USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 13
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Settlement in the town of Madison was early promoted by Robert Troup, who has already been mentioned as the agent of Sir William Pultney, the purchaser of immense tracts of land in this region. In association with Mr. Troup and working under his direction was Ben- jamin Walker, and through their efforts and fair treatment of settlers, the town rapidly filled up with an excellent class of pioneers. In 1791 prospectors entered the town and in the following year Daniel Perkins, the first permanent settler, took up two lots lying south of the pond near the site of Madison village; he was from Kennebec county, Me., and subsequently sold parcels of his land to other settlers. He located a mile east of the site of Bouckville where Theodore Spencer now resides, built a house and returned to Maine for his family, who were brought in early the next year. A little later he transferred the home- stead to his son-in-law, Theodore St. Clair, with whom he resided for a time and later with his son, Solomon Perkins; the latter had left this town prior to 1806 and settled in the Black River country. Mr. St. Clair built in 1807 the hotel in Madison village which is still standing, though much changed in appearance by subsequent additions. He kept the tavern a short time.
In the same year (1793) Jesse Maynard took up a farm on lot 45 about a mile south of Madison village, now owned by the widow of Lewis W. Curtis; he remained only a short time in the town. His brothers, Amos and Moses, came in a little later, Amos about 1798, and
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Moses as early as 1801. The former settled on the same lot as Jesse, where he and his wife both died. He was the first captain of militia in the town, was a soldier of the war of 1812 and rose to the rank of col- onel. Moses Maynard brought in a large family and settled on the site of Madison village where he kept an early tavern many years. He afterwards built the hotel at Bouckville, where he died in May, 1853.
At about the year under consideration the founder of Madison village came in the person of John Berry and took up land on lot 36 on which the village is situated. He settled a little to the south of the village center, where Charles Welch now resides. At an early date he sold the homestead to his son Samuel, who later sold it to Gen. Erastus Cleveland, son-in-law of the elder Berry, under an agreement that Cleveland should thenceforth care for Samuel's father and mother; Samuel Berry then went west. John Berry, who became blind, and his wife passed the remainder of their days with General Cleveland and both died in 1821.
Erastus Cleveland was one of the Madison prospectors of 1792, com- ing directly from Whitestown, but originally from Norwich, Conn. In the spring of 1793 he settled on Oriskany Creek in the north part of the town at what became known as Tyler's Mills, a mile below Sols- ville. He purchased all the mill sites on that stream and built at dif- ferent times some half dozen grist mills, as many saw mills, and a woolen factory on the site of Solsville, which disappeared before 1825. All those mills have also disappeared excepting one, which is now oper- ated by F. Fiske. This was in part due to the reduction of the water power caused by constructing the canal. General Cleveland also engaged among the very first in the manufacture of black salts, as the crude potash was called, buying ashes for the purpose about the country; in the prosecution of this business he kept a few coarse dry goods which he exchanged for ashes, thus becoming the first merchant.
General Cleveland was a man of great capacity and energy and soon made a wholesome and permanent impression upon the uninviting part of the wilderness where he had chosen his abode. He was a practical carpenter and turned his skill to excellent account in his early building operations. He built before 1794 the first saw mill, which was sup- plemented in the following year by a grist mill, the first one in the town; it occupied the site of the one before mentioned as now operated by Mr. Fiske. He continued in the building business until his death, which took place at the home of his son, Samuel G., January 23, 1858.
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The house in which he died, on the old Berry place, was built before 1800 and was probably the first frame dwelling in the town; Jonathan Pratt built a frame house opposite in the same year. General Cleve- land built, also, on the Berry farm the first brick structure of any account; he engaged early in droving, carried on distilling and brewing, and in the second decade of the century built the brick store in Madi- son village, where he was a merchant a few years and transferred it to his son and others of his family. In the conduct of his various business undertakings General Cleveland accumulated what was a considerable fortune for those days. For many years he was among the foremost citizens of Madison county ; was elected to the Assembly in 1833, where he was prominent in securing the legislation for the construction of the Chenango Canal; was the instigator of the measures that led to the establishment of the county poor house, and was for many years county judge. In the war of 1812 he commanded a regiment at Sackett's Harbor, and later was in command of a brigade of militia which gave him his military title.
