Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 16

Author: Truman C. White
Publication date: 1898
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1017


USA > New York > Erie County > Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1) > Part 16


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).


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There was the log house of Middaugh and Lane-a double log house-about two squares from Main street, a little north of the present line of Exchange street. Capt. Johnston's half log and half framed house, stood a little east of the main building of the present Mansion House, near Washington street. There was a two-story hewed log house, owned by Capt. Johnston, about where Exchange street now is, from six to eight rods west of Main street, where a tavern was kept by John Palmer. This was the first tavern in Buffalo. Palmer afterwards moved to Canada, and kept a tavern there. Asa Ransom lived in a log house west of Western Hotel Winne had a log house on bank of Little Buffalo, south of Mansion House. A Mr. Maybee, who afterwards went to Cattaraugus, kept a little Indian store in a log building on west side of Main street, about twenty rods north of Exchange street. There was also a log house occupied by a man named Robbins. The flats were open ground; a portion of them had been cultivated. Such was Buffalo-and all of Buffalo- in 1788.


This is a clear and doubtless a faithful picture of the little settlement; from it the person familiar with the great city of the present can see in imagination the primitive village as it then appeared.


When the survey of the Holland purchase began in the spring of 1798 all travel from the east to Buffalo was along the old Indian trail ; but in the previous winter the Legislature appointed Charles William- son a commissioner to lay out and open a State road from the Genesee River to Buffalo Creek, and to Lewiston. Towards defraying the ex- pense the Holland Company subscribed $5,000, and Mr. Williamson proceeded with his task during that year, generally adhering to the In- dian trails. The first roadway passable for wagons on the purchase was opened by Mr. Ellicott, with the help of a party of Indians, early in that season, as preliminary to beginning the survey. He so improved the trail from the East Transit to Buffalo Creek that it was reasonably passable. The shrewd managers of the business of the Holland Com- pany well knew the value of early and practicable highways to accom- modate those who might desire to settle on their lands. Paul Busti,


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THE REIGN OF PEACE.


who succeeded Mr. Cazenove as agent of the company in 1799, wrote on this subject as follows to Mr. Ellicott on the 15th of August, 1800:


The opening or communication through the country, is a matter deemed of such importance, that it will not escape your attention, and that the application of money for that purpose has been appropriated on a much larger scale than you thought necessary. By extending the amount of expenditures on that head, I mean to evince to you how much I am persuaded of the usefulness of having practicable roads cut out. You will have to take care that the roads to be laid out at present, are to be cut in such a direction as to become of general advantage to the whole country.


The road as laid out by Mr. Williamson and others, as before stated, followed substantially the Indian trail, which crossed the Genesee at Avon, thence through Batavia and down the north side of Tonawanda Creek, entering Erie county at the Tonawanda Indian village; thence it passed across the site of Akron, through Clarence Hollow and Will- iamsville to Cold Spring, and thence followed nearly on the line of Main street to the creek. A branch left this trail about where North street was laid out and continued to Black Rock, where the crossing of the river was made. Another branch left the main trail at Clarence, extended to Cayuga Creek at Lancaster and ran along the creek to the Seneca Indian village. Another principal trail extended from Little Beard's Town, on the Genesee, to the Erie county boundary near the southeast corner of the present town of Alden, struck the reservation at the southwest corner of that town and continued westerly to the Seneca village. Also there were trails up Cazenove and Eighteen· mile Creeks and between Cattaraugus and Buffalo villages.


