Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 8

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1180

USA > New York > Steuben County > Landmarks of Steuben County, New York > Part 8

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The population of Campbell, by decades, has been as follows : 1840, 852; 1850, 1,175 ; 1860, 1,622; 1870, 1,989; 1880, 1,881, and in 1890, 1,533. The population in 1892 was 1,539.

In 1852 the Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad was built through the Conhocton ' valley, and a station was established in this town, but it is doubtful if even this great thoroughfare of travel and transportation brought to the vicinity a more prosperous period than existed during the days of stage travel and river traffic. During the war of 1861-65, the town of Campbell sent into the service a total of 175 men, twenty-three of whom were enlisted in other towns.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

Well verified tradition informs us that the first school in this town was opened by Rhoda Simmons in 1817, in what was known as the " hunter's cabin," also that the second school was kept in a barn, and that Betsey Woodward and Mrs. Davis were the earliest teachers there. The first school house was a log building. After being set off from Hornby, in 1831, the territory of Campbell was divided into school districts and provision made for the support of a school house in each. As now constituted, the town contains nine districts, each provided with a school house. During the current year, 1893-4, twelve teachers were employed. The number of children of school age was 309. The amount of public moneys received was $1,374.43, and the town raised by tax, $2,355.82.

CANISTEO .- The originial town of Canisteo, erected cotemporane- ously with Steuben county, contained the territory of the present town of that name, and also Greenwood, West Union, Hartsville, Hornells- ville, and portions of Troupsburg and Jasper. A part of Troupsburg was taken off in 1808, and a second portion in 1818. Hornellsville was set off in 1820, and portions of Jasper and Greenwood in 1827. Re- duced to its present area, Canisteo contains 32,200 acres of land, being sixth in size among the existing towns of the county. In the survey and subdivision of the vast Phelps and Gorham purchase, Canisteo was township 3, range 5, and was purchased conjointly with township 4 of range 6 (now Hornellsville), the early history of each being common in many respects, and also rich and interesting.

Previous to the advent of the white man this town, and in fact the whole valley of the Canisteo, was the abiding place and favorite hunt- ing and fishing grounds of the American Indians. The region was originally the land of the Senecas, but by sufferance the Delawares were permitted to occupy portions of it. We are told that within the limits of this town was once the Indian village of "Kanestio," where also lived a number of deserters from the British army and other rene- gades from the white settlements. The murder of two Dutch traders by these outlaws brought upon them the vengeance of Sir William Johnson, and the result was the destruction of their settlement.

According to the oft-repeated story, the valley of the Canisteo was discovered by the whites early in the year 1788, by. Solomon Bennett,

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Capt. John Jamison, Uriah Stephens, Richard Crosby, and we may add possibly Elisha Brown, all of whom left their Pennsylvania homes on an exploring expedition into the southeastern part of the Phelps and Gorham purchase. After examining several localities in the Conhocton valley the party crossed the hills to the south and entered the Canisteo valley. Here they found land suited to their desires, and the result was the formation of a company and the purchase of township 3 of range 5, and township 4 of range 6, now known respectively as Canisteo and Hornellsville. Each of these townships was surveyed and divided into great lots, twelve in 'number, and were drawn for by lot. In Canisteo the lots were drawn in this order: Arthur Irwin, No. 1 ; Christian Kress, No. 2; Solomon Bennett, Nos. 3 and 4; Joel Thomas, No. 5 ; John Stephens, No. 6; John Jamison, No. 7 ; Uriah Stephens, No. 8; Uriah Stephens, jr., No. 9; William Wynkoop, No. 10; James Hadley, No. II ; Elisha Brown, No. 12.

This disposition of the lands having been made the company sent a party of men to cut and stack the hay found growing on the extensive Canisteo flats. This was in 1789, and in the fall of that year Uriah Stephens, sen., and Benjamin Crosby, with portions of their families, came from Newtown (Elmira) and made the first permanent settlement. Their personal effects were brought up the river on flatboats, while Elias, Elijah, Benjamin and William Stephens drove the cattle along the shore to the new settlement. These pioneers passed the following winter in the town, and in the spring of 1790 were joined by Solomon Bennett, Uriah Stephens, jr., Col. John Stephens and their families. Soon afterward there came Jedediah Stephens, John Redford and Andrew Bennett.

