USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 42
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
At the present time L. P. Van Slyke and Joseph Carlon are black- smiths in the village and George Frost & Son operate an evaporator and cider mill. C. J. Bradner is the village harness maker. At the railroad station, which bears the name of Munns, is a milk station from which a large quantity of milk is shipped to New York.
The first permanent physician here was Dr. Jairus Rankin who came during the war of 1812 and continued until his death in 1832. Soon afterward Orange R. Cook came from Augusta and practiced until about 1842, when he removed to Morrisville, where he died two years later. Dr. Henry T. Sumner, who was located at Stockbridge, prac- ticed here a few years. Dr. Julius Treat, after practicing two years in the town of Smithfield, came to Munnsville and practiced most of the time until 1877. Dr. William Taylor was in practice at about the be- ginning of the Civil war a short time when he entered the army; at the close of the war he returned and practiced a few years, and then re- moved to Canastota where he still practices. Dr. George Munger prac- ticed during the war and later sold out to Dr. Taylor. Dr. S. P. Moore, a native of Lenox, settled in Munnsville in 1873 and is still in practice and has a drug store. The only other present physician is Dr. William H. Griffiths, who has been in practice many years.
406
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
The American Hotel was built about 1820 by Barnabas Cook, who kept it about ten years. The present proprietor, Dennis Rightmyer, purchased the property in 1874 of George W. Richardson, and changed the name to Rightmyer Hotel. The Central Hotel was opened by Rudolph Zimmer and is now kept by Kelly & Burke.
The Congregational Church of Munnsville was organized in 1828 as The Presbyterian Church of New Stockbridge, and the meeting house was built about 1834. The Presbyterian faith was abandoned for the Congregational in July, 1836. In 1868 the church was extensively re- paired and improved and rededicated. The first pastor was Rev. D. M. Smith. In 1894 the church building was remodeled and improved on modern plans. The present pastor is Rev. Roland A. Farnham, who succeeded Rev. Elliott A. Tuttle in 1897.
The pleasant little village of Stockbridge, situated in the Oneida valley about a mile below Munnsville, was formerly commonly called Knoxville, from Hermon Knox, the first merchant who came from Augusta about 1822 and after trading a few years removed to Illinois. He lived for a time in a log house built by the Indians and in 1824 moved into a building erected that year for a store, which subsequently became the dwelling of A. J. Hinman. As late as 1825 there were only six buildings on the site of the village. The first school house was built in 1824 just east of the four corners. A saw mill was built in 1824 by Mr. Knox, who erected also a grist mill in 1828 and operated a distillery. Mr. Knox sold his store to David Wood, who came from Augusta and continued in trade more than fifteen years, a part of the time in company with Hiram Whedon. Wood sold to Amadeus Hin- man and removed to Oneida. Mr. Hinman was in business many years but at different periods; he was preceded a few years by his son, Grove Hinman, and son-in-law, Hermon Smith. In 1880 he traded his store for a farm with his nephew, A. J. Hinman, who continued in trade a number of years. Matthew Pratt and Carlos Atkins were in trade a few years each, and James H. Lillibridge, who came from New York in 1877 and bought the store of W. J. Nash, who had been in trade about nine years, and C. C. White, long a cabinet maker, continued in general merchandise for fifteen years, when he removed to Munnsville. The cabinet and undertaking business established by C. C. White in 1857, is now conducted by C. E. Love, who took it in 1891. Charles White con- ducts a general store in which he succeeded S. M. Davidson in 1898. F. W. Cook was formerly in the cabinet making business, beginning
407
IMPROVEMENT IN TOWNS-STOCKBRIDGE.
fifty years ago, but subsequently took up wagon making, in which he is still engaged. Wadsworth Lyman was an early blacksmith and Luther Elphick has been in the business many years. C. C. White conducts a hardware store.
The saw and grist mills here, built by Hermon Knox, were burned in 1858 and rebuilt in the same year by E. J. Hostler, by whom they were operated until 1866 when he sold to Palmer W. Hinman and Chaffee C. Horton. A year later Hinman bought his partner's interest and in 1868 sold a half interest to James Baker, to whom he sold the remaining half a year later. In 1874 Mr. Baker took his son, James S., as part- ner in the mills. In 1882 the son took the property and now operates a feed mill, saw mill and cheese box factory.
