Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 59

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 59

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Settlement was commenced in Cheektowaga in February, 1808, by Apollos Hitchcock, who came from Schenectady, N. Y., and located on lot 72. In 1829 he purchased fifty-nine acres at Cheektowaga Sta- tion, including a saw mill on Cayuga Creek; he built a woolen factory and in 1844 both establishments were burned. The saw mill was re- built and now remains partly dismantled. Among other settlers prior to the war of 1812 were Alexander Hitchcock, Eliphalet Densmore, Jason and Roswell Hatch, Samuel Le Suer, and Major Noble. The first birth of a white child was that of a child of Roswell Hatch in 1810. In the same year Samuel Le Suer built the first mill, which soon passed to Mr. Hitchcock. Jesse Munson opened the first tavern in 1815; in 1816 Elnathan Bennett built and opened another. The first death of a white person was that of Franklin Hitchcock in 1818. A large Ger- man immigration began soon after 1830, and it has continued ever since until now the town is largely occupied by people of German birth or parentage.

In the list of the first officers and supervisors of Cheektowaga will be found the names of many early prominent settlers. Among other citizens were:

Israel Ely, father of Calvin, E. Selden, E. Sterling, Israel N. and Judah Ely, Mat- thew Campbell and son John B., Elisha P. Adams, David C. Bennett. George Booth- roy, Frederick Brennison, Solon Bruce, Jerome M. Campbell, Apollos Duringer and son Joseph, Alois Gerber, Blasius Groell, John Hinchy, James H. Hitchcock, Joseph Long, sr., and son Joseph, Martin Lux and son Peter, Alexander G. Nagel, Philip Pittz, Samuel Rapen, Peter Reisch and son John, Philip Stephan and son Frederick, Joseph Voegele, Joseph Werick and son Henry P., John Willyoung, James Winspear and son Pennock, John Wurst, Grdfrey Zimmerman, John Zurbrick and Philip Zurbrick. The latter built a flouring mill on Cayuga creek in 1874; it was remodeled into a roller mill in 1882, and on his death in 1888 passed to his sons, Albert and Frank Zurbrick.

The proximity of the town to Buffalo, Lancaster and Williamsville, and more recently to Depew, has prevented the growth of any consid- erable village within its limits. For many years the chief occupation of a large number of the inhabitants has been the raising of vegetables and other produce for the Buffalo market. A post-office was estab- lished at an early date with Alexander Hitchcock as postmaster, and in 1868-69 R. H. Haywood made an attempt to build up a village be- tween the Central and Erie railroad tracks; streets and lots were laid out and the erection of an Episcopal church was commenced in 1869,

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but the enterprise found few supporters and soon proved a complete failure. About 1894 the name of the post-office was changed from Cheektowaga to Forks.

Since about 1887 large tracts of land in the east half of the town have been laid out into building lots, many of which are occupied by residences or business places. In 1890 the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad shops were established in Cheektowaga, just east of the city line, and around them has sprung up a village, which was in- corporated under the name of Sloan in the spring of 1896. The first village officers were Edward C. Green, president; William Brennan, Charles Wright and Andrew Killgallon, trustees; Patrick J. Leahy, clerk; George Faber, treasurer. The post-office was established in 1890 with Edward C. Green as postmaster; he was succeeded by L. M. Sadler and he by Alfred W. Ackley. The same year a two-story frame school house was erected, and in 1891 a Congregational church was built, a chapel having been erected several years before. There are but two stores in the village.

In the north part of the town, on the corner of Genesee street and Union road, is the Pilgrimage Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians (Roman Catholic), which was founded by Joseph Balt, who donated six acres of land for the church and cemetery April 1, 1851. The chapel was built in 1853.

Depew lies partly in this town, and owes its existence to various railroad and other shops established there since 1893. It is sufficiently noticed in the sketch devoted to Lancaster.

