USA > New York > Oneida County > Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York; > Part 19
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183
1814 TO 1819.
woods, and breaking roads and starting the night before and riding all night so as to be on hand in time to witness the execution. There was a large gathering of people, but on the day of the execution and a few hours before the time fixed, there came from the governor a commuta- tion of the sentence of death penalty to imprisonment for life. De Witt Clinton was then governor of the State. Being thus deprived of wit- nessing the hanging, a number of persons clubbed together, erected a gallows of their own in a little piece of woods near the present St. Joseph's church, close by the Central Railroad, and there hung the five prisoners in effigy. One of the spectators froze his feet by standing so long in the snow to witness the spectacle.
It has been stated in a previous chapter that on the organization of Oneida county in 1798 Jonas Platt, of Whitesboro, was the first county clerk. That office he held until he was succeeded February 2, 1802, by Francis A. Bloodgood. The law had fixed the site of the court houses and jails in this county, but not the site of a clerk's office, and hence the clerk could keep the records in his own private office, as the clerks did until a law was passed fixing the site of the county clerk's office. Mr. Bloodgood resided in Utica, on Whitesboro street, a little westerly of what fifty years ago was the hotel known as the " McGregor House," and later the " Dudley House." His office was on the same street a little westerly of his residence. By successive appointments Mr. Bloodgood held the office until February 23, 1813, when he was suc- ceeded by Abram Camp, who held the office until March 16, 1815, when Mr. Bloodgood was reappointed. April 5, 1816, an act was passed authorizing the county to raise $2,000, to construct a fire-proof build- ing for a county clerk's office to be erected in Utica. Charles C. Broad- head, Francis A. Bloodgood, and Joseph Jennings were appointed com- missioners to locate and purchase a site, and contract for the erection of the building. The site selected was on Whitesboro street, not far from the place where Mr. Bloodgood had kept his office. April 11, 1817, the Legislature authorized the raising of an additional $1,000 to com- plete the building. The county clerk's office was kept there until 1849, when it was removed to its present location on Genesee street. The manner of the change occurred after this wise : Prior to the State Con- stitution of 1821 there were five judges of the Supreme Court in this
1
184
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
State. Each of those judges held Circuits and Courts of Oyer and Terminer, and together acted as an appellate court. The General Terms were held prior to 1818 in Albany and New York. The clerks of those courts were wholly different from the county clerks and from the clerks of our present courts. April 14, 1820, an act was passed authorizing the holding of the October term of the General Term (that was held in New York) to be held at the Utica Academy. That building was erected in 1818, and as there was no court house in Utica prior to 1850, courts were frequently held in that academy. It was in the second story of that building the famous McLeod trial took place in October, 1841. It was probably through the influence of Judge Jonas Platt, who was from 1814 to 1823 one of the judges of the Supreme Court, that that the October general term was authorized to be held in Utica The October term of 1820 was the first time that court was held there, and the judges who held the term were Ambrose Spencer, W. W. Vanness, Joseph C. Yates, John Woodworth and Jonas Platt. Among the emi- nent lawyers in attendance at that term of the court were Martin Van Buren, T. A. Emmett, Elisha Williams, A. Van Vechten, Daniel Cady, John V. Henry and Thomas Oakley, then attorney-general. Not far from 1820 a story and a half building was erected on the site now occu- pied by the county clerk's office on Genesee street and for the clerk's office of the old Supreme Court. The State Constitution of 1846 abol- ished the old Supreme Court and the clerks went with the court An act was passed January 29, 1848, authorizing the Commissioners of the Land Office to convey to Oneida county the premises of the old supreme court clerk's office on Genesee street, and the State to receive in ex- change the site of Oneida county clerk's office on Whitesboro street. Those conveyances were executed.
185
1820 TO 1830.
CHAPTER XVII.
