USA > New York > Tioga County > Our county and its people : a memorial history of Tioga County, New York > Part 35
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The A. H. Thomas Paint Company was incorporated in Decem- ber, 1894, for the manufacture of oxide and white lead paints. The capital is $10,000. This is a young but important industry in Waverly and is securely established. The officers of the company are Anthony Hemstreet, president and treasurer ; F. E. Lyford, vice-president and secretary ; and S. C. Hall, F. E. Lyford, E. E. Walker, Anthony Hemstreet, and A. H. Thomas, directors.
The East Waverly Steam Granite Works is another of the re- cently established industries of the village. The character of busi- ness done here is sufficiently indicated by the name, and we need only add that at times employment is here given to about thirty men. Proprietor, Charles F. Poole.
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This brief review of the manufactures of Waverly, past and present, recalls those which have been of more than passing prom- inence in the village. But it is a fact that fire has been a strong destroying element in retarding what otherwise might have been a gratifying success, both in mercantile and manufacturing enter- prises ; and in looking over the list of fires in this village it seems as if more than the ordinary number have been visited upon its commercial interests. In view of this fact it may interest the reader to glance at the roll of important fires that have destroyed Waverly and Factoryville property since the former village was incorporated.
1855, June 9-The Phillips & Murray tannery at Factoryville.
1856, March 7-The Clarmont house.
1856, Feb. 19-The Warford house.
1861, Dec. 21-H. M. Moore's foundry and adjoining buildings.
1862, March 3-Myers' brewery at Factory ville.
1865, Dec. 24-The Methodist Episcopal church.
1870, Feb. 8-The Hallet, Van Duzer & Marsh flouring mill.
1871, June 5-"The Big Fire" which originated over O. W. Shipman's store, eorner Broad and Waverly streets, and burned 16 buildings and 25 business places ; loss $86,000.
1873. Feb. 23-Persons & Hungerford's grocery and crockery store.
1873, March 25-William Manners' bakery, D. N. Harris's jewelry store, the opera house and several other business places.
1873, April 5-H. M. Wilcox's dry goods store and other places.
1873, June 16-J. G. Hawks's building on the state line and other places.
1876, Feb. 18-M. P. Fitch's planing mill.
1876, March 7-Van Gaasbeck's bottling works.
1876, Oct. 5-The Shepard block, including the Enterprise office and other property. 1877, Feb. 7-Hildebrand's shoe store and two buildings west, seriously injuring the stock of several firms. At this fire an explosion occurred, throwing John Bailey, a member of Tioga hose, from the Gilbert building to the street. A. R. Bunn and James McNee were also injured.
1877, July 30-Van Duzer & Hallet's planing mill.
1878, March 24-Crowley's restaurant and residence near the state line. This was the coldest night of a fire in the history of the local fire department.
1878, July 19-The Erie depot, the Courtney house and Bentley's livery.
1878, Nov. 4-D. D. Knapp's block.
1878, Nov. 23-The Susquehanna Woollen mills.
1880, Sept. 24-Van Duzer & Lyman's planing mill.
1881, March 21-Fessenden's toy factory.
1881, Aug. 13-The old coal pockets.
1882, Aug 27-Decker's tannery.
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THE VILLAGE OF WAVERLY.
1883, May 26-The Campbell block, known as the " Town Cloek Building."
1884, July 4-The Warford house.
1884, Oct. 21-Merriam Brothers' hardware store.
1885, June 11-Sayre Butter Package Company's factory.
1885, June 30-Crandall toy factory.
1885, July 2-Eaton's hardware and Wood's grocery stores. Also Van Gaasbeck's hotel and C. E. Tompkins's residence, all at Factory ville.
1885, July 4-Old Waverly street roller rink.
1886, Sept. 13-Corner drug store.
1887, Oct. 16-Latimer's planing mill.
1888, July 5-Clark's hardware store.
1889, Feb. 9-Corner drug store.
1892, Oet. 30-Bark and leach house at Deeker's tannery.
