Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 49

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 49

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).

A hoe and fork factory was established here in 1865 by Babcock, Brown & Co .; the firm was afterwards Huntley & Babcock. The product for some years reached $100,000 annually. The property is now owned by the Utica Tool Co., in which C. H. Philo and Ladd J. Lewis are prominent, and a successful business is carried on.

A cotton factory was built in district No. 2, at this town, by Dr. Seth Capron, of Oriskany, the Sewards, of Utica, and others, about

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THE TOWN OF NEW HARTFORD.

1814-15 ; Dr. Capron was the leader in the enterprise, which became known as the Capron factory. The property ultimately passed to E. B. Sherman & Co., and a little later to C. C. and H. M. Taber, cotton brokers in New York. This firm took the factory about 1865, and carried it on successfully. It finally passed to the Utica Cotton Com- pany and continues in operation. William H. Cloher is superintendent. In early years there was a paper mill and a saw mill at this point. erected by Seward, Kellogg, and others. They have passed away. A knitting mill was established a few years ago by the Capron Knitting Mill Co. William H. Cloher is largely interested in this business. The post-office here is named Capron. A store is kept by Joshua Hagan.

Chadwick's Mills post-office is a hamlet in the extreme south part of the town, and is a station on the railroad. Manufacturing began here as early as 1809, when Abner Brownell, John Chadwick, and Ira Todd built what was long known as the Eagle Cotton Factory. Chadwick and Brownell purchased the water power, which had been located by C. E. Macomber. The members of the firm were from Otsego county. Mr. Todd afterwards removed to Utica. The later cotton factory was established in a stone building three stories high, with G. W. Chadwick, proprietor, and became known as Chadwick's Mills. Both steam and water power were used. The property passed to the control of the Chadwick's Mills Cotton Co., more than twenty years ago. Benjamin Groff is superintendent. George W. Chadwick, son of George and grandson of John, is still prominently interested in the industry.

At Willowvale is a small settlement taking its name from the quan- tity of willows along the creek; it is in the southern part of the town. A large foundry and machine shops were established here and owned by Rogers & Spencer. A small saw mill was also operated there. The machine shops were burned in 1868 and not rebuilt. The Utica Willowvale Bleaching Company has an establishment here which has been in successful operation a number of years. A store is kept by M. F. Jordan.

The New York Upper Mills of the New York Mills Manufacturing Company (Whitestown), are in the north part of this town, and will be described with the other mills of that company in the history of Whites- town. A grist mill was early built here, long afterwards known as the 62

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Buhr Stone Factory. There has always been a small mercantile busi- ness done here, with a few shops.

It will be seen from the foregoing pages that this town has been one of the most important manufacturing districts in Oneida county ; and while its proximity to Utica has prevented its assuming any mercantile importance, it has nevertheless contributed largely to the wealth of the county. Its agricultural interests are also large and important, some of the best farms in the county being situated within its limits. Dairying and milk producing for Utica is quite largely followed in recent years, and fruit growing is also an important industry. Market gardening is also extensively carried on

The second church organized in New Hartford was of the Universalist faith and was called the Universalist Society of Whitestown. It was the result of pastoral labor begun in 1805 by Rev. Nathaniel Stacy. A small church was built in 1815 and occupied many years, after which it was used by the Baptists, and subsequently burned. The society became extinct long ago.

The Friends meeting house in New Hartford was erected in 1820, through the efforts of Rev. Peleg Gifford, a noted Quaker minister, who preached in New Hartford twenty years. He was a pioneer and owned a farm two miles southeast of New Hartford : it is said he surveyed the highway between New Hartford and Utica. The families of this faith have almost disappeared from the community.

St. Stephens's church (Episcopal), New Hartford, was organized Sep - tember 1, 1824. Judge Sanger gave a lot for a church building and in his will left an annuity of $250 to aid in supporting a minister. The church was erected in 1825, and has since been improved.

A Baptist church was organized at New Hartford previous to 1840, as a branch of the one at Whitesboro, but it was dissolved in 1844. Meetings were afterwards held in the old Universalist church and else- where. The site of the present church was bought, the building erected and dedicated in August, 1856, a reorganization having been effected in the previous year. The old church was abandoned and a new brick edifice crected a few years ago on a new site, corner of South and Mill streets.

The Methodist Episcopal society at New Hartford was organized

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THE TOWN OF PARIS.

before 1850, the first pastor being Rev. Richard Cooke. A church was soon erected, which was displaced by the present one, erected about 1875.

