USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people : a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 8
USA > New York > St Lawrence County > Our county and its people: a memorial record of St. Lawrence County, New York > Part 8
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Jay's treaty, which was finally ratified in February, 1796, provided in its second article that Her Majesty's troops should be withdrawn from all posts within the States on or before the first of June ; the property
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
of the British subjects being secured to them by the pledge of the gov- ernment, and they were to be free to remain or go as they saw fit. The signing of the treaty at length rendered it certain that the surrender of Fort Oswegatchie would remove the last obstacle which had for several years hindered the settlement of northern New York.
Mr. Ford had engaged a Mr. Tuttle and family to move into the bar- racks and care for the property on the evacuation of the fort by the British. After these arrangements were made Mr. Ford returned to New York for men and such goods as were necessary for them during the time of rebuilding the dam and mill on the Oswegatchie, and sur- veying roads into the country. As a guide for Mr. Ford's operations the proprietor drew up the following memoranda of instructions, which embody the designs and wishes of Colonel Ogden in relation to the new settlement :
On your arrival at Oswegatchie endeavor in an amicable a manner as possible to gain immediate possession of the 'works, mills and town. If difficulties do arise, you will of course exercise the best of your judgment and discretion in order to remove them. This perhaps may be done best by soothing measures; perhaps by threats and perhaps by bribes, as to which it must be entirely submitted to your judgment as circumstances may turn up. It seems certain that you will have no difficulty in obtaining possession of the fort and works. These therefore I presume you will immediately possess. The mills seem the great difficulty, for which you will make every exertion after you have possession of the fort. After you have obtained possession of the mills you will imme- diately commence the repair thereof so as to have the saw-mill at work this autumn before you leave it. If the old mill is destroyed and you find that a new one must be constructed, I would recommend that you construct it so as to saw plank or timber forty feet long. You will exercise your own judgment as to what repairs it may be proper for you to put on any of the buildings at the old fort. It seems to me that it will be best to repair tlie the old stone houses and as many of the framed as may be found sound and free from decay. If, on experiment, you find that a further supply of goods or any particular article of commerce not in stock, will answer a good and speedy remittance, you will write me and send a memorandum, so that I may forward them to you, and it is probable that you may point out the best and most expeditious manner of transportating the same. You will remember in your letter book to keep regular copies of all your letters. Your set of books must be regularly kept so as to show a very exact account of all expenditures and disbursements so that every shilling may be explained and accounted for. If, on examination, you find any tract of land without the bounds of my purchase, and which you believe to be an object worth our attention write me a full account thereof and enable me to take it if it should be found an object. Mr. Grey gave me some reason to believe he could find a mine of iron ore within our township. Pray extend your resources, therefore, as early as possible, as
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SETTLEMENT COMMENCED.
it is very important that we should at as early as possible commence our iron work operations, and nothing can be done until the ore be found. S. OGDEN.
The foregoing memorandum was merely a guide for Mr. Ford to go by, as Mr. Ogden gave him sufficient latitude to vary from it when found necessary, having great confidence in Ford's ability in getting rid of those trespassers on his property who claimed to have leases, which, however, proved to be spurious.
CHAPTER VIII.
SETTLEMENT COMMENCED.
Nathan Ford's Occupation of Oswegatchie -- His Labors and Difficultics -- Saw Mill Erected -- Canadian Squatters -- The American Hotel -- Erection of Grist Mill -- Mr. Ford's Financial Embarrassments.