1894, Jan. 9-The Shipman block, corner Broad and Waverly streets. Several oecu pants were "burned out " at this serious fire.
The ecclesiastical history of Waverly is both interesting and in- structive. In the early history of the town the settlers had the same scrupulous regard for the spiritual as for the material wel- fare of their families, and the story of pioneer life is interspersed throughout with regular family devotion and on frequent occasion with informal assemblages for public worship. Previous to 1800 there was little attempt at denominational meeting, as the scat- tered character of the settlement made such action impossible, and the meetings which were held were for the purpose of general worship, through a sense of duty rather than otherwise. Glanc- ing at the historical records of the several churches having an existence in Waverly, the fact is disclosed that the older societies were offshoots or branches of still earlier organizations of the town. Especially is this true of the M. E. church, which in its history must be treated generally.
The Methodist church history in Barton dates back to the year 1800, when Jacob Gruber preached occasionally to the inhabitants of the Susquehanna valley, followed three years later by John Osborn. In 1805 a class was formed at Ellistown by Frederick Stiver and Timothy Lee, at a meeting held in John Hanna's log cabin. In this class were John Hanna, Luke Sanders, Ebenezer and Samuel Ellis and their wives, and Sarah Bingham. Early meetings were held in the log school house, and in 1834 the Emory chapel was built.
The Factoryville class was formed in 1828, and Elishama Tozer
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was its leader, with Pierre Hyatt, Paris and Robert Sanders, Jacob Swain, G. W. Plummer, Nathan Slawson and Stephen Van Derlip among the earliest members. Later on came Daniel Blizard, David Mandeville, Peter and Lewis Quick, and S. L. Van Derlip. The Fletcher chapel at East Waverly was built in 1840, and was dedi- cated December 10. It cost $3,000. May 30, 1841, the Methodists organized their Sunday school.
The Waverly class was set off and held meetings in the room in which Lois S. Wells conducted private school in Waverly street. At the conference meeting, in 1854, a resolution was passed to established a M. E. educational institution at Waverly, to be known as Tioga Seminary, but further than this no action appears to have been taken.
The village society erected a large and quite expensive church edifice, in 1863, and dedicated it March 17, 1864. This building was burned Dec. 24, 1865. The corner stone of a new edifice was laid June 15, 1866, and on April 4, 1867, the brick church was dedicated.
From the beginnings indicated in this brief sketch Methodism has grown in the town until now the church is numerically stronger than any other denomination, and is represented by six societies and six churches, all save one having an active existence. The old Ellistown church is now out of use, and no services are held there. The North Barton church was organized in 1869, and forms a joint charge with Barton and Smithboro, and is under the pastoral care of Rev. S. A. Terry. In the three churches are 150 members. The church at Lockwood built an edifice in 1854, and a second and more commodious home in 1886. Rev. A. F. Brown is the pastor of this charge, which with its associate charges has 177 members. The M. E. church at Barton village is separately mentioned in the town chapter.
So near as can be determined the pastors of the local church, beginning at the time the first itinerent preachers came into the valley, have been as follows : Jacob Gruber, 1800 ; John Osborn, 1808 ; Joseph Snell, 1810; Orrin Doolittle, 1811; Horace Agard and John Sayre, 1822; Horace Agard and Solon Stocking, 1824 ; Philo Barbary and Benj. Shipman, 1825-26; John Griffing and
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Joseph Towner, 1827 ; C. W. Harris and E. B. Tenney, 1832 ; J. Griffing and C. W. Giddings, 1833 ; S. Stocking and S. B. Farring- ton, 1835 ; W. H. Pearne, and J. Boswell, 1836 ; Wm. Wyatt, 1837 ; Epenetus Owen and J. R. Boswell, 1838-39 ; John Mulkey and D. Simons, 1841 ; D. Simons and Benj. Ellis, 1842 ; Peter S. Worden, 1843-44 ; A. G. Burlingame and Morgan Ruger, 1845-46 ; Wm. Round, 1847 ; E. Owen, 1848; Vincent Matthews Coryell, 1849-50 ; J. W. Davison, 1851-52 ; O. M. MeDowell, 1853 ; Geo. P. Porter, 1854-55 ; J. M. Snyder, 1856 ; D. A. Shepard, 1877-58 ; G. P. Porter, 1859-60; H. R. Clarke, 1862-63; S. W. Weiss, 1864 ; Henry Wheeler, 1867; W. B. Westlake, 1868-70; L. W. Peck, 1871 ; Wm. H. Olin, 1872-73 ; Samuel F. Brown, 1874 ; D. C. Olm- sted, 1875-76 ; G. R. Hair, 1877-79 ; A. L. Smalley, 1880-82 ; Samuel Moore, 1883-85 ; J. O. Woodruff, 1886-88 ; W. L. Thorp, 1889-91 ; C. M. Surdam, 1892-97.
