Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York, Part 75

Author: Emerson, Edgar C., ed
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Co.
Number of Pages: 1368

USA > New York > Jefferson County > Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York > Part 75

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At his shipyard were also built the Pennsylvania and Kentuekey, in 1836; the Mis- souri, in 1837; the Patriot, in 1838; the Asa Wilcox and Havana, in 1841; the 1). D. Calvin and Rocky Mountain, in 1842; the Cambridge, Neptune and brig Empire, in 1843; the Cuba, Oregon and brig Ontario, in 1814; the Milan and brig Hampton, in 1815: the Champion, Rio Grande, propeller Clifton and brig Iroquois, in 1816; the Palmetto, Seminole, Portland, Arcadia and brig 11. R. Seymour, 1817; the brigs Saxton and Ocean, in 1848; the D. J. Schuyler, in 1849; the Melrose, in 1852; the three-master Hungarian, in 1853.

About this time the industry began to decline, as the railroad was then in full operation, but during his active career Mr. Wilcox built a total of forty-eight vessels of all classes, at Three Mile Bay, Wilcox- ville and elsewhere. Among the other ship builders at the bay were Schuyler & Powers, who in 1843 built the Col. Powers. In the same year William Combs built the Bogart. In 1845 E. Cline built The Rush, and Peter Estes built the Breeze. These were the principal operators, though throughout the period of boat building, and extend- ing almost to the present time, small craft and skiffs have been con- structed annually. Yet the industry as an element of business life at the village has passed out of existenec.

One of the earliest merchants at the Bay was Lewis Parker, who opened a store about the time ship building began. Other early store keepers, about in the order of succession, were Lewis Lanfear, Farnham S. Corey, Corey & Putnam, Damel J. Schuyler, G. R. Wilcox (son of Asa, who was in trade until about ten years ago),

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Reuben and Russel Day, Day. Cline & Wilcox, Charles W. Mckinstry (the oldest present business man of the village), John L. Schuyler, Wheeler & Main, Lucas Bros., George W. Ricketts and Wheeler & Hayes. The present mercantile interests are represented in the general stores of C. W. Mckinstry, Herbert H. Shaw and Dr. Vincent; A. D. Curtis' furniture store; Empie's hardware store, and the Hopkins seed house. The quarriers are Adams & Fish and John J. Barron.

The Methodist Episcopal church at the bay is one of the oldest relig- ions organizations, having been in existence since 1838, when the class was formed. In 1846 the Three Mile Bay circuit was organized. The house of worship which was occupied for a time both by the Methodist and Free Will Baptist societies, was built in 1845. The society has never been strong in point of numbers, the present membership being 32, with 6 probationers. Pastor, Rev. S. M. Fiske.

The Free Will Baptist society referred to in the preceding paragraph, was formed about 1827 as a Free Communion society, and was changed to Free Will government in 1841. The society under the latter name was regularly organized in 1843, and Charles Leonard, R. H. Bartlett, Henry Leonard, William Northrup and Charles Caswell were chosen trustees. The meeting house was built in 1844. The society is not now in existence.

The First Baptist church of Lyme, as now known, was, in fact, the third society of that denomination in the town. The mother church was formed on Point Salubrious in 1816, from which a branch society was formed in the same part of the town in July, 1824, and meetings were held thereafter on the point, and also at Chaumont, Point Penin- sula, North Shore and Three Mile Bay. In 1833 the various societies or branches took the general name of the United church of Lyme. In 1834 eighteen members were dismissed to the branch on Point Penin- sula, which then became an independent organization. In the fall of same year, Nathan M. Kendall, Nathaniel Wells, Martha Woodruff, Ada Shaw, Anna Pratt and Ahitabel Wells withdrew from the mother church and formed a new society at Three Mile Bay. This has been the survivor of churches of this denomination in Lyme, and the only one to maintain a continued existence. Its present members number 113 persons, but the church is at present without a pastor. The church edifice was erected in 1840, and was rebuilt in 1874.

The Universalist church at Three Mile Bay was formed in 1850, and has since maintained a continuous existence. The members are few and meetings have not been held regularly, as much of the time the so- ciety has been without a pastoral head.

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THE TOWN OF LYME.

