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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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 60
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).
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REMINISCENCES OF GUSTAVUS CLARK.
When I came to Clarkson, in 1815, the Ridge road was but little travel- led for want of bridges; my first load of goods broke most of the bridges down from Rochester to Clarkson, and the team was obliged to return to Lima via the south road and Le Roy. That road had been opened before
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the Ridge road was travelled at all. My first principal business was to pay part goods and part cash for black salts and pot-ash. Henry M'Call, a brother of Judge M'Call, of Allegany county, had been first engaged in mercantile business in Clarkson; and Joshua Field, now of Brockport, had also been merchandizing here. James Seymour was the successor of Field. All of these had been engaged in the manufactury of pot-ash; in fact, that was then the staple production of all this region. It was the first available means that the new settlers had to pay for store goods, or to raise a little money ; it was a great help to them; I hardly know how they could have got along without it. It was a period when but few of the set- tlers had raised any grain to sell. The new settlers would put up a few rough leaches, and generally make black salts; those who were strong- handed enough, and could raise kettles, would make pot-ash. . Upon lands where beech maple and elm predominated, the ashes would almost pay for elearing. Many times when a new settler was under the necessity of rais- ing money, or stood in need of store trade, he would go into the forest, chop down maple and elm trees, roll them together, and burn them, for the ashes alone, without reference to clearing. The proceeds of ashes have supplied many a log cabin in this region with the common necessaries of life, in the absence of which there would have been destitution. Our pot- ash was taken to the mouth of the Genesee river and shipped to Montreal. I have sold it in Montreal for as high a price as $305 per ton. Lumber- ng, the getting out, purchasing and shipping of oak butt staves, was the next considerable business after that of pot-ash, and helped the new set- tlers along until we had the Erie Canal, and a surplus of grain to send up- on it to market.
The Ridge road was much improved soon after 1815, by the erection of substantial bridges over the streams. A post route was established from Canandaigua to Lewiston, in November 1815. At first, the mail was car- ried in a small wagon, twice a week. In 1820, daily coaches were put upon the route; travel increased rapidly ; for a few years before the canal was completed, there were coaches almost continually in sight.
Lyman Warren, settled upon the Ridge, in east part of Clarkson, in 1817 ; still survives, at the age of 80 years. He is the father of
NOTE .- In May, 1807, Mr. Wadsworth urges Mr. Troup by letter, to encourage the manufacture of pot-ash ; says it will be a great help to new settlers, and encourage them to clear their lands; and adds, that Mr. Murray has authorized him to buy two kettles for the inhabitants of "Fairfield," (Ogden.) In December of the same year, he writes to Mr. Troup :- You can hardly imagine what a spring the two pot-ash kettles I have sent to Fairfield has given to the clearing of land, and what a great ac- commodation it is considered by the inhabitants. The situation of the inhabitants in this part of the country has really been distressing ; a farmer might have 1,000 bushels of wheat in his barn, and yet not be able to buy a pound of tea ! Till of late, the merehants have began to take wheat for goods, but at a very low price." "I fully believe that the profits a farmer can make from the ashes on an aere of timbered land, is greater than the profits on an aere of wheat. I much wish that some mode could be hit upon to convince Lady Bath how much the value of her estate would be en- haneed by facilitating the transportation of pot-ash and hemp to Montreal." [This has reference to some change in the British revenue laws.]
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
Capt. Henry Warren, who has been for many years the popular manager of one of the Rochester and Buffalo canal Packets. At the period he located upon the Ridge, there were settled in north of his locality, in what was called the "north woods," three brothers : Adam, Henry and James Moore. They were Irishmen ; neither of them survives ; there are many of their desendants in the neighbor- hood ; John and Thomas Moore, early settlers of Lockport, were the sons of Adam. The Hoy family, also Irishmen, were settled in the same neighborhood ; the old gentleman died in 1838 or '9 ; his sons were : James, John, and Robert Hoy; many of the desendants reside in Clarkson. It was pretty much a wilderness north of Ridge in 1817. There had settled along the Ridge in Clarkson : Eli Annable, who is now living ; had come in previous to war. John H. Bushnell was the Pioneer of the neighborhood ; died about five years since ; widow still survives ; Sidney and John Bushnell are his sons ; he was a supervisor and magistrate. Ebenezer Toll, re- moved to Gaines, where he died about fifteen years since. The first tavern keeper at Ladd's corners, was Huysott ; Reuben Downs was an early tavern keeper east of Ladd's corners. John Philips, afterwards sheriff of Niagara, kept a tavern in the neighbor- hood in an early day.
