USA > New York > Madison County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Madison County, New York > Part 43
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The facilities for caring for the poor and the insane of the county
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
have received much attention during the period under consideration in this chapter. The building of the first poor house in 1828, and of the second on its site in 1878, has been previously noticed. In the years 1886-87 new buildings were erected with modern conveniences for caring for thirty male and thirty female insane persons, afflicted with chronic insanity and indigent. These structures were accepted by the State Board of Charities, thus rendering it a State institution as to its general control. In 1890-91, under the State law, the insane persons were removed to State institutions, and the supervisors asked the State to reimburse the country for its outlay in buildings, etc. The sum of $6,000 was received on this account.
All of the railroads that pass through portions of Madison county, ex- cepting the main line of the New York Central, have been constructed during the period since the close of the war. Their influence has wrought many and important changes in business centers. While as a whole it must be admitted that they are of great benefit to the people at large, there are still restricted localities that have been injured through their attraction of trade to more populous places. This is a cause and effect that almost invariably attaches to the opening of railroads; a few of the larger villages or cities along the lines, on account of increased shipping and traveling facilities, geographical situation, water power, or dominating enterprise of their inhabitants, or from all these causes in some degree, receive a stimulus from the opening of railroad communi- tion with other points. They begin at once to draw trade from ham- lets and small villages along the line, the people who formerly bought and sold at the small places, on account of difficulty in reaching the larger ones, now take the cars to the more active business center and here spend their money, sell their produce and buy their goods. There is usually only one result of this-the smaller place suffers. Instances of this are numerous enough in this county and need not be particularly specified. In the end, however, the tendency is towards a balance in these conditions, as it is in all matters in which trade is a prominent factor.
The so called Chenango Valley Railroad, now a part of the New York Central property, was opened through a part of its length in 1872, and wholly opened in 1874. When the West Shore road, of which this line had become a part, passed to the New York Central in 1885 this road went with it.
Work was begun on what was first known as the Utica, Chenango
417
THE COUNTY FROM 1865 TO 1899.
and Susquehanna Railroad in July, 1866, one branch of which was to touch this county. It was ultimately leased to the Delaware and Lackawanna company and by extension was made an avenue for coal transportation, with its other traffic.
The Utica, Clinton and Binghamton company was organized in August, 1862, but little more than horse roads were constructed out of Utica for comparatively short distances, until a reorganization in De- cember, 1867, with added capital. For this line Hamilton village bonded for $60,000, and the town of Madison for $100,000, in this county. The line was opened through to Hamilton and Smith's Valley, where it touched the Midland in 1870.
The West Shore road was chartered in June, 1881, and was opened from Weehawken to Syracuse in 1883 and to Buffalo in the next year. Its influence upon Madison county has been insignificant.
The preceding chapters of town history have shown the reader that while the years have been passing, great changes have taken place in industrial and agricultural operations in this county. Large manufac- turing establishments have come into being at several business centers, employing many workmen and vast sums of money. In this direction the future is promising for the community. No less important are the changes that have taken place in the methods of agriculture and par- ticularly in the kind and variety of crops grown. For many years Madison county has enjoyed a world-wide reputation for its vast and successful hop production. While this crop has in the past been a source of profit to the farmer, it may be doubted if the policy has been a wise one, of almost wholly neglecting the other grains, vegetables and fruits for the growing of hops. With the great decline in price of this crop in comparatively recent years, and the speculative conditions of the average market, Madison county farmers have been gradually decreas- ing their acreage in most towns. While the annual crop is a large one, it is not by any means what it once was.
In the transition from hops to other sources of agricultural prosper- ity, as far as it has gone, the farmers of the county have shown a com- mendable degree of intelligence, enterprise, and good judgment. Fruit culture in some localities has been profitably taken up; dairying in its several features, and the shipment of milk to New York, has been ma- terially developed; and in still more recent years, the drainage of muck lands in the northern part of the county and the cultivation of celery, onions, etc., thereon, which has been described a few pages back, has 27
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
added new and very important factors to the agricultural interests of the county. The growing of peas for market, also, has recently be- come an extensive industry, the crop being sold to canning factories in the county and near its boundaries. In the towns of Lebanon, Ham- ilton, and Madison the acreage of this crop is now larger than that of any other crop excepting hops. A large acreage is sown also in the northern part of the county, most of which goes to the canning facto- ries of Oneida, Kenwood, Canastota, and other points. A good part of the crop of the southern towns is shipped direct to New York in bags, where it has brought a profitable return.
