Onondaga's centennial. Gleanings of a century, Vol. II, Part 6

Author: Bruce, Dwight H. (Dwight Hall), 1834-1908
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 1094

USA > New York > Onondaga County > Onondaga's centennial. Gleanings of a century, Vol. II > Part 6

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).

The first settlers apparently preferred that portion of the town west of the lake and outlet. The pioneer east of this water division was Col. Elijah Bowen, who arrived with his family in 1794, settling in a log house which he had previously built on lot 39. He was born in

980

ONONDAGA'S CENTENNIAL.

Cheshire, Mass., in 1756, and died here in 1807. His children were Valentine, Sophronia, Elijah, jr., Hannah, Delina (who married Dr. David Kingsbury, of Clintonville, in 1802), and Lucina, all born in Cheshire, the latter in 1791. Benajah Bowen, a brother of Elijah, set- tled on the farm next east in 1795, bringing with him his wife, five sons, and three daughters. In 1817 he removed to Lysander and died there. Elijah Bowen, jr., born in 1787, died in Wisconsin January 5, 1861. Colonel Bowen was a prominent man in early years, and his house was for a time the first stopping place for incoming settlers, the highway passing it being called the "Bowen road." He was a soldier in the war of 1812. Another settler of 1794 was a Mr. Robinson, and still another was Bethuel Cole, who was both farmer and blacksmith. The latter lived on the road from Willow Glen to Auburn, about a mile west of the old " Red House."

Gen. Robert Earll removed from Whitehall, Washington county, to Onondaga Hollow about 1793, and a year later came to this town, where he died in 1834. He had six sons: Isaac, Robert, jr., Nehemiah H., Hezekiah, Hiram, and Ira. Julius Earll, son of Hezekiah, was long an influential business man and manufacturer, and died July 26, 1876, aged fifty-eight. Hezekiah Earll died here October 29, 1863, aged seventy-four years. Nehemiah H. Earll was born October 5, 1787, studied law with Daniel Kellogg, Thaddeus M. Wood, and George B. Hall, was admitted to the Common Pleas in 1809 and to the Supreme Court in 1812, served in the war of 1812, and became a prominent citi- zen of Onondaga county, serving as judge of the Court of Common Pleas from 1823 to 1831, as superintendent of the Onondaga Salt Springs in 1831-35, and as congressman in 1839-41. He died at Mottville August 30, 1872. The Earlls have been both prominent and numer- ous in this town and county, all coming from Washington county, N. Y., but originally from Massachusetts. Daniel and Nehemiah Earll, brothers, came to Onondaga Hollow about 1792. Daniel's sons were Jonas, Daniel, jr., Nathaniel, Nehemiah, Robert, Benjamin, Watson, and Abijah. Daniel, sr., died in Skaneateles in 1817, aged eighty- eight. Robert and Abijah finally settled in this town on lot 27, Benjamin and Robert on lot 11, and Jonas in 1802 on lot 19, where Mottville is situated. The latter's sons were Solomon, Jonas, jr., and David. Jonas Earll, sr., died in October, 1847, aged ninety-six. Jonas, jr., was elected sheriff in 1815, served as assemblyman in 1820 and 1821, and State senator from 1823 to 1826 inclusive, congressman in

981

THE TOWN OF SKANEATELES.

1827-31, appointed canal commissioner in 1832, 1842, and 1844, and was postmaster at Syracuse from 1837 to 1841. Gen. Robert Earll probably built the first dam across the outlet at what is now Willow Glen. He erected a saw mill and grist mill there and also established a tannery, all in about 1797. He was the first tanner, currier, and shoe- maker in town, and carried on quite a business for those days. About 1800 Robert and Jonas Earll built and operated the first distillery in Skaneateles a little northeast of the old Watson house, on the road from the "Red House " to the creek.

