USA > New York > Tioga County > Owego > Owego. Some account of the early settlement of the village in Tioga County, N.Y., called Ah-wa-ga by the Indians, which name was corrupted by gradual evolution into Owago, Owego, Owegy and finally Owego > Part 35
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Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40
1. Rev. Edward Fairchild, 1828-1830.
2. Joseph M. Ely, 1830-1835.
3. A. Clarke, 1835-1837.
4. R. M. Stansbury, 1836-1837.
5. Isaac B. Headley, 1837-1844.
6. Joseph M. Ely, 1844.
.I. N. Jerome, 1844-1847.
8. Theo. F. Hay, 1847-1849.
9. Wm. Smyth, 1849-1854.
10. James M. Burt, 1854-1856.
11. A. B. Wiggins, 1856-1860.
12. Leopold J. Boeck, 1860-1863.
13. Joseph A. Prindle, 1863-1869.
14. Jonathan Tenney, 1869-1871.
15. T. L. Griswold, 1871-1873.
16. A. J. Robb, 1873-1879.
17. A. M. Drummond, 1879-1881.
18. flenry A. Baleam, 1881-1884.
19. Philo P. Edick, 1884-1886.
20. ' Ezra .I. Peek, 1886-1900.
21. Herbert L. Russell, 1900 -.
Mr. Fairchild, the first principal was advanced in years, and, as de-
*Charles R. Coburn was illiterate and could not spell many of the commonest words correctly, but he was a thorough mathematician. He was very round shouldered, with stern features, and usually had his hair so closely eropped that it stood erect all over his head, giving him such a forbidding appearance that he held his younger pupils in awe. He had been raised on a farm, and became so hump-backed that he could not hold his head ereet, eaused by carrying heavy pails of water with a neckyoke when young. He left Owego in 1853 and was professor of mathematies in the Collegiate institute at Towanda, Pa., and afterward superintendent of schools of Bradford county until the spring of 1863, when Gov. ('urtin appointed him superintendent of the com- mon schools of the state of Pennsylvania for three years. He died March 6, 1868, in Nichols. where, owing to failing health he had purchased a homestead, within a few miles of his birth- place, and settled there to spend the rest of his days.
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scribed by one of his pupils, was a "blue Presbyterian."
Joseph M. Ely, the second princi- pal, went from Owego to New York city, where he was for several years engaged in the wholesale grocery business. About the year 1857 he came to Waverly, where he was sta- tion agent of the New York and Erie railroad. Thence he went to Athens, Pa., where he was principal of the academy and where he died Jan. 1, 1872. He married Miss Juliette M. Camp, daughter of William Camp, of Owego, while living in this village.
Isaac B. Headley, the fifth principal, married Miss Susan C. Platt, daugh- ter of William Platt, of Owego. He died Jan. 20, 1854, in the Island of St. Thomas, where he was living for the benefit of his health, aged 44 years, and his body lies in Evergreen ceme- tery. His brother, Rev. Joel T. Head- ley, became famous as a historian. He was born at Walton, N. Y., and was 24 years old when he came to Owego. After leaving this village he entered Union college, from which he was graduated in 1839. He studied theology in Auburn theological semi- nary, and afterward was pastor of the Presbyterian church at Stockbridge, Mass. He was elected secretary of state on the "Know-Nothing" state ticket in 1855. He wrote "Napoleon and His Marshals," "Washington and His Generals," "History of the War of 1812," and many other works. He died at Newburgh, N. Y., Jan. 16, 1897.
J. Newton Jerome came from Pom- pey Hill, Onondaga county. His wife was Miss Lesbia Platt Avery, a daugh- ter of John H. Avery, of Owego.
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Theodore F. Hay was a son of Rev. Philip C. Hay, who was pastor of the Presbyterian church of Owego. After his graduation from Hobart college he became principal of the academy in the spring of 1847.
William Smyth resigned as princi- pal in 1554 and became editor of the Owego Times, of which he was editor until nís death. He was a graduate of the Royal academic institute of Bel- fast, Ireland, and for many years one of the prominent citizens of Owego. He died Sept. 27, 1898.
James M. Burt came from Cortland in the fall of 1854 and was principal two years. He died in Owego in 1870.
Before coming to Owego A. B. Wig- gin had been a teacher in New Eng- land schools.
