ; used to often see them at work ; thought we would protect them, and let them breed a large colony ; but the spring freshet came, swept away their dam, they went into the Bay where they were caught by a trapper. These were all the beavers we saw ; their dams on all the small streams however, looked as if they had not been long deserted." " We had no schools until we had been in eight years; we then built a log school house, in which Alpheus Madden taught for two months, when the house burned down. I went to Victor, the nearest school. Two Methodist circuit preachers - Messrs. Hill and Woodworth, found our new settlement after many years; not until settlement had commenced upon the Ridge. They would preach at the house of some new settler ; and it was not uncommon for women to go on foot five or six miles to hear them."


The surviving sons of Bezaleel Atchinson, are : - Roswell, of Parma, Austin, of Greece, Fuller, a Methodist clergyman at the west. Daughters : - Mrs. Willard Cranson, and Mrs. Buel, of Michigan, Mrs. Samuel Wyman, of Parma, and Mrs. Sylvanus Willey, of Og- den. The father died in 1828, aged 66 years. The brothers who came into the country with him : - Sylvester, resides in Oakland county, Michigan ; Stephen died a few years since in Illinois, Mrs. George Patterson of Parma, is his daughter ; John resides in Parma, over 80 years of age ; - he commanded a volunteer corps in the war of 1812, serving upon the frontier, and at the mouth of the Genesee river. Asa, resides in Coldwater, Michigan, and Jacob in Illinois ; making four of the six brothers, who came to the Genesee country in 1794, still alive; an instance of longevity, that has few parallels. Jacob Atchinson buried a wife and nine children, before leaving Parma, and has now a second wife, and a large family.


In 1790, Phelps and Gorham sold to a company of men in Spring- field and Northampton, Mass., 20,000 acres of T. 7, 1, short range, upon the "Mill Tract." This embraced all of the present site of the city of Rochester, west of the river .* Among the purchasers, were Quartus Pomeroy, Justin Ely, Ebenezer Hunt, and - Breck. By re-sales, previous to 1796, Augustus and Peter B. Por- ter, Zadock Granger and Gideon King, had become part owners.


* There was excepted in the deed of conveyance, the "One Hundred Acre Tract,"' or " Allan Mill Tract," which had previously been granted to Ebenezer Allan.


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The tract was surveyed in 1790, by Frederick Saxton, and sub- divided in '97, by Aug. Porter.


In the winter of 1796, '7, the settlement of the tract commenced, by the advent of four families : - Eli Granger, Thomas King, Si- mon King, and Elijah Kent. They came in via Canawaugus, and down the river, locating a short distance above what was afterwards King's, now Handford's Landing. They had no shelter but their covered sleighs, until they erected log huts. The next year they were joined by Bradford and Moses King, Dr. Stone and - Gra- ham; and in 1798, four brothers, Ebenezer, Daniel, Abel and Asa Rowe, settled in the neighborhood. These new settlers began to make farms, but encountered sickness and death enough to have dis- couraged the less resolute. Several of the heads of families died in the first few years.


Asa Rowe died soon after coming in, as did - Graham, and the father of the brothers Kings, and Elijah Kent. When Mr. Rowe died, the other brothers were siek and unable to go for help to lay him out and bury him, until he had lain 24 hours. Recover- ing from their sickness, the surviving brothers left the country, and returned to Oneida county. In a few years however, Daniel and Abel returned, bringing with them another brother, Frederick, and settled on the Ridge Road.


The first boards that the new settlers obtained, was by repairing the old Allan saw mill at the Falls, and in a few years Nathaniel Jones, built a rude saw mill on the small stream, that puts in near Hanford's Landing.


Dr. Zacheus Colby, and Dr. Sylvester Atchinson, were early physicians, practicing in the Kings' settlement.


In 1799, Eli Granger and Abner Migells, built a schooner at King's Landing, the first merchant vessel built by Americans on Lake Ontario, and none had been previously built by Americans on the Upper Lakes.


