USA > New York > Onondaga County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 11
USA > New York > Oswego County > Onondaga, or, Reminiscences of earlier and later times, being a series of historical sketches relative to Onondaga, with notes on the several towns in the county, and Oswego, Vol. II > Part 11
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32
TOWNS .- ONONDAGA. 129
by the fleet on Lake Ontario. Secretary Armstrong directed one of the naval commanders then at Oswego, to proceed forthwith with an armed vessel, via. the Oswego River to Onondaga Hollow, and remove the Government property from that place to Oswego. The obstructions at Oswego Falls were found to be quite too formidable to allow of the execu- tion of the Secretary's order, and the project was abandoned. The joke was too good to be kept a secret, and its publication created much merriment at the Hon. Secretary's expense.
After the Danforth family, Comfort Tyler and the Brown family, there settled at the Hollow, the Pattersons, Job Tyler, Peter Tenbroeck, General Lewis, Cornelius Longstreet, Peter Young, Joseph Forman, John Adams, George Kibbe, Drs. William and Gurdon Needham, Nicholas Mickles, Wm. H. Sabin, Jasper Hopper, Aaron Bellows, George Hall, Joseph Swan, and others.
In the summer of 1796, John Cantine, assisted by Gideon Seely, under the direction of the Surveyor General, surveyed the Onondaga Reservation, and in the fall of that year, Gid- eon Seely and Comfort Tyler bid off, at the sales in Albany, twenty-one lots, of two hundred and fifty acres each, at two dollars per acre. Mr. Seely made the road from Samuel A. Beebe's to the south line of the town, including a bridge across the west branch of Onondaga Creek. The first saw mill built in town was by Turner Fenner, on the west branch of Onondaga Creek, in 1793. General Danforth erected a saw and grist mill, in 1794, on what is now called the Kirk Farm.
The first town meeting for Onondaga, was held at the house of Asa Danforth, who presided, April, 1798. Ephraim Web- ster was chosen Supervisor, and Jabez Webb, Town Clerk ; Samuel Searing, Daniel Earll and Sier Curtis, Assessors ; and Elisha Alvord, Nehemiah Earll, Jr., and Elijah Lawrence, Commissioners of Roads. At this meeting swine were voted to run at large, provided they were yoked and rung. The meeting was adjourned to the house of Dr. Allen Beach.
Annual town meeting for 1799, James Geddes was chosen
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Supervisor, and Orris Curtis, Town Clerk ; John Ellis, Cor- nelius Schoutens, and Sieur Curtis, Assessors. Meeting ad- journed to the house of William Laird. Town meeting for April, 1800, Sieur Curtis was chosen Supervisor, and Orris Curtis, Town Clerk.
George Hall, Esq., opened a law office at Onondaga Hol- low, in 1802. Joshua Forman and William H. Sabin, com- menced the practice of law in partnership, 1803. Medad Curtis was a law student with Thaddeus M. Wood, and Daniel Mosely with Forman and Sabin. Dr. William Needham lo- cated at the Hollow as a physician, in 1793, and his brother, Gurdon Needham, in 1795. He kept the first school at the Hollow in 1796. Dr. Bissell practiced medicine a number of years at the Hollow. Rev. Samuel Kirkland is believed to be the first reformed minister who ever preached in the county of Onondaga. He frequently officiated at Onondaga Hollow, to the white people and to the Indians.
It should have been mentioned in another place, that the building of the new church edifice for the Onondagas was greatly aided by a generous donation from "the society for the propagation of the Gospel among the Indians," of which Hon. Lemuel Shaw, Chief Justice of Massachusetts, is Presi- dent, and Rev. D. Parkman, of Boston, Secretary. A rep- resentation having been made to them of the need of assist- ance, the Society promptly voted an appropriation of three hundred dollars towards the completion of the church. We may add, as an interesting fact in this connection, that an ac- tive member of the Executive Committee of the above named Society, is the Rev. Samuel K. Lothrop, of Boston, a grand- son of the Rev. Samuel Kirkland. (See page 242, Vol. I.)
