USA > New York > Saratoga County > Our county and its people : a descriptive and biographical record of Saratoga County, New York > Part 12
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1783-1800.
at once, his new home being situated near the site of the old Empire house. He soon built another log house for the accommodation of summer guests, of whom he had large numbers. No other public houses existed at the springs during the last century, excepting the tavern built by Benjamin Risley during 1790 or 1791.
Merchants located at the springs before there were enough inhabit- ants within range to support a single individual, unless enormous profit were asked and received. This probably was the case, for as early as 1794 John and Ziba Taylor, brothers, located here and became the pio- neer merchants of the newly founded village. John Taylor conducted his business in the Schouten house, then owned and occupied by Ben- jamin Risley. Later he built a small log house about seven or eight hundred feet north of High Rock spring, in which he and his brother had a store for many years. They also bought a great deal of land in the vicinity of the springs, which they cleared; built saw mills and grist mills and in general became prominent and influential. The "Ten springs " were first owned and developed by John Taylor, who resided there many years, Ziba continuing in business in the upper vil- lage. The two daughters of Richard Searing, a pioneer of Greenfield, became the wives of these two brothers. John married Polly Searing, and Ziba married Sally Searing. Ziba's daughter, Mary, became the wife of Dr. John H. Steele, the historical writer.
In the town of Saratoga Springs numerous settlements were made during the Revolution. The earliest inhabitant in the southeastern part of the town was Benjamin French, whose home was near Saratoga
adroit and diplomatic was he that he became the unreserved confidant of both parties, without being suspected of treachery by either. But there is no doubt of his patriotism. Dr. John H. Steele in his "Analysis" wrote: "When General Gates took command of the Northern army, he applied to the committee of safety of Stillwater to provide a suitable person to go into Bur- goyne's camp, with a view to obtain a knowledge of the movements of the enemy. Bryan was immediately selected as a person well qualified to undertake the hazardous enterprise, and he readily agreed to accomplish it. About the same time he was applied to by a friend of the enemy to carry somc intelligence which he deemed of importance to Burgoyne; this he likewise under- took, having secretly obtained the consent of General Gates for that purpose. By pursuing a circuitous route, he arrived unmolested at the camp of the enemy, which was then situated in the vicinity of Fort Edward. Having had several interviews with General Burgoyne, by whom he was closely examined, he was finally employed by that officer to superintend some concerns in the ordnance department. He tarricd sufficiently long to obtain the required information when he privately left the camp in the gray of the morning of the 15th of September; but he had not procceded many miles before he discovered that he was pursued by two horsemen; these, how- ever, he contrived to avoid, and arrived safely at Gates's headquarters latc on the following night, and communicated the first intelligence of the enemy's having crossed the Hudson and being on the advance to Stillwater. This intelligence was of great importance, as it led to the immediate preparation for the sanguinary engagement which ensued on the 19th of the same month."
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
lake as early as 1780. He owned a fertile tract of about 1,200 acres. He also resided for a short time previous to this in a cabin at the north end of Lonely lake, or Owl pond, a small body half or three-quarters of a mile north of Saratoga lake. He had three sons, John, Benjamin and Richard. A little south of Mr. French lived Mr. Upton, but the time of his coming is unknown.
Amos Stafford was the first resident of the community which now bears the name of Stafford's Bridge. Tradition says that he killed such immense numbers of wolves that the bounty he received therefor was sufficient to pay for the farm he settled. Amos Stafford had seven children. The oldest, Mary, became Mrs. Green of Saratoga. Her first husband dying, she married John Hicks and removed to Waterloo, Seneca county. Henry, the oldest son, removed to Penn Yan, N. Y. Samuel removed to Victor, N. Y. Amos remained upon the home- stead. Rensselaer located in Saratoga, his farm adjoining his father's. Rachael married Anthony Maxwell of the town of Saratoga. Phoebe became the wife of Gerrit I. Lansing of Halfmoon. Among the earliest neighbors of Amos Stafford were John, Henry and Nicholas Wagman, and Amos Peck. Asa, William and Staats Jewell, brothers, settled at the close of the century on the farm which until his death was occupied by ex-Mayor Thomas B. Carroll of Troy, who spent his later years as a resident of Saratoga county. Another early resident was Pardon Fish, who resided north of what is now Moon's hotel. About 1796 Zachariah and Henry Curtis, brothers, came from Stillwater and took up three hundred acres of unimproved land, most of which is still in the possession of his family. They were originally from Chatham, Columbia county. David Abel and his brother came from Dutchess county about 1779 and located on the east side of the lake, on the farm surrounding the White Sulphur spring. The brother remained there, but about 1790 David removed to the west side of the lake. He had four sons, David, Peter, Jacob and Richard .. The former succeeded to the ownership of the home farm, and the others went west. His daughters became Mrs. James Barhydt, Mrs. John Whitford and Mrs. Andrus Riley. Benjamin Avery came from Dutchess county about 1790 and located about two miles from Stafford's. He reared a family of several sons. Of these, James and Edward settled in Wilton, Fred- erick and Hiram in Saratoga, and Calvin in Saratoga Springs. Austin and Orlin died young. Benjamin Avery's daughters became Mrs. Noah Weed of Greenfield and Mrs. John Kelly of the same town.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, 1783-1800.
