Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 51

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1410

USA > New York > Oswego County > Landmarks of Oswego County, New York > Part 51

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).

During the succeeding decade settlement was slow, and in two or three instances was perceptibly checked by events which will presently appear. John Daffler, who was born in Germany in 1802, came here with his parents in 1807; he died in January, 1876.

In 1808 the present towns of Constantia, West Monroe, and Hastings contained a sufficient number of inhabitants to organize a new town out the original Mexico. Accordingly on April 8, by an act of the Legis- islature, this territory was set off under the name of Constantia, which was given it by George Scriba. The earlier records of the town are lost and hence it is impossible to give the first officers elected.

In 1811 Mr. Scriba was authorized to establish a ferry across Oneida Lake, but it failed, like several of his other enterprises, to produce practical results. The war of 1812 checked the tide of immigration and materially affected improvements then inaugurated. In Spafford's Gazetteer of 1813 the town is described as follows :

Constantia, a post-township of Oneida county, comprehends three townships, Nos. 10, 11, 13 of Scriba's patent, Breda, Delft, and Rotterdam on the surveyor-general's maps. The population is at present inconsiderable; from thirty to thirty-five. The land is mostly low and level, and the soil is represented as good. Some controversies respecting the title to a part of this town, and its having been represented unhealthy, have occasioned its slow progress in improvement and population ; but my correspond- ents say the first obstacle is entirely removed, and the latter also, having taken its rise from stagnant water, now drained off. There are a pretty competent number of sites

496

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

for mills, and a good grist and saw mill erected at Rotterdam. A very good silicious sand with a small admixture of clay, suitable for the composition of glass, was acci- dently discovered lately at Rotterdam, but it is not yet wrought. Fort Brewerton was within this town, at the outlet of Oneida Lake. The land is held in fee, and will prob- ably prove good for grass, and particularly for grazing. In 1810, the whole population was one hundred and fifty-three, with twenty-six electors. The post-office was estab- lished in 1812.

March 9 1814, the Constantia Iron Company was incorporated, but for some reason never commenced operations. About 1830 this concern was succeeded by the American Iron Company, subsequently noticed. The cold season of 1816 proved detrimental to rapid settlement, but immigration from the Eastern States had become popular and the tide of newcomers soon flowed in more persistently than ever. Many of them were lumbermen, but not a few engaged in the work of con- verting the dense wilderness into fertile fields and comfortable homes. Francis Daniel Caswell, who is now (December, 1894) the oldest living resident of the town, arrived here with his parents with an ox team and one horse in December, 1816 He was the sixth in a family of four sons and four daughters, and was born in Thompson, Conn., December 8, 1807. His father died aged ninety years, and his mother at the age of eighty-four. When thirty two he married Elizabeth H. Dutton and had four sons. Mr. Caswell resides on the lake shore between Bernhard's Bay and Cleveland. Nathan Phillips, a native of Massachusetts, be- came a settler in 1818. In 1820 the population numbered 767.

In the foregoing pages we have confined our narrative to that part of the town along the lake shore west of Vanderkemp's loca- tion near Bernhard's Bay, as down to this period no settlements had been made elsewhere within the territory under consideration. We now come to the first beginnings of settlement in the southeast corner, which the original settlers often described as a locality of great natural beauty. In February, 1821, Christopher Martin settled on "great lot No. 131," in what is now Cleveland village, being the first white settler within the present corporate limits. Mr. Martin was born in Weston, Vt., October 1, 1795, and served one year in the war of 1812, receiv- ing a wound at the battle of Lacole Mills, March 30, 1814. In May, 1817, he married Martha Johnson and moved to Williamstown, Mass., where he united with the M. E. church. Coming to Cleveland in 1821

497

THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

he located where the Catholic parsonage now stands, and was the first leader of the M. E. class here, serving it also as steward from 1826 un- til his death. In 1833 he was licensed to exhort and in 1839 to preach. In 1841-2 he supervised the erection of the M. E. church ; in 1843 he was ordained deacon and in 1848 elder. He died April 9, 1880. His wife survived until December, 1882. In 1821 Mr. Martin built a frame house, and during the winter of 1822-3 taught the first school in the eastern part of the town in an old log dwelling on the Vanderkemp farm. The first religious services held in the vicinity occurred in his house in the summer of 1822, the officiating minister being Rev. Mr. Keyes, a Methodist preacher.