The First Baptist Church of Waverly had its origin in a little primitive meeting of sixteen persons held June 24, 1824, at which were assembled inhabitants of Smithfield and Springfield, Pa., and Tioga in this county. The meeting was held at Ulster, Pa., and the Athens and Ulster Baptist Church was the result. Elder Sawyer was chosen pastor, in 1825, and was followed by Dr. Ozias Spring, a physician and later a regularly ordained minister. In 1832, the name was changed to Athens and Chemung Baptist Church, and in May, 1836, to Factoryville Baptist Church. In 1842, the now known Old School Baptist Church edifice was built, and it is said the Rev. A. B. Stowell, the then pastor, drew the brick with his own horse and wagon, and laid the brick with his own hands, for by trade Elder Stowell was a mason. In 1863, this building was sold to the society of the Old School Baptist Church, and a fund was created with which to erect a new edifice at Waverly. It was built in 1865, and dedicated in November of that year. The present church, one of the most substantial struc- tures of its kind in the county, was built during the years 1890 and '91, and was dedicated May 13 of the year last mentioned.
The succession of pastors in this church has been as follows :
Elder Sawyer, 1825 ; Dr. Ozias Spring; Elder Thayer. 1830; Elder Brown, 1831; Amos Jackson, 1832; Henry Ball, 1835-39 ;
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
Elders Manning and Spencer, supplys two years ; A. B. Stowell, 1841-49 ; Ira Smith, J. M. Cooley and W. Putnam, pastors for a period of twenty years, but no record is found of their service ; William McCarthy, 1860-63 ; L. J. Huntley, 1864 ; T. J. B. House, 1865-69 ; H. S. Lloyd, 1869-78 ; B. G. Boardman, 1878-79 ; G. H. Hubbard, 1881 ; S. T. Ford, 1881-84 ; D. H. Cooper, 1885-89 ; Linn E. Wheeler, 1889-94 ; Charles De Woody, September, 1894, the, present pastor. This church has a membership of 400.
The Chemung Old School Baptist Church at Factoryville, now almost a thing of the past, was organized as a society January 7, 1847, with nine constituent members, among them several of the most substantial families of the town. Feeble in point of num- bers, and not well supplied in purse, the little society had no church home previous to 1863, but in that year purchased the edifice formerly owned by the Baptist society then recently re- moved to Waverly village. For many years this society was fairly prosperous, but never strong; and in more recent years there seems to have been a decline in interest, resulting in only occa- sional services.
The First Presbyterian Church of Waverly was organized June 8, 1847, but in its history in the region Presbyterianism dates back to the year 1812, when there was formed at Tioga Point a Con- gregational society, including in membership the Presbyterians and Congregationalists of the valley country. Later on the church became Presbyterian, then Dutch Reformed, and eventually Pres- byterian. March 2, 1847, a meeting was held at Milltown, and June 8, 1847, a committee of the Chemung Presbytery came to Factoryville and organized a new society with 18 members ; and August 23 following the organization was made complete. Rev. Curtis Thurston, of the Athens church. was given pastoral charge of the new society. In 1849, an edifice was built, and was mate- rially enlarged in 1860. In 1886, this old structure was replaced with the present large church home, built at a cost of $30,000, and on the site of the frame church in 1889 was built the manse. May 1, 1848, Rev. Nathaniel Elmer came to Waverly as stated supply, and this relation soon developed into a pastorate of nine years' duration. He was the first settled pastor. The others, in order
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THE VILLAGE OF WAVERLY.
