Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York, Part 10

Author: Smith, John E., 1843- ed
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston, Mass.] : Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 960

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

clothier, from Dutchess county ; Dr. Ephraim Otis, an eminent physi- cian from Saratoga county, settled a mile south of the village; Stephen Bogardus, from Columbia county; Benjamin Wibert, from Saratoga county; Enos and Amos Peasley, brothers, Elijah Cornell, father of Ezra Cornell, founder of the great university that bears his name; Joseph and Benjamin Tripp and David Ring, from Columbia county ; James Derbyshire, from Saratoga county; Joseph Underwood, from Dutchess county. All of these settled within the limits of De Ruyter town and formed a respected and useful element of citizenship. Friends' meetings were begun about 1806-7 in a log house near the north bounds of the village, and in 1815 a Friends' meeting house was built in Quaker Basin, about two miles east of the village, in which meet- ings were regularly held for three-quarters of a century. The original church was demolished in 1898 and the Methodist chapel built on the site. The society divided in 1827, and those who called themselves the Orthodox branch built a meeting house in 1830; but it was used only a few years, many of the sect having removed from the town.

Elder Joseph Coley was an early settler and a Baptist minister, who located a mile north of the village. He was a prominent citizen and acted in the interest of John Lincklaen in selling land to the Friends. He died near New Woodstock in 1856, aged ninety-one years. Zenas Rider came from Dutchess county and settled a little north of the vil- lage as early as 1808, and died there. Many other early settlers of the town are noticed further on and in Part II.

Two churches at least were formed in De Ruyter previous to the erection of the county in 1806. The first religious meeting of Baptists was held November 5, 1798, over which Elder Joel Butler presided, at the house of Joseph Messenger. Two were baptized and on the follow- ing Sunday two more. A few others soon united with these and on December 9 they met and organized by adopting articles of faith and practice; in the same month they were recognized by a council. At that time there were twenty-three members. In January, 1801, Nathan Baker, a licentiate, was ordained as preacher. In June, 1804, Caleb Smith was chosen deacon, a position which he occupied with great acceptance until his death in 1856. During the years 1817-18 a lot was purchased a little east of the village and a frame church erected. This was occupied until 1842, when a new and more commodious edifice was finished; it is the one still in use. Among the early pastors were Revs. Richard H. Benedict, Joseph Maltby, Lewis T. Seaman, Joseph Coley,

SETTLEMENT OF TOWNS.

J. C. Holt, William Denison, Luman W. Webster, William A. Wells, J. B. Pixley, W. H. Douglas, Benjamin Crandall, Thomas Fisher, E. W. Bliss, D. Leach, and a long list of others, many of whom served only a year or less. At the present time the congregation is small and the pulpit is supplied largely by Hamilton students.

There has always been a large element of Seventh Day Baptists in this town. In 1795 William and Thompson Burdick, the pioneers al- ready mentioned, began the so-called "Sabbath-keeping " settlement about three miles north of the village site. These were soon joined by Jonathan, Luke and Pardon Coon, Matthew Wells, aud Jonathan Bent- ley, Sylvester Crumb and many others who located in this vicinity and in adjoining towns. By 1815 the sect here was a numerous one, and meetings were held in barns, school houses and dwellings, in which Elder David Davis and others took the lead. On September 15, 1815, a meeting was held for the purpose of organization and a covenant was signed by twelve men and thirteen women. For about ten years meet- ings were held alternately in De Ruyter and Lincklaen, and in 1827 the membership numbered 127. In 1831 the Lincklaen church was organ- ized by members dismissed from this society. In 1835 the society built the substantial church edifice it has ever since occupied. Although this church has been at times without a regular pastor, meetings have usually been regularly held, and the society is still in an active and prosperous condition. Present pastor, Rev. L. R. Swinny.

Although a little out of its chronological order the early Methodist church may properly be noticed here. Meetings of members of this sect were held in the town at a very early date, and in 1817 it became a preaching station on the Cortland Circuit. In 1830 a Union church edifice was built to which this denomination contributed and meetings were held therein regularly. The church is on the Cuyler charge. The present church edifice was erected in 1884, the former one having been changed into a business building. There was a Methodist church formed in early years at Shed's Corners, which is still in existence. A Universalist society also was formed there many years ago, but it grad- ually declined and has gone out of existence. The building is now used for a dwelling.

