Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 52

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 52

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LANDMARKS OF OSWEGO COUNTY.

occupied by John Black. Charles A. Perkins came to Constantia about 184I and a few years later engaged in merchandise in a store which he built, and which is now occupied by George W. Beebe. He was elected member of assembly as a Whig in 1852, and sheriff of Oswego county in 1857, when he removed to Oswego. He was collector of the port there from October 1, 1861, to August 1, 1864, when he returned to Constantia. He was a member of the first company of guards organized for the de- fense of Washington in the Civil War, and finally died in Chicago. Other and later merchants and dealers were Robertson & Brothers, Moulton Duffler, J. A. Baker (1874), L. Gardner, J. R. Decker, Duane Miles, and W. G. Talcott & Sons. Robertson & Brothers also owned the tannery, which was built in 1850, and which became one of the largest concerns of the kind in the county.

The post office was established as Rotterdam on January 1, 1798, with John Meyer postmaster. He was succeeded by John H. J. Wirth on April I, following, who held the position until January 23, 1813, when Barnet Dundas was appointed. At the same time the name was changed to Constantia, which it has ever since borne. The successive postmasters so far as ascertained have been as follows:

Frederick W. Scriba, appointed May 19, 1823; Edward M. Fitch, January 22, 1838 ; Henry C. Champlin, May 20, 1842; Jason Mooar, September 21, 1844 ; Leman Sperry, September 19, 1845 ; Albert Scott, November 19, 1845 ; Julian Carter, September 7, 1847; Timothy Dakin, February 5, 1850; Sereno Clark, July 28, 1853; Edwin L. Beebe, March 12, 1861; Henry A. Baker, October 13, 1863; James A. Baker, Decem- ber 19, 1873; Dr. Frederick A. Haville, Ira P. Brown, and Orsemus B. Howard, in- cumbent.

Ira P. Brown was also an hotel-keeper, and built the present Lakeside House. Constantia village has in late years become quite a well known summer resort, largely through the popularity of Christopher C. King, who became proprietor of this hostelry in 1880 and continued as such until his death in August, 1893, when he was succeeded by his widow, Mrs. Catherine E. King. Another good hotel is the Welden House, of which John H. Cole is landlord. The grist mill here was erected by Julian Carter, passed into the hands of his sons, and is now owned by Nehemiah M. Carroll. A. A. Beardsley is the present wagon maker.

Cleveland Village .- This is the largest village in Constantia and is a

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THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

station on the New York, Ontario & Western (Midland) Railroad in the southeast corner of the town. It is pleasantly located on the shore of Oneida Lake, about forty miles from Oswego, and contains a popula- tion of 839, or 115 more than in 1880 and 166 less than in 1860. Much of its earlier history has already been noted. The village was incorpo- rated by the Legislature on April 15, 1857, the first officers being as follows :

President, William Foster; Trustees, Asher S. Potter, James Carroll, Ebenezer Knibloe, Seth P. Duncan, and Henry J. Caswell; clerk, Lucian J. Sanders ; assessors, Franklin Stevens, James W. Aspell and Walter D. Sperry ; treasurer, Cyrus Marble ; constable and collector, David Hazen.

In 1859 and again on April 9, 1860, the charter was slightly amended, the last time with respect to the village officers. The presidents have been as follows :

1857-58, William Foster; 1859, W. D. Sperry ; 1860, William Foster; 1861, Seth P. Duncan; 1862, L. J. Sanders; 1863, Charles Kathern; 1864, Henry J. Caswell; 1865-66, Seth P. Duncan ; 1867-68, A. S. Chisholm; 1869-70, Crawford Getman ; 1871, William Foster ; 1872, Archibald Chisholm; 1873, C. W. Lane; 1874, H. J. Cas- well; 1875, William Foster, jr .; 1876, H. J. Caswell ; 1877, George Harding; 1878, Albert A. Yale (resigned and Edward Sherman elected); 1879, William Foster, jr .; 1880-81, Daniel L. Wilder; 1882, S. P. Duncan ; 1883, Oliver Getman ; 1884-85, Daniel L. Wilder ; 1886, Oliver. Getman ; 1887-88, John Kime; 1889, Granville W. Morenus ; 1890-91, Isaac Nickerson; 1892, Crawford Getman; 1893, Charles W. Mo- renus; 1894, Dr. William H. Conterman.