1820 TO 1830. .
An event of great historical importance in and to Oneida county took place on October 23, 1819. It is well worthy of a place in this history, as thereby the narration of facts which now rests only on newspaper publications can be preserved in a more enduring form. The account of this event is from the Utica Observer of October 26, 1819, and is as follows :
On Saturday, October 23, 1819, his Excellency Governor Clinton ; Gen. Van Rennsalaer ; Messrs. Holly and Seymour, canal commissioners ; Mr. Wright, engi- neer of the middle sections of the Erie Canal; Messrs. White, Bates and Jarvis, assistant engineers, and Mr. Agent Barton, together with the Rev. Dr. Blatchford, of Lansingburgh; and Mr. Stanbury, of Albany; Mr. Bunner, of New York; Judge Miller, Mr. Williams, Mr. Clark, Mr. Van Rennsalaer, Mr. Bloodgood, Mr. Lansing, Mr. Childs, Mr. Walker, and many other gentlemen of the village of Utica, and its vicinity ; the sheriff of Oneida county, Colonel Westcott and the Hon. E. Hart and P. G. Childs, senators of the Western District, started in a canal boat from the east- ern extremity of the middle section, on an excursion of curiosity, and experiment, for Rome.
The dam at Oriskany Creek having been finished and the bars of earth adjoining it having been removed, so as to admit the passage of a boat; a depth of two and one-half feet of water had been let into the canal on the Thursday preceding. The first admission of water into a canal is always attended with great solicitude. It is the ultimate test of the accuracy of the levels, and affords most important references as to the solidity and fidelity with which the banks have been constructed, and the sufficiency of the feeders. One of the jobs east of Oneida Creek, not being entirely completed, it was deemed expedient to prevent the water extending further west on the Rome summit than Wood Creek aqueduct, a distance of eighteen miles; and it was known that the quicksands at Oriskany Hill presented more cause of alarm than is anywhere else to be found on the section. A number of men had been stationed on the bank at that place to watch the effect and motion of the waters as they accu- mulated, and to arrest as quick as possible the progress of any evil that might arise. The waters moved gently on from Oriskany Creek, the great feeder of the eastern end of the level, towards Utica, swelled around Oriskany Hill to the intended depth, and were not observed to produce any threatening indications on the banks for sev- eral hours, when at about one o'clock on the morning of Friday, a breach was sud- denly effected at a place where a drain had been very recently filled up. At the
24
186
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
place of this drain, the natural surface of the ground was two feet below the bottom of the canal.
Of course when the water was two and one-half feet deep along the line in gene- ral, there was here a pressure of four and one-half feet head. But this pressure would have produced no injury, if due care had been taken in raising the bottom of the canal, and breaking in the sides of the drain, and puddling the earth required in closing it. By the activity and energy of Mr. Brown, assistant engineer, and Messrs. Brainard, Miller, Chapin and Simpson, contractors, the breach was soon repaired, so that by noon on Friday, the waters were again allowed to enter the canal; and before daylight on Saturday, they filled it for eighteen miles to the depth of near three feet. On the morning of this day, therefore, the party above men- tioned commenced their excursion. The scene was novel and most interesting, con- sidering the circumstances of our country, the great benefits sure to result to us from internal trade, the intelligence of our citizens to perceive and appreciate these benefits, their virtues and public spirit to make the necessary permanent appropria- tion beforehand, the influence on all our best sympathies, which cannot fail to be most extensively produced by such easy, pleasing, and economical means of general intercourse, as are furnished by navigable canals, and in the construction of our great work, not only in the light of its exceeding utility, but as introducing through- out the ample territories of our National Empire, a spirit of action and persevering internal improvements; it is believed, that the records of social life, do not afford a scene more interesting :
Amidst the cheers and shouts of almost the whole neighboring population, the ringing of the church bells in Utica, and the patriotic tunes of a band of music on board, the boat was put in motion. It was drawn by one horse, by means of a rope eighty feet long, of which one end connected with the whippletree, and the other with a hook secured to the boat, a little distance from the bow, on the towing path side. And everybody was surprised to see the ease with which a single horse moved on, at the rate of four miles an hour, drawing a boat with from 70 to 100 pas- sengers continually on board. The agitation of the waters in the canal, in conse- quence of the motion of the boat, was not such as to induce the fear of much injury to the banks, and when the whole depth of the waters is let in, it will be much less. At a short distance from the place of starting, on the line of the canal, there is an embankment over Nail Creek, twenty-one feet in height above the natural surface of the ground, and thirty-two rods long, under which is constructed a large semi- circular culvert of stone for passing the waters of the creek under the canal into the Mohawk River below. The arch of the culvert has a span of five feet, and the whole structure looks stable and well adapted to its object. In a canal the triumph of art is most apparent where the navigation is carried high over the neighboring land ; this embankment was therefore regarded with great complacency.