For more than twelve years Mrs. Danforth was the only communicant in the country. She was afterwards joined by the wife of General Lewis and others. Rev. Daniel Nash and Davenport Phelps, (Episcopalians,) were the next minis- ters who officiated here. Others, of the Presbyterian denomi- nation soon succeeded. Rev. Messrs. Wallace and Woodruff were missionaries, who occasionally officiated.
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" The First Presbyterian Society" was established on the " Hill," but the people, finding it rather fatiguing to climb up there every Sunday, resolved to have a society and church nearer home. Accordingly in November, 1809, the " Onon- daga Hollow Religious Society" was organized. John Adams, Aaron Bellows, Nicholas Mickles, Thaddeus M. Wood and Joshua Forman, were chosen Trustees, George Hall and Jo- seph Swan, presiding. Joseph Swan was chosen Secretary, which office he has held to this day, (1849.) Rev. Mr. Da- venport officiated at this time. In February, 1810, the Rev. Dirck C. Lansing was called to the charge of the church, and remained with them as pastor to May, 1814. He was suc- ceeded in the following order, by Rev. Ebenezer J. Leaven- worth, Rev. Samuel T. Mills, Rev. James HI. Mills, Rev. Wash- ington Thatcher, Rev. Elijah Buck, Rev. Moses Ingalls, Rev. Abel Cutler, Rev. Mr. Howell, Rev. Geo. H. Hulin, and Rev. Wm. W. Collins. The church edifice was erected in 1810-11.
A Post Office was established at Onondaga Hollow in the year 1794, and Comfort Tyler appointed Post Master. This was the first Post Office established in the county. One however. was established at Cayuga, then in Onondaga County, the same year. George Kibbe was Post Master at the Hollow in 1801; George Hall succeeded him in 1802, and Jasper Hop- per in 1803. So late as 1812, letters were distributed from the' Post Office at " Onondaga Valley," to people living in the towns of Camillus, Pompey, Marcellus, Otisco, Spafford, Ly- sander and Manlius.
George Kibbe was the first regular merchant who sold goods in the town of Onondaga, in 1800.
In 1803, there were but eight frame houses in the Hollow. In 1809 a frame school house was erected; the same is still occupied as a school house, in good repair ; previously a log one had been built and occupied near where the Academy now stands.
Onondaga Academy was incorporated and organized in 1813, and the building erected in 1814. It was endowed by
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the State, by the gift of a lot of land, (number nine,) town- ship of Lysander, belonging to the Literature Fund. It has held its way with other Academies, and many of the distin- guished men of our county, owe to it their obligations for the advantages they have received in its halls. Rev. Caleb Alex- ander was its first principal. Although he had been educated for the ministry, he devoted most of his long life to teaching, and may be said to have been the founder of several institu- tions of learning. To his exertions and influence, were the public greatly indebted for the establishment of Onondaga Academy, of which he was the Principal for many years. It was through his influence that Fairfield Academy was estab- lished. He was elected first President of Hamilton College, but declined the appointment. He was a man of great learn- ing and varied acquirements, and the author of several sys- tems of education, translations, &c., and excelled in conver- sational powers. He was a man greatly respected and be- loved. He died at Onondaga Hollow, in April, 1828, aged seventy-two years.
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In 1808, an act was passed authorizing the Governor of the State to deposit five hundred stand of arms at Onondaga, for the defense of the frontier, and such quantities of ammuni- tion and military stores, as in his opinion would be necessary, in case of an invasion. The Governor was also authorized and empowered to provide, at the expense of the State, a suita- ble place for the keeping of said arms and military stores, in good order, and fit for immediate service, and to appoint keep- ers of said places of deposit. Accordingly, in 1812, was built, under the direction of the Governor, the Arsenal on the hill east of the Hollow, where for a number of years was a large deposit of arms, &c. As a military store-house, it has long since been abandoned ; it is now fast falling to decay.