The town of De Ruyter at the time of the formation of Madison county, as the foregoing pages indicate, was quite fully settled and many farms were partially cleared and supplied with comfortable homes. A few early schools were being taught, the first mills were in operation,

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

around which was forming the nucleus of a more numerous settlement, the household wants of whom were supplied by Samuel Bowen who opened a store soon after 1800 in a little building which stood just north of the Tabor House site. A man named Gray built the first frame store before 1805 and other merchants soon followed. The burning of the town hall destroyed the town records of De Ruyter, making it im- possible to describe the public proceedings of the authorities in early years.

CHAPTER VII.

FURTHER TOWN FORMATION AND SETTLEMENT,

When the much-desired division of Chenango county was accom- plished in 1806, the inhabitants of the northern part of the former great civil division felt the highest satisfaction in the knowledge that in their future they would not be compelled to travel long distances for the transaction of public business and to attend the courts, and, as we have seen, their public spirit was exhibited in their prompt attention to the establishment of a new county seat, the erection of court buildings and the inauguration of the county government.

Meanwhile, as population continued its rapid increase, the further division of the five then existing large towns became imperative, and the people did not delay action in the important work. No less than five new towns were erected in the year following the formation of the county, 1807; these were Eaton, Lebanon, and Madison, erected Feb- ruary 6, and Nelson and Smithfield on March 13. Settlements had already been made in all these, beginning in 1792-3, to which attention must now be given.

The town of Eaton was formed from Hamilton on February 6, 1807, is situated centrally in the county and bounded on the north by Smith- field and Stockbridge, on the east by Madison, on the south by Leba- non, and on the east by Nelson. It was named in honor of Gen. Will- iam Eaton, a Revolutionary soldier, who, after filling consular positions, returned to Brimfield, Mass., whence many families migrated to this vicinity. Its area is a little less than 28,000 acres. The Chenango

SETTLEMENT OF TOWNS.

River flows across the town from the northeast corner, and its valley comprises a large part of the area, the sloping sides and level bottom lands being rich and fertile and giving variety and beauty to the scen- ery. In the northern part the slope is towards the north and the drain- age flows to Oneida Lake. In the vicinity of Eaton village are a num- ber of springs which are strongly impregnated with sulphur, and in all parts of the town are numerous springs of pure water, which water the pasture and meadow area and create streams which in past years turned many wheels of industry. Alder Brook rises in the town of Nelson and flows easterly through the southern part of Eaton and empties into the Chenango at Eaton village; it has numerous mill sites. Leland's Ponds and Woodman's Pond are three beautiful small bodies of water in the southern part, which were drawn upon to supply a reservoir con- structed in 1836 to supply the Chenango Canal, which curves into the southeastern part of the town. The flow from Hatch's Lake and Brad- ley Brook Pond in the southwest corner was taken for the same pur- pose. These waters have always been noted for their abundance of fish and were favorite resorts of the Oneida Indians, whose trail to the Susquehanna passed the Leland's and Woodman's Ponds; the stream flowing southward from the southernmost of the ponds was known as Pine Woods Creek.

The soil of Eaton is clayey and gravelly loam on the hills, and in the valleys gravelly loam and alluvium. The region was formerly covered mainly with the hard maple tree and great quantities of excellent sugar were produced. In early years general farming was followed, but dur- ing the past half century dairying has been the principal agricultural in- dustry. This town introduced the first cheese factory and creamery in Madison county, thus leading in a movement that revolutionized the farmer's occupation.

Eaton was Township No. 2 of the Twenty Townships and was part of the purchase made for Sir William Pultney by English agents. William Smith was the agent in the purchase of this, as well as other towns, as described in an earlier chapter, and the township was pat- ented to him in April, 1794. When Smith subsequently resigned his agency he was succeeded by Robert Troup and in the arrangement Smith had reserved to him the tier of lots west of the center.