Thus was made the pioneer settlement in the town of Canisteo. One of the most active and wealthy of the settlers was Solomon Bennett, who in 1793 built the first grist mill in the town, it being located on Bennett's Creek about half a mile above its mouth. The building was soon burned, after which the settlers were obliged to go to Hornell's Mills for their "grist." Mr. Bennett also opened the first store, while Jedediah Stephens kept the first tavern. The first birth was that of Olive Stephens, November 18, 1790; the first marriage that of Richard Crosby and Hannah Baker, and the first death was that of Henry Stephens.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

Referring still further to the subject of early settlement in this town, the statement may be made that Solomon Bennett came from Wyoming, and that his wife was a sister of Col. John Stephens. Daniel Jamison was a native of Scotland. His wife was Mary M. Baxter, and in their family were eight children, a number of whom were intimately associ- ated with the early history of this locality. Col. John Stephens married Olive Franklin, and was for many years an important man in the new settlement. He and Rev. Jedediah Stephens were natives of Connecti- cut. Recalling the names of other prominent men and families in the town, we may mention Capt. Nathan Stephens, Joshua C. Stephens, Jeremiah Baker, sen., the Moore families, nicknamed respectively " Big John " and " Little Johnny," William S. Thomas, James McBurney, Uriah Upson, James Moore, John Stearns, Nathan Hallett and others, all worthy of mention among the substantial men of the town at an early day.

Once fairly begun, settlement in this part of the valley increased rapidly, and in 1800 the town had a population of 510. Ten years later, Troupsburg having in the meantime been set off, the population of Canisteo was 656. In 1820, its territory being reduced to substan- tially its present limits, the town contained 891 inhabitants. In 1830 the number was 619, and 941 in 1840. During the next decade the population was more than doubled, being in 1850, 2.030. In 1860 it increased to 2,337, in 1870 to 2,435, and in 1880, principally on account of the growth of Canisteo village, to 3,694. In 1890 the population of the town was 3,629, and in 1892 was 3,593. The population of the vil- lage of Canisteo in 1890 was 2,07I.

In 1812 Judge Hurlburt, of Arkport, wrote a descriptive history of Canisteo in which he said the town then contained 266 square miles, and was nineteen miles long, north and south, by fourteen miles wide. Speaking of the streams, he said that the Canisteo was " boatable" as far up as Arkport. He also described Canisteo village as having twenty houses and stores, a post office and considerable trade.

As we have already stated the early settlement of the town was ac- complished rapidly, and indeed the organization was effected at the time of the creation of the county. But, unfortunately, the first records of this pioneer town are not to be found, nor any other reliable data

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

from which we may learn the names of its first officers. This, however, cannot be regarded as important, for at that time the town was so large that the present Canisteo comprises comparatively little of its original territory. At the town meeting held in the spring of 1801, at the house of Benjamin Crosby, (Hornellsville), these officers were elected : Uriah Stephens, supervisor ; Joseph A. Rathbone, town clerk; Obediah Ayres, Richard Crosby and Nathan Hallett, assessors ; Samuel Hallett, jr., collector ; James Hadley and Nathan Hallett, overseers of the poor.

In this connection also it is interesting to note the succession of super- visors from the year 1801 to the present time, viz .: Uriah Stephens, 1801-10; William Hyde, 1811 ; William Stephens, 1812 ; Christopher Hurlbut, 1813-15 ; Uriah Stephens, 1815-19; Thomas Bennett, 1820- 22 ; William Stephens, 1823-26; Joshua Chapman, 1827; William Stephens, 1828-29; William Bennett, 1830-32; William Stephens, 1833-34; Elias Stephens, 1835-37 ; Finley McClure, 1838; Daniel Jamison, 1839-40; H. C. Whitwood, 1841-42; Finley McClure, 1843- 44 ; William H. Mead, 1845-46; Obediah Stephens, 1847-50; Hart Eason, 1851-52 ; W. B. Jones, 1853-54; Hart Eason, 1855-56 ; Joshua C. Stephens, 1857-58 ; Lucius C. Waldo, 1859-60 ; Nelson Hallett, 1861-62; William H. Mead, 1863-64; N. C. Taylor, 1865-66; George Riddell, 1867-68 ; Thomas Hallett, 1869; John H. Brown, 1870-72 ; George Riddell, 1873-74; Miner Sammons, 1875-76 ; Albert J. Carter, 1877 ; Smith Eason, 1878; Leroy Riddell, 1879-82 ; W. E. Stephens, 1883-84; Nathan J. Stephens, 1885-86; H. E. Buck, 1887 ; M. D. Ellison, 1888; Harrison Crane, 1889-91 ; James Roblee, 1892-93 ; Julius M. Hitchcock, 1894-95.

