Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I, Part 19

Author: White, Truman C
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Boston] : Boston History Co.
Number of Pages: 1014


USA > New York > Erie County > Our county and its people : a descriptive work on Erie County, New York, Volume I > Part 19


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).


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Hoyt settled a little east of what became known as Holmes's Hill, which received its name from two brothers, Ebenezer and John M. Holmes; they did not arrive until early in 1808, but preceding the reorganization of the purchase and therefore may be noticed here. Both had large families, Ebenezer eight and John M. nine children, most of whom lived long in that section. Jacob Turner settled in Wales near William Allen in 1807, or 1808.


The present town of Holland was first settled in 1807, when Arthur Humphrey, Abner Currier, and Jared Scott made clearings on the creek flats between South Wales and the site of Holland village.


In 1806 the first purchase in the present town of Alden was made by Jonas Vanwey, who settled in the northwest corner. There was no other permanent settlement in this town until some years later.


In the town of Newstead Elisha Geer, Jonathan Fish and perhaps others settled in 1806, and Charles Knight, Lemuel Osborn and others in 1807. There is a tradition that a Methodist society was formed at the house of Mr. Osborn in the fall of 1807, with twelve members. It was the first Methodist society on the purchase and the second religious organization in this county. Rev. Peter Van Ness, one of the two preachers sent out in 1807, was present. It was in one of these two years that Archibald S. Clarke opened the first store in the county outside of Buffalo, on his farm near Vandeventer's. It was an im- provement most welcome to the inhabitants of that section.


Clarence received accessions in 1806 of Jonathan Barrett, John Tyler, Justice Webster, and others, and William Barrett, Thomas Brown, and Asa Harris settled there in 1807. Harris Hill took its name from Asa Harris, who located there.


James Hershey and William Maltby settled in Amherst in 1806, and John Drake, Samuel Fackler, Gamaliel St. John, and others in 1807. The latter settled near where Jonas Williams was striving to found the village of Williamsville (then called Williams's Mills), and had to pay $3 an acre for his land, while the others named bought for $2. Mrs. St. John was destined to perform a heroic part in connection with the burning of Buffalo.


The elections for the town of Willink down to and including 1806 continued to be held at Vandeventer's, and each year he was chosen supervisor. In 1807 the town meeting was held at Clarence Hollow, when Asa Ransom was elected to that office. In April, 1807, the gen- eral election was held, continuing three days, and the settlers were


157


FROM 1808 TO 1810.


privileged for the first time to use a ballot box. The election was held a day and a half north of the reservation, and in the next forenoon the polls were opened on the south side at Warren's tavern in Aurora; in the afternoon in Wales. The excise commissioners of the town of Willink for 1807 certified to ten persons to keep taverns in the town, and there was not yet a single store.


CHAPTER XII.


1808-1810.


Further Territorial Changes-Erection of Niagara County-The New County Seat-Beginning of Court House and Jail-The First Courts and Judges-Impetus to Immigration-Lot Buyers in Buffalo in 1808-Settlements Outside of Buffalo- First Town Meeting for Clarence-Settlements in Northern Part of the County- Glezen Fillmore's Arrival in the County-Letters of Juba Storrs-Attempt to Re- move the Port of Entry-Erastus Granger's Protest-Religious Meetings in Buffalo.


Territorial changes of great importance took place on the Holland Purchase in 1808, in which Erie county was directly involved. The reader has learned of these in detail in Chapter I. As far as these changes directly affected this county it should be briefly stated here that Allegany county was erected from Genesee in 1806, the latter remaining with its then existing boundaries until March 11, 1808. On that date a law was passed erecting the county of Niagara from that part of Genesee county lying north of Cattaraugus Creek and west of the line between the 4th and 5th ranges of townships on the purchase. At the same time Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties were erected with substantially their present boundaries; but a peculiar clause of the erecting act prohibited their organization until each should have 500 voters. For public purposes they consequently remained for a time attached to Niagara county. There has since been only one im- portant territorial change west of the east line of Cattaraugus and the original Niagara county-the erection of Erie in 1821.


