Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 14

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612

USA > New York > Oneida County > Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York; > Part 14

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Peru embraced all of Whitestown, in Herkimer county, lying west of

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

the town of Mexico as first formed. bounded westerly by Ontario county and northerly by Lake Ontario. It was that territory lying west of the present counties of Onondaga and Cortland. The western bounds of the townships of Homer, Tully, Marcellus, Camillus, Lysander, and Hannibal in said Military Tract, being the eastern bounds of the town of Peru, and the westerly bounds of the town of Mexico, as first organ . ized. All of the remainder of the town of Whitestown was constituted a town by itself and named Whitestown ; which remainder included the present towns of Whitestown, New Hartford, Augusta, and part of Vernon, and the city of Utica.

In 1792 the first bridge over the Mohawk in Oneida county was erected on the line of Second street. It was swept off in a few months and in 1794 a new one at the foot of Genesee street was constructed.

Judge Vanderkemp was a pioneer settler in and became a prominent citizen of the town of Trenton. In 1792 he journeyed from Kingston up the Hudson to Albany and thence up the Mohawk to Old Fort Schuyler, thence to Fort Stanwix, crossed over to Wood Creek and down that stream to Oneida Lake and so on to Oswego. He writes as follows :

Although the Mohawk becomes navigable for bateaux at no great distance from Cohoes, all merchandise nevertheless is thus far carried by wagons from Albany to Schenectady (16 miles) whence these are conveyed in bateaux for about 100 miles, including one mile portage at Little Falls, via Fort Stanwix. Here is a carrying place of one mile to Wood Creek, which empties it waters, after it is joined by Can- ada and Fish Creeks, in Oneida Lake; as handsome, as rich in fish, as any lake in the western world. Our government has passed a law to clear the navigation from the Mohawk to the Hudson. So much is certain that it is resolved to open the carry- ing place between the Hudson and Wood Creek, and to clear the latter from any obstructions. Fort Stanwix must become a staple place of the commodities of the west stored there from the fertile lands bordering the lakes and rivers and Old Fort Schuyler, nearly the central part of intercourse between the north and west, trans- formed in an opulent mercantile city, where future Lorenzos will foster and protect arts and sciences; where the tomahawk and scalping knife shall be replaced by the chisel and pencil of the artist, and the wigwam by marble palaces. Our canals open an early communication between the lakes Ontario and Oncida, which is possible, and can thus be executed. Go on, then, and dig canals through the western dis- trict and be not afraid that a single hair shall be hurt on the head of its inhabitants by the waves of Lake Erie. Dare only to undertake the enterprise, and I warrant the success.

I rode to Schenectady from Albany, and passed a few hours with the Rev. Romeyn, one of the most learned and eminent divines of the Reformed Church in

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTY.

this State. He assured me that fifteen hundred families passed by his house during the winter of 1791 to various parts of the western lands; while I was informed by another credible witness that during the winter of 1790, within 40 miles of the river point, where the rivers of Onondaga, Seneca, and Oswego are joined [Three River Point west of Oneida Lake] two hundred and forty yokes of oxen had been counted. . . Now I was in Herkimer, passed slowly through the German Flats. Col. Starring was the man with whom I intended to dine, if it was obtainable; al- though his honor was at the time a Judge of the Common Pleas, thus high in civil and military authority, yet he kept a public house. The Col. was gone to meeting ; his barn was the place of worship. I went thither; the assembled congregation was very numerous; our Lord's supper was celebrated with decency, and as it appeared to me, by many with fervent devotion. Four children were baptized by Rev. Mr. Rosenkrantz. After service, the congregation flocked to the Col.'s house and used sparingly some refreshinents. The weighty principle with many was, that now (inasmuch as George Clinton was elected Gov.) the court house should be fixed at Herkimer Near Old Fort Schuyler I crossed the Mohawk, and took my tea at John Post's; reached Whitesborough about evening, and stopped at the house of Judge White, the father of this flourishing settlement. Gov. Clinton had favored me with a letter of introduction to Jonas Platt, then county clerk. 1 met on the road to Whitesborough a group of Oneida Indians, some of them on horseback, others walk- ing and jumping ; the one with a bottle, another with a jug or small keg of rum; for the most part, merrily jolly ; some deeply soaked by the beverage, distilled from the cane. Their numbers increased as I approached near Whitesborough. There I saw about 200 of every age and of both sexes, around their fires near the road, eating, drinking, smoking, singing, laughing, all of them in perfect harmony. The occasion of this unusual concourse was, they came to receive the corn from the State, which had been stipulated in one of the articles of the late treaty; they soon changed this corn (a large part) for money, and that for silk handkerchiefs, linen, &c. Judge White was commissioned to distribute the corn. He is a man between 50 and 60, middle stature, corpulent and of acomely appearance. The roads are daily improving, as evidenced from the fact that while I was here, Mr. and Mrs. Livingston came to visit their son-in-law, Jonas Platt, from Pokeepsie, in their own carriage in 4 days. There is scarce an acre of land for sale in Whitesborough. Mr. Elizur Moseley [the first physician, the first merchant, the first postmaster of the place and the second sheriff of Oneida county] paid $150 for 3 acres, for a building spot. About two miles from Whitesborough I crossed Oriskany creek, where many Oneida Indians resided in former days. I had advanced but a few steps when my attention was fixed on a number of skulls, placed in a row on a log near the road. I was informed by work- men that this place was the fatal spot on which the murderous encounter happened between Gen. Herkimer and his sturdy associates and the Indians and English. Where the brave and gallant soldier did fall, I was shown a tree, on which was closely carved something resembling a man's head intended to represent this in- trepid warrior. About noon on Monday, I arrived at Fort Stanwix. Baron De Zeng was employed in laying out a kitchen garden. He gave me a cordial reception, and introduced me to Col. Colbraith [then sheriff of Herkimer county], a revolutionary soldier. We partook of some refreshments; my horse was turned out on luxuriant