The village of Brockport, was one of the creations of the Erie canal, and is of course not embraced in the Pioneer period. Pre- vious to the construction of the canal, there was at that point-upon the site of one of the most flourishing villages in Western New York-but the farm houses of Rufus Hammond and Hiel Brockway.
The village started up under the auspices of Mr. Brockway, and to his extraordinary enterprize was much indebted in all its early years. He was a native of Lyme, Conn., settled first in this State at Cattskill, about the year 1800 ; emigrated to the Genesee country in an early day, and was a resident first in Geneva and then in Phelps. Soon after the war of 1812, he removed to the then town of Murray, afterwards Sweeden, and purchased the farms of two or three of the early settlers, at the rate of $12 and $15 per acre. The site of Brockport and its vicinity was then but a region of log houses and small improvements. The locality had no other advan- tages than of being the point where a main north and south thorough fare crossed the canal ; and of being in the centre of a region which promised to become, as it has, one of the richest agriculture districts of Western New York. The village took a rapid start after the canal was completed, and has had a steady and uninterrupted growth.
In addition to other early enterprizes, Mr. Brockway was en- gaged extensively in the packet boat business ; first putting on boats between Rochester and Buffalo in opposition to the old packet line from Utica to Buffalo; then filling up the portion of that line west of Rochester with his own boats in connection with that line. He made Brockport the central locality in reference to packet boat
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
operations at the west ; infused a new spirit of enterprise into the business ; and to him, in fact, have the travelling public been largely indebted for the superior packet boats, and their excellent manage- ment, that have for a long series of years been enjoyed upon the western section of the Erie canal. To part with them and their excellent managers, most of whom have been educated in the school of Mr. Brockway, (and he was a shrewd judge of men as well of horses, and of the best model of boats,) will seem like parting with old friends ; and yet the event would seem to be near at hand, for soon the shrill notes of the steam whistle will be heard along the line, where their horns have so long sounded ; and haste, speed, regardless of comfort, is the order of the day.
Mr. Brockway died in 1842, aged 67 years ; of a large family of children-13 in number - but 4 survive : Charles M., and Nathan R. Brockway, Mrs. Dr. Carpenter, and Mrs. Elias B. Holmes.
A portion of the village has grown up on non-resident land that James Seymour purchased about the time the canal was constructed. Mr. Seymour was an early merchant in the village ; the President of the bank of Rochester; was the fortunate owner of the land on which the capital of Michigan was located ; and is now a resident there.
The town of Sweeden was pretty generally settled before the con- struction of the Erie canal, but a large portion of the farms had been but recently commenced. When the town was organized, in 1821 there were 330 inhabitants liable to assessment upon the highways. The first supervisor was Silas Judson, the town clerk, Major M. Smith; other town officers : Joshua B. Adams, Chauncey Staples, Abel Gifford, Levi Branch, Zenas Case, Oliver Spencer, Zenas Case. Jr., Samuel Bishop, Levi Pond, Sylvester Pease, Daniel J. Avery, Joseph S. Bosworth, John Reeves, Peter Sutven, Joseph Randall.
The early physicians of village and town, were : - Daniel J. Avery, the father of Daniel J. Avery of Sweeden, - -- Millican. John B. Elliott, Elizur Munger, Davis Carpenter, M. D.
Levi Pond settled in Sweeden in 1817, purchasing a farm in the north part of the town; still survives. He has filled the several offices of deputy sheriff, constable and collector, and in 1833 was one of the representatives of Monroe in the Legislature. He is the father of Elias Pond, late collector of the Genesee District.
THE CONNECTICUT, OR "100,000 ACRE TRACT."