The act erecting Niagara county (embracing all of the territory now constituting Erie county) contained a provision locating the county seat at " Buffalo or New Amsterdam," provided the Holland Company


158


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


should within three years erect a suitable court house and jail on at least half an acre of land which should be deeded to the new county by the company. The act also directed the holding of certain terms of the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General Sessions (as de- tailed in Chapter XXX), the first term of which was to be held at the public house of Joseph Landon 1 (formerly Crow's tavern).


The legislative act under consideration also made many and im- portant changes in town and township boundaries. A tier of town- ships from the east side of Willink remained in Genesee county, and all of Niagara county north of Tonawanda Creek was erected into the town of Cambria. At the same time the town of Clarence was erected from Willink and Erie, comprising the territory between Tonawanda Creek on the north and the center of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, and of course including Buffalo village. The first town meeting for Clarence was to be held at the house of Elias Ransom (near Eggerts- ville, now in the town of Amherst). That part of Niagara county south of the center of the reservation remained as the town of Willink.


These various changes, as explained in Chapter I, obliterated the old town of Erie from the map. It will be seen that the territory of Erie county constituted by far the larger part of the original Niagara county, and it contained the principal part of the population. It was at a later date to retain the original county seat and all of the county records that had been preserved.


Augustus Porter was appointed by the governor first judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Niagara County. Two of his associates were Erastus Granger and Samuel Tupper, of Buffalo. Asa Ransom was the first sheriff; Archibald S. Clarke (then the only merchant on Erie county territory outside of Buffalo), surrogate, and Louis Le Cou- teulx, county clerk. Mr. Clarke was, in the same year, elected to the Assembly from the district comprising the three new counties. These appointments made some changes in the offices of the local militia. Asa Ransom was compelled to resign his lieutenant-colonelcy and was succeeded by Timothy S. Hopkins, which was one step of the ladder towards the general's commission which he subsequently held. This, with the cashiering of Sylvanus Maybee, left two major's positions


1 Joseph Landon, as has already been stated, founded the Mansion House in Buffalo. He pur- chased inner lot 81 in July. 1807. He married Mrs. Marvin, mother of Mrs. Ebenezer Walden, and for his second wife, the widow of Dr. West, who was long stationed at Fort Niagara. Mr. Landon removed later to Lockport, where he kept a public house.


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175 174


173 172 171


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126 125 124


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158 157 156


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MAP OF


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178


BUFFALO VILLAGE


69


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176


SENECA


ST.


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6


from an Engraving by E. R. Jewett & Co.


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VANSTAPHORST


196


151 150 149


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162 161 160


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102


190


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96


59 58


60


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188


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133


147


26


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MAP OF BUFFALO VILLAGE


OUTER LOTS.


from an Engraving by E. R. Jewett & Co.


SWAN


ST.


10


5


8


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VOLLENHOVEN A


BUFFALO


INITTIM


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ERIE


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130


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113


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124


137


120


129


121


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112


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ISHOHVISNYA


135


127


119


136


128


134


126


11


12


SENECA


ST.


ST


159


FROM 1808 TO 1810.


vacant. Capt. William Warren, who was not yet twenty-four years of age, was made first major, and Asa Chapman, second major.


The Holland Company promptly began the erection of the first court house, which stood on the requisite half acre of land and in the middle of what is now Washington street (directly in front of the site of the second court house), Buffalo; the building was finished in 1809.


The erection of the new counties and particularly the selection of Buffalo as the county seat, gave a decided impetus to immigration. Purchasers of lots in Buffalo in 1808· were as follows: Jabez Goodell, outer lots 136 and 145; John Roop, farm lot 76; Elisha Ensign, inner lot 60 and farm lot 19; Joseph Wells, inner lot 62; Asa Fox, inner lot 61; Gilman Folsom, inner lot 72; David Mather, outer lot, 123; William Hull and others, inner lot 8; Rowland Cotton, farm lot 75. A few of these have been before mentioned as purchasers of other prop- erty. Nearly or quite all of these became permanent residents of the village, and aided in its early development. Deacon Amos Callender arrived in Buffalo in 1807-8 and became quite conspicuous in religious and moral reform work, as will appear. Gen. Elijah Holt (as he was familiarly called) was a leader in organizing society out of the some- what discordant elements that composed the population of the place at that period. He was president of a society for the suppression of vice and immorality, of which Deacon Callender was secretary. General Holt's daughter married Elisha Ensign and became the mother of E. W. and Charles Ensign. Joseph Wells was father of William, C. J. and C. C. Wells, all of whom were well known citizens. Gilman Fol- som was probably the first butcher in the village.