A tannery was established in Stockbridge in 1825 by Thomas Wilson who continued it in connection with boot and shoe making until his death in 1849; he was then succeeded by his son, Jonathan M., who had been associated with him; he continued the business until 1877, when it was abandoned through the scarcity of bark. In 1880 the tannery was converted into a creamery by Mr. Wilson. A cheese factory has been operated in recent years by Carl Leach.
The Central Hotel, which is the first one in the village, was built in 1825 by Horace Parmalee, who kept it a number of years. In 1854 the property passed from the heirs of Dr. Henry T. Sumner to Amadeus Hinman, who kept it until 1882, when he was succeeded by the present proprietor, David Van Loon, who changed the name to Hotel de Van Loon.
The post-office here was opened about 1824 with Dr. Henry T. Sum- ner postmaster. He held the office until his death in 1853, about thirty years. The subsequent list of officials is not accessible, but H. H. Lillibridge, N. J. Hinman, A. Bridge, have held the office; the present postmaster is Charles White.
Dr. Henry T. Sumner was the first resident physician in the village and practiced from 1823 to some extent until his death. Dr. Fayette F. Elphick settled in the village in 1869 and continued in practice until his death, excepting two years. Dr. A. E. Broga is the present prac- titioner.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of New Stockbridge was organized as a station in 1827, and placed in the Oneida district of the Genesee Conference. In the year 1830 the word New was taken from the title. At about the same time, probably in 1829, the church was changed to
.
408
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
the Oneida Conference and the house of worship built. In 1828 there were 120 members; in 1843, 270, which was the highest reached. There are now about 100 members. The first pastor was Rev. Alexander Irvine. The church was enlarged in 1853 and has lately been slate- roofed and painted, the money being furnished by Philip D. Armour, who was born in this village.
There have been two other churches in Stockbridge which are now obsolete. The Congregational Church was organized in 1833 by about thirty five persons who were dismissed from the societies of Augusta and Smithfield. A meeting house was soon afterward built just west of the Central Hotel. This society was subsequently disbanded and the church edifice sold and removed.
The Universalist Church was organized about 1837 by Rev. Daniel S. Morey, and a meeting house was built about 1842. The membership was never large and after about twenty years of activity the society was disbanded and the church was removed to Munnsville, where the upper part was in use as a public hall.
The hamlet of Valley Mills, formerly known as Cook's Corners, from Barnabas Cook, an early settler and tavern keeper, is situated in the northern part of the town on the Midland Railroad. The post-office with its present name was established in 1870, with D. J. Dunham, postmaster. He was succeeded in 1877 by H. C. Quackenbush; the present official is Myron Stewart. The grist mill here was built about 1848 by Rev. Ebenezer Ranney for a woolen factory and was operated by him five or six years, when it passed to William Bridge and Nathan Hayes; they were succeeded by Armour, Klock & Wilder, A. B. Pardee, Smith & Montgomery, the Quackenbush Brothers, who took it in 1876, M. C. Quackenbush, and the present i prietor, C. W. Dex- ter. The mill is now operated by Mr. Roantree. A cider and plaster mills are on the site, but not in operation. The grist mill is on or near the site of the mill built in 1794 by the Indians. A store is conducted by Dexter & Davis, the Munnsville merchants.
The Baptist Church of Stockbridge, located at Valley Mills, was or- ganized in 1839 as a result of preaching by several students in Hamil- ton College. The church was recognized by council in 1840, and Ebenezer Ranney and N. M. Coburn were chosen deacons. Rev. S. M. Bainbridge was ordained in 1840 and was succeeded during brief periods by several other pastors. The last regular pastor was Rev. J. H. Wells, who served in 1853-4. The pulpit was supplied for a time
409
IMPROVEMENT IN TOWNS-STOCKBRIDGE.
thereafter, but about 1865 the church became inactive and has so re- mained. The building was torn down.
The first school in the town of Stockbridge was taught in 1797 by Edward Foster, in a log school house in the southeast part. Since that early date the cause of education has been liberally supported. The town is divided into fifteen districts and constitutes a part of the Second School Commissioner district of the county. The last report of the commissioner gives the number of children attending school as 413 and the value of school buildings and sites, $10,950.
In 1829 the Stockbridge Academy was founded by Asa Munn and Thaddeus Muzzy, with Rev. D. M. Smith in charge. It was conducted in a building, since demolished, which stood near the meeting house in Stockbridge. Although comparatively successful for a period, the in- stitution succumbed under changing conditions.