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

pasture grounds. Baron De Zeng is a German nobleman, descended from a noble family in Saxony and arrived in America during the revolutionary war. He mar- ried a respectable lady in New York and intends to begin a settlement in this vicinity.

The soil here is not much different from Whitesborough. By digging 10 and 12 feet, often deeper, leaves are found perfectly preserved, and branches of trees, large pieces of timber are discovered. I saw several samples of all these when a well was dug for Col. Colbraith.1 While at Fort Stanwix a large bateau of furs came from the west; two yokes of oxen drew the furs over the portage. This was the second cargo within a week. From these examples, it may be conjectured what riches the waters of Oneida lake may carry on to Fort Stanwix, if obstruction should be re- moved. Salmon river and Fish creek, are in the spring full of salmon ; an Oneida Indian with his spear took 45 salmon in one hour, another, 65 in one night, and an- other 80. The eel of Oneida lake is equal to the best in the Holland market; in the waters hereabouts, are also pike, pickerel, catfish, lobster, turtle, swordfish, whitefish, etc. Scarce a day passes, in which not two, sometimes three, bateaux arrived whose destination was towards the Genesee lands. We met daily with groups of 5 or 6 on horseback in search for land, with intention, if succeeding, to move on with their families the next winter, or following spring; while every day someone wanted to buy of us land, of which we did not own a single inch. During the time I tarried here, a large bateau with furs, arrived from the west; two yokes of oxen drew it over the portage; this was the second cargo within one week. We arrived at Fort Bull, three miles distant-or rather where that fort once stood. There came tip a great rain storm, with thunder and lightning; we proceeded rapidly, and discovered after a few minutes a light in a small cottage. It was that of Widow Armstrong on the corner of Wood and Canada creeks, 7 miles from Fort Stanwix-the part of land where Roosevelt Purchase [Scriba's Patent ] begins. As we are now engaged in dry- ing our clothes by a good fire and Mrs. Armstrong is preparing our supper and couches, I must allow you a little rest before I offer you my rough sketch of the skirts of that noble tract, once the heritage of the Oneidas. On Sunday we bid adieu to the good widow Armstrong, who left nothing undone which was in her power to render her homely cottage comfortable to us. About 3 miles from her house a small swift running stream empties into Wood creek from the south. From thence we proceeded to a place called "Oak Orchard " [close by lots 11 and 12 Wood Creek Reservation, south side of Wood Creek in town of Verona]. Ere long we arrived at a singular neck of land, about a mile in length, and so small that by standing, we discovered the water at the opposite side. This was a tedious circumnavigation in- deed. We might have passed it in a few seconds if a passage had been cut through. Not far from this spot we discovered a clearing, extended towards the Fish creek, on the north, known by the name of Captain Phillips and "Dean's improvements." [This was at the southwest corner of lot 112, Scriba's Patent, on the north side of Wood Creek in the town of Vienna, and about a mile or so before Wood and Fish Creeks unite; it is where James Dean and Jedediah Phelps settled in 1784, as before