The latest event of national importance that caused a wave of intense interest to flow across the country, its influence extending into every hamlet in Madison and other counties, was the opening of what will be known in history as the Spanish-American war, the culmination of which brought on the necessity of subjugating the Philippine Islands, which is now in progress. So recent was the beginning, as well as the end, of the war with Spain, and so well known are its causes and the chief events in its progress, that they need not be further treated in these pages. The inhabitants of Madison county did not let this call upon their patriotism pass unnoticed or without prompt response, and about a score of volunteers, mainly young men, joined the United States forces for service in either the war in Cuba or in the Philippines. A part of the latter went in the First New York Regiment, an organiza- tion which left Fort Hamilton in New York harbor in May last, and proceeded to San Francisco and thence to Honolulu, beyond which it did not go. Of the whole number enlisting in these wars, one died in hospital and another on the way to Manilla. The history of the con- flict with the Philippines cannot yet be written, but it may safely be left to the future to prove that this county will be honorably repre- sented in the struggle.
CIVIL LIST.
State Senators .- From the date of its erection, in 1806, until the termination of the existence of the first constitution, Madison county formed a part of the Western Senatorial District which at first included also Allegany, Herkimer, Onondaga, Ontario, Otsego, Schoharie, Tioga, Steuben, Oneida, Cayuga, St. Lawrence, Genesee, Seneca, Jefferson, and Lewis counties. Broom, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Niagara and Cortland were subsequently added. From the year 1803 to 1808 this
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CIVIL LIST.
district was entitled to nine senators and to twelve from 1808 to 1815. On April 17, of that year, the district was reorganized, Herkimer, On- tario, Otsego, Schoharie, St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis being taken from it. Oswego was added in 1816 and Tompkins county in 1817. After 1815 the district was entitled to nine senators. Under the second constitution Madison county was placed with Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Oneida and Oswego counties in the fifth senatorial district and so con- · tinued until May 23, 1836, when Otsego county was added and Herkimer taken from the district. Under the third constitution Madison and Oswego counties were constituted the twentieth district and so remained until April, 1857, when it was associated with Chenango and Cortland counties in forming the twenty-third district. The next change was made April 25, 1866, when Madison and Oswego counties were consti- tuted the twenty-first district. On April 23, 1879, Madison, Herkimer and Otsego counties were made the twenty third district. It so re- mained until April 30, 1892, when Madison and Onondaga counties were constituted the twenty-fourth district. Under the constitution of 1894 Madison and Oswego counties were constituted the twenty-seventh district, which condition still exists.
There was no State senator elected from the territory of Madison county previous to its formation and only three during the existence of the first constitution and the connection of the county with the western district. Those three were as follows: Sylvanus Smalley, of Lenox, who served during the sessions of 1809-10-11-12; Bennett Bicknell, of Morrisville, in 1815-16-17-18; and Perry G. Childs, of Cazenovia, in 1820-1-2. They were succeeded by Thomas Greenly, of Hamilton, who served in 1823-4-5; Charles Stebbins, of Cazenovia, in 1826-7-8-9; John G. Stower, of Hamilton, in 1833-4; Joseph Clark, of Brookfield, in 1839-40-1-2; Thomas Barlow, of Canastota, in 1844-5-6-7; Asahel Stone, of Peterboro, in 1850; Simeon C. Hitchcock, of Cazenovia, in 1854-5; John J. Foote, of Hamilton, in 1858-9; James Barnett, of Smith . field, in 1866-7; William H. Brand, of Leonardsville, in 1870-1; Charles Kellogg, of Chittenango, in 1874-5; John W. Lippitt, of Solsville, in 1878-9. Alexander M. Holmes, Morrisville, 1882-3; John E. Smith, 1886-7 and 1892-3; 1894-5, Charles W. Stapleton.
Members of Assembly .- The number of members of assembly from Madison county has, of course, varied with the ratio of her popula- tion to that of the State. The county had two members at the time of its formation; three under the apportionments of April 1, 1808, April 8,
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
1815, April 12, 1822, April 18, 1826 and May 23, 1836; two under the apportionment of March 8, 1846, April 13, 1857 and April 16, 1866; one under the apportionment of April 26, 1879, and since.
