USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 63
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 63
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680
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
iams, A. F. Gates, a prominent dairyman and farmer, William Ras- back, Thomas Thornhill, Alvin A. Corey, William A. Scripter, E. J. Stewart, son of Philemon Stewart, an early settler. Many of these men became prominent in the community and some of them left descendants in this section.
The early industries of this town were connected with lumbering, the clearing of land and raising such crops as were needed by the people. But early in the history of this locality its excellent adaptability to grazing became apparent and more attention was given to stock-raising and dairying, and in recent years the latter industry has given it a rank among the best towns in the county. Cheese is the principal product.
There are large deposits of hematite iron ore in the town and early attracted attention, and it was long believed they would prove to be a source of wealth. Mining operations were begun on an extensive scale in 1864, and J. W. Lowden, an eastern capitalist, also erected a furnace at Cooper's Falls in De Kalb. Mr. Lowden invested a large sum of money, mostly in preliminary work In 1872 he sold out his whole in- terest to the Union Iron Company of Buffalo, John Webb of Gouver- neur acting as local agent of the company. The "hard times " of 1873-4 came on, and that fact was given as a reason for cessation of the enter- prise, which has never been resumed. Like most of the other attempts to successfully mine and produce iron in this county, there seem to have been conditions and circumstances which, coupled with the cheap pro- duction elsewhere, rendered it impossible to profitably pursue the in- dustry here.
The dairying interest, which has been mentioned, has been rapidly developed in the past twenty years. In 1877 the product of cheese had reached about 700,000, and in that year the following factories were in operation :
Factory.
Owner.
No. of Cows. 750
Pounds of Cheese. 200,000
Hermon Village
Charles Risley
Hermon Center
A. F. Gates
500
140,000
West Hermon
Baker & Pickard
450
120,000
South Hermon
George La Lone
400
110,000
Porter Hill
John Foster
375
100,000
Parker Factory
Asa Parker
100
30,000
2,575
700,600
681
THE TOWN OF HERMON.
The present condition of the industry is no less encouraging. In Hermon Village there is a butter factory owned by Lewis Knox ; and at Hermon Center is a cheese factory, by Baker & Pickard ; at West Hermon another by Morrow Brothers ; and at Porter Hill, one by John Foster. A factory was in operation in the southern part of the town, but was burned. The Parker factory was discontinued about ten years ago.
Hermon Village .- This village is pleasantly situated in the northeast part of the town, near the Canton and De Kalb lines, and is a thrifty place. The first settlement was made at this point by Roger Story in 1816, who at once built a log house. In the same year Germain Suth- erland came. Other settlers on the site of the village were Alexander Brown, Nehemiah Barker, Thomas Gilmore, Elisha Burnham, David Wesley, Samuel McCollum, William D. Moore and William Martin, the latter opening the first store in the place in 1823. From that year until the present time, the village has continued to grow in population. Its prosperity was temporarily checked by a disastrous fire April 27, 1875, the loss by which was about $100,000; but the energy of the citizens enabled them to promptly recover from the disaster, and new and hand- some blocks of buildings arose on the sites of the former ones. Some of these are noteworthy examples of business architecture, among them be- ing the old and the new Lynde blocks, the block of Dr. G. G. Seymour, the J. B. Ryel block, the building erected by George Johnson and J. B. McLean, the W. G. Popple block, the new Baptist church, etc.
The village was incorporated in 1887 and the first election of officers was held November 17, following, at which were chosen : W. W. Mat- teson, president ; Elisha Burnham, Martin R. Folsom, William M. Green, trustees; James K. Hale, treasurer ; John J. Haile, collector. Water works were established in 1891, at a cost of $7,000, and give the village a good supply of pure water.
Since the opening of the first store in the village there have been va- rious persons engaged in mercantile business here, for longer or shorter periods. Those now engaged in business are E. B. Hatch and Conant & Beswick, general stores ; Johns & Newell, groceries ; James K. Hale, groceries and boots and shoes ; W. G. Popple and J. B. McLean, hard- ware; James Robinson, drugs; Isaac Gibbons, liquor store; G. W.
86
682
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
Johnson has a meat market ; Daniel Booth and Robert Davidson are blacksmiths ; L. M. Fuller and Green & Babcock, furniture, the latter firm also undertakers. The hotel is kept by S. H. Ladd. J. E. Rob- inson is postmaster.
