Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 23

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 23

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The swamp from east of Rome to Syracuse was so full of water the grubbing could only be done when the ground was frozen. In the winter of 1817-18 this was done from the House farn, near Stanwix (formerly Newville) to Wood creek, and the first spadeful was taken ont at the crossing of Wood creek July 4, 1817, and which I saw, and I have the recollection that Joshua Hathaway did it. Am I right? What is the record in the newspapers of that date? Wild Irish bog trotters from West Ireland, cutting out the trees the width of the canal track, were set to work knee deep in the wet muck ; they could wear no clothing but a flannel shirt and slouch cap, and there were no tools that could be used. Shovels and spades were out of the question and a rectangular side-board wheelbarrow equally useless. Jeremiah Bramard, a Roman and a contractor, invented a wheel barrow made of ash, a smooth, elliptical right and left basin, from which the muck slid out instantly. Some one (his name ought to go into history) invented a spade blade at 41x14 inches, sharp to cut roots, long, straight cross handle, that removed a layer § to an inch in thickness with great dispatch. It was a weird sight to see on a long line, both sides of the canal, hundreds of these wild Irishmen at work. Saturday nights in their board shanties, "fighting drunk," and contractors had to go in and club them right and left to quiet them. Whisky and ague and fever did their legitimate work on great numbers. 1 have seen teacher Mathews, of the old school house on West Park, without a hat, long hair flying, scream- ing " Murder!" and running up James street from the old canal bridge to get out of the way of a half dozen of those fellows, each with a paving stone or shillelah in hand.

The Erie Canal was finished in the fall of 1825, having taken over eight years in its construction. Its completion was duly celebrated. A flotilla of boats left Buffalo in the canal October 26, 1825, on board of which was Governor Clinton and other noted passengers. Water was let in and tidings of the start was proclaimed by the firing of cannon placed at distances along the route, and thus the news was sent onward

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to New York city. It took an hour and twenty minutes to make the communication from Buffalo to New York by sound. All along the route the boats were greeted by ringing of bells, firing of guns, and the acclaim of enthusiastic people.

The Erie Canal is a State institution, but inasmuch as Oneida county has figured conspicuously in its history it did not seem as if anything less could be said of it than has been incorporated in these pages. In this county Jonas Platt and Benjamin Wright lived, both active workers for the canal. Here also lived John B. Jervis, who commenced his career as an axe man on this canal and a pupil of Mr. Wright, was en- trusted by Henry Seymour, canal commissioner, with important duties in the progress of the work, and became a noted engineer. The con- tract which embraced the larger part of the route through Oneida county, was the first contract let. In Oneida county the first work was done and the opening ceremonies observed. The first section of the canal put in operation was in Oneida county, and here the first boats were run. The first canal collector, George Huntington, was in this county, and the first canal tolls paid were in this county by Capt. John Westcott, on a raft of timber.

Chenango Canal .- The project of connecting the Erie Canal at Utica with the Susquehanna River at Binghamton was authorized February 23, 1833, at a time when the older canal was proving itself to be of the greatest utility, and when canals were projected on scores of routes through this State. Work on the Chenango Canal. as it was named, began in July, 1834, and was finished in October, 1836, at a cost of $2,782,124. About twenty miles of the ninety-seven are in Oneida county, passing from Utica through New Hartford, Kirkland, Marshall and a corner of Augusta. This canal was for some years of consider- able importance to this county, especially to the city of Utica for the transportation thither of coal from Pennsylvania; but the oncoming railroads eventually rendered it almost useless and it was abandoned.

Black River Canal .- This was another of the numerous canal proj- ects of New York State, only a few of which went farther than discus- sion. The first legislation upon the subject was the passage of an act April 22, 1834, authorizing a survey from Rome to the foot of High Falls in Lewis county. On April 19, 1836, an act was passed providing

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for the construction of the canal on this route, with a feeder from the Black River at Forestport. Work was soon afterward begun and after many delays the canal was opened to Port Leyden in 1851. A dam was later constructed at the head of the Long Falls, at Carthage, on Black River, by which navigation on that stream was made practicable forty two miles to the High Falls where the canal connects. The whole distance of navigation is ninety miles. The length of navigation on the canal and the river is seventy-eight miles. While this canal was for some years a source of benefit to Oneida county, in the expansion of its markets, its utility largely disappeared with the construction of the northward railroads.

