USA > New York > Jefferson County > Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York > Part 64
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Mannsville Lodge, No. 165, I. O. O. F., was organized in 1853, and is therefore among the old Odd Fellow bodies of the county. It has always maintained a healthful existence and now numbers sixty-five members.
A good district school has been maintained in the village almost from the time the first settlement was begun. The present school
1 The first village officers were Allen M. Wardwell, president; Leonard A. Martin. Orrin H. Balch and Everett Stone, trustees; B. N. Bailey, clerk.
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contains three departments, primary, intermediate and grammar, and is a successful and well attended institution.
The Baptist church of Mannsville was organized in 1831 by a union of former members of the Lorraine society with those of the Second Baptist church of Ellisburgh, the latter having been formed in the western part of the town as early as 1817. In 1833 the new society joined with the Congregationalists and erected a meeting house at Mannsville village, but in 1854 the Baptists became sole owners of the structure. This church has always maintained a healthful and grow- ing existence and is now one of the strongest religious bodies in the town. The present membership numbers 168 persons. The society is temporarily without a pastor.
The Second Congregational church and society of Ellisburgh was organized Aug. 18, 1833, with Roswell Keeney, Benj. P. Grennell and David Wardwell, trustees, and at once joined with the Baptist society in building a house of worship, as has been stated. Their interest in the building was afterward sold, and in 1856 the society erected a frame edifice at a cost ef $3,000. This church has more than 300 meni- bers, and is present under the pastorate of Rev. John Sharp.
The Methodist Episcopal church at Mannsville was organized be tween the years 1846 and 1850, but the absence of reliable data renders the exact date uncertain. However, Methodist preaching was held in this part of the town as early as 1830, and for many years prior to the organization Mannsville was part of a circuit for Methodist missionary visitation. The large edifice was built in 1859, and from their earliest history the church and society have grown in strength and influence. The present members number 136 persons. The pastor is Rev. W. J. Hancock.
The Seventh Day Advent church at Mannsville was organized in 1851, about the time the first societies of the denomination were formed. The ministers of the church are evangelists, who visit the society from time to time.
The Church of Christ (Disciples) at Mannsville was organized in 1871. but the history of the denomination in the town far antedates that time. The local society at the above time had about 75 members, who, in 1822, built a neat meeting house. The building was burned in 1885, and soon afterward the society discontinued its meetings.
Pierrepont Manor is a pretty little hamlet on the line of the railroad from Syracuse to Watertown (R. W. & O.), and is perhaps the largest
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THE TOWN OF ELLISBURGH.
unincorporated village in the town. Among the first settlers in this locality were Joseph Allen and Pardon and Arnold Earl, who in March, 1805, came from Galway, Saratoga county, and made an improvement on the present village site. They were followed by William Case, William Taber, William Lewis and two or three families surnamed Simmons. Joseph Allen was regarded as the pioneer of the locality, and was, perhaps, its leading man. His first house was of logs, but in the course of a few years he built a frame addition to it and opened a public house in connection with his regular employment as black- smith. About 1818 Mr. Allen built a hotel, which is still standing. Ile kept it until 1823 and was succeeded by Joel Brown. Mr. Allen died Sept. 13, 1838. The present proprietor is Samuel Anderson. About 1807 Pardon Earl became agent for the sale of land in this local- ity, and was a man of extensive business operations. He died in 1844. In 1822 the direction and management of the Pierrepont lands were assumed by William C. Pierrepont, who then opened a land office. About 1826 he built the spacious mansion which has ever been known as the " Manor house." From that time to the end of his life (Dec. 20, 1885) Mr. Pierrepont was a resident of the village. It was his pres- ence, his work and his influence that built up the little village about which has ever been an air of comfort and quiet dignity that places it in contrast with the other hamlets of the county. The post office under the name of Pierrepont Manor was established about 1840. Among the carly factories of the place were Joel Brown's potashery and Thomas Loomis' tannery, the latter of which was started about 1835. However, Pierrepont Manor has never attracted any considera- ble attention as a business or manufacturing center, nor did its proprie- tor make any effort whatever in that direction. Still, as the lands were sold and inhabitants became more numerous, stores and hotels were opened for their accommodation. Mr. Pierrepont built the "corner store " soon after coming to the place, and about 1848 erected the saw and grist mills, these soon becoming the leading industries. The grist mill was subsequently converted into a store building. The more re- cent McConnell saw mill is not now in operation. Two stores and sev- eral other buildings were burned June 16, 1887. The only present in- dustries, except two or three stores, are the Caulkins cheese factory, and the large seed house owned by William H. Grenell. The Exchange hotel is under the proprietorship of M. C. Finney.