In the summer of 1799 there was still not a house built on the road from the East Transit Line to Buffalo. To change this situation the shrewd agent, Paul Busti, on June 1 of that year, authorized Mr. Elli- cott to arrange with six reputable persons to settle on the road about ten miles apart and open public houses, in consideration of which they were to receive from fifty to 150 acres of land each, upon liberal terms as to price and time of payment. Three persons availed themselves of the offer. Frederick Walthers took 150 acres of land, which included the East Transit storehouse, before mentioned, and the site of the later village of Stafford. On September 1 Asa Ransom left Buffalo and set- tled on 150 acres in township 12, range 6, at what is now Clarence Hol- low; in early years the place was known as Ransom's Grove, Pine Grove, or Ransomville.' There in the backwoods hotel was born


' According to Turner, Mr. Ellicott made Ransom's house his headquarters as soon as it was


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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


Harry B. Ransom, in November, 1799, who was without doubt the first white male child born in Erie county. The third wilderness landlord was Garritt Davis, who settled on September 16 in township 13, range 2, on 150 acres on the south line of the township, east of and adjoining the Tonawanda Reservation. These three persons built comfortable log houses and as best they could entertained travelers.


In the year under consideration Benjamin Ellicott (brother of Joseph) and John Thompson, the surveyor, were given a contract for 300 acres in township 12, range 7 (Amherst), which had not at that time been subdivided into lots. The price was $2 an acre, and the tract undoubtedly included the site of Williamsville and the water power at that point, though there is some discrepancy in the description in the records. In the same year Timothy Hopkins came in to take charge of Johnston's saw mill, which was then the only one in the county. In · the following year (1800) Mr. Hopkins and Otis Ingalls cleared some land two miles east of Ransom's location (in the edge of Newstead) and raised a little wheat-the first on the purchase. The grain was car- ried to Street's mill at Chippewa to be ground; the trip was made with three yoke of oxen and the ferriage at Black Rock was $2.50 each way.


In 1800 the survey of the purchase into townships was finished and a number of these were divided into lots. While in the East in this sea- son Mr. Ellicott had handbills printed, with a heading, "Holland Company West Geneseo Lands," in which he eloquently described the region and announced that it was ready for sale. He had already been appointed local agent. Paul Busti, who had succeeded Cazenove as general agent, conducted the affairs of the company with ability for twenty-four years.


The following quaint description of early Buffalo was written by William Peacock, who was a venerable citizen of Mayville at the time Mr. Ketcham published his well known work. Mr. Peacock passed through Buffalo on horseback in 1799:


The Indian path passed down to Buffalo creek about the middle of Main street, to the Terrace, on which was erected a log cabin, or house, covered with bark, and oc- cupied by Johnson, a descendant of Sir William Johnson.


ready, a part of the house being used for an office. Colonel Asa Ransom was for many years an active and enterprising citizen of the county ; he was sheriff before the division of Niagara county and died in 1837, aged seventy years, respected by the community. Two of his brothers came into this region about the same time with him. Elias Ransom built a frame house on the road to Batavia about seven miles east of Buffalo, which was probably the first frame building west of Batavia : in later years he resided in Buffalo and left numerous descendants. Amasa Ransom settled on Seneca street, Buffalo, at a later date and left a family of children.


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THE REIGN OF PEACE.


A little above where the Liberty Pole now stands, and on the bank of the Little Buffalo Creek. now part of the Erie Canal, there was erected a log cabin, about twelve feet square, covered with bark, and standing about in the center of Main street. It was occupied by a Mr. Palmer, a young man, and was his storehouse, where he vended his small stock of Indian goods.


In passing down along the Indian path, (now Main street), to the Terrace, the land was covered with a very thick underbrush, small timber, and some large old oak trees; and the underbrush and small timber so overshadowed the path that, when our saddle-bags touched a bush, we would be completely drenched with rain after a shower.


There was a little cleared spot on the Terrace bank on which is now erected the Western Hotel. That little spot was covered with a green sward, on which the Indians, on a fine day, would lie and look off from the high Terrace upon Lake Erie ; I must say that, to me, it was one of the most beautiful views I ever put my eyes upon. Coming out of the woods, it burst on my vision the large and beautiful sheet of water, Lake Erie; and there I offered up my prayers to God, the creator of all things, and to that Providence which guarded and protected me, young as I was- being then only nineteen years of age. It made an impression on me that will always remain, with most devout and religious remembrance.