1 These evidences are confirmatory of the theory, that from Oneida Lake to Little Falls was once one large continuous body of water, and that the gap at Little Falls is the outlet to this lake, where the water broke away in early ages.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTY.

narrated]. We left our canoes to look at the land; it was low and flat near the bor- ders of the creek, and had the appearance of being annually overflowed; Wood creek increased in width, and had the appearance of a handsome river. We were sur- prised to see a little after sunset, nine fires in a semi-circular form on the lake. The fires were made by the Indians spearing eels. They are usually 2 or 3 in a canoe. A catfish was brought in by a fisherman that weighed 10 pounds; we afterwards ob- tained one of 24 pounds; some have been taken of 40 and 45 lbs; but those of the

largest size are brought from Lake Ontario. . At the end of Oneida lake we met Judge John Lansing of the Supreme Court, and Morgan Lewis, Atty. Gen. of the State, who went to attend the circuit court in Ontario county. We returned to Wood Creek, where we met Abraham Lansing and Jelles Fonda. It was 2 P. M. be- fore we arrived at Widow Armstrong's cottage. In an instant the kettle was hung on the fire to boil our fresh salmon. We made ourselves an ample compensation for our frugal repast at breakfast. Amos Fuller who resides now (with his family) at the Widow's until he should be successful as he said in purchasing a farm in this neighborhood; lie informed us that men from Mass. had been looking over the land and were willing to give £1,000 for a township of land and to have 35 families settled upon it in 2 years. Fuller tackled his horse to our canoe and dragged it to Fort Bull.

The widow Armstrong mentioned herein was the second wife and the widow of Archibald Armstrong, heretofore spoken of. Be- tween 1789 and 1792 this Archibald Armstrong died and was buried on the east side of the highway which leads to New London from the junction of Wood and Canada Creeks. She returned down the valley and in 1805 Nicholas Armstrong, son of Archibald, became one of the early pioneers of Annsville and settled on the "Indian meadows" in that town ; he and Dan Taft and Adam P. Campbell were the first settlers of Annsville.

On July 10, 1793, the first newspaper west of Albany was established at New Hartford, and called the Whitestown Gazette. Its proprietors were Jedediah Sanger, Samuel Wells, and Elijah Risley. Its printer was Richard Vanderberg. After a while it was discontinued, but was re-estab- lished in May, 1796, Samuel Wells, proprietor, and William McLean prin- ter. In the same year of 1793 the erection of the first church in Oneida county was begun at New Hartford ; it was the meeting house where the first court of record was held in the county. In January, 1794, the Western Centinel was established at Whitesboro by Oliver P. Eaton, who was fitted out by Mr. Swords, of New York city, for that purpose.

In 1793 John W. Bloomfield, who was then twenty-nine years old and had been married four years, came on horseback from Burlington,

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

N. J., to visit this part of the State. He became a large landholder in this county, was the first supervisor of Camden (1799), after whose wife, Ann, the town of Annsville was named. He died in 1848 at the age of eighty-four, and in that year was written out by B. J. Beach the fol- lowing reminiscences of his trip, taken from his lips; Mr. Beach was his grand nephew :