M A R. FORD left New York July 4, 1796, and on the 18th arrived at Albany and crossed with teams to Schenectady, where he met Mr. Day, John Lyon and family, whom he had employed to come with him, together with Thomas Lee, carpenter, and Dick, a negro slave who was owned by Mr. Ford. These were considered sufficient to manage one boat. To hire another to go to Oswegatchie would cost £85 besides portage and lock fees, which would amount to five pounds more. He therefore purchased a four oared boat and was obliged to pay high wages to his hands. Richard Randolph, Mr. Ford's clerk, was one of the party when the two boats laden with goods started on their tedious journey, Friday July 22, at 2 o'clock P. M., and proceeded up the river to Maby's tavern, where they lodged, having gone six miles. The next day they reached Mills's tavern, ten miles farther, where they stopped to escape a very heavy shower. The next day, the 24th, they got to Connoly's, a distance of seventeen miles. Owing to low water and their heavy load, the passage up the river was slow. On the 25th Mr. Ford said his trouble began when ascending what is called Caty's Rift, the boat being nearly over it, turned off her course, fell back and brought
12
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
up broadside upon a rock and almost instantly sank. The dry goods, mostly on this boat, got thoroughly wet and the boat was considerably damaged. The goods were taken out, carried above the rapids, dried and repacked, and the boat repaired. The tea and two casks of powder were too much damaged for use and were sent back to New York. On the 28th at 10 o'clock they again started, but on account of heavy rain stopped over night at Neller's tavern, having traveled twelve miles. The next day about 3 P. M. they reached Little Falls. On the Ist of August they arrived at Fort Stanwix (Rome), whence they proceeded with less difficulty by Wood Creek, Oneida Lake, Oswego River and down the lake into the St. Lawrence, and arrived at Oswegatchie on the I Ith of August, 1796, just thirty days from the date of their leaving New York.
Mr. Ford arranged his goods in the sergeant's quarters at the fort which he used as a store, Mr. Tuttle remaining in a portion of the bar- racks adjoining the store and therein caring for the hired help. Mr. Lyon and family occupied the saw- mill house. After all were comfort- ably situated Mr. Ford crossed to Canada, purchasing three yoke of oxen, four cows, a lot of peas, wheat, etc., and hired some forty men. Returning he began repairs on the dam and saw-mill. Although he found many persons on the other side of the river anxious to settle, he was not then authorized to sell lands, and put off their applications by telling them they must wait the survey of the lands. In a few days Joseph Edsall arrived and began to survey the roads and town. He brought a small sack of orchard- grass seed for Mr. Ford and Mr. Far- rand on the north shore. On the 7th of September, 1796, Mr. Ford wrote Mr. Ogden the following :
When I wrote you last, I mentioned Major Watson and several other persons, who had settled upon lands up the river. These people have relinquished their pretensions and find that they had better become purchasers. Several of them are now working for me. One of them, Mr. Smith, living on the other side of the river, says he will try the title with you. It would be well to make an example of him, if we could get him over this side. Such fellows only want to be treated with promptness to bring them to terms. I have had all the chiefs of the St. Regis village to see and welcome me to this country. They gave me a hearty welcome and pressed me very hard to pay them a visit. I treated them with the utmost civility, and sent them all away drunk. As to the Oswegatchie Indians, I never heard a word from them upon the possession of their lands; many of them have been here to trade, etc. Lorimier's claim I never heard a
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SETTLEMENT COMMENCED.
word from, until I had been here several days. I had been asked what I intended do- ing with the widow, etc., by people who were not interested; my reply was, that we had been illy treated about the business, but I had understood that the widow Lorimier was in indigent circumstances, and that it was not our intention to distress the widow and fatherless; what was right we intended to do. This was my uniform reply to those who said anything to me on the subject. On the 17th, Mr. Sherwood (a young lawyer) came over and presented me a letter from Mrs. Lorimier, and endeavored to explain his position and rights, which he thought would hold good under the second article of the treaty, etc. I gave him to understand that if Mrs. Lorimier meant to set up title, it must be the hardest kind of one-that such an act would end all idea of charity. Following is Mrs. Lorimier's letter to me:
EDWARDSBURG, 16th August, 1796.
SIR-I am informed you have arrived in Oswegatchie with a number of people, and have taken possession of one of my houses there, and that you are about to build a dam across the Black river, first taking away what remained of mine That you may not be deceived, I now inform you that I have a good title to half a mile on each side of that river, from the mouth to the source of it, which I cannot think of relinquishing without a valuable consideration; and Christian charity obliges me to think that you would not endeavor to wrong or in any manner distress the widow and fatherless, and as it appears you wish to form a settlement there, I hereby give you my first offer to purchase my title, and would be glad to have you answer upon the subject as soon as pos- sible, that I may know how to govern myself.