Robert Ellis was the pioneer at what is now known as "The Geysers." He located there as early as 1777. His sons were Robert, jr., Myron, Charles and one other, and his daughters became Mrs. George Peck, Mrs. Pitkin, Mrs. James R. Westcot and Mrs. Joseph Westcot. Mr. Westcot's neighbors during the period of which we are writing included John Scott and Robert Welds. Among those who settled near by about 1780 were John and Jeremiah Cady, brothers. One of them built a home on Cady Hill, and another built a home which subsequently became a tavern. Jeremiah removed west at an early day. John had two sons, Thomas and Jeremiah. Robert Ayers, who was a soldier in the Revolution, settled soon after the war near what is now "the Dry bridge," in the southern part of the town along the Delaware and Hudson railroad. His wife was a Miss Ashton, He became a large landholder, his property including some of the rich land along the Kayaderosseras. Of his two sons, John and Isaac, the former settled in Saratoga and the latter went west. One of his daugh- ters became Mrs. Hicks Seaman, mother of Hicks Seaman, whose family now occupy the old Ayers homestead. The others became Mrs. Elisha Rockwell of Milton and Mrs. Ransom Cook of Saratoga Springs. Thomas Brown and Mr. Wallace lived near him. Foster Whitford, who had an early mill in Saratoga, near Snake hill, had several sons, one of whom, John C., settled in Saratoga Springs.
One of the earliest mills in town was built before 1800 near the Geysers by Robert Ellis, of whom mention is made in the foregoing.
Dr. Carpenter is said to have been the first physician to locate in the town of Saratoga Springs. He was a devout member of the Baptist church.
The records in existence fail to mention any schools or churches in the town of Saratoga Springs in the eighteenth century except those in the village of that name. The oldest church in town is the First Baptist church of Saratoga Springs village, which was formed in 1791 by ten members of the First Baptist church of Stillwater, located at Bemus Heights, who had moved to the west side of the lake, in this town. This church was not received into fellowship until October 11, 1793, when it had but twenty members. Services were conducted several years by visiting preachers or laymen, and the congregation had no regular house of worship for many years as far as the records show.1
1 The first church edifice was erected in 1809 on land east of the Geyser spring procured from
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
CHARLTON.
A large portion of the territory embraced within the limits of the town of Charlton was originally given as part payment for labor per- formed, to the commissioners who surveyed and distributed the lands included in the Kayaderosseras Patent. Five thousand acres in Charl- ton, the northern boundary of which is now coincident with the high- way running east and west through the village of Charlton, was one of the tracts awarded to these commissioners. This tract was sold at public auction by the commissioners, the purchasers being Dirck Lef- ferts, Cornelius Clopper, Isaac Low and Benjamin Kissam. By the return of Low to England and the death of Kissam, Lefferts and Clop- per secured title to the entire tract, which they cut up into farms and sold to the newcomers. Joseph Van Kirk, who bought a farm next to the Ballston line, was the first settler on this tract, during the early days of the Revolution. Soon afterward Joseph La Rue, who pre- viously had located a mile and a half northeast of Charlton village, took up the farm west of Van Kirk's. James Bradshaw and Jesse Conde settled there within a year or so after La Rue's removal. John Rogers built a home on Aalplaats kill, and immediately afterward, as early as 1778, erected a saw mill there. This was the first saw mill in Charlton. It was located about half a mile south of Charlton village. In the eastern part of the town, north of Van Kirk's, Nathaniel Cook and his family-a wife, eight sons and one daughter-founded a new home in the summer of 1778. They came from New Jersey. Their oldest son, Asher, and his wife located on a hundred acre farm about two miles