William Clift arrived from Vermont with his father in March, 1795, and settled at Clift's Corners. He died in 1862. His house was kept as a tavern for nearly sixty years and was burned in May, 1885. Jacob Annis, a relative by marriage of the De Witt family, also located in 1795 on the Lapham place on the west side of the lake. Dr. Hall came to Skaneateles as early 1796; in the same year Lovell Gibbs settled here and erected the first frame house on the village site. Dr. Hall built the second frame dwelling. James Porter came here in 1797 and erected and opened the first tavern in town, the timbers of which probably constituted the first raft of the kind ever floated upon the lake. The same year Winston Day, the pioneer merchant, opened the first store where the village of Skaneateles now stands, and John Briggs emigrated hither from Owasco, where he had settled in 1794. David Welch from Fort Ann, Washington county, located on lot 73 in 1798. He was a soldier in the Revolution, was wounded at the battle of Ben- nington, and built the first frame barn in Skaneateles in 1800. Benja- min Nye, the father of John M., was also a prominent settler of 1798, coming here from Lee, Mass. Being a brickmaker he established a brick yard on the four acres of land he had purchased within the pres- ent village limits and continued the business until 1802 or 1803, when he sold his property for $100 per acre, and moved to a 100-acre farm on the east shore of the lake, where he died in an unfinished brick house in 1829.

These early settlers came in by the Indian trail previously mentioned, or by the old Genesee road, which was opened soon after the first ar- rivals. Suffering from the hardships and privations incident to a new country, and especially from the miasmic conditions of the low, tin- broken lands, they bore the many trials of frontier life with fortitude. Wolves, bears, and other wild animals were extremely troublesome. Domestic conveniences, too, were crude, and if the fire was allowed to

982

ONONDAGA'S CENTENNIAL.

go out a journey to the nearest neighbor for a " spark" was necessary. As years passed and the country became more thickly populated, better conditions prevailed, and the pioneers saw their section of country transformed from a forbidding wilderness to fruitful and pleasant farms.

The site of Skaneateles village, it will be noticed, was the earliest sought as a field for business enterprise. Its natural advantages and picturesque location, and the fact that it was situated on the great Indian trail, made it a desirable and convenient mercantile center, and around the primitive store of Winston Day and the tavern of James Porter there soon clustered a variety of shops and dwellings. Judge Jedediah Sanger, of Oneida county, very early recognized the future possibilities of the spot, and directed many of the first improvements. He purchased considerable land and a number of mill sites at the head of the outlet, across which he constructed a dam about 1797, a little above the present State dam. About the same time he erected a saw mill and a grist mill at this point. All these structures were built by Jesse Kellogg, into whose possession they subsequently passed. Judge Sanger also soon caused a tract to be laid out into lots, which were usually one hundred feet front by twenty rods deep. The Thayer lot, known as No. 6, was conveyed to Seth Mckay, on January 16, 1801, for $5, and sold by him to Norman Leonard, an early merchant, on July 21, 1802, for $200. The latter finally sold it to John Legg. Judge Sanger sold lot 11 to Joseph Pearce for $20, and on October 12, 1801, conveyed a one-acre lot on the west side of. the outlet to Warren Hecox for $10. As laid out these lots were termed "village plots on the north end of Skaneateles Lake."

Being one of the commissioners to lay out the Seneca Turnpike, Judge Sanger secured its passage through this village, and in 1800 the Seneca Road Company built the first bridge over the outlet. This structure was twenty-four rods long, twenty-four feet wide, and stood upon fourteen posts; when rebuilt in 1843 its length was reduced to twenty-four feet. The present iron bridge was erected in 1871 by the State, the outlet being a feeder to the Erie Canal. The Genesee Turn- pike originally ran east and west through this town, crossing the outlet a mile and a quarter north of the village. The Seneca route, however, became the most popular. In 1807 the Cherry Valley Turnpike was finished, and ran southwesterly from Skaneateles village, where it in- tersected the Seneca thoroughfare.

983

THE TOWN OF SKANEATELES.

As soon as a few families had taken up their homes in the wilderness efforts were made to establish educational facilities, and one of the foremost in this movement at that time was Gen. Robert Earll, who soon after his arrival was instrumental in erecting a school house on the west side of the creek Here Miss Edith Williams was the first teacher. Clark states that Ebenezer Castle had a school in a private house in the village prior to 1798, in which year the first frame school house in town was built in Skaneateles village and in it the first teacher was Nicholas Otis. Dr. Munger, the first physician, was another early teacher; he subsequently moved to Wellington in Camillus, where he died. He was the father of Dr. Jesse Munger. In educational matters Skane- ateles has always held a high rank; few towns in the State possess a better record in this respect.