RAILROADS .- The first railroad in the State of New York extended from Albany to Schenectady and was opened for business in October, 1831, under a charter to the Mohawk and Hudson River Railroad Com- pany. This was the first railroad in the United States authorized to carry on a general transportation business in freight and passengers. In 1833 a charter was granted to the Utica and Schenectady Railroad Company, and work was begun on the road in the fall of 1834; it was completed in the summer of 1836, at a cost of $20,000 a mile. In 1834 the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Company was organized. During these and the succeeding five years the Legislature was besieged for railroad charters in all parts of the State; the politics of the State turned largely upon the railroad question.

A spirited and prolonged contest arose over the route of the Utica and Syracuse Railroad. At that time (1836) the whole line between Utica and Syracuse, excepting about fifteen miles, was a swamp and much of it an unbroken wilderness. The site of Oneida village was a wilderness, boasting only a saw mill and one or two dwellings. The village of Canastota was only a small hamlet. Of the twenty- five rail- road commissioners, Oneida county had seven, Madison county four, Onondaga county seven, and seven were from the State at large. The two routes in contemplation were the one finally adopted, passing to the northward through Rome, and the other was far to the south ward, following nearly a direct line between the two termini. The commis- sioners were divided, naturally enough, as the interests of their localities ditcated. The contest was finally ended by the adoption of the Rome

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route. The capital stock of the company was $800,000 and the commis- sioners organized by the election of Henry A. Foster, president, and I. S Spencer (brother of Joshua A.) secretary. Subscription books were opened in Syracuse, Canastota, Utica and Albany, on July 19, 20 and 21, 1836, and nearly two and a half millions were subscribed outside of New York city. The first election of directors was held in Syracuse September 22, 1836, and the following were elected : Henry Seymour, David Wager, Henry A. Foster, David Moulton, Samuel French, John Wilkinson, Oliver Teall, James Beardslee, James Hooker, Isaiah Townsend, Miles W. Bennett, and Charles Stebbins. Henry Seymour was elected president, and Henry A. Foster, vice president ; Vivus W. Smith, secretary ; M. S. Marsh, treasurer; Aaron Burt, sec- retary. Surveys were at once commenced and in December, 1837, the company began advertising for proposals for various parts of the work and materials. Within fourteen months after the work was placed under contract the road was finished ; it was built most of the way on piles, which system was the invention of E. P. Williams, of Utica. He was engaged in the construction of the first railroad in the State and subsequently went South and there perfected his system. The piles were soaked in salt for their better preservation, and provision was made for resalting them when necessary. This railroad was fully completed the last of June, 1839, and cost $700,000. On June 27 the first train of cars reached Rome from Utica, and was the cause of great rejoicing. On July 3d the company began taking pay for passage and freight and the receipts for many successive days were over $600 each day. On the 14th of July a grand excursion was given. The Sentinel of July 9 boasted that its editor, in company with others, left Rome at 4 P. M., arrived at Syracuse, and after staying there an hour and a half, returned and reached Rome at II P. M., and that among the number was Judge Foster, who went west on the first canal boat. On July 10 the com- pletion of the road was duly celebrated, a train load of passengers going over the road from Albany to Syracuse, which was met at various points by large crowds of spectators. In the same week of the com- pletion of the road its stock sold for 10 per cent. advance.

The New York Central Railroad Company was chartered April 2, 1853, and was formed by the consolidation of the Albany and Schenec-

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tady, the Schenectady and Troy, Utica and Schenectady, Mohawk Valley, Syracuse and Utica, Rochester and Syracuse, Rochester, Lock- port and Niagara Falls, Rochester and Buffalo, and Buffalo and Lock- part companies ; of these the Mohawk Valley and the Syracuse and Utica direct roads were not built. The New York Central road was merged into the New York Central and Hudson River Company in 1869.

The Utica and Black River Railroad Company was formed January 29, 1853, under the name of the Black River and Utica Railroad Com- pany. The road was opened to Boonville December 13, 1854, and to Trenton January 1, 1855. On May 9, 1861, a reorganization was ef fected, the bondholders exchanging their bonds for a new issue, and the following board of directors was elected: John Thorn, president ; James Sayre, A. J. Williams, Martin Hart, Charles Millar, Edmund A. Graham, John Butterfield, Isaac Maynard, Thomas Foster, Dan P. Cadwell, Russell Wheeler. Plans for extensions were adopted and promptly carried out under the energetic efforts of the president and his co-workers. In 1867 the road was extended to Lyons Falls ; in 1868-9 to Lowville; in 1869-70 to Carthage, and from there to Phil- adelphia in 1871-2, where it absorbed the Black River and Morris- town road. In 1872 the Carthage and Watertown road was leased by the company ; two years later an extension was made to Sackett's Harbor; in 1874 connection was made at Theresa Junction with the Clayton and Theresa road, which was taken under lease; in 1878 the line was extended to Ogdensburg. On the 14th of April, 1886, all of the roads of this company were leased to the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg company for seven per cent. on its capital stock. On the 14th of March, 1891, all the lines of the latter company passed under control of the New York Central.

