Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 21

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

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Heman B. Potter ' arrived in Buffalo from Columbia county probably in 1811 and began a somewhat distinguished legal career of half a century. A contemporary of Mr. Potter was John Root, locally well known as "Counselor Root," who settled in Buffalo about 1810. He practiced many years and acquired a reputation for witty repartee more than for legal learning.

Daniel Bristol, one of the earliest master builders in Buffalo, was in the village as a resident as early as 1811 and erected many of the early structures. He was father of C. C. Bristol.

As nothing had yet been done towards improving Buffalo harbor, President Madison, under date of March 16, 1811, issued a proclama- tion removing the port of entry for the Buffalo district to Black Rock, in pursuance of an act of Congress dated March 2, which provided that "the office of the Collector of Customs for the District of Buffaloe Creek shall be kept at such place or places in the town of Buffaloe as the President of the United States shall designate." The office was located at Black Rock from April 1 to December 1 of each year, and at Buffalo the remainder of the time.

This was a triumph for Black Rock, and, while it caused temporary discouragement and dissatisfaction at Buffalo, it soon spurred forward the most energetic citizens to construct a harbor to which there could be no new rival and which was destined to be one of the most capacious and safe on the lakes.

It is pertinent to state at this point that the State Mile Strip, to which several references have been made, along Niagara River from near the foot of the present Genesee street, was laid out into farm lots of about 160 acres each. On the south side of Scajaquada Creek four lots were laid out and adjoining them a lot of 100 acres called the "ferry lot," which has already been mentioned. The triangle formed by a line running from a point where the south line of the ferry lot struck the mile line to the river, was to be reserved for military purposes, should it become necessary. The remainder of the Mile Strip, ex- tending on a curve to the village of Buffalo, was to be surveyed into a village plat and called Black Rock; this was afterwards generally

1 See Chapter XXX for biography.

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known as Upper Black Rock. The four farm lots above men- tioned were purchased by Porter, Barton & Co., in association with a few others and surveyed in 1811 into a village plat, and to distinguish it from the one above mentioned, it was called Lower Black Rock.'

. The old ferry at Black Rock was in use in Revolutionary times and according to Charles B. Norton's paper, read before the Buffalo His- torical Society in 1863, the ferry was operated at an early day by one Con. O'Neil, who lived in a hut near the rock, in which he awaited the approach of passengers. We quote from Mr. Norton's paper as follows:

In the year 1800 there was a tolerable road over the site of the present Fort street, leading to the river margin over a flat or plateau of land about 200 feet in width. Upon the northern extremity of this plateau there was a black rock, in shape of an irregular triangle, projecting into the river; having a breadth of about 100 feet at the north end and extending southward and along the river for a distance of 300 feet, gradually inclining to the southeast until it was lost in the sand. The rock was four or five feet high, and at its southern extremity it was square, so that an eddy was formed there, into which the ferry boat could be brought, and where it would be beyond the influence of the current. From the rock, teams could be driven into the boat over a connecting lip or bridge. The natural harbor thus formed, was almost perfect and could not have been made with the appliances of art a more complete dock or landing place for a boat.

Frederick Miller ' had charge of the ferry for several years after

1 Horatio Jones and Jasper Parrish, both of whom were Indian captives in early life, were ap- ·pointed Indian interpreters after their release, which followed the treaty of peace between the United States and the Six Nations. During their captivity and the subsequent period of their service as interpreters, these two men gained the friendship of the Indians to such an extent that, in 1798, at a council of the Six Nations, held at Genesee River, it was decreed that a present should be made them. This present comprised two square miles of land, which was described in a speech on that occasion by Farmer's Brother as follows:

. "Two square miles of land lying on the outlet of Lake Erie, beginning at the mouth of a creek known as Suyguquoydes, running one mile from the Niagara river up said creek, thence northerly, as the river runs, two miles, thence westerly one mile to the river, thence up the river, as the river runs, two miles to the place of beginning, so as to contain two square miles."

This speech was intended as a communication to the Legislature of the State, asking its co- operation in making the gift, which request was granted and the title confirmed. The village of Black Rock is situated upon a portion of the Jones and Parrish tract. Horatio Jones died in 1836, aged seventy-five years; Parrish died in the same year, aged sixty-nine years.