I am your most humble serv't, CATHARINE LORIMIER. TO MAJOR FORD.
As to business in the mercantile way, it equals my expectation. I am sorry that I have not a further supply of coarse goods here for the season. It was impossible for me to know soon enough what would answer the demands here for you to forward them this fall. I would suggest to you the propriety of sending to England this fall, to have the burr stones shipped to Montreal ; they will come easier and much cheaper that way than up the Mohawk. It is astonishing what a mill may do here. I have not yet been able to get information relative to iron ore. If we get the saw-mill under way this fall, which I hope will be the case, it will be absolutely necessary to have a bill of such timber as will be wanted for the grist-mill, so that every preparation for that may be going on this winter.
While the repairs on the dam and saw-mill were in process, the sur- veyor, Mr. Edsall, and a gang of men were engaged in laying out and making roads, as nothing but Indian trails or lumbermen's paths then existed. In this work the first essential was to locate a favorable starting point, and at a suitable place for the erection of a bridge across the Oswegatchie River. The present site was found to be the most feasible, as the river at that point is narrower than above or below, and the water is about ten feet deep, with a smooth rock bed. The north bank is bold and about twelve feet high, and the rock rises abruptly to the surface of the water. A strip about ten rods wide on the south
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
shore at this point was marshy and it gradually widened towards the mouth of the river. The land on the south shore is underlaid with gray limestone, and gradually descends into the marsh. The rock in the bed of the river begins just below the north end of the bridge site and run- ning in a westerly direction, suddenly drops off to the north. The bed of the river below this rock is composed of hard-pan covered with bowlders that greatly obstructed laden vessels coming into the harbor in time of low water.1
The first road laid out, called " Black Lake Road," was started at a point in an Indian path on the north shore of the Oswegatchie (now Water street), crossing the river at the bridge site, and passed along by the mill yard, following an Indian trail up by the "Cold Spring; " thence along the westerly shore of Black Lake to the site of an Indian village at the Narrows. The second road lid out was called the Morris- town Road, and began in the Black Lake Road about ten rods south from the bridge site, ran westerly, passing just back of the barracks, running nearly to the St. Lawrence ; thence up along its shore to Morris- town, where David Ford, brother of Nathan, located in the summer of 1804. On the east side of the Oswegatchie, the third, called the River Road, was started near the bridge site and ran nearly parallel with the St. Lawrence down to Indian Point, and thence to Waddington. The fourth began at the shore of the St. Lawrence and ran in a southwest- erly direction, crossing the River Road at right angles on the height of land about thirty rods north of the bridge site, and continued through to the site of Fordville (now Heuvelton).
Mr. Edsall, with a small party, began the survey of the town into farm lots, and continued it the remainder of that season ; the carpenters continued work through the fall and winter. The repairs on the dam and saw mill being finished, it was started and continued cutting lumber for the next season's building. Mr. Ford being in feeble health and fearing the northern climate, returned and wintered in New Jersey.
On his return to Oswegatchie, August 8, 1797, he found that the Canadian claimants had been over in the preceding spring, held a town meeting, elected civil officers and sent on Ensly, their moderator, to get
I The government has of late spent considerable money from time to time in dredging the har- bor and removing the bowlders.
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SETTLEMENT COMMENCED.
their proceedings confirmed by the governor, and that they had opened a land office for selling and settling his tract. He also found that some of those jockeys had come over and stripped a quantity of hemlock bark, which Mr. Ford confiscated and threatened the trespassers with prosecution if they came within the jurisdiction of the State. These men had carried on with a high hand during his absence, insulting the settlers, which caused him some anxiety concerning their claims. Mr. Ford wrote Mr. Ogden that influence should be used with the governor and the Legislature to prevent mischief that might arise from the ex parte representations which he understood were being made, and added that it would make " a fatal hole in Oswegatchie township," should the claims happen to be confirmed. The trouble about the Lorimier lease was set- tled September 26, 1798, by paying her $250 for a quit claim deed.
Mr. Watson was arrested on a charge of having violated the statute by dealing with the Indians for their lands, was taken to Rome and con- victed, and after lying in jail a year, was released by signing a quit claim and surrendering his papers. This course taken with Watson settled all claims made by others to lands through Indian titles.