The first assemblyman from the territory now embraced in Madison county was Jonathan Forman, who served in 1800-1. He was suc- ceeded by James Green and Stephen Hoxie, 1803; Sephen Hoxie, 1804; Samuel Payne and Luther Waterman, 1804-5; Samuel Payne and Syl- vanus Smalley, 1806; Erastus Cleveland and Sylvanus Smalley, 1807; John W. Bulkley and Sylvanus Smalley, 1808; Oliver Brown, John W. Bulkley and Daniel Van Horne, 1808-9; John W. Bulkley, Amos B. Fuller and Daniel Van Horne, 1810; John W. Bulkley, Henry Clark, jr., and Zebulon Douglass, 1811; Bennett Bicknell, Nathaniel Cole and Samuel H. Coon, 1812; Walter Beecher, John D. Henry and Jonathan Olmstead, 1812-13; Stephen F. Blackstone, Elisha Carrington and Abra- ham D. Van Horne, 1814; David Beecher, Winsor Coman and John Mat- tison, 1814-15; Oliver Brown, Nathan Hall, jr., and Eliphalet S. Jack- son, 1816; James B. Eldridge, Moses Maynard and Jonathan Olmstead, 1816-17; Thomas Greenly, James Nye and David Woods, 1818; Solo- mon Beebe, Thomas Greenly and Dennison Palmer, 1819; Amos Crocker, Eliphalet S. Jackson and Levi Morton, 1820; William Berry, jr., Justin Dwinelle and Herman Van Vleck, 1820-1; Pardon Barnard, Henry Clark, jr., and Justin Dwinelle, 1822; Rutherford Barker, Daniel M. Gillett and Curtis Hoppin, 1823; Joseph Clark, Edward Hudson and Thomas Spencer, 1824; Elias P. Benjamin, Nehemiah Huntington and James Nye, 1825; Thomas Dibble, Nehemiah Huntington and Jacob Ten Eyck, 1826; Sylvester Beecher, James B. Eldridge and Lemuel White, 1827; Joseph Clark, John Knowles and Eri Richardson, 1828; James B. Eldridge, William K. Fuller and John Williams, 1829; William K. Fuller, William Manchester and John M. Messenger, 1830; Robert Henry, Stephen B. Hoffman and John Whitman, 1831; Nehemiah Batcheler, Daniel Gillett and John Head, 2d, 1832; Erastus Cleveland, John Davis and Jesse Kilborn, 1833; Sardis Dana, Benjamin Enos and Henry T. Sumner, 1834; Joseph Clark, William J. Hough and Jason W. Powers, 1835; Ephraim Gray, William J. Hough and John B. Yates, 1836; Wait Clark, Isaac Coe, jr., and Silas Sayles, 1837; William F. Bostwick, William Lord and Onesimus Mead, 1838; Friend Barnard, Benjamin Enos and Uriah Leland, 1839; Daniel Barker, Daniel Dickey and Benjamin Enos, 1840; Seneca B. Burchard, Oliver Pool and Daniel Van Vleck, 1841; Simeon C. Hitchcock, Calvin Morse and Job Wells,
421
1
CIVIL LIST.
1842; Venoni W. Mason, Henry Palmer and Lorenzo Sherwood, 1843; Ralph I. Gates, Thomas Keith and Alfred Medbery, 1844; Stephen G. Sears, William Smith and John I. Walrath, 1845; Horace Hawks, Thomas T. Loomis and Stephen M. Potter, 1846; George T. Taylor and Peter Van Valkenburgh, 1847; John T. G. Bailey and George Grant, 1848; David Maine and Robert G. Stewart, 1849; John Clark and Thomas O. Bishop, 1850; Jairus French and Franklin B. Hoppin, 1851; George B. Rowe and Henry L. Webb, 1852; Dennis Hardin and Mar- sena Temple, 1853; Samuel White, 2d, and Franklin M. Whitman, 1854; Gilbert Tompkins and Aaron B. Brush, 1855; Samuel White and John Snow, 1856; Albert G. Purdy and Thomas P. Bishop, 1857; Lester M. Case and Robert Stewart, 1858; Simeon Rider and Noah M. Coburn, 1859; David Clark and James Barnett, 1860; Orrin B. Lord and Fran- cis A. Hyatt, 1861; William H. Brand and Albert G. Purdy, 1862; William H. Brand and George L. Rouse, 1863; John W. Lippitt and Daniel F. Kellogg, 1864; Alfred A. Brown and Alvin Strong, 1865; Gardner Morse and Caleb Calkins, 1866; Bushrod E. Hoppin and Benjamin F. Bruce, 1867; D. Gerry Wellington and Robert Stewart, 1868; Wesley M. Carpenter and Leonard C. Kilham, 1869; Joseph W. Merchant and Leonard C. Kilham, 1870; David L. Fisk and Leonard L. Kilham, 1871; John W. Lippitt and Francis A. Hyatt, 1872; Edward C. Philpot and Joseph F. Crawford, 1873; Edward C. Philpot and Henry W. Carpenter, 1874; D. Gerry Wellington and George Berry, 1875; Morris N. Campbell and Fred C. Fiske, 1876; Albert N. Sheldon and Merchant Billington, 1877; Lambert B. Kern and Willard A. Cran- dall, 1878; Augustus L. Saunders and George Berry, 1879; Gerrit S. Miller, 1880; David A. Jackson, 1881; Ladurna Ballard, 1882; George H. Benjamin, 1883; Edward F. Haskell, 1884-85; William S. Leete, 1886-87; Charles E. Maynard, 1888-89; Samuel R. Mott, 1890-91; Clarence W. Dexter, 1892-93; Lambert B. Kern, 1894-96; Robert Jay Gish, 1897-99.