Leopold J. Boeck was a Russian Pole, educated in the universities of Breslau and Berlin, in Prussia. His sympathies were early enlisted in the Hungarian cause and he became Louis Kossuth's confidential secre- tary. While a member of Gen. Bemm's staff he was sent by Kossuth as diplomatic agent of Hungry to ask the intervention of Turkey. The Hun- garians were forced to surrender to Roumania, and Boeck and the other leaders were made prisoners of war. After his discharge from prison he came to America. He came to Owego in the fall of 1860 and became prin- cipal of the academy. He left Owego in the summer of 1863. Afterward he was professor of applied mathematics and civil engineering in the Univer- sity of Virginia at Charlottesville. He is said to have been able to write and speak twenty-five different languages.
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He died in Philadelphia, Pa., May 18, 1896, aged 77 years.
Joseph Addison Prindle was a grad- uate of Union college. From the spring of 1854 until the fall of 1863 he was principal of the "Owego Home School," a boarding school for boys, established by Revs. Corbin Kidder and S. C. Wilcox, two miles east of Owego. He went from Owego in Sep- tember, 1869, to Oswego, where he was for two years principal of the state normal school. He died at Apa- lachin Feb. 24, 1905, aged 76 years.
Jonathan Tenney was a native of Vermont, and a graduate of Dart- mouth college in 1843. He came to Owego in October, 1869. He resigned in July, 1871. He removed in August, 1874, to Albany, having been ap- pointed deputy state superintendent of public instruction. He died in that city Feb. 24, 1888, aged 70 years.
Theophilus L. Griswold was a grad- uate of Amherst college. He resigned his position of principal in July, 1873, to become the head of the state nor- mal school at Bloomsburg, Pa. In 1877, owing to nervous prostration, he resigned and went to Sherburne Falls, Mass., where he committed suicide March 5, 1884. He was 54 years of age.
Prof. A. J. Robb came to Owego in the fall of 1873 from Waterford, Sara- toga county, where he had been prin- cipal of the academy. He was prin- cipal of the union school at Spencer, after leaving Owego, and in 1879 was appointed superintendent and princi- pal of the city schools at Cohoes, N. Y.
A. M. Drummond left Owego in the summer of 1881, having been ap-
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pointed superintendent of the public schools of Port Chester, N. Y.
Henry A. Balcam, who had been for eight years superintendent of the schools at Corning, came to Owego in August, 1881. It was owing chiefly to his energy that the project of building the new academy was pushed to com- pletion in 1883. In Sept., 1884, he be- came principal of the academy at New Paltz, N. Y. He died at Salamanca, N. Y., Oct. 11, 1891, aged 55 years.
Philo P. Edick was born at Os- wegatchie, N. Y., and graduated from Rochester university in 1873. He came to Owego in July, 18S4, from Chittenango, N. Y., where he had been principal of the Yates school. He went from Owego to Rochester, N. Y., where he was principal of ward school No. 5 until March, 1900. He died Sept. 5, 1907, at Mystic, Conn., where he was principal of the Mystic academy. He was 56 years of age.
Dr. Ezra J. Peck was a graduate of Williams college. Previous to com- ing to Owego he was for five years principal of the academy at Phelps, N. Y., and subsequently for 11 years prin- cipal of Homer academy. He re- signed his position as principal of the Owego academy in December, 1900, having been appointed by the state board of regents as an inspector of high schools and academies, and Her- bert L. Russell, who had been assist- ant principal, was appointed principal in his place.
In 1864 the Owego academy was merged into the union free schools of Owego by an act of the legislature, passed April 23, 1864.
In 1883 the new academy building was built at the corner of Main and
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Academy streets at a cost of $25,000. The old academy building, which is still standing, and the lot on which it stands were sold to judge Chas. A. Clark for $2,600.
A History of the Presbyterian Church, the First Church Organized at Owe- go, with Some Account of the Early Preachers and Places of Worship from the Year 1798 to the Present Day.
The early history of the First Pres- byterian church of Owego is somewhat obscure. It is known that the general assembly of the Presbyterian church at its annual meeting in 1790 devoted much of its attention to the subject of church extension, with the result that Revs. Nathan Kerr and Joshua Hart were sent as missionaries into southwestern New York, and Mr. Kerr came to Owego that year.
The country here at that time was a dense wilderness, the first white set- tler having settled here only six years previous. The early missionaries rode from place to place on horseback over the Indian trails and through the woods. They were the subjects of the hospitality of the church people as they went from place to place.
Rev. Seth Williston was the first minister who came to these wilds. He came as early as 1798, preaching and organizing churches. Once a year he held service in a barn built by Col. David Pixley, which stood on the north side of Main street, a little west of McMaster street. The floor of this
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barn was made clean and a table and chair were provided for the preacher, while the congregation found seats as they could. The boys climbed upon the hay loft and sat upon the great beam which was around the barn, and they made an ornamental fringe with their bare legs, which swung and dangled overhead through the time of the service.