John and James Salisbury, brothers, who were with the first settlers in the adjoining town of Lebanon, entered the limits of Eaton, on lot 94, in the fall of 1792, and made a clearing, but the severity of the ap-

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

proaching winter drove them back and they never returned to their humble improvements. The first permanent settler in Eaton was Joshua Leland, a native of Sherburne, Mass., born in 1741 and mi- grated to this town in 1793, and began clearing a farm. He was soon joined by John H. and Benjamin Morris who aided him in his work. In the fall he went back to his former home and in the following spring took his family to the wilderness home, which had been made habitable by the Morrises during the winter. This place was on lot 94 and later became known as the Dunbar farm. The journey in was extremely difficult and when the family were within a few miles of their destina- tion the cart sank in the mire and Mr. Leland was compelled to go and get the Morrises to help him out. The point where the cart was thus mired became the later homestead and the locality is still known as Leland's Pond. Mr. Leland kept the first public house in Eaton, his humble house supplying a welcome hostelry for many of the local pioneers; it stood on the site of the later Dunbar residence. Mr. Leland also built the first grist mill at the foot of the Leland Lake in 1795, and before the close of that year added a saw mill. To operate these mills a dam was built behind which the water overflowed a large tract of lowland, causing dissemination of malaria; this resulted in the purchase of the mills by the town within two or three years and the destruction of the dam. The heavy forests of hardwood in that region enabled the pioneers to make large quantities of potash and Mr. Leland was the first to engage in the business, the product finding a ready market and generally for cash. Mr. Leland was killed June 22, 1810, while taking a load of potash to Albany, the barrels rolling upon him while descending a hill in Cherry Valley. He left a large estate to his family. He had six sons, the first letters of whose given names were the vowels-A, E, I, O, U and Y-thus: Amasa, Ezra, Isaac, Orrison, Uriah and Yale. There was a seventh son, Joshua, and three daugh- ters.

In 1795 Mr. Leland induced other families from Sherburne, Mass., to locate near him; these were Benjamin Morse, Simeon Gillett, Levi Bonney, Elijah Haydon and Daniel Alby. In the same year Benjamin Morse's son, Sawen, was born, the first birth in the town. The first death was that of Simeon Gillett, which took place in 1796; in the same year the first marriage was performed, uniting Mr. Gillett's daughter, Dorcas, with Lewis Wilson, who had just come from the east.

In 1796 Samuel Sinclair, Joseph Morse, William Mills, Humphrey

SETTLEMENT OF TOWNS.

Palmer, Deacon McCrellis, and perhaps a few others, became settlers in the town. Mr. Sinclair succeeded Mr. Leland in keeping the tavern at the old place and became quite popular as a landlord. The Morse family soon became and have ever since remained one of the most prominent and worthy in the town. Ellis Morse, son of Joseph, born in 1789, died in 1869, was a liberally educated man of excellent busi- ness capacity, high character, and was frequently called upon in past years to fill local offices. He built the still existing fine old stone resi- dence in 1819, where hospitality and domestic happiness were ever present. The son, Calvin, was born in 1799 and lived to become the oldest resident, retaining to a remarkable degree his active faculties. He held various public offices. A younger son of Joseph Morse went to Pennsylvania in 1826, became a large manufacturer, and died there about 1870. Eunice, daughter of Joseph, married Dr. James Pratt, the first and for a few years the only physician in Eaton. Bigelow Morse removed to Fabius, and Alpheus remained in Eaton to accumulate a fortune as a manufacturer, much of which was lost in the later failure of his woolen mill at Alderbrook. Gen. Henry B. Morse, of the Civil war, and later a resident of Hot Springs, Ark., was a grandson of the pioneer; so also were Alfred A., who fell at Cedar Creek; Walter, a member of the manufacturing firm of Wood, Taber & Morse, of Eaton; Rev. Andrew P., a Presbyterian minister; Gardner, manufacturer and miller in Eaton village, town clerk, member of assembly, etc .; Darwin, and Frank B., merchants in Eaton; Albert W., scientific farmer and inventor. Benjamin Morse, the other of the pioneer settlers, passed the remainder of his life in Eaton, but most of his descendants went west. Hezekiah Morse became a settler a little later; he was elected supervisor in 1809, was prominent in the establishment of schools and a leading citizen; he subsequently removed to Oxford.

Thaxter Dunbar settled in Eaton with his father in 1799 and lived to be almost a hundred years old. John H. and Benjamin Morris who helped Joshua Leland in building his log house, before mentioned, probably removed farther south in the year of their settlement. Their brother, Thomas Morris, settled on the site of Morrisville, purchasing land which included it, and the little settlement that gathered there was for some years known as Morris Flats. He built his first log house which occupied a part of the site of Mead's drug store and his first frame house on the site of Otis P. Granger's residence. He died April 27, 1824, and no lineal descendants now live in this vicinity.

