USA > New York > Wyoming County > Perry > History of the town of Perry, New York > Part 2
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While journeying through the woods to attend the funeral of Mr. Gates, Mr. Amos Otis pulled up a small sapling, using it as a cane. After the grave had been filled, Mr. Otis noticing a few roots on the sapling, pressed them gently into the soft earth. Two or three years afterward he visited the cemetery and was surprised to see that the little tree was growing nicely. He took out his pocket knife, trimmed the branches, and during several years carefully watched its growth. The tree thrived and grew into the large and stately oak which was cut down in 1914 to make way for the new library building.
As will be noted, Mr. Gates was one of those indomitable pioneers who preferred the hardships incident to pioneer life to the comforts of living in settled communities. A good share of his life was spent on the extreme frontier. As the regions in which he had lived began to fill up with settlers, he seemed to have an uncontrollable desire to penetrate even further into the western wilderness.
A few weeks after the arrival of Mr. Gates, Deacon Sam- uel Salisbury, who was a resident of Leicester, passed through the Town of Perry on his way to visit his brother, who had set- tled near the present Village of Warsaw. While near the pres- ent site of Perry Center, he was startled by hearing the sound of an axe, and hestitated whether to venture up to the party wielding it, fearing that it might be a party of Indians ; but not being sure of his way, he took the risk and found the stranger-
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
a white man named Peter Beebe-clearing a spot large enough and getting out timber for a cabin.
During the year 1808, Josiah Williams, Amos Smith and Elisha M. Smith and their families settled within the limits of the present Town of Perry. Mr. Williams came from Vermont, bringing his family and household goods in an ox cart and he erected the first log tavern. This was built on the extreme of North Main street, on the corner of the Simmons Road, on the site now occupied by the residence of the late E. G. Matthews, and it was a popular hostelry for a number of years. Nancy Williams, a daughter, died in 1811, and her's was the first death that occurred among the settlers of this town. Mr. Wil- lams died on January 26th, 1832, aged 68 years. Elizabeth, his wife, died on October 19th, 1829, aged 72 years. Both were buried in the old cemetery where the Library now stands. Amos S ... 'th came from Sherburne, Chenango County, in March and settled three-fourths of a mile east of Perry Center. Elisha M. S.nith settled near Sucker Brook and built a log cabin there. In 1810 he erected a frame barn, which was the first frame building erected in the town. It was 30 feet wide by 40 feet long and required the aid of women to raise it, as there were only nine men whose services could be secured.
A daughter of Amos Smith, in speaking of the early times, said that it was the custom then, when a building was to be raised, to have plenty of liquor furnished, otherwise it was thought impossible for the work to go on; but when their house was raised in June, 1827, a new order was introduced. No liquor ever having been used in their family, save in case of sickness, it could not on that occasion be brought on the premises. The carpenter urged that a bottle of liquor be procured and laid aside to be used in case the work should not proceed. But, no ; as it was to be a test case, no compromise should be allowed. As a result, temperance prevailed, and it was said to be the
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
first building raised in that vicinity on the cold water plan. When the work was done, a nice supper awaited the workmen, who seemed to be well satisfied with the change inaugurated.
Again, in speaking of those early times, she said that soon after her father came to Perry, one of his neighbors employed a man to help him with his work. One day, toward night, this man eoneluded to return to his home, which was a few miles away. Her father and neighbors opposed his going at that time of day, fearing that he might be molested by some of the wild animals, which were then quite plentiful. He still persisted, and finally started out, with the understanding that he was to use his voice in case he needed help. He had not been gone long, however, before he was heard making a loud outcry for assistance. Upon hearing the rather expected signal, the men caught up their guns, and hurrying on, found the man up a small tree, just out of reach of an old beer, with her five cubs. The old one was soon dispatched, when the cubs took to a tree ; two of them were killed, the others were captured and carried back in triumph.
During the year 1809, the writer fails to find that any addi- tions were made to the population of this community, but in the early part of 1810, Mr. Amos Otis settled on the west side of Silver Lake inlet, near West Perry, just below Parris Andrews' orchard. Mr. Otis was born in Colchester, Conn., in the year 1787 ; came to Perry at the age of 23 and spent nearly his whole life in this immediate vicinity. During the last few years of his life he resided in Warsaw, at which place he died in the year 1883, and was buried at West Perry. He passed through all of the phases of pioneer life and lived to see the wilderness in this section changed to the thriving towns and prosperous rural community of today. His wife, Louisa Davison, was the first white child born in Genesee County.