The town officers of Canisteo for the year 1895 are as follows: Julius M. Hitchcock, supervisor ; Jay Patchen, town clerk; Almon W. Burrell, Emmet Stephens, Adelbert Rosa, James Eben Wilson and Albert Sumner, justices of the peace; D. W. Comfort, D. C. Thomas and Ney Wilson, assessors ; Stearns Jamison, collector ; Daniel Ordway, overseer of the poor; J. M. Peterson, highway commissioner ; Elijah Hallett, Jacob Vickers and W. P. Goff, commissioners of excise.

The civil history of the town of Canisteo, although uneventful, has nevertheless been a continuous record of growth, development and pros- perity. Naturally, settlement began in the region of the Canisteo

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

River, thence extended up the valleys of the lesser streams, Bennett's and Col. Bill's Creeks, and finally spread throughout the entire town. All, however, was practically accomplished during the first thirty-five years of the town's history, while pioneership ceased with the last century. The "Swale " region was settled before 1825, and most of the town lands were fully settled within the next half score of years. The war of 1812 had little effect on the people here, though the attitude and disposition of the Indians was carefully watched, for the inhabitants feared an outbreak from them. However, the whites had by this time thoroughly impressed the natives with their superiority, and although an occasional demonstration was made by the savages, they were at all times under reasonable control.

The greater portion of the settlers were farmers, whose time and energies were devoted to clearing and tilling the land, paving the way for future successes by their descendants, and as a result of this early industry Canisteo is now regarded as one of the best agricultural towns of the valley. The soil generally is a clayey and gravelly loam, and not all the fertile lands are found in the valleys, but even on the hills are some of the most productive farms in the town. General agriculture has been the chief pursuit of the farming element of population, and the most profitable crops of the present day are hay, oats and potatoes.

For their personal convenience the settlers at an early day built up several small villages, the principal one of which, Canisteo, has grown to importance in commercial and business circles, and has become an incorporated municipality. However, this village is made the subject of special mention in another part of this work. The others we may briefly mention here.

Bennett's Creek is a post-office (established 1845) and hamlet situate in the southeast part of the town, on the stream of the same name. A store has generally been maintained here, and the place now and for somne years past has had an additional industry in the possession of a good cheese factory, the latter known as the Bassett cheese factory. The postmaster and merchant here is Elihu D. Conklin.

Swale is located in the southeast part of the town, and has a post- office (established 1860) and one or two business enterprises. This region is somewhat extensive and was settled between 1820 and 1825.

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

The office was established here for the convenience of the people of this part of the town. The postmaster is Orren I. Jones, and E. O. Downs is local tinsmith. In this locality is a Union Methodist and Universalist church, built by the people of the vicinity.

South Canisteo is also a post office in the southeast part of the town, for local accommodation. The postmaster and storekeeper is Elmer D. Van Ormen.

Spring Brook is the name of a locality in the vicinity of Col Bill's Creek. This is an agricultural portion of the town and has no village settlement. However, here are two Methodist Protestant churches, each of which has a good membership and a comfortable church home. Both of these societies, as well as that at Swale, are under the pastoral care of Rev. S. E. Matthews.

Adrian and Crosbyville are the different names of a little hamlet on the Erie road, less than two miles east of Canisteo. The former is the post-office and railway designation, while the latter suggests the name of one of the old families of the town. Here are two stores, a black- smith shop and a wagon shop. The postmaster is Hiram Crosby, and the merchants are Messrs. Crosby and Delaney.

Canisteo Center is between Canisteo and Adrian. Its only industry is the grist mill of J. V. Carman.

The inhabitants of the town and village of Canisteo, ever mindful of the spiritual and educational welfare of their families and children, have made generous provision for the erection and maintenance of churches and schools throughout the town. Those of the former in the outlying districts we have already mentioned in this chapter, while those of the village will be found referred to in the church history in this work. Of the early schools little is known except in a general way, and even unreliable tradition furnishes us no data from which can be deter- mined the location of the first schools. Still, the fact is well known that about 1800 a primitive school was opened in the village, and as settlement advanced into the more remote localities, the town was divided into districts and good schools provided for each. According to the present disposition of school interests, there are thirteen districts, each of which is provided with a good school. The whole number of children attending during the school year 1893-94 was

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

783, for whose instruction nineteen teachers were employed. There was received of public moneys from the State, $2,506.08, and the amount raised by local tax was $3,609.21. The value of school build - ings and sites in the town is estimated at $8,770.

CATON .- On the 28th of March, 1839, the Legislature passed an act, by which " all that part of the town of Painted Post, in the county of Steuben, being township No. I, in the first range," etc., "shall con- stitute a new town of the name of Wormley." However, on the 3d of April, 1840, the erecting act was amended and the name of the town was changed to " Caton," in memory of Richard Caton, one of the orig- inal land proprietors in the region. The first name-Wormley-was given to the town in allusion to Samuel Wormley, the first postmaster at the office having his name.

