USA > New York > Erie County > Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1) > Part 19
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).
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 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102
Digitized by Google
-
153
FROM 1800 TO 1807.
Within the present city limits there settled during the two years un . der consideration Major Noble, James Stewart, Gideon Moshier, Loren and Velorous Hodge, Henry Ketcham, and some others. The prices of land had meanwhile slightly advanced. In 1806 Joseph Landon purchased Crow's tavern, improved and refitted it and founded the ex- isting Mansion House. Mr. Landon made his house popular and well known over a wide territory.
Until this time Buffalo had been without a lawyer. Judge Ebenezer Walden arrived in 1806, bearing a letter of introduction to Erastus Granger, and immediately began practice in an office on Main street between Seneca and Exchange. He was a most worthy man and be- came a leading citizen and large real estate owner. For several years he was the only lawyer in Western New York west of Batavia. A brief sketch of his career will be found in Chapter XXX.
Elijah Leech settled in the village in 1806, entered the employ of Samuel Pratt, subsequently married his daughter and engaged in part- nership with Mr. Pratt. He built his house on the south side of Buf- falo Creek at the old ferry. He held several offices and finally removed to Clarence Hollow and died there.
It was in 1807' that the first school house of which there is definite knowledge was built in Buffalo, as detailed in the chapter devoted to educational affairs in the county. A school had been kept, however, in the winter of 1806-7. and perhaps earlier, by Hiram Hanchett in the old Middaugh house. The school house was built on the corner of Pearl and Swan streets, became a historic building, and was used until 1813. The money to erect it was raised by subscription, Among the subscribers appear the names of Thomas Fourth, Isaac H. Bennet, Levi Strong, William Hull, Richard Mann, Asahel Adkins, Samuel Andrews, Garret Freeland, and Billa Sherman, who have not before been noticed as settlers. Levi Strong and George Kith built the house. Farther details of the first school house and school will be found in Chapter XXIX.
It was probably in 1806 that the pastoral services of Rev. Elkanah
across the arm, nearly severing it from his body. The arm was amputated the following day; Reese was prosecuted for the maiming, but through the influence of mutual friends the matter was submitted to arbitration .- Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 186.
The arbitrators in this case were Augustus Porter, Joshua Gillett and Jonas Williams. The affair was thus settled.
1 The death of William Johnston took place in 1807, when he was sixty-five years of age. Al- though his early life had been a stormy one and connected with the enemies of the country, he died in the enjoyment of the respect of the community.
20
Digitized by Google
154
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Holmes were secured. To accomplish this worthy purpose the inhab- itants held a meeting and made a list of those who were willing to aid in paying for a preacher's labors for a certain length of time. Then the amount was estimated necessary to be paid by each in each week, and it was agreed that the amount so fixed should be brought in a paper every Sunday. This novel arrangement succeeded perfectly and no debt was incurred.
Other purchasers of land of 1807 were Joseph Wells, farm lots 28 and 41, township 11, range 8; Frederick Miller, lots 36 and 37; Zachariah Griffin, lot 43; Ebenezer Walden, lot 52; Joshua Gillett, lot 51; Alvin Dodge, lot 54; Elijah Holt, lot 75; Daniel Chapin, lots 66 and 81; Rowland Cotton, lot 75. Capt. Rowland Cotton had seen Revolution- ary service, and had his residence about five miles out of the village on the old Batavia road. He was father of a large family. Henry Ketch- am and his brother Zebulon were early settlers, the former purchasing outer lot 17 and farm lot 70 in 1807; he built a dwelling on the corner of Main and Chippewa streets and lived there until the burning of the place in 1813. These two were brothers also of Jesse Ketcham, who purchased real estate in Buffalo; he was conspicuous in the work of advancing education and religion. After living for a time in Toronto, he returned to Buffalo and passed the remainder of his life there.