? Frederick Miller came to reside at Black Rock at a very early period. His name appears as the first licensed ferryman at Black Rock ferry, when the State first began to exercise jurisdic- tion over it in 1805-06. 'He kept the ferry and a tavern at the ferry landing until 1810, when he re- moved to Buffalo. He remained, however, but a year, when he removed to Cold Spring, where he kept a tavern. During the war he removed to Williamsville, where he remained until his death, in January, 1886. Mr. Miller served during the war of 1812 in the capacity of major of artillery. He was an uneducated man, but an energetic and useful officer. He left a large fam- ily of children; Mrs. Gen. Heman B. Potter was a daughter; the late Capt. William T. Miller and Capt. Fred S. Miller were his sons .- Ketcham, Buffalo and the Senecas.

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1806, and Lester Brace, who had visited the frontier on business in 1807, was its manager previous to the war of 1812, probably succeed- ing Miller. After peace was declared Mr. Brace opened a tavern and resumed charge of the ferry, which was closed during part of the con- flict, and continued until the opening of the Erie Canal rendered its removal necessary. It was taken to the foot of Ferry street and in 1826 Donald Fraser ' and Mr. Brace leased it and placed a horse boat in operation, which their license from the State required them to do. Mr. Brace journeyed to Albany and brought back the necessary ma- chinery for the boat. It was simply a large wheel turning in a hori- zontal plane, on which were cogs communicating power to the main shaft. A horse walked on the surface of the large wheel. The first steamboat on the ferry was used by James Haggart, who leased the ferry in 1840.

The enterprising firm of Porter, Barton & Co. began their first trans- portation business over the portage around Niagara Falls in 1807, and just before the breaking out of the war built a large pier a little below Bird Island, where all of their vessels loaded and unloaded freight; after the war their docks below the rapids were used. General Porter settled at Black Rock in 1810. In 1812 S. Franklin was keeping a tavern at Black Rock, which he advertised to let. It stood nearly op- posite the large residence built by General Porter, which is still stand- ing and where the late Lewis F. Allen lived many years. Where in 1807 " there were no buildings in the vicinity, except the Porter, Barton & Co. warehouse, . . at the foot of Breckinridge street; a house which Nathaniel Sill had built on Auburn street, and a log hut on the site of Albany street,"' a considerable settlement had grown up by the year 1812; a number of lots had been sold in 1810, but the population was then small.

It was in 1811 that a certain " Moral Society" was founded in Buffalo to which a mere allusion has been made. The following notice is self- explanatory :

1 Major Fraser was aid to General Porter at the siege of Fort Erie, when his gallantry re- ceived flattering commendation in the dispatches of the general to the commander-in-chief. He was afterward on the staff of General Brown; subsequently served at Niagara, and at a later period acted as secretary to General Porter, while engaged in establishing the boundary between the United States and Canada.

" Paper read before the Buffalo Historical Society by Charles D. Norton in 1883.

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RESOLUTION OF THE MORAL SOCIETY OF BUFFALO.

Resolved, That after the 23d of November inst., the laws of the State prohibiting violations of the Sabbath, shall be strictly enforced against all persons who, on that day, shall drive into the village loaded teams, or who shall unload goods, wares, and merchandise, or who shall vend goods or keep open stores or shops for the pur- pose of trading or laboring, or who shall engage in hunting, fishing, etc., etc .; also against all parties of pleasure, riding or walking to Black Rock or elsewhere.

Resolved, That the above resolution be published two weeks in the Gazette, pub- lished in this village, that strangers as well as villagers may be informed of the same, and govern themselves accordingly. By order of the Society.

A. CALI.ENDER, Secretary.

Gen. Elijah Holt was president of this society and was, probably, quite as radical as the good Deacon Callender. By their joint efforts they purposed a more stringent reform movement than Buffalo has ever since experienced.

The Washington Benevolent Society was also organized in 1811 in Buffalo, in which Heman B. Potter was a conspicuous officer. Other leading citizens were early connected with it in some capacity. If it is claimed that these organizations signify that there was need of them in the general character and customs of the inhabitants of the village, it may also be claimed in justification that the fact of their having been called into existence indicates a desire to place the morals of the com- munity above reproach. It will be remembered that a church society was organized in 1809, but there were still for a few years no regular religious services-a fact that had called forth considerable criticism.