Wilcoxville, the post- office name for which is Point Peninsula, is a small hamlet on the east side of Point Peninsula, and was named in allusion to William Wilcox, an early settler, who built here a large log house which was used for tavern purposes. Mr. Wilcox kept the hotel several years and at length replaced it with the more comfortable frame building which still stands. One of the first storekeepers was one of the Sackets, who established a branch store, probably about 1820. Oliver Wilcox was clerk for Sacket. About the next merchant was Winslow M. Burdick (who was probably the first postmaster), succeeded by Sheffield Burdick, F. C. Cline, Day, Cline & Wilcox, Byron Harris and the Misses Clark, the latter being in trade at the present time. About 1875 Linus Collins opened a store and was succeeded by Frank James, under whose ownership the property was burned.

Asa Wilcox began building schooners on the point about 1832, and was afterward connected with the same industry on Pillar Point, Three Mile Bay, Chaumont and Sackets Harbor. The schooner New York was built on Point Peninsula in 1832 by S. Howard. The William Buckley was built in 1834 by G. C. Rand; the Bancroft in 1836, and the G. C. Rand in 1838, by the same builder. Other small boats were also built on the point, but after Mr. Wilcox removed to the bay the business rapidly declined.

After the old-time interests were gone Wilcoxville became an unim- portant hamlet in the town; but about 1872 and '73 the inhabitants be- eame possessed of the belief that underlying the land surface in their locality was a deposit of petroleum oil. This belief resulted in the or- ganization and incorporation, March 18, 1873, of the Point Peninsula oil and mining company, with $5, 000 capital, for the purpose of digging, boring and experimenting in the "search for oil, ore, salt, coal and other minerals on Point Peninsula." The promoters of this enterprise were Daniel C. Holbrook, Welcome Wilcox, James H. Wiggins, O. S. Wilcox, George A. Barnes, Jacob Putnam, L. D. Collins, H. M. Lepper and Nelson L. Enders. The undertaking, however, did not result in the discovery of mineral deposits of any kind in quantities sufficient to justify a considerable outlay of capital, therefore the company soon passed out of existence. However, one of the Collins' residences was for a long time lighted with natural gas from the point.

The present business interests of the hamlet comprise the store con- ducted by the Misses Clark, George Putnam's hotel, a new cheese fac- tory, and the shops usually found in small settlements. The public buildings are the district school and the Methodist Episcopal church.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

The society of the M. E. church on Point Peninsula was formed in 1834 by Hiram Shepard and Freeman HI. Stanton, and meetings were afterward regularly held, yet a church home was not provided until 1880. The church membership is small, numbering at present 25 per- sons. The pastor is Rev. C. V. Wood. The church property, includ- ing parsonage, is valued at $2,000.

Supervisors .- Richard M. Esselstyn, 1818-22; John B. Esselstyn, 1823; Willard Ainsworth, 1824; Jno. B. Esselstyn, elected at special town meeting. Sept , 1824; Willard Ainsworth, 1825-32; Otis P. Starkey, 1$33; Jerre Carrier, 1834-35; Wilmot Ingalls, 1836; Isaac Wells, 1837; Philip P. Gaige, 1838; Roswell T. Lee, 1839; P. P. Gaige, 1440; Timothy Dewey, 1841; William Carlisle, 1942; Alexander Copley, 1843; W. O. Howard. 1844; Theophilus Peugnet, 1845; Isaac Wells, 1846-47; Alex. Cop- ley, 184; P. P. Gaige, 1849; Henry Cline, 1850; Alex. Copley, 1851 ; Richard Ryder, 1852; Wm. Carlisle, 1853-54; Jacob Putnam, 1855; Nelson Burdick. 1856; Wm. Dewey, 1856; Jacob Putnam. 1555-60; Francis C. Cline, 1861 ; Remos Wells, 1862-65. Wmn. H. Main, 1860-67; Andrew J. Dewey, 1868-73; Charles M. Empie, 1874-76; Adelbert A. Getman, 1877-78; Waitsill Crumb, 1879-81; David M. Mount, 1882-83; W. W. Enos. 1884-85; John F. Delaney, 1886; Thaddeus O. Peck, 1887; Waitsill Crumb, 1888; Jno. F. Delaney, 18$9; Eli B. Johnson, 1890-95; A. James Shepard, 1896-99.

CHAPTER XXXIV.

THE TOWN OF ORLEANS.

A treaty was held at Fort Schuyler (formerly Fort Stanwix) Sept. 22, 1788, between the Oneida Indians and certain commissioners rep- resenting the state of New York, at which time the natives ceded to the state all their domain, but with the express understanding that the state should, "as a benevolence from the Oneidas to Peter Penet, and in re- turn for services rendered by him to their nation, grant to the same Peter Penet, of the said ceded lands, lying to the northward of the Oneida lake, a tract of land ten miles square, wherever he shall elect the same."