This town is situated in the extreme southeast corner of the county, and contains 22,700 acres of land. The surface is a rolling upland, yet more nearly level than most lands in the county. Its soil is a clayey and shaly loam, and the streams are small brooks flowing northward. At an early day lumbering was extensively carried on in the town, and the forests were not generally cleared away until a comparatively recent date. From that time the chief pursuit of the inhabitants has been farming and sugar making, and as an agricultural town Caton ranks well among the divisions of the county. The farms as a rule are well cultivated, the buildings neat and attractive, and the general appear- ance of things throughout the town indicates thrift, energy and prosperity on the part of its people.

The pioneer of township I is said to have been one Ford, who built a log cabin and made a clearing a little east of the Center in 1810, although during the same year other woodsmen made a clearing in the town, but no settlement. However, Ford left the vicinity after two years of hard- ships, and was succeeded by the first permanent settler, Isaac Rowley, a native and former resident of Bradford county, Pa., though previous to locating in Caton he had lived in Lindley. In 1819 this doughty pioneer cut a road from over the Pennsylvania line into the southwest part of Caton, to the point where he made his location. The next settlers were Stephen and Simeon Hurd, Uriah Wilmot, John Rowe and Erastus Kidder, all of whom came to the town in the spring of 1821.

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY.

Salmon Tarbox came in 1822, and about the same time Elias P. Bab . cock, E. Robbins and Abner Gilbert purchased 4,000 acres of land near the Center. Mr. Gilbert built a saw mill near where the Baptist church was afterward erected. The settlers in 1824 were Ephraim Hill, Levi, Willys and Eli Gridley and their families. In 1825 Dr. Gregory located southeast of the Center. Isaac Thompson settled in 1827. In 1832 Frederick and Gershom Bernard built a saw mill near the Corning line, and in the same year Bennett Breeze built the first grist mill in the town, and located on Barnard's Creek, about two miles north of the Center. The first steam mill was put in operation in 1842 by Dexter and Daniel Davis, and was located in the heavy pine woods above Barnard's Mills. James Davison was another of the early settlers of Caton, while among the many others may be mentioned Jonathan S. Hurd, Simeon Hurd, Joshua Russell, Titus Smith, Samuel F. Berry, Henry D. Smith, Benoni Johnson, John Gillette, Salmon Tarbox, Orlando Gregory, Ephraim Robbins, Rufus Howe, Horatio Gorton, George Bucher, Amos Lewis, and others of later date, but all of whom were devoted to the best interests of the town by building up substantial homes and farms for themselves and their families.

In 1840, when first set off from Painted Post, Caton had only 797 inhabitants, but during the next ten years, the population increased to 1,214. In 1860 the inhabitants numbered 1,550, and 1,554 in 1870. In 1880 the number increased to 1,642, but during the next ten years fell off to 1,445. The population of Caton in 1892 was 1,388, or less than at any census enumeration since 1850

The act creating the town provided that the first meeting for the election of officers should be held on the second Tuesday in February, 1840. In fact, the new town itself did not have an organized existence previous to the first Monday in February of the year mentioned. The first officers were Amos Lewis, supervisor ; Orlando Gregory, town clerk ; John Gillett, Russell Stanton and Zimri B. Robbins, asses- sors ; Israel Woodworth, Jacob Robbins, George Westcott and N. C. Babcock, justices of the peace.

The town officers in 1895 are Alonzo Deyo, supervisor ; P. F. Grid- ley, clerk; Alonzo Deyo, F. W. Speer, John Wellman and Edgar Matteson, justices of the peace ; J. S. Holmes, E. W. Barnard and E.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

A. Hill, assessors ; B. S. Niver, collector ; Jonas Johnson, overseer of the poor; H. D. Davis, highway commissioner; H. J. Farran and Henry Russell, excise commissioners.

The supervisors of Caton, in succession, have been as follows: Amos Lewis, 1840; John Gillett, 1841 and '43 ; Naboth C. Babcock, 1842; James L. Whitney, 1844-45 ; Amzi English, 1846; Orlando Gregory, 1847-48; Henry D. Smith, 1849 '53 ; Christian Minier, 1850, '54, 1860-62, '66 ; James Lawry, 1851-52; D. Clinton Westcott, 1855-56 ; P. H. Brown, 1857, and 1864-65 ; William D. Gilbert, 1858-59, '63 and '67 ; J. B. Rathbun, 1869-71 ; Levi Force, 1872; Edwin C. Eng- lish, 1873-74; Alonzo Deyo, 1875-77 and 1893-95 ; Abram J. Whit- ney, 1878; W. O. Matteson, 1879-92.