Zion church (Protestant Episcopal) of Pierrepont Manor, was founded,
77
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
established and organized chiefly through the liberality of William C. Pierrepont, who in 1835 caused a church edifice to be erected. On January 4, 1836, an organization was perfected. William C. Pierre- pont and Thomas Marsh being chosen wardens, and Harvey Allen, Pardon Earl, Thomas E. Williams, Robert Myrick and John Allen vestrymen The church and its parish have ever since been liberally sustained through the munificence of Mr. Pierrepont. The present communicants number fifty-six persons. The rector is the Rev. Anson J. Brockway; wardens, Joseph A. Bemis and W. Pierrepont White. The parish house was built during the summer of 1856.
The Free church and society of Pierrepont Manor effected its organ - ization February 26, 1855, under the leadership of Rev. Stephen H. Taft, of Christian Union fellowship. The first trustees were Loren Bushnell, Albert G. Earl, Hiram Allen, Benjamin Randall, Samuel Bemis, Franklin Waite and William Williams. The house of worship was erected in 1855 and has remained standing to the present time, although the society is now extinct. The services now held in the building are under Baptist or Methodist direction, many members of those societies living in the vicinity.
Woodville is a small village on the north branch of Sandy Creek, about three miles from its mouth, and about two and one-half miles from Ellisburgh village. The locality was originally called Wood's set- tlement, from the fact that Ebenezer, Ephraim and Jacob Wood, sons of Nathaniel Wood, a Vermonter. made an improvement in this part of the town in the spring of 1804. Nathaniel Wood, in company with Oramel Brewster, Simeon Titus, Ephraim Wood, jr., and Hezekiah Leffingwell, came to explore the region in 1803, and were so well pleased with the land that in May, 1804, the Woods purchased a 154 acre tract, paying therefor $2,294.80. In the same spring the settle- ment was made, Ephraim Wood leading the way with his daughter and three sons. The father, who was Rev. Nathaniel Wood, and one of the most earnest and devout men among the pioneers of the town, came in June, 1804, and was soon after followed by Obadiah Kings- bury, Oliver Scott and others. In the next year three other members of the Wood family (Nathaniel, jr .. Ebenezer and Mosely) and Samuel Truesdale, and the families of each, were added to the little community. In this year these industrious settlers built a small saw mill on the creek, and planted a field of corn on the marsh, which is said to have produced one of the most abundant crops ever grown in the town.
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THE TOWN OF ELLISBURGHI.
Ebenezer Wood laid the foundation for the village by opening his house as a tavern, and also in starting a store in 1809. Oliver Batchellor came during the previous winter and built a blacksmith shop, and still later put a trip-hammer in operation. He was one of the conspicuous figures of the settlement for many years, and was, withal, a very worthy man. The first regular store ( Ebenezer Wood's having been only a small stock of goods) was opened soon after 1812 by Nathan Burnham, and while the hamlet subsequently enjoyed but little material growth, the publie convenience demanded the establishment of a post office. This was done about 1821 or '5, and Asa Averill was the first postmaster. In 1825 a Baptist society was organized (now extinct), followed in 1836 by a Congregational society, which with the school house now comprise the public buildings of the village.' During its history, the local popu- lation has never exceeded 200, and such interests as have been main- tained are for the convenience of inhabitants of the surrounding agri- cultural districts. The present storekeepers are N. Wood & Son (successors to Wood Bros. ), and Hollis & Hubbard.
The Baptist society of Woodville was formed, as above stated, Jann- ary 27. 1825, with Ebenezer Wood, Oliver Scott, Amaziah Fillmore, Pedro Scott, William Ellsworth and Abijah Jenkins as trustees. A small meeting house was erected soon afterward, and regular services were held for many years, but at length a decline followed, causing the virtual dissolution of the society.
The Congregational church and society of Woodville was formed in November and December, 1836, and in 1832 a small brick edifice was built to replace the union meeting house which had been erected a few years before. The first pastor, Rev. Chas. B. Pond, was installed Jan. 25, 1540. The present brick edifice was erected in 1868, and dedicated in August, 1869. The society has maintained a permanent existence and is now in a good condition. The members number 89 persons, while the Sunday school has a total enrollment of 195 pupils. The present minister of the church is Rev. 1 T. Hart.