The Rome Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad was originally char- tered under. the name of the Watertown and Rome Railroad in April, 1832 ; it was revived May 10, 1836 and May 6 1837 ; extended May 17, 1845, and again April 28, 1847. Work on the road was begun in Rome in November, 1848, and it was opened to Pierrepont Manor May 28, 1851 ; to Watertown September 24, 1851 ; to Chaumont Novem- ber 20, 1851, and to Cape Vincent in April, 1852. The name was

Most Succenly young

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changed in 1861. The shops of the company were long located at Rome, but finally removed to Oswego. The final disposition of the road has been noted above.

Utica, Chenango and Susquehanna V'alley Railroad .- Agitation pre- ceding the formation of this company continued through two or three years, two plans being under consideration for reaching Sherburne ; one by way of Clinton and Hamilton, and the other following the Sauquoit to its source and thence down the Chenango to Waterville and thence to the destination. Measures were finally adopted to open up both of these lines; a road was built from New Hartford to Clinton and con- nected by horse car with Utica, after which the company waited developments. Meanwhile the other proposition was forwarded. In November, 1865, a committee on survey reported in favor of a road along the Sauquoit to a point beyond Clayville whence a branch should extend to Waterville, thence passing near Hamilton and on to Sher- burne ; while another going through Bridgewater, Winfield and Rich- field, should reach Colliersville on the line of the Susquehanna. Each branch was to be subsequently extended. At this time, in January, 1866, the company was formed with the above title, and subscriptions were made and town bonds issued sufficient to insure commencement of work on the road, which was done in July of that year. The road was finished in 1870 and in that year was leased to the Delaware, Lacka- wanna and Western corporation.

Utica, Clinton and Binghamton Railroad .- This company was formed in August, 1862, to construct a horse or steam road " from the village of Clinton through the town of New Hartford and city of Utica into the town of Whitestown, to the village of Whitesboro, or New York Mills, or both." The capital stock was only $23,000. By the fall of 1863 rails were in place and horse transportation was begun between Utica and New Hartford. By the summer of 1866 a horse road was open to Whitesboro and a road for steam power from New Hartford to Clinton was operated with a dummy. In December, 1867, being now opened to Deansville, the company was reorganized and the capital raised to $1,000,000. Work was energetically prosecuted and the track was laid to Oriskany Falls in 1868 and to Hamilton in 1870, whence a three mile extension connected it with the Midland road. The line to

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New Hartford was still unfitted for steam, and a new road was constructed at a cost of nearly $400,000 (of which Utica furnished $200,000) and completed in 1871. The steam road was leased in the year after its completion to the New York and Oswego Midland, which company went into a receiver's hands in September, 1873. In 1875 the whole passed into control of the Delaware and Hudson Canal Company.

New York and Oswego Midland Railroad .- Articles of association for this company were filed January 11, 1866, and the road was opened for traffic in 1872. It has been of little importance in Oneida county, passing only through the towns of Vienna and Verona, and skirting Vernon, in the extreme western part. To those towns it gives an outlet and more accessible markets.

The Rome and Clinton Railroad is a short line of twelve miles ex- tending from Rome to Clinton, where it connects with the former Utica, Clinton and Binghamton road. It was opened in the latter part of 1871, and was intended primarily as a coal road. It went with the other lines to the Delaware and Hudson Coal Company.

The New York, West Shore and Buffalo Railroad .- This company was chartered June 14, 1881, the original capital being $40,000,000. The road was opened from Weehawken to Syracuse October 1, 1883, and to Buffalo January 1, 1884. On October 2, 1885, judgment of fore- closure and sale was entered in the Supreme Court of this State, and the property was sold to three joint tenants who immediately leased it to the New York Central. Passing across Oneida county as it does nearly parallel to the Central, its influence has not been large in any direction.

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CHAPTER XXII.

THE BENCH AND BAR OF ONEIDA COUNTY.