In thirty-six minutes we had passed near three miles, and reached the east end of an embankment about 130 chains long across the valley of the Socdaqueda (Socke- voit) Creek. The creek itself is passed by an aqueduct 260 feet long, connected with the embankment. This aqueduct consists of two abutments, with the necessary wing walls, and seven piers of solid masonry. And this stone work supports a trunk six- teen feet wide, consisting of timber and plank, for the water of the canal to occupy,
187
1820 TO 1830.
and a towing path of plank eight feet wide for the horse to travel on. There is an angle in the embankment where it connects with the aqueduct, at each end; but the connection is so contrived as to admit of an easy passage in both directions, and the whole work appears strong and well-planned. Passing westerly, this embankment is terminated by excavation through the beautiful plateau of land which constitutes the site of the village of Whitesborough. All the way to this place many hundreds of spectators had followed the boat on the banks of the canal, very frequently filling the air with their animating cheers. Arrived here, the bells of Whitesborough be- gan to ring, a salute was fired from a road bridge, by a detachment from Captain Mann's company of artillery, and the whole village arrayed itself with the most lively demonstrations of curiosity and joy upon the banks of the canal. Some of the passengers in the boat gave place to the ladies and gentlemen of Whitesborough ; and the Rev. Mr. Frost, with his wife, Mr. Gold, with two of his daughters, Mr. Sheriff Pease, Judge Young, Mr Sill, Mr. White, and several other persons came on board. When the boat came in sight of the place where the breach in the bank had occurred, about twenty hardy looking workmen, who had not quite completed the necessary preparation, sent up a shout of welcome, more cordial and contagious than ever before echoed through the woods of the Mohawk. The pond in the Oriskany Creek, above the dam, is about thirty rods wide, and the towing path bridge is not yet made across it, it was necessary to move the boat over it, by setting poles; this was effected in nine minutes; when, after taking Colonel Lansing on board, with Mr. Green and several others, and being greeted by the ringing of the factory bell, and the acclamation of a multitude of spectators, the passage was continued, while the little girls were seen throwing flowers and green sprigs into the boat. Oriskany to Rome the canal is laid chiefly through swamps. In several places the depth of digging is from eight to ten feet; and from four miles below Rome the northern bank is all the way westerly to that place, raised fourteen feet above the bottom of the canal, with a view of protection against the floods of the Mohawk. The depth of the excavation, the size of the guard-bank, the apparent security of the whole canal, with the regularity of its straight lines, and the beauty of its curves, gave all the passengers great delight. At the bridge across the canal, in the swamp, a little southwest of the hotel in Rome, the passage westward was ended, after having been extended a few chains more than fifteen miles. The officers of the United States garrison stationed at Rome, and many of the inhabitants of the village, came to mingle their congratulations with those of their fellow citizens, on the perfect suc- cess at the first attempt at navigation on the Erie Canal. It was in this vicinity and but two years ago, the fourth of last July, that the first shovelful of earth was ex- cavated in the construction of this great work. And it is truly with a mixture of wonder, surprise and the most joyful anticipations, that one now sees so many miles filled with water and navigable; and learns, that it is almost certain, that the whole middle section, and the side cut from the main trunk to the village of Salina, in all a distance of ninety miles, will be navigable in one month more. An elegant dinner had been provided at Rome, for the passengers, which they were obliged to forego, by the engagement most of them had entered into, of returning that evening. After a delay of forty-eight minutes, during which the party partook of suitable refresh- ments, prepared for them in the boat, Mr. Wright and Mr. Bunner debarked, and
188
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Mr. Lynch, from Rome, and Alderman Lawrence and Mr. Benson, of New York, came on board. The boat set out on the return to Utica, where she arrived ten minutes before eight, without the occurrence of the slightest incident of an unpleas- ant nature. And if ever deep-felt gladness was exhibited, on the human face divine, it was in universal and full display, throughout this excursion. The boat was built at Rome by Messers. Miller, Chapin and Brainard, contractors, on a neat and con- venient model, being sixty-one feet long, eight feet wide and four feet deep, with two cabins, each of which is fourteen feet long, six feet six inches from the floor to
CHIEF ENGINEER CF ROME.NY.