Other settlers in 1821 were Daniel and Solomon Howard and Isaac Ward, who located in the neighborhood of Cleveland village. In 1824 Nathan Beebe became a resident, and in that year erected the first saw mill in the eastern part of the town. In 1824 Horace Hitchcock also came into that locality.

About 1825 Asher Smith Potter moved hither with his parents from Oneida county: He was born in Camden, N. Y., January 26, 1805. When he was five years old his father moved to Canada, where the son was educated. When eighteen years old they returned to Oneida county, whence they came to Cleveland, where the father died aged eighty- one, and the mother aged eighty-three. Young Potter, after an absence of eighteen years in New York city and the South, settled permanently in Cleveland village, where he finally opened a tavern where the Morse building now stands, and subsequently a store. He held several public positions, and died in March, 1881, being survived by a widow and four children.

James Cleveland, in honor of whom the village of Cleveland was named, came here from Peterboro, Conn., in company with Peter Smith, in 1826, and with Samuel H. Stevens erected in that year the first regu- lar hotel in the place and also opened the first store. Mr. Cleveland possessed indomitable enterprise and rare native ability. In 1827 a post-office was established and Mr. Stevens wanted it named Stevens- ville. A compromise was effected, which was ratified by popular vote, which resulted in designating the office Cleveland and appointing Samuel Highly Stevens the first postmaster. In this manner the post-office 63

498

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

and village acquired the present name. The tavern just mentioned, subsequently received numerous repairs and alterations, and became the celebrated Marble House, which was burned March 25, 1877. About 1840 James and Nehemiah Cleveland built, four miles north of the vil- lage, the first wintergreen distillery in the town, in the vicinity of which their brother-in law, Batthias Buck, caught the first bear known to have been captured in Constantia ; the second bear was shot by Wellington Cleveland, a son of James.

Henry Winn, born in Albany county May 10, 1801, moved into Constantia in January, 1829, settling on 100 acres on the Roosevelt tract. In 1852 he removed to Bernhard's Bay, where his wife, Mary Powell, died. In 1854 he married Phoebe Green, who died in 1866; in 1867 he married Mary Miller ; Mr. Winn died a short time since.

Among other settlers prior to 1830 were Charles and Samuel F. Dickinson, Ezra Dickinson, and Cornelius D. Winn.

In 1830 the American Iron Company, as previously stated, succeeded the Constantia Iron Company, and commenced work on a furnace on the west side of Scriba's Creek a short distance above the grist mill at Constantia village. The cold-blast furnace had a capacity of three potash-kettles daily, and the building was 60 by 100 feet in size. This company consisted of Nathan J. Stiles, John C. Coffin, and others, and was the means of giving a new impetus to the settlement of the village. This period also marked great improvements in the development of the town. The lands were being rapidly settled and industries of all kinds flourished and increased. In 1834 a second store was opened in the village by Augustus Marshall. In 1836 the iron business and plant were sold to the Oneida Lake Furnace Company, which consisted of Moses W. Lester, C. Woodbridge, J. Tucker, and others. While they were erecting an addition to their stack in 1839 it fell to the ground and nearly destroyed the building. In 1842 they failed and were succeeded by Newton Dexter, Moses W. Lester, and Hiram Blanchard, who soon afterward sold the property to a new concern known as the Constantia Iron Company, of which Hon. Edward B. Judson, now president of the First National Bank of Syracuse, was the principal stockholder. They put in a hot-air blast and continued business for several years.