In the spring of the year 1793 I came to New York State for the first time. Mr. McIllvane, of Burlington, N. J., had purchased 1,600 acres of land in the present town of Lee from Joseph Bloomfield, then governor of New Jersey [the Melllvane tract], whose title was derived from Thomas Machin [or Matchin], the original patentee, and the conditions of the patent were, that a certain number of settlers should be established upon the land within a limited time. I set out on horseback in the early part of April, 1793, went up on the west side of the Hudson river, thence to Esopus and Albany, and to Schenectady. Of this place the Dutch had at that time full possession, and I believe there was not a single English inhabitant. I went up the Mohawk on the south side; the flats were under full cultivation, and not divided by fences; the road was open and ran directly through the fields of grain and grass. I crossed the Mohawk at Little Falls, and continued on to Fort Schuyler [Utica] which was a few rods lower down the river than the site of the present (1848) R. R. depot; about where the depot now stands, was the only house, with one ex- ception, within the present limits of the present city of Utica. There was already a large clearing of 200 acres, but I was unable to get food either for myself or horse, and was obliged to continue on without stopping to Whitesboro. This was the prin- cipal settlement-the headquarters of civilization in what is now the county of Oneida. Here was the office of the county clerk of Herkimer county, kept by Mr., afterwards Judge, Jonas Platt; here was the most western post-office in the State.1 The tract known as Scriba's Patent, had been contracted to the Messrs. Roosevelt at 7 cents an acre, and George Scriba, a merchant of New York city, in company with 4 or 5 others, were assignees of the contract. At Whitestown, I agreed with Mr. Young, who resided there, and a son-in-law of Judge White, and the founder of Youngstown, Ohio, and who was a surveyor, to go with me to point out the boundaries of the lands, and was to look after and assist me in the explora- tion. We came together to Fort Stanwix, where there was a tavern kept by John Barnard, a little northeast of the present Rome court house-a tenant of Dominick Lynch. The carrying business, between the Mohawk river and Wood creek, was brisk, and the tavern was crowded constantly with boatmen and emigrants. In this house, occupying a part of the bar room and of the bar with his goods, was George Huntington, then a young unmarried man, who that spring opened the first store in Fort Stanwix. Wood and myself went over to the MeIllvane tract, and also explored the tract since known as the " 6,000 acre tract," lying between the Melllvane land and Fish creek reservation. That reservation was 3 a mile wide on each side of that stream, from Oneida lake, to, or near to, its source. Finding the land very good, a company was formed to purchase of Mr. Scriba 4,000 acres, and to extend it to 6,000

1 This would indicate that there was a post-office at Whitesboro as early as 1793.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE COUNTY.

acres, if we thought proper. The price was 12 shillings an acre, and Daniel C. White and myself received a joint deed. After further exploring, we concluded to extend the purchase to 6,000 acres; the additional 2,000 was however divided be- tween Young, White and myself. After this I went down Wood creek in one of the small boats, used in conveying goods. In the same boat was a Frenchman who a year ago, had made his escape from France, carrying a nun, whom he had stolen from a convent in that country. He had married her, and for the purpose of security had taken up his residence upon an island of about 30 acres in Oneida lake, about 3 miles from shore; now called Frenchman's Island. It is opposite the village of Rotterdam, now Constantia. He built a log hut upon it, and mainly supported his wife and himself by fishing. This man remained on the island until 1796, when the troubles in France, having subsided, he returned to that country. He loaded his boat with wife and clothes, and went up Wood creek and down the Mohawk and the Hudson, all the way in his boat, and in New York city, Mr. Scriba aided him with funds to go to France. I staid at Rotterdam one night, where Mr. Scriba had made a considerable of a settlement. We went to Oswego, which the British yet held. After my return to Fort Stanwix, I set out on my return to New Jersey, via Old Fort Schuyler, New Hartford, Bridgewater, Unadilla, Cooperstown; thence to Fort Plain, down the south side of the Mohawk to Schenectady and Albany, crossed the Hudson and reached the village of Hudson July 4, 1793. Here I was tired and took a boat, shipped myself and horse to New York, and reached Burlington July 10, after an absence of nearly 3 months.

Work was begun on the Herkimer jail, and in January, 1793, a law was passed authorizing the supervisors to raise £1.000 to defray the expenses already incurred in the erection of those buildings. By the same act the county courts were authorized to alternate " between the court house in Herkimer, and such place in the town of Whitestown, as said courts should order to be entered on the minutes." In pursuance of the above act the January term of 1794 of the Common Pleas was held at an unfinished meeting house in the village of New Hartford, Judge Starring presiding. This was the first court of record held in what is now Oneida county. It was at that term of court of which the story is told of Sheriff Colbraith, a jolly Irishman. The day was bitterly cold, the meeting house insufficiently warmed, and along in the after- noon the court directed the crier to adjourn for the day. A jug of spirits had been in use by some of the bar to aid them in keeping warm, and as the sheriff heard the order to adjourn, he seized the jug and holding it towards the bench, cried out : " Oh, no, Judge, don't adjourn yet ; take a little gin, Judge ; it will keep you warm. 'Tain't time to adjourn yet !" And suiting the action to the word, he passed the jug up to the court. The court did not then adjourn. After that term

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those Herkimer courts alternated between Herkimer and the log school house near Hugh White's, which stood on or near the site of the pres- ent town hall.