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Benjamin, Windsor, Stephen, and Ziba Coman settled in this town in 1797, near the "Center" (Eagleville), where they labored persistently to found the most important village in the town. They were compelled to see the failure of their efforts, as business was inevitably to central- ize along the turnpikes, one of which passed through Morrisville and the other through Eaton. Names of this family appear frequently in the records of early times as office-holders, business men and church workers. Benjamin died in 1852, and Stephen in 1870.

Other settlers of 1797 were Rawson Harmon, Rufus Eldred, Cyrus Finney, and Dr. James Pratt; others who located perhaps a little later were William Mills, John Pratt, Lorin Pearse, Caleb Dunbar, Isaac Sage, William Hopkins, Seth Snow, Elijah Hayden, Daniel Hatch, David Gaston, Constant, Robert, and Cyrus Avery, Joseph French, Abiather Gates, and a Mr. Patterson. Rawson Harmon, Rufus Eldred and Cyrus Finney settled near the site of Eaton village. Many of these families were conspicuous for faithful and unselfish effort in the welfare of the small community previous to the beginning of the present cent . ury, and made comfortable homes for themselves and their posterity.

John and Matthew Pratt came from Vermont and settled at what be- came known as Pratt's Hollow, near which they built a grist mill amid many difficulties. The mill itself stood about half a mile out of Pratt's Hollow, and was soon followed by the building of a saw mill and a large distillery. They also owned several houses, built and stocked a store and erected one of the very early woolen mills in the county. The firm of Pratt Brothers was for many years favorably known over a wide extent of territory and they became quite wealthy; but in later years met with reverses. About 1806 a number of Protestant Irish families settled in the Pratt's Hollow region, among whom were the Tooke, Kern, Fearon, Tacabury, Philpot and other families.

William Hopkins was an early settler in the west part of the town, where he and his sons, Anthony, Isaac, Palmer and Harlow, cleared and cultivated an excellent farm. Seth Snow settled west of Eaton village, where he built a double log house and kept tavern. His brothers, Simeon and Eleazer, settled a little later. Elijah Hayden settled near the village, and Daniel Hatch about a mile southeast, on the Hamilton road. David Gaston settled in Morrisville and was one of the early judges.

Benjamin, Elisha, Nathan Slater, and Dr. Slater settled early in Eaton. David Bennet settled near Hatch's Lake on the north side; he

SETTLEMENT OF TOWNS.

was father of Daniel and Olney. Abiel Payne was an early settler near the site of the reservoir; he was father of Stillman and Truman. Perry Burdick and Thomas Fry located before the close of the last century in the vicinity of West Eaton, and Dr. Abner Camp, Captain Whiton, Nathan King and Samuel Lewis at other points.

In 1802 Isaac Sage built the first tavern at Log City,1 on the east side of the road to Lebanon and opposite the site of the later Exchange Hotel. There also Robert and William Henry began keeping store in 1805, and in 1804 Rufus and Zenas Eldred built the first distillery, and set up the first carding machine. B. Carter built the first tannery at Eaton village as early as 1808. Although a little out of chronological order, the settlement of Bennett Bicknell in Morrisville in 1808 may properly be mentioned here, as he began the manufacture of combs at that early date, and was prominent as a merchant and hotel keeper. He was a native of Mansfield, Conn., and carried to Morrisville with him considerable means which he freely used for his own business and the public improvements then needed. He held the office of assembly- man, State senator, member of congress, county clerk, and was a cap- tain and major by brevet in the militia. He died in June, 1841.

David Darrow, the progenitor of the families of that name in this section, settled the same year and became one of the most successful of the farmers in the vicinity of West Eaton. He died in November, 1870. Thomas Lumbard, from Hampden county, Mass., settled in 1803 near the site of Eaton village, but removed to Smithfield after five years, where he died in April, 1813. He had a family of nine children, who became prosperous and respected. The families of other early settlers and of later prominent citizens are noted further on and in Part II.

Only one church was organized in this town previous to the forma- tion of the county; this was the Congregational church, which was inaugurated at the house of John Mixer, Eaton Center, on the 26th of

1 A stranger who had traveled hither, and was generously entertained by the hospitable people, was found to be the prince of good fellows and withal a wag. In the midst of their jolifi- cation, he took a flask of "good cheer," ascended one of the low-roofed log buildings, and in the presence of admiring comrades, delivered a short and witty harangue, flourished his bottle, and drank to the health of "Log City," which was answered by the waving of hats and three rousing cheers. The spirit of the occasion lingered in the feelings and was carried home by each one present, and he in turn retailed the good joke perpetrated on the settlement to his neighbor. The story grew in importance, was passed from mouth to mouth, till the name of Log City, one of the chief stopping places on the Skaneateles Turnpike, became familiar as a household word from the eastern to the western limits of New York State .- Hammond's Hist. Madison County, p. 300.