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
Other arrivals of 1810 were Cornelius Anable, Justin Lyon and Joshua Clark.
Let us digress and consider the circumstances which sur- rounded the lives of these early settlers as compared to those of the age in which we live. At the beginning of the twentieth century there is, strictly speaking, no frontier to the United States. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the larger portion of the country was frontier. In any portion of the country today, in the remotest villages and hamlets, one is certain to find some, if not many of the modern appliances of civilization such as were not dreamed of one hundred years ago. Aladdin himself could not have commanded the glowing terms necessary to write the prospectus of the closing years of the nineteenth century. So, too, it requires an extraordinary effort of the imagination to conceive of the condition of things in the opening years of that century ; or at the time of the early settlement of Perry. If we were to go back to the period mentioned, we can tell with sufficient accuracy what were the circumstances of the early settlers' lives. We cannot tell exactly what he had, but we can name many things that he did not have, for the simple reason that they had not then been invented or discovered. In the first place, we must bear in mind that he lived in the woods. His children could not attend school, for the very good reason that there were no schools in this vicinity. The region was wild, in the sense that, excepting for the Indians, it was almost unin- habited and untilled. This portion of the country was covered with heavy timber, practically unbroken. Bears, wolves, deer, panthers, bobcats, rattlesnakes, wild pigeon and wild geese abounded throughout the section. There were few roads, and certainly none that could be called good. There were a few horses owned, but at this period the oxen predominated. Carts were usually home made and very crude and awkward. No
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
locomotives, no bicycles, no motor cycles, no automobiles. The only pen was a goose quill and the ink was home made. Paper was scarce and expensive. Newspapers and books were few and far between. There were scythes and sickles, but of a grade that would be unsalable today at any price. There were no self-binding harvesters, no mowing machines. The flail was used until succeeded by the threshing machine. The plows, drags and cultivators were constructed of wood, and very poor apologies for the kinds now in use by our prosperous farmers. Tinder boxes were used until the manufacture of the friction match. For light, the settler depended upon the open fireplace, although the tallow dip was used to some extent at that time. Candles, oil, gas and electricity came later. There was no tele- graph, no telephone, comparatively no mail service.
Practically all of the cloth used by the carly settler and his family was made by means of the hand loom, and the common fabric was made of a mixture of linen and woolen. As for food, wild game was abundant. There were no oranges, lemons, bananas. no canned goods, and but few importations of any kind. Coffee and tea were a luxury usually not obtainable.
We might go on and on reciting the privations of the pion- eer, but it is unnecessary. It is not easy for us, living in the midst of the necessities, comforts and luxuries of a later civili- zation, to realize the conditions under which the early settlers of this vicinity lived and died.
It required pluck, energy, health, strength and an indomit- able will to come into a new country and make it a home. A few of the pioneers gave it up and returned to the east, but the great majority held fast and were rewarded for their labors. Those who had families usually left them behind in coming to the new country, and after providing a new home, returned for them. Others, unmarried, returned for "the girls they left behind them."
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
One of the greatest inconveniences under which the early settlers labored was caused by the scarcity of mills, and the difficulty of reaching them on account of the lack of roads. Up to this period in the history of the town, the nearest accessible mills were at LeRoy and Conesus; trips which at this time re- quired two or even three days. At this time LeRoy was called "Buttermilk Falls."
During the year 1811, several more families settled in Perry, among whom were Seth Canfield, Julius Curtiss and John Hammersley. Messrs. Canfield and Curtiss formed a part- nership and erected the first saw mill built in the town. Mr. Hammersley constructed the first dam on the outlet, now known as the Whipple dam, and in 1813, erected thereon a saw mill. A short time after the completion of this mill, he con- structed a flouring mill. This was of small capacity, but suffic- ient for the needs of the few settlers.
Another arrival in 1811 was Henry Bush. Special men- tion is made of the fact, because he brought into Perry the only slave ever known to have been brought into the town. This slave went under the name of Jack Bush, was about 20 years of age, and noted chiefly for his enormous size and strength. Under the laws governing slavery at that time, he became a free man when he attained the age of 28. After gaining his liberty he moved to the Town of Attica, dying there many years afterward. It is said that Jack's feet were so large that none of the Attica shoe makers possessed a last large enough to make his shoes, and that he was required to journey to Daniel Ball's shoe shop at Perry Center to get the necessary size. Mr. Ball, it seems, kept a last of enormous proportions, solely on Jack's account.