Bellevue is a small hamlet of about thirty houses on Cayuga Creek, in the south part of the town. It also contains the power house of the Buffalo, Bellevue and Lancaster Electric Railroad, which was con- structed between these points in 1893; a loop was built through Depew soon afterward. A post-office was established at Bellevue in January, 1894.

Near Bellevue is the plant of the International Radiator Company and also the coal trestles of the Lehigh Valley and the Delaware, Lack- awanna and Western Railroad Companies, the latter being the largest in the world.

TOWN OF CLARENCE.

Clarence lies on the northern boundary of Erie county, with Niagara county on the north, Newstead on the east, Lancaster on the south,

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and Amherst on the west. The town was formed March 11, 1808, and originally included all of the northern part of what is now Erie county; at present it includes township 12, range 6, of the Holland Company's survey and has an area of 33,637 acres. The surface is generally level, but there is a limestone terrace about fifty feet high, facing the north, extending across the town from east to west a little south of the center. The town is drained by Tonawanda Creek, forming its north boundary, and Ransom's Creek, which flows northwest through the central part. The soil is clayey loam in the north part and sandy and gravelly loam in the south.

The early settlement in Clarence territory by Asa Ransom, at what is known as Clarence Hollow (1799), and incidents connected therewith, have been fully described in earlier chapters of this work; that was the first permanent settlement in Erie county. Aside from the Ransom family there was probably no other arrival in the town until 1801, when Joseph Ellicott opened a land office for the Holland Land Company at Clarence Hollow; from that time during a number of years the locality had several names, but gradually became known as Clarence Hollow. Asa Ransom kept a tavern in his house and Ellicott probably boarded with him. Christopher Sadler purchased land in the town in March, 1801, situated about a mile west of the Hollow, and settled on it in the next spring. In the same year Timothy S. Hopkins and Levi Felton took contracts for land, and the former became a prominent citizen. In June, 1801, Asa Ransom, jr., was born-the first child born in the town.

Settlers of 1802 were Gardner Spooner, John Warren, Frederick Buck, Resolved G. Wheeler, Edward Carney, Elias Ransom, Abraham Shope, sr., and William Updegraff. In 1803 Zerah Ensign, Jacob Shope, George Sherman, Andrew Durnet, Julius Keyes and Lemuel Harding pur- chased land; in 1804 David Bailey, Peter Pratt, Daniel Robinson, Isaac Van Orman, Riley Munger and David Hamlin, jr. Julius Keyes died in that year, which was the first death in the town.

In 1804, or 1805, Asa Ransom built a saw mill on the stream at the Hollow (Ransom's Creek), and in 1805 Thomas Clark, Edmund Thomp- son and David Hamlin, sr., were added to the inhabitants. In 1806 Justus Webster, John Taylor, Jonathan Barrett and probably others settled in the town, and in 1807 William Barrett, Thomas Brown and Asa Harris located there. Harris settled on the road to Buffalo, four miles west of Clarence Hollow, on a rise of land which became known

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as Harris Hill and was a noted rendezvous during the war of 1812. These pioneers found an attractive region for their new homes; the land was very productive, and the forest was broken by small prairies or oak openings, which were ready for the plow and brought the settler excellent returns.

The names of other settlers are Anthony Rhodes, Bishop Lapp, Simeon Fillmore, Rev. Glezen Fillmore, Orange Mansfield, John Eshleman, Samuel Beman, Matthias Van Tine, David Van Tine, Christian Metz, Robert McKillip and others. Other residents of the town in later years were John C. Root, who came with his father Jacob in 1810; Rev. John Stickler, 1816; William Leopard, 1815; Daniel Rhodes and Rev. Peter Rhodes, 1825-6; G. G. Hunt, 1825; Jonas Hershey, an early settler ; George Gallup, born in town 1820, father came in that year; Francis Carr, settled 1810, son James born 1817; Almon Eldred, 1821, son H. B. Eldred, born 1828; Jacob Eshleman, 1826; Peter Lenman, born in town 1828; Philip Schrader, settled 1833; William Henry Lusk, 1835; David Martin, 1832; George K. Van Tine, born in town 1831; C. G. Van Tine, born in town 1846; Jacob Wagner came 1848; Alexander Burns, 1844; Paul Waller, 1849; George Winborn, 1850.