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
CHAPTER XXIV.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF MADISON COUNTY.
The Regents of the University of this State were incorporated in 1787, and in their report for 1793 they called attention to the benefits likely to accrue from the establishment of schools in various parts of the State. "The mode of accomplishing this desirable object," said the report, "we respectfully submit to the wisdom of the Legislature."
At the opening of the session of 1795, Governor Clinton thus alluded to the subject in his message:
While it is evident that the general establishment and liberal endowment of acad- emies are highly to be commended, and are attended with the most beneficial conse- quences, yet it cannot be denied that they are principally confined to the children of the opulent, and that a great portion of the community is excluded from their im- mediate advantages. The establishment of common schools throughout the State, is happily calculated to remedy this inconvenience, and will therefore engage your early and decided consideration.
These were the first steps taken towards the establishment of the common school system of the State. On the 11th of January, 1795, the Assembly appointed a committee of six to consider the school sub- ject, and on February 19 they reported " An act for the encouragement of schools," which became a law on the 9th of April. This act appro- priated $50,000 annually for five years, for the general support of com- · mon schools, which sum was at first apportioned to the several counties according to their representation in the Legislature; later it was appor- tioned according to the number of electors for member of assembly, and to the several towns according to the number of taxable inhabitants. The act provided for the election of not less than three nor more than seven commissioners in each town, who should have supervision of the schools. The inhabitants in different sections of the towns were au- thorized to meet for the purpose of procuring "good and sufficient schoolmasters, and for erecting and maintaining schools in such and so many parts of the town where they may reside, as shall be most con- venient," and to appoint two or more trustees, whose duties were de-
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EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
fined by the act. The public money paid to each district was to be apportioned by the commissioners according to the number of days of instruction given in each of the schools. Provision was made also for annual returns from all districts, towns and counties.
Lotteries were early instituted by the State for the support of schools, first in 1799, when $100,000 was to be raised, $12,500 of which was to go to academies and the remainder to common schools. Again in 1801 an equal amount was raised, one-half of which went to common schools.
, On the 2d of April, 1805, an act was passed providing that the net proceeds of the sale of 500,000 acres of unappropriated State lands should be made a permanent fund for the support of schools, the avails to be invested until the interest amounted to $50,000, when an annual distribution of that amount should be made. By February, 1807, re- ceipts for the school fund in the treasury had reached $151,115.69.
In 1811 a law was enacted authorizing the governor to appoint five commissioners to report a system for the organization of the common schools. The commission consisted of Jedediah Peck, John Murray, jr., Samuel Russell, Roger Skinner, and Samuel Macomb. Their report, made February 14, 1812, was accompanied by the draft of a bill em- bodying the main features of the common school system as it existed until 1838.' One feature of the bill was, that each county should raise by tax an amount equal to that apportioned by the State. Following is a brief outline of the system :
That the several towns in the State be divided into school districts, by three com- missioners elected by the citizens qualified to vote for town officers, that three trus- tees be elected in each district, to whom shall be confided the care and superintend- ence of the school to be established therein; that the interest of the school fund be divided among the different counties and towns, according to their respective popu- lation, as ascertained by the successive censuses of the United States; that the proportions received by the respective towns be subdivided among the districts into which said towns shall be divided, according to the number of children in each, be- tween the ages of five and fifteen years; that each town raise by tax annually, as much money as it shall have received from the school fund; that the gross amount of moneys received from the State and raised by the towns, be apportioned exclu- sively to the payment of wages of teachers; and that the whole system be placed under the superintendence of an officer appointed by the Council of Appointment.