Robert Morris sold this tract to Andrew Cragie, James Watson, and James Greenlief, for $37,500. Oliver Phelps purchased an equal undivided half of it in 1794, which he conveyed to De Witt Clinton in 1095 ; it reverted, and Mr. Phelps sold his interest to the
566
PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
State of Connecticut. The other half was sold by Mr. Cragie to Charles Williamson and Thomas Morris, and ultimately the title became vested in Sir Wm. Pulteney; the State of Connecticut and Sir William Pulteney thus becoming tenants in common, in 1808, the commissioners of the school fund of Connecticut, (the purchase having been made out of that fund,) appointed Levi Ward, Jr., who had then recently settled in Bergen, to act in their behalf, and in co-operation with Col. Troup, the local representative of the Pulteney interest, to procure the survey of the tract. This accomplished, in March 1810, Dr. Ward was further empowered in co-operation with Col. Troup, in behalf of the commissioners of the school fund, to procure an equitable partition of the tract. Israel Chapin and Amos Hall were mutualiy appointed by Messrs. Troup and Ward, for that purpose, and made the partition.
Fifty thousand acres of the tract having been vested in the com- missioners of the school fund, in July 1810, they appointed Dr. Ward their local agent for the sale of it. In September of the same year Dr. Ward commenced the sales of farm lots. The sales progressed until 1816 under this agency, when Dr. Ward and Levi H. Clark, purchased of the State of Connecticut all the unsold lands. By agreement, the sales were continued in the name of the State, until the whole was disposed of to actual settlers. The bonds belonging to the State, have remained in charge of Dr. Ward, until the present time ; the management of the property for the last ten or fifteen years, since the retirement of Dr. Ward from active busi- ness, has devolved upon his son Levi A. Ward.
The half belonging to the Pulteney estate, was managed in Col. Troup's agency and that of his successor, Mr. Fellows. The 100,- 000 acre; or as it has usually been called, the Connecticut Tract, is bounded north by Lake Ontario, west by the Holland Company, or transit line, south by an east and west line, a little north of the Buf- falo road in the town of Stafford, and east by the west line of the Triangle. In it, are now embraced the towns of Kendall, Murray, Clarendon, Byron and a small portion of Le Roy, Stafford and Ber- gen.
The whole tract as will have been observed, was settled after the general Pioneer period, and it is one of the localities of the settle
NOTE. - A singular incident is connected with the title to the 100,000 tract .- After sales had commenced and progressed several years, Seth P. Beers, who represented the State of Connecticut, and Joseph Fellows, the agent of the Pulteney estate, discoy- ered, that a deed from one of the early grantors was lost, and not upon record. Mr. Beers sought out and importuned the grantor to substitute a new one - offered him : $10,000 which he refused, demanding $20,000. Another of the early proprietors who had been familiar with all the transfers, was upon jail limits in the city of Washing- ton. Mr. Beers repaired to that city and he assured him he could find the deed in Philadelphia. Procuring a carriage, Mr. Beers took him from the jail limits under cover of night, conveyed him to Philadelphia, he found the deed, and was returned to the jail Innits before his absence was discovered. For $1000 donated to the finder, title was perfected without yielding to the exhorbitant demands of one who was for taking advantage of the loss of the deed.
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
ment of which the author has received but meager reminiscences. Benham Preston was the first settler, preceded survey and the opening of sales. He went in from Stafford, on the Buffalo road, and set his family down upon Black creek, without a shelter, while he went through the woods to the then new settlement of Bergen, and procured the aid of Henry D. Gifford and others in erecting a rude cabin.
The following are the names of most of all who took contracts upon the whole tract, or deeds, the first five years after sales com- menced. As in the instance of the Trangle, it will generally, but not invariably, indicate who were the Pioneers : -
1810.
Samuel Lincoln,
Nathan George,
Greenman Carpenter,
Paul Knowlton,
John Smith,
Adam Gardner,
Aaron Scribner,
John Coleman,
Jonathan Sprague,
Ella Smith,
Silas Taylor,
Darius Sprague,
William Wood,
Elisha Taylor,
John Farewell,
Horace Langdon,
Eli Mead,
William Burlingame,
Amos Bosworth, Elijah Brown,
John Mead,
Joshua Whaley.
1811.