When immigrants of German nationality began to arrive in Erie county many sought this town for settlement and there is a large Ger- man element in the population at the present time. All of the territory of Clarence was taken up, settled and improved comparatively early, and the town is one of the most prosperous in the county. Grain raising and general farming are still pursued to some extent, but in late years dairying has been the principal industry; there are two creameries in the town.

The first town meeting in Clarence was held in April, 1808, at Elias Ransom's tavern, which was in what is now Amherst.

There Jonas Williams was elected supervisor; Samuel Hill, jr., town clerk; Tim- othy S. Hopkins, Aaron Beard and Levi Fenton, assessors; Otis R. Hopkins, col- lector; Otis R. Hopkins, Francis B. Drake and Henry B. Annabill, constables; Samuel Hill, jr., Asa Harris and Asa Chapman, commissioners of highways; James Cronk, poormaster.

Many of these resided outside of the bounds of the town.

The following is a list of the supervisors of the town of Clarence since its organization, although some of those selected previous to 1833 resided outside its present limits:

John Williams, 1808; Samuel Hill, jr., 1809-11; James Cronk, 1812-13; Simeon Fillmore, 1814; Otis R. Hopkins, 1815-22; Simeon Fillmore, 1823-25; Otis R. Hop- kins, 1826-28; Benjamin O. Bivins, 1829; John Brown, 1830-32; Benjamin O. Biv- ins, 1833-35; Levi H. Goodrich, 1836; Amos Wright, 1837; Thomas Durboraw, 1838- 41; Archibald Thompson, 1842; Orsamus Warren, 1843; Archibald Thompson, 1844; Orsamus Warren, 1845; Thomas Durboraw, 1846; Archibald Thompson, 1847; Or- samus Warren, 1848-49; Thomas Durboraw, 1850; James D. Warren, 1851-54;

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Thomas Durboraw, 1855; Henry S. Cunningham, 1856-59; David Woodward, 1860- 64; Livingston G. Wiltse, 1865; Jacob Eshleman, 1866-72; Livingston G. Wiltse, 1873; J. O. Magoffin, 1874; John Kraus, 1875-78; Lyman Parker, 1879-80; Living- ston G. Wiltse, 1881-85; Jacob F. Humbert, 1886-90; Theodore Krehbiel, 1891-97.

Clarence Village (or Clarence Hollow) .- This village is situated in the southeast part of the town, and bore the name of Ransomville for several of the early years. The first business in the place was a store kept by Otis K. Ingalls about 1811. A postoffice was established with the name Clarence, and Archibald S. Clarke postmaster, sometime be- tween 1808 and 1811; it was in the present town of Newstead and was removed to Clarence Hollow about 1816. The building of Asa Ran- som's grist mill and saw mill was an important event and they were a boon to the pioneers. When they went to decay Abraham Shope bought the property (about 1842) and built the present grist mill; it had several owners and finally passed to J. H. Ebersole, who rebuilt it in 1895-97.

Dr. Orlando Wakelee was an early and prominent physician in the village. Dr. Jared Parker settled there in 1830 and practiced until 1877. Dr. Henry Lapp (son of the late Bishop Lapp) studied with Dr. Orlando K. Parker, and began practice here in 1864. Dr. Carey W. Howe was a later physician.

The Sadler House was built of stone by William Spoor, probably in 1812, as it had a tavern license in 1813. He and his son kept it many years. James B. Sadler became its owner in 1850; it passed through the later ownership of several different persons to Richard . W. Larkin, and is now kept by his son, Burt Larkin. The Bernhard House was built in 1872 by Charles Bicker and was sold to Peter Bern- hard; it is unoccupied. The Hoffman House was built by John Fidin- ger in 1878. Philip Heath kept a hotel in the Felton building for forty years.