Rural Hill is the name of a locality in the northwest part of the town, where Jedediah Hill settled in 1815. The old farm passed to his son Eben, thence to John Ilill (brother of Eben) and finally to Amasa Hun- gerford. He sold to Philip Hungerford and the latter established what- ever there was of the early hamlet. He was appointed postmaster in
1 Onion lodge. No. 26. F and A. M., was organized at Woodville, Oct. 22, 1817. but was soon after removed to Ellisburgh village, and was dissolved in 1-27
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
1849, when the office was established, but previous to that year Edwin Burnham had opened a store. To change the name of the locality Burnham called his establishment "Rural Hill store," and from this the post office name was taken. In the early history of the town the locality was known as " Buck hill."
Wardwell Settlement is the name of the vicinity where David I. Andrews located when in 1800 he and David Fox first came to the town to develop the lands of Col. Wardwell. In later years a saw mill was built on the creek, and when the school districts of the town were estab. lished, a school was built at the four corners. About 1870 a cheese factory was built on the creek and has ever since been in operation. This with the cheese box factory comprise the industries of the settle- ment.
Supervisors .- Edward Boomer, 1303; Lyman Ellis, 1804-5; Nathaniel Wood, 1806; Lyman Ellis, 1807; Joseph Allen, 1808-9; Oramel Brewster, 1810; Lyman Ellis, 1811-14; Ebenezer Wood, 1815-16; Lyman Ellis, 1817; Pardon Earl, 1818-20; Ebenezer Wood, 1821; Pardon Earl, 1822-23; Wadsworth Mayhew, 1824-29; Daniel Wardwell, 1830; Jotham Bigelow, 1831-36; Ezra Stearns, 1837; Wm. C. Pierrepont, 1839-1840; Ezra Stearns, 1841-42; Wm. C. Pierrepont, 1843; John Littlefield, 1844; James Jones, 1845; Wm. C. Pierrepont, 1846-47 : John Clark, 1848-49; Alvah Bull, 1850; James I. Steele, 1851-52; Alcander Dickinson, 1853-54; Dexter Wilder, 1855; E. B. Hawes, 1856; Andrew J. Barney, 1857; Alcander Dickinson, 1858-59; George M. Hopkinson, 1860-61; Albert G. Earl, 1862; G. M. Hopkinson, 1863; Jno. B. Clark, 1864-66; Albert G. Earl, 1467; Jno. B. Clark, 1868-69; Wm. Baldwin, 1870-73; Jas. E. Green. 1874-75: Isaac P. Wodell, 1976->1: A. S. Thompson, 1882-85; Isaac P. Wodell, 1886-88: James M. Thompson. 1889-90; R. H. Brown, 1891; 1. P. Wodell, 1892-93; E. A. Chapman, 1894-99.
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THE TOWN OF HENDERSON.
CHAPTER XXIX.
THE TOWN OF HENDERSON.
During the spring and early summer of 1796, Benjamin Wright and his assistants made a survey and division into townships of all the Black river tract, or eleven towns, as otherwise called. The town now known as Henderson surveyor Wright called No. 6, and pronounced it a " pretty good town, " with a good harbor, plenty of desirable timber in the in- terior and fine mill seats below the pond, but none above. He also referred to Stony creek as the largest stream of the township, and men- tioned particularly the pond and the cranberry marsh about it, describ- ing the latter as comprising some 400 acres.
But, somewhat strangely, the veteran surveyor in his journals, or in his other reports of the township, made not the slightest allusion to the old fortification on Six Town Point,1 nor to the ancient portage from the head of Henderson bay to Stony creek, with its curved enbankment, or wharf, of stone, leading out into the waters of the bay at least 100 rods, and so firmly constructed that it has withstood the wear of time and the waves even to the present day. The old fortification on the point was unquestionably of French construction, but when or by whom built we have not the means to determine. So far as past writers have discussed the subject it is believed that the stone wharf or embankment above mentioned was of Indian origin, and was built to make the port- age, or carrying place, more easily accessible. From time immemo- rial the lake off Stony Point has been exceedingly rough for the pass- age of small boats, and the Indian canoe must have been at the same peril as the flat-bottomed craft of the white pioneer of later years. The
1 Six Town Point was so named in allusion to the town itself, while the territory was a part of township No. 6, of the eleven towns, and previous to the civil organization of the jurisdiction, As now constituted the point comprises a succession of small islands, but originally was an un- broken stretch of land extending to the utmost extremity of the farthest island. The island for- mations were created by the action of the water currents. Along the lake shore between Six Town Point and Stony Point the government several yearsago acquired title to a strip of land for the purposes of a rifle range. It is intended for the use of a garrison at Madison barracks, the troops regularly visiting the place for rifle practice. The lighthouse on Stony Point was es tablished many years ago.