The arrival of the Holland Company's surveyors at Buffalo Creek has been mentioned. It was a numerous company as a whole, the members of which were distributed over the vast tract to be surveyed. Those selected for Buffalo were Messrs. Pease, Smedley and Eggleston.


From the foregoing pages of this chapter it will be seen that Buffalo and the territory now comprising Erie county had not progressed far in settlement and civilization at the beginning of the present century.


In the mean time the vanguard of the pioneers from New Jersey, the New England States and Eastern New York appeared and settled at other points on the frontier in the old Niagara county. Silas Hopkins was buying furs at Lewiston in 1788 and afterwards settled on a farm on the Ridge road. It is on record that in 1788 there was only one white resident at Lewiston, one Middaugh, who kept a tavern; he was doubt- less one of the men of that name who came to Buffalo, as before stated. John Street, father of the late Hon. Thomas Street, had a trading place at Niagara, Canada, in 1790, and was later murdered near Warren's Corners. In 1792 a traveler westward from Boston described the country through which he passed. Of the Genesee country he said it was very rich, clear of trees, producing grass ten feet high. Coming on to Niagara, a distance of ninety miles, he found "not one house or white man the whole way." The reader will note that this was years after the close of the Revolutionary war. Arriving at Fort Niagara he crossed the river, where he found a decent public house. A regiment was gar- 17


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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


risoned there which he said " had the honor of dancing Yankee Doodle on the plains of Cambridge, 19th of April, 1775." He alluded to the comparatively easy task of cutting a ditch twenty three miles and con- structing a lock by which a water course could be opened to carry com- merce "through an extent of country capable of maintaining several millions of people."


In 1791 there was not a house on the site of Youngstown. In that year Joshua Fairbanks began keeping a tavern at Queenston and made his house a popular resort ; later he moved to Lewiston.


CHAPTER XI.


1800-1807.


Beginning of Commerce on Lakes Erie and Ontario-Conditions in the First Years of the Century-Tax Roll of 1800-The First School in Buffalo-Cyrenius Chapin's Negotiations for Land-Ellicott's Removal to Ransom's Grove-Gen. Wilkenson Lays Out a Road-Efforts to Establish a Fort at Black Rock-Settlers in Newstead -Genesee County Formed-Difficulty in Selling Land-Brighter Prospects-The First Murder in the County-Survey of New Amsterdam-Changes in Street Names -First Town Meeting on the Holland Purchase-Opening of the Middle Road-Dr. Chapin and Other Early Settlers in Buffalo-Prices of Land-Rev. Theodore Dwight's Description of the Village-Samuel Pratt's Arrival at Buffalo-First Post Route-Organization of Willink and Erie-Settlers Outside of Buffalo-The First Lawyer-First School House-Settlements in the Towns.


Almost contemporaneous with the beginning of permanent settle- ment along the Niagara frontier incipient commerce was opened on Lakes Erie and Ontario. The journal of Colonel Proctor (whose ex- pedition has been noticed) states that the English had several vessels on Lake Erie in 1791; it was in one of their merchant craft that he at- tempted and failed to obtain passage westward. It is well known that Judge Augustus Porter, who first visited Niagara Falls in 1795 and a few years later became a permanent resident there, left valuable records of early commercial operations on the lakes. At the time of his first visit he was advised by William Johnston, at Buffalo, to go down to Chippewa, where he could take passage westward. At Chippewa Cap- tain William Lee owned a small sail boat in which he carried passen.


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FROM 1800 TO 1807.


gers to Presque Isle, provided the travelers would work their passage. Judge Porter, Judah Colt and Joshua Fairbanks of Lewiston, took passage on those terms and had a pleasant voyage. At that time (1795) Judge Porter states that he was not aware that a single vessel was owned on the United States side of the lakes. In 1796 he made another journey westward in connection with the survey of the Western Reserve. This surveying expedition reached Buffalo and thence proceeded partly overland and partly by water, arriving at the mouth of Conneaut Creek July 4, 1796. The record continues :


One of our four boats was employed during the season in bringing up provisions from Chippewa, and in October was wrecked in a gale off the mouth of Chetauque Creek. No American vessels had yet been built. The schooner General Tracey was built at Detroit, and in 1808 purchased by Porter, Barton & Co. and thoroughly repaired, and on her second or third trip was wrecked on Fort Erie reef in 1809.