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

June, 1805. The members were John Mixer, Thankful Mixer, Jehiel Chapin, Joshua Leland, Waitstill Leland, James Pratt, William Ran- dall, Edward Bliss, Phineas Lucas, Polly Bement, Louisa Gates, Sarah Anderson, Lydia Avery, Polly Holt and Hannah Bliss. Here are found a few additional names of pioneers in this vicinity. The name adopted for the organization was The First Congregational Church of Eaton, and the society was admitted to the Oneida Association, September 10, 1805. Rev. Jonas Thompson was the first pastor and served twelve years, during which period the school house was used for the meetings. The first charter was obtained March 18, 1817, but was allowed to lapse, and when the second one was obtained in June, 1818, the society had changed its creed character and the name taken was The First Presbyterian Society. Three years later in September, 1821, it was decided again to be governed by Congregational doctrine and practice, but to remain in the Oneida Presbytery. The first house of worship was erected in 1817, and cost about $1,700; it was extensively altered in 1842 and again in 1859, and was enlarged in 1871. Among early pastors of the church were Revs. Silas Parsons, Washington Thacher, Evans Beardsley, Nathaniel S. Smith, E. D. Willis, John R. Dodge, Moody Harrington, H. L. Hammond, William B. Richards, Frederick S. Jewell, Byron Bosworth, William B. Hammond, John R. Lewis, Horace F. Dudley, William Windsor, William W. Belden, D. D., and William A. Smith.

Education was early fostered in Eaton through the medium of Dr. James Pratt's school, begun in December, 1797; it was a peculiar insti- tution, being moved from one point to another each month, thus giving its benefits to different parts of the town. It was held the first month in Eaton, at Joseph Morse's, and the next at Joshua Leland's. The first school house was built at the Center, near Dr. Pratt's residence. Fanny Forrester (Emily Chubbuck), the famous authoress, was an early teacher in this town, of which she was a native, but she did not begin until after the erection of the county. A school was taught in Eaton village, besides Dr. Pratt's, in 1804 by a Miss Osmond; the house stood on the cemetery ground and was burned about 1806. A Mr. Roberts taught the next school in a private dwelling a mile below the village.

The first town meeting in Eaton was held in the school house at the Center, on March 3, 1807. Simeon Gillett was moderator, and the fol- lowing were chosen the first officers: Robert Avery, supervisor; David Gaston, clerk; Martin Roberts, collector; Josiah Wilcox, poundkeeper;

SETTLEMENT OF TOWNS.

Ziba Coman, Benjamin Morse and John Hall, assessors; Hezekiah Morse and Abram Ellis, poormasters; Seth Hitchcock, John Pratt and Robert Avery, highway commissioners; Martin Roberts and Nathan Mixer, constables.

The usual resolutions were voted upon and passed, restraining hogs and rams from running at large at certain seasons, and for maintaining the simple town government in other directions. At a meeting held March 5, 1811, a resolution was adopted requiring every farmer to cut all Canada thistles on his land "in the old of the moon," in the months of June and August, under the penalty of $10, after having received three days' notice; a similar penalty was imposed for not cutting bur- docks after the same notice by the authorities.

In the town meeting of 1809 the principal topic of discussion was the so-called County Road. A vote was passed to "petition the legisla - ture to have the County Road taken up from the first station of said road to the now dwelling house of David Gaston, and established on or near the now travelled road from the said first station to the said dwell- ing house of David Gaston." A petition for this purpose was circulated in the town.

In 1810 it was resolved in town meeting to adopt proper measures to have the site of the court house and jail fixed, and efforts were made in favor of this town as the county seat. The town meetings were held for a number of years in the school house "near Dr. James Pratt's," and afterwards in the court house and in the Presbyterian church in Morrisville.

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Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York, Part 10

Author: Smith, John E., 1843- ed Publication date: 1899 Publisher: [Boston, Mass.] : Boston History Company Number of Pages: 960

Author: Smith, John E., 1843- ed
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston, Mass.] : Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 960