Rev. John Alexander and Jabez B. Hyde were sent in 1811 to estab- lish a mission among the Indians on Buffalo Creek-the first named as a preacher and the other as a school teacher. Opposition arose imme- diately upon their arrival, particularly to the preacher, and a council was held to consider the matter. After long deliberation the school teacher was accepted, but the preacher they did not want. Red Jacket was, of course, the leader of the opposition, and it is recorded by Ketcham, delivered the following decision in the matter:

He said they had listened attentively to what had been argued in favor of the re- ligion of the whites, and if it would accomplish what those who advocated its intro- duction among them promised, it was very good-if it would make them sober, honest, truthful and kind that was very good; but as they were not fully satisfied on the subject, they thought the experiment had better be tried on the people in Buffalo, for they were great rascals; they cheated the Indians, they drank a great deal of whiskey and caused the Indians to get drunk, and they never spoke the truth, and were always quarrelsome. If the missionaries would go down and preach to them

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a year, they [the Indians] would see what effect it would have upon them, and would then be able to decide what was best for them.

Mr. Hyde remained as a teacher and labored zealously in the cause of religion and morality in Buffalo, frequently conducting meetings in the absence of an ordained preacher.

John Mellish visited Buffalo in October, 1811; and left on record his impressions of the place, a perusal of which has a certain kind of in- terest of its own. He wrote as follows :

Buffalo is handsomely situated at the east end of Lake Erie, where it commands a beautiful view of the lake, of Upper Canada, and Fort Erie, and a great distance to the southward, which is terminated by an elevated lofty country. The site of the town extends quite to the lake shore, but is principally built on an eminence of about thirty feet, at a little distance; and to the south along the creek are handsome rich bottom lots, which are at present a little marshy, but will, when drained, be most valuable appendages to this beautiful place. Buffalo was laid out for a town about five years ago, and is regularly disposed in streets and lots. The lots are from sixty to one hundred feet deep, and sell from twenty-five to fifty dollars; and there are out lots of five and ten acres, worth at present from ten to twenty-five dollars per acre. The population was by last census three hundred and sixty-five; it is now computed at five hundred, and is rapidly increasing. The buildings are mostly of wood, painted white; but there is a number of good brick houses, and some few of stone. There are four taverns, eight stores, two schools, and a weekly newspaper has been recently established. The town is as yet too new for the introduction of any manufactures, except those of a domestic kind. The greater part of the people are farmers and mechanics. The settlers are mostly from New England, but the town being on the great thoroughfare to the western country, there is a great mixture. A considerable trade is constantly kept up by the influx and reflux of strangers, and such articles as are necessary for their accommodation are dear. House rent is from two to twenty dollars per week; wood is one dollar per cord; flour is seven dollars per barrel; pork six dollars per cwt .; beef four dollars; porter six dollars per dozen. Fish are very plenty and cheap. Boarding is three dollars per week. The situation is quite healthy, and the seasons are much more mild and open than might be expected in this northern latitude. Buffalo creek flows into the lake by a slow current. It is navigable about four miles, and it is proposed to run a pier into the lake at its outlet, and form a harbor, which would be a most important advantage to this part of the country. Already there is a turnpike road to New York, having the accommodation of a stage three times a week. Upon the whole I think this likely to become a great settlement.

Before the beginning of the war settlement was made to some ex- tent in the territory that ultimately constituted each town in the county, while in the older settled localities, new arrivals were some- what numerous and the nuclei of several hamlets were formed. A little improvement was made in the northern part of what is now Ton-

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awanda, where Robert Simpson settled, about a mile from the site of the village. At that time Garret Van Slyke was keeping a tavern on the north side of Tonawanda Creek, in the present Niagara county. On the south side the forest was still almost unbroken. Henry An- guish, before mentioned, lived a mile farther up the river and about this time kept a tavern. On the approach of war a guard house was built on the Erie county side of the creek. The only road to Buffalo then ran along the beach.