John S. Haight, a Quaker, settled at Bernhard's Bay about 1834 and

499

THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

died in November, 1880, aged seventy years. The next year Ezra Palmer and his parents located in the town; he died May 10, 1878, at the age of fifty five. Another settler of 1835 was Daniel W. Ingersoll, who was born of New England parentage in Apulia, N. Y., May 1, 1809, being one of ten children. Educated in the common schools and Stockbridge (Mass.) Academy, he married in 1831 and four years later moved to this town. He was prominent in the Congregational, and afterward in the Presbyterian, denomination and was sent as a delegate to the General Assembly of the Presbyterian church when the Old and New School General Assemblies were united. He died May 6, 1881.

Wendell Willis came to the town in January, 1837. had eleven chil- dren, and died here about 1877; his widow's death occurred June I, 1883. Other settlers of this decade were Dr. V. A. Allen (long a physician of Cleveland), George Dakin, L. Gardanier, S. R. Harrington, Charles Kathern, Enos P. Turck, Hon. William Foster, and Cyrus Marble.

Cyrus Marble was born in Sherburne, N. Y., May 7, 1808, and came to Cleveland in 1834. He kept the famous Marble House for over forty years, making it one of the most widely known and popular hos- telries in the State. He was a prominent and upright citizen, and served the town as assessor and poormaster and the Plank Road Com- pany as treasurer. September 25, 1831, he married a Miss Cropsey and had seven children. He died December 26, 1881.

Charles Kathern was born in Plainfield, Herkimer county, and set- tled in Cleveland in 1832. He assumed the management of the Union Glass Compay in 1853. He was a prominent and influential citizen and died July 7, 1884, aged nearly eighty-two years.

Hon. William Foster was identified with the village of Cleveland from its infancy until his death in 1893. He was born in Tenham, County Kent, England, December 27, 1813, and came to America at the age of sixteen, locating in the town of Vienna, Oneida county. After spending some time in Richmond, Va., and in the Red River country, he located in Cleveland as bookkeeper in the tannery. June 5, 1837, he married, at Oswego, Mary, daughter of James Cramp, formerly of Constantia. He moved to Ottawa, Ill., but about 1840 returned to

500

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

Cleveland and settled permanently, entering the employ of James Burke, then owner of the Eagle tannery. Upon the latter's death Mr. Foster purchased the tannery and except a short partnership with Joseph Hal- lagan was sole proprietor until about 1870, when he was succeeded in the active management by his son William H. With Forris Farmer and Charles Kathern he carried on a store and also the manufacture of glass, being interested in the Union Glass Company, which was incor- porated in 1851. Afterwards Farmer, Kathern, and Foster became sole owners of these works. Mr. Foster owned large tracts of land in Vienna and Constantia and was agent for the Roosevelts for the sale of lands in this vicinity. He was also a large stockholder, a director, and a prominent organizer of the Midland and other railroads. In politics he was an active Republican, and in 1871-2 represented this (the 21st) district in the State Senate. He was the first president of Cleveland village, in which capacity he served in all four years, and was also super- visor of the town many terms. Mr. Foster was a representative man of wide and wholesome influence, of great native ability, and of extensive travel. He had nine children. His wife died in April, 1883 ; his death occurred in August, 1893.

Forris Farmer came to Cleveland in the thirties and died here. He had ten children. His widow died in April, 1883. He was a merchant here many years and became wealthy.

The most prominent settler of 1840 was Anthony Landgraff, the orig- inator of the glass industry in the town of Constantia. Born in Germany, where he commenced his trade, he came to America in 1812, and finally began manufacturing glass for himself in Vernon, Oneida county. Wood became scarce and in 1840 he settled in Cleveland, where he built a glass factory, the first in town. He was a man of pronounced ideas, active and influential in all public and private enterprises, and inaugu- rated many radical improvements in the calling which he followed. In fact he lived in advance of his time, and was more or less ridiculed for the theories he advocated. But his innovations have since been gener- ally adopted. He made his own furnaces, pots, etc., used in the manu- facture of glass, and with his four sons, Francis, Harmon, Gustavus, and Charles, and his son-in-law, George Cowarden, continued the business until 1861, when the works passed into the hands of William Sanders,

