Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York, Part 78

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 78

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747

THE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

THIE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

The lands comprising the present town of Philadelphia were a part of the 220,000 acre tract conveyed January 3, 1800, by William Consta- ble, on behalf of the Antwerp company, to James D. Le Ray, the con- sideration paid for which was $46,315. 12. Of that tract this town in- eludes 21, 800 acres, and is the smallest of the county's civil divisions, except Pamelia.

Jacob Brown, the pioneer of Brownville and the entire region north of the Black river, was the direct cause of the settlement of Philadel- phia. He knew the character and quality of the lands and their natural advantages for agricultural purposes, and this knowledge he cansed to be circulated among his friends and acquaintances in Bucks county and the eastern part of Pennsylvania, where he had lived previous to coming to the Black river country. The result of his endeavors in this direc- tion was a visit to the region in 1803 by Joseph Child, sen., Moses Moon, and his son, James Moon, who made an exploration of the lands of that part of Brownville which was afterward set off to Le Ray. They examined particularly in the locality between the Chassanis line directly north of Black river village, and thence extending northeast in the direction of Le Raysville, or lots 629-32, which Joseph Child and Moses Comfort at that time purchased. These were afterward used as sample lots in the negotiations for the company's purchase.

After having satisfied themselves as to the quality of the lands the explorers returned to Pennsylvania and reported the results of their in- vestigations to their friends, whereupon a company was formed to make an extensive purchase of lots in this region. On February 16, 1804, Mr. Le Ray, who then lived at Burlington, N. J., made an agreement to sell to the company, or its representatives, sixteen lots (6,040 acres), of land in Brownville, on great lot No. 1 of the Macomb purchase, at the agreed price of $3 per acre, payable in five annual installments, with six per cent. interest, with a ten per cent. discount for cash pay-

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

ment. It was also agreed and provided that the lands should be of as good quality as lots 629-32 above mentioned.

For the purpose of this transaction, which at that time was one of considerable importance to the proprietor, for these proposed Quaker purchasers were both a sturdy and substantial set of men, Mr. Le Ray caused to be laid out a tract aggregating twenty-five lots of land, in the form of a rectangle, five lots deep and five wide, each presumably con- taining 440 acres. The center lot was No. 611, whereon stands the vil- lage of Philadelphia, and which the proprietor agreed to donate to the company for the "support of a meeting house and school lot." Mr. Le Ray, with his customary business tact, then reserved two lots im- mediately north, south, east and west of the center lot, thus selling to the company a block of four lots on each corner of the tract, or sixteen in all.

The purchasers comprising the company were Abram Stockton and Charles Ellis, of Burlington, N. J., and Mordecai Taylor. Robert Comfort, Thomas and John Townsend, Israel Knight, Benjamin Rowland, Cadwallader Child, Moses Comfort, John Jones, David Evans and Jason Merrick, all of Montgomery, Philadelphia and Bucks counties, Penn., and all of whom, save Jason Merrick, were Quakers.

In May, 1804, after all the preliminaries of the purchase had been settled, Cadwallader Child, Mordecai Taylor and Samuel Evans came to the locality by way of Albany, the Mohawk valley and the French road to Felt's mills, where they crossed the river into Le Ray, then however, a part of Brownville. Then in pursuance of an agreement with Le Ray, Mr. Child visited Jacob Brown at hishome in Brownville and con- sulted with him in relation to the survey of certain necessary roads from settled points to the purchase and proposed new settlement. With a party to assist in this work, our pioneer set out for Le Raysville, and from a point near the old " Methodist meeting house" he followed a line of lots " of Broadhead's survey to the south corner of the center lot, and down Black creek to its junction with Indian river, then called the west branch of the Oswegatchie."