On the 29th of October, 1801, the Skaneateles Religious Society was organized with sixteen members by Rev. Aaron Bascom. It was in- corporated with Ebenezer R. Hawley, Joseph Clift, Judah Hopkins, Peter Putnam, and Daniel Cook as trustees, and was the first organiza- tion of the kind in Western Onondaga. Among the first members were Joshua and Aaron Cook, Simon Hosmer, Solomon Edwards, Asa Harwood, Elizabeth and Electa Edwards, Mary and Rebecca Cook, James Porter, Lucretia Hosmer, and Martha Seymour. The society adhered to the Congregational faith until January 1, 1818, when the Presbyterian form of government was adopted under the pastoral charge of Rev. Benjamin B. Stocton. The first stated preacher was Rev. Thomas Robbins; Rev. Nathaniel Swift was the first settled pastor from September 14, 1811, to October 27, 1812; prior to these such missionaries as Revs. Osgood, Seth Williston, Jedediah Bushnell, Amasa Jerome, and Mr. Crane labored here. The first church was built on the hill east of the village in 1807-08, and was dedicated March 1, 1809. This was subsequently sold to the Baptists. A new brick edifice was erected in 1830, at a cost of $7,300. The same year Rev. Samuel W. Bush became pastor and remained till 1844. Rev. M. N. Preston was pastor from October, 1862, to November, 1884. Among the deacons of this church have been Eli Clark, Joshua Cook, Samuel Bellamy, James Porter, Ebenezer Warner, Chester Moses, Philip Crosby, Foster and William Clark, Sereno Field, and Henry T. Hooker. On July 25, 1891, the corner stone of the present brick church was laid on the site of the old structure.

By the year 1800 a large number of settlers, beside those named, had

984

ONONDAGA'S CENTENNIAL.

arrived in different parts of the town, among them being Warren Hecox, Jonathan Hall, Zalmon Terrell (on lot 5), John Shepard (on lot 12), a Mr. Sabin (the first blacksmith, who finally sold out to John Legg), and one Lusk, the pioneer carpenter. The latter framed and built the "Red House," in which many of the early religious services were held. Mr. Shepard had settled on his farm about 1797. One morning he heard his hog squeal in the woods, near the house, and running to the door discovered a huge bear making the disturbance. Catching up a pitchfork instead of his gun he hurled it at Bruin, who turned ferociously upon his assailant and chased him up a tree. Mr. Shepard's cries soon brought his neighbor Terrell to the scene, who afterward maliciously stated that he found his friend (who was his brother-in-law) hugging the tree and trembling like a leaf, with no bear in sight. Mr. Shepard's first child, familiarly known as Major Shepard, was born here July 4, 1798. Warren Hecox came about 1797, had a shoe shop and tannery in the village on the west side of the mill dam, and died March 29, 1850. His old tannery was burned in August, 1870.

Jesse Kellogg moved his family here from New Hartford in the winter of 1799-1800, and soon afterward purchased Judge Sanger's mill property. He was born in Hartford, Conn., in 1758. In 1807 he removed to the Obediah Thorn farm, and finally to the hill, east of Marcellus village, where he died in 1811. Eli Clark came here on foot from Northampton, Mass., in October, 1800, and on January, 22, 1801, purchased fifty acres of lot 35, making a journey on foot to New York city for the purpose; he also bought fifty acres of John Thompson's land, paying $6 per acre for the whole. He was the father of Foster Clark, who was then six years of age. Asa Mason arrived from Berk- shire county, Mass., in February, 1800, with his brother, Avery, and purchased 400 acres of lot 68. About the same year Robert Aldridge, Jacob and Rufus Bacon, Benjamin Brooks, William Bales, Aaron Bailey, Levi Clark, Joseph Carr, Christopher Brackett, and Joseph Cooper became settlers.