501

THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

who sold in 1863 to Caswell & Getman. In 1876 Mr. Caswell retired, and in 1889 Crawford Getman sold the property to the United Glass Company. At first Mr. Landgraff boated his sand from Verona, south of Oneida Lake, but in 1841 discovered a sandbed upon which his works were located far superior to any he could obtain elsewhere. This led to the finding of other beds in different parts of the town and to the permanent establishment of what has until recently been a very impor- tant industry. For many years large quantities of sand were shipped to other factories in this country and Canada. In the spring of 1851 the Union Glass Company was organized and incorporated and their works were erected during that year ; they commenced the manufac- ture of window glass early in 1852 under the supervision of Charles Hoyt.

Frederick W. Miles settled in the town about 1841 and died in June, 1876, aged fifty-seven years. He was supervisor several terms and chairman of the board in 1874. In 1842 James Carroll, father of Nehe- miah, became a resident of Cleveland, where he engaged in the meat business. With his son he subsequently purchased the grist mill. He was born in Lenox, 'Mass., October 9, 1809, and died in December, 1882. Peter Vandenburgh located in Cleveland village about 1846 and died in August, 1876, aged seventy-one. His son John, who prac- ticed law here for a time, became a leading criminal lawyer of the State, and at one time was a partner of Lieutenant Governor Charles T. Sax- ton in Clyde, where he died in 1894.

Among other comers prior to 1850 were Abram Todd, I. P. Brown, Eugene Burst, A. L. Dolby, William H. Foster, John Hall, Carpenter Marsh, S. P. Smith, and William H. Stowell.

In 1846 the town is thus described in a work entitled “Histori- cal Collections of the State of New York ": " Constantia, taken from Mexico in 1808; from Albany 140 miles. Population 1,494. Con- stantia or Rotterdam, on the Oneida Lake, thirty-six miles east from Oswego, has about thirty dwellings. Here is one of the most extensive iron foundries in the State. Cleveland village has about twenty-five dwellings."

About 1851 Israel J. Titus, Dennis and Henry Winn, and others erected a glass factory and store at Bernhard's Bay, which formed the

502

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

nucleus of the present hamlet of that name. This store has always been conducted in connection with the glass works and is now owned by Potter & Marsden. The factory commenced operations in 1852 with an outfit of eight pots, which number has since been increased to ten. In 1863 the plant was sold to Stevens, Crandall & Co .; they were succeeded by Bennett & Beckley and they in turn by Clark, Hurd & Co. In 1886 the property passed to Potter & Marsden, and in 1889 to the United Glass Company. In May, 1894, the factory again passed into the hands of Potter & Marsden, the present owners.

George Harding, born in Wooten-under- Edge, England, August 6, 1831, came to America with his parents about 1839, and finally settled in Williamstown in this county. Later he removed to Camden, learned the trade of harnessmaking, and in 1853 located in Cleveland. In 1857 he married Mary Roney, and had four children. She died November 25, 1877. He was a life-long Democrat and served as supervisor, town clerk, justice of the peace, postmaster, and trustee of the village, and was one of the first members and at one time president of the Board of Education. Joining the M. E. church in 1864 he was long its able class leader, and for sixteen years was superintendent of the Sunday school. He died November 16, 1893.

Dillon Williams, long a prominent citizen of Cleveland, was born in Colchester, Conn., February 6, 1805, was graduated from Yale College in 1836 and from the Theological Seminary in 1839, and was ordained a minister in the Presbyterian church in 1844. In 1859 he settled in Cleveland and for four years was pastor of the Presbyterian church. In 1871 he succeeded William E. Hazen as postmaster and held the office until his death in November, 1879, when he was succeeded by his ' daughter Rebecca T. He had six children.

Giles Willard Lane, born in Cobleskill, N. Y., November 25, 1820, removed with his father to West Monroe in 1837, but in 1840 settled in Oneida county. In 1860 he located in Cleveland, and with his brother John purchased the old chair factory of Hitchcock & Son. He served as supervisor in 1861, as collector, as one of the village trustees, and as justice of the peace from 1864 until his death, April 26, 1878.