The village officers for 1894-95 were :

Dr. W. H. Conterman, president; Israel Morse, Bradford Tracy, James Burns, An- toine Humez, Dexter Townsend, trustees; James Gallagher, clerk ; Thomas D. Deans, treasurer ; Louis F. Riter, James H. Beebe, John Payne, assessors; Timothy Grow, collector ; John Payne, street commissioner ; Albert Morse, police justice.

A regularly organized fire department, provided for in the charter, is maintained, and in 1890 was equipped with a chemical hand engine. The first and second engineers are William Wooden and Edwin P. San- ders. respectively.

One of the early settlers was Samuel Ward, who became the owner of much of the land within the corporate limits. He was first the agent in the sale of this real estate for Ingham Townsend. April 15, 1852, the Western New York Live Stock Insurance Company was in-

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corporated here, but after transacting a little business it passed out of existence. Among the merchants who established stores in the village, besides those previously mentioned, were Joseph A. Turck (just west of the Globe Hotel), James W. Aspell (in a building now occupied by Edward Foster), A. J. & J. Morse, Winn & Clough (succeeded by Clay- ton A. Winn), Caswell & Getman, Stedman & Hale, Dr. D. F. Why- born, D. M. Alger, F. J. Allen, S. P. Duncan & Son, S. Dunn, N. Gor- man, and Ezra Palmer. The post-office was established in 1827 with Samuel H. Stevens as postmaster. Rebecca T. Williams succeeded her father in the office, and was herself followed in December, 1881, by Dr. F. F. Potter. Later W. G. Babcock became the incumbent and was succeeded by the present postmaster, Albert Morse. Prominent among the lawyers who have practiced their profession here were Daniel L. Wilder and Henry Garber. Edward Crispin was also inti- mately identified with the growth of the village and for several years was superintendent of the glass works. The old time tavern keepers have been mentioned. In December, 1878, James H. Beebe became proprietor of the Globe Hotel, which was formerly a dwelling. His father, Galusha, was an early settler of the town and died here March 31, 1884.

The village has suffered from several fires, notably those of July 21, 1869, which burned the Landgraff glass works ; of July 18, 1876, which consumed the Eagle tannery of William Foster, entailing a loss of $30,000; of May, 1877, which destroyed the grocery of Ezra Palmer and the hardware store of M. D. Alger; of March 25, 1877, which burned the famous Marble House (owned by A. H. Morgan) and the store and residence of W. H. Foster, the loss being $10,000; of Janu- ary II, 1880, which consumed the Farmer Block and Travis's meat market, causing a loss of $7,000; and of December, 1880, which burned the Cleveland Glass Works and caused a loss of $50,000. These works at that time employed 100 hands. They were established in 1840, and from 1863 to 1877 were managed by Caswell & Getman, who were suc- ceeded by Crawford Getman. The Eagle tannery was rebuilt in 1876 by William Foster and a few years later was permanently abandoned.

The first newspaper published in the town was the Lakeside News, which was started at Cleveland village by Alvaro F. Goodenough in

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THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

1871. He soon changed it to the New Era, and in the spring of 1873 it passed to Charles R. King, the present editor and proprietor, who changed the name to the Lakeside Press, which it still bears. It is a twenty-eight column folio, independent in politics with Populistic ten dencies, and ably fills the requirements of a local weekly paper. Mr. King was born in New York city, August 29, 1847, and has served as village clerk, trustee, etc.

The first banking business was established at Constantia by George H. Potter. In 1882 he moved it to Cleveland and L. P. Marsden be- came his partner. As Potter & Marsden, and Farmers' Exchange Bank, they have since conducted the business having branches in Parish and Dolgeville. Their handsome bank building was erected in 1889-90.