of succession, have been as follows : Oliver Crane. D. D .; David S. Johnson, D. D .; James B. Beaumont, W. H. Bates, P. S. Hol- bert. J. L. Taylor, and P. R. Ross, the latter the present pastor, whose term of service began in November. 1889. This church has a membership of 300. and in the Sunday school are 200 attendants.
Saint James's church, Roman Catholic. at Waverly was or- ganized as a parish soon after 1850, and the first church edifice was built in 1852 (a recently prepared sketch by a parishoner says 1856), and stood in Erie street, on the site now occupied by the works of the Elbow company. The edifice at the corner of Clark and Chemung streets was begun in 1870, and was dedicated Sept. 1, 1871. In the parish are 175 Catholic families. Previous to 1881 Waverly was an out-mission from Owego, and was attended from that place. Since that year the resident priests have been as follows: John Brady, 1881-85: Edward McShane, 1885-93 : F. J. Naughton, the present priest in charge, from October 23, 1893.
Grace Church. Protestant Episcopal, of Waverly, was organized December 28, 1853, although services were held in Factoryville in the early part of that year, the church edifice was erected in 1854 and was materially repaired during the pastorate of Charles Sey- mour. At that time the handsome Yates and other memorials were placed in the church. The first rector was Horatio Gray. but George Watson held the earliest services at Factoryville. Grace church has 110 communicating members. and is under the rector- ship of William Gordon Bentley. The succession of rectors, as near as can be determined from imperfect records, has been as follows: 1854, Horatio Gray ; 1858-60, Charles E. Beardsley : 1860-63. John W. Mccullough, D. D .; Francis F. Rice. 1863-65 : Wm. Long. 1865-67 : Rev. Mr. Nock, 1867 : Moses E. Wilson, 1869- 70 ; J. F. Esch. 1870-73 ; I. A. Brown. 1873-78 : Charles Seymour, 1878-84: J. B. Murray, D. D .. 1884-86: Alex. W. Rogers, 1886; George Bowen. 1886-89; J. H. Hobart DeMille. 1889 : J. Hazard Hartzell. D. D .. 1891 : Ulric Graf, 1891: A. W. Ebersole, 1891-94 : Charles Donahue, 1892-94; William Gordon Bentley. Dec. 1. 1894.
The Church of Christ, Disciple Christian. of Waverly. was or- ganized July 8. 1877. The place of meeting is in Providence street. SOCIETIES .- Waverly Lodge, No. 407, F. & A. M .. was organized
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under a dispensation June 3, 1856, and a charter was granted on June 9 following. The past masters of the lodge have been as follows :
1856-58-George H. Fairehild.
1879-G. B. Morgan.
1859-61-Philetus Lowrey.
1880-81-H. L. Stowell.
1862-H. C. Hubbert. 1882-J. M. Buley.
1863-64-Philetus Lowery.
1883-84-E. E. Rogers.
1865-0. W. Shipman.
1885-86-N. Ackerly.
1866-G. B. Morgan.
1887-88-A. T. Merrill.
1867-68-O. W. Shipman.
1889-90-C. E. Tuthill.
1869-G. B. Morgan.
1891-Jesse O. Robinson.
1870-0). W. Shipman.
1892-93-E. S. Hanford.
1871-A. J. VanAtta.
1894-John F. Tozer.
1872-76-J. M. Buley.
1895-96-C. W. Skellinger,
1877-78-H. L. Stowell.
Cayuta Chapter, No. 245, R. A. M., was instituted August 22, 1869. Its present membership is 71. The past high priests have been as follows :
1870-72-0. W. Shipman.
1884-86-G. B. Morgan.
