USA > New York > Erie County > Elma > History of the town of Elma, Erie County, N.Y. : 1620 to 1901 > Part 13
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
For town officers who were elected, see Chapter XXI.
Samuel Pound's steam sawmill on Lot 90 on the Bullis Road burned this year.
The Town Board on March 3d, voted $450 to finish the Winspear bridge. The Hemstreet bridge across the Big Buffalo Creek at East Elma, built in 1846, broke down in June, 1858, under a load of lumber, with Christopher Peek on the load; team and all going into the millpond. Mr. Peek sustained only slight bruises, and the horses were released from the wagon without cutting or break- ing the harness, when they swam ashore, the water being six feet deep. No other injury to man, horses or wagon occured.
The Hemstreet lattice bridge (standing in 1900) was built in the summer of 1858; the Town Board directing the Commissioner, July 7th, to build the bridge. Little and Bowen had the contract .
140
to build a bridge across the Big Buffalo Creek at their mill, three- quarters of a mile below Elma Village, the contract price of which was $220.00.
George Leger sold his steam saw and gristmill in Spring Brook to Peter Bower in 1858.
James Clark bought the goods of the J. B. Briggs & Co. store in Elma Village in April 1858 renting the store of Warren Jackman; Clark's family living in the back part of the building.
Russel Howard sold his interest in the steam shinglemill at East Elma to Fowler Munger, and Munger and Crane carried on the shingle business there for many years and worked up a great amount of timber.
In the summer of 1858, Clark W. Hurd built a store and dwelling house combined on the northwest corner of the Bowen and Bullis Roads; occupied a few years later by W. W. Standart as store and saloon.
Henry W. Stitz bought a building lot next, west of the store on the north side of the Bullis Road, and on the lot built a house and blacksmith shop and carried on business for several years.
Theodore Noyes died July 27th, 1858, age sixty-one years, nine months and was buried in Elma cemetery.
Rev. Lucius A. Chapin was sent by the M. E. Conference to sup- ply Lancaster, Bowmansville and Elma, he living in Lancaster Vil- lage preaching in the schoolhouse in Elma Village every other Sunday at 2 p. m., alternating with Rev. William Waith, the Presbyterian minister, who also lived in Lancaster.
Lewis Northrup, in the summer of 1858, tore down the sawmill on the south side of the Cazenove Creek at Spring Brook and on the same place built a gristmill, owned in 1900 by his son, Eli B. North- rup.
Mr. Jacob Wooster, of Strykersville, then considered one of the best millwrights in the country, made and put in the mill machinery. Mr. Harvey assisted in putting in the machinery for making flour and was the first miller working for Mr. Northrup. He remained with Mr. Northrup about four years.
Hurd & Briggs put an addition on the west end of their sawmill for a gristmill and put in a run of stone for grinding feed.
Stephen Markham moved from Brewerton, Onondaga County, New York to Elma in October 1858, and bought the Hurd sawmill and lot on Pond Brook, with eight acres of land on the north part of Lot 59 and east side of the Bowen Road, later owned by Joseph C. Standart.
The second general election was held in Hurd's tavern, on the Bullis Road, on November 2d, 1858. Greater interest was mani-
141
fested at this election as more state and county officers were to be . elected. There were there hundred and fifty-one votes polled.
Israel P. Bowen and Henry Meeker sold the Spring Brook tannery November 19, 1858 to Walter L. Curtis and Frederick Deming. They carried on the store and tannery until the tannery burned in 1861.
142
CHAPTER XII.
TOWN OF ELMA-1859-1865.
Mrs. George Standart, Sr. died January 11th, 1859, age sixty-one years, nine months-burial in Elma cemetery.
The third town meeting was held at the Elma Centre House, March 1st, 1859. The opposition to the forming of the new town grows less each year, as the people in the different parts of the town become better acquainted with each other, and the leaders in the political parties begin to show their hands and work for the nomination for town officers.
Since the town was organized, the candidates on the "Peoples' Ticket" had always been part Republican and part Democratic while the Republicans claim a majority of the voters in the town.
Jacob Jerge bought of Adam Michaelis the house and lot in Elma Village across the road from Charles A. Dutton's house and Jerge moved into the house on March 16th, 1859 and continued black- smithing in the shop which he bought of Dutton on the east bank of the millrace; Louis Becker working in the shop for Jerge as wagon maker.