Union School District No. 1 in Munnsville was organized in 1894. A handsome school building was erected in 1894 at a cost of about $4,000 besides furnishings. Frank M. Wiggins was the first principal and still holds the position. He was supplied at first with two assistants and at the present time there are three. The average attendance is 120. The school passed under the Regents in March, 1896.
The growing of hops and dairying are now the principal agricultural industries of this town. A large quantity of milk is shipped from the two railroad stations to New York and considerable butter and cheese is made. The hop industry has somewhat declined in recent years, as it has in other localities.
Among the leading farmers of the town, past and present, may be mentioned McGee Wilson, William Bridge, Addison Snell, Emerson Quackenbridge, a large hop raiser, Waterman Simonds, Fred Marshall, J. W. Rockwell, and his father Thomas, the Wheeler brothers, Robert Clark, Samuel Spaulding, C. W. Dexter, Lewis Hinman, the Mackey brothers, Adelbert Pardee, John Rivenburg, Adelbert Wood, Eri Day, George Miller, Warren J. Gilbert, Andrew Perry, William Skadden, Orrin Porter, Norman Randall, John Hadcock, Charles Bush, Amos Bridge, Nathaniel Harrington, and his son Elmer, John L. Foster, Har- rison Lamb, Rensselaer Coe, E. J. Spooner, Austin Carver, Robert Foster and Albert Lindsley.
410
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
CHAPTER XXIII.
GENERAL COUNTY HISTORY FROM 1865 TO 1899.
In closing these pages of general county and town history it remains to take a brief review of the events and changes that have taken place since the close of the Civil war. At that time (1865) the population of the county was 42,506, and it has remained with little variation to the present time. State legislation relating directly to Madison county enacted during the last thirty years has not been of paramount impor- tance. What has been accomplished in recent times towards draining and preparing for cultivation the great swamp area in the northern part of the county, a work that is still in progress, is described in the preceding history of the town of Sullivan, in which the greater part of it lies. Succeeding the early efforts in this direction, an act of the legislature relating to this work was passed April 27, 1866, and ap- pointed Francis H. Kennedy, of Syracuse, Marcus C. Walrath, of Chit- tenango, and Clinton L. Colton, of Canastota, commissioners to fix the rate of assessment to provide the cost of the proposed drainage ditch, and perform other duties in connection with the matter.
In the laws of the following year is an act (chapter 601) providing for draining "the Great Swamp," as it is termed therein. This act ap- pointed Daniel Lewis, Dr. Venoni W. Mason, and Clinton L. Colton, commissioners to " open and construct such ditch or ditches or drains as in their opinion may be deemed necessary to drain such lands of the Great Swamp " as they should determine upon; also "to commence at the easterly terminus of the ditch or drain which may be dug or opened under the chapter aforesaid," and continue easterly as far as they deemed advisable. The cost of the work was to be provided for by assessment and collection of taxes on the lands lying adjacent to the ditch.
It was under this legislation that the old State ditch was dug, which has since been greatly enlarged, as described in the Sullivan town his- tory. Great tracts of rich muck land have been reclaimed, in the towns of Sullivan and Lenox, lateral ditches dug, and the extensive produc- tion of celery, onions and other crops to which such land is particularly
411
THE COUNTY FROM 1865 TO 1899.
adapted has resulted. The men most prominent in this work in re- cent years are Milton Delano, Le Grand Colton, D. C. Twogood, of Canastota and Charles F. Pennock, of Chittenango.
In the laws of 1874 (chapter 399) a State appropriation was made of $25,000 to "the Stroud, Chapman and Douglass ditches, so-called," now the State ditch, for widening, deepening, and digging new ditches; and again in 1886 (chapter 549), the superintendent of public works was directed to "clean out the State ditch in the towns of Sullivan and Lenox," so as to properly discharge the surplus water from the Erie Canal. The sum of $3,700, a residue from the first appropriation, was expended in this work. The more recent operations for draining this great tract of valuable land have been described in the Sullivan town history in a preceding chapter.
The act of 1890 (chapter 253) appropriating $500 from the State treasury to reimburse the town of Madison for the expense of re- moving three bridges over the abandoned Chenango Canal and en- larging a culvert over Oriskany Creek, was a relic of the once busy water way.