The various industries of the village have kept pace with the other interests. A tannery was established here early and operated until re- cent years, but the business was finally abandoned and the old building is empty. James Kelly has been engaged in carriage making since 1856, doing a large business in that line. The first grist mill was erected by Milton Johnson in 1819, and stood about opposite the site of the present mill on the east side of Elm Creek ; he also built a dis- tillery at the same time, both of which were long ago abandoned. The present mill was built by John Stokes, who sold it to T. W. Sheldon in 1865. The mill is now operated by James Brown. There is no saw mill in operation here now, though there was, of course, one for many years.
A beautiful cemetery has been laid out near the village, the officers of the association being Z. W. Babcock, secretary and treasurer ; W. W. Matteson, president ; and W. M. Green, James Kelley, H. C. Maine, Joseph Firth, trustees.
The Observer is a weekly newspaper started by G. T. Chaney in 1888. It is Republican in politics and is successfully published by Hamilton & Demmons.
The first school taught in this town has already been mentioned; it was followed by another in the second winter (1819-20) in the same place by Wesley McCollum. In 1826 a school was taught at the site of the village by Miss Huldah Wickerson. The first district established after the formation of the town was No. I, June 10, 1830, and embraced a wide extent of territory. This has been succeeded by various divi- sions and there are now thirteen districts in the town. In 1868 a de- partment school was organized in the village, the first board being as follows : A. M. Spalding, Otis Earle, Harris Bartholomew, W. W. Mat- teson, and Z. W. Babcock; the present board is composed of E. B. White, H. C. Main, Benjamin Cleghorn, John C. Gibbons, and W. W. Matteson.
683
THE TOWN OF HERMON.
The present commodious school building was erected in 1885. The school has now four departments with four teachers, and the languages are embraced in its course. The Board of Education for 1893 is Dr. C. E. Northrup, clerk; Z. W. Babcock, president; E. A. Conant, H. C. Maine, E. O. Reynolds.
Marshville .- This is a hamlet situated on Elm Creek about one mile south of Hermon village. The early settlers at this point were Clark Main, William H. Dodge, L. W. Campbell, J. M. McCollum, and Amos Marsh, father of Horatio Marsh; from the former the place received its name. About the year 1825 Abram Fisk built the second saw mill in the town here. Amos Marsh bought this property and erected a grist mill. These mills were subsequently burned.
The Marshville Cemetery Association was incorporated in March, 1850, and the cemetery established ; but the association was allowed to die out in a few years.
Following is a list of the supervisors of the town from its formation to the present time :
1830-32, William Teall ; 1833, Reuben L. Wilson; 1834-36, Harry Tanner; 1837, Silas Williams ; 1838-39, Henry P. Cook; 1840, Nathaniel Kent ; 1841-42, H. P. Cook ; 1843-47, Silas Williams; 1848-51, Seymour Thatcher ; 1852-53, David W. Weeks; 1854-55, William E. Tanner ; 1856-57. Orlando Babbitt ; 1858, Horace Barnes ; 1859- 60, Clark Maine; 1861-64, William E. Turner; 1864-67, Alanson A. Matteson ; 1868- 70, Dolphus G. Lynde; 1871, Otis Earle; 1872-73, A. A. Matteson ; 1874, Z. W. Bab- cock; 1875-79, A. A. Matteson; 1880-84, Z. W. Babcock; 1885-87, D. S. Lynde ; ISSS, H. C. Maine; 1889, W. A. Leonard; 1890, George Babbitt; 1891-94, W. W. Matteson.
The War of the Rebellion, see Chapter XV.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
The first religious meetings held in town were by Rev. Wm. Wright, a Congregational missionary, in 1814-15, who paved the way for other religious bodies to follow, but did not organize a church. The first Methodist church was formed about the year 1820, but preaching had been enjoyed in the house of Roger Story as early as 1816. The so- ciety was incorporated November 1, 1847, with Samuel I. Bingham, Seymour Thatcher, Joseph H. Baird, Lorenzo H. Sheldon, Orin Nich- ols, Timothy H. Hatch, and Daniel McIntire, trustees. In the next
1
684
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
year they built a handsome church, which is still in use, but has been at various times greatly improved and modernized. The society is now prosperous under the charge of Rev. W. H. Kanoff.
The first Baptist church at Hermon village was organized in January, 1818, and the society was incorporated December 3, 1845, with the following as trustees : Horatio Marsh, Daniel K. Babcock, Edward Mad- dock, William E. Tanner, Theodorus Frisby, and Orle Gibbons. The house of worship was built in 1849. This church was burned March I, 1891, and a new and very handsome modern edifice erected. The pres- ent pastor is Rev. S. Mills.