As far as relates to settlements in the county outside of Buffalo dur- ing 1806-07 the story is briefly told. Among the important improve- ments made was the building of the first grist mill in the southwest part of the county by John Cummings, on Eighteen-mile Creek about a mile below Water Valley in the town of Hamburg. The raising of the frame was a notable incident and long remembered by the pioneers. Jacob Wright settled about this period in Hamburg near Abbott's Cor- ners, which was for many years known as Wright's Corners. In 1806 Joel Harvey, the first settler in Evans, opened a tavern in his house at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. A few purchases were made in that town at this time, but most of the buyers soon became discour- aged and left, and permanent settlement was not made until several years later.
By the year 1806 the Friends, or Quakers, in East Hamburg had be- come so numerous that a Friends Meeting was organized; it was probably the first religious organization in the county. In the next year they built a meeting house near Potter's Corners; this was for more than ten years the only building for religious purposes in the
Digitized by Google
155
FROM 1800 TO 1807.
county. In 1806 also the Quakers built a school house, where Henry Hibbard taught the first school. David Eddy built a saw mill on Smoke's Creek, not far from Potter's Corners, and Seth and Samuel Abbott, brothers, settled a few miles southeast of Potter's Corners in the fall of 1807, and both became leading citizens, the latter giving his name to Abbott's Corners.
In Boston during the two years we are considering, the settlers in- cluded Jonathan Bump, Benjamin Whaley, Job Palmer, Calvin Doo- little, Eliab Streeter, Joseph Yaw, William Cook, Ethan Howard and Serrill Alger.
In 1806 Phineas Stephens bought the mill site at the lower village, Aurora, and built a saw mill the same year; in that year or the next he added a grist mill, built of hewed logs. In 1806, or 1807, William Warren, before mentioned, began keeping tavern in his log house, the first in the southeast part of the county. In 1807 Mary Eddy taught a school in the cabin he had first built there, and Mr. Warren himself taught there in the following winter. Among new purchasers in this town in 1806 were Solomon Hall, James S. Henshaw, Oliver Patten- gill, Walter Paine, Jonathan Hussey, Ira Paine and Humphrey Smith, all of whom became residents in that year or the next. Mr. Smith subsequently bought the mill site at Griffinshire and erected mills, and also those at West Falls and at the forks of Cazenove Creek. Ephraim Woodruff, the pioneer blacksmith in the southeast part of the county, settled in Aurora in 1807.
In 1806, or 1807, the Friends Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia sent a mission to instruct the Indians on the Cattaraugus Reserve, adjoining which they bought 300 acres of land. The mission of several single men and women was under charge of Jacob Taylor, from whom that locality took the name of Taylor's Hollow. They taught the Indians rudimentary book knowledge, housework, farming, etc., and accom- plished much good. With this exception the valley of the Cattaraugus remained a wilderness until the fall of 1807, when Christopher Stone and John Albro made their own road through the forest and located on the site of Springville. There the two families remained through the winter, their nearest neighbors ten miles away on Eighteen-mile Creek.
In 1806 William Allen made the first settlement in the present town of Wales and others soon followed; he located about half a mile south of the site of Wales Center. In the same fall Amos Clark and William
Digitized by Google
156
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Hoyt settled a little east of what became known as Holmes's Hill, which received its name from two brothers, Ebenezer and John M. Holmes; they did not arrive until early in 1808, but preceding the reorganization of the purchase and therefore may be noticed here. Both had large families, Ebenezer eight and John M. nine children, most of whom lived long in that section. Jacob Turner settled in Wales near William Allen in 1807, or 1808.
The present town of Holland was first settled in 1807, when Arthur Humphrey, Abner Currier, and Jared Scott made clearings on the creek flats between South Wales and the site of Holland village.
In 1806 the first purchase in the present town of Alden was made by Jonas Vanwey, who settled in the northwest corner. There was no other permanent settlement in this town until some years later.
