USA > New York > Livingston County > Conesus > History of the town of Conesus, Livingston Co., N. Y. : from its first settlement in 1793, to 1887, with a brief genealogical record of the Conesus families > Part 6
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At this point of entrance, they were to have some men ready with boat to overtake the deer in the water, and bind him with strong ropes, and then drag him to the shore, an easy captive.
So at last the day set for the capture arrived, which was three days before the match, and the men set out to take prisoner the wild fawn of the forest.
Stationing their men upon the shore of the lake near the present residence of William Gil- bert, they proceeded to the hills of Marrowback
with their hounds, which was soon sent in search of a deer. Their labor were soon re- warded by hearing the loud baying of the hounds as they followed the timid animal whose trail they had struck toward the lake.
Down went the pursued and pursuers, like a flash of lightning toward the blue waters of the lake, and a dark streak passed the men on shore, which told them that the time for their work had commenced. So entering their canoe they pursued the deer, which had already en- tered the water, and before they could overtake him was half way across. Placing a rope around his horns, they then resolved to allow him the free use of his feet until near the shore and then bind them and drag him upon the beach.
All went smoothly until they were about to stop to bind the deer, when all at once he struck a sand bar extending out into the lake, and with one bound upset the boat, throwing its occupants into the water, and made his es- cape up the Groveland hill on the other side. The hounds which by this time had made their way around the inlet, started hotly in pursuit, and as the rope being fasting to the horns of of the deer, would catch around the small sap- lings and bushes, which hindered the deer in his flight, so that the hounds soon overtook him, and before the men could reach him, killed him at the top of the hill.
Being late in the day, the party returned chagrined at their loss, which deprived them of a jolly day of sport, minus a deer, with a fine ducking in the cool clear waters of the lake.
In the late years, the most troublesome an- imal has been the fox, who would steal in the dead of night to the poultry coops, or carry off young lambs from the sheep folds.
On examining the town book, I find upon its pages, the following bounties offered by the
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
town, for the extermination of wild animals, in the town, was as follows :---
" April 5th. 1831. Voted at the town meet- ing, a bounty of five dollars on wolves, and thirty-seven and one-half cents on foxes killed in town."
" April 3d. 1836. Voted at the town meet- ing to pay a bounty of fifty cents on foxes, and six cents on old crows, and three cents on young ones, killed in the town."
" April 5th. 1852. Voted at the town meet- ing to pay a bounty of fifty cents on old foxes and twenty-five cents on young ones, and one shilling on crows killed in the town."
This last act must have been sufficient to have caused their extermination, for we can not find any other bounties offered by the town on the town book.
In closing this chapter on the wild animals of the town, we must say at the present day, that all of the most ravinous and dangerous ones, have become extinct. The last one to our
knowledge, was a wildcat, killed upon the shores of Conesus lake, a few years ago, under the following circumstances.
Charlie Trescott (a son of Cyrus Trescott), then living with his father in the north west corner of the town, went out one winter morn- ing to do his morning chores, and as he opened the barn door, saw standing upon the floor a large cat-like looking animal, which at once became frightened at his approach, ran and at- tempted to escape through a spout in the side of the barn, which was used to pore swill through, to hogs in a pen on the outside.
The wildcat at once gave a leap into the spout, which was smaller at the lower end, and in doing so, became wedged in it. Charlie at once seized a nail hammer which hap- pened to be lying upon the floor, and at- tacked and killed it before it could release itself from its position. The cat measured about three feet from the end of the nose, to the tip end of the tail.
CHAPTER V.
The Original Land Quners.
N the 16th day of December, in the year of 1786, the western part of the State of New York, including what is now the county of Steuben, was in the possession of the native Indians, and the right of pre-emption and of jurisdiction was claimed, adversely to this State, by the State of Massa- chusetts, under the old grant of James the first, to the Council of Plymouth, of a tract extend- ing from forty-eight degrees north, and west to the Pacific ocean.
On the above day a compact was entered into between the State of New York and Massachu- setts, by commissioners for that purpose duly constituted and appointed by their respective States, by which said compact, duly executed, it was agreed, among other things, substantially as follows :
1st. Massachusetts released and confirmed to New York all claim, right and title of govern- ment, sovereignty and jurisdiction of all the lands and territories heretofore claimed by the State of New York.