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
first European to traverse the region was probably Champlain, who in 1615, with a war party of French and Indians, is believed to have crossed over from Canada and entered the mouth of Stony creek. Here the boats were concealed, and the invaders proceeded thence by land into the heart of the Iroquois country, where a battle was fought and the allied French and Indian forces were defeated. On the retreat the former route of travel was pursued (reversed), Champlain being wounded and carried by his companions. It is fair to assume, how- ever, that the so-called Indian wharf was not built until a more recent period than the time of the Champlain invasion, and not until about or after De la Barre's time and visit to the soil of our county. This was in 1684, but the present writer has no theory regarding the erection of this peculiar structure.
The date of the construction of the old fort on Six Town Point is also uncertain, but it was so manifestly of French origin that its erec- tion must be traced to some period of the prolonged French and Eng- lish wars, and probably between De la Barre's time and the year 1760. De la Barre re-established the port at Kingston in 1684, and imme- diately afterward the French waged aggressive warfare against the English and Iroquois. However, the weight of opinion inclines to establish the fact that the fort in question was built by De Villiers (by order of Montcalm) in 1:56, when the daring Frenchman was preparing to attack Oswego. The officer mentioned made his rendezvous at what is now called Henderson Bay, but which was known to the French as the "Bay of Niaoure." This point was for some time an established headquarters for military operations.
This bay is mentioned by French historians as the place where Mont- calm camped, although other writers have located the camp elsewhere. The Pouchot map, and also the Guy Johnson map (12+1), describes what we now know as Henderson bay as Niaoure bay. However, the subject is not of vital importance, but only shows something of the interest- ing carly history of the town previous to the advent of the American pioneer. The accompanying diagram furnishes a fair outline of the old fortification as it stood an hundred years ago, but of which all traces long ago disappeared. During the pioneer period, many traces and relics of the Indian and French ( CC11- pancy were also discovered. Near an ancient trench enclosure :here is said to have been found a golden cross, about two inches long, which probably was once the property of a Jesuit priest.
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THE TOWN OF HENDERSON.
However, passing over this period of temporary occupancy, let us refer briefly to the carly history of the town under peaceful and civilized white dominion, and then trace something of its subsequent development and growth. After Benjamin Wright had finished the survey of the Black River tract the territory was divided among its owners (Nicholas Low, William Henderson, Richard Harrison and Josiah Ogden Hoffman) by ballot; and in that division (August 5, 1796), Nos. 3, 6 and 9 (or Rutland, Henderson and Pinckney), with 6.19 acres of what is now Worth, fell to William Henderson. As is elsewhere stated at length, those proprietors had purchased the tract from Constable, the title of the latter having come from Alexander Macomb, the patentee of the state of the largest grant of land ever made to an individual.
In 1801 this township was surveyed and subdivided into lots, and about the same time Asher Miller, of Rutland, was appointed Hender- son's agent to effect their sale and settlement. The land office books show that sales began in the fall of 1801, but no permanent settlement was made until the next year. From all indications the lands along the lake shore appear to have attracted the attention of colonists from New England, for between the years 1801 and 1804 all of a score of sturdy Yankees had made purchases and many of them had considera- ble improvements.
Among the purchasers and settlers may be recalled the names of Samuel Stewart, Thomas Clark, Philip Crumett, John Stafford, Peter Cramer, Moses Barrett, Daniel Spencer, William Petty, Capt. John Bishop and his sons Calvin, Asa, Luther and Sylvester, Jedediah and James McCumber, Samuel Hubbard, Elijah Williams, Levi Scofield, William Johnson, David Bronson, John and Marvel Danley, Luman Peck, Robert Alexander, Andrew Dalrymple, George W. Clark, Jonathan Crapo, Anthony Sprague, Thomas Drury, Daniel Forbes and Emory Osgood, who with others whose names have not been preserved, were the pioneers of Henderson and are entitled to be mentioned as such on the pages of local history.
The pioneer of the town, according to undoubted authority, was Da- vid Bronson, a trapper, and one of the New England colonists, who , came in advance of his companions and built a log cabin near the cen- ter of the town. Bronson cleared about an acre of land, sowed it with turf ip seed and also seeded it with " herdgrass," but high water flooded his improvement and cabin, whereupon he removed further east in the town and located on what is now known as Bishop street. In this loca- tion pioneer Bronson planted the first orchard in the entire region.