A man whose genius eventually influenced domestic affairs through- out the country made his appearance in this town about 1800 in the person of Amos Miner. He was a son of Dr. John Miner, was born in Norfolk, Conn., November 10, 1776, and learned the wheelwright's trade. In clearing land here he was accidentally injured, and while confined to his bed became imbued with the idea of improving the old-

985

THE TOWN OF SKANEATELES.

fashioned spinning-wheel, then in use in every family. The result was Miner's accelerating wheel-head, which was patented in 1803. On March 8, 1804, he purchased from Silas Bascom twenty-seven acres of land on lot 44, which included a mill site, and here he built a factory, fitting it with machinery of his own invention, and manufactured wheel heads, flails, fork handles, and other wooden utensils for the household and farm. The wheel head was a great invention in those days, a ben- efaction to all farmers' families, and was sold in every State in the Union. In 1805 Miner sold his real estate and mill to Daniel Waller. He afterwards established a wheel-head factory at Five Mile Point in company with Amasa Sessions and Davis Deming, but soon sold his in- terest there and erected a saw and grist mill about midway between Skaneateles and Otisco Lakes, a mill ever since known as the "pudding mill." About 1816 he located at Mottville, and subsequently at Jor- dan, where he manufactured pails, churns, etc. He invented most of the machinery he used, including a machine for making window sash, the Miner pump, etc. He was poor, but he made many rich, and his inventions had a powerful influence upon nearly every local industry. He finally moved to Illinois, where he died June 2, 1842. His sister Anna was the mother of Charles, Aaron, and Allen Pardee, of this town.

We now come to the financial founder of the village of Skaneateles, a man whose individuality and marked influence gave the place a de- cided impetus. This was Col. William J. Vredenburg, who was born in New York city, April 13, 1757. He was an officer in the Revolution and a merchant in the place of his birth, and as early as 1791 was a large dealer in soldiers' claims on the Military Tract, visiting this sec- tion first in 1799. He removed to Skaneateles village in May, 1803, with his wife, four daughters, and two sons, stopping first under a large elm tree near the corner of Jordan and Academy streets. He pur- chased the house and lot subsequently occupied by Charles J. Burnett, from Levi Sartwell, a carpenter, who had bought the site of Judge Sanger in January, 1800, built the dwelling and kept it as a tavern. Soon afterward Colonel Vredenburg purchased of Judge Sanger the unsold portions of military lot 36, upon which the village stands, and selected a commanding eminence of twenty acres for a future resi- dence. This site was then the village cemetery, and contained about sixteen graves, all without headstones. The remains were transferred to the then private burying ground of John Briggs (whose wife was

124

986

ONONDAGA'S CENTENNIAL.

buried there in 1802), which was purchased by the Skaneateles Relig- ious Society in 1812 for a public burial place. In 1804 the colonel began the erection of his mansion, which he finished about 1806. The floors were being laid on the memorable "dark day" (June 16) of that year. His dwelling was a veritable palace for those times, and the raising of the frame was the occasion of a vast demonstration. Invita- tions were sent to all the inhabitants for miles around. The colonel surrounded his house with one of the finest gardens west of the Hud- son River, procuring first a Mr. Dullard, and afterwards Samuel Lith- erland, professional gardeners, for the purpose. He was a man of large means, a liberal, kind-hearted citizen, and an active promoter of the general welfare. At first he had to send to Marcellus twice a week for his mail, but, dissatisfied with this arrangement, he wrote to the post- master-general and procured a post-office in Skaneateles in April, 1804, in which he was appointed the first postmaster. He was a member of assembly in 1804-06, and died here May 9, 1813, leaving a large landed estate of several thousand acres in Central New York. His homestead passed to Daniel Kellogg, after whose death it was occupied by his daughter, Mrs. G. F. Leitch, until her decease. The house finally burned down in 1872. Colonel Vredenburg was succeeded as post- master by John Ten Eyck, who was followed by Charles J. Burnett, who held the office from 1817 to 1843.

About the beginning of the present century quite a settlement had sprung up in the vicinity of what is now Mandana. David and Samuel Welch, the latter the father of Samuel, jr., and a soldier in the war of 1812, very early located in the neighborhood. A log school house was erected on the subsequent tavern site, and in it Daniel G. Burroughs was the first teacher. Later teachers were Misses Hall and Gleason. John G. Garlock, who served in the war of 1812, built and opened a store, in which he was followed by John P. Miles, Jacob Van Houten, Seth Morgan and others. Other early settlers in the vicinity were Israel Sabins (a blacksmith), Tunis Van Houghton, James Gardner, Samuel Robertson, Edward Greenman, and William Watts. Josiah Garlock was a tavernkeeper here as early as 1835, and in his house and at the taverns of W. H. Mershon at Mottville and Isaac W. Perry in Skaneateles elections were held in 1836, one day in each, suc- cessively.