A small vessel, the Good Intent, was built at Presque Isle by Capt. William Lee, about 1800, and was wrecked near Point Abino in 1805. In 1802 or 1803 the schooner General Wilkenson, of seventy tons, was built at Detroit, and sold to the United States during the war. In the win- ter of 1802-3 the schooner Contractor was built at Black Rock and sailed by Capt. William Lee. In 1803-4 a small sloop called the Niagara was built at Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River by the United States government, but not put into commission. Porter, Barton & Co. pur- chased her in 1806, and changed her name to the Nancy. In 1806 the schooner Mary, one hundred and five tons, was built at Erie by Thomas Wilson, and sold to the United States during the war. In 1810 the


sloop Erie was built at Black Rock and sold to the United States. The schooners Salina and Eleanor were built and sailed before the war. A number of vessels owned and armed by the United States during the war, were afterwards sold and employed in the commerce of the lake.


The reader will understand from what has already been written that at the beginning of the present century only limited progress had been made in Western New York in any respect. It was still largely an unimproved wilderness, aside from the several rude frontier settlements on the Niagara River. Previous to the arrival of the Holland Com- pany's surveyors, white men in civilian dress were not often met. That survey brought in a new element, created a certain kind of business activity, and gave employment to all who applied for it. The elder Captain Mountpleasant made the following pertinent statement to Mr. Turner:


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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


As soon as the surveyors had taken possession of " Bill Johnston's house at Buffalo creek," he (Mountpleasant) applied to them for employment, and was axe-man for one of the parties the first season .. Mr. Ellicott used to be called the " Sur- veyor General." Whiskey distilleries in early times were quite sure to follow settle- ment, but seldom preceded it. There was a distillery at Schlosser, while the country was in possession of the British, and one of the first applications that Mr. Ellicott had for lands, came from one who dated his letter at Schlosser, and wished to turn out a copper still as the advance payment.


The following tax roll is the first one made for the territory west of the Genesee River (then all included in the great town of Northampton). and is dated October 6, 1800. It is valuable in this connection, for it contains the names of most of the settlers before mentioned and gives the assessed valuation and the tax of their respective lands. It appears that there were not more than twelve taxable dwellers at that time on the purchase; in Buffalo are found only the names of Johnston, Mid- daugh, Palmer and Lane. About fifteen names are missing from the first page of the roll:


Value of Real and Personal Estate.


Am. Tax


Value of Real and Personal Estate.


Am. Tax


Curtis, William $ 30


06


Ganson, John, jr.


1,640


2.10


Carter, William


94


18


Ganson, James


12


02


Chamberlin, Hinds ..


284


40


Griffith, Eli


658


98


Curtis, Augustus


500


61


Hencher, William 1,036


44


09


Campbell, Peter.