2d. New York granted, released and con- firmed to Massachusetts the right of pre-emption of the soil from the native Indians of 230,000 acres between the Owego and Chenango rivers,
(including ten townships in Chenango county;) and also the right of pre-emption of the soil within the following limits and boundaries, viz; " Beginning in the northern boundary line of the State of Pennsylvania on the Delaware river, in the parallel of forty-two degrees of north latitude, at a point distant eighty-two miles west from the northeast corner of the State of Pennsylvania, on the Delaware river,' as the said boundary line hath been run and marked by the commissioners appointed by the States of Pennsylvania and New York, respec- tively, and from the said point or place of be- ginning running on a due meridian north, to the boundary line between the United States of America and the king of Great Britain; thence westerly and southly along the said boundary line, to a meridian which will pass one mile due east from the northern termina- tion of the strait of water between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie; thence south along the said meridian to the south shore of Lake Ontario; thence on the eastern side of the said strait, by a line always one mile distant from the paral- lel to the said strait, to Lake Erie ; thence due west to the boundary line between the United States and the king of Great Britain ; thence
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
along the said boundary line, until it meets with the line of cession from the State of New York to the United States; thence along the said line of cession to the northwest corner of the State of Pennsylvania; and thence along the north- ern boundary line of the State of Pennsylvania to the said place of beginning."
These boundaries embrace the present coun- ties of Steuben, Yates, Ontario, the western part of Wayne, and all the counties lying west of them.
For the purchase of the pre-emptive right to the principal tract described in the coupact be- tween New York and Massachusetts, a propo- sition was made by the Hon. Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps, Esq., for the consideration of three hundred thousand pounds, in the con- solidated security of Massachusetts. This pro- position was accepted by a resolution of the Leg- silature of that State passed April 1st 1788, and the Rev. Samuel Kirkland was appointed to superintend and approve the purchase, which said Gorham and Phelps should make of the right of soil of the native Indians, according to one of the stipulations in the compact be- t ween New York and Massachusetts.
This stipulation or clause was, that any per- son purchasing the above territory or parts of the same, must at first make a treaty with the friendly Indians occupying the same, and pur- chase their rights and title, and to have the said treaty recorded in the office of the Secre- tary of the State of New York, in six months after the said treaties had taken place, or otherwise the same would become void.
On the 8th of July, 1788, a treaty was held and a deed was made and executed by the chiefs, sachems and warriors of the Five Na- tions of Indians, by which the said Indian Na- tions conveyed to the said Gorham and Phelps, for the consideration of two thousand one 1
hundred pounds, New York currency, a tract of land bounded and described as follows :-
" Beginning in the north boundary line of the State of Pennsylvania, in the parallel of forty- two degrees north lattitude, at a point distant eighty-two miles west from the northeast corn- er of Pennsylvania, on Delaware river, as the said boundary line hath been run, and marked by the Commissioners of New York and Penn- sylvania, respectivefully, and from said point or place of beginning, running west upon said line to a meridian which will pass through that corner or point of land made by the confluence of the Kansgwahaicona creek, so called, with the waters of the Genesee river, thence running north along the said meridian, to the center or point last mentioned, thence northwardly along the waters of the said Genesee river, to a point two miles north of Khanawageras village, so called, thence running in a direction due west, twelve miles, thence running a direction north- wardly, so as to be twelve miles distance from the most westward bend of the Genesee river, to the shore of the Ontario lake, thence east- wardly along the shores of said lake, to a meridian which will pass through the first point or place of beginning above mentioned, thence south, along said meridian, to the first point or place of beginning aforesaid."
The above deed was witnessed by Rev. Samuel Kirkland, and many others, and ap- proved by the Legislature of Massachusetts, the 21st of November, of that year.
Thus Gorhom and Phelps having purchased the pre-emptive right of the State of Massa- chuetts, and the right of soil of the Five Na- tions of Indians, they became possessors of all of the territory, which now comprises the coun- ties of Steuben, Yates, Ontario, part of Wayne and most of Monroe, a small part of Genesee, Livingston, and about one-half of Allegany.
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
Gorham and Phelps immediately took pos- session of their purchase, and at once divided it into townships; and by deed dated the 17th of November, in the year 1790, Gorham and his wife Rebecca, and Phelps and his wife Mary conveyed the said tract, (excepting cer- tain reservations,) to Robert Morris of Phila- delphia.
Robert Morris and his wife, conveyed the same tract, excepting reservations, by deed, dated the 11th of April, 1792, to Charles Williamson.