Orrin Sheldon came here in 1811 from New Marlborough, Mass. He was accompanied by his wife, Sally, aged 17 years,
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
and their child six months old. They made the trip in an ox cart in which two chairs served as seats, coming by the way of Canandaigua, and were three weeks making the journey. When her husband was obliged to be away from home on business, Sally and the baby were left in care of the Indians, who fre- quently came and staid at the Sheldon home, and friendly rela- tions existed between them.
Other pioneers who took up land in Perry in 1811 were Aaron Pond, Peter, Elijah and Jonathan Atwood.
The first log house built in the village was erected in the year 1810 by a certain Mr. Palmer, who was supposed to have come from LeRoy. This cabin was erected on the present site of Mr. A. J. Wood's residence (the former Dolbeer property,) near the corner of Dolbeer place and Main street. For some reason, Mr. Palmer never occupied this house, but sold it to Julius Curtiss in the summer of 1811.
The first frame house in the town was erected about the vear 1812 by James Edgerly, grandfather of our fellow towns- man, Jerome Edgerly. This was a two-story building, situated just south of the "Universalist Hill," near the boundary line of Castile and Perry. Mr. Edgerly was born in Danville, Vt. When 18 years of age, he enlisted in Gen. Sullivan's army, par- ticipated in the famous Wyoming Valley Campaign and assisted in driving the Indians over the Genesee River High Banks. He was much impressed with the richness of the land in the Gene- see Valley and in 1812 moved his family to Perry.
An orchard was set out by Mr. Edgerly and his son Edmund, on the top of the hill, and after a series of grafting experiments, they produced the famous Edgerly "Bailey Sweet" apples. The trees set out in this orchard were pur- chased in the east and brought into town on horseback. Some of them are still standing on property adjoining Bradford street, owned by Mr. C. W. Rudd.
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
The first frame hotel or tavern was erected by another son of Mr. Edgerly, James C. It was located just about where the bend in Bradford street is today, on a road which at that per- iod ran directly south and intersected one that ran from the upper dam, southeast. The second story of this tavern was fin- ished off as a ball room, arched over in the center under the ridge. This was the first dance hall constructed in the town, and there the elite of Perry's early days tripped the "light fantastic" on numerous occasions. Mr. Edgerly kept a few dry goods and groceries in the same building and was Perry's first merchant. Benoni Butler walked the entire distance from Utica to Perry to clerk for Mr. Edgerly. He received the munificent salary of $6.00 per month and board for his services. While conducting his mercantile business, the first local post office was established, with Mr. Edgerly as postmaster, the mail coming from Leicester on horseback once a week.
About this time there arrived a man by the name of Hugh Iliggins, who used ancient stone age methods in dwelling house construction. Near the railroad curve opposite Whipple's boat livery, he burrowed into the hill and made an excavation large enough for himself and his wife to live in. The front of this unique home was built up with flat stones and contained one door and one window. Mr. and Mrs. Higgins raised a family of seven or eight daughters while residing in this dugout.
During 1812, settlers came in rapidly. The second war with England was then in progress, and many chose to stop here, rather than go nearer the seat of war. During the war, the inhabitants of Perry were frequently alarmed by rumors of Indians coming to lay waste the country. They had burned Buffalo and devasted several places in the vicinity, and naturally, the people lived in a state of apprehension through- out the entire struggle. As far as the writer has been able to learn, Perry had but one volunteer in this war. This was Elias,
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
a son of Josiah Williams, the proprietor of the tavern. He was killed at the defeat of the American General Winchester, at the battle of River Raisin, which took place near Detroit, Mich., in January, 1813. This engagement is sometimes designated as the Battle of Frenchtown. A brief sketch of the battle follows: In the beginning of 1813, the American army had been organ- ized into three divisions-the Army of the North, commanded by Gen. Hampton, to operate in the vicinity of Lake Cham- plain; the Army of the Center, under direction of the comman- der-in-chief, to resume offensive movements on the Niagara frontier and Lake Ontario; and the Army of the West, under command of Gen. Winchester, who was soon superseded by Gen. Harrison. Early in January, the last mentioned division, made up of various detachments of militia from the Western States, moved toward the head of Lake Erie to regain the ground lost by Gen. Hull in the previous summer. On the 10th of the month, the American advance, composed of 800 men un- der Winchester, reached the rapids of the Maumee River. A body of British and Indians was posted at Frenchtown, on the River Raisin, 30 miles from Winchester's camp. A detachment of Americans pressed forward, attacked the enemy on the 18th, captured the town, encamped there, and on the 20th of the month were joined by Winchester and the main division.