52


09


Heth, Reuben


40


09


Chapin, Henry


3,000


6.50


Hunt, Elijah


68


14


Chapman, Asa


112


23


Harris, Alpheus


72


15


Cumins, Joseph


20


04


Hall, Friend


200


30


Conatt, Samuel


38


06


Hunt, Joseph


64


13


Chamberlin, Joshua


60


12


Hopkins, Timothy Hayne, John 50


42


09


Cary, Joseph


948


1.61


Hawley, Chapman


112


18


Dugan, Christopher


1,306


1.63


Hall, Gilbert


370


52


Douglas, Cyrus


78


14


Hoit, Stephen


158


34


Davis, Daniel


572


72


Jones, H. John


140


23


Davis, Garret


350


45


Jones, Elizabeth 153


24


Davis, Bela


105


22


Johnson, Moses 800


1.07


Davis, Samuel


312


37


Johnson, William


2,034


3.50


Ellicott, Benjamin


600


71


Kith, M. Michael


42


09


Fish, Josiah


1,516


1.86


Kimball, John


700


1.03


Farewell, Elisha


288


37


Kent, Elijah


96


14


Fuller, David


80


12


Lane, Ezekiel


114


24


Forsyth, John


330


43


Laybourn, Chris-


Granger, Eli


100


14


topher 470


62


Goodhue, George


176


20


Lyon, John


40


08


,


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Coots, Timothy


396


54


Hicks, Samuel


1.64


Curtis, Jonathan 387


54


138


FROM 1800 TO 1807.


Value of Real and Personal Estate.


Am. Tax


Value of Real and Personal Estate.


Am. Tax


Leonard, Jonathan ..


40


06


King, Simeon


40


10


Lewis, Seth


60


14


Hender, Stephen


12


02


Mills, William


714


94


Ransom, Asa 410


61


Mills, Lewis


72


16


Erwin, John 428


96


Mills, Alexander


80


19


Woolman, John 162


36


Mills, Samuel


250


30


Philips, William 30


40


Mading, Timothy


128


16


Eli, Justin


5,000


9.91


McCloning, John


40


09


Barnard, Ebenezer


1,950


3.87


McCloning, John, jr ..


12


02


Phelps, Enoch 4,437


8.80


Middaugh, Martin


45


09


Hartford, Charles 2,333


4.62


Mayle, Lewis


30


09


King, Gideon (heirs). 4,500


8.92


84


19


Hinkley, Samuel


Mulkins, Henry


54


11


Stone. John . 5,000


9.91


Nettleton, Philemon .


592


80


Wadsworth, James. . 34,500


68.38


Morgan, Joseph 870


48


11


others 34,500


68.28


McPherson, Dan


100


22


Gilbert, Warren


2,190


2.60


Patterson, Lawrence


500


90


Colt, Judah


1,320


2.61


Pebody, Stephen


86


18


Morris, Thomas


4,200


8.32


Palmer, John.


482


72


Hall, Amos


700


1.88


Pangman, William ..


300


66


Holland Company,


3,300,000


5,231.62


Redford, John


130


19


Williamson, Charles


155,150


307.41


Stimson, Leonard


52


11


Williamson & Phelps


100,000


219.14


Stoughton, Amaziah_


164


21


Craigie, Andrew


50,000


73.96


Scott, Isaac


1,108


1.45


Cottinger, Garrit


. 50,000


109.57


Shelly, Phiros


150


18


Church, Philip


100,000


219.14


Scott, Salmon


796


95


Unknown


27,210


59.41


Scoonover, Jacob.


731


1.00


Leroy & Bayard 82,000


179.68


Thompson, Adriand-


Leroy & Bayard


40,000


87.66


ner


30


07


Phelps & Jones sup-


Utley, Asa


901


1.17


posed to be owned


Olmstead, Jeremiah _


120


29


by Thomas Morris 40,960


89.36


Wilber, Charles


60


31


Joseph Fitts Simmons


Walther, Frederick ..


488


68


Joseph Higby


600,000


1,314,84


Wemple, Henry


27


17


42


10


Total


$4,785,368


8,387.11


King, Thomas


30


07


NOTE .- Many of these names were wrongly spelled on the roll, but have been corrected as far as postively known.


The first steps towards establishing a school in Buffalo were taken in


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Sheffer, Peter


4,260


5.36


Ogden, Samuel


50,000


109.57


Quivey, Norton


70


15


Rhau, Alexander


85


12


Stimson & Jones


200


29


Williamson, C. and


Morton, Simeon


50


11


Carver, John 316


M'Naughton, John


1.11


134


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


1801, as shown in Mr. Ellicott's journal. In August of that year Joseph Palmer, brother of the tavernkeeper, acting for the inhab- itants, applied to Mr. Ellicott for a lot on which to build a school house. On the 14th of that month Mr. Ellicott recorded the following in his journal :


Went to Buffalo Creek, "alias" New Amsterdam, to lay off a lot for a school house, the inhabitants offering to erect one at their own expense.