1873-74-C. F. Spencer. 1887-E. E. Rogers.
1875-J. M. Buley.
1888-89-G L. Mullock.
1876-77-George II. Grafft.
1890-91-N. Ackerly.
1878-81-W. H. Spaulding.
1892-93-Charles Speh.
1882-G. B. Morgan.
1894-95-J. T. Tucker.
1883-George H. Grafft. 1896-97-William R. Isley.
Odd fellowship in Waverly has been equally strong with Free Masonry in point of numbers. The first lodge was Manoca, No. 219, chartered January 30, 1850, and having its seat of operations at East Waverly. This lodge was reinstituted September 7, 1869, having become disorganized about 1855.
Tioga Encampment, the first institution of its kind in the county, was instituted at Factoryville, February 9, 1853, and had fourteen petitioners for the charter. It is now a thing of the past.
Spanish Hill Encampment, No. 52, was instituted August 17, 1870.
In this extended review of the various elements of local history the annals of Waverly are written. Compared with other villages of the same size and conditions it must be said that Waverly stands in the front rank among them, and that its institutions
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THE VILLAGE OF WAVERLY.
are as substantial and as firmly fixed as those of any interior vil- lage in southern New York or in northern Pennsylvania. Indeed there are many things in common with the inhabitants of Wa- verly and of its neighboring boroughs of Sayre and Athens, and in a measure their interests are identical. Waverly capital is in- vested in enterprises south of the state line while Sayre and Athens business men have made successful ventures on the north side. Again, these municipalities are bound together with steam and electric railroads, and their interests are thereby more strongly united. The Lehigh Valley company has not been content with the old system of transfer at East Waverly, and in furthering their own interests have established rapid steam railroad connec- tion between Sayre and Waverly, to the great advantage of all private interests as well.
The Waverly, Sayre & Athens traction company began the oper- ation of an electric railroad between the villages named in June, 1895. Two-thirds of the capital stock in this enterprise is owned by the Broadhead interests of Jamestown, N. Y., while the re- maining third is owned by two business men of Athens.
With an actual population of about 5,000 inhabitants, and di- rectly tributary to from 8,000 to 10,000 more, Waverly is in all material respects an important and progressive trade centre ; more important, perhaps, from a purely business point of view, than any municipality in Tioga county. Every branch of regular mer- cantile business appears to be well represented, and there is little indication that any is suffering from the results of over competi- tion. The stores as a rule are large, well stocked, well appointed, and well managed ; and if there is any particular respect in which the village is not fully up to the standard set by critics of munici- pal life it is possibly in the line of manufacture. However, there has been little encouragement for capital to profitably invest in any manufacturing pursuit during the last ten or more years, and within that time there have been put in operation in the village several industries of more than passing note. With six church societies, representing as many different denominations, and each having a good house of worship; with five well appointed school houses, and a general system of education equally high with any
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of the same grade in the state ; with well lighted streets, and an abundant supply of pure and wholesome water ; with a volunteer fire department ranking among the best in the sonthern tier ; with three competing lines of railroad; with two good newspapers ; with three hotels of far more than ordinary comfort ; with a com- plete system of police protection, and with a generous, hospitable and public spirited people, Waverly cannot be other than a de- sirable place of business and residence.
CHAPTER XXII.
THE TOWN OF SPENCER.
M ORE than a hundred years ago the first adventurous pioneer settler came into that remote part of that old town of Owe- go which is now included within the boundaries of Spencer. The late Judge Avery in his interesting sketches of early life and settlement in Tioga county, the first reliable writer of local history in the vicinity, says that the families of Benjamin Drake and Joseph Barker were the first residents within the town, and that their settlement was made the year 1795 ; that pioneer Drake owned the land on which the village was laid out ; and that he erected the first frame building in the town, the same afterward known as the "Purdy House."