A newspaper was first established at Onondaga Hollow by Thomas Crittenden Fay, in December, 1811, entitled THE LYNX, having for its motto, "Liberty and my native coun- try." Published every Wednesday, and delivered to subscri- bers in the village of Onondaga Valley, at two dollars per
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annum. In elosing his prospectus, he says, " I shall endeavor to promote the nation's interest, with the industry of the BEAVER, while I watch its enemies with the eyes of a LYNX."
It was in this office (The Lynx) that the subsequent distin- guished editor of the Albany Evening Journal made his debut in the art of arts. Mr. Weed, in the short space of about twelve months, became devil, printer, journeyman, editor and proprietor of the memorable Lynx.
The "Onondaga Register" made its first appearance at On- ondaga Hollow, in September, 1814, edited by Lewis HI. Red- field, Esq., and was continued to May, 1829, when the Regis- ter was transferred to Syracuse, and brought out in a new dress, under the title of "Onondaga Register and Syracuse Gazette." It is believed that the first iron press introduced into the county, was by Mr. Redfield, who also introduced the first composition roller, one of the most valuable improve- ments connected with printing ever invented.
Russell Webb and James S. Castle, published a paper at Onondaga Hollow, in 1832, entitled the "Citizens' Press." It was discontinued after a publication of six months.
The " Onondaga Gazette," by Evander Morse, was estab- lished at Onondaga Hill, in 1816. Mr. Morse sold the estab- lishment to Cephas S. McConnell, and in August, 1821, title was changed to Onondaga Journal. McConnell sold out to Vivus W. Smith, in 1826, who continued it till 1829, when he removed to Syracuse and joined Mr. Wyman in the Onondaga Standard. Since 1829, there has been no paper published on the Hill.
One of the first settlers at Onondaga West Hill, was Wil- liam Laird, in 1795. He became the first purchaser of lot number one hundred and fourteen, and kept a log tavern, the first kept on the Hill. He committed suicide, by hanging, in October, 1802. Nehemiah Earll, Daniel Earll and Jabez Webb, settled on the IIill in 1796. Jabez Webb was killed by the fall of a tree, in 1806. He was the first purchaser from the State of lot one hundred and eighteen. Simeon and Reuben West, moved to the Hill in 1805-6. Judge Strong
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took up his abode on the Hill in 1802. He kept the first school ever kept on the Hill, from November, 1802, three winter terms of four or five months each, in a log building, which stood near where the old Court House used to stand. A frame school house was erected near the same place in 1807. He was a Deputy under High Sheriff Col. Elijah Phillips, four years, and Under Sheriff to Sheriffs Earll and Rust, during their periods of office. Dr. Salmon Thayer was the first Phy- sician on the Hill in 1800, succeeded by Dr. Stewart.
The first Agricultural Society formed in the county of On- ondaga, was at Onondaga Hill, in the spring of 1819. The Legislature passed a law during the session of 1818-19, by which a large fund was raised for the benefit of Agricultural Societies throughout the State. Of this fund Onondaga Coun- ty became entitled to three hundred dollars, on condition that the county should raise an equal amount, and an Agricultural Society should be organized. The first meeting was held on the 4th of May, 1819, at which a constitution was adopted, and the following officers chosen, viz. : Dan Bradley, Presi- dent, Squire Munro, Martin Cossit, Augustus Wheaton, Vice Presidents ; Job Tyler, Recording Secretary ; Geo. Hall and A. Yelverton, Corresponding Secretaries ; Leonard Bacon, Treasurer ; H. L. Granger, Auditor ; L. H. Redfield, D. W. Forman, O. W. Brewster, Committee of Publication. The first Fair was held at Onondaga Hollow, November 2d, 1819; an address delivered by the President, and Premiums amount- ing to over two hundred dollars, were awarded.