Col. Samuel Clemens settled also in 1793; he was from Massachusetts and located on the Cherry Valley Turnpike about a mile east of Madi- son village, where Algenas Lovejoy now resides; he opened his house for the entertainment of travelers; he, however, left the town in early years. Thomas McMullen (the spelling of this name has been changed to Mellen) settled in 1793, coming from Pelham, Mass., and locating a mile northeast of the Center on the farm now occupied by L. Morgan ; he and his wife both died there. Stephen F. Blackstone and Russell Barker came westward in company in 1793 from Brantford, Conn., where they had married sisters. Blackstone settled in the southeast corner of lot 47 where Henry Fredericks now resides, and Barker on lot 48 on the old Bishop place. Mr. Blackstone was a prominent citi- zen and held the offices of member of assembly and county judge. His son Stephen was one of the first children born in the town. William and David Blair were brothers and settlers of that year, William at Madison Center on land known as the Coe place, where he reared a family. Brownell Tompkins, father of Sidney Tompkins, married his daughter and with him William Blair passed his last years. David Blair settled a mile southeast of the Center, where his son David after- wards resided, now occupied by Thomas Jones. James Collister, an- other pioneer of 1793, came from Massachusetts and settled where his grandson, Deloss Collister, subsequently lived and where James Collis-
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ter, son of Deloss, now resides. Among his children was Marcena Collister, who was the first male white child born in the town; he suc- ceeded to and died on the homestead.
Two other settlers of 1793 were Henry W. and Israel Bond, brothers and soldiers in the Revolutionary army, who located in the north part of the town, Israel on the Bond farm now occupied by Miss Pratt. Henry Bond built in 1793 on the Oriskany at Solsville, an early saw mill, which was operated some thirty years. He and Eli- jah Blodgett, who settled on the flats near Bouckville, kept a tavern there and were interested together in lands in the northwest quarter of the town. Henry Bond removed from the town in early years. Mr. Blodgett was a practical surveyor, the first in the town, and a man of more than ordinary ability; he held the office of justice of the peace, but he also left the town as early as 1807.
Joel Crawford settled in 1793 about two miles east of the Center on the farm now occupied by the widow of the late T. Jones. He removed to Michigan. Francis Clemens settled in the same year a little east of the site of Madison village at the foot of the hill which skirted the Cherry Valley Turnpike as it formerly ran; it has been changed in its course to make it more nearly straight; he removed from the town in early years. Seth Snow settled in 1793 on the turnpike on the Putnam place now occupied by a daughter of Samuel Putnam. He planted the first apple tree in town and also built the first brick house, a small structure. He left the town at an early date.
John Niles, from Chesterfield, Mass., came west by way of the Mo- hawk River, stopped one summer in Clinton and in the winter of 1793 passed down the valley and cleared an acre of land on lot 43, a half mile east of the site of Bouckville, on what has always been known as the Niles farm. The following spring he returned to Clinton and from there brought in on his way back corn, beans, and potatoes, which he planted on his clearing. He had recently married his wife in Clinton and she came in with him. In the following year a number of his rel- atives joined him, among them his brothers, Ephraim, Isaac, Calvin, Nathan and Samuel, and his father, Nahum, all of whom with the ex- ception of Calvin had families, adding materially to the settlement. Isaac settled on the Solomon. Root farm, which he sold to Root; Nathan on a farm adjoining John's; Nahum, then advanced in years, between John and Isaac. Ephraim did not take up land. Ephraim Partridge and Waldo Littlefield, brothers-in-law of John Niles, also came in, Partridge
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settling a half mile east of Bouckville, and Littlefield lived in a log house near by but did not take up land. In 1808 John Niles sold his place to James D. Coolidg and removed to Lebanon, where the others soon after- ward joined him in founding what is known as Niles Settlement and described in the history of that town.