A Free Will Baptist society was organized at Washington Mills in 1860 by Elder G. H. Ball, with twenty-five members; meetings had been held a few months previous to that date. The church building was erected for a Union church on land deeded by Frederick Hollister, but it did not prosper and the Baptists purchased the building and re- moved it to its present site.

CHAPTER XLI.

THE TOWN OF PARIS.

Paris as originally constituted embraced a large area. It was set off from Whitestown April 10, 1792, and included what are now the towns of Brookfield, Hamilton, and part of Cazenovia (in Madison county), Sherburne (in Chenango county), Sangerfield, all of which were set off from it in 1794, and Kirkland, which was set off April 13, 1827 ; a still further tract was added to Kirkland in 1839, leaving Paris with its pres- ent area of 18,641 acres. The town received its name from Isaac Paris, a merchant of Fort Plain, who in a time of scarcity and distress in 1789, generously supplied them with corn and other food on liberal credit.

Paris lies on the eastern border of the county and near the southeast corner. Nearly the whole of the western half was in Coxe's patent and the remainder in the Bayard patent, as shown on the map herein. The surface is very hilly, with deep intervening valleys. The highest eleva- tion in the county is Tassel Hill (so called from a Dutchman who settled there) in the extreme southwest corner of the town, which rises 2, 100 feet above sea level. The summit of what was the Utica and Chenango Railroad is near the line between Paris and Marshall, and is a little more than 1,000 feet above the station at Utica. This locality consti- tutes a part of the watershed to the northward and southward of the State. Paris Hill rises 840 feet above Sauquoit. The Sauquoit Creek

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

flows northerly through the town east of the center, and in a distance of six miles descends nearly 400 feet, affording excellent water power. The soil of the town is a sandy calcareous loam. The town has been noted for its manufactures.

The first town meeting in Paris was held April 2, 1793, at the house of Moses Foot in Clinton, and the following officers were chosen :

Supervisor, David Ostrom, esq; town clerk, Henry McNiel; assessors, Joshua Holiburt, Joel Bristol, Dan Chapman, Benjamin Barnes, Ithamar Coe, Joseph Far- well, William Babbott; commissioners of roads, Amos Kellogg, Simeon Coe, Stephen Barrett; poormasters, Timothy Tuttle, Levi Sherman; constables, Jesse Curtiss, Amos Dutton, Nathan Marsh ; fence-viewers, Barnabas Pond, Joseph Plumb, Borden Wilbur, Joshua Preston ; poundmaster, Amos Kellogg.

The first settler in this town was Maj. Amaziah Royce, who located near Paris Hill in 1789, on the old road from Sauquoit to its intersec- tion with the Oxford turnpike, north of Paris Hill. In December of that year John and Sylvester Butler, and Asa Shepard settled on the same road about half a mile west of Sauquoit; while in the same month Phineas Kellogg settled in the valley and was followed to the same locality the next spring by Theodore Gilbert and family, who who located at the Burning Spring, West Sauquoit. The first settler on the "Moyer Road " between Sauquoit and Paris Hill was William Babbitt in 1790. In the next spring Lieut. Spencer Briggs became the first settler at East Sauquoit, and at the same time Simeon Coe located on the Moyer Road east of Sauquoit. Capt. Abner Brown settled in the spring of 1791 at West Sauquoit and his son Kendall, born July 5, 1791, was the first male child born in Sauquoit.

To the Paris Hill region Benjamin Barnes, sr., and his son of the same name, and John Humaston, followed Mr. Boyce within a few weeks, and Henry McNeil settled early in that vicinity ; he became a prominent citizen, served in the Legislature, first in 1798, and taught school early at Paris Hill. Luther Richards became a settler in that vicinity about 1792 ; he was father of William Richards. Aaron Simons and his brothers, Adam and Abel, came in here early from Rhode Island and located west of the village of Paris Hill. Darius Scovill and his sons, Isaac, Seabury and Edward, located about 1801, coming from Water- town, Conn. Isaac Scovill was father of J. V. H. Scovill, long a prom- inent citizen at Paris Hill. At this point it is proper to quote the fol-

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THE TOWN OF PARIS.

lowing paragraphs from a historical sketch of Paris Hill written many years ago by Hon. Lorenzo Rouse :

My knowledge of the early history of Paris is, of course, somewhat limited as to personal observation, my first acquaintance with it having commenced in the spring of 1816, that is, twenty-seven years after the first settlement was made, which was at Paris Hill and vicinity. The first settlement made in the town was in 1789.