A person acquainted with the general topographical character of the lands included within the vast Oneida domain would naturally suppose that John Duncan, the agent of Penet, would have selected his htin- dred square mile tract in some location farther south than the St.

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THE TOWN OF ORLEANS.

Lawrence region. Dunean could not have traversed the territory and made the selection after personal examination, but must have contented himself with "due diligence and inquiry " among the Indians, for the ten miles square proved to be the most level and heavily timbered of all the Oneida territory; and when cleared of its forest growth by the whites it developed into the finest farming country in northern New York. Indeed, there can be no reasonable doubt that the Indians in- formed the agent as to the location of their choicest lands, and directed the selection. It must have been a warm affection the Oneidas had for Penet, and great indeed must have been the debt of gratitude they felt they owed to him; but how he ever succeeded in ingratiating him- self so completely in the savage affection has ever been regarded as something of a mystery, for among the whites he was looked upon as an unserupulous adventurer. He was engaged in many schemes and was constantly besieging the federal and state governments for recog. nition or aid in his enterprises. He never lived upon or even saw, so far as any record shows, his lands in this county.

Penet's square, as it has ever been called, was wholly within the town of Orleans as originally constituted, but now two-fifths of the tract is in the town of Clayton. On January 23, 1289, Penet had made John Dunean his attorney to locate the land and receive the letters patent therefor. This instrument was dated Nov. 18, 1789. On Ang. 8 of that year the commissioners of the land office directed the surveyor- general to survey the tract for and at the expense of Penet. The sub- sequent history of the traet was both interesting and complicated, and by almost every process of law and man's ingenuity have the land titles in Orleans (on the square) been established. On July 13, 1790, Penet, through Duncan, sold the square for five shillings to James Watson and James Greenleaf, and Watson, on Feb. 26, 1795, sold his interest to Greenleaf for 61,000. Sept. 4, 1297, Greenleaf sold to Simeon Des- jardines for £19,400. By various other subsequent conveyanees and releases, all of which a e more particularly set forth in the chapter relating to land titles in the county, the square eventually passed into the ownership of John La Farge, by deeds between the years 1817 and 1823. Still, the titles were not considered perfectly good, where- upon La Farge allowed the land to be sold for taxes, he purchasing and receiving the deed to himself from the comptroller of the state.

While these events were taking place in regular channels another element of complication arose in the proclaimed ownership of the square

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

by Hippolyte Penet, brother to Peter, who quit-claimed the land to John S. Le Tonelier, of Schenectady, for the mere consideration of one dollar. A suit in chancery followed and the deed was set aside by the decree of chancellor Samuel Jones, Aug. 2, 1828. These things had the effect to excite distrust among settlers, many of whom had taken contracts from assumed proprietors and were holding under doubtful title. They therefore joined in a petition to the legislature in 1821 praying for a direct grant of the lands from the state. The matter was referred to a select committee, who reported the title as shown by the records in the office of the secretary of state, also the conveyance by Duncan as Penet's agent, but at the same time expressed a doubt as to whether the proprietor had ever divested himself of the title, the con- veyances nowhere appearing of record. For more accurate informa- tion and report, the question was referred to the attorney-general, who found that the tract, except 21,000 acres, was conveyed by Penet to Duncan, but as to subsequent conveyances he had not the means of ascertaining.

This gave no relief to the disturbed settlers, but about 1824 Mr. La Farge came to the square to assert his title. Still, the inhabitants doubted his ability to do so. A public meeting was held at Stone Mills in 1824, at which time a committee was appointed to investigate and report on the La Farge titles, but before anything had been done the proprietor had occasion to bring a suit in ejectment, and there proved his title to the lands. However, in 1826, claimants under the Hippol- yte Penet deeds came to the vicinity and asserted their titles, but with- out more serious effect than a suit for damages at the complaint of La Farge, and the departure of the claimants from the field. On May 12, 1827, La Farge agreed to sell all his lands, contracts, leases and certifi- cates to Vinal Luce and Philip Schuyler, in consideration of $75,000, and subject to all arrears of taxes, as well as other provisos and con- ditions. The new proprietary took possession, but soon afterward new complications arose regarding the title, suits were brought and William Smith, of Watertown, was appointed receiver to take and hold moneys paid for land until the question should be determined; but in . June, 1830, a compromise was effected with Luce and Schuyler by which La Farge again took possession of the land, which he soon allowed to be sold for taxes, purchasing the same for himself and establishing a new and undisputed title. About 1840 the proprietor appointed Dr. John Binsee, of Watertown, as his agent, and then re- moved to New York.