Prominent early merchants in the village were O. Warren & Co., who were succeeded by Henry K. Van Tine; J. B. Bailey ; J. F. Hum- bert, who began business in 1877; A. J. Miller, John Fidinger, Peter Burns and others. Charles Jewett and a Mr. Shaffer were cabinet- makers. Charles Sein, shoemaker; Daniel Stickler was in the grist mill at one time; John Guise, a Mr. Wennockle and Mr. Goddard were blacksmiths. In the hardware trade a Mr. Sumeriski was engaged, who was succeeded by John H. Rothenmeyer and Charles G. Parker. The village now has 2 general stores, 1 hardware store, 1 grist mill,

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2 hotels, a basket factory, built by Jacob F. Hoffman, who was suc- ceeded by Jacob G. Schurr and H. Fidinger, and another by Humbert & Kibler; 1 saw mill, 1 creamery, a Union school and 5 churches.

Clarence Center .- This village is centrally situated in the town, where a large tract of land was owned in early years by Robert Mc- Kellip. David Van Tine setted there about 1829, kept the first store, and the place was called for some years Van Tine's Corners. When the post-office was established in 1847 it was given the name Clarence Center. Mr. Van Tine was the first postmaster and was succeeded by Robert Purcell. John Eshleman was postmaster for a time and John C. Root four terms. Andrew Metz took the office in 1861 and after- wards Dr. R. S. Myers and others. William Riegle kept a store where John Eshleman was afterwards located. Andrew Metz began business in 1849 and John Eshleman in 1851. George Winborn was a wagon- maker of past years. The first hotel was kept by Alonzo Crawford, who began in 1853. Several different proprietors kept the Clarence Center House in later years and it is still open. The Farmers' Hotel was first kept by Charles Pickard, and later by Peter V. Mehl. John Schuetler opened the Travelers' Home in 1882, but it was subsequently discontinued. The village has now 2 general stores, 1 drug and gro- cery store, 2 hotels, 1 creamery, 1 feed and cider mill, 1 blacksmith and 2 churches.

Harris Hill (Shimerville P. O.)-This is a hamlet in the south- western part of the town. It acquired local fame through being the resort of many Buffalo citizens in 1813, when driven out of Buffalo by the British. Early in the spring of 1814, when Buffalo began to be rebuilt, the refugees returned thither and Harris Hill relapsed into its former condition. A post office was established there in 1843, with William Criqui postmaster; he also kept a store. His successors were John Clicker, Augustus Fiegel and Henry Scrase. A second store was opened by R. K. Kelly. John Shimer established a lime kiln in 1875, which is now owned by his son; from him the post-office takes its name.

Swormville is a hamlet and post-office on the line between this town and Amherst, and took its name from Adam Sworm, who was post- master and kept a store. His successor in business is Samuel E. Lapp; there is also one grocery there.

Wolcottsburg (locally called West Prussia, from the fact that many Prussians settled in that vicinity) is a settlement in the northern part

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of the town. Two stores are kept there and a hotel. East Clarence is a station on a branch of the New York Central Railroad. There are no business interests there. Sturnerville is a settlement east of Harris Hill, without business interests. Gunville is a station on the West Shore Railroad in the south part of the town, where lime works were formerly carried on. Millersport is a hamlet in the northwest corner of the town and partly in the town of Amherst. A small mercantile business has been conducted there for many years; at the present time there are two stores by George Emerdofer and George Diethorn. A German Lutheran church is situated near the place.