Two days afterward, the Americans were suddenly assault- ed by a force of 1500 British and Indians, under the command of Gen. Proctor. A severe battle was fought, each side losing nearly 300 men. The British were checked, and for a time the issue was doubtful, but Gen. Winchester having been taken by the enemy, advised his forces to capitulate under a pledge of protection given by Proctor and his subordinate. As soon as the surrender was made, the British general set off at a rapid rate to return to his headquarters at Malden. The American wounded were left to the mercy of the savages, who at once
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
began their work with tomahawks, scalping knives and torch- es. The two houses into which most of the wounded had been crowded were fired, while the painted barbarians stood around and hurled back into the flames, whoever attempted to escape. The rest of the prisoners were dragged away through untold sufferings, to Detroit, where they were ransomed at an enormous price.
In the course of 1812, a certain Wm. Gould erected a shoe shop and David Stannard built a tavern. These establish- ments were erected in the vicinity of our present depot. An- other tavern was erected during the same year on the site of the old Alanson Lacy house. It was a log house, and almost as large as the building now standing. The owner was Matthew Lemon, and the day the house was raised, people came from Mt. Morris, Geneseo and other towns to assist in the work. In 1817, Samuel Lacy and his son Elnathan purchased the place, paying $1600 for the house and 100 acres of land. Mr. Lemon went to Olean and afterward to Ohio, where he became a Meth- odist minister. Mr. Lacy tore down the log house in 1834 and erected the present frame building. He conducted the new house as a temperance tavern for several years, and eventually gave up the hotel business, thereafter the house being used as a private residence.
Soon after the arrival of Julius Curtiss and Seth Canfield, these gentlemen purchased a tract of land which embraced the greater part of the Village of Perry. The epidemic which prevailed throughout Western New York in 1813 caused the death of both of these men. Their mills and lands were then sold to Mr. Levi Benton. In 1817 this property passed into the hands of William Wiles. During the same year, John Ham- mersley sold his flouring and saw mills to Benjamin Gardner and Jonathan Child, who afterward removed to Rochester. In 1828, Mr. Gardner erected a large grist mill and began the bus-
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
iness of making flour for the eastern markets. This mill was put up by David Edgerly, an early contractor. Mr. Gardner's boss millwright was a Mr. Dazell, who came to Perry from Rochester.
Mr. Gardner was an aristocratic young gentleman and pos- sessed considerable means. His advent into Perry was destined to mean much to the early industrial development of the com- munity. Beside the flouring mill, he also owned and operated a cooper shop, an ashery, one or two other mills or shops, and a general store. He died on Dec. 27th, 1834, aged 45 years, after a short illness, and Perry lost one of the greatest of her earlier citizens. His remains were buried in the old cemetery. A few years ago, they were taken up and re-interred in Hope Cemetery. Mr. Gardner's residence is still standing in a good state of preservation on its original site, just to the rear of our present depot, and is owned at the present time by Mr. C. M. Smith. In its early days it must have been regarded as a beau- tiful home. A portion of it was his first store.
In 1823, Wm. Wiles sold his mills and lands to Rufus H. Smith, who was an early settler of Perry and subsequently one of the Judges of Genesee County.
In the summer of 1816, John Thompson, who had been in Perry but a short time, was drowned in Silver Lake. He had been across the lake to the home of Aaron Pond, seeking em- ployment. On his return trip, it is supposed that the large dog that he had with him, upset the canoe. Mr. Thompson is sup- posed to have been the first white person drowned in Silver Lake.
Thomas Edgerly came to Perry from New Hampshire in 1814 and took up a large farm. In 1818 he helped in the erec- tion of a hotel in the village, and kept it for a period of four years. Mr. Edgerly also established himself in business, pur-
ยท
JUDGE RUFUS H. SMITH
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
chasing his goods in Utica and bringing them to Perry with four-horse teams. While engaged in conducting his store, he succeeded James Edgerly as local postmaster. He died in 1837.