A provision of the constitution of the State adopted April 20, 1777, reserved to the Legislature, as before alluded to, as follows :
That no purchases or contracts for the sale of lands, made since the 14th day of October, 1777, or which may hereafter be made, with the said Indians, within the limits of this State, shall be binding on the said Indians, or deemed valid, unless made under the authority and with the consent of the Legislature of this State.
By an act passed April 4, 1801, it was made an offence subject to fine and imprisonment, to violate the above act of 1777.
The disputed claims of land titles having been disposed of, Mr. Ford now turned his attention to improvements. The saw mill had been kept running, a quantity of lumber was prepared for building and large lots were rafted occasionally to Montreal. The first building of note erected was a hotel. Mr. Ford saw the necessity of a house of sufficient capacity to accommodate the traveling public, as the new settlement began to attract strangers from abroad, as well as to lodge and board the workmen who would be employed on the various improvements soon to be commenced. The site selected was on the east shore of the Oswegatchie, by an Indian path near the St. Lawrence and directly facing or opposite the old barracks, where the low and sloping banks
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
afforded a good landing place for small boats, as ferrying for several years at first was the only means of communication between the east and west sides of the river. The hotel was finished in the fall of 1797, and Mr. Ford, averse to anything English, named it " The American." This same building, so far as we have been able to ascertain by the oldest
STERLING HOUSE.
AMERICAN HOTEL.
inhabitants, has been used for a hotel only, and is now in good repair. It is situated on water street in front of the Averills' office. The large hewn timbers, framed in " bents, " clearly show the style of the framed buildings of that day. The name of the house has since been changed to " Lusher," then to " American," then "The Baldwin," and it is now called the " Sterling House."
The grist mill was begun in the summer of 1797, and raised in October of that year. It was placed a considerable distance below the dam, in order to get a greater depth of water for vessels to load and unload at the wharf near by. The water was conducted to the wheel in a flume from the pond. The first story of the mill was of stone, and three stories above of wood. A large number of men were employed on the mill at high prices, to be paid in silver. Most of the masons and ten-
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SETTLEMENT COMMENCED.
ders were from Montreal, and therefore would not take pay in trade, as was the general custom.
The internal arrangements of the mill were after the improved plans of that practical mechanic, Oliver Evans, who published a work enti- tled " Millwright and Miller's Guide," at Philadelphia in 1795, which contained specifications, cuts of plans of gearing and the various styles of water wheels, such as the overshot, breast, flutter and central dis- charge wheels. This work contained in its recommendations those of President George Washington, Secretaries of State Thomas Jefferson and Edmond Randolph, with others of senators and noted men. For his own guidance in the construction of this mill, Mr. Ford's millwright brought a copy of this book with him, which was reported to have been left with one of the millers. The book has since passed from one per- son to another, and finally came into possession of the writer, who hav- ing seen a portion of the works in this mill fifty years ago, found it to correspond with the engravings in the book. The shafts of the water wheels and machinery were of wood ; the gear wheels were also wood, doweled together. The large spur or crown gear had coarse, oval- shaped wooden pins, and was called the " wallower." The pinions had round wooden pins, and were known as "trundles." There was no cast gearing made at that date. The burr stone, spindle points and gud- geons were brought up from Montreal; also the bolting cloth, screens, etc.
Getting men and supplies from so far away was very expensive. There was no lack of ability or inclination on the part of Samuel Ogden to sustain these expenses ; but the means of communication by letter, and especially the remittance of money, were very precarious and un- certain. This caused the greatest inconvenience and difficulty, and in this and the following years almost rendered the firm insolvent. It was in this extremity that the energy and perseverance of Mr. Ford were displayed in the most striking manner, and in such a way as to in- dicate his qualifications for founding a colony beyond the protection of law, and among those whose interests would have been promoted by his misfortune. He writes under date of September, 1797, that he took out his commission as a magistrate, but could not be sworn in except by a judge or a clerk of the County Court, which officers were not at hand, and he could not spare time to hunt them up.