Conrad P. Hensel moved into Blossom Village this year. Mar- cus A. Howard and family moved from Aurora Village into the south part of Mrs. Julia F. Clark's house in April 1859, and lived there that summer while Howard was building a house on a lot he had bought of Clark W. Hurd on the west side of the Bowen Road, nearly opposite Wm. Standart's brick house. Howard had the house so far completed that he moved into it in December of that year. The deed from C. W. Hurd to Marcus A. Howard, dated April 16th, 1866, is recorded in Liber 253, Page 370.
The Bullis Lattice Bridge over the Big Buffalo Creek was built in the summer of 1859. The Bullis sawmill and dam were located about 25 rods below the bridge and it was supposed that these and the millpond would always be there. The water in the pond at the bridge was six feet deep and as wood under water would never decay, it was thought to be economy in building the abutments to use timber below the water line. Accordingly, pine logs were built into cribs as a foundation for the stone walls which were to support the bridge. This worked all right so long as the pond remained but years later when the dam went out and the mill went to decay
143
and neither to ever be rebuilt, the timber of the cribs decayed. In order to save the bridge, new abutments of stone from the creek bottom had to be built.
Mr. Bullis having bought ten acres of land at the southeast cor- ner of lot 29 on the north side of the Bullis Road, in 1859 built a house and horsebarn thereon. The house when finished was, by far, the finest house in the Town of Elma, and in 1900 there are very few houses, if indeed there is one, in the town that exceeds this Bullis house in fine interior and exterior finish, decoration and ornamentation. When completed, it was said to have cost $12,000, and in this house Mr. Bullis spent the closing years of his life. He died in 1869.
John Pomerink's little girl was burned so she died-dress caught fire from a burning brush heap.
Killing frost on morning of June 4th, ice one-third inch thick, and on mornings of July 3d and 4th killing frosts; grass frozen stiff July 4th at 7 p. m. These freezes destroyed all fruit, killed the grass, wheat, rye, corn and potatoes and farmers were greatly dis- couraged; they cut their grass and standing grain to save what they could for fodder for their stock.
John Morris died at Spring Brook in 1859, age seventy-three years, burial in Spring Brook cemetery.
The M. E. Church in Elma Village was built this year. As before stated, the business of the country was in a very low condition; money was very scarce and it was difficult to make a sale of wood or lumber for cash. Pay out of the store or a sale on time and at low price was the rule and it seemed to be a bad time in which to try to build a church, but the schoolhouse was too small to hold the people who wished to attend the meetings.
At a meeting of those interested in building a church in the Vil- lage and on the lot offered by Joseph B. Briggs; George Townsend, Henry D. Wilbor, and Warren Jackman were appointed a commit- tee to get up a plan for a church to be presented at another meeting. At the next meeting, the committee presented their plan which was accepted and they were directed to ascertain if sufficient means could be raised to complete the building. The plan presented was for each person to furnish timber, lumber, stone, labor, teamwork, and cordwood, as they had of these materials, and as they could. An account was to be kept of the amount each one furnished, at the market price, and also, of the actual cost of the labor and materials used in the building. The slips were to be appraised by the trustees at a price sufficient to cover the entire cost when the building was finished and furnished; and at those prices as a start, the slips were to be sold at auction. If the person buying a slip had not fur-
144
nished enough to pay for the same he was to give his note for the balance. If he had furnished more than the price of his slip, he was to take his balance in these notes. So no money was to be called for, nor was there any subscription to be made, only the word given to furnish what they could when called on.
Nearly every person owning land in the vicinity was pleased with the plan, and they readily agreed to furnish such material as they had. The committee reported the result of their visits and it was decided to go on with the building. The committee was directed to make out a bill of all materials needed in the structure. Warren Jackman was chosen by the trustees to take general charge of the building, arrange for the labor and material, and keep the accounts. The bill for timber and lumber was taken to each person and he selected what and how much he would furnish. The superinten- dent then knew on whom and for what material to call.