No deed of this lot was given and probably no school house was built, at least of any permanent character, until several years later, as noticed farther on. During a part of that period the Middaugh house, or a portion of it, was used for a school.


Mr. Ellicott's journal supplies also the information that two mission- ary preachers were at New Amsterdam as early as January, 1802, and that one of them, Rev. Elkanah Holmes, preached to the settle- ment at least once, a year earlier. The other missionary was named Palmer, but he probably passed the place merely as a visitor, leaving to Mr. Holmes the honor of being the first preacher to settle there.


Dr. Cyrenius Chapin made a journey to Erie county in 1801 and had some negotiations with Mr. Ellicott in relation to purchasing a lot in Buffalo. After his return from the east he wrote Mr. Ellicott from Sangerfield, Oneida county, saying that himself and friends would buy a township at Buffalo Creek, adding:


Forty respectable citizens that are men of good property have signed articles of agreement to take a township if it can be purchased, and will pay ten per cent. when we receive the article.


The land not having been surveyed the proposition could not be en - tertained. 1


John Crow was probably one of the above named "forty." He moved from Whitestown to Fort Erie and thence to Buffalo in 1801-2. He occupied a house on the west side of Washington street and south side of Crow near the corner. The house was said to have been built by Johnston, the trader, and was of logs. Crow built a frame addition to it. The street on which the house stood was subsequently given its present name, Exchange. He also kept Crow's tavern, elsewhere men- tioned. Crow removed to Hamburg in 1806, and thence to Pennsyl- vania in 1817.


1 Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 143.


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FROM 1800 TO 1807.


Zerah Phelps was probably another of the associates mentioned by Dr. Chapin; in June, 1804, he purchased inner lot No. 1. Henry Chapin must have been in Buffalo as a resident as early as 1801, for in March of that year he asked the privilege of Mr. Ellicott of cultivating vegetables on a lot on the south side of Seneca street.


Mr. Ellicott's appointment as local agent for the sale of the Holland Company's lands dated from October 1, 1800, and in January, 1801, he located his office in part of Asa Ransom's dwelling at what is now Clarence Hollow.' He did not well like his situation, but philosoph- ically made the best of it. He wrote in his journal on February 17 as follows:


My present situation is gloomy, for the want of society, our nearest neighbors be- ing eighteen miles distant. On the 26th he records: "Last night lodged at this house upwards of forty people, men, women, and children, moving principally, or all, to New Connecticut [Eastern Ohio] and Presque Isle.


Under the date of March 24 is found this remarkable entry :


Some drunken Indians here; but this is hardly worth recording, as these people are seldom sober when whiskey can be had in sufficient quantity to make them other- wise. However, there is one circumstance worthy of mention and that is, one of them is on his way from his village to Canandarque to replevin a gun which he had pawned at a still-house in that place for whiskey to the amount of five shillings. His whole journey on account of this five shillings costs him two hundred miles travel.'


In May of this year (1801) Gen. James Wilkenson arrived on the western frontier of the State, with a commission to open communica- tion by land between Lakes Erie and Ontario, and a party of survey- ors and soldiers to aid him. He sought Mr. Ellicott's counsel in the matter. Anticipating that the work might cause dissatisfaction among the Indians, he wrote that he hoped Mr. Ellicott and General Chapin would "prevent any obstruction from that quarter." The route was located as it afterward existed, and Wilkenson directed Major Porter, then in command at Fort Niagara, to employ the soldiers of the garri- son to open the road. This was accomplished in the season of 1802 as far as the brow of the mountain at Lewiston and thence to a mile west of Tonawanda Creek, and bridges were built over that stream and Cayuga Creek. The timber was cut down, but not removed, and the road remained in that condition until 1809, when Joseph Lan-




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