In 1794 a considerable colony came on from Rhode Island and located in the southwest quarter of the town. This entire quarter, excepting two lots which had been sold to William and David Blair as before no- ticed, and also two lots in the southeast quarter, had been purchased in 1792 by agents of the Rhode Islanders, and became known as the Rhode Island quarter. Among these colonists were the Simmons families, two or three Peckham families, who have numerous descendants, some of whom still live in the town, Samuel Brownell, Joseph Manchester and Samuel Coe; these were all from Little Compton and an adjoining town, but all did not arrive in that year. The Peckhams, Charles and George, Brownell and Coe, and possibly a few others, came on in 1794 by way of the Mohawk, stopped a time at Paris Hill, where relatives had pre- viously settled, and made the remainder of their journey with an ox team, bringing in their families, household goods, provisions and tools, following their course much of the distance by marked trees. The others of the colony came in within a few years. Brownell settled on the farm which he sold to his son-in-law, L. B. Putnam; he died in Madison village. Samuel Coe settled on the farm now occupied by the widow of Marion F. Risley; his daughter Nancy, who afterwards lived on that farm, was three years old when the family came in, and lived to a very old age.
Nicanor Brown was a settler in 1794, and Samuel Rowe came in about the same time from Farmington, Conn. ; the latter located on lot 13 on the farm occupied in recent years by Matthew R. Burnham. Brown settled a mile west of Solsville on the Markham farm, and later moved a little southeast of the Center to what became known as the Collins place.
Among the settlers of 1795 was Abial Hatch who located about a mile east of the Center on the farm afterwards occupied by his grandson, Erastus T. Hatch, and now by John Henderson; his only child was Capt. Zenas Hatch, who married a daughter of Deacon Taylor, an Eng- lishman, who settled early in the north part of the town; Zenas Hatch succeeded to the homestead, but removed to Madison village and there died.
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Elijah Thompson, a Revolutionary soldier, and Israel Rice, both from Massachusetts, the former from Charlestown and the latter from Wor- cester, came in 1795, Thompson settling on land bought of William Blair and Rice on lot 32 on the farm now occupied by Francis Rice. James and Alexander White, brothers, from Northampton, Mass., also were pioneers of that year, and were joined the next year by their brother John, who purchased 100 acres of Samuel Clemens. In the winter of 1797 John and his brothers Samuel and Thomas brought in their families with ox teams and sled; the sleds were rough, wood-shod vehicles and so much bare ground was found that they frequently were compelled to stop and renew the runners.
Abizar and David Richmond, brothers, were originally from Massa- chusetts, but came into Madison from Fairfield, Herkimer county, Abizar settling where his son Merrick afterwards lived and where Pliny Rich- mond, son of Merrick now lives, and David in the southwest part. Will- iam McClenathan settled in the northeast part on what has been known as McClenathan Hill.
Dr. Jonathan and James and Daniel Pratt, brothers, were from Belch- ertown, Mass., whence they came as early as 1796 and settled near the Center. Dr. Pratt was the first physician in the town and practiced until his death in 1839; he was prominent in the formation and support of the First Congregational church, and accumulated a considerable property which was mostly spent in litigation over a church matter.1 Dr. Pratt's brothers were young unmarried men and studied medicine with him. James married a daughter of James Eaton, the pioneer set- tler of Eaton village, and there settled as the first physician and school teacher, continuing until his death. Daniel settled in Fenner where he was one of the early physicians. David Pratt, father of these brothers, served in the Revolutionary war; he was father of twenty children, six- teen of whom lived to maturity and all but three here named settled in New England.
1 It was customary in those early days to sit in church during singing and stand during prayer. Some sixty years ago the evangelist, Finney, who was for a time president of Oberlin College, established the reverse of this practice, a course which Dr. Pratt opposed through his whole life. His will bequeathed a considerable portion of his property to the church of which he was a mem- ber, provided it would establish itself on " gospel grounds" by conforming to the old practice. The society, however, continued to follow the practice introduced by Finney, and at the same time sued the Pratt estate in Chancery after his death to recover under his will. After about twenty years of litigation the court decided that the church was not on gospel grounds accord- ing to Dr. Pratt's meaning. The estate was squandered in defending the will and the church im- poverished in trying to break it. The case was discussed with a view of reopening it as late as twenty years ago.
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Nathaniel Johnson, from Worcester, Mass., became a settler here in 1797, and Gideon Lowell about that year. Among others who came in the period from 1795 to 1797 were the Simmons families, William San- ford, Judson W. Lewis, Nehemiah Thompson, Peter Tyler and Thomas Dick. Zarah Simmons and his sons George and Thomas; Benjamin Simmons and his sons Benjamin and Cornelius, and Gideon Simmons, who was a cousin of Benjamin, members of the Rhode Island colony before mentioned, were from Newport and settled in the Rhode Island quarter. William Sanford, Judson W. Lewis and Nehemiah Thompson were from Stratford, Conn. Sanford settled in the southwest part, Lewis on lot 19, and Thompson on lot 17. Peter Tyler also located on lot 17, where the widow of Hon. J. W. Lippett now resides. Thomas Dick was from Pelham, Mass., and settled a mile east of the Center; he had prospected in the town in 1791.