On March 2, 1806, the Skaneateles Library Company was incorpo- rated with Elnathan Andrews, Thaddeus Edwards, Warren Hecox,

WILLIAM MARVIN.

987

THE TOWN OF SKANEATELES.

Samuel Porter and Daniel Kellogg, trustees. Mr. Edwards was chair- man and Mr. Kellogg was treasurer and librarian, the latter holding these offices till 1816, when he was succeeded by Alexander W. Beebe, who served until 1824. He was followed by Phares Gould from 1824 to 1834, by James G. Porter in 1834-35, and by E. H. Porter in 1835 41, when the library collapsed. No less than 115 subscribers joined the organization during its existence, and the first manuscript catalogue contained the titles of 308 volumes. On October 20, 1876, the Skane- ateles Library Association was incorporated by Joel Thayer, E. Nor- man Leslie, Henry T. Webb, John H. Smith, Charles S. Hall, E. B. Coe, John C. Stephenson, George T. Campbell, S. D. Conover, Edwin L. Parker, C. W. Allis, Prof. A. M. Wright, Joseph C. Willetts, John Humphryes, and William Marvin. Rooms were opened in the Legg Block, and in 1880 the present handsome and commodious stone libra- ry building was erected. It is one of the chief attractions of the vil- lage, and was dedicated February 27, 1890, Hon. William Marvin pre- siding. Mrs. Lydia A. Cobane has been librarian for several years. The officers are William Marvin, president; J. C. Willetts, vice-presi- dent, and E. Norman Leslie, treasurer. In December, 1834, the Skane- ateles Mechanics' Literary Association was formed, and continued in existence until 1842. On May 3, 1838, the Skaneateles Educational Society was organized by Phares Gould, president; Alfred Wilkinson and William Gibbs, vice presidents ; Milton A. Kinney, secretary; Abner Bates, treasurer; Joseph Talcott, J. T. Clark, Stephen E. Maltby. Will- iam H. Greene, Dr. Evelyn H. Porter, Luther Pratt, and Archibald Douglass, managers. Committees were chosen to visit the twenty schools in town and report their condition, and by systematic work a new impetus was given to local education. Contemporary with this organization was the Skaneateles Anti-Slavery Society, whose officers were Alfred Wilkinson, president; Thaddeus Edwards and Daniel Tal- cott, viee-presidents; James C. Fuller, secretary; Stephen E. Maltby, treasurer; Smith Litherland, James Rattle, John Snook, Chester Moses, Abner Bates, and George Pryor, executive committee. The organiza- tion was an able auxiliary to the county society.

The west side of the lake was very early settled by members of the Society of Friends, who exerted a wholesome and permanent influence upon the subsequent development of the town. Bringing with them their quiet, ennobling characteristics, they impressed upon the com- munity a lasting regard for institutions of an elevating nature, and

988

ONONDAGA'S CENTENNIAL.

firmly implanted their doctrines among the settlements. About 1812 a society was organized in the community; among its members were Joseph and Russell Frost, Abner Lawton (died January 20, 1855), Warren Giles, Silas Gaylord (died January 31, 1843), and William Willetts; soon afterward an edifice was erected near the octagon school house. In 1828 a division occurred, the "Hicksites" retaining this meeting house, and the "Orthodox " branch moving their services to Skaneateles, where a meeting house was built on the farm of Richard Talcott, who, with his two sons, Richard and Daniel, were prominent members. This building was torn down in 1873, and another erected. Sarah Talcott was the first minister of this society. The first minis- ter of the Hicksites after the separation was Adin Cory. Other prom- inent Friends were Valentine Willetts, John Milton Arnold (who with Mr. Willetts engaged in the foundry business in Skaneateles in 1843), and Liva Peck.