Joshua Lovejoy settled in Buffalo in 1807 or 1808. The name of his family is historic on account of the murder of his wife at the burning of the village in 1813, as described farther on.


Jabez Goodell became a large purchaser of lots in the village, as well as of lands in other parts of the county. He kept a tavern for team- sters at a very early date on the corner of Main and Goodell streets. By skillful management of his lands, with their increase in value, he accu- mulated a large estate. He had no children, and at his death left his wealth to various religious and educational institutions.


Considerable advancement in the county outside of Buffalo was made in 1808. John Long settled in Amherst and was father of Christian Long. At that time Jonas Williams had two saw mills running at the site of Williamsville, but grain-grinding was still done at Ransom's.


160


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


There were only two or three houses near Williamsville, and Samuel McConnell kept his log tavern on the west side of the creek.


At the first town meeting for Clarence, held at Elias Ransom's tav- ern, two miles west of Williamsville (in the present town of Amherst), the usual officers were elected.1 The list does not include a single offi- cer from Buffalo village, which, it will be remembered was then in- cluded in that town. Liquor selling licenses were granted to Joseph Landon, Zenas Barker, Frederick Miller, Elias Ransom, Samuel Mc- Connell, Asa Harris, Levi Felton, Peter Vandeventer, and Asa Chap- man.


Permanent settlement was made in 1808 in what is now Cheekto- waga, by Apollos Hitchcock. He made the statement before his death that the only trouble his father's family had with the Indians arose from building fences across the trail that ran between the house and Cayuga Creek. The Indians would frequently throw down the fences and stride away on their errands. Bears and wolves were still numer- ous. At about the same time Henry Anguish settled on or near the site of Tonawanda village.


In 1808 Benjamin Clark, Pardon Peckham, and Capt. Elias Bissell settled about a mile east of the center of the present town of Lancas- ter. Mr. Clark had a son James, then twelve years old, who passed his long life in that vicinity. He informed a writer2 that there were then only twelve houses on that road between Buffalo and the east line of the county. At about the same time Col. Calvin Fillmore built a saw mill on the site of Bowmansville, which was doubtless the first in this town. Calvin Fillmore was uncle of Rev. Glezen Fillmore, noticed farther on.


At about the year under consideration Daniel Smith (mentioned in the preceding chapter) moved his little corn mill from Hoag's Brook to Eighteen-mile Creek, where he ingeniously placed a few logs in the stream which diverted towards his mill sufficient water to operate it, without building a more substantial dam. Obadiah and Reuben New- ton settled in 1808 in the Smith neighborhood, which was later called Newton Settlement.


Ethan Allen purchased a large tract of land in Wales in this year, near Hall's Hollow; he was already a land owner in the town. He moved upon his purchase and there passed a long and useful life.


I See later Gazetteer of Towns.


2 Crisfield Johnson.


161


FROM 1808 TO 1810.


Charles Blackmar, Benjamin Earl, James Morrison, Samuel Searls, and perhaps others were purchasers and most of them settlers in 1808.


Asa Cary, a brother of Deacon Richard Cary, before mentioned, settled in what is now Boston in 1808. His son Truman was then sixteen years of age and passed his long life on a farm in that town. In that summer the wife of John Albro, one of the two settlers at Springville, died, and Deacon Clary went ten miles through the forest to read a sermon at her funeral. Mr. Albro went away soon after, leaving his only neighbor, Mr. Stone, alone; but the latter soon had as neighbors Samuel Cochran, who arrived in October, and in the next month Deacon John Russell settled with his family in the same locality. These three families had no near neighbors during that winter. Stone left the next summer, but Albro returned, and James Vaughan and Samuel Cooper became permanent residents in 1809.