THE FIRST BOAT BUILT FOR THE ERIE CANAL. [From an old newspaper print.]
the ceiling, and accommodated with the necessary closets and furniture. She is called the "Chief Engineer of Rome," and carried a flag on this occasion, on which was handsomely painted the American Eagle, and a canal boat with the words "Erie Canal " above and "Inland Navigation" below. In building the boat, taking out the bars of earth near Oriskany and making every other provision for the first experiment of navigating the canal, Messrs. Brainard, Miller and Chapin, Sheriff Pease and Colonel Westcott, have made great and laudable exertions; and it was easy to perceive that the canal commissioners, the engineer with his assistants, and every other witness and partaker of this expedition, will set down the day on which it occurred as the happiest in their lives.
The boat returned to Utica at ten minutes before eight, making the whole time of the trip ten hours and thirty-five minutes. From which deduct (in all stops) two hours and fifteen minutes, and the whole time of the passage is eight hours and twenty minutes, a distance of more than thirty miles.
A PASSENGER IN THE BOAT.
Other details of the construction of the canal are left for a separate chapter on the subject.
The State constitutional convention of 1821 agreed upon a new Con- stitution for the State. Various amendments were made to former con- stitutions, among which was a change in the judiciary system ; many offices were made elective which had theretofore been appointive ; an enlargement of the right of suffrage was provided for, etc. The delegates to that convention from Oneida county and a part of Oswego county, were Ezekiel Bacon, Henry Huntington, Nathan Williams, S. S. Breese, and Jonas Platt, The last two did not approve of nor sign
189
1820 TO 1830.
the Constitution. It was submitted to a vote of the people of the whole State January 15, 16, and 17, 1822, and adopted by the following vote : For, 73,732 ; against, 41,402. The vote in this county by towns is given below, and for convenience the U. S. census of 1830 is put in the same table :
For.
Against.
Population in 1830.
Annsville
1.481
Augusta
69
88
3,058
Boonville
59
15
2,746
Bridgewater
87
15
1,608
Camden.
47
111
1,945
Deerfield
95
84
4,182
Floyd
140
41
1,699
Florence.
31
18
964
Kirkland
126
27
2,514
Marshall.
252
299
2,765
New Hartford
16
23
1,400
Rome
222
44
4,360
Steuben
74
4
2,094
Sangerfield.
72
89
2,272
Trenton.
108
122
3,221
Utica
139
90
8,323
Verona
134
83
3,739
Vienna
73
58
1,766
Vernon
164
219
3,045
Westmoreland
109
354
3,303
Whitestown
126
600
4,410
Western.
5
263
3,418
.
1
I
1
1
4
1
1
I
1
I
A matter of national interest and importance was the visit of La Fayette to this country. He landed in New York, August 15, 1824, after an absence of forty years, and visited every one of the then twen- ty-four States of the Union, stopping in most of the large cities. His tour was a perfect ovation from the time he set foot on American soil until he left Washington for France, September 7, 1825-over a year. He went up the valley of the Mississippi to the West and came from Buffalo, most of the way by the Erie Canal (which was completed nearly to Buffalo in the summer of 1825). He reached Canandaigua on the evening of June 7, 1825, left that village on the morning of the 8th, reached Geneva, where he had a public reception, and left there at I P. M., passed through Waterloo, Syracuse, etc., and arrived at Rome about IO P. M. of June 9. He was met on the canal a few miles west of
2,505
Lee
1,908
Paris.