A partial list of other pioneers who were early settlers in Perry, follows :
Philip Sparling,
D. Richards,
Freeman Gates,
Almona Hart,
Caleb Phillips,
Greenlief Clark,
Elkanah Bates,
John McIntyre,
Noah Bacon,
Thomas Toan,
Salmon Preston, Ensign,
Trueman Alverson,
Charles Leonard,
David Moss,
S. Hosford. Isaac Rudgers,
Ralph Ward,
G. Waldo,
A. Hosford,
Jabez Ward,
M. Burt,
Robert Moore.
Lemuel Blackmer,
Gideon Tabor,
Arwin Olin.
Abram Avery,
Pardon Tabor,
Jacob Nevins,
Richard Buell,
E. Sheldon,
Moses Wooley,
Noah D. Sanger,
Horace Sheldon,
H. Kingsley,
John Squires,
Nath'l Howard,
Richard Alverson,
Graham Benedict,
Samuel Howard,
Samuel Benedict,
William True,
Jacob Reed,
Hugh Glasgow,
Norman Blakeslee,
Daniel Calkins,
G. Glasgow,
Warren Buckland,
J. H. Hollister,
Jonathan Handley,
Jabez Brigham,
J. D. Taylor,
Ebenezer,
Capt. Pat. McEntee,
Levi Silver,
Selden,
Cassander Watrous,
Abram Hamsley,
and Otis Higgins,
Mark Andrews,
Bills,
Nahum Phillips,
Samuel Waldo,
Foskett,
Samuel Safford,
Septimuss Smith,
John Olin,
Allen Buckland.
Daniel Dickerson,
Campbell,
Gamaliel Leonard,
Jesse Moss,
During the early settlement of the town the deer were plentiful, and bears and wolves were a great pest. It was almost impossible to keep sheep and hogs. Of five large hogs owned by Mr. Amos Otis, the bears killed four ; but Mr. Otis had the satisfaction of killing as many bears as he had had hogs killed.
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EARLY SETTLEMENT OF PERRY
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Game and fish from Silver Lake greatly helped the settlers in the early years in the way of food, especially in the cold years of 1816 and 1817. Frost occurred every month of the year 1816. Ice formed to the thickness of an inch in May. Snow fell to a depth of three inches in New York on the 5th of July. Corn was frozen to such an extent that the greater part was cut in August and dried for fodder, and the farmers supplied themselves from the corn produced in 1815 for the seeding of the Spring of 1817.
In the issue of the Wyoming Times, an early local publica- tion, of the date of Feb. 13th, 1856, Mr. Otis related the story of a bear hunt which took place in the vicinity of Perry about the year 1815. It follows :
"I had some sport in seeing a couple of Indian hunters kill a bear. During the fall of a light snow they had struck on the trail of a bear, which was followed about a mile, when they found that he had ascended a large chestnut tree and gone into a hole about 25 feet from the ground, where he had evidently designed to take up his winter quarters; but he was foiled in his expectations, for the following morning the Indians gave me and another neighbor an invitation to go with them and see them kill the bear. Arriving at the tree, the first business was to build a fire. They then proceeded to make an Indian ladder. This was done by cutting a sapling about 7 or 8 inches in dia- meter and trimming off the limbs, leaving them about a foot long. Then, with our help, they raised it up against the tree. They cut a small pole about 15 feet long, and having procured some elm bark which was torn into strips, everything was ready. One of them climbed the ladder and the other drew from the fire some blazing brands, which he tied up with strips of bark and attached them to the small pole. He handed them to the other Indian, who put them into the hole and they fell to the bottom of the tree, where Bruin lay in sound sleep. This was a warm reception for poor Bruin, who, after receiving two or three more bunches of firebrand, began to ascend the tree. The Indian on the ladder immediately came down, and taking their rifles, they placed themselves one on each side of the
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HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF PERRY
tree, a few rods distant and waited for the bear to make his appearance. This he did in a short space of time. Putting his head out of the hole, he looked about with a great deal of indig- nation to see who had been so abusive as to disturb him in his slumbers. After looking for a short time, he crawled out on a limb of the tree, immediately over the hole, where he became a fine target for the Indians' rifles. At a given signal they both fired at him, when he instantly fell to the ground and ex- pired."
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