The Methodist church at Clarence Hollow was organized in 1833 and in the following year a stone house of worship was built. This was burned in 1872 and the present edifice built in 1873. The Presbyte- rian church at that village held a meeting in July, 1821, and claimed the gospel lot from the Holland Land Company. An organization was effected April 30, 1822. The first house of worship was not built until 1836, and was rebuilt in 1879; it was sold to the West Shore Railroad Company in July, 1833, but was subsequently repurchased by the society and is still in use. The German Reformed church was organized in 1859 and Rev. Henry Bentz was in charge until 1882. The house of worship was previously built by the Seventh Day Baptists; it was re- built about 1887. The Christian church of Clarence Hollow was organ- ized in early years and built its edifice in 1877. A German Methodist society was organized and built a house of worship about 1879.

A German Lutheran church was organized at Clarence Center in 1857, a house of worship having been erected a few years earlier. A German Reformed society was organized there in 1855 and built a brick church in 1877; the society subsequently disbanded.

The United Brethren church at Harris Hill was formed in 1858 as a class, and services were held in the old stone church until 1862, when the society occupied its new edifice. The church has had an active existence since. A German Evangelical church was organized there and built the old stone edifice in 1833. The society subsequently de- clined and became extinct. The First Baptist church at Hunt's Corners was organized in 1837 with thirty-seven members. A wooden church edifice was erected in 1844, which was occupied until the present brick structure was completed in 1877. Two miles north of Harris Hill there is a Mennonite church.

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TOWN OF COLDEN.

The town of Colden was formed from Holland on April 2, 1827, with its present boundaries. It lies southeast of the center of the county, comprises township 8, range 6, of the Holland Purchase, and contains thirty-six square miles. The surface is comparatively level upland, excepting the narrow valley of Cazenove Creek, which flows a little west of north along the western border of the town. In this valley the soil is gravelly loam, while on the hills the gravel has a large clay ele- ment.

Settlement in the territory of Colden began in 1810, when Richard Buffum, from Rhode Island, located with his family on the site of Colden village. He had at that time eleven children, and was accom- panied also by James Sweet, John Brown, Jesse Southwick, Stephen Southwick, Thomas Pope and Nathaniel Bowen. Mr. Buffum built a large log house and a saw mill during his first season, and in that year James Sweet married Charlotte Buffum; this was the first wedding in the town. John D. Gould settled in that vicinity in 1810, and in 1811 Richard Sweet came in and married Maria Buffum. Richard Buffum took up 2,000 acres of land and soon after his arrival transferred 100 acres to each of the settlers before named who came in with him.

In 1813 Silas Lewis settled on the hill in the northeast part, and soon afterward Erastus Bingham and Leander J. Roberts located in that section. The first school in the town was taught in 1814 by Mary Eddy, of Hamburg.

Richard Buffum and James Bloomfield built a grist mill in 1814 near the saw mill, and the place became known as Buffum's Mills. About 1822 Wheeler, James and Joseph Buffum, sons of Richard, settled in the northwest part of the town. Other prominent pioneers were Sam- uel B. Love, Joel Gillett, Benjamin Crump, Amos W. Gould and Will- iam Lewis, a Methodist preacher.

The growth of the town was slow, owing chiefly to the forbidding character of the soil. W. H. Hayes settled in Hayes Hollow in 1828, and a little later Daniel Deeter opened a store there. The first post- office was not established until 1830, three years after the town was formed; it was named Colden, but was located at the extreme northern part of the town, in the house of Leander J. Roberts, the first post- master. Three years later it was removed to Buffum's Mills, which settlement soon took the name of Colden, and there it has remained ever since.

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The early settlements were made mostly along the valley and in the northern part of the town, and as late as 1835 much of the central. eastern and southern parts were still unsold. About that time Samuel B. Love and Benjamin Maltby, of Colden, and Stephen Osborn, of Newstead, formed a partnership and purchased 15,000 acres of the Holland Company, covering the site of Glenwood and extending east- ward. Mr. Maltby, as agent of the firm, built a saw mill at Glenwood in 1838. It required twenty years more to dispose of all those lands. For many years the principal business of the town was sawing lumber, many mills being located along Cazenove Creek. The original Buffum mill long ago disappeared and was succeeded by two or three others at Colden village, Glenwood and elsewhere.