It was in the performance of this work that Cadwallader Child first surveyed the road from Le Raysville to Philadelphia in 1804, and the same business called him down to Alexandria Bay that year, when he discovered and reported to the proprietor that the bay had all the requi- sites for a port, upon which a large tract was reserved by Le Ray for a village site. The proprietor had agreed to have a wagon road opened from the St. Lawrence river through the tract just sold, and thence

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THE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

continued to the old post road in Champion, and to have the work fin- ished before the first of December of that year. In this the proprietor had employed Mr. Child, and a more faithful employee was never in his service. In the party besides Mr. Child were Mordecai Taylor and Samuel Evans, his companions from Pennsylvania, also Michael Coffeen, Solomon Parker, Robert Sixbury and one other in the capacity of assist- ant. Sixbury was the hunter of the party, whose chief duty was to supply the surveyors with meat for their sustenance. This he did, but his skill with the gun did not avail; when at Alexandria Bay the party found themselves entirely out of all provisions but game. They were on the point of returning when a schooner happened to come down the river, and being well supplied with "mess," kindly furnished enough to carry the surveyors to the end of their route.

Cadwallader Child was the leading spirit of this whole enterprise, and for many years afterward was a conspicuous figure in town history, both in Philadelphia and elsewhere in the region, as a perusal of the town chapters will show. But Mr. Child never sought to draw attention to himself, being a consistent Quaker, therefore free from all ostentation or desire for prominence, and whatever he did, and whatever promi- nenec he gained, was wholly in the line of his business as surveyor, at which he was employed much of the time by Le Ray and also by the settlers in this part of the county. It is in this connection that his name appears so frequently in the records.

According to the terms of the purchase, it was agreed that in case the lands should not be as good as those of lots 629-32, of which ques- tion Richard Coxe, Jacob Brown and Jonas Smith were sole judges, the proprietor was to make good the deficiency by an additional amount of land, but it does not appear that the arbiters were ever called upon to pass on the matter, on the contrary it appears that the purchasers were well suited with their possessions. It was also provided that the company should agree upon a division of the lots among themselves be- fore the 25th of April after the purchase, which being done, Mr. Lc- Ray executed deeds to each of the owners in May, 1804. The lots sold were numbers 539, 540, 542, 543, 575, 576, 518, 579, 643, 644, 646. 617, 614, 675, 667 and 678. The lots reserved by Le Ray were 311, 512, 609, 610, 612, 613, 645 and 646.

Lot No. 611, to which reference has been made, was given to the company for the support of a meeting house and school. In all the surveys made by Child this lot was used as the central or starting point.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

The surveying party in following the Broadhead line struck the lot at its southeast corner, thence followed down Black creek to the place of discharge into the Indian river as above stated. Here a cabin was built about on the site of the Philadelphia grist mill of later years, now the Wilson mill. From this point the road was surveyed to the St. Law- rence, just above Alexandria Bay, followed by another from the same starting point to the Black river at Great Bend. Thus the road was surveyed. These things being done, Mr. Child, his nephew Samuel, and Thomas Ward, went upon lot 644, which the surveyor had drawn in the company's division, made a small clearing of about two acres and built a rude log cabin, but did not remain on the lot during the winter. This clearing was about one and a half miles south of the village site, on the bank of a small creek, and on the farm where Oliver Child, son of the pioneer, afterward lived so long. This was the first improvement in the town of Philadelphia, but the honor of being the first permanent settler and pioneer in fact must be given to John Petty, who came to Le Ray in 1802 or '3, and in the fall of the next year lo cated on lot 6:2, building a cabin and remaining throughout the winter of 1804-5. His lands were embraced in the farm afterward owned by John T. Strickland, at Strickland's corners, near Sterlingville. Daniel Coffeen followed in the same fall, and made an improvement but did not settle until the next spring.

Returning briefly to the subject of lot 611, it may be said that while this donation on the part of the proprietor was in itself a generous action, it was nevertheless the ultimate cause of much dissension and nearly resulted in a disruption of the Quaker element of population. The lot had been placed in the hands of trustees of the company to manage for the public welfare, and on February 1, 1805, these trustees held a meeting and determined to lay out the tract in lots of ten acres each, which should be rented to any person or persons who would clear the same and build a log or frame house 18 feet square within four years. In compensation for this work the tenant should be entitled to the use of the lot rent free for a term of ten years. It was also deter- mined at the meeting that the division and disposition should be made under the direction of Robert Comfort, Cadwallader Child, Thomas and John Townsend and Jason Merrick.

llowever, settlement on the lot under direction of the committee was not rapid, nor was it satisfactory to the company. During the first ten years less than one settlement per annum was made, therefore the trus-