Bernhard's Bay is a station on the New York, Ontario & Western (Midland) Railroad and a little hamlet on the shore of Oneida Lake near the center of the south part of the town. It is thirty - eight miles from Oswego, and dates its existence from 1850. About that year Almon Dickinson started a store in a building now the residence of John B. Bernhard, and remained four or five years. Ever since then a store has been maintained by the proprietors of the glass works. In 1 890 Addison Winn started a second mercantile establishment. Among the postmasters are recalled the names of Moses Stratton, Elmore R. Crandall. Amos D. Brooks, Mrs. Mary A. Haight, and Frank L. Mars- den, incumbent. The place has about 275 inhabitants. It was form- erly a village of considerable activity, but the shutting down of the glass works materially lessened its business.

North Constantia is a postal hamlet in the northern part of the town. Orris W. Harrington is a merchant there and was formerly postmaster, being succeeded by the present incumbent, O. B. Tanner.

Gayville was formerly a place of considerable manufacturing activity. For several years the large saw mill of Willard Johnson did a good business. It was destroyed by fire and on the site Ransom Orton erected a grist mill, which he still runs. William Sheldon was long the postmaster here ; the present incumbent is Ezra Babcock, who succeeded Rufus Dobson. The place also has a hotel kept by Mr. Hess.

Constantia Center contains a hotel, of which M. K. Stratton is pro- prietor, and a post-office with Mrs. Henrietta Cody as postmistress,

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who succeeded William C. Empey in that position. It is a small rural hamlet situated near the center of the town.

Marshville, so named from the Marsh family who settled there at an early day, is a little settlement two miles north of Constantia. It for- merly contained a saw mill, wintergreen distillery, etc., all of which have long gone down.

Churches .- Trinity Protestant Episcopal church of Constantia village was organized as a parish about 1831. In that year an edifice was erected on a site comprising twenty four acres of land, which was donated for the purpose, together with the building, by the late Frederick W. Scriba. It was consecrated by Bishop Onderdonk on September 4, 1833, at which time the officers of the church were Nicholas I. Roose- velt and Frederick W. Scriba, wardens ; George Scriba, Burnet Dundas, John Beebe, Robert Elliott, Jacob Beebe, and George Scriba, jr , vestry- men. There is also a cemetery connected with the property. The first rector was Rev. Timothy Minor ; at present the church is without a rector, the last incumbent being Rev. Mr. Arthur.

The first Presbyterian church of Constantia village had its inception in a Congregational society that flourished here several years prior to and after 1835. In 1842 a church edifice was built under the pastorship of Rev. Archibald Robinson, who remained until 1844. Rev. W. Leonard, who was born in Shrewsbury, Vt., in 1800, and graduated from Will- iams College, was sent as a missionary into this region at a very early day, and it was mainly through his persistent efforts that this church was built and dedicated. The first Presbyterian society was organized in October, 1851, with eleven members and succeeded to the property of the old organization, which some time ere this had disbanded. Tle first officers were : Robert McFarland and Daniel W. Ingersoll, deacons ; Rollin Blount, Joseph E. Woodbridge, and Moses Lester, trustees. These and Mrs. Robert McFarland, Mrs. Robert Blount, Mrs. J. E. Woodbridge, Mrs. Moses Lester, and Nathan J. Stiles and wife consti- tuted the original membership. The last survivor of this little band of eleven worshipers was Daniel W. Ingersoll, who died in May, 1881. The present pastor is Rev. W. I. Coburn. The elders are James Rob- ertson, Daniel Ingersoll (clerk), and Alvaro Matthews.

In 1846, through the efforts of Elder and Mrs. John Bedell, a society

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THE TOWN OF CONSTANTIA.

of Friends was organized at Bernhard's Bay with the following mem- bers : John P. Dickinson and wife, John A. Hoyt and wife, Benjamin Bedell and wife, Israel J. Titus and wife, Willard Stratton and wife, Phebe Bedell, and Patience Hallock. The society ceased to exist sev- eral years ago. Their meeting house was sold to Ezra Dickinson and is now used as a public hall.