St. John's Church, Onondaga Hill, was organized by Rev. Davenport Phelps, 26th November, 1803. It was succeeded by Zion Church, which was organized in the summer of 1816. The Clergy have been, Rev. Messrs. Ezekiel G. Gear, Milton Wilcox, Thomas K. Peck, Augustus L. Converse, John Mc- Carty, Geo. L. Hinton, John W. Cloud, S. W. Beardsley and Marshall Whiting. Since 1839, only occasional services have been held.
The " First Presbyterian Society of Onondaga," was form- ed on the Hill, at the log tavern, kept by Daniel Earll ; pre-
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sent, Joshua Forman, Jasper Hopper, John Ellis, Jonah Ellis, Jonas C. Baldwin, John Adams, and Oliver R. Strong. Min- isters previous to 1806 were Rev. Messrs. Higgins and Hely, Rev. Direk C. Lansing, was ordained and settled in 1806; Rev. Jabez Chadwick, in 1811; since succeeded by Rev. Messrs. Burback, Prentiss, Bacon and Machin. Their church edifice was erected in 1819. A Post Office was established about the year 1800, Nehemiah Earll, Post Master. Daniel Mosely established himself here as a lawyer in 1809. Medad Curtis, B. D. Noxon, and several other members of the Bar of Onondaga, resided here previous to the removal of the Court House to Syracuse. With the completion of the Erie Canal, and the removal of the public buildings, its prospects were abridged, and it has since rapidly declined.
Rattlesnakes were every where numerous at the time of the first settlement of the country, and were subjects of continual dread. It was no uncommon occurrence for these poisonous animals to insinuate themselves into the houses of the early settlers, and coil themselves snugly in the corners of the fire places, and beneath the beds, for the purpose of gathering warmth. They seldom did harm unless irritated and pro- voked.
Among the antiquities of this town may be noted, that on the farm of Mr. Hessy was the remains of an old fort. When the first settlers came, there were some of the pickets still standing, and the places visible where others had stood. At the corners were evident marks of a chimney and fire places, and also the ruins of a blacksmith's shop. Cinders and a va- riety of tools belonging to the trade have at times been plow- ed up. A portion seemed to have served for a burying ground, as human bones were frequently disinterred by the plow. A large and excellent anvil was also plowed up.
Major Danforth once received a letter from an old French- man, stating, that not far from his (Danforth's) house, in the bank of the creek, he would find a complete set of black- smiths' tools as ever were used. Search was made for them but they have never come to light.
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In the year 1798, on the west part of the farm, afterwards occupied by Gilbert Pinckney, could be seen a trench, about ten rods long, three feet deep, and about four feet wide at top, on the border of a steep gulf and parallel with it, appa- rently a place of defense. Arrow-heads, spear-points and knives of flint, also stone axes, and other Indian implements, have been found, and several burial places were known to the early settlers. In the spring of 1815, on the farm of Dea- con Joseph Forman, at Onondaga Hollow, an oaken pail was plowed up containing about four quarts of leaden bullets, sup- posed to have been buried during the Revolutionary war. There is every appearance of an extensive burying ground on Judge Strong's premises, indicated by the following circumstances : In excavating a cellar to his house in 1816, a full grown skele- ton of a man was thrown out. Another was disinterred by a Mr. Carpenter, while digging post holes back of Judge S's house. Six other graves were opened, having in them the skeletons of full grown persons. The bones were in an ad- vanced stage of decay. They were found about a foot and a half below the surface, and those thrown out were gathered together and buried. From appearances this spot must have contained several hundred graves. Webster informed Judge Strong, that the Indians had a tradition, that in one of their battles with the French in the Hollow, which had been pro- tracted and severe, the French removed their wounded to this spot, and here buried such as did not survive. On west hill, a mile south of the village, was a clearing called the Webster orchard. Another called the Lewis orchard. The Youngs farm had a clearing of one hundred and fifty acres. There were several other smaller clearings at the Hollow, some of them covered with grass and clumps of wild plumb and cher- ry trees. At the Hollow, south of the village, was an Indian burying ground.