A Congregational church was formed at Marshville in 1835 by Rev. Mr. Eastman. Among the early members were Wilkes Richardson and wife, Ezra Leonard and wife, John Matoon and wife, and others. The first named men were trustees. In 1840 they built a church at a cost of $2,500. The membership has never been large, between forty and fifty. They are now supplied by Rev. W. G. Roberts, pastor of the De Kalb church.
A Universalist church was organized March 8, 1858, at Hermon vil- lage, and continued in existence something more than twenty years, but finally died out.
The Christian church was formed by Elder Spooner in 1826. The society flourished for a time, and in 1859 erected a wood meeting-house in Marshville, having at one time upwards of 200 members, but by death and removals a few years later dropped to about thirty. Their services have been irregular since.
685
THE TOWN OF PITCAIRN.
CHAPTER XLV.
THE TOWN OF PITCAIRN -ORGANIZED IN 1836.
T T HIS was the twenty-fifth town erected by an act of the Legislature passed March 24, 1836. It was formerly under the jurisdiction of Fowler and Edwards, containing the township No. 11, or Portaferry, excepting a triangular tract on the west corner, which was retained by Fowler. The town borders on Lewis county, and lies in the rear of Fowler and Edwards, and joins the town of Fine in the southwest part of the county. The first town meeting was held at the house of David Brown and the following officers elected : John Sloper, supervisor ; Stephen Seabury, town clerk; Levi W. Gleason, Sylvester Bacon, and Aaron Geer, justices of the peace ; Samuel Gustin, Almond Howard, and Robert Leach, assessors ; Matthew M. Geer, collector; John Will- iams, George P. Burdick, and Levi Gleason, commissioners of high- ways ; George P. Burdick and Almond Howard, overseers of the poor ; Matthew M. Geer and Constant Wells, constable.
The township was assigned to Daniel McCormick and transferred by him to Joseph Pitcairn, from whom it received its name. The town is well watered by the south branch of the Oswegatchie and numerous smaller streams of pure water. The surface is chiefly rough and rocky, but in some of the narrow valleys the land is very productive. The first clearing in the wilderness of Portaferry was made in 1824 by James Streeter, who brought in his family the following year. Quite a num- ber of other settlers came in 1824-5 and made small clearings, among them being Nathaniel, Elisha and Joseph Lanphear, Joshua Sloper, Aaron Geer, Dayton Merrell, George Peabody, Levi W. Gleason, Na- thaniel C. Scovil, Nathan Dickenson and his five sons; and a little later these were followed by Samuel Gustin, George P. Burdick, Samuel Wal- ling, Freeman Anderson, Stephen Seabury, and others. In succeeding years settlers slowly spread themselves over the territory, the forbid-
686
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
ding character of which seemed to offer them little inducement in the way of sites for homes.
The first white male child born in the town was Calvin, son of N. C. Scovil, June, 1825 ; the first female was Harriet, daughter of Levi Glea- son, born September 24, 1825. The first marriage was Aaron Bing- ham to Miss C. Dickenson in 1826. The first school was taught by Miss Caroline Dickinson in 1826. The first saw mill was erected in 1828 by Major P. Jenne (or Jenny) upon the creek that bears his name, and another was built a little later in the eastern part; both of these sites were long occupied by mills. At the present time N. H. Carter operates the mill at Pitcairn village on Jenny Creek and also a feed mill. At East Pitcairn is a steam, lumber and shingle mill operated by Wright Mason. There are two steam mills in the western part, one operated by Stephen Davis, built about five years ago ; and one by Eli Pettis, built about two years ago. At Jayville, a hamlet in the southeast cor- ner of the town and a station on the Carthage and St. Lawrence Rail- road, there are two steam mills owned by Post & Henderson and J. S. Demott, respectively, of Oswego. Other business enterprises of the town are the store and hotel of John L. Guiles, and the store of V. J. Van Ornum at Pitcairn ; the cheese factory and store of L. W. Hub- bard at East Pitcairn ; the cheese factory of Wilson Wing at Pitcairn ; and store of A. H. Andrews at Jayville. The agriculture of the town consists mainly of the production of excellent butter and cheese, and the raising of grain and particularly of potatoes. In the latter industry H. C. Pearson has accomplished results that have given him a very ex- tended reputation. He supplied no less than thirty two varieties to the State exhibit for the World's Fair. Quite extensive iron mining oper- ations have been carried on for several years at Jayville in the valuable magnetic ore of that locality ; but at the present time the works are idle. Traces of lead has been discovered, but not in sufficient quanti- ties to warrant mining. There are three post-offices in the town : Pit- cairn, with E. B Shipman, postmaster ; East Pitcairn, with Simeon Wells, postmaster ; and Jayville, with A. H. Andrews, postmaster.