This Williamson is described as having come from England, and at that time living in On- tario county. He is believed to have been an agent of Sir William Pulteney, and had come to this country for making purchases for him. He bought large quantities of land besides the above tract, in various parts of the State, and held them in his own name, although in fact as is supposed, as trustee for Pulteney.
Williamson and Pulteney being aliens, they were at this time deprived of the right to hold or sell lands in this State. To relieve them out of this situation, the Legislature passed an act April 2d 1798, to enable aliens to hold lands in the State under certain restrictions, which gave them power to sell and possess. This act was to be in force for three years and no longer.
So accordingly, on the 31st of March, 1801, before the expiration of the said act, Williani- son and his wife Abigail, conveyed the said tract of land to Sir William Pulteney who sold a few years afterwards a part of what is now the town of Conesus, to William Bowers, and gave a small tract to the Canandaigua Academy, at Canandaigua, N. Y., as a char- itable gift.
Before the year of 1819 or 20, the eastern part of Conesus belong to the town of Livonia,
and the County of Ontario; the western part of the town to Groveland, in the same County. But on the 13th of April, 1820, the Legisla- ture passed an act that "all that township eight, in the six range of townships (then) in- cluding in the towns of Livonia and Groveland, except that part of township eight lying on the east side of the Hemlock lake and adjoining the town of Richmond, shall be, and the same is hereby erected into a separate town by the name of Freeport."
Soon after the town was formed, it was sur- veyed by the owners, and laid off into lots, numbering them from 1, to 139, then a di- vision was made between the owners, of which Sir William Pulteney held as his proportion, 63 lots, Canandaigua Academy, 5, and the heirs of William Bowers (he having died a short time previous,) 70 lots, which was sub- divided as follows, to his five children, namely : John Bowers, 13 lots, Mary (Bowers) Camp- bell, 14 lots, Rebecca (Bowers) Scott, 14 lots, Mary Ann (Bowers) Duane, 15 lots, Harriet (Bowers) Mumford, 14 lots. The Bowers fani- ily then had the head of the Hemlock lake laid out into five lots, numbering them from one to five, as water privileges, should any one de- sire theni.
When the town was laid out into lots, it ex- tended on the east side of Hemlock lake, con- sisting of lots No. 10 and 20, and parts of lots numdered 30, 39, 48, and 57, which has since been transferred to Ontario county, on account of giving the inhabitants, better advantages in reaching the center of the town of Canadice, than it would to come to this town, to transact their town business.
Soon after laying the town out into lots, the heirs of John Bowers came here and com- menced selling off their lands to the settlers, who wished to purchase, at a low figure of eight
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
or ten dollars an acre. Upon their arrival here, they found a large number of settlers, who had seized their lands, supposing it to be without an owner, and by loping down the trees around a small piece, and claiming the same as their own, which they refused to give up, caus- ing some disturbances and some important law suits which were in the courts of the State for several years, and were at last decided in the favor of the rightful owners. These men were called by the settlers "Squatters."
The Pulteney claims, have become extinct,
and also those of the Canandaigua Academy and that of the Bowers family. The former established a Land Office with an agent at Bath, N. Y., which transacted their sales, while the Bowers' family sold their lands only by agent.
Many of the settlers, who had cleared up a large piece of land as a perminent home, after several years of successive toil, suffering for all the necessarys of life, finding that they would be compelled to abandon their claims, bought of the rightful owners their clearings, securing for themselves a pleasent home.
CHAPTER VI. -
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The first Settlements of the Town.
EARLY fourteen long years rolled away after Sullivan's campaign a- gainst the Seneca Indians before the whiteman first made a forest home in the wilderness of Conesus. This was in the year of 1793. There are evidences that plainly show that there may have been one person who came here at an earlier date, -and is given by Mrs. Lucy Patterson, who came here in the year of 1806-as thus :
" When I came here, my father would take his horses from the northern part of Conesus, where we lived, over on Turkey Hill, to a small piece of ground that had been cleared several years before, to pasture. This place was known to the earlier settlers, as the 'Ol- cott clearings'. This piece of ground consisted of about five acres, which had been cleared and a log fence built around the same, and was at this time covered with grass. In the center there had been built a Log cabin, in which the settler had lived, which with the fence, had nearly rotted down; showing that they had been built some years before."