Joseph Head, a Quaker and a member of the Rhode Island colony, settled in 1798 a half mile southwest of the Center and died there in 1837. In that year Joseph Curtis came from Stratford, Conn., and set- tled on the north line of the town on lot 3; Robert, Samuel and Timo- thy Curtis came from the same town about the same time. Robert lo- cated on land purchased of Nehemiah Thompson on lot 17, and Samuel and Timothy on Stratford street.
Gilbert Stebbins, from Wilbraham, Mass., settled in 1799 in the southeast part of the town; Reuben Brigham, from Sudbury, Mass., in the north part on the road from Solsville to Augusta Center, on what has been known as the Daniel Richards farm, which was purchased of Abner Bellows; Agur Gilbert from Stratford, Conn., settled at Sols- ville and died there in 1840; his son, Deacon John Gilbert, succeeded to the farm and died there in 1870. Joseph Manchester, who probably came in in 1799, settled in the southwest part on the Hamilton line; and Job Manchester, another member of the Rhode Island colony, lo- cated in the Rhode Island quarter on lot 57, where he was succeeded by his son William and his grandson, L. B. Manchester.
A number of prominent pioneers located in the year 1800 and per- formed. their allotted parts in building up the community. Abijah Parker settled about a mile west of Bouckville; his son Zadock was a physician and the first one in the west part of the town. Paul Hazzard came in that year from Paris, whither he had removed from Albany; he settled at the Center and found remunerative employment at his trade of carpenter. In 1801 he built the Baptist church and in the
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next year the Congregational church. Jared and Samuel Wickwire, natives of Cornwall, Conn., settled in 1800 on 500 acres in the south part of the town. Jared a few years later returned to Connecticut and married, and came back to Madison with his brothers, Samuel, Nathan and Hiram, all locating on the land previously taken up, Jared on the farm now occupied by Truman Chase. Hiram settled in Georgetown, and Nathan a little way south of Log City (Eaton), on what became the poorhouse farm, which he sold to the county and moved to the west part of the State. Nehemiah Fairchild, another pioneer of 1800, settled on five acres at the Center; he was a tailor, probably the first in the town, and died about 1812.
Paul Greenwood came from Massachusetts about 1800 and settled at the Indian opening a little northeast of the site of Madison village. Later he removed to Lebanon and thence to Smith's Valley where he and his wife both died. They had ten children, one of whom was Dr. Levi P. Greenwood, a well known physician of Erieville.
A prominent and respected citizen of the town was Joseph Banton, who came from Wilbraham, Mass., in 1801 and lived to the age of ninety years, dying in 1871. Moses Phelps came from Saratoga county about the same time and settled at Solsville and died there. John Edgarton came from Shirley, Mass., soon after 1800 and was the first settler on lot 39, on which is situated the village of Bouckville; he had previously lived a short time about a mile farther north and made brick on the Abijah Parker farm, before noticed.
Eli Bancroft and Abner Burnham come from Hartford, Conn., in the spring of 1804 and purchased land of Jeremiah Mack on Water street, and in the fall brought on their families and occupied a double log house previously built by Mack. Luther Rice came from Worthing- ton, Mass., about 1804-05, while young and unmarried and learned blacksmithing with his brother Joseph, who had settled a few years earlier as the pioneer blacksmith of the town. Joseph located at the Center where Henry Thomas now lives and followed his business there many years.
Dr. Samuel McClure settled at Bouckville about 1805 and opened a tavern. David Peebles from Pelham, Mass., settled in the northeast quarter as early as 1805.