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HISTORY OF ST. LAWRENCE COUNTY.
As the business of the season was about to close Mr. Ford's embar- rassment became extreme. He said :
The $500 which I am authorized to draw on Mr. Ogden's brother was so trifling a sum, compared with my disbursements, that I was almost discouraged. I had but five dollars of this sum left after paying the four French masons and the six laborers from Montreal. Now, what was I to do with the rest ? The wages due Edsel's thirteen surveyors, five carpenters and thirteen laborers, with the amount due for supplies, had all to be paid very soon, so that the men could go to their homes. I wrote R. Ogden that I had sent a raft of 2,800 boards to Montreal, but that Mr. Richards, the foreman of the raft, had not yet returned, but had written to me that he feared the raft would not sell for enough to pay for the articles that he had been under the necessity of pur- chasing, so that when he had to pay $40 advanced for the Frenchmen's outfit, the $40 owing to R. F. & Co. for three barrels of rum [the staff of life in those days], or the fifteen bushels of salt, two casks of nails, window glass and tin, and added to this the cash that he owed the hands at Montreal, he was sure that he would have but little if any of the raft money left. The raft would not bring more than $380, if Richards was able to get $12.50 per 100 boards, which was very improbable. The door of my room was besieged by men who wanted their pay. What was I to do ? I wrote Mr. Ogden that if he would for a moment imagine himself in my very unpleasant position, I was confident his humanity would become excited to that degree that he would lose no time in giving relief. But he was too far from the scene of my trouble, and my pen was too weak to portray the emergencies of the situation. I stated to Mr. Ogden that perhaps he might ask why I did not draw a bill and send it to his brother at Montreal to negotiate and pay the Frenchmen there. This I had tried to do, but from their jeal- ousy or ignorance, or by the orders of their priests to bring the money with them (so they, the priests, could get their share), or for other reasons of which I was ignorant, they would accept of nothing but the money.
Mr. Ford stated that those people upon the other side of the St. Lawrence who at first talked so much about purchasing and settling at Ogdensburg, said little about the matter when the terms for actual set- tlers were made clear to them. Their object seemed to have been to get a chance to cull out the timber and leave. Another class, who would have come over but were too poor to pay in the limited time al- lowed, were fearful that the land would be taken from them and they would lose their improvements. He said the more he became ac- quainted with this class, the less he valued them as settlers. They were a strange medley, and he believed that it was well that there was an intervening river. He was well convinced in his own mind that the country would be settled, and by our countrymen, one of whom was worth six of his majesty's beef-eaters.
.
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THE PIONEER'S EXPERIENCE.
When they at Oswegatchie shall get their building and business well under way, and if possible get the Legislature to assist in cutting a road through to the Mohawk, the country will soon be settled.
The great object of solicitude, the grist mill, was at length com . pleted, so that grinding was done on the first day of December, 1798, and up to the 22d they had ground 1,500 bushels of wheat.
During the summer of 1799, while the surveying of the towns was in progress, vague reports of the discovery of iron mines, salt springs, etc., were circulated and high expectations formed, especially from the lat- ter. During the season of 1799 a second saw mill was erected. Both the grist mill and the saw mills were kept busily at work. In almost every letter that Mr. Ford wrote to Mr. Ogden he brought in the sub- ject of a road to the Mohawk as an object of vast importance to the prosperity of the new settlement. The agitation led to a State road being built a few years later.
CHAPTER IX.
THE PIONEER'S EXPERIENCE.
Pioneer Methods -- Equipment for Pioneer Life --- The Shanty -- Clearing of Land -- Construction of Log Houses -- Food of Pioneers-Wild Animals -- Description of Pioneer Houses -- The Dutch Chimney-Lumber and Black Salts -- Pioneer Social Life.
T HE following narrative is no fancy sketch, but simply relates what the pioneer settlers were obliged to pass through in order to effect a lodgment in a wilderness so remote from civilization. Being constantly exposed to savage ferocity, wild beasts, to famine and sickness, to- gether with the hardships which such PIONEER'S SHANTY. a situation imposes, has in it a species of merit which deserves to be commended ; especially by those who 13
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