USA > New York > Erie County > Elma > History of the town of Elma, Erie County, N.Y. : 1620 to 1901 > Part 5
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Kings, Queens and Suffolk on Long Island were organized with practically the same boundaries as at present.
The southeast part of the State, east of the Delaware River, was divided into Westchester, Richmond, Duchess, Ulster, Orange and Albany Counties.
The first post-office in New York City was established in 1775.
COUNTIES ORGANIZED.
Albany County, as organized at that time, extending south from Albany about fifty miles, then west and south-
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west to the Delaware River, then south to the Pennsylvania State line, and embraced all of the west and north part of New York and the whole of Vermont-quite a fair sized county, containing over 40,000 square miles. Elma was then and for nearly ninety years in Albany County.
Tryon Couty, formed from Albany County, March 12th, 1772, embraced all the State west of the Dela- ware river and a line extending from the head of that river, northeast through what is now Scoharie County, and along the east line of Montgomery, Fulton, and Hamilton Counties, then north on a straight line to Canada. This placed Elma in Tryon County.
Montgomery County .- The name of Tryon County was changed to Montgomery, April 2d, 1784, the people at that time having a greater love and respect for a noble general than for the old British governor. This placed Elma in Montgomery County.
Ontario County was formed from Montgomery County, January 27th, 1789, to embrace all of the Massachusetts tract and the New York State reservation on the east side of the Niagara River, being all west of a meridian line passing due north from the eighty- second mile post in the north line of the State of Pennsylvania, through Seneca Lake to Sodus Bay on Lake Ontario. Contain 6,000,000 acres of land. County seat at Canandaigua.
This placed Elma in Ontario County.
TOWNS AND COUNTIES.
Genesee County, formed from Ontario, by act of legislature, March 30th, 1802, the east line of the County being the Genesee River and a line from the junction of Caneseraga Creek, with the Genesee, south to the Pennsylvania State line. All west of this line is the new County of Genesee. By the same act the County was divided into four towns; Northampton (later the name changed to Gates), Southampton, Leister and Batavia, the county seat to be at Batavia. By this act, the town of Batavia consisted of the whole of what is now Chautauqua, Cattaraugus, Erie and
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Niagara Counties, and nearly all of Orleans, Genesee, Wyoming and Alleghany Counties- about 4,000,000 acres.
This act placed Elma in the town of Batavia, Genesee County. The surveys of the Holland Company's land being complete, settlers came, and the Holland Purchase was talked about everywhere.
April 11th, 1804, by act of the Legislature, Batavia was divided into four towns. Batavia was to consist of the 1st, 2d and 3d Ranges of towns of the Holland Company's surveys; the west line of Batavia being the east line of Darien, and that line north and south from the Pennsylvania State line to Lake Ontario; Willink to consist of the 4th, 5th and 6th Ranges, making the west Transit line the west line, and extending from the Pennsylvania line to Lake Ontario; Erie to consist of the 7th, Sth ,9th and 10th Ranges and New York Reser- vation; Chautauqua to contain all of what is now Chatauqua County.
This placed Elma in the town of Willink, Genesee County.
In the early part of 1808, settlements had been made in every part of the large county of Genesee, and the inhabitants found it very inconvenient to attend the town meetings and elections; thus a reorganization of the county and of the towns seemed to have become a necessity. Towns eighteen miles wide and one hundred miles long were well enough when the inhabitants were few, and all at or near one end; but now all this was changed, for the people living at Olean to go to Vandeventers in the new town of Clarence- eighty miles-to attend town meetings and elections was a little too much.
The same conditions existed in the towns of Batavia and Erie. Genesee County .- March 11th 1808, by act of the Legislature, the line between the 4th and 5th Ranges was to be as it is now, the West line of Genesee County. Niagara County was formed by the same act to embrace all the territory west of Genesee County to Niagara River and between the Cattaraugus Creek and Lake Ontario; being the present counties of Niagara and Erie.
Cattaraugus County by same act was formed with present bounda- ries.
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Chautauqua County by same act was formed with present bounda- ries.
Cambria, a new town, by same act was formed from Willink and Erie, to comprise all of Niagara County north of the center of Tonawanda Creek.
Clarence, a new town, all of Niagara County, between the centre of Tonawanda Creek and the centre of the Indian Reservation, including the village of Buffalo and Grand Island.