James D. Coolidg was from Stower, Mass., and came on westward in 1806, the year of the formation of the county, and in 1808, as before stated, purchased of John Niles a large and partly improved farm on
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lot 43, half a mile east of Bouckville, where the widow of Charles Z. Brockett now resides. He died there in April, 1844, having increased his farm to about 500 acres. Mr. Coolidg was one of the early and chief promoters of the hop-growing industry in this region, and had the first hop field in this part of the State. Solomon Root from Ches- terfield, Mass., settled in the same year on a farm adjoining that of Mr. Coolidg on the south, and soon engaged in hop-growing; these two men took the lead in this business, which soon extended throughout the county. Mr. Coolidg was father of five children, one of whom was James, who lived to nearly a century near the homestead at Bouckville. Mr. Root settled on the farm afterward owned by his son-in-law, Henry Lewis.
Capt. Gilbert Tompkins was one of the prospecting agents of the Rhode Island colony who came here in 1792; at that time he selected lot 84 in the south part of the town, east of the reservoir, with the intention of bringing on his family in the following year; but being the owner of a coasting vessel he found it advisable to again go to sea until 1808, when he settled on his land in this town. He built the dwelling subsequently owned by his son, Deacon Philip Tompkins, and died there at the age of eighty-two years.
Among other pioneers who left their impress upon this town a few deserve brief mention. Solomon Alcott settled before the beginning of the century on the site of Solsville, which took its name from him. At that time there was nothing on the site of the village except a small tavern kept by William Lewis, and a saw mill which had been built and was then operated by Daniel Rymple; this mill was rendered use- less by the Chenango Canal. Daniel Holbrook was an early tavern keeper a mile west of Solsville. Ralph Tanner kept an early tavern at Madison village, which was built by Major St. Clair about 1800 and was kept by him several years; it was the first public house in the place. Samuel Goodwin, father of Daniel B. Goodwin, was also one of the most prominent of the early residents of the town as noted further on.
Lockhart Berry was a pioneer and long a prominent citizen of this town. He kept the so-called McClure tavern at Bouckville and after- wards the tavern at Madison village. He was a Democrat of the old Bucktail stamp and was frequently a candidate for public office. On one occasion he made a creditable run for sheriff. He was prominent in the Universalist church and liberally contributed to the erection of the edifice. A daughter of his married the father of Theodore L.
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Spencer, now a resident of the town. The elder Mr. Spencer held a command as colonel of a mounted company receiving his commission from Governor Clinton. He was conspicuous, as also was his wife, in the Methodist church and a much respected citizen. Theodore L. Spen- cer has also been prominent in that church, his membership going back to 1844.
As has been shown in the few preceding pages, the pioneers of this town were almost wholly from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. They were, moreover, an exceptionally reputable class of set- tlers, men of strong character and commendable principles, whose labor in founding their homes and establishing the institutions of the com- munity has given their descendants and others the best blessings of civilization.
Several years ago the great mistake was made of disposing of the early town records of Madison, and Erastus Hatch, who had been a faithful town clerk a number of years and appreciated the value of the books, bought them at auction for twenty-five cents. These records are now in possession of his daughter, Mrs. J. A. Henderson, of Madi- son village, and by her have been brought down to date. The first town meeting for the town was held March 3, 1807, presumably at the "Center meeting house." The following officers were elected: Eras- tus Cleveland, supervisor; Samuel Berry, clerk; Seth Blair, Stephen F. Blackstone and Levi Morton, assessors; Elijah Thompson and Jon- athan Pratt, overseers of the poor; John White, Israel Rice and Eph- raim Blodgett, commissioners of highways; Silas Patrick, constable and collector; Jonathan Pratt, William Blair, William Manchester, Moses Phelps, Calvin Whitcomb, Giles Peckham, Abial Hatch, Samuel Jones, Stephen Thompson, Robert McCune, Elijah Herrick, William Dix, John Camp, Joseph Manchester, Abial Perry, Abijah Markham, John Clough, John Pattison, John Swain, David Blair, Samuel Lewis, Eras- tus Edgarton, Solomon Root, William Brown and Ezra Pierce, path- masters; Joseph Curtis, poundkeeper.
The records tell us that at the town meeting of 1808, Levi Dick and Edward B. Colton were appointed grave-diggers, and Isaac Coe to clean the meeting house, for which services these men were to be paid in the same manner as other town officers. In connection with grave-digging there were further proceedings a little later. At the annual meeting of 1814 it was resolved, "That the money remaining in the Super- visor's hands be paid for opening graves;" that " the grave-digger
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