No sooner had these Yankees made a favorable beginning than there
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
came to the town a colony of Scotchmen, who made a settlement on the bay about three miles northeast of Henderson Harbor village. They came between the years 1803 and "?, and were nearly all from Perthshire, Scotland. The colony comprised John and Duncan Drum - mond, Charles and Peter Barrie, Thomas Bell, Duncan Campbell, James Crawe, Daniel Scott and John McCraull, and their families. They were poor in purse but rich in physical strength, and were well calcu- lated by nature to withstand all the hardships and privations of pioneer life in an undeveloped country. As a result of their persevering efforts the lands were cleared and well cultivated farms appeared all along the bay shore in the northern part of the town. No less industrious and no less successful were the Yankees in the other parts, and the result of their united efforts was to establish this as one of the richest and best civil divisions of Jefferson county, even as early as 1810; and while the region was seriously exposed to hostile depredations during the war which followed. it is nevertheless the fact that in Henderson there was less actual suffering than in many of the interior towns of the county.
In 1806 Abel Shepard was added to the settlers in the Scotch locality and was a worthy developer. About the same time Dr. Elias Skinner came and began to practice medicine, and was followed in 1807 by Dr. David Barney (died May 19, 1828). As evidence of early rapid growth it may be stated that during the winter of 1803-4, only ten remained in the town, but in 1806 the population included seventy families, nearly all of whom were young and middle-aged persons, strong and vigorous and determined to build up for their own and their children's comfort in later years. The names of all or even a majority of them cannot be recalled at this time, but in 1809, in addition to those already men- tioned, there were living within the limits of the town these settlers:
Alfred Forbes (who is said to have taught the first winter school), A. Jones, R. Favel, Jeremiah Harris, Horace Heath, Samuel McNitt, Amos Hart, Daniel Hardy, Benjamin Hammond, Samuel Jones, Daniel McNiel, Martin T. Morseman, Appleton Skinner, Asa and Ira Smith, Samuel Foster, William Waring, William White, Dan- iel Pierce, John B. Carpenter, Luther S. Kullinger, Lodowick Salisbury, T. Huns- den, White and Thomas Bull.
Of all these settlers not one now lives to tell the story of early life, but the sons of many of them, and the grandchildren of still more, are still in the region and among them may be found some of the most suc- cessful and enterprising men of the present time. Indeed, it seems that Henderson was a most fortunate place for settlement in the early
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THE TOWN OF HENDERSON,
history of the county, and that the quality and character of its land be- came known all through the region, as the year 1807 found the town to contain 128 legal voters possessing requisite property qualifications. This condition proves that Asher Miller was an energetic salesman and land developer, but in this work Jesse Hopkins is entitled to a full share of credit, he having succeeded to the agency April 8, 1805, con- tinuing in that capacity many years. In 1807 Dr. Isaac Bronson be- came owner of a considerable tract of land in the town, which was sold and settled under a separate agency.
Soon after Hopkins came into the agency he, with the approval of Wm. Henderson, his principal, caused a twenty-five acre tract to be cleared at the harbor, where it was proposed to establish a village. The locality possessed one of the prettiest, safest and most easily improved harbor sites on the lake or river, and while Mr. Henderson hoped to establish its importance from a commercial point of view, he earnestly opposed any warlike operations, hence Sackets Harbor was made the principal scene of events during the war of 1812-15, while in later years Henderson Harbor was a lake port of only minor importance. To this place Mr. Henderson gave the name Naples, and caused a com- plete village plot to be surveyed and in part laid out. In the near vicinity agent Hopkins built a house, established a land office, opened a store (in 1807) and otherwise endeavored to build up the settlement, but in vain. Through his influence Henderson procured an act au- thorizing the construction of a state road from Lowville to Henderson Harbor, but the work was never fully completed. In 1809 he caused a dam and saw mill to be built on Stony creek, near the head of naviga- tion, but the breaking of the dam swept both of them away. Both were rebuilt the next year, but at very heavy expense. Then he endeavored to sell his remaining interest in the town to General Matoon, but the doubtful termination of the then threatened war defeated the project. This was in 1811, and after the negotiations for the sale had ceased Mr. Hopkins built a large school house at the harbor, which also served as a place of religious worship. He established a ship yard, and be- tween the years 1812 and 1814 built several schooners, all in the earnest effort to make Naples a seat of business operations; but the attempt was in vain, and although Mr. Hopkins tried various other schemes to build up the village during the succeeding ten or twelve years, his en- deavors were not rewarded with the success they deserved.
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