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THE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

tees became dissatisfied with their lack of success in attempting the disposition of the lots, and in 1815 applied to the Le Ray monthly meeting of Friends to relieve them. This could not be accomplished without an act of the legislature, and as an application of such charac- ter was inconsistent with the religious teachings of the'Quakers, it was not made. In April, 1816, the Le Ray meeting appointed a commit- tee comprising Richard Hallock, Daniel Child, Joseph Child, jr., Will- iam Barber, John Strickland, jr., and Joel Haworth to confer and act with the trustees in the mangement of the lot, said trustees having been reappointed, except Merrick, who continued to act with them. On June 9, 1823, trustees Robert Comfort and Thomas Townsend quit- claimed their interests in the lot to Cadwallader Child and John Town- send, and thereafter, between October, 1823, and 1838 " the whole 110 acres was leased out in about 40 lots, or parcels, at annual rents aver- aging less than one dollar per acre, forever." On July 7, 1825, the so- eiety appointed Edmund Tucker, Daniel Child and John Strickland, jr., to procure quit-elaim deeds from the persons mentioned in the con- veyanees from Le Ray, but this could not be done on account of the refusal of some and the death of other grantees, whose property was in estates. In the meantime another element of discord had arisen, for in 1828 the Quakers here had become divided by the teachings of Elias licks. Edmund Tueker and John Strickland, jr., were leaders of the cissentients, the Hieksites, while Daniel Child, Cadwallader Child and John Townsend remained with the orthodox members. The latter ele- ment, however, continued in control of the lot and the meeting house, which had been built in 1810.

On March 9, 1843, Samuel G. Slocum, Robert Townsend and Nay- lor Child were appointed trustees in place of Cadwallader Child, John Townsend and Jason Merrick, and on January 9, 1845, the monthly meeting directed the trustees to quit-claim to most of the tenants and occupants on the lots the parcels which they respectively held, in con- sideration of the gross sum of $1,250, which was done, though without the consent of Naylor Child. This was the result of the so-called anti- rent troubles, which began as early as 1835, and while following closely after the more serious similar disturbance in Steuben county, was in no manner related to that event. The local anti-rent conflict had its origin in the fact that the original leases had been subdivided, sub- Jeased and otherwise repeatedly conveyed by lessees without the knowledge of the trustees, who were compelled frequently to distrain

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

for rent against tenants whose leasehold interest had been transferred to a subsequent occupant. This was a condition of frequent occurrence and led to much feeling on the part of certain tenants in possession at the time, nearly all of whom organized together to resist the claims attempted to be enforced against them to secure pay for the debts of their predecessors. Jesse Smith, John F. Latimer and Samuel Rogers represented the tenancy in this matter, but legal and not forcible resist- ance was determined upon.

In March, 1844, a petition was sent to the legislature for an act authorizing the trustees to sell the center lot, but the attorney-general, to whom the application was referred, reported that it was "not compe- tent for any court, or even the legislature itself, to add to or diminish from the estate thereby created, or to change the nature of the trust, or to confer upon the trustees to convey the legal estate discharged of this trust, thus annexed to it." However, the difficulty was finally settled by the execution of quit claim deeds, and all arrearages of rent were paid to April 1, 1844. Since that time the titles to lands on the lot have practically settled themselves, although formerly regarded as resting on rather insecure foundations. On this score, however, there is now no doubt for where half a century or more ago was the scene of almost constant disquiet and uncertainty regarding titles is now one of the most progressive interior villages in Jefferson county. Notwith- standing all the difficulties of the period, the original purpose of the donation of lot 611 was in a measure carried out. The meeting house was built in 1810, and was afterward maintained with but little expense. Robert Comfort was preacher of the meetings. A school was kept in the meeting house, although the first school in the settlement was opened in the dwelling of John Strickland, sen., and was taught by Anna Comstock. In 1835 a difference arose between the Quakers and the trustees of the district regarding the employment of teachers, and resulted in the erection of a school house by the district, and a school supported at the public expense.