The first settler at Paris Hill was Captain Royce ; soon after him came Benjamin Barnes and son, Stephen Barrett, Abel Simmons, sr., John and Sylvester Butler, and others who settled near. None of these, however, settled at the present village. but in the vicinity. Tradition says that one of the earliest settlers, if not the earliest, at Paris Hill proper was Colonel Tuttle, who was quite a land-owner on the east side of what is now " the Green," Indeed, he gave the east half of the Green for a public park, other parties giving the west half for the same purpose.

Tradition further says that in Colonel Tuttle's day a large pine-tree was standing in the upper part of the park, or green. The colonel caught and tamed a young bear, which he used to pet very much. When winter came on the bear disappeared, and the colonel felt the loss deeply,-was inclined to think some one had shot or stolen it,-but on a sunny day in March the bear was discovered coming out of a hole in that pine tree, and he returned to his master, who was greatly rejoiced thereat; he had been hibernating.

The first church erected in 1791, was a plain, barn-like looking structure, innocent of paint, and in fact never was finished off inside. After its erection settlers began to come in rapidly, and Colonel Tuttle persuaded the people to sell the building to him, and to build larger, both of which they did. He then removed the first build- ing to the rear of his house, and converted it into a barn. The new church was located near the center of the green, nearest the west side, and was reasonably capacious.

The Episcopal church was erected in 1797. That, too, was a very plain structure, and unpainted. In 1818 it was removed to the west of the church lot, and the present structure was erected. Val. Pierce was the builder, assisted by his brother; also by Roderick White and others. Russell Brooks, Eli Gilbert, and the Saxton boys did the plastering. The old structure, after its removal, was fitted up and occupied (with some additions) by Rev. William R. Weeks as a residence and school building. Afterwards Chester Cook bought it and occupied a part as a dwelling and the rest as a saddle and harness shop. It subsequently took fire and was burned.

The Methodist church stood on the road going towards Clinton, east of the present burial ground. It had a good congregation when I first knew it; had its regular services by a circuit preacher, and had a number of zealous members. The society afterwards became extinct, and the church was taken down about 1850.

Paris Hill was the third or fourth settlement in order of time in the original town of Whitestown, and being the farthest south was generally known as the "South Settlement." When the present village began to manifest itself it was known as "Shax's Borough," but after the new town had been organized, and named Paris, it gradually assumed its present name of Paris Hill.

When I first saw the place, nearly sixty-two years ago, and for a few years after, it was a more important point than at present, and a place of much more business.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

It had three churches, two taverns (as they were then called), two stores, two black- smith shops, two saddle and harness shops, several carpenters' and shoemakers' shops, one wagon shop, one spinning wheel maker's shop, two tailors' shops, two asheries or potash establishments, and two cooper shops for the making of barrels, to be used for pork, cider, potash, and for whisky, the latter being manufactured on the premises now occupied by J. Van Valkenberg. The whisky was mainly sold to the farmers in the vicinity, at from twenty-five to thirty cents per gallon. No doubt there were other manufacturers' shops not recollected, but Chester Cook's silver plat - ing shop must not be overlooked. A turnpike, running through the village for some years, connected the place, and all south and southwest of it, as far as Oxford, with Utica, by means of intersecting the Seneca Turnpike at New Hartford. A toll-gate stood a little north of the Episcopal church. The turnpike, not proving a profitable investment, soon shared a fate similar to that of the plank road, which succeeded it at a more modern date, and was abandoned, to the stockholders' loss.

A grist mill was standing when I first knew the place, on the east side of the road, opposite a portion of the present Episcopal cemetery. It was originally intended to be operated by horse-power, the horses to travel on the inner circumference of a large wheel, nearly or quite thirty feet in diameter. This wheel revolved with an axle, or shaft, which furnished the motive power to the machinery. The builder of this novel grist mill was a Mr. Simister. The working of it proved too destructive to horseflesh to be profitable, and it was therefore abandoned. Subsequently an at- tempt was made to utilize the building by putting in a steam apparatus, but as the construction of stationary steam engines was then but little understood, that plan was also abandoned, and the building was demolished about 1820.