Having no deffinite account of the person or who settled here, we will therefore have to give the honor of the event, to James Hen-
derson, who came here from Pennsylvania, and made a permanent settlement at the head of the Conesus lake, upon lands now owned by B. F. & R. F. McMillen, in 1793. Here he built him a log house, and soon after brought his family, (consisting of a wife and several children,) to mingle their fortune with him, in an unknown wilderness. The old log house, it is now said to be still standing, having passed through many storms, and housed many fam- ilies since.
The next settler, is supposed to have been Hector McKay, who it is said to have come (some of the old settlers differ in date) in 1795. He located upon lot No. 108, about three- fourths of a mile north of the village of Scotts- burgh, where he built him a log house, and in the construction of the same, obtained the as- sistance of the friendly Indians of Squakie Hill, to raise it.
The next early settlers, was Jacob Durham, in 1795, and Jessie and Jacob Collar, in 1796. After the entrence of these four pioneers the town began to become rapidly settled ; and the sound of the woods-man ax, was heard from north to south, and east to west, and to day we can see what the sturdy hands of the Pioneer's
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
.
have done for us.
We will now turn our attention to the first settlements upon the different lots in the town as given by the early settlers ; which we will give who the original owners were, the nun- ber of acres was in the lot, the settlers name, and the year he built the first house upon the same. The name of the original owners, and number of acres in each lot, was copied from an Old Map, drawn by John Scott, February 5th, 1821 ; and now is in the possession of Jotham Clark, Sen., of this Town.
SETTLEMENT OF LOTS.
Lot No. 1. A Pulteney lot, and contains 106.27 Acres. Was settled by Solomon Root, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1815.
Lot No. 2. A Duane lot, containing 125 .- 33, Acres. Was settled by him, and he built the 1st. Log House upon the same, in 1808 or 1809.
Lot No. 3. A Scott lot, containing 93.86 Acres. Was settled by William Bently, who built the 1st. Log House upon the same, in 1808 or 10.
Lot No. 4. A Pulteney lot, consisting 142 .- 25 Acres. The first settlement was made upon the same by Alexander Patterson, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1814.
Lot No. 5. A Scott lot, containing 145.86 Acres. Was settled by Jabez Lewis, who built the 1st. Log House, in the Fall of 1805.
Lot No. 6. A Pulteney lot, and contained 156.36 Acres. Was first settled by Elias Chamberlin and John McMillen, who built each a Log House within a few month's of each other, in 1805.
Lot No. 7. A Bowers lot, containing 159 .- 80 Acres. Was settled by William Reeves, who built the 1st Log House, in 1819.
Lot No. 8. A Mumford lot, containing
167.68 Acres. Wes settled by Peter Bevins, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1806.
Lot No. 9. A Pulteney lot, containing 182.30 Acrec. Was settled by Isaac Neff, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1812.
Lot No. 10. £ A Pulteney lot, containing 81.07 Acres. This lot was situated on the east side of the Hemlock lake, and now belongs to the town of Canadice, N. Y. By whom it was settled, we are unable to say.
Lot No. 11. A John Bowers lot, contain- 114.02 Acres. Was settled by Arron Orloway who built the 1st. Log House, in 1816.
Lot No. 12. Belonged to Mary Campbell, and contained 142.39 Acres. Was settled by Joseph Gilbert, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1808.
Lot No. 13. Was owned by John Bowers, and contained 149.01 Acres. The first settle- ment and log house was built by Joseph Rich- ardson, in 1805, and followed by Devenport Alger, 1808, who owned the same till his death.
Lot No. 14. Belonged to Mary Campbell, and contained 144.20 Acres. Was first set- tled by John Richardson who built the 1st. Log House, in 1806. He was followed by Samuel Bently, in 1810.
Lot No. 15. A Mary Ann Duane lot, con- taining 143.25 Acres. This lot was settled by Elijah Richardson, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1807.
Lot No. 16. Belonged to the Canandaigua Academy, and contained 158.90 Acres. Was settled by Gashmem Jones, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1815.
Lot No. 17. A Pulteney lot, containing 157.85 Acres. Was settled by Timothy Bai- ley, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1819.
Lot No. 18. A Mary Ann Campbell lot, containing 163.72 Acres. Was settled by William Jones, who built the 1st. Log House,
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
in 1809.
Lot No. 19. A Rebecca Scott lot, contain- ing 213.96 Acres. Was settled by Maloy the Hermit, in 1802. The 1st. Log House was built by - Holden, in 1825.
Lot No. 20. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 59.37 Acres. This lot now belongs to Canadice, N. Y.