The following incident happened near where Green's mill now stands about 1820, while the territory belonged to Fowler. Mr. James Streeter was out hunting deer in February, when there was about three feet of
687
THIE TOWN OF PITCAIRN.
snow on the ground. He came on to panther tracks and traced them across the ice, and found a place where they had pawed away the snow to the leaves and where five had nested the night previous. Following on the tracks he soon overtook a male panther, which his dog treed, and which he killed by a single shot. A few rods beyond a young panther was treed, when it required a second shot to dispatch him, and shortly after another young one was treed and killed by a single shot. The three were beheaded and taken to the camp. The next morning Mr. Streeter returned with a companion, when the female panther was killed. A large male panther was treed soon after and killed after be- ing shot several times. This one, however, evinced much venom, keep- ing his eyes fixed on the hunters, disregarding the dog, gnashing his teeth, growling, spitting after the fashion of a cat, and would run up and down the branches as if about to attack them, then seating himself would purr also like a cat. The bounties were twenty-five dollars each, a good day's work.
Following is a list of the supervisors of the town, with their years of service.
John Sloper, from the first election to the year 1840, inclusive ; Sylvester Bacon, 1841- 42; Horatio N. Dickenson, 1843-44; Asaph Green, to fill vacancy in 1844, '45, '46, '47, '51, '52. '53 and '54; Eli R. Paul, 1848, '49, '50, and 1855; Lorenzo D. Geer, 1856, '57, and 1869; Volney M. Carter, 1858, '59, and 1870 to 1877, inclusive ; G. M. Glea- son, 1860, '64, '65, '67, '68; Joel Manchester, 1861, '62, '63; Thomas P. Geer, 1866; L. D. Geer, 1878, 1881 ; E. W. Gleason, 1879-80; Safford Royce, 1882-3; S. B. Van Patten, 1884-89; Frank Manchester, 1890; John Geer, 1891-3.
RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES.
The Baptist church was the first society organized in the town, which was formed in 1826, with nine members and Rev. Jonathan Paine, pas- tor. The organization continued about seven years. Another Baptist society was organized in Pitcairn in 1842, with six members and Elder E. J. Davis as the first preacher. For some twenty years after 1855 Rev. C. H. Dyke ministered to the congregation with churches at Ed- wards and Fine.
A Congregational church was organized by Rev. James Murdock, of Gouverneur, at Pitcairn about 1829, with Constant Wells and fifteen
688
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
others, but in course of time the death and removal of most of the mem- bers caused its discontinuance.
A Methodist class was formed about 1830, and has been kept alive, service being held in the Union church mentioned below.
There was no house of worship in the town until 1875, when Con- stant Wells, one of the pioneers, erected and donated a building which he named " The Union Church of East Pitcairn." It cost $1,000. The lot was donated by Charles H. Bowles. Six dollars were donated by a man in Brooklyn. The building has since been used by the various de- nominations as occasion offered. Previous to this all denominations held services in barns, dwelling and school houses.
A society known as Disciples was formed in the west part of the town, under the preaching of Rev. Mr. Cooper, about 1872, with several members. They increased to about sixty at one time but decreased later.
The Free Will Baptists formed a small society and held meetings oc- casionally in town.
CHAPTER XLVI.
THE TOWN OF MACOMB-ORGANIZED IN 1841.
T T HIS was the twenty-sixth town erected by an act of the Legisla- ture passed April 30, 1841. The territory was formerly under the jurisdiction of Morristown and Gouverneur, from which it was taken, and embraces that part of Morristown laying south of Black Lake and that part of Gouverneur north of Beaver Creek, from the De Kalb line to the Ogden tract, which it follows to the Oswegatchie, and then up that river to the boundary of Rossie. A small tract south of the lake was left in the town of Hammond, but it also was attached to Macomb on the IIth of April, 1842. The formation of the town was the result of a long existing feeling of seclusion on the part of the inhabitants of the territory finally set off. With the long and almost impassable lake on the north, and Beaver Creek on the south, also the poor roads that
G89
THE TOWN OF MACOMB.
existed until comparatively recent times, rendering it difficult to reach Morristown and Gouverneur for the transaction of public business, it is, perhaps, to be wondered at that the citizens did not protest against their situation earlier than they did. In 1837 the people of Morristown expressed their willingness for a division whenever the settlers south of the lake should desire it ; and shortly afterward a similar sentiment was expressed by the inhabitants of Gouverneur. A special town meeting was held in Morristown, at which the vote for the division was taken and carried with only one dissenting voice.