Robert Ellis. In 1822 they removed to Saratoga Springs village and occupied a building stand- ing on the site of the present church. In 1846 this building was remodeled and repaired. In 1855 the increasing membership rendered the erection of a new edifice necessary, and this building was dedicated in August, 1856. It cost about $18,000. The first parsonage was built in 1833. The church had no regular pastor until 1800, when, on December 18, Rev. Elisha P. Langworthy was ordained to the ministry. He resided in Ballston Spa, where his death occurred in 1828. He fre- quently would walk to church in the depth of winter, a distance of five miles; and as there was no fire in the church, would preach with his mittens and overcoat on. After an intermission, during which the devoted members of the congregation would eat their cold lunches, he would preach a second sermon. The succeeding pastors have been: 1819-1823, Francis Wayland: 1823- 1825, John Lamb; 1825-1826, David R. Mackelfresh; 1829-1845, Joshua Fletcher; 1847-1849, Arnold Kingsbury; 1850-1855, Austin H. Stowel; 1855-1859, Luther W. Beecher; D.D .; 1861-1864, A. W. Sawyer; 1864-1870, L. M. Woodruff; 1870-1871, William Cheetham; 1871-1872, supplied by Samuel H. Greene and E. H. Bronson; 1872-1876, E. A. Woods; 1876-1886, George A. Smith; 1887-1891, George B. Foster; 1891-1894, George W. Nicholson; 1894 to the present time, Tileston F. Chambers. December 30, 1884, a new Baptist chapel at the Geysers was dedicated. The Sunday school was organized May 1, 1870. A parsonage was erected in 1892, next to the church on. Washington street, a gift from Mrs, Hervey P. Hall as a memorial to her husband.
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CHARLTON, 1783-1800.
north of Charlton village. There are many descendants of Nathaniel Cook now residing in the town.
A number of Scotch families from Whithorn parish, in Galloway, Scotland, sailed for America in 1774, and finally settled in what is now the town of Galway-named for Galloway. The year following a number of their friends in Scotland followed them and settled in the northern part of Charlton, just south of their neighbors in Galway. Among these hardy pioneers were William Gilchrist, James Bell, An- drew Bell, Robert Mckinney, John McWilliams, and others. This settlement was called "Scotch Street." During the Revolution, which even then was in progress, some of these families left their homes and remained in Albany or Schenectady for safety. They retained the titles to their newly-acquired lands, however, which for the most part are still retained by their descendants. Several of them, including Abram Van Epps, Alexander Gilchrist and Aaron Schermerhorn, re- moved into the western part of the town after the war. Tunis Swart and John Van Patten accompanied them. Hezekiah Watkins, who fought with the American army in the Revolution, and John Anderson, a soldier under General Burgoyne, who was one of the prisoners sur- rendered at Saratoga in 1777, settled also near West Charlton. John Holmes, from New Jersey, settled about 1775 about three-quarters of a mile west of Charlton village, where he soon after built the first grist mill in town. In 1786 Phoenix Cox built a home north of Charlton. He came from New Jersey, where he was a militiaman in 1776. His son Asher inherited the farm. Abraham Northrup located about a mile south of Charlton in 1785, occupying two hundred acres of land purchased of Lefferts and Clopper. Zopher Wicks located two miles north of Charlton about 1786. One son, Zopher Wicks, jr., started the first blacksmith shop in town. The other son, David, remained on the homestead, which finally became his by inheritance. Isaac Smith, who came from Lenox, Mass., settled in the southern part of the town. Gideon Hawley, from Connecticut, was another pioneer. He was the father of Gideon Hawley, the first superintendent of public schools for the State of New York, appointed in 1813. He was a lawyer and a graduate of Union College.' The families of Robert and Alison Bun- yan and Robert and Alison Hume, of good Scotch blood, located a short distance east of West Charlton in 1794, their farms adjoining. William,
1 See chapter on Bench and Bar.
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
son of Robert Bunyan, married Isabel, daughter of Robert Hume.1 Robert Bunyan died in 1799. His son died in 1837.
The Low family was prominent in public affairs for many years. The pioneer, James Low, located between Charlton and West Charlton soon after the war. John Low was supervisor for many years, from 1821 to 1832 and from 1834 to 1836, inclusive. Thomas Low served the county as sheriff. The first marble grave-stone erected in the town marks the grave of Mrs. Abigail Low, who died April 11, 1797. Cap- tain Kenneth Gordon, who had been a minute man in the Revolution, came to town before the end of the war and located on what is now the De Ridder farm. His son, Joseph Gordon, resided in Ballston Spa for many years. In 1785 Seth Kirby purchased the farm recently occupied by the widow of Col. F. D. Curtis. His son, Major Thomas Kirby, was an ensign in the war of 1812. The latter's second daughter be- came the wife of Colonel Curtis. The Kirbys were descended from two brothers who fled from England on the downfall of Oliver Cromwell, they having been numbered among the adherents of the great dictator. They were members of the council which sentenced Charles I to death.