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THE TOWN OF ORLEANS.

So far as can be determined the first proprietor to visit the square was John Wilkes, the owner of 12,000 acres by purchase from Nicholas Olive, the latter the grantee of Simon Desjardines. Wilkes came to the tract in 1802 and made an examination of the character of the land, with a view to becoming resident proprietor, but unaccustomed to such a life, with all its vicissitudes and privations, he became disgusted and soon abandoned the region. After this none of the several owners visited the land nor was any attempt made to develop it under lawful authority until John La Farge came to assert his title in 1824.

Settlement and improvement on Penet's square was begun as early as 1806 by persons who took and held possession without color or claim of title, for they regarded the region as ungranted land and subject to the rule of "first come, first served." Indeed much of the square was tenanted with settlers of this class, who established a law of possession among themselves. Many of them were earnest workers, but poor in purse. They knew the land was not their own, but toiled on and haz- arded the result. In many cases excellent farms were developed by this squatter community, and when the town was set off from Brown- ville they were specially enfranchised by the creating act. However, they were not recognized as owners by the authorities of Brownville, were not assessed for the land they occupied, nor was any provision made for their protection.

John La Farge dealt somewhat summarily with many of the squat- ters, for they were disposed to dispute his ownership; therefore when his title was established, he had little compassion for their condition, and insisted on payment for his lands. The first white occupant of the tract was Roderick Frazier who in 1806 established himself in a log hut about two miles north of the settlement afterward called Stone Mills. In the next year Peter P'ratt, a pioneer of the Perch river country. came out and made a clearing south of the Stone Mills. In the years following the squatter community increased rapidly, for the news of "free lands" had been spread throughout the Mohawk valley, from whence came many of these settlers. However, no record of any kind was kept of their arrival and settlement, and while many of them de- veloped good farms they refused to answer the demands of La Farge and left the region.

On the site of La Fargeville Dr. Reuben Andrus and Benjamin Page, both Vermonters, made a settlement in 1816, each building a log house, and in the fall of that year Andrus built a saw mill near the place, the

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

pioneer industry of its kind in the town. Other early settlers in this vicinity were Moses Darby, Eli Bergen, Peter Cook and his sons Horace, Hiram, Ilial and Harvey, Major Earl and his son Lyman, Charles Cummins aud Dr. Cushman, all during the year 1817. Major Earl served with credit during the war of 1812, and in the service earned his title. All these settlers were afterward identified with the history of the town. Under the proprietary as it stood in 1817, A. M. Prevost was the owner of a large body of land in the south part of the square. In that year he made contracts of sale to many persons who were then or soon afterward actual settlers, among them Asa Hall, Richard Tay- lor, Frederick Avery, Benjamin and John Taylor, Solomon Stowell, Samuel Linnel, Roderick C. Fraser, Lester White, William Collins, jr., Leonard and Blake Baldwin, John B. Collins, Isaac Mitchell, Eben- ezer Eddy. John Smith, Thomas and Shepard Lee, Thomas Lee, jr .. W'm. Guile, W'm. Larrabee, Ebenezer Scoville, Henry Arnold, Warren Hall. John Page and Ambrose Adams.

These settlers acquired title from Prevost through Elisha Camp, of Sackets Harbor, who acted as agent. The lands were rated at $5 per acre, and were located on lots 66, 75, 86, St and 95, all in that part of the town commonly known as Stone Mills. But these were not all the settlers of the period, for in other localities, and on the square gener- ally, there came abont the same time and began improvements

Jonas and Brainard Everett, father and son, Isaac Niles, James Gloyd, Ebenezer Eddy, Leonard Baldwin, all during the year 1817, so near as is now known. Peter Rhines, who was the first town clerk of Orleans and afterward held various other offices, came in 1>19, and in the same year also came Stephen and Hamilton Scovil. In 1$20 there came Joel L. Buskirk and family, Henry and Josiah Nash, John W. and James C. McNett, and perhaps others whose names are forgotten. John W. McNett was La Farge's agent, and his brother James C. was the first Presbyterian elder in the town. They settled at the place afterward called Rixford's corners. The Nash families lived near La Fargeville. Other prominent names in the early history of the town were those of Henry Heyl, R. T. Jerome, Ashley Tanner, John Tallman, William Whaley, Lyman Britton, Peter Folts, George S. and Otis N. Britton, Thomas and Abner Evans, Merchant Carter, David Gregg, Nathan Halloway, Joseph Rhoades. John Monk, Moses Lyman, Adolphus Pickard, Nicholas Smith, Sabin Rixford, Caleb Willis, Mr. Barrett. M. Contreman, and William Collins, the ten last mentioned hay- ing been soldiers in the war of the revolution.