Willink, to include all of Niagara County, between the centre of the Reservation and the Cattaraugus Creek. This wipes out the town of Erie, and places the town of Elma partly in Willink and partly in Clarence, in Niagara County; the line between Willink and Clarence, is the lot line about sixty rods north of Elma railroad station.
Buffalo as a town was formed by act of Legislature February Sth, 1810, from the town of Clarence, taking all west of the Transit line, viz :- what is now the city of Buffalo, also Grand Island, Tonawanda, Amherst, Cheektowaga and north part of West Seneca.
Willink changed to Aurora.
Name changed by act of Legislature, April 15th, 1818.
Erie County, formed April 2d, 1821, from Niagara County; the Tonawanda Creek being the dividing line, giving to both Erie and Niagara their present limits. Erie County is twenty-three miles from the centre of Niagara River at the foot of Lake Erie to the Range line between the 4th and 5th Ranges of the Holland Company's survey; this Range line is one and a quarter miles east of the east line of Marilla. Erie County, is forty-three- and a half miles north and south.
This places Elma partly in Aurora and partly in Clarence, Erie County.
Lancaster, formed March 20th, 1833, from Clarence, the new town comprising Township eleven, Range six of the Holland Company's surveys and south to the centre of the Reservation.
This places Elma partly in Aurora and partly in Lancaster, Erie County.
The Legislature of the State of New York, from the first organi- zation of the Colonial Assembly on October 17th, 1683, had organized and made all changes in the size and boundaries of the towns of the State until 1849, when by Chapter 194 of the laws of
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1849, entitled an Act to vest in the Boards of Supervisors certain legislative powers, etc., was passed April 3, 1849, as follows, :
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS.
"Chapter 194 of Laws of 1849."
The people of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1-The Boards of Supervisors of the several counties of this State (the county of New York excepted) at their annual meet- ing, shall have power within their respective counties by a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected, to divide, or alter in its bounds any town, or erect a new town, but they shall not make any alteration that shall place parts of the same town in more than one assembly district. Upon application to the board as hereinafter provided (of at least twelve freeholders of each of the towns to be affected by the division), and upon being furnished with a map and survey of all the towns to be affected, showing the proposed altera- tions, and if the application be granted, a copy of said map with a cer- 'tified statement of the action of said board thereunto annexed, shall be filed in the office of the Secretary of State, and it shall be the duty of the Secretary to cause the same to be printed with the- laws of the next legislature after such division takes place and to cause the same to be published in the same manner as other laws are published.
Section 2-Notice in writing of such intended application, sub- scribed by not less than twelve freeholders of the town or towns to be affected, shall be posted in five of the most public places in each of the towns to be affected thereby for four weeks next previ- ous to such meeting of the board of Supervisors and a copy of such notice shall also be published for at least six weeks successively immediately before the meeting of the board of Supervisors at which the application is to be made, in the newspapers printed in the county, not exceeding three in number.
Section 3-Whenever the board of Supervisors shall erect a new town in any county, they shall designate the name thereof, the time and place of holding the first annual town meeting therein, and three electors of such town whose duty it shall be to preside at such meeting, appoint a clerk, open and keep the polls, and exercise the same powers as Justices of the Peace when presiding at town meet- ings, and in case any of the said electors shall refuse or neglect to serve, the electors of the said town present at such meeting shall have power to substitute some elector of said town for each one so refusing or neglecting to serve. Notice of the time and place of such town meeting signed by the Chairman or Clerk of the Board
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of Supervisors shall be posted in four of the most public places in said town, by the persons designated to preside at such town meeting, at least fourteen days before holding the same. They shall also fix the place for holding the first town meeting in the town or towns from which such new town shall be taken, but nothing in this act shall affect the rights or abridge the term of office of any Justice of the Peace or other town officer in any such town whose term of office has not expired."
In accordance with the foregoing act of the Legislature, the fol- lowing notice was duly posted and printed :
NOTICE.
Is hereby given that an application will be made to the Board of Supervisors of the County of Erie, New York, at their next annual meeting, to erect a new town in said county from the north part of the town of Aurora, and south part of the town of Lancaster to be composed of all that part of Township No. 10 in the Sixth Range of Townships lying east of a line commencing at the north- west corner of the town of Marilla, and running westerly to the Transit line, forty-five rods north of the northeast corner of the town of West Seneca, containing all the lands in said bounds.