The subject of making certain county offices salaried positions has frequently come up in the Board of Supervisors for consideration, as it has in many other counties of the State. The old method of pay- ing those officials through fees collected from the public was always characterized by uncertainty and sometimes by injustice. In 1890 this question, as far as it relates to the sheriff and the county clerk, was brought to culmination in the Board of Supervisors through the adop- tion of a resolution that the board petition the member of assembly (then Samuel R. Mott, of Bouckville) to procure the passage of a law making the county clerk a salaried officer, with annual salary of not ex- ceeding $1,800, and the sheriff the same, with salary of not more than $2,000. An act was passed making these changes in 1891 (chap. 29.) Other county offices have received consideration by the Board of Super- visors, in relation to salaries, as seen in the adoption of a resolution in January, 1883, that the superintendent of the poor be paid a salary of not to exceed $800, and that after that date the position of keeper be abolished and the superintendent perform all the duties of the office and reside at the county house. This resolution was referred to the com- mittee on legislation.
While upon the subject of supervisors' proceedings it is interesting, if not important, to notice that in 1860, a committee from the County
412
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Farmers' Club called upon the board and, in view "of the growing im- portance of sheep husbandry," asked an increase of the dog tax to $5 and that all dogs be muzzled. The matter went to the committee on legislation and that was the last heard of it. A relic of plank road days is found in the supervisors' proceedings of 1893, at a special session, when measures were taken to obtain an extension of the corporate ex- istence of the " Morrisville and Peterboro Stone or Plank Road Com- pany " for twenty years from the expiration of its charter which would carry it to fifty years from the original incorporation in 1863.
In the same year (1893) a somewhat important recent feature of the periodic attempts to change the location of county seats, public build- ings, etc., in many localities of the State, appears in the following re- markable petition, which was signed by thirty-one persons and pre- sented to the Board of Supervisors in December:
We, the undersigned, residents and freeholders, within the County of Madison, State of New York, do respectfully show that-
Whereas, The present location and site of the Court House, Jail, Surrogate's Office and County Clerk's Office, are at the village of Morrisville, in said county ; and,
Whereas, the village of Eaton in said county possesses railroad facilities, and all other suitable accommodations that would accommodate the people of the entire county, to attend to all business calling them to either and all of said offices, and believing that it would be both a matter of convenience and economy to the people of the county to have the site and location of all the said offices changed; We do, therefore, respectfully ask that the site and location of the Court House, Jail, Surrogate's Office and County Clerk's Office be changed from their present site or location in the village of Morrisville, to the corner of North Main and Fayette streets, in the village of Eaton, in said county.
On the following day a protest signed by H. B. Coman was presented to the board against their receiving this petition. Then followed a series of preambles and resolutions, showing that if the change was made, the lands in Morrisville on which the buildings stand would revert to the grantors; that new buildings would cost $150,000; that the existing high taxes would be made higher, and that, therefore, the change was inexpedient.
In May, 1898, the supervisors ordered 100 iron signs to be made and placed on prominent "market roads " one mile apart, for guidance of travelers-a very wise act and one worthy of emulation in other coun- ties. This was not carried out.
The history of town bonding in Madison county in aid of railroads is an interesting one and relatively important; from it, also, it is possible
413
THE OOUNTY FROM 1865 TO 1899.
to draw instructive lessons that may serve for the future guidance of these and other towns in this State. In past years the favorite manner of securing funds with which to build railways was to send agents into the towns who were gifted with eloquent tongues, trained to dwell with rhetorical fluency upon prophecy of what the future would bring forth in any definite locality-if the people of that locality would bond them- selves as a community to supply the money with which to open a rail- road through their territory. Most of the counties in central New York have paid the penality of listening to the arguments favoring railroad building under such auspices ; a few towns, to be sure, have at the same time received benefits, direct and indirect, commensurate with their sacrifices.
The road popularly known as the Midland Railroad, passes through the towns of Lenox (now Oneida), Stockbridge, Eaton and Lebanon; the old Chenango Valley road through the towns of Georgetown, Leb- anon, Nelson and Cazenovia; what is now a branch of the Lehigh sys- tem through Fenner, De Ruyter, Cazenovia, Lincoln and Lenox; and the old Utica, Cortland & Binghamton through Hamilton, Madison and Eaton. These towns were originally bonded in aid of one or more of these roads under chapter 398, laws of 1866, in relation to the Midland road, and other legislation relating to other lines:
Cazenovia
$150,000
De Ruyter
102,300
Eaton
150,000
Fenner
20,000
Georgetown 30,000
Lebanon
125,000
Madison
100,000
Nelson
50,000
Stockbridge
143,000
Besides these towns, the village of Canastota was bonded for $50,000; De Ruyter, $20,000; Hamilton, $56,000, and Oneida, $30,000.