In 1810 or 1811 Isaac Bowman opened a store at Williamsville, the first in the present town of Amherst and the third in the county out- side of Buffalo. About the same time Benjamin Bowman bought a saw mill on Eleven-mile Creek at what has always been known as Bow- man's Mills or Bowmansville; it is in the northwest corner of Lancas- ter, and took its name from him.

Previous to 1811 the settlers in the Cayuga Creek region were com . pelled to go to mill either at Clarence Hollow or Aurora. In that year relief came to them when Ahaz Allen built a mill at what is now Lan- caster village. His dam was the first one on that creek.

Adam Vollmer was the first purchaser on the lowlands of township 13, range 7, in the north part of Amherst, where he secured two lots at $3 an acre. The same is true as to township 13, range 6 (the north part of Clarence), where John S. Stranahan was the first purchaser of land, paying $2.75 an acre. The erection of the old town of " Buffa- loe" left Clarence as a town about eighteen miles long and twelve miles wide, and at the first town meeting Samuel Hill, jr., was elected supervisor, and in 1812 James Cronk was elected, both of whom were settlers in what is now Newstead. . The usual $5 bounty for dead wolves was voted at the town meeting, and also that "every path- master's yard should be a public pound." This is only one of many evidences to show that the keeping of domestic animals within the limits of their owners' lands was one of the greatest tasks the pioneer officials assumed. Religious services were held in this town prior to the war by Elders John Le Suer and Salmon Bell, but no church was organized until a number of years later.

Moses Fenno, who located in the present town of Alden in the spring of 1810, is given credit as the first settler; but Zophar Beach, Samuel Huntington, and James C. Rowan had previously purchased land on the western edge of the town and possibly one or more of them had settled there. Fenno began improvements on the site of Alden village

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and raised his first crops there in 1810. In the same year Joseph Free- man (afterwards known as Judge Freeman), William Snow, and Arunah Hibbard settled in that town.

The town of Wales attracted several settlers in 1810-11 and in the former year received its first frame house, which was built by Jacob Turner. James Wood, then a young man, was another arrival, who passed his long life in the town; he made his first clearing on the flats a little below the site of Wood's Hollow hamlet, which took its name from him. At that date there was no road, but an Indian trail ran along the west side of the creek. Varnum Kenyon, Eli Weed, jr., Nathan Mann, and others settled there in 1811, in which year James Wood taught the first school in the town. Isaac Hall settled in the same year at what became known as Hall's Hollow, or Wales Center, where he soon built a saw mill and a grist mill, the first in the town, and opened a tavern. Alvin Burt, Benjamin Earl and a few others were probably in the town before the war.

Aurora presented, as it had from the first, a favorable locality for pioneers, and a considerable number settled there in 1810-11. In the former year Jonathan Bowen, Asa Palmer, and Rowland Letson were among the arrivals. In the latter year the Stafford families, who settled "Staffordshire," Moses Thompson, Russell Darling, Amos Underhill, and probably others were added to the population within the limits of the present town. To meet the wants of these pioneer families, John Adams and Daniel Hascall early in 1811 purchased a small stock of goods, placed them in a log house owned by one of them, near what became known as Blakeley's Corners, and traded about six months, when the business was given up. Dr. John Watson was the first physi- cian in Aurora, and his younger brother, Ira G., also a physician, was there before the war. They were then the only practitioners in the south- east part of the county. Frequent religious services were held in this town in the two or three years before the war, and on October 17, 1810, the First Baptist church was organized with ten members; they were without a regular pastor for four years and met in school houses and dwellings. Rev. Elias Harmon was the first regular pastor. On the 18th of August, of the same year, the West Aurora Congregational church was formed, probably under direction of "Father" John Spencer; there were nine members.