About this time Jacob Taylor, of the before described Quaker mis- sion, built a saw mill and a grist mill at Taylor's Hollow, in Collins. In 1809 Abraham Tucker settled with his family in the north part of North Collins; Stephen Sisson, Sylvanus Hussey, Isaac Hathaway and Thomas Bills purchased in the same year and settled near the line be- tween Collins and North Collins. In this year, too, George Richmond and his sons George and Frederick settled three miles east of Spring- ville, near the southwest corner of the present town of Sardinia, where the former soon opened a tavern. Frederick Richmond in the same year taught the first school in Boston. Ezra Nott was the earliest pioneer in all of the east part of Sardinia, where he settled in 1809 at what has been known as Rice's Corners, and Colegrove's Corners. In Holland Ezekiel Colby settled in the valley and was soon followed by Jonathan Colby. Jacob Farrington located on the south part of Ver- mont Hill, east of the site of Holland village-the pioneer of that part of the town. To the westward, in the present town of Boston, Joseph Yaw built a grist mill in 1809. This is according to the memory of pioneers, the records having been burned with those of Aurora in 1831.


The first settlement in the present town of Eden was made in 1809, by Elisha Welch and Deacon Samuel Tubbs, who located at what is now Eden Valley, which was early called Tubbs's Hollow. In the same year Aaron Salisbury and William Cash made the first permanent settlement in the present town of Evans, to the west of Harvey's tavern at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. David Cash, brother of


21


162


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


William, Nathaniel Leigh, John Barker, Anderson Tyler and Seth and Martin Sprague settled in that town not much later, and all near the lake shore road.


In Aurora in 1809 David Rowley and Samuel Calkins settled south of East Aurora village, and Timothy and Oren Treat elsewhere in the town. Oren passed his long life there. In the same year Humphrey Smith (possibly associated with his father, Abram) began building a grist mill at the site of Griffin's Mills, which was completed the next year. Wales settlers were increased in number in that year by the arrival of Peleg Havens, Welcome Moore, Isaac Reed and perhaps a few others.


In the northern part of the county settlement advanced still more rapidly in 1809. In Newstead Archibald S. Clarke was doing a grow- ing mercantile business and was again elected to the Assembly. Among other new settlers were Isaac Denio, John Millerman, and Benjamin Ballou. Most of the settlers in Clarence still located in the south part of the town, but Matthias Vantine penetrated the wilderness to four miles north of Harris Hill and there made his home. His son David was then fifteen years old and lived his long life in that town. He stated before his death that in 1809 there was not a family north of the limestone ledge. Samuel Beaman, afterwards honored with the title of "Colonel," settled in 1809 three miles north of Clarence Hollow and dwelt on the same farm sixty-seven years. In the same year Rev. Glezen Fillmore, who was licensed as a Methodist exhorter in March, 1809, started on foot from his home in Oneida county and traveled through the snow and mud to begin a long period of arduous and ef- ficient labor for his Master. Going first to the home of his uncle Cal- vin in Clarence, he began work, preaching first in David Hamlin's house. He subsequently procured land and lived thereafter at Clarence Hollow. He returned to Oneida county in the fall of 1809 to wed Lavina Atwell, who came back with him and lived to about ninety years of age in her new home. She stated that when she arrived there a Methodist society was already in existence. Samuel Hill, jr., was · elected supervisor of Clarence for 1809, about which time Otis Ingalls opened the first store in that town, at what is now Clarence Hollow.


Meanwhile the little hamlet on Buffalo Creek was attracting many residents, among whom were some whose names are still familiar in the speech of modern years and who wielded a large influence on the destiny of the place.


163


FROM 1808 TO 1810.


Dr. Ebenezer Johnson arrived in Buffalo in 1809, bearing a flattering letter of introduction from his brother Hezekiah to Erastus Granger, dated at Cherry Valley. Dr. Johnson practiced his profession several years and later became successful in other business affairs. He was for a period associated with Samuel Wilkeson, and later engaged in banking and brokerage; but he suffered severe losses in the financial revulsion of 1836, his fortune was swept away, and he removed to another State where he soon after died. Dr. Johnson was the first mayor of Buffalo city, and the peculiar stone residence on Delaware avenue, now connected with the Female Academy, built by him, and the adjoining Johnson park, perpetuate his memory.


Among the purchasers of lots in Buffalo in 1809 were Marmaduke Wells, a brother of Joseph Wells, and Otis R. Hopkins. They prob- ably did not settle in the place, although it appears that Mr. Wells held the office of constable in the village at an early period.