Lot No. 21. To whom this lot belonged, it was not given on the map. It contained 116 .- 87 Acres. It was settled by Jacob Hubbard who built the 1st. Log House, in 1819.
Lot No. 22. Belonged to Mary Ann Duane, and contained 157.08 Acres. Was settled by Joshua Gills, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1809, and was followed by David Duffer, in 1810.
Lot No. 23. A Mary Ann Duane lot, con- taining 157.49 Acres. Was settled by Ely ('lark, who built the 1st. Log House, in
Lot No. 24. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 149.75 Acres. Settled by Harvey May, who built the 1st. Log House, in the Spring of 1806.
Lot No. 25. A William Pulteney lot, and had 142.62 Acres. Was settled by John Rob- inson, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1808.
Lot No. 26. A Rebecca Scott lot, and con- tained 150 Acres. Was settled by James B. Robinson, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1810.
Lot No. 27. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 152.93 Acres. Was settled by Patrick McCartney who built the 1st. Log House, in 1809.
Lot No. 28. A Harriet Mumford lot con- taining 167.26 Acres. Was settled by Reuben Jones and Richard Mitchel, who erected the 1st. Log House, in 1825.
Lot No. 29. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 116.88 Acres. Was settled by Abner
Lewis, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1812 or '13.
Lot No. 30. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 159.24 Acres. The lot is now divi- ded into two parts by the Hemlock lake. The part in the town of Conesus consisted of 120 .- 60 Acres, and that in the town of Canadice, 38.64 Acres. We have no account of who the first settlers were.
Lot No. 31. A Mary Ann Campbell lot, containing 119.60 Acres. Was settled by Jeremiah Young, who built the 1st Log House, in 1819 or "20.
Lot No. 32. A Mary Ann Duane lot, con- taining 101.78 Acres. Settled in the year of 1811, or '12, by Samuel Root, who built the 1st. Log House.
Lot No. 33. A Rebecca Scott lot, contain- ing 140.54 Acres. Was settled by Simeon Root, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1809 or '10, and was followed by Joseph George, in 1810.
Lot No. 34. A Rebecca Scott lot, contain- ing 140.34 Acres. Was settled by Moses Adams, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1808 or '10.
Lot No. 35. A Harriet Mumford lot, con- taining 147.46 Acres. Was settled by Moses Adams, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1808.
Lot No. 36. A Harriet Mumford lot, con- sisting of 160.83 Acres. Was settled by a son of Joseph Richardson, and Harnion Wheeler, who built the 1st. Log House, but in what year, we have no date.
Lot No. 37. A William Pulteney lot, containing 190.04 Acres. Was settled by Hiram May who done the first clearing in 1811, and was followed by Elisha Hollister, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1815.
Lot No. 38. A Mary Ann Duane lot, con- taining 116.16 Acres. By whom it was settled,
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THE HISTORY OF CONESUS.
we are unable to say.
Lot No. 39. A William Pulteney lot, and is divided into two parts by the Hemlock lake. The lot in Conesus, consisted of 200.01 Acres, and the part now in Canadice, 30.80 Acres. This lot was settled by Peter Bevins, who built the Ist. Log House, in 1810.
Lot No. 40. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 182.57 Acres. Was settled by Ira Young, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1810.
[There is a dispute among the early settlers, and some claim that Peter Marvin built the 1st. Log House, in 1819 or '20.]
Lot No. 41. A William Pulteney lot. con- taining 137.85 Acres. Was settled by James McNinch, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1812.
Lot No. 42. A John M. Bowers lot, con- taining 107.91 Acres. Was settled by Joseph Whitney, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1812.
Lot No. 43. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 145.14 Acres. Was settled by Abel Root, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1807.
Lot No. 44. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 130.10 Acres. Was settled by Titles Crawfoot, who built the Ist. Log House, in 1809.
Lot No. 45. A William Pulteney lot, con- sisting of 163.91 Acres. Was settled by Israel Wells, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1812.
Lot No. 46. A William Pulteney lot, con- taining 109.80 Acres. Was settled by Cros- well Green, who built the 1st. Log House, in 1810.
Lot No. 47. A Rebecca Scott lot, contain- ing 171.11 Acres. We have no record of its settlements.
Lot No. 48. A Rebecca Scott lot, contain- ing 188.80 Acres. This lot is divided in two parts by the Hemlock lake. The part now in
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