In East Hamburg Stephen Kester, Elisha Clark, William Austin and others settled in 1810; the latter in the Smith, or Newton, neigh-

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borhood, to pass his long life there. About 1811 the name, Potter's Corners, began to be applied to what is now East Hamburg village, the name being taken from two or three families who settled there. By the year just named, too, Daniel Smith (before mentioned as an energetic mill builder), associated with his brother Richard, built a good grist mill on the site of Hamburg village, and the name "Smith's Mills" was applied to the place. Moses Dart also settled at Hamburg at about that date and was long a well known citizen. The Ingersoll families settled about this period on the lake shore in this town, just below the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. It was by members of this family that the ship irons on the lake shore were discovered, which gave rise to considerable discussion as to the probability of their having once belonged to the ill-fated Griffin. The best authorities have arrived at the conclusion that it is far more probable that the irons were from the Beaver, which was wrecked about 1765. Among the arrivals in Ham- burg in 1811 were Ira Fisk, Boroman Salisbury, Henry Clark, Shubael Sherman and Ebenezer Ingersoll, while in East Hamburg there located Pardon Pierce, James Paxson, Joseph Hawkins, and others. Dr. Will- iam Warriner was a physician in Hamburg at this time and Obadiah Baker operated a grist mill on Smoke's Creek near Potter's Corners. Early in the summer of 1812 the first settlement was made on Chestnut Ridge by Daniel Sumner. He and the members of his family had some exciting adventures with wild beasts. Wolves and bears were numerous and bold in attacking domestic animals. On one occasion a bear seized a hog weighing more than 100 pounds near the dwelling and carried it away, climbing a high rail fence with the burden.

Up to 1810 no settlement had been made in the present town of Colden. In that year Richard Buffum arrived there as the first pioneer; he came from Rhode Island and settled on the site of Colden village, cutting his own road through the forest about eight miles to that point. He was possessed of some means and in the fall built a saw mill and a log dwelling, the latter forty feet long. He was father of Thomas Buffum and ten other children, and needed a large house. It was over a year before he had near neighbors, excepting men whom he hired.

One of the first arrivals in the present town of Concord in 1810 was William Smith, father of Calvin C. Smith. Besides Albro, Cochran and Russell, before named, there were then living in the town Jede- diah Cleveland, Elijah Dunham, Jacob Drake and a Mr. Person. Rufus

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Eaton settled in that summer and Jonathan Townsend located about the same time at what became known as Townsend Hill. Settlers of that period in other parts of the town were Josiah Fay, Benjamin C. Foster, Seneca Baker, Philip Van Horn and Luther Curtis. At Springville Anna Richmond taught a school in 1810 with fourteen scholars; it was held in a log barn a little north of the village site.

When Dr. John March and Silas Este settled in Eden Valley in 1810 there were only four other families within the limits of the present town. In 1811 the arrivals were Levi Bunting, Samuel Webster, Joseph Thorne, James Paxon, John Welch, Josiah Gail and James Pound, with perhaps a few others. John Hill was the first settler at Eden Center, where his three sons resided many years.

In February, 1810, Samuel Tucker, brother of Abram (pioneer in North Collins in the previous year), moved into that town, following the Indian trail by way of Water Valley and Eden Center; his was the first team to pass over that trail. He located a mile and a half south of the site of North Collins village (Kerr's Corners), and built a log house, which did not have a glass window until two years later, and he procured his first seed wheat in trade for a log-chain. Enos South- wick settled there the same year and was hospitably provided for in Abram Tucker's cabin. There in August, 1810, was born George Tucker, the first white child born in Collins and North Collins; in Sep- tember following George Southwick was born there. Other settlers in North Collins before the war were Henry Tucker, Benjamin Leggett, Levi Woodward, Stephen White, Stephen Twining, Gideon Lapham, Noah Tripp, Abraham Gifford, Orrin Brayman, Jonathan Southwick, Hugh McMillan, and possibly one or two others. Some time in 1810 Turner Aldrich and his family followed up Cattaraugus Creek to the Gowanda flats, where they settled on the site of the present village; they were the first family to locate in Collins, excepting those near Taylor's Hollow, previously mentioned. In the spring of the same year, Stephen Wilber, Stephen Peters and Joshua Palmerton arrived in the town, built a cabin and for a time lived as bachelors about a mile west of the site of Collins Center, where they had purchased land. Wilber returned to Cayuga county in the fall for his family, but in March, 1811, went back to his wilderness home accompanied by Allen King and wife, Luke Crandall and wife, Arnold King, John King and Henry Palmerton. It is probable that before the war Seth Blossom, George Morris, Ethan Howard, Abraham Lapham, Ira Lap-

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Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 21

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

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