Mr. Williston was born at Suffield, Conn., in 1770. He was graduated irom Dartmouth college in 1791, was licensed to preach Oct. 7, 1794, and was sent out as a missionary by the missionary society of the state of Connecticut in 1798. Several books containing his sermons were published at various times from 1799 to 184%. He died in 1851.
It is probable that meetings were held at the houses of the early settlers at first and until a log school house was built about the year 1792 on the east side of Court street, opposite where the court house now stands Religious meetings were held at this school house several years and until a two-story frame building was erected about the year 1500 on the south side of Main street, a little west of White's blacksmith shop, which stood where the rectory of St. Paul's church now stands. This building was about thirty by twenty feet in size. The second story was used by the ma- sonic fraternity as a lodge room and the first floor as a school room. The lower floor was divided into two parts by a partition. This partition was so arranged that it could be drawn up by a rope to the ceiling, thus making one large gathering place for Sunday
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meetings. Here church services were held until the first session house was built several years later in Court street, near where the log school house stood. It stood on the north end of the Laning lot and south of and adjoining the lot on which the Tioga county clerk's office now stands.
This session house was built by Richard E. Cushman, and it was used for prayer meetings even after the Presbyterian church was built in 1819 at the corner of North avenue and Temple street, because the church was at that time considered to be "too far out of town' and people did not care to walk that distance.
There were three different session houses. The first one in Court street was on ground given for that purpose by Mrs. John Laning. This building was about 20 by 30 feet in size. It was removed to near where the Erie railway freight house now stands and was occupied as a church by the Bethel African M. E. society, for sev- eral years and until it was moved to the north side of Fox street opposite the present A. M. E. church, where it was converted into a dwelling house and where it still stands.
The second session house was built by Capt. Sylvanus Fox where the present session house now stands be- tween the Presbyterian church and Temple street. This was also given to the A. M. E. society when the pres- ent session house was built. It was removed to the south side of Fox street, where it is still occupied by the colored people as their church.
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The present session house was built in 1857. It was enlarged in August, 1878, by the addition of a wing to the south side, near the rear of the build- ing, to be used as a parlor. The main building was also extended back sev- eral feet, to enlarge the library and class rooms. In the summer of 1901 the building was again enlarged by building a wing on the north side 30 by 14 feet for a kitchen. At the same time a new roof was placed on the church and a new steel ceiling inside. A cellar was also excavated under the entire church. There had previously been two small cellars, in which were the furnaces. The improvements to the church and the session house cost about $3,000.
Rev. William Clark, of whom little Is known, came here in 1803 and preached to the people. It is not known how long he remained here, but it is known that after his de- parture Mr. Williston remained here as the settled pastor of the church.
In the year [803, according to a writer in the Gazette forty years ago, there were but few frame houses In town. One of these was the James McMaster house on the south side of Front street, east of and near Acad- emy street. Another was a large building which was intended for a jail and stood near the northeast corner of Front and Court streets, and which was later converted into a tavern. A third was the Bates tavern at the northwest corner of Front and Church streets, and far and far up the river. as it seemed, for the thick woods that darkened the way, was the dwelling house of John Hollenback. There
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were several log cabins in different directions. One of the better class of these stood where the drug store of Otis S. Beach now stands at the north- east corner of Main street and North avenue. Between that point and the Huntington creek there was a dense wilderness, with the tall pines scarcely a yard apart. There were no Indians here then, but the wolves, their com- panions, barked and howled on the hills at night and the deer, when pur- sued by huntsmen, came bounding through the valley to the river, across which they would often swim. One deer with tall, branching horns, which was closely pursued, ran through Mrs. Collier's school room, taking with it the window (sash, glass and all), much to the terror and astonishment of the children.
At a meeting of the Presbytery of New Jersey, held in April, 1810, at Trenton, a letter was received from some residents of Owego, requesting the Presbytery to send a missionary to this village to labor among them a part of the coming summer. The com- mittee to whom the application was referred reported that Owego "is a growing village, containing about 200 houses. The neighboring country on the banks of the river is well settled and contains many respectable inhabi- tants, emigrants from different parts of the union." The committee for- warded to the general assembly's committee on missions the opinion that the Presbytery ought to comply with the wishes of the people of Owe- go. Rev. Daniel Loring was sent here accordingly.