Some of the lumber, the hardware, paint, and many other ar- tieles and pay for some of the labor could only be obtained in Buf- falo, therefore arrangements were made with Pratt & Co, and Par- melee & Hadley for hardware and paint, with Howard & Whit- comb, and Holbrook & Dee, for dry goods; with H. Hager and Hart & Newman, for groceries; with George Marsh for flour and feed; with Jewett & Root for stoves; with George A. Prince for a melo- deon; with Jeremiah Staats for lumber, chairs and sofa; with the Buffalo Stained Glass Co. for the windows: all to be paid for in lumber and wood. The labor not to apply on a slip was paid by orders drawn on stores in Buffalo or in wood or lumber if wanted. The first stiek of timber, a long sill, was delivered by Hiram Kinney at 10 o'clock a. m., July 7th .. The Elma people who had wood or lumber to turn in would take it to one of the stores in Buffalo and deliver where directed, taking a receipt for the price of the load. And so the whole business was done by exchange of material, and when the building was completed and furnished with carpets, lamps, seats, chairs, stoves, sofa and melodeon, at a cost of $3,400, it was all paid for and was dedicated February 9th, 1860, by Rev. Gleazen Fillmore.
Mr Joseph B. Briggs donated the lot on which the church was built.
The M. E. Conference sent Rev. S. H. Baker to preach in Elma Village, he to reside in Lancaster. As he could be in Elma only on every other Sunday at 2 o'clock, p. m., the M. E. Society, after their church was built invited the Presbyterian Society, with Rev. William Waith as their pastor, to occupy the church every alter- nate Sunday afternoon, which offer was accepted and continued for two or three years.
145
Erastus J. Markham came from Brewerton, Onondaga County, to Elma in October, 1859, and moved into the house on the east side of the Bowen Road on Lot 59, being the house owned and oc- cupied in 1900, by Mrs. Hannah Price. Markham taught the Elma Village school that winter.
The third general election was held in the Elma Centre House on November 8th, 1859. It being an off year, not much interest was taken, there being only two hundred and fifty-seven votes polled. -
1860.
At the town meeting held March 6th, 1860, the Republican and Democratic parties, for the first time since the town was organized had straight party tickets.
Paul B. Lathrop and Zina A. Hemstreet were candidates for the office of Supervisor of the Republican and Democratic parties re- spectively.
While the Republicans claimed the town, a split in the party in the south part of the town, caused by what Mr. Lathrop had or had not done at the session of the Board of Supervisors in 1859, was the cause of his defeat and a large part of the Democratic ticket was elected.
Julius P. Wilder put into the J. B. Briggs & Co's. steam mill building the machinery to cut shingles, giving employment to ten men and boys.
Jacob Jerge, on March 24th, 1860, bought of Charles A. Dutton, the house and lot on the west side of the Bowen Road in Elma Vil- lage, next north of Wm. H. Bancroft's place.
Erastus I. Markham, on April 10th, 1860, bought of James Clark, his interest in the store and that day moved into the back part of the building.
Mr. Clark moved into the house on the east side of the road next north of the Creek.
Dr. Carey W. Howe with his newly married wife moved into the south wing of W. Jackman's house about May 1st, 1860.
Mrs. James Davis died May 17th, 1860, age fifty-one years- burial in Davis cemetery on Lot 36 of Mile Strip.
June 14th, 1860, Erastus J. Markham bought the vacant lot on the west side of the road between Elon Clark and Jacob Jerge.
Wallace Tiffany and Lawrence Dimert this summer operated the sawmill which was built by George Standart, Sr. about 1855 on the south side of the Big Buffalo Creek near the northwest cor- ner of Lot 74, and across the Creek from the Bowen & Little saw- mill.
146
Joseph C. Standart was appointed Postmaster of the Elma Post- office in June, 1860, by President James Buchanan, and the office was moved to the Elma Centre House with Silas Green who kept the tavern, as deputy; Green having charge of the office. The moving of the office from Elma Village three quarters of a mile to the Bullis Road, caused much dissatisfaction among a very large majority of the patrons of the office.
During the summer, Hurd & Briggs put another run of stones and other machinery for making flour, into their gristmill building at the west end of their sawmill. George Townsend did the mill- wright work and acted as miller until he enlisted into the 116th Regiment of N. Y. S. Volunteers in August, 1862.
The Peter Bower steam saw and gristmill in Spring Brook burned in the summer of 1860.
James M. Simons moved out of the Mouse Nest tavern at Spring Brook on August 25th, 1860, having rented the place to W. Wesley Standart, who moved in on the same day.
Thomas D. Tiffany who lived on Lot 64, on the north side of the Bullis Road, committed suicide by hanging himself in his barn in September 1860.
Charles Reichert bought the store of the Ebenezer Society in Blossom and had the Postoffice. The Village and Postoffice while the Ebenezers occupied the place went by the name of Up- per Ebenezer.