Prominent among other settlers of the town may be mentioned Hon. William H. Baker, Edward Crispin, Crawford Getman, Hon. Julian

503

THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

Carter (who died in 1873), James H. Clark (born in Ireland in 1809, settled on the Reed tract, and died in May, 1883), Hugh Smith (born in Scotland in 1804, located on a farm between Bernhard's Bay and Cleveland, and died in December, 1882), and Daniel Pettibone (born in Norfolk, Conn., May 17, 1781, acquired possession of considerable real estate, and died in February, 1876). Some of these as well as many others equally worthy of mention are noticed more fully in other pages of this volume.

The growth and development of the town are best shown in its population at various periods, as follows: In 1830, 1,193; 1835, 1,967; 1840, 1,494; 1845, 1,705; 1850, 2,495; 1855, 3,355; 1860, 3,413 ; 1865, 3,517 ; 1870, 3,437; 1875, 3,483; 1880, 3,124; 1890, 2,691.

Following is a list of the supervisors of Constantia as far as it is pos - sible to obtain them :

Ephraim Cleveland, 1854 ; Henry W. Rhoda, 1855; Albert Morse, 1856-57; Frederick W. Miles, 1858-59 ; Julian Carter, 1860 ; Giles W. Lane, 1861; Samuel P. Smith, 1862 ; Julian Carter, 1863; Ira P. Brown, 1864; A. Luther Dolby, 1865-66; Henry J. Caswell, 1867 ; Clinton Stevens, 1868; Moses Dolby, 1869; Henry A. Baker, 1870; Frederick W. Miles (in place of Moses Dolby, elected and resigned), 1871-74; George Harding, 1875- 76 ; Linus P. Marsden, 1877 ; George Harding, 1878; William Foster, 1879; William J. Jones, 1880; L. P. Marsden, 1881; Crawford Getman, 1882; L. P. Marsden, 1883; Duane Miles, 1884; Oliver Getman, 1885-88; James Gallagher, 1889-90; Elden H. Cook, 1891-95.

The town officers for 1894-5 were :

Elden H. Cook, supervisor ; Bert R. Bliss, town clerk; Albert Morse, W. D. Rhines, Henry Morse, and O. W. Harrington, justices of the peace; Albert A. Yale, George Goodrich, and Ira P. Brown, assessors; Eugene Dawley, highway commissioner ; Rich- ard Lando, collector; Alfred F. Purdy, 1st district, and John H. Cole, 2d district, over- seers of the poor. There are seventy-three road districts in the town.

Supervisors' statistics of 1894: Assessed valuation of real estate, $401,645, equalized, $432,661 ; personal property, $11,900; valuation of railroads, 10.33 miles, $86,000; total equalized valuation of real estate, personal property, railroads, etc., $444,561; town tax, $4,165.67; county tax, $2,489.54; total tax levy, $7,582.62 ; dog tax, $205. The town has three election districts and in November, 1894, a total of 528 votes was cast.

The first school teacher in town was Miss Beebe, a sister of the pioneer, Nathan Beebe. Upon being asked to state her qualifications for the position she replied, " I can repeat some varses," whereupon she repeated the familiar hymn: "Teach me the measure of my

501

LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

days." She ; was pronounced qualified and given the school. The first school house, as previously stated, was a log structure erected in Constantia village in 1797. Since that year schools have been main- tained there with considerable regularity. The first school in the eastern part of the town, as already noted, was kept in the winter of 1822-3 by Christopher Martin. Two or three years later the first school house there was built of logs on small lot No. 10. The schools of the town have always kept pace with the advancing methods of education and have been liberally maintained and patronized.