Later and perhaps equally reliable writers of Spencer history aver that the first settlement was made by the pioneers mentioned in the year 1794, but within the last year still another account is furnished, and by one of the descendants of Joseph Barker, a native and ever a resident of the town, in which is published the fact that John Barker was in fact the pioneer, and that he came to the town early in February, 1796. The present writer makes
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no attempt to reconcile these discrepancies, nor to express an opinion as to which is right or which is wrong, but only says that Barker and Drake were the pioneers of Spencer, and as such are entitled to first mention in these annals.
Joseph Barker was born in Massachusetts in 1763, and at early age was left an orphan. When grown to man's estate he married with Phebe Dodd, and to them was born a family of eleven chil- dren. They lived for a time in New Jersey, thence returned to Massachusetts, and came to the Wyoming valley among the pio- neers of that region after the revolution. From the valley the fam- ily came to Nichols, where they lived nearly a year, and then settled in Spencer. Mrs. Dodd's narrative mentions the exact date as Feb- ruary 10, 1796, and also says that Barker's was the first family in the town, but that others soon followed. She also states that pio- neer Barker opened the first school in the town, in 1800, "in a little log house that stood just north of the blacksmith shop now occupied by J. Ellison," and that his dwelling house stood about on the site of the Bradley house, which was burned. Barker's lands extended south on the present village tract to the south bounds of the old burial ground. This lot opposite the church he laid out and donated for burial purposes. Joseph Barker was a prominent figure in early history in Spencer ; was justice of the peace by appointment after the organization of the town until that office became elective, holding and serving from 1806 to 1830.
Benjamin Drake built his log cabin half a mile east of the vil- lage, near the bank of the creek, and here he devoted his time to clearing and improving the land, for he was a thrifty man. Later on, still at an early day, he built the first framed house, which has been mentioned, and he also built the first primitive grist mill in the town, a fact in itself which induced other settlers to come to the vicinity. Deborah, daughter of Benjamin Drake, was the first white child born in Spencer.
The next settlers were the brothers Hobart (Robert and Ed- mund), from Canaan, Conn., in 1796, according to Judge Avery, but in 1795 in later accounts. Rodney settled about a mile north of the village limits, and Edmund on the James B. Hull farm of later days, where pioneer Hobart sowed and raised the first crop
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.
of wheat grown in Spencer. Near this field of grain was another pioneer industry, the first saw mill, about twenty rods east of the road, on the old George Watson farm. This mill, also, is said to have been built by Edmund Hobart. Prescott Hobart, son of Edmund, while using an axe, was accidentally injured, resulting in lockjaw and final death ; and his was the first death in Spencer. Charlottte Hobart, a daughter, married with Daniel McQuigg, of the old pioneer McQuigg family, of Owego, and lived on the old Hobart home farm for many years. Esther, another daughter, married, in 1814, Horace Giles, of Owego, but later of Spencer. Edmund Hobart died in Spencer in 1808.
Settlement in the new locality, once fairly and auspiciously be- gun, increased rapidly and the year 1798 witnessed the arrival of the families of John and George K. Hall, who settled and partially improved the John McQuigg farm as known in later years. In 1800 came Judge Joshua Ferris and family from Westchester county ; Dr. Holmes, the pioneer physician. from Connecticut, and Stephen Bidlack, also a Yankee, but who came to this town from the Wyoming valley.
Joshua Ferris was a farmer and surveyor, and withal, one of the most prominent men of his time in the town. He was the first town clerk on the organization of Spencer in 1806, and from that time down to 1830 he held the office. His clean, bold and perfectly legible handwriting on the record books is to-day as plain as when first written ; and it is doubtful if Spencer now has an inhabitant who under the same circumstances and conditions can produce a page of writing so clear and distinct as that made by Joshua Ferris three-quarters of a century and more ago with his ancient quill pen. Judge Ferris, as he was called, had served with credit in the American army during the revolution, and was a pensioner under the act of 1832. His children were Eliza, Benja- min, Joshua, Susan, and Myron. Of these Joshua married Louisa Fisher, who bore him four children, viz. : Mary Eliza, who married with Mosher Lott ; Myron B., George H., and Susan C., the latter the wife of Marvin D. Fisher.
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