Other settlers during the period under discussion were John Boyd, John Munro, Henry Carl, John and Nicholas Angle, Amos Sherwood, Aaron Schermerhorn, James Valentine, Samuel Parent, - Stevens, Chapman, Ahasuerus Wendell, Nathan Hinman, James Taylor, Eli Northrup, John Hays, - Arrowsmith, Jeremiah Smith and Jacob Deremer.
Dr. William Mead was the first physician to practice in Charlton. There is no record of any lawyer having an office here before 1800.
The first store in town probably was that kept by Davis & Bostwick, established about 1785. They failed in business in 1794, and were suc- ceeded by Chauncey and Samuel Belding, brothers, the first of whom settled in town about 1790 and the latter about 1792. The Beldings became men of wealth and influence. Chauncey was a member of assembly in 1807 and 1808, and Samuel served in that office in 1823.
The saw mill built by John Rogers on Aalplaats creek about 1778 was the first in town. The grist mill of John Holmes, west of Charl- ton, was the first of that kind in town.
The first church organization existing in Charlton prior to the pres-
1 William and Isabel Bunyan were the parents of John Bunyan. The latter married Jane Tweed Chalmers, and their son, Thomas C. Bunyan, now of Berthoud, Col., was from 1874 to 1892 principal of the Union Free schools of Ballston Spa.
103
GALWAY, 1783-1800.
ent century was the " Presbyterian Church of Freehold, in Charlton," so named because most of its members, inhabitants of the eastern part of the town, came from Freehold, N. J. The church was organized January 3, 1786, and placed under the jurisdiction of the presbytery of New York, having been incorporated according to the laws of the State of New York. In the following summer a small frame church was erected. 1
The second church was the "Scotch Street church," now the United Presbyterian church of West Charlton .? It was founded by the early Scotch settlers at "Scotch Street," in the northern part of the town. The society was organized soon after the Revolution, but there was no regular pastor nor house of worship until 1794. In that year, a church edifice having been erected, a call was extended to Rev. James Mairs, and he was duly installed as pastor February 20, 1794. This relation remained unbroken until May 20, 1835, when Mr. Mairs removed to the vicinity of New York, where he preached in various places until his death, which occurred September 18, 1840.
GALWAY.
The settlements at Scotch Street, made in 1774, were followed soon after by others farther north in the town of Galway. About four years later a colony came from Centrehook, R. I., and located near York's Corners, in the northeastern part of the town. Among them were Rev. Simeon Smith and his parents, and Simeon Babcock, Reuben Mattison and Joseph Brown, his brothers-in-law. Three or four years
1 A new church was built in 1802, and still a third in 1853, the latter costing $4,500. A year later the society purchased a parsonage adjoining the church. Soon after the erection of the first house of worship Rev. William Schenck of Ballston was engaged to preach here one-third of the time, as a stated supply. From 1789 to 1793 the pulpit was supplied by the presbytery. The first regular pastor of the church, Rev. Samuel Sturges, was installed June 21, 1793. He remained four years; then the pulpit was vacant until 1800, when Rev. Joseph Sweetman became pastor. The pastors succeeding him have been : Revs. Isaac Watts Platt, 1820-25; John Clancy, 1825-45; Richard H. Steele, 1848-50; George L. Taylor, 1853-54; James N. Crocker, 1855-67; John R. Sanson, 1869-75; Clarence W. Backus, 1876-82; Raymond Hoyt Stearns, 1883-92; Walter A. Hitchcock, 1893 to the present time. The interior of the church was remodeled during the summer of 1892. The manse burned to the ground March 2, 1896. During the year it was replaced by a new modern dwelling.
2 The first church, a frame structure, built in 1794, stood in the southeast corner of John Mc- Kinley's farm, in the town of Galway. In 1803 a larger house of worship was erected on the farm of James Bell in Charlton, on the site of the West Charlton cemetery. William Bunyan and Robert Brown were the builders. A new church was built in 1846, and thirty years later about $3,000 was expended in alterations and repairs. A parsonage was erected in 1837. Sunday schools were maintained for many years in various school districts, but in 1864 these were all merged in the school which has since met regularly in the church.