Elijah Loomis,
Elijah Shumway,
William Shepard, Grover Gillum.
Samuel Hall,
Henry Mead,
Silas Holbrook,
John Gookin,
Job Jordon,
Uriel Holcomb,
Harvey Prentice,
Edmund Wilcox,
Major Osborne,
Nathan Squier,
Asa Merrils,
Munson Hobbs,
Stephen Parkhurst,
George Holt,
Jas. M. Price,
Ishi Parmelee,
John Janes, David Loomis, . Hubbard Everts,
Amasa Walker,
John Thwing,
Jacob Spafford,
John Thwing, Jr.,
Timothy T. Hart,
Frederick Jones,
Alfred Ward,
George Christ,
John Johnson, John Cummings,
Joshua Wright, Eliab Wright, Jared Child,
Daniel Carpenter,
John Stivers,
Selah M. Wright. Ezekiel Case,
Ira Seribner,
Isaac B. Williams,
Wm. Jenny, Benajah Giswold,
William Strong,
1812.
Simeon Hosmer,
Amasa Heath,
John Freeman,
Samuel Hosmer,
Justis Taylor,
George Barton,
Gideon Hazen,
Samuel Payne,
Thompson & Tuttle,
Jacob Dunning, Caleb Miller, Anthony Miller, Amos Lampson,
Enos Bush, Abel Hyde,
Moses Green,
Paul Knowlton,
John Carniff,
Wm. Croswell,
John Tucker,
Seth Griswold,
John Van Valkenburg,
Samuel Hammond,
Benj. Livermore, Paul Ballard,
Daniel Woodward,
Augustus White, Henry Merrill, Lyman Griswold,
Chester Holbrook,
Daniel Beckley
Silas Hazen,
Elijah Warner,
Samuel Parker, William Parker, Enoch Eastman,
William Wolcott,
Manning Richardson,
Randal Stivers,
Ami Curtiss,
Radley Randal,
Joseph Barker,
Oliver Van Kirk.
Ahimaz Brainard,
John P. Bishop,
Page Russell,
Justis Parish,
M. J. Hill, R. Lucas, A. Webb,
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
1812.
Thomas Hause,
Cyrus Hood,
Calvin Weed,
Sanford Main,
Phineas White,
William Burnham,
Elisha Bentley,
Thomas Fisher,
William D. Dudley,
Abner Chase,
Lemuel Cone,
Nathaniel Rogers,
John Cone,
Dewey Miller,
Samuel Alger,
Ezra Sanford,
Abner Hopkins,
George Holt,
John Palmer,
Roswell Mair,
Henry Van Wormer.
1813.
Elisha Smith, Jr.,
Samuel Rundal,
Solomon Bishop,
Henry L. Gould,
Lemuel P. Hall,
David Glidden,
Ephraim Whipple,
Stephen Martin,
Lodowick Wright,
Eddy Emmons, William Stiveback,
Chester Bills, Ezekiel Allen,
Eli Whelon, John Lake,
David Church, Chauncey Hood, Aaron Thompson
Ephraim Van Valkenburg, Levi Preston,
Gideon Baldwin,
Van Kirk.
1814.
Elijah Andrus,
Eldridge Farwell Daniel R. Starks,
Peleg Sisson,
Solomon Carpenter,
John Love,
A'sa Lake,
Jiras Hopkins,
Johathan Byam,
Horace Balcom,
Arrod Kent,
Samuel Mansfield.
1815.
-
George Campbell,
William Allen,
Samuel Day,
Joseph Langdon,
Ezekiel Allen,
Nathan Crandal,
Ezra Sanford,
William Jones,
David Hutchinson
Lodowick Wright, Benham Preston,
Ebenezer Perrigo
Robert Clark,
Henry Grovenburg, Daniel Hall,
Zimri Perrigo, Oliver Page,
David Wait,
Job Gardner,
William P. Gibbs
Abel Wooster,
Peter Prindel,
Ebenezer Gibbs,
David Jones,
Oliver Mattison,
Elijah Macknard,
Nathaniel Brown,
John Quimby, Story Curtiss, Betheuel Greenfield,
Wm. Alexander,
Henry W. Bates,
Timothy Bachelder,
Joseph Parks, Allen Sears,
Benjamin Morse, Amos Randall,
Stephen Richmond, Cyrus Coy, Noah Sweet,
Anson Morgan,
Stephen Randall.