Township 13, range 7, was the fifth sale made by Phelps & Gor- ham. In Mr. Phelp's memorandum, it is entered as sold to "Gen. Hyde and others." The associates of Gen. Hyde, who was a resi- dent of Lenox, Mass., were his townsmen, Prosper Polly, Enos Stone, Job Gilbert, Joseph Chaplin, and it is presumed, John Lusk,


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of Berkshire, as fifteen hundred acres of the township near the head of Irondequoit Bay, was set off to him, while - the survey of the township into farm lots was progressing. Mr. Lusk was the pio- neer in improvement and settlement, and in fact bore that relation to all of what is now Monroe county, having even preceded the Shaeffers several months. With his son Stephen, then fifteen years old, and Seely Peet, a hired man, he came to the new region early in the summer of 1789. Arriving at Schenectady, he embarked with a small stock of provisions, in a batteau, the son and hired man coming by land, and driving some cattle. The son, Stephen Lusk, of Pittsford, who still survives, says he remembers very well, that upon the present site of Utica, there was only an opening of about half an acre in the forest - and that the pioneer there, John Post, was just finishing his log cabin. They came upon the Indian trail, via Skaneatelas, Onondaga Hollow, and from there to Cayuga Lake had little more than spotted trees as a guide. They crossed Cayuga Lake on a raft, swimming their cattle. The father, son and hired man, re-united at Canandaigua, and constructing an ox-sled, made their own road to their location in Brighton. Erecting a log cabin, they cleared twelve acres and sowed it to wheat, procuring their wheat of Ebenezer Allan, upon the Shaeffer farm, by cutting a woods road to the mouth of Red creek, to which point they trans- ported it in a canoe. While they were clearing the land and sowing their wheat, they saw none of their own race, but the surveyors of the township. Indians often came from Canada in canoes to the Bay, on their way to Canandaigua. The whole three had the ague and fever, which obliged them to suspend labor for a considerable period. They returned to Massachusetts in the fall.


In the spring of 1790, Mr. Lusk brought out his family, coming . all the way from Schenectady to the head of Irondequoit Bay by water, the sons Stephen and Erastus coming by land with stock in company with Enos Stone and others. Mr. Shaeffer and his brother, being bachelors, the family of John Lusk may be said to be the first family located upon all the territory now embraced in Monroe county, other than the temporary residents, refugees from the border wars, Allan and Walker. The first few years they had to contend with all the usual privations of extreme backwoods life, and to which was added disease and harrassing Indian alarms. The refugee Walker of whom Mr. Hencher speaks, living in his solitary hut at the mouth


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of the River, was still in the British and Indian interests - made frequent visits to Niagara ; and returning would alarm the few settlers in the backwoods by representing that they were to be attacked by the Indians. He was not pleased with his new neigh- bors ; and when they crowded upon him, he sought more congenial associations, in Canada .*


Mr. Lusk died in 1814, aged 66 years. Besides the present Stephen Lusk, his sons were Erastus, Norman, John and Aaron. Stephen Lusk, whose wife as will have been observed, is the daughter of William Hencher, is 76 years of age. Heman and Dennis Lusk of Pittsford, Henry Lusk of Laporte, Indiana, are his sons; Mrs. Thomas Wilcox of Mendon, is his daughter.


Orange Stone, a son of one of the original proprietors of the township, with his family, Joel Scudder and family. and Chauncey and Calvin Hyde, followed Mr. Lusk in a few weeks ; and about the same time Timothy Allyn, came on and occupied alone, a log cabin he erected on a tract of 500 acres on the stream that took his name, near the termination of the Brighton plank road. Spending a summer in the wilderness he got discouraged, sold out and went to Geneva, where he was a prominent and useful citizen in early years. He had borne the commission of Captain in the war of the Revolution. He finally returned to Massachusetts, where he died at the advanced age of 90 years. He was a lineal descendant of Robert Allyn, who with Robert Winthrop and James Avery, was a pioneer emigrant at New London, Conn .; F. U. Sheffield, of Palmyra, is a nephew of the early Pioneer of the Genesee country.


Orange Stone located on the now Pittsford road, a little east of Brighton village, near the "rock and tree." Messrs. Bacon, Adams, and Fellows, of Bloomfield, Enos Stone, Stephen Lusk and others, who had emigrated, or intended to do so, in 1790, clubbed together, and started for the new region a drove of oxen, cows, and hogs. Enos Stone, Jr. the son of one of the proprietors named above, Stephen Lusk, Jacob Lobdell, one of the Adams, were of the drivers. After leaving Utica, they travelled about 25 miles per day, camping




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