Sixty years ago the green was very convenient as a parade ground, two, and some- times three, military companies mustering for parade and inspection at the same time-usually the first Monday in June, the 4th of July, and the first Monday in Sep- tember. The two or three companies strove to outdo cach other in the precision and skill of their evolutions. In some cases a battalion consisting of six or seven com- panies assembled there. In one instance, at least, the whole regiment met there in September for "general training," as it was called.

Among the prominent individuals residing in the village at that time may be men- tioned General Heury McNiel, ex-judge and the member of assembly; Elnathan Judd, M. D., the leading physician of the place; Theophilus Steele, esq., the town clerk ; Samuel H. Addington, merchant and justice of the peace, and Martin Haw- ley, landlord and land-owner. Esquire Addington's store was then the building on the west side of the green, with a brick front, now converted into a blacksmith shop. It was previously occupied as a store by Stanton & Hawley. The house north of it, on the corner, was owned by Major Hawley, and was used as a hotel or tavern. A curbed well was directly in front of it, in what is now used as a traveled roadway. Other prominent citizens living in the vicinity of the village, but not in it, were Capt. John Wicks, John Strong, Ephraim Walker, Timothy Hopkins, Deacon Bailey, Adam and Abel Simmons, Captain Ebenezer and Esquire Charles Smith, Esquire Uri Doolittle, David Stiles, Fobes Head, Jonathan Head, Abiel Saxton Luther Richards, and several others. The succeeding merchants at Paris Hill were Hay- wood & Blair, Steele & Wicks, Tompkins & Doolittle, Mott & Reynolds, Andrew Mills and Jesse E. Thompson.

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THE TOWN OF PARIS.

General McNiel was postmaster from time immemorial, but always had the busi- ness done by a deputy-usually a merchant or innkeeper. He was removed about 1830, under Jackson's administration, and Germond Mott was appointed in his place. In the earlier days the people were content with one mail per week, and that was carried by the " post-rider" on horseback, he delivering the Utica newspapers to subscribers on his route at their doors, carrying them in his "saddle-bags," and the letter mail in his pockets. This method of carrying the mail continued till about 1820, when the post-rider changed his conveyance to a one-horse wagon, thus secur- ing higher pay, and occasionally a passenger. Soon after a mail stage was started, with one pair of horses, making two trips each way per week ; afterwards three, and finally daily trips each way, with four horses.

George W. Head, the late prominent Utica business man, formerly kept a store at the Hill. David Kelly followed and was succeeded by David Addington. There are now two stores, kept by G. T. Graham and Burrett & Hinckle.

Other early settlers in this part of the town were Stephen Barrett, Luther Richards, Fobes and Jonathan Head. A post-office was early established, with Henry McNeil as postmaster. Capt. Uri Doolittle, Capt. Gideon Seymour, Eli Blakeslee, Jesse and Dr. Gurdon Thomp- son, were also early settlers here. Justus and Julius Munson, Isaac Welton, Erastus Weber, John J. Wicks, Leander Richards, Lysander, and Harvey Head, John Bailey, and William Richards were prominent farmers south of the Hill, and Anson Hubbard, William Burrett Abram Bartlett, the Walker, Hecox, Porter and Smith families north. There were two distilleries early at the Hill, one by Samuel Adding- ton and one by a Mr. Haywood. George W. Head was a noted mer- chant here many years and was succeeded by Porter C. Huntley ; Daniel Kelley and William Wooden were also former merchants. In recent years the business of the place has not been large

Other prominent farmers of the town not already named, and who have passed away were Deacon Charles Allen, Stephen Chapman, Elias F. Green, Chauncey S. Butler, Stephen Thomas, Joshua P. Tompkins, and Erastus Webber ; some of those of later date are J. M. Risley, Charles H Thomas, C. L. Chapman, O. D. Head, H. W. Anderson, Freeman Bartlett, Samuel G. Ryder.

Clayville .- This is an incorporated village situated on the Sauquoit Creek southeast of the center of the town. The place was originally called Paris Furnace, and a post-office was established with Col. Gard- ner Avery postmaster ; he was succeeded by Deacon Joseph Howard.