Colden L'illage took its name when the post-office was moved there in 1833. Richard Buffum was the first postmaster there. His successors have been Albert G. Buffum, Benjamin Maltby, Richard Shelley, John W. Butts, D. Henshaw, Amos W. Gould, Leroy D. Warren, John W. Sutts, Michael H. Snyder, Thomas J. Buffum, William B. Currier.

The Buffum and Bloomfield grist mill passed through several hands and was burned in 1868. C. J. Shuttleworth built the existing mill in 1879, and soon sold it to Amos W. Gould. Mr. Buffum built the first tavern in 1828 and conducted it; it was closed in 1860 and is now a residence. John Hedges built the present hotel in 1850. E. P. Hatch opened the first store in 1831. Henry Smith and Albert G. Buffum began trade in 1837, and in 1858 Richard Shelley built and occupied the brick store. His brother, William W. Shelley, succeeded him, and he was followed by Smith Gould, who soon removed the goods to Glen- wood. Other past merchants have been John Churchill, Amos W. Gould, Warren & French, John M. Wiley, L. S. Bailey, Currier & Bolender, Whitney Bros .. John Lang, Albert Price and others. There are now in the village three general stores, one hardware store, a saw mill, a large bottling establishment, a planing mill, a box factory and a cheese factory, a wagon shop, two blacksmith shops and an un- dertaking establishment.

A tavern was built in 1833 by Arnold Holt, who was succeeded by George Balding in 1845. It was rebuilt by him in 1873 and passed to John J. Strauss, and again was rebuilt in 1896. Joslyn M. Corbin built a shingle mill in 1857 which was changed to a cheese box factory in 1861; it was burned and rebuilt, the last time in 1869.

Dr. Philo P. Barker, after living two years in Glenwood, settled in

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Colden about 1838 as the first physician. He practiced there about twenty years. Other transient physicians were Dr. Charles P. Baker and Dr. S. N. Poole. Dr. Orvel C. Strong has been in practice since 1868. C. J. Colburn is the only lawyer in the town.

The small hamlet that gathered around the saw mill of Benjamin Maltby, built in 1838, took the name of Glenwood. In 1840 S. B. Love and Jonas Briggs built a tannery there, and in 1849 a store was opened by Mr. Maltby, which he conducted about fifteen years. The post- office was opened about the same time and Mr. Maltby was the first postmaster. Charles Crocker built a store in 1868, and Allen W. Blakely carried on a grocery business, which he purchased from George Maltby in 1875. A cheese factory was built here in 1867 by Reynolds & Caldwell, but the business was soon abandoned. A box factory was built in 1874 by John R. Hedges; it was burned in 1876 and rebuilt, afterwards passing through several hands. There are now in the ham- let a store, a shingle mill, a saw mill and barrel factory.

In recent years the farmers of this town have followed the prevailing tide of change and engaged quite extensively in dairying. There are at the present time five cheese factories in the town, and fruit and garden products are also grown to a considerable extent. The acreage of the town is 22, 704.

The Methodist church at Colden village was formed in 1849, and George Balding was the first class leader. The legal organization took place in 1858 with George Balding, Alfred Morse and William Kincaid, trustees. In 1859 a frame church was built; this is the only church in the village. There is a Free Methodist church at Colden Center, or- ganized in 1871.

The Presbyterian church at Glenwood was formed as a Congrega- tional society in 1829, before the hamlet came into existence. Services were first held in a log school house on the Concord town line. The first house of worship at Glenwood was built in 1847, was burned in 1859, and a new one built the next summer. The Presbyterian faith was adopted in 1878.

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Our County and Its People: A Descriptive Work on Erie County, New York (Volume 1), Part 59

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

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