Gideon Hawley was made the first superintendent of common schools and held the office from 1813 to 1821. In the first report (1814) he called attention to the fifth section of the law under which it was a pos-
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
sibility that a single town in a county might receive the whole of the public money for that county; and to other provisions giving each town the choice of complying with the law and receiving its benefits and bearing its burdens, or of refusing such compliance. Under these pro- visions many towns had refused compliance with the act, to the great detriment of the system. The superintendent suggested that it be made obligatory upon the towns to comply with the act, and also on the Boards of Supervisors to levy on the respective towns a sum equal to the sum "which shall be apportioned to such towns out of the public money to be distributed." These suggestions were promptly carried out by amendments to the act.
The founding of this school system was an educational movement of the greatest importance and its benefits became at once apparent. In his second report (1815) Mr. Hawley said :
But the great benefit of the act does not lie in any pecuniary aid which it may afford. . . It consists in securing the establishment of common schools wherever they are necessary ; in organizing them on a suitable and permanent foundation; and in guarding them against the admission of unqualified teachers.
In his sixth annual report the superintendent renewed his recom- mendations before made, for a revision and consolidation of the exist- ing school laws. On the 19th of April, 1819, accordingly, the Legisla- ture re enacted the "act for the support of Common Schools," making the various amendments suggested by Mr. Hawley. To him is given the honor and credit of having done more than any one person in the founding of the common school system in this State. John Van Ness Yates was secretary of state and superintendent ex-officio of common schools from 1821 to 1826, the separate office of superintendent of schools having been abolished by the Constitution of 1821. The Con- stitution provided, also, that " the proceeds of all lands thereafter to be sold, belonging to the State, with the exception of such as might be re- served for public use or ceded to the United States, together with the existing school fund, were declared to constitute a perpetual fund, the interest of which should be inviolably appropriated and applied to the support of the common schools."
In 1816 the first appropriation of public school money was made to Madison county as follows: Brookfield, $217.84; Cazenovia, $193.56; De Ruyter, $46.50; Eaton, $129.25; Georgetown, $38.58; Lebanon, $98.34; Lenox, $136.09; Hamilton, $140.67; Madison, $137.49; Nel- son, $119.92; Smithfield, $151.27; Sullivan, $109.90.
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EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS.
Azariah C. Flagg held the office of secretary of state and superin- tendent of schools from 1826 to 1833, and was succeeded by John A. Dix (1833-39), during which period great improvements were made in the details of the school system. In 1827 the sum annually distributed to the various districts was increased to $100,000; in 1837 it was $110,000. On the 13th of April, 1835, an act was passed which laid the foundation of district school libraries; it authorized the taxable inhabit- ants of each district to impose a tax of not more than $20 the first year and $10 each succeeding year for the purchase of a district library. Under this act libraries were established in very many districts of the State and the resultant benefit is beyond estimate.
In 1838 $160,000 were added from the annual revenue of the United States deposit fund to the amount to be apportioned among the various school districts. In the following year the number of districts in the State was 10,583. The increase in the number of districts from time to time is shown as follows: 1798, 1,352 districts; 1816, about 5,000; 1820, 5,763; 1825, 7,642; 1830, 8,872; 1835, 9,865.
On the 4th of February, 1839, John C. Spencer was appointed secre- tary of state and superintendent of common schools, and he continued in the office until 1842. He advocated several changes in the system, the most important being, perhaps, the county supervision of schools by regular visitors. These visitors reported to the superintendent and one of the results of their early reports was the plan of appointing county superintendents, which went in effect in April, 1843, and re- sulted in a great improvement in the general character of the schools. The office was abolished March 13, 1847, during which period the fol- lowing held the office in Madison county: Edward Manchester, Thomas Barlow, of Canastota, and Marsena Temple, of Munnsville.
In his annual message of 1844 Governor Bouck treated largely the school question, stating among other things the following:
The substitution of a single officer, charged with the supervision of the schools of each town, for the board of commissioners and inspectors formerly existing, in con- nection with the supervisory and appellate powers of the several county superin- tendents, as defined by the law of the last session, seems to have met with the general approbation and concurrence of the people.
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