In the town of Newstead Elisha Geer, Jonathan Fish and perhaps others settled in 1806, and Charles Knight, Lemuel Osborn and others in 1807. There is a tradition that a Methodist society was formed at the house of Mr. Osborn in the fall of 1807, with twelve members. It was the first Methodist society on the purchase and the second religious organization in this county. Rev. Peter Van Ness, one of the two preachers sent out in 1807, was present. It was in one of these two years that Archibald S. Clarke opened the first store in the county outside of Buffalo, on his farm near Vandeventer's. It was an im- provement most welcome to the inhabitants of that section.
Clarence received accessions in 1806 of Jonathan Barrett, John Tyler, Justice Webster, and others, and William Barrett, Thomas Brown, and Asa Harris settled there in 1807. Harris Hill took its name from Asa Harris, who located there.
James Hershey and William Maltby settled in Amherst in 1806, and John Drake, Samuel Fackler, Gamaliel St. John, and others in 1807. The latter settled near where Jonas Williams was striving to found the village of Williamsville (then called Williams's Mills), and had to pay $3 an acre for his land, while the others named bought for $2. Mrs. St. John was destined to perform a heroic part in connection with the burning of Buffalo.
The elections for the town of Willink down to and including 1806 continued to be held at Vandeventer's, and each year he was chosen supervisor. In 1807 the town meeting was held at Clarence Hollow, when Asa Ransom was elected to that office. In April, 1807, the gen- eral election was held, continuing three days, and the settlers were
Digitized by Google
-
-
157
FROM 1808 TO 1810.
privileged for the first time to use a ballot box. The election was held a day and a half north of the reservation, and in the next forenoon the polls were opened on the south side at Warren's tavern in Aurora; in the afternoon in Wales. The excise commissioners of the town of Willink for 1807 certified to ten persons to keep taverns in the town, and there was not yet a single store.
CHAPTER XII.
1808-1810.
Further Territorial Changes-Erection of Niagara County-The New County Seat-Beginning of Court House and Jail-The First Courts and Judges-Impetus to Immigration-Lot Buyers in Buffalo in 1808-Settlements Outside of Buffalo- First Town Meeting for Clarence-Settlements in Northern Part of the County- Glezen Fillmore's Arrival in the County-Letters of Juba Storrs-Attempt to Re- move the Port of Entry-Erastus Granger's Protest-Religious Meetings in Buffalo.
Territorial changes of great importance took place on the Holland Purchase in 1808, in which Erie county was directly involved. The reader has learned of these in detail in Chapter I. As far as these changes directly affected this county it should be briefly stated here that Allegany county was erected from Genesee in 1806, the latter remaining with its then existing boundaries until March 11, 1808. On that date a law was passed erecting the county of Niagara from that part of Genesee county lying north of Cattaraugus Creek and west of the line between the 4th and 5th ranges of townships on the purchase. At the same time Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties were erected with substantially their present boundaries; but a peculiar clause of the erecting act prohibited their organization until each should have 500 voters. For public purposes they consequently remained for a time attached to Niagara county. There has since been only one im- portant territorial change west of the east line of Cattaraugus and the original Niagara county-the erection of Erie in 1821.
The act erecting Niagara county (embracing all of the territory now constituting Erie county) contained a provision locating the county seat at " Buffalo or New Amsterdam," provided the Holland Company
Digitized by Google
158
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
should within three years erect a suitable court house and jail on at least half an acre of land which should be deeded to the new county by the company. The act also directed the holding of certain terms of the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions (as de- tailed in Chapter XXX), the first term of which was to be held at the public house of Joseph Landon ' (formerly Crow's tavern).
The legislative act under consideration also made many and im- portant changes in town and township boundaries. A tier of town- ships from the east side of Willink remained in Genesee county, and all of Niagara county north of Tonawanda Creek was erected into the town of Cambria. At the same time the town of Clarence was erected from Willink and Erie, comprising the territory between Tonawanda Creek on the north and the center of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, and of course including Buffalo village. The first town meeting for Clarence was to be held at the house of Elias Ransom (near Eggerts- ville, now in the town of Amherst). That part of Niagara county south of the center of the reservation remained as the town of Willink.