William Lewis, Charles Lee, Abijah Smith,
Robert Owen,
Joseph Weed,
Nicholas Prine,
Roswell Osborne, Ezekiel Lee.
Darius Ingalls, Jesse Munson,
Asel Balcom,
Hooker Sawyer.
John Sayres, Nathan Bannister, Zuri Stephens, Pliney Sanderson, Preserved Richmond,
Nathan Ladd, Mathew Hannah, John Richards William Preston, Josiah Heath,
ยท Page, Homer H. Campbell,
Silas Williams, Salmon Patterson. Lyman Isbel, James Douglass, Consider Warner, John Douglas,
Theodore Drake, Barney Carpenter, William Rhoades,, Amasa Haskell, William Wood,
Chauncey Robinson, Daniel Gleason, John Stephens, Shubel Lewis, Oliver Smith, John Southworth,
Joel Bronson,
Isaac Leach,
Benjamin Allen
Levi Dudley,
Theopilus Randal,
David Leadman,
Enos Cochran,
Amos Salmon,
John Augur,
Stephen Eastman Jacob Amen,
David Jones,
Levi Stephens,
Jesse Carter, Daniel Reese, Davis Ingals,
Zeno Terry,
Barney Carpenter,
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
BRIGHTON.
The township was an early pioneer locality, as will have been seen in preceding pages, though its settlement made but slow progress ; but an occasional settler coming in previous to 1816. The town which then embraced what is now Brighton and Ironde- quoit was organized in 1814. Oliver Culver was the first supervisor, Nehemiah Hopkins, town clerk. Other town officers: - Orange Stone, Ezekiel Morse, Solomon Gould, Sylvester Cowles, John Hatch, Jessee Taintor, Ezra Rogers, Rufus Messenger, Enos Blos- som, Samuel Spafford, David Bush, Enos Stone, Job C. Smith, Wm. Billinghurst. There were but three road districts in the town; the overseers were, Rufus Messenger, Wm. Moore, Solomon Gould, James Suffield, Joseph Caldwell. By records transferred from old town books of Northfield, it would seem that as early as 1802 a road was laid "from Tryon Square, to Genesee River near King's Landing." In 1801 a road was surveyed "from Irondequot Falls intersecting a road from Glover Perrin's to Irondequoit Landing." In 1806 a road from mouth of river to intersection of road near " Thomas' in Landing Town." In 1800 a road "from centre of Main street in the city of Tryon, to the road leading from Orange Stone's to the Genesee River." In same year, a road leading "from , centre of road leading by Hollands and Ingersoll's to Irondequoit Landing." Same year, " from Rattle-snake Spring to the Genesee River, opposite the old mill." Same year, a road " from a stake and stone, south of Allan's creek, to Irondequoit Landing. In 1810 a road " beginning at the new bridge, Genesee river Falls, till it in- tersects a road near Mr. Wilder's in West Town." As late as 1816, $10 was voted for wolf scalps. In that year there was five school districts in the town. Same year, Elisha Ely, Oliver Culver, Otis Walker, Ebenezer Bingham and Ezekiel Morse, were appointed as a committee to petition the "General Assembly," for money to be laid out on the road from "Orange Stone's to the Genesee River." In 1817 Daniel D. Tompkins had 29 votes for Governor, Rufus King 42. In that year Elisha Ely was supervisor.
The first settled minister in Brighton was the Rev. Solomon Allen, as early as 1817. He was the father of S. & M. Allen, the well known brokers in New York ; a faithful minister and an ex- cellent man, as many well remember. His first meetings were held at private houses. He remained five years, and would receive no salary. He died in the city of New York in 1820, aged 70 years.