The Methodist Episcopal church of Cleveland was founded by Rev. Christopher Martin, who has been noticed in preceding pages. Dating from a class soon after 1821 it increased in membership and spiritual strength until a society was legally organized, and in 1841-2 a church edifice was erected. The society has about 165 members under the pastoral charge of Rev. Samuel E. Brown. It also owns a parsonage, and this with all other church property is valued at $6,500. Under their care are two Sunday schools with a combined scholarship of about 200.

St. James Protestant Episcopal church of Cleveland was organized July 22, 1867, with Rev. James Stoddard as rector. Among subse- quent rectors were Rev. R. L. Mattison and Rev. William Long, of whom the latter died in Oneida, N. Y., in 1882. The present rector is Rev. G. L. Neide. Among the wardens and vestry of this church have been William Foster, Charles Kathern, Joseph A. Turck, William H. Foster, Asher S. Potter, Henry Garber, and others.

The Methodist Episcopal church of Constantia was organized at a comparatively early day, and in 1868-9 a house of worship was erected on a lot given for the purpose by Julian Carter. The structure cost about $5,000 and was dedicated July 20, 1871. The first pastor was Rev. H. C. Abbott, and the first Board of Trustees consisted of E. W. Phillips, Chauncey Dunn, and G. J. Prentiss. The present pastor is Rev. E. B. Topping, who also officiates at Bernhard's Bay. A Free Union church was built at the latter place in 1878 ; later the I. O. G. T. acquired an interest in the building and gave it the name of Temper- ance Hall. The two societies have a combined membership of about fifty and Sunday schools with 200 officers and pupils. The entire church property, including a parsonage, is valued at $4,900.

A Presbyterian society formerly existed at Cleveland village and grew in numbers sufficienty strong to erect a church edifice. This was

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accomplished mainly through the labors of Rev. W. Leonard, who con- ducted the dedicatory services. He was the grandfather of Dr. W. H. Conterman, and at the time of his death in 1886 was the oldest Mason in Oswego county. The society finally disbanded and the property laid idle for several years. In 1893 a Seventh-Day Advent church was or- ganized and has since occupied the old building. Services are main - tained regularly on Friday evening and the Sabbath (Saturday).

St. Mary's Roman Catholic church of Cleveland was for several years prior to 1875 an out-mission from Rome. In October of that year Bishop McNierney visited the place, confirmed about 170 persons, and consecrated the cemetery. The first pastor was Rev. Patrick J. Birm- ingham, under whom an edifice was built. His successors, with the dates of their appointments, have been Francis D. McGuire, September 29, 1878 ; James B. Greene, July 9, 1882; John McGlynn, March I, 1886; and J. B. Mertens, October 1, 1894.

There is a small Freewill Baptist church at Constantia Center in which services are quite regularly maintained.

CHAPTER XXII.

THE TOWN OF GRANBY.

Granby was formed from the town of Hannibal on the 20th of April, 1818. It comprised thirty-three lots of the survey township of Ly- sander and nineteen lots of that of Hannibal. From these nineteen, the whole of lot 37 and the north part of 46, forming a triangle which ex- tended to the Oswego River at a point near Minetto, were annexed to the town of Oswego in 1836, leaving Granby with its present area of 29,452 acres. The survey line which separated the townships of Hannibal and Lysander left the river a few rods above the falls and ran thence due west.