Benjamin Caryl settled in Buffalo in 1808, afterwards lived for a time at Williamsville and still later returned to Buffalo where he died. Four of his daughters married respectively Gen. Lucius Storrs, Royal Colton, J. H. Coleman, and R. W. Haskins, all of whom were residents of Buf- falo. Isaac Davis was one of the very early merchants of the village and had a store and dwelling on the west side of Main street just below Seneca. Heavy losses soon after the war drove him to commit suicide in 1818.


An important arrival in Buffalo in 1808 was Juba Storrs, who became a prominent business man of the county, and was associated within a short time with Benjamin Caryl and Samuel Pratt, jr., in mercantile operations, although he had been educated for the law. He wrote the following letter to his father soon after his arrival:


BUFFALO CREEK, July 15, 1808.


My Dear Parent-You will perceive from the date of this that I am farther from home than I contemplated when I left Mansfield. It is a good day's ride from Ontario, where I thought of making a stand; but the information I received at Geneva and Canandaigua induced me to pursue my route to this place. You will find it on the map by the name of New Amsterdam. It is a considerable village, at the mouth of Buffalo creek, where it empties into Lake Erie, and is a port of entry for Lake Ontario [Erie] the St. Lawrence and all the western lakes, and will eventually be the Utica and more than the Utica of this western country.


A little later he wrote as follows:


My partner nor myself have been able to obtain from Ellicott a well situated village


.


164


OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.


lot. Caryl contracted for a lot, with a house sufficient for a store, for $500-then the best that we could get, for which I suppose we could get six hundred, if we did not think the rise would be something handsome within a short time.


This firm built a brick store in 1810 on the northeast corner of Wash- ington and Exchange streets, which was without doubt the first brick building in Buffalo. During the existence of the firm Mr. Pratt was appointed sheriff and Mr. Storrs county clerk. After Mr. Pratt's re- tirement from the firm Lucius Storrs, brother of Juba, took his place. After the burning of the village the mercantile business was removed to Canandaigua; but previously, in 1812, they leased mill property at Williamsville.


The extracts from the foregoing letters of Mr. Storrs possess peculiar interest. Utica, as indicated therein, was then the most preten - tious interior city in the State, while the allusion to the probability that at some future time Buffalo would overtake and pass that city in size and wealth is somewhat amusing from the standpoint of the present. The rapidly spreading reputation of Buffalo, and its auspicious pros- pects, and the judgment of men at distant points on that subject, are shown by the statement of Mr. Storrs as to his abandonment of his original purpose and his determination to settle in the village at the foot of Lake Erie on the advice of men in Geneva and Canandaigua. So, .also, he gives us valuable information concerning real estate and its rising value.


As to the condition and appearance of Buffalo as a whole in 1809 we fortunately have clear records. The customs "District of Buffalo Creek," as it was officially known, was established probably in 1808 and Erastus Granger was appointed collector. In the winter of 1808-9 it appears an effort was made in Congress by Peter B. Porter to remove the custom office to Black Rock where his prospective interests largely lay. He had been elected to Congress for that year from the most western district of the State, and was still a resident of Canandaigua. But with his elder brother, Augustus Porter, and Benjamin Barton, jr., he had formed a partnership under the name of Porter, Barton & Co., and the firm were the principal forwarders of eastern goods to the west over the well known route by Oneida Lake, Oswego, and Lake Ontario to Lewiston, and thence by land around the falls and by vessel up Lake Erie. They also, in association with others, had bought 800 acres of land extending from Scajaquada Creek southward to near what is now Breckinridge street. South of that was the 100-acre State ferry lot, and


165


FROM 1808 TO 1810.


still farther on what was then called South Black Rock, where the State had signified its intention of laying out a village which would extend to the " mile-line" on the west side of Buffalo. Buffalo itself then had no harbor worthy of the name, and all vessels of much tonnage stopped at Black Rock. This effort to remove the custom office was naturally opposed by prominent citizens of Buffalo village. Erastus Granger was loyal to Buffalo, as will be seen in the following letter, which not only covers the subject of the proposed removal, but gives us a vivid, if somewhat enthusiastic, description of the place at that time. The entire letter is, therefore, worthy of a place here:




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