In earlier times, when the great annual councils of the Five Nations, were held at Onondaga, and the affairs of this distin- guished confederacy were of consequence, after continuing for several days, they were usually closed with great rejoicing
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and a war dance. After the breaking up of these councils, the Senecas and Cayugas would set out for their homes early in the morning. As early as nine o'clock, the open ground from the turnpike to the Court-House, would become literal- ly crowded with Indians. To this place, a large party of the Onondagas invariably accompanied their friends, for the pur- pose of taking leave. It is said that on these occasions the adieus were extremely affecting. An aged chief would grasp the hand of a friend, hold it in his own, for the space of sev- eral minutes, without uttering a single syllable, with eyes cast upon the ground, with the most unaffected gravity, and solemnity of countenance, and after a long time, retire silent- ly, as if the bitterest grief pervaded his heart in consequence of the separation. What was practiced by one was practiced by all. The whole scene is represented as being truly solemn and affecting.
Large quantities of horn stone are found imbeded in the slate rock of the Hamilton group, in the south part of the town of Onondaga, along the road to Otisco from South Hollow .- Along the banks of the Onondaga Creek are found a number of sulphur springs. In the town are numerous hopper-formed depressions, in shape like a potash kettle, from two to four rods across at top, and from ten to forty feet deep. These are on the south part of Mr. Thomas Dorwin's farm.
There are abundance of petrifactions in this town, north to- wards the town of Camillus, and along the Onondaga valley, and several deposits of calcareous Tufa.
In the West Hill, is forming, at the present time quite per- ceptible, large bodies of conglomerate rock.
Split Rock quarry, furnishes an inexhaustable material for building purposes, commencing near Mickles' furnace, running westerly into the town of Camillus.
Onondaga South Hollow is a small village on the west branch of the Onondaga Creek, with two meeting-houses, two grist-mills, saw-mills, clothing-works, post-office, &c. Some of the first settlers in this quarter, previous to 1800, were Gideon Seely, Phineas Sparks, Ebenezer Conklin, Turner
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Fenner, Gilbert Pinckney and Amasa Chapman; from 1800 to 1804, Obadiah Nichols, John Clark, Henry Frost, John Carpenter, Zebulon Rust, Joseph Warner, Oliver Cummings, Daniel Chaffe, Isaac Parmenter and others.
Near this village is a singular elevation of land, about two hundred feet above the creek. The sides are steep except on the west, and not easily accessible. On the top is a beautiful plateau, perfectly plain and level, containing about one hun- dred and fifty acres of excellent land, under a high state of cultivation. There are other similar elevations in this branch of the Onondaga valley, but none so deserving of notice as this.
Navarino is a small village, west of South Hollow, on very high ground. It has a church, post-office, &c.
Statistics of Onondaga, taken from the census of 1845 : Number of inhabitants, 5142. 441 subject to military du- ty, 1050 voters, 152 aliens, 79 paupers, (poor-house and all,) 1324 children attending common schools, 30898 acres of im- proved land, 5 grist-mills, 8 saw-mills, 1 fulling-mill, 1 card- ing-machine, 1 woolen-factory, 1 iron-foundery, 2 asheries, 1 Tannery, 2 Baptist churches, 1 Episcopal do., 1 Presbyterian do., 1 Congregational do., 5 Methodist do., 34 common schools, 8 taverns, 8 stores, 2 groceries, 609 farmers, 8 mer- chants, 4 manufacturers, 129 mechanics, 11 clergymen, 7 physicians and 2 attorneys.