LANCASTER.
William Winspear,
AURORA. John Barnet,
Henry F. Pate,
David J. Morris,
Frederick Hinemann,
Henry M. Guptill,
John Wolf,
William M. Lockwood,
Daniel Christ, Jacob Knab,
Horace Keyser, Zenas M. Cobb,
George Standart,
Edward Healey,
James Davis, 2nd,
Frederick Metzel,
Lewis Northrup,
Washington Standart,
Noah Wertman,
Matthias Baker,
Thomas D. Tiffany,
J. H. Aylesworth, John Morris.
October 29th, 1856, Mr. Harris, Supervisor from the town of Aurora, presented to the Board of Supervisors a petition of William Lockwood and others of Aurora for the erection of a town from parts of Aurora and Lancaster. Referred to Com- mittee on Erection and Division of Towns.
November 24th, 1856, Mr. Harris presented petition of Z. A. Hemstreet and others, in reference to erection of a new town, from parts of Aurora and Lancaster.
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Robert M. Miller,
Mr. Bingham presented petition of Henry T. Jett and others in ref- erence to the same matter. Both petitions were referred to Com- mittee on Erection and Division of Towns.
November 27th, 1856, Mr. Carpenter presented a remonstrance of Warren Jackman and others against a division of this town of Lancaster. Referred to Committee on Erection and Division of Towns.
November 28th, 1856, Mr. Rowley presented the petition of D. J. Morris and others to have the new town from Aurora and Lancaster named Spring Brook. Referred to Commitee on Erection and Division of Towns. Also the petition of Erasmus Briggs and others to have a new town erected from Lancaster and Aurora. Referred to same committee.
Mr. Bingham presented a remonstrance of Edward Holmes and others against the proposed north line of the new town which peti- tioners ask to have erected from Lancaster and Aurora. Referred to same committee.
Thursday, December 4th, 1856. Report of the Committee on Erection and Division of Towns.
Mr. Morgan, from the Committee on Division and Erection of Towns, made a report as follows:
"Your Committee, to whom was referred the petitions and re- monstrances of different persons of the towns of Lancaster and Aurora, have had the same under consideration and, after examin- ing all the petitions and remonstrances both for and against the erection of a new town from parts of the towns of Lancaster and Aurora and, finding that all the notices and affidavits required to be given by the act passed by the Legislature of April 3d, 1849, have been furnished on the part of the petitioners, are of the opinion that the prayers of the petitioners should be granted.
We therefore offer the following resolutions:
1st. Resolved, That all that part of the towns of Lancaster and Aurora in the County of Erie described as follows: Beginning at the northeast corner of the town of West Seneca, running thence east on the line of lots to the west line of the town of Marilla and to the northeast corner of Lot No. 1; thence south on the said west line of the town of Marilla to the southwest corner of said town; thence westerly along the Reservation line to the Transit line; thence northerly along the said Transit line to the place of beginning, is hereby erected into a separate town to be hereafter known and distinguished by the name of Elma.
2nd. Resolved, That all the remaining part of Lancaster, shall be and remain a separate town by the name of Lancaster, and all the re- maining part of Aurora shall be and remain a separate town by the name of Aurora.
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3rd. Resolved, The first annual town meeting in the town hereby erected shall be held at the house of Clark W. Hurd, in said town, on the first Tuesday of March, 1857, and thereafter the same shall be held on the same day that other towns hold their annual town meetings in said county of Erie.
4th. Resolved, That Joseph B. Briggs, Deforest Standart and Lewis Northrup are hereby appointed to preside at the first town meeting to be held in said town of Elma; to appoint a clerk; open and keep the polls and shall exercise the same powers as Justices of the Peace when presiding at town meetings. All of which is respectfully submitted.
DANIEL MORGAN, NILES CARPENTER, O. G. ROWLEY, MARTIN KELLER, THOMAS O'DWYER. Committee."
Mr. O'Dwyer moved to lay the report on the table and make it the special order for Monday afternoon, immediately after the reading of the minutes.
Mr. Taylor moved to amend, by making it the special order for this P. M. at 3 o'clock.