The United States census reports gave the population of the Town of Elma in 1860 at 2,136, and for the Town of Marilla, same year at 1,506.
As Marilla had been under settlement about thirty years, while Elma, except the Mile Strip part, had been under settlement about fifteen years, this difference in population shows what a rush was made to gain a place on the last purchace of the Buffalo Creek Reservation. The great variety and excellent quality of the tim- ber and the fertility of the soil, all of which being well watered, made it desirable for the farmers.
The Presidential campaign of 1860 was one of great interest and excitement throughout the whole country and the Town of Elma had its full share. It was conceded that the election was to be the most important in the history of the country to that time.
The great question was as to the further extension of slavery. The Republican party had taken the stand that slavery should not go into the new states and territories but should remain undis- turbed in the States where it then existed. The Abolition and Free Soil parties joined with the Republicans in this campaign. Abraham Lincoln was the Republican candidate for President.
147
The Democrats were divided; a part declaring for the Squatter Sovereignty idea, which was, that in the settlement of the terri- tories, the north and the south were to have an equal chance; each to have the privilege to take their property, slave or other, into the territory and when the time came to apply for admission as a State, the constitution that should be adopted by a majority of the people residing there at the time, slave or free, should be the constitution under which the state should be admitted. Stephen A. Douglass was their candidate.
The leaders in the slave states declared that they had the right under the constitution of the United States to take their slaves and hold them as such wherever the United States flag floated and that the territories being common property they had the right to settle in the territories with their slaves and other property, and, when there, that no power could deprive them of the privilege of remaining and have their property protected when the territory became a state. This would make every territory sure to be ad- mitted as a slave state. John C. Breckenridge was their candi- date for President.
The great battle of the campaign in Erie County and generally throughout the northern states, was between the Republicans and the Douglass Democrats, very few votes being polled for Brecken- ridge or Bell.
In the Town of Elma there were two hundred and fifty-two votes polled for Lincoln, and one hundred and eighty-eight for Douglass: total four hundred and forty, giving Lincoln sixty-four majority. In the Electoral College, of three hundred and three votes, Lincoln had one hundred and eighty; a majority over all others of fifty- seven. The leaders in the South were very much dissatisfied with the result and immediately began to carry out their threat of disso- lution of the Union and before the close of the year, South Carolina had passed an ordinance of secession, and other southern states were preparing to follow that example. Their reason was that fourteen of the states had failed to observe their constitutional obligations. This was the political condition at the close of 1860.
FEBRUARY 7th, 1861 .- THE COLDEST DAY.
In January of this year, Austin Twichell was appointed Post- master of the Springbrook Postoffice by President Buchanaan and the office was moved from McFees grocery to what is known as the Leger place.
148
In Elma Village on Thursday morning, February 7th, the ther- mometer registered 20° above zero, snowing, high west wind; at 9 p. m. thermometer 11° below zero. Friday morning at daylight, 30° below zero, at sunrise 25° below, at 9 a. m. 18° below, clear and still, snow badly drifted. This was the coldest day of any record of Elma weather.
March 4th, 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States. Several of the southern states had passed ordinances of secession and on February 18th, 1861, they adopted a constitution as "The Confederate States of America," and elected Jefferson Davis as their President with Alexander Stephens as Vice- president.
The Elma town meeting was held on March 5th at Spring Brook, in the Mouse Nest tavern.
For officers elected see Chapter XXI.
The Northrup bridge across the Cazenove Creek below the mills went out with the spring freshet.
Washington Standart died March 24th, 1861, aged thirty-seven years, three months-burial in the Elma Village cemetery.
On March 28, the Commissioners of Highways of the town, changed the road at Northrup mills from a point on the east of side the sawmill yard, on the north side of the creek so as to cross the millpond about fifteen rods above the mills and where. the road and bridge have been located since that date. A new lattice bridge was built there in the summer of 1861.
Zebina Lee died at Spring Brook April 4th, 1861,-burial in the Spring Brook cemetery.
April 12th, 1861, at 4.30 o'clock a. m., the War of the Rebellion was commenced by the rebel batteries commanded by General Beauregard near Fort Sumter, opening fire on that fort, which was held by Major Robert Anderson and the eighty men which com- · posed the garrison. The fort was surrendered April 14th, the United States soldiers marching out with the honors of war. The news was a surprise to the people of the North and it meant that civil war was a reality. It greatly united the people of the North.