These various changes, as explained in Chapter I, obliterated the old town of Erie from the map. It will be seen that the territory of Erie county constituted by far the larger part of the original Niagara county, and it contained the principal part of the population. It was at a later date to retain the original county seat and all of the county records that had been preserved.
Augustus Porter was appointed by the governor first judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Niagara County. Two of his associates were Erastus Granger and Samuel Tupper, of Buffalo. Asa Ransom was the first sheriff; Archibald S. Clarke (then the only merchant on Erie county territory outside of Buffalo), surrogate, and Louis Le Cou- teulx, county clerk. Mr. Clarke was, in the same year, elected to the Assembly from the district comprising the three new counties. These appointments made some changes in the offices of the local militia. Asa Ransom was compelled to resign his lieutenant colonelcy and was succeeded by Timothy S. Hopkins, which was one step of the ladder towards the general's commission which he subsequently held. This, with the cashiering of Sylvanus Maybee, left two major's positions
1 Joseph Landon, as has already been stated, founded the Mansion House in Buffalo. He pur- chased inner lot 81 in July. 1807. He married Mrs. Marvin, mother of Mrs. Ebenezer Walden, and for his second wife, the widow of Dr. West, who was long stationed at Fort Niagara. Mr. Landon removed later to Lockport, where he kept a public house.
Digitized by Google
1
Digitized by y Google
101
64
20
204
175
174
171| 2דנ 173
132.131 130
100
63
28
1
ST.
99
62
27
170
160
168 167 166
129 128 /27
08
61
26
25
203 202
HURON
ST
24
201
-
165 154 163
162 161 160
126 125 121
A
23
A 200.
506
1
MOHAWK
ST
205
20
197
MOHAWK
ST.
120|119 118
20
55
19
153
5
T'AS3
A
80
58
17
148
147 156 198 290
88
117
87
51
CAZENOVIAY
AV.
COURT SQUARE
COURT HOUSE
141 140
49
15
197
A
B 84 A
48
14
137 |13G
115 114
83
47
138
A
13
82
46
12
ST.
B
112
111
110
133
14
A
109|108
107
78
43
STADNITZKI
AV
106 103 104
76
AV.
103
75
41
102
74
40
SWAN
ST.
216
73
39
11
180
MAP OF
72
38
10
- 179A
---
71
37
0
36
8
35
7
176
SENECA
ST
68
34
A V.
6
From an Engraving by E.R. Jraett & Co.
676665
5
32
31 30
4
3
CROW
213
1209
N
-
:212 |208
211 207
Outer Loe150
210 206
WATER ST_
214
215
20
Outer Lot 151
19/15 / 17 16 15 14 13 12 15 10 9
CREEK
BUFFALO
1
06
B 50 58
AV.
22
199
15Vì
158 187 156
128 122 121
93
21
5
199
ST.
151
150 149
B
ST.
54
18
AV.
52
16
PUBLIC
SQUARE
116
D. C.B
50
VANSTAPHORST
81
45
80
B
TUS CARORA
77
12
TERRACE
N 22.W.
VOLLENHOVEN
ONEIDA
BUFFALO VILLAGE INNER LOTS.
VIAONEZVO
70
CAYUGA
ONONDAGA
178
1.77
69
TERRACE
WILLINK
WATER
ST
Digitized by
BUSTI
7
VANSTAPHORST AV
ST
ST.
07
60
92
57 56
SCHIMMELPENNINCK
143 MISSISSAUGA 139
BUSTI
BUSTI
B
IT-F
EAGLE
AV.