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
later about a dozen families from New Jersey formed a little colony in the southeastern part of the town, which they called Jersey Hill. This colony included Peter Anderson, James Hayes, Richard Paul, John Hinman, Dudley Smith, -- Harrison, --- Hedding. A short dis- tance southwest from this colony John McMartin, Duncan Stewart, James Clizbe and - Ferguson settled about the same time. Job Cornell, and his wife, Sarah Wood, who came from Rhode Island, set- tled about three and a half miles north of Galway about 1788 or 1789. There their son, Job Cornell, jr., was born in 1789. The latter became the father of William Cornell of Mosherville. Lewis Stone and his wife, Sally Warren, came from New York to Galway in 1794, where their son, Augustus L. Stone, was born. Pilgrim Durkee and his wife, Hannah Holmes, settled about half a mile east of West Galway about 1784, and there raised a family of six sons and five daughters. One son, Eber C. Durkee, remained on the homestead for many years. Gen. Earl Stimson was an early settler near Galway village, on the hill known as Stimson's Corners. He had two stores, a hotel, and a meat packing establishment and owned hundreds of acres of land. He was very prominent, and was a member of assembly in 1818 and a Repub- lican presidential elector in 1840. James Warren was another repre- sentative man of the town, representing the county in the Assembly from 1799 to 1803. Col. Isaac Gere held many public offices, includ- ing member of assembly and State senator. Other prominent men who resided in town during the latter years of the eighteenth century included Othniel Looker, Nehemiah Conde, Lewis Rogers, Eli Smith, James De Golia, Asa Kellogg, Edmund Wait, Wait Palmer, Josiah Bartlett, Isaac Fay, Arnold Lewis, Restcome Potter, Dr. Pixley, one of the earliest physicians in Galway; Thomas Disbrow, Joseph Wait, Ebenezer Smith, Philip Green, Benajah Moon, Wilson Green, Joseph Brewster and Nathaniel Keeler.
Before the close of the century the Scotch settlers who had inhabited the southern part of Galway and the northern part of Charlton had organized what was then known as the "Scotch Street church," which afterward become the United Presbyterian church of West Charlton.1 In 1803 a new church was erected in the town of Charlton. A society of Friends existed in the town many years ago, but as there are extant no known records of that organization, it is impossible to state when, where or by whom it was organized or how long it existed.
1 The history of this church is contained in the pages immediately preceding.
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195
EDINBURGH, 1783-1800.
Tradition says that the First Baptist church of Galway was organ- ized as early as 1778, and this date was officially accepted by the Shafts- bury association, of which the church was a member; but the existing records go back no farther than 1785. The society was originally com- posed of twenty-seven members, who came in a body from Rhode Island and settled in the northern part of the town. Rev. Simeon Smith became the first pastor in 1785, remaining as such five years. He was not ordained to the ministry, however, until 1787. At his home the early meetings were held. About 1786 a log meeting-house was erected. In 1796 this was abandoned and a church was erected on " Baptist Hill," a mile southwest of York's Corners. In 1845 this was taken down and rebuilt at York's Corners at an expense of $3,000. The Sunday school was organized in 1845.
EDINBURGH.
While settlements in Edinburgh may have been made, and probably were made, during the latter days of the Revolution, the earliest in- habitants of whom anything definite is known was Abijah Stark, a nephew of General John Stark, the commander of the patriot forces at the battle of Bennington. In 1787 he removed from Coleraine, Mass., and located on the east side of the Sacandaga river, not far from the Providence town line. His family at this time consisted of his wife, Elizabeth Newell, and two children. He at once cleared land for a farm and soon had a fine tract of lowland along the river under cultiva - tion. Here his family increased to eight sons and two daughters. Of these, Squire Stark married Louisa Higley and resided until his death upon the homestead.
One of Stark's earliest neighbors, who may have come about the same time, or possibly earlier, was Jonathan Anderson. He had sev- eral children, one of whom, Aaron, was the father of Dr. John K. An- derson, for many years a practicing physician in the town of Edinburgh and other parts of New York State. Among others who settled in the Stark and Anderson neighborhoods were Nathaniel Bass, Sylvanus Westcot and Samuel Randall.
In 1795 James and Amy Partridge came from Connecticut and estab- lished a home on the hill near Edinburgh, or Beecher's Hollow. Their children were named Thomas, Rebecca, Ruanna, Polly, Frederick, August, Roxanna, Eunice and James. The latter, born in 1797, spent his entire life on the homestead, which is still in possession of his
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