The bonded debts of these towns in 1898 was as follows :
Cazenovia
$106,000
De Ruyter about
50,000
Eaton
82,000
Fenner
8,000
Georgetown
12,500
414
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Lebanon
55,000
Madison
21,500
Nelson
42,500
Stockbridge
95,000
Of these several towns De Ruyter refused to pay either principal or interest after July, 1878, when the amount of outstanding bonds was $102,300. The claim was made that the bonds were illegally issued- a claim which was never clearly decided. Chapter 303, laws of 1887, authorized the town to issue new bonds with which to compromise, can- cel and retire the original issue, and at the present time the debt re- mains as above stated.
In the year 1890 and later the town of Stockbridge, and several other towns, through their supervisors, sued the Board of Supervisors as representatives of the county, to recover taxes paid by the towns to the county and State from 1881 to 1889, on the railroad property. The claim was set up by the town that, as the railroad property was exempt by law from taxation for State, county, town or municipal expenses, the town could therefore recover taxes paid to the county on such prop- erty. The General Term of the Supreme Court held that the town could so recover the county tax for the years 1884 to 1889 inclusive, but could not recover State taxes, and that the claim for both State and county taxes for 1882 and 1883 was barred by the statute of limitations. This decision was reversed in the Court of Appeals, and the towns suc- ceeded in their suits.
While it is impracticable to follow in detail the gradual change that has taken place in the amounts of assessed valuation of real estate and. personal property in the county from its beginning, and the cost of maintaining various institutions, it will still be instructive and possibly interesting to trace some of these items as they changed from decade to decade, beginning with 1820. In that year the valuation of real estate was $3,836,690; of personal property, $156,728. The school fund was $2,240.09. This latter item had increased since 1816 from $1,522.30. This was the first appropriation of school money in the county and was apportioned as follows: Brookfield, $217.84; Cazenovia, $193.56; Eaton, $129.25; De Ruyter, $49.60; Georgetown, $38.58; Hamilton, $140.67; Lenox, $136.09; Madison, $137.49; Nelson, $119.92; Lebanon, $98.34; Smithfield, $151.27; Sullivan, $109.90.
In 1830 the valuation of real estate was $3,912,180, showing a little
415
THE COUNTY FROM 1865 TO 1899.
less than $100,000 increase; personal property, $327,529, more than double that of 1820. The school fund was $2,205.19, and it cost that year to support the poor, $1,000. This last amount was trebled in 1835.
In 1840 the real estate valuation was $5,549,217, indicating a decade of progress and growth; personal property, $796,043, more than double that of 1830. The school fund was $5, 641.41, and $3,000 was devoted to the support of the poor.
In 1850 the real estate valuation was $5,960,279, and of personal property, $1,006,773. The school fund was $4,485.05, and $9,748 was appropriated for support of the poor. The whole sum levied that year was $40,647, an increase from the figures of 1840, which were $24,050.
In 1860 the valuation of real estate was assessed at $9,189,722; of personal property, $2,302,680. The assessment was $83,495.58. These figures for 1870 were: Real estate, $8,661,165; personal property, $1,838,185. Assessment, $188,464,51. In 1880, real estate, $17,422,823 (assessed at 76.3 per cent. of full value); personal property, $2,313, 650 ; total tax, $191,373.41. 1890, real estate, $17,999,201; personal proper- ty, $1,803,040. State tax, $45,180.68; county tax, $69,422.81. For 1899, real estate, $18,465,274.34; personal property, $2,309, 269.66. Total tax, $184, 976. 70.
A change affecting the whole county for the improvement of town meeting regulations was effected by the Board of Supervisors of 1898. A resolution was adopted abolishing the spring town meeting altogether, and providing that hereafter they shall be held simultaneous with the regular fall elections. This is a change which probably will be of bene- fit to every community. The new town of Lincoln, in opposition to the change, held its regular town meeting for 1899 in the spring, and officers were chosen largely under Democratic auspices. This action, it is believed by many, was illegal.
In the spring of 1899 a board of seven Cycle Path Commissioners was appointed by Judge John E. Smith, who met on April 11 and elected B. S. Teale, president; and Charles E. Rose, secretary. The county has been divided into seven cycle districts, with a commissioner in charge of each. The money supplied through the sale of badges and otherwise is to be expended in the district in which it was contributed, and such other action taken as will best subserve the interests of both cyclers and the public.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.