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

" Judge " Eliphalet Sweeting was the pioneer here in 1800 and began building the Paris furnace on the site of the lower Millard works. Colonel Avery came in the year 1801 and took charge of the com- pletion of the furnace and management of the business. A Mr. Hill built the first log house for a boarding house, and Thomas built the next one in 1802. Colonel Avery erected his residence in 1810, and about the same time Judge Sweeting built his and erected a saw mill on the site of the Empire Woolen Factory. Joseph Howard had al- ready built a brewery and a grocery near by and Mr. Scollard erected a tavern opposite and west of the furnace ; this was long kept by Horace Luce and was ultimately converted into a residence by David Millard. Colonel Avery built a saw mill about 1810 opposite his residence, which burned a few years later and he built another on the site which stood until recent years. In 1822 he erected a carding mill a little above, which was long operated by 'Squire Albert Barnett, who came to the village about that time and passed his long life here ; his father, James Barnett, was a pioneer of the town, and William Barnett, brother of Albert, and father of Mills and William HI. Barnett, was long a prominent citizen.

The second merchants at Clayville were Bacon & Collis. To them William Barnett sold the Sweeting saw mill which he had acquired, and on its site they began the erection of a woolen factory, which passed to Frederick Hollister and was finished by him in 1842-3. Present mer- chants are J. S. Green, O. M. Buchanan, James A. Jordan, and C. L. Chapman & Son.

David J. Millard, born in 1804, came to the Sauquoit valley early in the century with his father, Charles Millard. On the site of the old Quaker factory at Sauquoit the father and his brother Amasa placed in the machine shop trip hammers and began manufacturing scythes in a primitive manner. David J. learned the trade of wool sorting and by evening study obtained a good education. He later became agent for the Furnace factory at South Sauquoit and about 1840 removed to Clay- ville and with his brother Sterling A. engaged in manufacturing scythes, hay forks, etc., on the site of the Cobb & Robinson shovel factory, which was built in 1814 and converted into a scythe shop by Davis & Bowles in 1818. Sterling A. Millard soon withdrew from the

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THE TOWN OF PARIS.

business and erected his scythe works farther up the stream. The Millard scythes were probably the best made in the whole country and attained wide celebrity. David J. Millard was a leading citizen of the town and was supervisor several years. The S. A. Millard works were sold on a mortgage held by the Oneida County Bank, March 6, 1896, and bid off by J. M. Butler, president of the bank, who has since be- come sole owner. The works are now running full time, manufacturing forks, hoes and rakes. The D. J. Millard works, which formerly existed under the style of the Paris Furnace Company, were sold by the sanie bank March 17, 1896, were bid off in the same manner and also passed to Mr. Butler. Until quite recently this plant was used for the manu- facture of axes under the name of the Hubbard, Babcock, Millard Ax Company, and is now temporarily idle. One section of the plant is rented to the Pratt Chuck Company, which is in successful operation.

When Frederick Hollister came to Clayville from Utica, as before noted, he purchased the partly built woolen factory, and finished it and put it in operation. He also bought largely of lands which included water power and furnished building lots, opened a street across the creek at the upper mill and northward along the foot of the western hillside to intersect the main road at the old carding mill ; this road he named Canada street, and thereon he built seventeen double tenement houses, and about the same number on the west side of the old main road ; he built also a block of stores near the upper mill. In 1843 he began the erection of the large stone factory, which was ready for the machinery in the fall of 1844. It was used for a great Henry Clay meet- ing, which has led to the statement that the great statesman was pres- ent; this is not true, but Clay did visit the place five years later. Mr. Hollister built also a frame block for stores and a hotel (the Hollister House, later the Murray House), and a gas manufactory for lighting the mills. About the same period David J. Millard opened a new street and built houses and made other improvements. The operations of these two men advanced the place from a hamlet to a thriving village, and drew other business enterprises hither. A machine shop and foundry was established, two other hotels were opened, and various shops and stores followed. The crash from this abnormal growth came in 1850 with the failure of Mr. Hollister. " Millardville," above, how-

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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

ever, continued active for some years, but ultimately shared the same fate. The woolen factories were run for short periods afterwards. In January, 1861, the Empire Woolen Company was organized, with James J. Murray, president ; George Innis, vice- president ; and A. J. Williams, treasurer. This company purchased the entire woolen factory plant and made the necessary repairs and changes to put it in operation. Soon afterwards Mr. Murray died and A. J. Williams purchased his in- terest and also that of Mr. Innis, leaving the property in control of Mr. Williams and his four sons; the company was reorganized with A. J. Williams, president ; A. G. Williams, vice-president ; and these two with I. A. Williams, James H. Williams, and N. A. Williams, trustees. The capital was made $250,000. Further improvements were made and a successful business inaugurated.

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Our county and its people; a descriptive work on Oneida county, New York;, Part 49

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