Granby lies in the southwestern part of Oswego county and wholly within the first and second townships of the Military tract. It is bounded on the north by Oswego, on the east by Volney and Schroeppel, on the

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THE TOWN OF GRANBY.

south by Hannibal and Lysander, Onondaga connty, and on the west by Hannibal and Ira, Cayuga county. The town is drained by several small streams, the largest of which is Ox Creek. On April 24, 1832, this stream was declared a "public highway" from its mouth to .the bridge on lot 28 "where the road leading from Lysander to Oswego Falls crosses " it. Other water courses are Rice and Eight- Mile Creeks, and three or four brooks which empty into Lake Neatahwanta. This beautiful body of water, called by the Indians Ne ah-tah -wan-tah, sig- nifying "the little lake near the great lake," is situated near the Oswego Falls fair ground, half a mile west of the falls, covers an area of about 800 acres, and empties through an outlet about two miles long into the Oswego River. Its elevation is twenty-five feet above the Oswego Falls and 125 feet above Lake Ontario.

The Oswego River forms the eastern or northeastern boundary of this town for a continuous distance of about thirteen miles, and so inti- mately interwoven is its earlier history with that of the county that ac- counts of the principal events occurring along its course have already been given in the general chapters of this work. On the Granby side it affords many valuable mill privileges, particularly within the limits of the village of Oswego Falls. These have been utilized from an early day. At this point quite an extensive portage business was carried on by John I. Walradt and others in 1807 and 1808, which was finally abandoned to the residents on the east side, where it was prosecuted with greater convenience.

The surface of the town is gently rolling and inclines slightly towards the northeast. Along the river it is considerably broken, frequently rising into moderately high bluffs. It is underlaid with a valuable brown sandstone, which often rises so near the surface as to admit of profitable quarrying for building and other purposes. One of these quarries is situated on the O. J. Jennings farm near Oswego Falls. The soil is generally a rich sandy or gravelly loam. In some places it sinks into swamps, which have been largely drained and converted into fertile farms. One of the most effective enterprises of this kind was the result of an act passed by the Legislature April 6, 1857, which appointed Calvin French, Peter Schenck, and David Willcox, commissioners to superintend the draining of wet lands adjacent to Lake Neatahwanta by lowering 65

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the outlet of that lake. By this means several hundred acres of valua- ble land was reclaimed.

The town was originally timbered with a heavy growth of pine, hem- lock, oak, chestnut, beech, maple, and elm, many of the trees being so tall and straight that they were cut down and shipped to English ship- builders for masts and spars, a business which at one time formed an important industry of the place. The dense forests also gave existence and profitable employment to numerous saw mills and other wood working establishments, the former numbering fifteen in 1860. As the land was cleared up the inhabitants directed their attention to agricul- ture, which in time became the leading industry. From this came the comfortable homes and pleasant surroundings which characterize the town to-day. About 1865 dairying began to supersede other interests ; cheese and butter factories were erected, and the business steadily de- veloped until now it may be said to rank as first in importance, there being at the present time five cheese factories in various sections of the town. Considerable attention is given to the growing of tobacco and hops, especially in the southern part. The town is also well adapted to the raising of fruit, grain, hay, and potatoes.

It was as late as 1810 or 1812 before the first road of any consequence was opened in the town, and this ran nearly parallel with the river. April 17, 1816, the Legislature authorized " Seth Cushman, of Lysan- der, and Edmund Hawks and William Moore, of Hannibal," to lay out a public thoroughfare " four rods wide from Snow's bridge in Syracuse, and thence through the towns of Lysander and Hannibal, to Oswego." Kitchell Bell, Peter Pratt, and Hastings Curtiss were appointed com- missioners April 3, 1823, to lay out a road from "a point on the west bank of the Oswego River below the Oswego Falls, opposite Hubbard and Falley's mill-dam, from thence to the village of Hannibalville" and on to Wolcott, Wayne county. This was long a very successful plank road, being abandoned about 1874. Other highways followed as set - tlements increased. The building of bridges early commanded atten- tion, and several projects of this character in which the town was closely interested were successfully carried out. Those structures spanning the Oswego River at Fulton and Minetto have been noticed in the history of Volney, to which the reader is referred. In the erection of them

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THE TOWN OF GRANBY.