The time was when the Bench and Bar of Oneida county occupied a very conspicuous and honorable position among those of the various counties of the Empire State-more conspicuous, more honorable, per - haps, than it does at the present day. In Oneida county " there were(legal) giants in those days," the record of whose lives is a story of triumph over pioneer obstacles, brilliant achievements at the bar, and frequent culmination in high judicial or political station. Such records in all their fullness would fill a volume. Much of this is already in print from the valuable writings of Hon William J. Bacon, David E. Wager, Dr. M. M. Bagg, and others. For the purpose of this work we can only briefly note the careers of a few of the more noteworthy lawyers and judges who have passed away, leaving for the future historian and biographer the task of recording the story of the lives of those who in later years and at the present time have made and are making for themselves names to be remembered in this profession. The formation of the early courts of this county, the erection of the court buildings, and other kindred subjects have been adequately treated in earlier chapters of this work. Following this page are complete lists of the judicial officers of the county from its organization in 1796, as far as it is possible to obtain them.

Supreme Court of Judicature .- This court was established by act of the Legislature May 6, 1691, and was recognized by the first State Constitution ; the convention which adopted it reorganized the court May 3, 1777. Justices of the Supreme Court from Oneida county have been as follows :

Chief Justices-Greene C. Bronson, March 5, 1845; Samuel Beardsley, June 29, 1847.

Puisne or Junior Justices .- Jonas Platt, February 13, 1814; Samuel Beardsley, February 20, 1844.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Circuit Courts .- The Constitution of 1821 divided the State into eight circuits corresponding with the senatorial districts. Circuit judges also held a Court of Oyer and Terminer at the same time and place with the Circuit, or otherwise, as they chose. This court was abolished by the Constitution of 1846. The following were circuit judges from Oneida county :

Nathan Williams, appointed April 21, 1823; Samuel Beardsley, April 12, 1834; Hiram Denio, May 7, 1834; Philo Gridley, July 17, 1838.

Court of Appeals .- This court was established under the Constitution of 1846, to succeed the Court for the Trial of Impeachments and the Correction of Errors, as far as related to the correction of errors. The convention of 1867-8 reorganized this court and on account of accumu- lation of business before it, a Commission of Appeals was created in 1870, which continued until 1875, to which was assigned a large amount of business and thus relieving the original court. In 1888 the Constitu- tion was amended so that when the Court of Appeals should certify to the governor that public interests were suffering from the accumulation of causes on the calendar of that court, then the governor might designate seven justices of the Supreme Court to act as associate judges for the time being of the Court of Appeals, thus forming a second division of the court. This amendment was submitted to the people at the general election of that year and was ratified. The following persons from Oneida county have been connected with this court :

Judges-Hiram Denio, appointed November 7, 1857; Ward Hunt, appointed No- vember 7, 1865. Associate Judges-Alexander Johnson, appointed December 29, 1873.

Commissioners of Appeals-Ward Hunt, July 5, 1870; Alexander S. Johnson, Jan- uary 7, 1873.

Supreme Court .- The old Supreme Court was abolished by the Con- stitution of 1846, and a new one established having general jurisdiction in law and equity. The State was divided into eight judicial districts of which the Fifth is composed of the counties of Oneida, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Onondaga, and Oswego. By a legislative act passed April 20, 1870, the general terms of the Supreme Court then existing were abolished and the State was divided into four departments, with a presiding justice and two associates in each department, appointed by

ALFRED C. COXE.

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the governor. The following have been Supreme Court justices from Oneida county :

Philo Gridley, six years, appointed June 7, 1847; William J. Bacon, November 8, 1853, reappointed November 5, 1861; Charles H. Doolittle, November 2, 1869; Milton H. Merwin, appointed in place of Doolittle, deceased, and elected November 8, 1874, and re-elected.

Court of Common Pleas .- This court was in existence through the colonial period and down to 1846, and consisted of judges and assistant judges, the number varying in different counties. The judges were ap- pointed by the governor and Senate for five years. Following is the list for Oneida county :