The next day, April 15th, President Lincoln called an extra ses- sion of Congress to meet July 4th, and at the same time issued his proclamation calling for 75,000 militia to serve three months to protect the capital and to secure the property of the government.
President Davis met this with a call for 100,000 men.
May 3d, President Lincoln called for 64,000 volunteers.
Deforest Standart enlisted in the 21st Regiment, N. Y. Volun- teers May 20th, 1861.
149
East Elma Postoffice established with Fowler Munger as Post- master in the summer of 1861. He had the office in his house in the millyard.
In June, 1861, James H. Ward was appointed Postmaster for Spring Brook and moved the Postoffice from Twichell's grocery at Leger place to his (Ward's )Justice's office.
Warren Jackman was appointed Postmaster at Elma in June and on July 1st moved the office from the tavern at the corner of Bowen and Bullis Roads, into E. J. Markham's store with Mark- ham as deputy Postmaster.
Rev. James McClellan was sent by the M. E. Conference to preach at Lancaster, Bowmansville and Elma, the meeting at Elma to be held at 2 p. m.
George Leger built a steam sawmill on Pond Brook on the north side of the Rice Road on Lot 44 in the summer of 1861.
The tannery at Spring Brook, owned and operated by Curtis & Deming, was burned in the fall of 1861; they continued their store a few months and closed out.
GREAT FLOOD IN BIG BUFFALO CREEK.
E. J. Markham built a barn on his lot on the west side of the road in Elma Village in the fall of 1861. He had the foundation wall nearly completed when on September 26th, a heavy rain com- menced which continued on the 27th and forenoon of 28th. This caused high water in all the streams and along the upper part of the Big Buffalo Creek the small dams gave out, and the increase of water caused thereby would take out the next, and the next and, so, gaining in volume and strength, everything was swept before the raging torrent. On the Big Buffalo Creek, thirteen milldams were swept away, and several mills were carried off, among them the Hemstreet and Bullis sawmills.' Part of the Bullis mill drifted on to Eleazer Bancroft's flats. At East Elma, the water was one to four feet deep from the bank at the schoolhouse to the creek, the current taking sawlogs two feet in diameter from the yard of the steam shinglemill and taking them into the creek; the whole flats forming a lake. Many bridges were carried away ; the Siman- ton bridge on the Girdled Road, and the Standart bridge three- fourths mile below Elma Village being two of the large bridges in this town to go. This was on Saturday, September 28th, 1861, and that day will long be remembered, as the flats of the Creek for many miles in length of the stream, was a broad river with rapid current in which could be seen the ruins of buildings and fences, with lumber, sawlogs, trees, shocks of corn; every thing in that
150
line within the reach of the water was carried away. In Elma Vil- lage, from Hurd & Briggs mills to the creek, the water was three to five feet deep. This was the greatest and worst flood causing the greatest loss of property of any ever known on the Big Buffalo Creek.
The Bullis and Hemstreet sawmills and dams which were carried away by the freshet of September 28th, 1861, were immediately rebuilt, the mills being ready for business in the early part of 1862.
The German Evangelical Society was organized in Blossom in 1861, they having bought the building which the Ebenezer Society had built for a church.
John Garby enlisted in Wiederick's Battery in October 1861, and Fred Michaelis enlisted in same battery in November.
At the general election held on November 5th, 1861, there were two hundred and ninty-one votes polled.
1862.
Jacob Jerge, on January 29th, 1862, sold the house and lot on the east side of the street in Elma Village next south of the church lot, to his brother Casper, and Jacob and Casper worked together as blacksmiths.
On April 1st, W. Wesley Standart moved from the Mouse Nest tavern in Spring Brook and he took his father's farm for one year. Nicholas Allender moved into the tavern.
George Standart, Sr., died April 15th, 1862, age seventy-two years-burial in Elma cemetery.
James H. Ward, on May 1st, 1862, bought of Calvin Rogers, one and one-fourth acres of land, part of Lot 84, on the south west side of the Plank Road in Spring Brook.
Hugh Mullen on May 1st, 1862, moved on to the west part of Lot 2 north from East Elma. In the summer of 1862, Horace Kyser built a steam sawmill in Spring Brook on the ground where the Peter Bower steam mill was burned in 1860.
During the summer and fall of 1862, many young and middle- aged men enlisted from this town. The dates of their enlistment cannot now be learned, but the names so far as could be obtained, will be found in Chapter XIII, with the arm of the service into which they entered.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.