During the period of its history, there have been built up within the limits of the town two small hamlets or trading centres, each established for the convenience of the inhabitants. They are named, respectively, Caton and West Caton, the former located near the center of the town, and the latter near the northwest corner. However, both these ham- lets are specially mentioned in the department of the work devoted to municipal history. The same may also be said of the churches of the town, which are referred to in the chapter on ecclesiastical history.

The town of Caton has a military record equal if not superior to any other civil division of the county, for if statistics be accurate there were sent into the service during the war of 1861-65 a total of 196 men, as reference to the official roster will disclose. In 1860, a single year before the outbreak of the war, the town's population was only 1,550. Few towns in the county can equal this record. Also in this little town are twelve school districts, with twelve teachers employed annually. The value of school property is $6,415. During the school year 1893-4, the town received of public moneys $1,379.09, and raised by town tax the further sum of $1,613.05.

LANDMARKS OF STEUBEN COUNTY

CHAPTER VII.

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

COHOCTON .- About the year 1794, that enterprising pioneer and colonizer, Charles Williamson, sent Joseph Biven to build a tavern and found a settlement at the "Twenty-two Mile Tree," on the Conhocton River. The result of this early effort was the establishment of a ham- let known to the early settlers as "Biven's Corners," and so designated until the settlement was made a post station under the name of North Cohocton. This was done in 1825. Richard Hooker is also credited with having been a pioneer of the same locality, but recollections of him are meagre. James and Aruna Woodward, Vermont Yankees, came to this part of the valley in 1802, the former settling on the after- ward called Waldron place, where he built a cabin. Obediah Wood- ward was a son (as also was Aruna) of James, and was a stalwart young man when the settlement was made.

Another of the pioneers, and one whose surname has been preserved by substantial landmarks until quite recently, was Frederick Blood, a native of Germany but who came here from the older settlement at Saratoga. Blood's Station was named from this family, for Frederick had several sons, all earnest and industrious men and of great assistance in developing the resources of the new country. Jonas and James Cleland, father and son, came into the region from old, historic Pom- pey, in Onondaga county, in 1805, and the Cleland cabin was the first dwelling between Cohocton and Avoca. This pioneer built the first saw and grist mills in Cohocton, the former on the site of the Warner mill of later years, and the latter opposite the Cleland dwelling. The saw mill was built about 1808, and the grist mill at a later date.

Alvin Talbot and Ezra Parker were early settlers, as also was Job Briggs, the cooper and otherwise useful man at that time. Other early settlers were Stephen Burrows and Ebenezer Keeler, the latter a man of

THE CIVIL DIVISIONS OF THE COUNTY.

means and influence. In the Loon Lake locality Joseph Jackson, Eleazer Tucker, John, George and Paul Wilson, and also Salmon Brownson and his sons, were the first comers. Joseph Chamberlin came from Herkimer county in 1805, and settled near Liberty (now Cohocton), and in the year following Levi Chamberlin, Joseph Shattuck and Deacon Horace Wheeler were added to the now rapidly increasing roll of pioneers. Still others worthy of mention were Timothy Sherman, James Bernard, Samuel Rhodes, Jesse Atwood, Isaac Morehouse, Charles Burlingham and Richard Hooper, all of whom were in some manner identified with the early and interesting history of the valley. Mr. Hooper's death is said to have been the first event of its kind in the town.

Among the other principal first events may be noted the marriage of Joseph Biven and Sarah Hooker in 1798, and their child, Bethiah Hooker Biven, was the first born in town, in the year 1800. Sophia Trumbull taught the first school, about 1810, in the house built by James Cleland. William Walker built the first tannery, about 1816, and Rudolphus Howe put in operation the first distillery. The latter was an industry of much note, if not of importance, in the region and many are the anecdotes connected with it. In 1823, Gabriel Dusenbury and his sons, Seth and John, built a saw mill on the site of the later Hoag mill, and run it nearly twenty years, when Stoning & Brown con- verted the building into a paper mill. During the period of its history, Cohocton has been the home of many transient industries, several of them useful in the time of their erection, but afterward passing away and giving place to more profitable and enduring interests.

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Landmarks of Steuben County, New York, Part 8

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co. Number of Pages: 1180

Author: Hakes, Harlo, 1823- ed; Aldrich, Lewis Cass. cn
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Syracuse, N.Y. : D. Mason & Co.
Number of Pages: 1180