A few years ago E. M. Leslie obtained a ledger which was kept here by John Meeker, merchant in 1806, and from it he gleaned the fol- lowing names of residents (farmers, unless otherwise noted) of this section at that time :

Aaron Austin (farmer and clothier), Robert Aldridge, Jacobus Annis (tavern keeper), Jether Bailey, Richard Berry, Elijah Bowen, John Benscoten (on lot 84), Eli Barnes (miller in Col. W. J. Vredenburg's mill), John Burns, Silas Bascom, Benajah Bowen, Aaron Bailey, John Bailey, James Burroughs, Dr. Samuel Benedict, Peter Benedict (brother of Dr. Samuel, killed at Black Rock in the war of 1812), John Bristol (potash boiler for Winston Day), John Brown (stage driver for Sherwood), Asa Bacon, jr. (shoemaker and tanner), Robert Baker (father of R. J., shoemaker), Daniel Briggs (father of W. S.), William Burroughs, jr. (stage driver for Sherwood), Samuel Briggs, Sylvester Cortrite and son Wilhalmus, Samuel Chapman, Joseph Cross, Abraham Conklin, Peter Cuddeback 2d, Roger Carpenter, Joshua Covel, Abraham A. Cuddeback, Owen Cotton (millwright), Amasa Chapman, Timothy Copp, Sheldon Cook, Wareham Cook (inventor of Cook's Salve), Eli Clark, Silas Crandall (innkeeper), William Dascomb (tavernkeeper), Rowland Day (merchant, associated with Norman Leonard), Moses B. Dunning (clerk in Dascomb's tavern, constable, later clerk for John Legg), Asa Dexter (combmaker or peddler with Mr. Glass), Ira De Long, Ebenezer Edwards, Samuel Egglestone, David Earll, jr., Thaddeus Edwards, Nathaniel Eells (farmer and cooper), John Fitzgerald, Benjamin Frisby (chairmaker and painter), Reuben Farnham (school teacher, and later a lawyer at Elbridge), Hezekiah Gunn, Thomas Greves (tailor), Isaac Granger, Michael Gillett (farmer and owner of a saw mill), Edward Greenman (father of Samuel H.), Amasa Gleason (painter), David Granger, Abijah Gilbert (farmer and carpenter), Dan- iel Gardner, James Gardner, Benjamin Gumaer (came from Orange county in 1799, father of Harvey), Seth Hall (carpenter and wagonmaker), Timothy Hatch (farmer and tavernkeeper), Dr. Jonathan Hall, Isaac Hodges and Israel Hodges (near Mandana),

989

THE TOWN OF SKANEATELES.

Simeon Hosmer, Asa Hatch, Cyrus llecox (brother of Col. Warren Hecox), Dr. Judah Hopkins, David Hall (arrived in March. 1806), Samuel Ingham (merchant and clerk for John Meeker), Henry Jones (constable), Elijah Jones (father of Henry), Amos Jones (at Mandana), Bela Kingsley, Amasa Kneeland (schoolmaster), Asa Kneeland (carpenter), Jesse Kellogg (agent for Judge Sanger, and father of Doras- tus), Phineas Keith (tailor), Ezra Lee (owned a sail boat on the lake in 1807), Ezra Lane (school teacher in 1807), Timothy Miller and Elias Merrill (laborers), Ismael Moffett. Daniel MeKay (farmer and mason), Henry Milhollen (well digger), Benja- min Nye (father of John), Samuel Niles (teamster for Elnathan Andrews), Elijah Price (law student with Daniel Kellogg), Jared Patchen, Alexander Price, Levi Pratt, Elijah Parsons (father of Moses and John), James H. Rathbun (at Five Mile Point), Thomas Reed, William Rose (on lots 35 and 37), Joseph Rhoades, Amasa Sessions, Peter Secoy, Nathaniel Seymour, Briggs Shearman, Phineas Stanton, Samuel Shaw (at Mottville), William Thomas (father of David), John Thompson, Daniel Veal, jr., John Van Arsdale (distiller), Samuel Winchester.

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.

Onondaga's centennial. Gleanings of a century, Vol. II, Part 6

Author: Bruce, Dwight H. (Dwight Hall), 1834-1908 Publication date: 1896 Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company Number of Pages: 1094

Author: Bruce, Dwight H. (Dwight Hall), 1834-1908
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 1094