DELAWARE
79
33
04
25
26
147
23
146
34
24
145
33
33
22
144
134
126
31
21
143
135
30
20
10
141
136
127
29
28
19
140
137
128
119
129
138
120
130
121
122 BA
123 B. A
RAYAVIA
115
116
117
16
ADNUTI
110
B 100
1
B
A
109
107
106
105
148
10
5
8
104
6
3
102 101 100
99
149
98
97
96
95
94
85
INIT
53 82 81 |80 79
BLAYLA
175 77 76 75 74
73
171
7069
68
67
66
65
61
GO
B59A
58
B 57 A
46
54
53
47
48
MAP OF
49
BUFFALO VILLAGE
50
OUTER LOTS.
from on Engraving by B. R. Jeweet &Co.
T
36
BUFFALO
84
SS
87
86
LAKE
64 63 62
ERIE
CREEK-
56
55
4
TWAN
93
11
14
9
12
7
BA
112
113
174
A
125 / B
131
132
124
118
13
17
139
138
23
Digitized by Google
99
91 |90
89
TM
87 38 89 40 41 42 43 44 45
52
142
Digitized by
159
FROM 1808 TO 1810.
vacant. Capt. William Warren, who was not yet twenty-four years of age, was made first major, and Asa Chapman, second major.
The Holland Company promptly began the erection of the first court house, which stood on the requisite half acre of land and in the middle of what is now Washington street (directly in front of the site of the second court house), Buffalo; the building was finished in 1809.
The erection of the new counties and particularly the selection of Buffalo as the county seat, gave a decided impetus to immigration. Purchasers of lots in Buffalo in 1808 were as follows: Jabez Goodell, outer lots 136 and 145; John Roop, farm lot 76; Elisha Ensign, inner lot 60 and farm lot 19; Joseph Wells, inner lot 62; Asa Fox, inner lot 61; Gilman Folsom, inner lot 72; David Mather, outer lot, 123; William Hull and others, inner lot 8; Rowland Cotton, farm lot 75. A few of these have been before mentioned as purchasers of other prop- erty. Nearly or quite all of these became permanent residents of the village, and aided in its early development. Deacon Amos Callender arrived in Buffalo in 1807-8 and became quite conspicuous in religious and moral reform work, as will appear. Gen. Elijah Holt (as he was familiarly called) was a leader in organizing society out of the some- what discordant elements that composed the population of the place at that period. He was president of a society for the suppression of vice and immorality, of which Deacon Callender was secretary. General Holt's daughter married Elisha Ensign and became the mother of E. W. and Charles Ensign. Joseph Wells was father of William, C. J. and C. C. Wells, all of whom were well known citizens. Gilman Fol- som was probably the first butcher in the village.
Joshua Lovejoy settled in Buffalo in 1807 or 1808. The name of his family is historic on account of the murder of his wife at the burning of the village in 1813, as described farther on.
Jabez Goodell became a large purchaser of lots in the village, as well as of lands in other parts of the county. He kept a tavern for team- sters at a very early date on the corner of Main and Goodell streets. By skillful management of his lands, with their increase in value, he accu- mulated a large estate. He had no children, and at his death left his wealth to various religious and educational institutions.
Considerable advancement in the county outside of Buffalo was made in 1808. John Long settled in Amherst and was father of Christian Long. At that time Jonas Williams had two saw mills running at the site of Williamsville, but grain-grinding was still done at Ransom's.
Digitized by by Google
160
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
There were only two or three houses near Williamsville, and Samuel McConnell kept his log tavern on the west side of the creek.
At the first town meeting for Clarence, held at Elias Ransom's tav- ern, two miles west of Williamsville (in the present town of Amherst), the usual officers were elected.' The list does not include a single offi- cer from Buffalo village, which, it will be remembered was then in- cluded in that town. Liquor selling licenses were granted to Joseph Landon, Zenas Barker, Frederick Miller, Elias Ransom, Samuel Mc- Connell, Asa Harris, Levi Felton, Peter Vandeventer, and Asa Chap- man.