Enos Blossom was the Pioneer of the numerous family of that name, that has been so closely identified with the history of the town ; cmigrating previous to, or during the war of 1812. He was from Cape Cod, Mass. He died in 1830, aged 51 years. George
36
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
Blossom, of Brighton, and Noble Blossom, of Marshall, Mich., are his sons ; daughters became wives of Marshfield Parsons, of Brighton, and - Aldrich, of Marshall, Michigan. Ezra Blossom, an uncle of Enos, came to Brighton in 1818, purchasing the Spafford farm, upon which the village of Brighton has since grown up. He opened the first tavern there ; died in 1820, aged 61 years. His only sur- viving son is Benjamin B. Blossom, Post Master of Brighton ; daughters became the wives of Ansel House, one of the pioneer attorneys of Rochester, Wm. C. Bloss, of Rochester, and Levi Hoyt, of Brighton.
Dr. Gibbs was the first settled physician in Brighton ; Ira West the first merchant.
CHILI.
A small portion of Chili, was an early settled locality, next to Wheatland, in all the south western portion of Monroe county. When the pioneers had settled down in "West Pulteney," " Fair- field," and on the Gore " in now Parma, they called it going out of the woods when they went to the "Hannover settlement." This settlement was along on the old Braddock's Bay road, projected by Mr. Williamson, in "East Pulteney, now Chili ; the first settlers, principally from Hannover, N. Hampshire. There were of them the elder Mr. Widener, his sons, Jacob, Abraham, William, and Peter; Jacob still survives ; the Sottle family, Joseph Cary, - Wood, and his sons Lemuel and Joseph ; Joshua Howell, who was an early Justice of the peace; Samuel Scott, of Scottsville, Benja- min Bowen, and the Franklin family. The names of early settlers on the River, have occurred in other connections. With the ex- ception of a small portion, the town was late in settling, owing to difficulties in land titles, which kept the lands out of market, but as a whole, its superior soil has been enabling it to overtake its neigh- boring towns in the march of improvement.
John Chapman became a resident of the town in 1804. He had been preceded two years by his son Israel Chapman, who still sur- vives. The elder Chapman opened the road from the Hannover settlement, to his location on Chestnut Ridge. In 1807 he had the contract from Mr. Wadsworth for opening the State road, from the site of Rochester to Ogden; the primitive opening consisting only of "turning out the logs," and under-brushing. In 1808 he opened a road from where he settled in Chili, to the Rapids. He had removed from Phelps, and returning there in about two years he remained there until his death, at the advanced age of 80 years. Israel Chapman, of Chili, Julius Chapman, of Riga, and Joel Chap-
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PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE.
man, of Macedon, are his sons; other sons reside at the west ; Mrs. Wm. Peer, of Chili is a daughter.
Isaac Lacy, though a late comer, was for many years a prominent citizen of the town; an enterprising and successful farmer. He emigrated from Washington county in 1816, and in process of time became possessed of a farm of near 1000 acres ; 600 of which he cultivated. He died in 1844. aged 68 years. He was a member of Assembly from Monroe for two terms, and subsequently a member of the Senate. His surviving sons are Allen T. Lacy, near Mar- shall, Michigan ; John T. Lacy. clerk of Monroe county ; Edward P. and Isaac Lacy, of Janesville, Wisconsin. Daughters became the wives of Ira Carpenter, of Scottsville ; R. M. Long, of Buffalo; Dr. John Mitchell of Janesville; and H. H. Smith, of Union city, Michigan. There was in all, a family of eleven children.
CHAPTER III.
EARLY GLIMPSES OF TIIE GENESEE VALLEY - PIONEER HISTORY OF ROCHESTER.
In all we have of the history of French occupancy of Western New York, but few allusions are made to the immediate valley of the Genesee ; and yet there are distinct evidences that there were Jesuit Missionary and French traders located upon it ; and such may well be the inference, as within it were some of the principal seats of the Senecas. Soon after the advent of La Salle, a trading post and missionary station was founded upon the Niagara, a few miles above the Falls. In the Jesuit letters there are several allu- sions to another one, with which those who occupied the first, were in frequent communication, upon the "River of the Tsonnontouans," (the river of the Senecas.) * While La Salle was building his ves- sel at the mouth of the Cayuga creek, he sent embassies over land, to reconcile the Senecas to his enterprise ; and the vessel he had built at Frontenac, coasted along the south shore of Lake Ontario
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