As Mr. Loring had never been or- dained it was decided to make his or- dination an important public event.
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The services were to have taken place August 7, 1$10, on a large platform which had been erected for the pur- pose at the south end of the village park, surrounded by temporary benches made of rough boards, with capacity to seat two hundred people. The members of the choir of singers were dressed in uniform, the ladies in white, with wreaths of green. Invita- tions had been sent to the towns in the vicinity, and a large crowd had gathered. As the services were about to begin a terrific thunder shower swept over the village, driving every- body from the park to places of shel- ter. The church people went to the Main street school house.
The storm was regarded as an omen by the superstitious. The pas- tor and people would not be happy in each other, they said, and this singu- larly proved true. Mr. Loring preached here five years and was then silenced from preaching and, as a local writer said, "became a wicked man." Sev- eral clergymen succeeded him, among them an Episcopalian, who was will- ing to preach for Presbyterians, but he, too, proved unworthy of his charge.
The ordination of Mr. Loring took place at the school house directly after the storm. At the same time the "Owego Congregational Society" was organized and trustees were elected as follows: Solomon Jones, Caleb Leach, Abraham Hoagland, William Camp, James Pumpelly, and Eleazer Dana. Three days afterward the trus- tees made a written contract with Mr. Loring "to preach for themselves and their successors in office for one-half the time for the term of one year."
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In 1817 Rev. Hezekiah May became pastor of the church. July 24 of that year the church was regularly or- ganized as the "Owego Congregational Church" with eleven members, as fol- lows: Solomon Jones, Nathan Camp, William Jones, Lorenzo Reeves, Dolly Talcott, Marjery Jones, Ruth Good- rich, Sarah Goodrich, Clarissa Jones, Sally Penfield, and Mary Perry. The organization was effected by Mr. May, assisted by Revs. William Wisner, of Ithaca, and Jeremiah Osborn, of Berk- shire. Two years after this the first church at the North avenue and Tem- ple street corner was built. Mr. May was pastor of the church less than a year. He was succeeded in the spring of 1818 by Rev. Horatio Lombard. Mr. May died in 1843, aged 69 years.
Although Mr. Lombard came here in the spring of 1818, he was not regu- larly ordained and installed as pastor of the church until Oct. 28. He preached here nine years. Mr. Lom- bard was a nephew of deacon Solomon Jones and came here from one of the eastern states. Mr. Jones was a far- mer and lived near the old Tinkham plaster mill in the town of Tioga. He was looked upon as the congregational leader and in the absence of the pas- tor he was accustomed to read two sermons on Sunday. Mr. Lombard lived near the Tinkham mill at the time of his death, when he was nearly eighty years old.
The movement to build a church be- gan during Mr. May's ministry. Oct. 10, 1817, the society purchased of Charles Pumpelly for $100 an acre and twelve perches of land at the north- east corner of Temple street and
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North avenue, on which the first
church was built in 1819. The builder's name was McGeorge. It was 44 feet wide and 53 feet deep with large pillars in front. The building was painted white. The pulpit was a lofty one, between the entrance doors at the west end.
In 1831 the church was enlarged by building an addition of twenty feet in length at the east end. Mr. Lombard organized the first Sunday school in 1819. The teachers were Mrs. Jared Huntington, Jacob Miller McCormick, and Chas. B. Pixley. The first bell in Owego was placed in the steeple of this church in 1826.
The Presbyterian church came near being burned in February, 1842, while it was being cleaned. John Freeman, the sexton, went to Ebenezer Allen's house, which adjoined the church property on the north, to obtain a shovel full of live coals, with which to build a fire in the church. There was a high wind blowing at the time, and as he came upon the steps some coals were blown from the shovel and fell on the stoop setting it on fire. The flames had extended up into the steeple when the firemen came with their hand engine. H. W. Williams, who for many years lived as bridge tender at the south end of the old toll bridge across the river, climbed on the church with ladders lashed together and cut a hole through the roof into the steeple. A stream of water was thrown through the hole and the flames were finally extinguished, after a considerable portion of the roof had been burned. The steeple was so badly burned that it had to be rebuilt.
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In 1850, during the pastorate of Rev. Philip C. Hay, the long talked of division of the Presbyterian society was consummated, the Congregational portion of the membership having taken letters preparatory to organiz- ing a new society, with Rev. Samuel C. Wilcox, who had been pastor of the Presbyterian church from 1842 to 1846, as their pastor. The seceders organized the "Independent Congrega- tional Society" at the Presbyterian session house Jan. 2, 1851, and built . their first church in Park street in the same year. In October, 1852, the trus- tees of the Presbyterian society were directed to procure the passage of an act of the legislature changing the name of the "Owego Congregational Society" to the "First Presbyterian Society of the Village of Owego," and the change was so made by legislative enactment in June of the following year.