The first town meeting in the new town was held at the residence of David Day, 2d, on the Ist of July, 1841, and the following officers elected : Supervisor, David Day, 2d ; town clerk, Eliphalet S. Pope ; assessors, David B. Woodworth, William Whalin and William Hough- ton ; commissioners of highways, Timothy Pope, Daniel Tully, Denni- son Coates ; collector, Charlemagne Pope; overseers of the poor, George Kennan, Josiah Sweet ; school commissioners, David Day, 2d, John S. Kinda, Morgan Starks, jr. ; justices, William Mills, C. Pope and David Tully.
The surface of the town is much broken by ridges of gneiss, sand- stone and white limestone, lying parallel with the lake and covering a large part of the town. Between these ridges are narrow intervales with rich soil. As a whole the town is much better adapted to grazing than to tillage. Fish and Birch Creeks flow into Black Lake and are the principal streams. Located on Birch Creek is a large tract through which the stream has little fall and over several thousand acres of which the waters formerly spread. Pursuant to a law, the enactment of which was procured, the channel of the creek through that section was opened and improved, and nearly 3,000 acres of valuable land were reclaimed. The cost of this improvement was about $6,000, for which the bene- fited lands were taxed. Pleasant Lake, a beautiful sheet of water, a mile long, is in the western part. It has no visible inlet and is not af- fected by freshets, and the water is clear, pure and cold. Hickory Lake is situated near the eastern bounds of the town and is the source of Fish Creek. There are valuable minerals in the town, such as galena, mica, copper, pyrites, etc., and considerable effort has been expended in the past in mining operations, as explained further on.
87
690
HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
The first settlements in what is now the town of Macomb were not made as early as in many other sections of St. Lawrence county, and the fact that the town had no civil existence until 1841, makes its his- tory brief, while the names of many of the pioneers of the present town have found mention in the histories of Gouverneur and Morristown. There was not much settlement in what is now Macomb before 1810. The first settlement was made in the town by Samuel Bristol, who was one of the earliest settlers in Depeyster and removed to Macomb. Capt. Rufus Washburn, originally from Connecticut and later from Otsego county, was one of the first settlers, and located where William Beard- slee now lives. He was drowned in the Oswegatchie April 28, 1817, while returning from town meeting in Gouverneur. It was his son who killed the panther in his den, noted in the history of Depeyster. Samuel Wilson, E. Wilson and Samuel Peck were early settlers. For many years the settlements were limited to small neighborhoods on the State road ; and no schools were opened until 1818.
Timothy Pope moved into the town from Oswegatchie in 1818, and built mills at the point which became and still is called Pope's Mills. He was originally from Otsego county and settled in Oswegatchie in 1804. He was an enterprising citizen and with others of his family accomplished much for the good of the community. He built a dam across the creek, forming a large pond, and mills have continued in operation there to the present time. The present saw mill is on the original site of the first one and is operated by L. E. Pope, a grandson of Timothy. In 1828 Timothy Pope built a distillery, which was oper- ated for a time, and changed to a tannery and finally abandoned. Mr. Pope was killed, November 7, 1835, with Solomon Shaw, by the burst- ing of a defective mill stone. A steamboat was built in 1837 at Pope's Mills, by Henry Hooker and Erastus W. White, and was in use for five years in carrying pig iron and lead from the furnace in Rossie to the Narrows and at the foot of the lake, from where it was carted to the St. Lawrence to be shipped to the market at Oswego. The post office was opened in 1859 with Russell Covel as postmaster.
The dam at this point (Pope's Mills) was carried away in 1862, since which time a large part of the tract formerly overflowed was sold to farmers and has produced valuable hay crops. The water power, by
691
THE TOWN OF MACOMB.
reason of doing away with this large pond, is limited to a portion of the year.
There has for many years been a small mercantile business carried on at Pope's Mills by various persons. At the present time gen- eral stores are kept by Woodworth Bros. (V. E. Woodworth being postmaster) and Frank Hastings. Hotels are kept by E. H. Perry (the Fish Creek House), and Frank Hastings (the Hastings House). The old school house at this place was removed and used as a blacksmith shop, and on the site was built the one now in use. There are now sixteen school districts in the town and the education of the young receives that liberal support that is given it in all progressive communities. In 1889 a fire visited Pope's Mills and burned the store and dwelling of F. S. Coats and the dwelling of Timothy Pope. Pope's Mills is now the site for the transaction of the town's public business.
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