Permanent settlement was made in 1808 in what is now Cheekto- waga, by Apollos Hitchcock. He made the statement before his death that the only trouble his father's family had with the Indians arose from building fences across the trail that ran between the house and Cayuga Creek. The Indians would frequently throw down the fences and stride away on their errands. Bears and wolves were still numer. ous. At about the same time Henry Anguish settled on or near the site of Tonawanda village.
In 1808 Benjamin Clark, Pardon Peckham, and Capt. Elias Bissell settled about a mile east of the center of the present town of Lancas- ter. Mr. Clark had a son James, then twelve years old, who passed his long life in that vicinity. He informed a writer? that there were then only twelve houses on that road between Buffalo and the east line of the county. At about the same time Col. Calvin Fillmore built a saw mill on the site of Bowmansville, which was doubtless the first in this town. Calvin Fillmore was uncle of Rev. Glezen Fillmore, noticed farther on.
At about the year under consideration Daniel Smith (mentioned in the preceding chapter) moved his little corn mill from Hoag's Brook to Eighteen-mile Creek, where he ingeniously placed a few logs in the stream which diverted towards his mill sufficient water to operate it, without building a more substantial dam. Obadiah and Reuben New- ton settled in 1808 in the Smith neighborhood, which was later called Newton Settlement.
Ethan Allen purchased a large tract of land in Wales in this year, near Hall's Hollow; he was already a land owner in the town. He moved upon his purchase and there passed a long and useful life.
1 See later Gazetteer of Towns.
'Crisfield Johnson.
1
Digitized by Google
1
161
FROM 1808 TO 1810.
Charles Blackmar, Benjamin Earl, James Morrison, Samuel Searls, and perhaps others were purchasers and most of them settlers in 1808.
Asa Cary, a brother of Deacon Richard Cary, before mentioned, settled in what is now Boston in 1808. His son Truman was then sixteen years of age and passed his long life on a farm in that town. In that summer the wife of John Albro, one of the two settlers at Springville, died, and Deacon Clary went ten miles through the forest to read a sermon at her funeral. Mr. Albro went away soon after, leaving his only neighbor, Mr. Stone, alone; but the latter soon had as neighbors Samuel Cochran, who arrived in October, and in the next month Deacon John Russell settled with his family in the same locality. These three families had no near neighbors during that winter. Stone left the next summer, but Albro returned, and James Vaughan and Samuel Cooper became permanent residents in 1809.
About this time Jacob Taylor, of the before described Quaker mis- sion, built a saw mill and a grist mill at Taylor's Hollow, in Collins. In 1809 Abraham Tucker settled with his family in the north part of North Collins; Stephen Sisson, Sylvanus Hussey, Isaac Hathaway and Thomas Bills purchased in the same year and settled near the line be- tween Collins and North Collins. In this year, too, George Richmond and his sons George and Frederick settled three miles east of Spring- ville, near the southwest corner of the present town of Sardinia, where the former soon opened a tavern. Frederick Richmond in the same year taught the first school in Boston. Ezra Nott was the earliest pioneer in all of the east part of Sardinia, where he settled in 1809 at what has been known as Rice's Corners, and Colegrove's Corners. In Holland Ezekiel Colby settled in the valley and was soon followed by Jonathan Colby. Jacob Farrington located on the south part of Ver- mont Hill, east of the site of Holland village-the pioneer of that part of the town. To the westward, in the present town of Boston, Joseph Yaw built a grist mill in 1809. This is according to the memory of pioneers, the records having been burned with those of Aurora in 1831.
The first settlement in the present town of Eden was made in 1809, by Elisha Welch and Deacon Samuel Tubbs, who located at what is now Eden Valley, which was early called Tubbs's Hollow. In the same year Aaron Salisbury and William Cash made the first permanent settlement in the present town of Evans, to the west of Harvey's tavern at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. David Cash, brother of
21
Digitized by Google
162
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
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.