3,599
Remsen
I
190
OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Rome by a committee from Utica, Whitesboro and Rome ; a number from Rome were ladies with bouquets. Cols. B. P. Johnson, H. A. Foster, and Ardon Seymour were at the head of the Rome military organizations. The canal boats stopped at the " White House," a short distance southwesterly from the late U. S. Arsenal, where the company landed from the boats and proceeded in a procession, by the light of tallow candles, to the American Hotel, which then stood on the corner of James and Dominick streets. There La Fayette was welcomed by Wheeler Barnes, then a prominent lawyer of Rome. After the recep- tion and hand-shaking, La Fayette and the procession proceeded down James street to the old canal and there took the boat for Oriskany. Rome village was illuminated for the occasion. The distinguished visitor stayed that night with Colonel Gerrit Lansing, at Oriskany, who was under his command at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown, in October, 1781. The forenoon of June 10 the company proceeded to Whitesboro. There on a raised platform in front of Jonas Platt's then residence, the marquis was seated in an arm chair and received the con - gratulations of the people and a thorough hand- shaking. He inquired if the good woman (the widow of Hugh White) was still living who made him such a nice johnny-cake ! La Fayette was through Whites- boro in 1784 on his way to attend the treaty that was held that year at Fort Stanwix, as narrated in a former chapter ; on being informed that the woman was still alive he called upon her again. Later on he pro- ceeded on his way to Utica, accompanied by the reception committee. The following account of La Fayette's visit to this county was published at the time in a Utica newspaper :
June 9, 1825, the deputations from the general committee of arrangements at Utica, of which his honor Judge Williams was chairman, accompanied by Colonel Lansing and his honor Judge Storrs, proceeded to Rome to meet General La Fayette. After fitting honors had been paid him both at that place and at Whitesboro the committee proceeded to conduct him hither. The procession was formed at Whites- boro; the general was seated in the barouche accompanied by Judge Williams and preceded by an escort of cavalry commanded by Gen. John J. Knox. The general was followed by a carriage conveying his son, Colonel La Fayette, Colonel Lansing, Colonel Mappa, and Richard R. Lansing. Next succeeded coaches with his secre- tary, M. Le Vasseur, the other gentlemen of his suite, and the Utica committee, Judge Storrs, Lieutenant Simonson, and Captain Wright, of Rome. A large caval- cade of citizens on horseback riding three abreast followed, and were succeeded by a squadron of cavalry under the command of Lieutenant Cone. The procession
191
1820 TO 1830.
moved rapidly and increased as it passed from the accession of citizens. All the way the fences were lined and the houses thronged with people manifesting the utmost eagerness to see the favorite and guest of the nation. When the general arrived at the boundary of the village a salute of twenty-four guns was fired. The procession entered La Fayette street, where the troops under the command of Lieutenant-Col- onel Ostrom were drawn up on both sides of the way and saluted the general as he passed. The procession entered Genesee street, the crowd of eager spectators ac- cumulating at every step, and passed the bridge over the canal where a triumphal arch was erected surmounted by a flag labeled " La Fayette, the Apostle of Liberty, we hail thee-welcome!" The procession moved down Genesee street and stopped at Shepard's Hotel, where the general was received on the steps at the front door by Willianı Clarke, esq., president of the village of Utica, and a speech was delivered by Mr. Clarke followed by a reply from La Fayette.
The general breakfasted and dined at Shepard's, and in the interval the ceremonies of introduction and the review of the troops were performed. An immense number of gentlemen of the county of Oneida and the vicinity were introduced to the general, and at 12 o'clock the ladies were introduced which ceremony occupied nearly an hour, so great was the number whom patriotism, respect, and affection called to the interesting scene. The troops passed in review before the general, who received their salute standing with head uncovered on the steps of Mr. Shepard's front door. At the particular request of La Fayette the chiefs of the Oneidas were invited to meet him, and among them he recognized two whom he knew during the Revolu- tionary war. But one of the most solemn and affecting incidents was the interview between the general and the old soldiers of the Revolutionary army. A large num- ber were assembled, some of whom were with him at the attack on the redoubts at Yorktown. The deep and keen feelings manifested by these venerated men on once more beholding their beloved general, and his frequent exclamatins "Oh, my friend, 1 know you !" with the impassioned salutations, excited the livliest sympathies of every heart.
Over the front door of Mr. Shepard's hotel was placed a splendid transparent painting by Mr. Vanderlip, on which was inscribed in large letters "Welcome, La Fayette." After the general had partaken of a cold collation (the only dinner which circumstances would permit), at which Rev. Mr. Wiley craved the blessing of Prov- idence, the general, by particular request of the president of the United States, vis- ited the family of Alexander B. Johnson, esq. (Mrs. Johnson being a niece of the president), who with a few ladies of the village received him with the cordiality and respect which all feel. On his return he called for a moment at the house of Arthur Breese, esq., where the Rev. Mr. Galusha delivered him a neat poetical address. The general then paid his respects to the family of President Clarke and was con- ducted to the packet boat Governor Clinton, named for the occasion La Fayette, commanded by Major Swartout, and which had been fitted in tasteful and elegant style for his accommodation to Schenectady. It was drawn by three white horses, which with their riders had appropriate decorations. At the moment of embarkation a salute of twenty-four guns was fired, and when the boat began to move the citizens congregated on the bridges and banks of the canal rent the air with loud and long continued cheering, which was repeated at intervals until the general had passed
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