In the early history of the lot and its settlement, the improvements most needed by the settlers were grist and saw mills, and as an indice- ment to their erection Thomas and John Townsend were given the free use for 20 years of a fifteen or twenty acre tract of land, to include the falls on Indian river, for the purpose mentioned. The work of build- ing was begun in the spring of 1805, the Townsends coming to the town in that year, as also did Robert Comfort, Josiah Walton, Thomas Coxe

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THE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

Benjamin and Thomas Gilbert and Daniel Roberts. Warren and An- drew Foster arrived soon afterward, and with the Gilberts and Walton were employed in working on the mills. The latter were built quickly, yet well, and were sufficient for the time and the needs of the settlers. During the same season, a log house was built for John Townsend, and stood about on the site of the present Eagle hotel. A dwelling was also built for Robert Comfort, standing near the east end of the bridge, and was soon afterward opened for the accommodation of travelers. It was the first public house in the town. In the fall of 1807 Joseph Bolton came and took possession of the tavern and continued it as a house of "public entertainment," as called among the Quakers. In 1809, John Strickland, sen,, purchased the Townsend mill property, and about the same time took up his residence in the blockhouse which Thomas 'Townsend had built, but which he soon enlarged to double its original size. This was the first framed dwelling house in either the settlement or town,

Having thus traced the early history of lot 611 and the territory in its immediate vicinity which was settled by these industrious, perse- vering Quakers, a brief allusion may be made to the arrival of some of the more prominent characters that made up this somewhat unique settlement, and also some of the pioneers and early settlers in other parts of the town than the lots purchased by the company. As has been stated, the pioneers of the town was John Petty, who purchased and settled on lands on lot 672, in the fall of 1804, and was thereafter a permanent resident. Daniel Coffeen came during the same fall, but (lid not move there until the next year. Thomas and John Townsend came in 1805 to build their mills, and brought with them the settlers mentioned in a preceding paragraph, all of whom were in some manner afterward identified with the town in its early history. Josiah Walton settled on reserved lot 645, where he employed men to make a clearing, and on which Cadwallader Child sewed the first erop of wheat. John Townsend also sewed wheat the same fall, these being the first events of their kind in the town. Mr. Child also built a log house on lot 611, in which he intended to live, but soon sold the improvement to Silas Walton, another early comer.

Jason Merrick, the only member of the company not a Quaker, was a native of Holland, and came to the settlement in 1805, making an improvement on lot 675, clearing the land and building a log house. In his family were six children. John Strickland, of whom mention 95

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

has been made, was one of the most wealthy and influential men of the town in his time. He was a native of Bucks county, Pennsylvania. born in 1757, and came to this town in 1806, bringing here, it is said, the sum of about $25,000 in cash. He bought the saw and grist mills built by the Townsends, and was otherwise extensively interested in property in the town. His possessions at one time amounted to 5,000 acres of land. During the war of 1812-15, he furnished supplies to the American army, but the somewhat unexpected return of peace found him with a large quantity of provisions on hand, all of which he was compelled to sell at less than half its original cost, thus seriously impairing his fortune. In his family were eleven children, and among his descendants have been some of the best business men of the county. This worthy pioneer died Sept. 15, 1849. The locality so long known as Strickland's Corners was named in allusion to the family.

Stephen Roberts was another settler in 1806, and also a former resi- dent of Bucks county, Penna. He took up 440 acres just south of the village site. His children were Daniel, Elias, Hugh, Grace and Eliza- beth Roberts. This family name has also been well preserved in the town and county and includes men of capacity and worth. Benjamin Gilbert also came in 1806, and John Strickland, jr., in 1806. In the latter year Joseph Bolton came and moved into the tavern built by Robert Comfort as above stated.

Thus was accomplished the pioneer settlement, and thus was founded its earliest institutions. In this direction, however, progress was slow previous to 1818, for the most desirable lands of the town were sup- posed to have been taken by the Quakers and their friends, whose names we have attempted to recall. From this fact settlement on the reserved lots, and as well in the remote parts of the town was delayed until later years. At that time Mr. Le Ray was much engaged with his other enterprises, and after the Quaker settlement was founded he gave little attention to its affairs. In 1807 the settlement suffered se- riously from an epidemic of fever, from which Robert Comfort lost two daughters and Jason Merrick a son, all of whom were buried in the settlement graveyard.