Granby paid her portion of the expense. May 25, 1836, the Schroep- pel and Granby Bridge Company was incorporated for the purpose of building a toll-bridge across the Oswego River from lot 33 in Granby to lot 92 in Schroeppel. The bridge was built but was afterward made free. In 1859-60 the bridge at Hinmanville, spanning the river be- tween the two towns, was rebuilt, and on April 17, 1861, the Legisla- ture, by special act, legalized the assessment made to cover the expense incurred. In 1818 the town had nine road districts; the present num- ber is seventy-seven.

The first town meeting was held at the house of Cyril Wilson on the first Tuesday in May, 1818, with Barnet Mooney as moderator and Peter Schenck as clerk. The following officers were chosen :

Elijah Mann, jr., supervisor; John Schenck, town clerk; John I. Walradt, Stephen McCabe, and Alfred Clark, assessors; Samuel Fairbanks, collector; John Miller and Seth Camp, overseers of the poor; Cyril Wilson, John Miller, and Daniel Cody, commission- ers of highways; Samuel Colby and Samuel Fairbanks, constables; Elijah Mann, Seth Camp, and Cyril Wilson, commissioners of common schools; Benjamin Robinson, Abra- ham Shepard, John Miller, Gamaliel Fairbanks, Peter Schenck, and William Wilson, inspectors of common schools; and nine pathmasters, viz .: district No. 1, Cornelius Miller; No. 2, John Schenck; 3, Stephen McCabe; 4, Western Allen; 5, William Dewey; 6, Amos Green; 7, William Fairbanks; 8, Rufus Spencer; 9, Samuel Whitman; who were also fence viewers and poundmasters.

At the same meeting two petitions were directed to be sent to Albany; one asking for the appointment of Elijah Mann, jr., and Seth Camp as justices of the peace ; the other to the Legislature requesting that the name Granby be changed to De Witt, probably out of compliment to Simeon De Witt, who was for fifty years (1785-1835) surveyor-general of the State. The Legislature declined to honor the last request, and time honored Granby remained to acquire a worthy reputation.

A bounty of $10 was voted for each wolf and $3 for every bear killed in town, and the usual resolutions were adopted. Two of the as- sessors failed to qualify, and it was ascertained that more school inspec- tors had been elected than the law allowed, and at a special town meet- ing held at the house of John I. Waldradt on June 18 of the same year Mr. Walradt and William Wilson were chosen to the first named office and Benjamin Robinson, John Miller, and Abraham Shepard were elected inspectors of common schools. It was also voted to raise $200 for roads and bridges.

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The supervisors of Granby have been as follows :

Elijah Mann, jr., 1818-19; Seth Camp,1820; Elijah Mann, jr., 1821; Seth Camp, 1822- 3; Ambrose B. Kellogg, 1824-31; John Sammons, 1832; Edmund Bramhall, 1833-5: John Phillips, 1836; Edmund Bramhall, 1837; Amory Howe, 1838-39 ; George Kellogg. 1840; Alanson Dodge, 1841-2; William Schenck, 1843; Almarin Fuller, 1844; W. B. Gaylord, 1845-6; Alanson Dodge, 1847; William Schenck, 1848; Alanson Dodge, 1849; James D. Lasher, 1850-51; Alanson Dodge, 1852; J. D. Lasher, 1853; Willard Osgood, 1854-8; J. G. Willard, 1859-62; James Parker, 1863; James D. Lasher, 1864; Charles Howe, 1865; J. G. Willard, 1866; B. Frank Wells, 1867-8; Isaac W. Marsh, 1869-72 ; I. F. Pierce, 1873; John C. Wells, 1874-5; Ezra S. Hogeland, 1876; Thomas R. Wright, 1877-8; John Vedder, 1879-81; Thomas R. Wright, 1882-4; C. H. Dexter, 1885-6; M. A. Thompson, 1887-8; John C. Wells, 1889; Jay C. Harrington, 1890 ; Joshua W. Rigley, 1891-5.

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Landmarks of Oswego County, New York, Part 52

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