SALINA .*- The old town of Salina, in point of importance may be ranked as inferior to no other in the county. The name was given by the Commissioners of the Land Office. In 1797, a law was passed, authorizing the Surveyor General to lay out a portion of the Salt Springs Reservation, for the purpose of making provision for the manufacture of salt. A portion of the marsh and upland was laid out on a map, and named Salina. Afterwards, in 1798, a village was laid out and called Salina, and when the town was organized in 1809, that was also called Salina. At a very early period, the terri-
* Salina, Latin, a place where salt is made.
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tory embraced in the town of Salina, attracted the attention of travelers and settlers, on account of the anticipated value of the salt springs; and, as the country advanced in resources and population, the predictions of the most sanguine were more than realized. At the organization of the county in 1794, the town of Salina was comprehended in the original towns of Manlius and Marcellus; and, after Onondaga was set off in 1798, and the township of Camillus was organized as a town, that portion of the reservation not included in Onondaga, on the west side of the lake and creek was at -. tached to Camillus. At the organization of the town in 1809, a triangular piece of ground containing nine and a half lots, were taken from the north-west corner of the township of ยท Manlius, which, with the Salt Springs Reservation, made the town of Salina.
In August, 1790, Col. Jeremiah Gould and family, con- sisting of a wife and three sons, Jeremiah, James and Phares, and an only daughter, the eldest of the children, moved from Westmoreland to Salt Point, and found there, Deacon Loomis, Nathaniel Loomis, Hezekiah Olcott, John Danforth, Asa Danforth, Jr., and Thomas Gaston, with their families, who had settled there a year or two previous, and had commenced the manufacture of salt. In 1791, Mr. Samuel Jerome came to Onondaga to look land, and visited Salt Point, took a hand- ful of the salt, went through Pompey, Fabius, Homer and Manlius ; and, on his return to Saratoga, his place of resi- dence, he reported that he had found " the land of promise," and persuaded a number of his friends to come out and settle upon it.
In 1791, two families of the name of Woodworth and Stur- ges, settled near the marsh. On the 2d of March, 1792, Mr. Isaac Van Vleck and family, came to Salt Point, and the fol- lowing year, came Thomas Orman and Simon Phares.
Frame houses were built at Salt Point at an early day. The manner of building was peculiar, and hardly deserved the name of frame ; it was like this : sills were laid, and posts set up at proper distances, and the beams and plates put in.
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Grooves were cut in the posts, two inches wide, and sticks laid in horizontally, and the whole plastered up with mud, tem- pered with straw, which made very comfortable dwellings. Chimnies were made of sticks and clay, and the fire places had no jams, only a plain stone wall on the back. Mr. Jere- miah Gould, erected the first frame house at Salt Point, and the first in the county of Onondaga, in 1792; John Danforth erected the second, in 1793; Mr. Van Vleck and Asa Dan- forth, Jr., built frame houses about the same time, of superior construction. Provisions were brought from Tioga, and from Whitestown and Herkimer, and exchanged for salt. In 1792 and 1793, the settlers in this county suffered severely for want of provisions ; and, on several occasions, boats were sent from Salt Point to Kingston, by way of Oswego, to procure pro- visions ; and the old people inform us, that they at different times procured bread, biscuits, salted meat and fish, that were made and cured in England, which, though of inferior quality, were nevertheless accepted with a relish which hunger never fails to give. Captain Canute, of a trading boat from Salt Point to Albany, brought provisions, groceries, &c., and often received his pay in young bears, wolves, 'coons, foxes, fawns, &c., all of which at that time were very plenty. Deer were so plenty and tame, that they frequently herded with the cows, and would enter the yards with them at night, with as much unconcern, as if they had been completely domesticated. The young bears, &c., were furnished to the white people by the Indians, for the merest trifle ; and, numbers of these animals have been known to be confined in chains, awaiting the arri- val of Captain Canute, who always found a ready sale for them at a fair profit in Albany.
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