The growth of the First Presby- terian church was so rapid that in 1852 the question of building a new church edifice was agitated. The so- ciety had voted that year to expend $2,000 in improving the church, but it was afterward decided to build an en- tirely new building of brick. No fur- ther action was taken until May, 1854, when a building committee composed of William F. Warner, Frederick E. Platt, and Thomas I. Chatfield was ap- pointed to superintend its construc- tion. The organ was removed from the church to the village hall, which hall was then above the four fire com- panies' room in Main street and occu- pied all of what is now the second and third floors of the fire deparment building. The entrance to this hall
The First Presbyterian Church, Built in 1854, and Chapel, Built in 1857.
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was through double doors at the top of the first flight of stairs between that building and the store at the northwest corner of Main street and North avenue. In the village hall ser- vices were held until the old church was torn down and the new one erected in its place. The congregation worshipped in the old church May 7, 1854, for the last time and the next day the work of demolition was be- gun.
The architect of the new church was Gervase Wheeler, of New York city, and the builder' was Chauncey Hungerford, a member of the congre- gation. The church was built on a contract, and as the cost of construc- tion was greater than had been ex- pected, Mr. Hungerford was a loser.
The corner stone of the new church was laid June 20, 1854, by Rev. Samuel H. Cox, of New York city, who the next year became pastor of the church. The building was duly completed and was dedicated May 2, 1855, Mr. Cox preaching the dedication sermon. The new church was built under the super- intendence of William F. Warner and the grounds and terrace as they at present appear were planned and laid out by him. In February, 1857, a new bell was purchased and placed in the church tower. It weighed 2,098 pounds and was the largest bell in Owego.
The pastors of the Presbyterian church from its organization, in 1817, to the present time have been as fol- lows:
Rev. Hezekiah May, July, 1817- spring of 1818.
Rev. Horatio Lombard, Oct. 28, 1818 -Aug. 2, 1827.
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Rev. Aaron Putnam, Dec. 6, 1×27- Dec. 25, 1531.
Rev. Charles White, April 19, 1832- May 25, 1841.
Rev. Samuel C. Wilcox, May 24. 1842-April 30, 1×46.
Rev. Seth Williston, July, 1946-
April 4, 1847.
Rev. Philip C. Hay, April 15, 1847- Oct. 7, 1\55.
Rev. Samuel H. Cox, Oct. 10, 1855- Sept. 6, 1556.
Rev. Samuel H. Hall, Jan. 27. 1×57
-May 3. 1864.
Rev. Solon Cobb, Aug. 29, 1864- Sept. 7, 1869.
Rev. Samuel T. Clark, July 1, 1570- June 27. 1575.
Rev. L. A Ostrander, Sept. 28, 1876 -Nov., 1\\2.
Rev. William it Gill, June 7, 1883- July 30, 1885.
Rev. Alexander Cameron Macken- zie, January 30, 1596-April 20, 1997
Rev. Geo. D. Young, Oct. 5. 1597-
Rev. Daniel Loring Hved in a house on the north side of Main street where the Park hotel stands This house was a part of the estate of Dr. Samuel Tinkham and was later occupied by his son, David P Tinkham
Rev. Hezekiah May during his brief pastorate lived at the Deforest tavern in east Front street, east of Paige street Mr. Lon bard lived in west Front street, west of Academy street, in the house which was afterward for many years owned and occupied by Thomas M Nichols. Mr Putnam lived and died in the same house Mr White also lived there
The first manse was the house now owned and occupied by D. H. Blood- good on the west side of Park street- This property was a part of the os- tate of Dr Tinkham, and after his death James Pumpelly built the house there. It was occupied by Dr William Jones until the Presbyterian society
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purchased it for $2,500 on a contract. Rev. Philip C. Hay lived there all through his pastorate. It was sold Nov. 25, 1856, by Mr. Pumpelly's exe- cutors to Dr. L. H. Allen for $1,850.
The society owned no manse after this sale until 1888, when the present one was built in Temple street.
During the pastorate of Dr. Hay, Rev. Samuel Hanson Cox came to Owego and in November, 1853, pur- chased the property in the town of Tioga which he named "Vesper Cliff," and lived there during his sojourn of three years here. The pastors who succeeded him lived in rented houses in various parts of the village.
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