The Cleveland Union Free School, the only incorporated educational institution in Constantia, was organized in Cleveland village May 18, 1885, with the following Board of Education : James Gallagher,1 presi- dent ; Dr. Foster F. Potter, secretary; George Harding, Edward Cris- pin, and G. W. Morenus, all of whom served until 1889. L F. Riter has been treasurer since the organization. March 9, 1889, Mr. Gallagher resigned and George Harding was chosen president and Al- bert C. Whitney elected trustee. June 28, 1889, G. W. Morenus be- came president, vice Harding resigned ; January 7, 1890, he resigned and Mr. Harding was again elected president. May 4, 1891, Mr. Morenus resigned and George Baker was chosen trustee to fill the vacancy ; at the same time James Gallagher became trustee in place of Dr. F. F. Potter. March 7, 1892, George Harding resigned as presi- dent and Mr. Gallagher was elected to the position. Other changes have occurred in the board by which John P. Kime became a member. The Board of Education for 1894-5 consists of :

James Gallagher, R. M. Bernhard, George Baker, Frederick Kime, and W. G. Babcock. The officers are as follows : James Gallagher, president; R. M. Bernhard, secretary ; L. F. Riter, treasurer ; B. Tracy, collector; W. J. Somers, librarian. The faculty con- sists of Wesley J. Somers, principal ; Miss Anna Kimbar, assistant; Miss May Breed, intermediate department; Mabel L. Wart, primary; Miss Mabel Bernhard, assistant. The course of study is divided into ten grades, and the school has a well selected library of several hundred volumes.

The town has thirteen school districts with a school house in each, in

1 James Gallagher was born in Coxsackie, N. Y., January 17, 1855. He was educated at the Assumption Academy, Utica; read law with D. L. Wilder and H. C. Landgraff in Cleveland; was admitted to the bar at Rochester in 1879; and the same year began his present practice in Cleve- land village. He has served as town clerk and supervisor, and has been identified with the Board of Education since its organization.

505

THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

which nineteen teachers are employed, and which were attended in 1892-3 by 601 scholars. The school buildings and sites are valued at $11,720; the districts have an assessed valuation of $412,250; public money received from the State in 1892-3, $2,351.71 ; raised by local tax, $2,890.09. The districts are locally designated as follows: Nos. I and 5, consolidated, Cleveland ; 2, Constantia ; 3, Dakin's Bay ; 4, Painter Lake; 6, Gayville ; 7, Shak's Bush; 8, Constantia Center ; 9, Bernhard's Bay ; 10, Dutcher ; II, Reed Tract; 12, North Constantia ; 13, Checkered School House ; 14, Salt Road.

During the war of the Rebellion the town of Constantia responded promptly to the cause of freedom, sending over 300 of her sons to the Union army and navy. A number of these received deserved pro- motion.

Constantia Village .- The earlier history of the village of Constantia, originally known as Rotterdam or New Rotterdam, has been already narrated in preceding pages of this chapter. Excepting Frenchman's Island, it is the oldest settlement in the town, and interesting also as one of the pioneer places of the county. It is pleasantly situated on the shore of Oneida Lake at the mouth of Scriba Creek, thirty-four miles from Oswego, and is a station on the New York, Ontario & Western (Midland) Railroad. In 1870 it had a population of 587, or about the same as in 1860; it now has about 250 inhabitants against 355 in 1880. In 1836 the village was incorporated, but it has long since ceased to exercise its corporate privileges. Among the merchants who were formerly in trade here were Edward M. Fitch, who was also captain of a rifle company, continued in business until about 1845, and removed to Ohio ; L. O. Matthews, whose store, as well as Mr. Fitch's, was afterward destroyed by fire; Edward B. Judson & Brother, who traded in a building now owned by Julian Carter's sons ; Jason Mooar, who died in Watertown, and who kept a store and tavern in a structure erected by Captain Fuller on the site of the present post-office ; Fitch & Losee, who also owned a saw mill; Lester & Woodbridge; and Samuel W. Beebe, who died in 1875, and whose brother, George W. Beebe, is still in business. Captain Fuller at an early day built a schooner which was "warped " up the Oswego Falls after a smuggling trip to Canada. The Furnace Company early erected and opened a store now

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.

Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 51

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason Number of Pages: 1410

Author: Churchill, John Charles, 1821-1905; Smith, H. P. (Henry Perry), 1839-1925; Child, W. Stanley
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason
Number of Pages: 1410