1798, March 22, Jedediah Sanger, of Whitestown, first judge; Hugh White and David Ostrom, of Whitestown, James Dean, of Westmoreland, and George Hunting- ton, of Rome, judges. 1801, January 28, Silas Stone, of Lowville, judge: August 21. Messrs. Sanger, White, Dean, Ostrom, and Huntington, reappointed, with Thomas Hart additional. 1802, March 13, Nathan Sage and Henry Coffeen, of Red- field. 1803, March 31, Needham Maynard. 1804, April 3, Chauncey Gridley ; July 3, Messrs. Sanger, Dean, Ostrom, Huntington, Sage, Coffeen, Maynard, and Gridley, reappointed. 1805, February 15, Messrs. Sanger, Dean, Sage, May- nard, Ostrom, Coffeen, and Gridley, reappointed; and, March 25, Samuel Dill, and, April 8, Apollos Cooper, additional. 1808, March 22, Messrs. Sanger, Dean, Gridley, Sage, Dill, Cooper, reappointed, and Joseph Jennings and Jarvis Pike, ad- ditional. 1810, March 5, Morris S. Miller, first judge; Jedediah Sanger, Henry Mc- McNeil, of Paris; Abram Camp, of Whitestown, and Timothy Wood. 1813, Febru- ary 23, Morris S. Miller, James Dean, David Ostrom, Henry McNeil, George Bray- ton, Richard Sanger, Jesse Curtiss, Gerrit G. Lansing, Benjamin Wright, John Storrs, Peter Pratt. 1814, April 5, Messrs, Miller, Dean, Ostrom, McNeil, Curtiss, Lansing, Wright, Storrs, and Pratt, reappointed; Levi Carpenter, jr., and Frederick Stanley, additional. 1815, April 15, M. S. Miller, Joseph Jennings, Solomon Wolcot, Prosper Rudd, Daniel Ashley, Peter Pratt, James S. Kip, Sherman Barnes, Thomas Hamilton, Asahel Curtiss, Charles Wylie, Joseph Grant. 1818, April 24, Messrs. Miller, Wylie, Grant, and Hamilton, with Ezekiel Bacon, additional. 1821, March 21, Messrs. Miller, Grant, and Hamilton, with Truman Enos and Joshua Hathaway, additional. 1823, February 3, Messrs. Miller, Enos, Hathaway, and Grant; Samuel Jores, additional. 1824, November 22, Samuel Beardsley, first judge, in place of M. S. Miller, deceased. 1825, March 9, Henry R. Storrs. 1826, April 5. James Dean, in place of Truman Enos, elected to State Senate. 1828, February 5, Messrs. Hath- away, Grant, and Jones, reappointed. 1830, January 15, Chester Hayden, first judge; Israel Stoddard. 1831, April 8, Reuben Tower, of Sangerfield, in place of James Dean, term expired. 1832, February 10, Nathan Kimball, of Augusta, vice R. Tower, resigned. 1833, February 6, John P. Sherwood, of Vernon, and Arnon Comstock, of estern vice Jones and Hathaway, terms expired. 1835, January 23, Chester Hayden, of Utica, first judge, and Israel Stoddard, reappointed. 1837, Feb-

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ruary 21, Nathan Kimball, reappointed. 1838, February 2, Pomroy Jones, of West- moreland, vice J. P. Sherwood, resigned; March 9, Arnon Comstock, reappointed. 1840, February 2, Fortune C. White, of Whitestown, first judge, vice Hayden ; April 14, Seth B. Roberts, of Rome, vice Stoddard. 1843, February 10, Chester Hayden and Amos Woodworth, of Florence, vice Messrs. Kimball and Comstock; and Pom- roy Jones, reappointed. 1845, February 21, P. Sheldon Root, of Utica, first judge, vice White; April 14, Ebenezer Robbins, of Lee, vice Roberts. 1846, May 12, Othniel S. Williams, of Kirkland, vice Hayden.

County Courts .- These courts were created by the Constitution of 1846. Associated with the judge are two justices of the peace from among the justices of the county who hold Courts of Sessions.

P. Sheldon Root, elected June, 1847. George W. Smith, elected November, 1859. Joel Willard, elected November, 1867. Alexander H. Bailey, elected November, 1871. William B. Bliss, elected November, 1874. William B. Sutton, November, 1880. Isaac J. Evans, November, 1886. Watson T. Dunmore, November, 1892.

Special Judges .- The Constitution authorizes the Legislature to provide for the election of a county officer to perform the duties of county judge in case of inability or vacancy, and to exercise such other powers as may be provided by law. The following have acted in Oneida county :

David E. Wager, elected November, 1852. George Harrison, elected November, 1855. Kiron Carroll, elected November, 1861. George H. Lynch, elected November, 1867. William B. Bliss, elected November, 1870. Robert O. Jones, appointed to fill vacancy, 1874. Robert O. Jones, elected November, 1875. Wm. H. Bright, Novem- ber 1878. David E. Wager, November, 1880. Isaac J. Evans, November, 1883. Watson T. Dunmore, November, 1889. Rodolphus C. Briggs, November, 1892-6.

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 23

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