The question taken by ayes and noes, resulted as follows: Ayes,- Z. C. Allen, Barnard, Bingham, Ballou, Buffum, Covey, Clark, Carpenter, Cunningham, Dayton, Grove, Morgan, Patterson, Row- ley, Sherman, Smith, Taylor, Winslow-19.
Noes-O. Allen, Brooks, Bellinger, O'Dwyer, Diebold, Edmunds, Fish, Harris, Hecox, Hall, Keller, Loveland, Marvin, Richmond, Sterns, Welch-16. The motion as amended was put and carried.
Thursday, December 4th, 1856-Afternoon session.
The report of the Committee on Division and Erection of Towns having been the special order it was taken up.
Mr. Taylor moved that the report be adopted. The question being taken by ayes and noes resulted as follows:
Ayes-Z. G. Allen, Barnard, Bingham, Ballou, Buffum, Covey, Clark, Carpenter, Cunningham, O'Dwyer, Diebold, Dayton, Ed- munds, Fish, Grove, Harris, Hall, Keller, Morgan, Patterson, Row- ley, Richmond, Stevens, Sherman, Smith, Taylor, Welch, Winslow - -28.
Noes-Brooks, Loveland, Marvin-3. Report adopted.
December 9th, 1856-Mr. Brooks moved that the town of Elma be made a part of School Commissioner District No. 2.
Mr. Allen moved that the said motion be referred to a committee of three to be appointed by the chairman. Carried. The chair-
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man appointed as said commitee, Messrs. Covey, Cunningham and Welch.
Mr. Bingham presented the petition of John Wright and others to have the new town, now called Elma, called Clyde or London. Referred to a committee on Erection and Division of Towns.
December 10th, 1856-Mr. Morgan from the Committee on Erection and Division of Towns made the following report :
ELMA THE NEW TOWN.
"Your Committee, to whom was referred the petition of the in- habitants of the town of Lancaster for an alteration in the name of the new town of Elma, have had the same under considera- tion and beg leave to make the following report:
That in the opinion of your Committee, we have no right to alter the name and should not be disposed to do so if we had such right. All of which is respectfully submitted.
DANIEL MORGAN, NILES CARPENTER, O. G. ROWLEY, MARTIN KELLER, THOMAS O'DWYER.
Committee."
Report adopted unanimously.
December 12th, 1856, Mr. Cunningham from the Committee on School Committee District No. 2 made the following report:
"The Committee to whom was referred the subject of altering the boundary of the Second School Commissioner District have had the same under consideration and offer the following resolution :
Resolved, That the boundaries of the Second School Commissioner District in the County of Erie be and is hereby extended so as to in- clude the town of Elma within its limits. Adopted.
L. D. COVEY, NELSON WELCH, H. S. CUNNINGHAM, Committee."
Thus was the Board of Supervisors authorized to erect the new town; and the Town of Elma with full power and authority became one of the towns of the Empire State.
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CHAPTER V.
LOOKING BACKWARD.
The residents of the town of Elma in the year 1900, being in the full enjoyment of their pleasant and comfortable homes, many with expensive and luxurious furnishings and surroundings, with well cultivated fields and farms and well-filled barns, with villages, churches,postoffices and schools near by ; with railroad and telegraph stations within easy reach; with good roads everywhere, and having been, for many years in the full possession and use of all these evidences of prosperity, and in the every-day life passing easily, almost imperceptably from one day or week or month or year to another, if asked about these surroundings would be likely to reply they were that always so, but with a second sober thought they would hesitate and say, that great changes had taken place in Western New York since the first white settler moved upon the Holland Purchase; and even since this Reservation was vacated by the Seneca Indians.
Some writer has truthfully said, "That a person in a boat floating down a rapid current, by looking at the water at his side can form no idea as to how fast he is going; and only when he looks at the shore or at some stationary object can he realize the velocity of the stream,"
As a people and nation we are on the high tide and moving rapidly on. Shall we take a look towards shore and see what rapid strides we have made? We all know, or ought to know something of the early history of our country and of the hardships and dangers through which the early settlers passed; of the oppression which was forced upon the colonies by the home government; of the spirit hey had with which to oppose the wrongs which they suffered, and which were increased until armed resistance became a necessity; of the great men of the country whose united patriotism and wisdom placed before the world our "Declaration of Independence," fol- lowed by the eight years Revolutionary War, and the acknowledg- ment by England of our Independence which compelled the gov- ernments of Europe to recognize the "United States of America" as a nation among nations.