Thus is presented to the reader the names of many of the first set- tlers in what is now Orleans, but at best the list is imperfect, for in no town in the county was there so much uncertainty in possession and occupancy as on Penet's square, on account both of the character of

225

THE TOWN OF ORLEANS.

the settlement and the question concerning the validity of the titles. That this settlement was very rapid is shown in the fact that in 1825 the town had 3,541 inhabitants, the territory then including the town now so called and the part of the square which was set off to Clayton in 1833.

Organisation .- On April 3, 1821, an act of the legislature divided Brownville and Le Ray, and out of their territory created three new towns, Alexandria, Philadelphia and Orleans, the latter the only one which was erected wholly from Brownville. The effective portion of the act was as follows:

Be it enacted, etc., that all that part of the town of Brownville, "beginning at the southwest corner of Penet's square (so-called), thence northerly along the west line of said square to the center of the river St. Lawrence; thence northeasterly along the center of said river to the above new town of Alexandria : thence south along the west line of said town of Alexandria to the north line of Penet's square aforesaid to the northeast corner thereof ; thence south along the east line of said square to the south- east corner thereof ; thence west along the south line of said square to the place of beginning, shall be and the same is hereby erected into a separate town by the name of Orleans; and that the first town meeting shall be held at the house occupied by Ilervey Boutwell."

A subsequent section of the act declared "that all free male inhab- itants in the town of Orleans aforesaid, of the age of 21 years and up- wards, shall be good and sufficient jurors in all courts to be holden be- fore any justice of the peace in and for the said county of Jefferson, and shall be eligible to hold any town office in the town of Orleans, in the same manner as if they were freeholders in said town." Another section of the act provided " that so much of the oaths directed by law to be taken by town officers, as respects their being frecholders, may be omitted in the oaths to be taken by the town officers hereafter to be chosen in the said town of Orleans."

The object of these sections of the act was plain. At that time by far the majority of inhabitants on the square were squatters, holding possession without title, hence were ineligible to office in the territory. The proposed jurisdiction was not sufficiently populous to warrant town organization without them, and with them on the territory in such large numbers the exercise of some authority was necessary, hence the act and its somewhat unusual provision. Another element which was an important factor in the town's creation was the difficulty which had existed for several years in choosing officers for Brownville. It will be remembered that in 1820, at the annual town meeting held at Perch

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

river, the inhabitants of the square came out in superior numbers and outvoted the residents of the south part, choosing a town elerk from their locality, which would have resulted in the removal of the office to the north part of the town, thereby causing much inconvenience except to inhabitants of the square. They were voters, but not freeholders, therefore not eligible to office. However, at the adjourned meeting on the occasion referred to the Brownville voters rallied in force, reconsid- ered the vote for clerk, and elected an incumbent from the south part of the town. Then the sentiment of the people became divided, and the charge of "stealing a town meeting " resulted in the division of Brown- ville, as has been narrated.

Within its original boundaries Orleans included the entire 64,000 acres of Penet's square, together with all the territory of Brownville north of the square and west of a line drawn north from the northwest corner of lot number 6. This northern portion extended to the county line, therefore to the line between Canada and the United States, and in- cluded such part of the islands, great and small. as lay north of the triangular territory mentioned. Some modifications of these lines were made in later years, and when Clayton was set off in 1833, the territory of Orleans north of Penet's square was reduced to a narrow strip of land, two miles in width, extending from the tract direct to and across Wells island, the west boundary of the strip, however, diverging to the west so as to bring all of the western part of the island within the town, This was done purely for convenience, but the ultimate result has been to include within this town the famous Thousand island park, together with several other prominent resorts, all to the great benefit and increase of the assessable property of the town. In 1929, all that part of the town which lay east of Perch lake was annexed to Pamelia. Clayton was created from Orleans and Lyme in 1833, and took from the former four tiers of lots, or two-fifths of the square, from the west side, and as well all the lands of the town lying north of that part of the square set off. The division line between Clayton and Orleans was changed by an act passed February 6, 1840. The boundary between this town and Alexandria has been twice changed, both times for the convenience of owners and occupants of islands, but otherwise not of great impor- tance.

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Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York, Part 75

Author: Emerson, Edgar C., ed Publication date: 1898 Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Co. Number of Pages: 1368

Author: Emerson, Edgar C., ed
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Co.
Number of Pages: 1368