The causes which retarded settlement on the center lot and the Quaker lands generally, also delayed development in other localities, but among the heads of families who came about or soon after the time of separate town organization were:

Harvey Hamblin, the second supervisor of the town, and the Ingleharts, who

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THE TOWN OF PHILADELPHIA.

settled about two miles from the Quaker settlement in 1810. In the same manner may be recalled and mentioned Alden Bucklin, Thomas, James and William Bones, David Mosher, John R. Taylor, Benjamin Jackman, Hiram Hinman, Plati Hoffman, Samuel C. Frey, Cyrus Dodge, Andrew Warren, Benj. Gilbert, Benj. Foster, Samuel and Harvey Copley, Thomas and Duty Mosher, Alfred Coolidge, Gardner Clark, and others now forgotten.

However, for the purpose of preserving the names of as many as possible of the older settlers in the town recourse is had to the assess- ment rolls, which, fortunately are found in fair state of preservation, the oldest of which is of the year 1827.

At that time the resident taxable inhabitants were William Allen, Stephen Baker. Alfred Coolidge, James and Allen Cooper, Cadwallader and Aaron Child. Gardner Clark, John Edwards, Harvey Hamblin, Nehemiah lowland, David Holden, Jona- than Mosher, Samuel Rogers, Stephen Roberts, Mahlon Strickland, John Strickland, John Strickland, jr., Abiel Shirtleff, Ai Shattuck, John Towusend, Edmund Tucker, John Whiting, Erastus Whitney, William York.

Organisation .- Notwithstanding the conditions which surrounded early life and settlement in this town, it was deemed advisable to make a division of the territory of Le Ray within about ten years after set- tlement on lot 611 was begun, although not until 1821 was the creating act passed by the legislature. At that time three new towns were erected in the northern part of the county, viz. : Alexandria, Orleans and Philadelphia, all by the same act. That portion of the act which related particularly to this town was as follows:

That all that part of the town of Le Ray, &c, "Beginning at the easterly corner of lot 164, on the southwesterly line of the town of Antwerp, and running thence along the southeasterly line of the above new town of Alexandria (referring to a pre- ceding section) to the south corner of lot 223; thence southeasterly and parallel with the southwest line of the town of Antwerp, to the northwest line of the town of Wilna; thence northeasterly along the said line of Wilna to the town of Antwerp aforesaid; thence northwesterly along the said town line of Antwerp to the place of beginning, shall be and the same is hereby erected into a separate town by the name of Philadelphia; and that the first town meeting shall be held at John Strickland's tavern house in the said town."

The first town meeting was held March 5, 1822, when these officers were elected : Supervisor, Alden Bucklin; town clerk, John Strickland. jr. ; assessors, Thomas Bones, Alden Bucklin, Abiel Shurtleff ; collector, William Bones; commissioners of highways, Cadwallader Child, John Townsend, Abiel Shurtleff; commissioners of common schools, John Strickland, jr., David Mosher, James Bones; inspectors of Schools, James Bones, Cadwallader Child, J. R. Taylor : constable, William Bones.

In Philadelphia the geographical and topographical conditions are not unlike those of other towns in this part of the county. The town,

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

however, has two splendid watercourses, the Indian river and Black creek, which drain the lands thoroughly, and also afford abundant water power for such milling enterprises as have from time to time been established. The soil generally in the town is a clayey loam, comparatively fertile under proper cultivation, yet affording excellent grazing and pasture lands. Iron ore has been found in considerable quantities, thus leading to some important early industries.

From the time of its earliest settlement until its lands and resources were fully developed, the growth of the town was slow and conserva- tive. Indeed, nearly the whole population during the first twenty years of its history were a conservative class of men and women, Quakers and Friends, steady, earnest plodders, caring little for other than the plainest comforts and conveniences of life, and scorning all that savored of personal ambition and progression as viewed at the present time. Yet in all this vast county there were no more indus- trious, intelligent and trustworthy people than the early settlers on the company's lands in what is now Philadelphia. All their customs and manners in life were peculiar, especially in their religious walk and ob- servance, which were elements not calculated to attract to the town other settlers than those who shared the same views; and it was not until dissensions began to creep among them, growing out of the preach- ing of Elias Hicks, that many families of other sects came to town to live. In 1820 the territory comprising the town contained 826 inhabitants, and in 1825 the number had not increased. The subsequent growth is fairly shown by extracting from the census table as follows:

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Our county and its people. A descriptive work on Jefferson County, New York, Part 78

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