Then were we, as a nation, like a little child, hardly able to toddle along; but now like a strong, fully developed man we claim to be, and are, second to no nation on the face of the earth.
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We have our 4th of July celebrations, when we have the Declara- tion of Independence read and appropriate orations delivered, and we fill out the day with patriotic songs. Why do we do this? Be- cause we are by these exercises, taken back in thought to the time of Colonial troubles, the times that tried men's souls; and we re- ceive great pleasure and profit in reading and reviewing the early history and later growth of our country, our spirit of patriotism and national pride is thereby strengthened; and by these celebrations we keep the fires of patriotism and love of country burning, so that our children and all citizens may learn and remember something of the struggles and hardships of the early settlers during the infant days of our republic. As national and individual independence and prosperity is today the heritage of all the people, so by the review we are made to realize when and how the great change and growth has come to pass, and love of country is made to take deeper root in the hearts of all the people.
As we turn back the pages of our national history and read about the great men; their labors and achievements in the affairs of the nation, the boys of today are thereby encouraged to do their best that they too, may have their names on their country's roll of honor.
As we read about the first steamboat, the first railroad locomotive, the first cotton loom, the first school, the first sewing machine, the first telegraph, and about a thousand other great inventions what interesting subjects of thought they are for us.
How proud were the men who gave them to us, and how we honor them, and cherish their memory; for they were the first to open a path through what had before been an unbroken wilderness, and they have opened the way for the inventive spirit to operate until today we have all these inventions brought to such great perfection that they are marvelous in our eyes. It is the great desire of our people to be forever pressing on, and so far as possible, to stand at the head of the class in all inventions that tend to make national and individual prosperity.
At the time the Colonists made their efforts to resist the tyranny that was forced upon them by the English government, had they been possessed of only ordinary intelligence and determination or in other words, less backbone; or if such strong outside influence had been used aganist them as to crush their efforts for Indepen- dence; or if the Colonists had been satisfied to continue under British rule, we today, would be a second down-trodden and op- pressed Ireland instead of the great United States nation.
Suppose that inventors had been satisfied with the steamboat which John Stevens set afloat in 1804, we would today be going around in just such a craft as that, instead of the splendid palaces
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that plow through the waters of our great lakes and the greyhounds and merchantmen and warships that traverse all oceans.
The first railroad engine which was built in the United States was placed on the track in 1830; a crude kind of engine with four wheels, no cab, no cover for engineer or fireman, wood for fuel, and able to go only a few miles in a day.
Christian Smith, who is still living, stepped on board as the first railroad engineer. Suppose that had satisfied the world as being the climax of railroad engines, what would the world be today as compared with the present railroads, crossing and recrossing every state and almost every civilized country of earth; with Empire Express passenger trains with a speed of sixty miles per hour and great freight trains, each carrying 600 to 2,000 tons of produce or merchandise 20 to 30 miles per hour? And so of each and all of the other great inventions of today which have been brought so nearly to perfection by American inventive genius.
As we trace these back to their early days, we can truly say that the push and the determination of our people to "get there" have, from very small beginnings and many unfavorable surroundings, produced marvelous results; and from taking this backward look we are prepared to give honor and praise where they are due; being better able to realize the changes that have been made, and so are encouraged to press forward to complete victory in all possi- ble things, our motto being " Excelsior," always upholding the flag of our Union, with its Stars and Stripes, singing as we go, "Long may it wave, over the land of the free and the home of the brave."
As a people, we have much of praise and honor for those who have been the prime movers in all the great events of our national affairs and as we receive such inspiration and hope and strength by a review of our early and later national history, may we not have these same impressions increased toward the first settlers in the town of Elma, by a review of their early labors. A very large proportion of the families who resided in the town of Elma when the town was organ- ized in 1856, came from the Holland Purchase, where they or their families were among the first settlers on that tract. By taking a look back to that time we shall see what Western New York then was, how the people labored, with what tools and implements they worked, what were their surroundings, and the difficulties, dangers, and hardships of their early lives.
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