On March 5, 1794, Onondaga county was taken from Herkimer. March 5, 1795, the town of Cazenovia was formed from parts of Paris and Whitestown, and three towns were formed from Sangerfield. March 4, 1796, the town of Steuben was divided and the towns of Floyd and Rome erected from its territory. March 10, 1797, the then town of Steuben was divided into three towns of Steuben, Western and Ley- den. March 24, 1797, Trenton was taken from the town of Schuyler, and by an act passed on the same day, Sangerfield was divided and Bridgewater formed from its territory.

From a series of letters written by a man prior to 1800 and published in the Documentary History of New York, the following extracts are made :

The first settlement of the Genesee Country, was attempted by Oliver Phelps in 1789. By the census taken in 1790, it appeared that Ontario county contained 960 inhabitants, including all travellers, surveyors and their attendants. To remedy the inconvenience for want of roads, the legislature passed an aet in 1797, authorizing the raising of $45,000 by lotteries, towards the construction of a road from Old Fort Schuyler to Geneva. The inhabitants through which the road passed made a volun- tary contribution of their services and subscribed 4,000 days' work, which they per- formed with fidelity and cheerfulness. The State Commissioners were thus enabled to complete the road of 100 miles, opening it 64 feet wide and paving with logs and gravel, in the moist parts. Hence the road from Old Fort Schuyler to Genesee river, instead of being as in June, 1797, little better than an Indian path, was so far improved, that a stage started from Old Fort Schuyler September 30, and arrived at the hotel in Geneva in the afternoon of the 3d day with 4 passengers. This line of road being established by law, not less than 50 families settled on it in the space of 4 months after it was opened. It now bids fair to be one continuous settlement to Geneva, in a few years. All last winter 2 stages, one of them a mail stage, ran from Geneva and Canandaigua to Albany, weekly; 3,000 families came into the Genesee country in the winter of 1797-8. Land which 6 years ago could not be sold for 25 cents an acre, is now reckoned cheap at $10 an acre. The cost of the following is given : A good log house with 2 rooms, if made by hired men will cost $100; a small log house, 20 feet square will cost $50; 1 yoke of oxen $70; a cow $15; farming uten- sils at first $20; an ox cart $30. This is the least any family can do with. During the summer months, sloops are constantly passing from New York to Albany; they generally run the distance in 2 days, and sometimes in one; Utica is 96 miles from Albany, and the road here is intersected by the Great Genesee Road; you will find a well settled country to Geneva. I will now give you an idea of the route. From Old Fort Schuyler to Samuel Laird's tavern [Lairdsville] on the Great Genesee Road

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1788 TO 1806-FORMATION OF THE COUNTY.

is 10 miles. To Abraham Van Epps' [Vernon village] near the Oneida Reservation, 6 miles. To Wemple's in the Oneida Reservation, 6 miles. To the Deep Spring [in Manlius] 11 miles.

CHAPTER XIII.

1788 TO 1806 .- FORMATION OF ONEIDA COUNTY.

When the American colonies became independent of Great Britain, the State of New York held more than 7,000,000 acres of wild, unculti- vated and unappropriated lands. A number of patents of lands had been granted prior to 1791 ; as to those in Oneida county, see the chap- ter on State patents. Those were patents comparatively small in amount, and but few sales had been actually made, considering the amount of land in the market. The State being in want of funds and all well- wishers of the growth and prosperity of the State being desirous to in- duce settlements in the wilds of New York, favored more numerous and extensive grants, as it was agreed, thereby the patentees would be influ- ential in inducing settlers to take up lands. Accordingly in 1791 over 5,000,000 acres were disposed of, for the sum of $1,030,433. Among the sales was a parcel of 3,635,200 acres to Alexander Macomb, for eight cents an acre, in the northern part of the State, it being on the northern boundary of Oneida county. Another parcel of 500,000 acres was sold to J. I. and Nicholas Roosevelt (Scriba's Patent) for three shil- lings and one penny an acre, mostly in Oswego county. Other parcels were also sold, some for two and some for one shilling an acre. Such large sales, especially the Macomb Purchase, created a great deal of excitement at the time and serious accusations were made against the commissioners of the land office, especially as the prices of the different parcels were so different. The upshot of it was, the sales were confirmed and there was no real belief that anything dishonest had been practiced.

The above is not strictly a part of the history of Oneida county, but it is placed in this connection as showing the influence those sales had in attracting to this region a large class of settlers and hastening the organization of Oneida county. Settlers had pushed their way into

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 14

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896 Publication date: 1896 Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co. Number of Pages: 1612

Author: Wager, Daniel Elbridge, 1823-1896
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: [Boston] : The Boston history co.
Number of Pages: 1612