USA > New York > Pioneer history of the Holland Purchase of western New York : embracing some account of the ancient remains > Part 49
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Wm. H. Bush, Esq. came from Bloomfield, Ontario county, and settled upon the 'Tonawanda three miles and a half below Batavia, at the place now called Bushville. His brief narrative well illus- trates pioneer settlement and progress:
I moved my family from Bloomfield, in May, 1806. The settlers on Buffalo road, between my location and Batavia village, were Isaac Sutherland, Levi Davis and Timothy Washburn. Rufus M'Cracken, Daniel M'Cracken, Thomas Godfrey, Linus Gunn, Henry Starks, Alanson Gunn, David Bowen, John Lamber- ton, lived on the road west. There was then less than one hundred acres of land cleared on the Buffalo road in the distance of six miles west of Batavia.
I built a log house, covered it with elm bark-could not spare time to build a chimney; the floor was of slabs and hemlock boards. I immediately commenced building a saw mill and had it completed before the middle of October. That summer my wife did the cooking for family and hired men by an out of door fire, built up against stumps. The first winter, I attended my own saw mill, working in it from day light to dark, cutting my fire wood and foddering my stock by the light of a lantern. Before winter set in, I had built a stick chimney, laid a better floor in my house, plastered the cracks, and hired an acre of land cleared-just
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enough to prevent the trees falling upon my house. When the mill was built I had it paid for, but to accomplish it, I had sold some pork and grain I had produced by working land upon shares in Bloomfield-in fact, every thing but my scanty household furniture. My saw mill proved a good investment, boards were much in demand at seven dollars and fifty cents per thousand; the new settlers stocked the mill with logs to be sawed on shares.
In 1808 I built a machine shop, a carding and cloth dressing establishment. These were the first upon the Holland Purchase. On the 10th of June of that year, I carded a sack of wool, the first ever carded by a machine on the Holland Purchase. It belonged to George Lathrop of Bethany. In February, 1.809, I dressed a piece of full cloth for Theophilus Crocker, the first ever dressed upon the Holland Purchase. There are on my books, the names of customers, from as far south as Warsaw and Sheldon; from the east, as far as Stafford; from the west, to the Niagara river and lake Erie, including Chautauque county; from pretty much all of the settled portion of the Holland Purchase. I carded in the season of 1808, 3,029 lbs. of wool; the largest quantity for any one man, was 70 lbs. the smallest, 4 lbs. The lots averaged 18 lbs. Allowing 3 lbs. to a sheep, the average number of sheep then kept by the new settlers, would be six; though it is presumed that the number was larger, as in those days, much of the wool was carded by hand.
The machinists of the present day, may be glad to learn how I procured my machinery. I bought my hand shears of the Shakers at New Lebanon; my press plate at a furnace in Onon- daga; my screw and box at Canaan, Conn .; my dye kettle, press papers, &c. at Albany. My transportation bill, for these things, was over two hundred dollars.
I built a grist mill in 1809; in 1817, a paper mill and distillery. I manufactured the first ream of paper west of the Genesee river.
During all the period of my milling operations, I was clearing up the farm where I now reside. Coming into the woods as I have related, dependent almost wholly upon the labor of my hands, in the first twenty years, success had so far attended my efforts, that I had accumulated some fifteen or sixteen thousand dollars.
The early pioneer miller, carder, cloth dresser, distiller, paper maker and farmer, is now in his 77th year, but little broken with age-his frame erect, his step firm-his whole appearance hardly indicating a life of early toil and hardships, such as is to be inferred from his history. The pioneer wife and mother, who was his helper in early years-she who patiently and courageously teok up her abode in the rude cabin in the dense forest-who well ful- filled all the duties of life-died in 1842.
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The first settler in all the southern portion of Erie county, was Joel Adams. He, in company with others, whose names will be found under the year 1804, T. 9, R. 6, took up land in what is now Aurora, in April of that year. None of them remained but Adams; he put up a shanty, and lived alone the first summer; his only neighbors, Joseph Sears and Roswell Turner, in Sheldon. In the fall his family joined him. His sons were Enos, Ezekiel, Luther and Erasmus. In the winter of 1805, the two oldest boys brought a barrel of flour from Selleck's mill, at Attica, on a hand sled. Their provisions, the first year, were mostly brought from Genesee river, on their backs. The family raised a few erops in 1805, the first in that region.
The prominent pioneer settler in Aurora, was Jabez Warren. He was, as will have been seen, a settler in Middlebury, in 1802; the first settler there. He built a log house and made a small improvement at what is now called Wright's Corners; raised crops there in 1803, the first in that region. In moving in, he cut his own road from Le Roy to Middlebury. Sterling Stearns and his family came in with him. Stearns was a revolutionary soldier-volunteered in the war of 1812, and was killed at the battle of Queenston. Joseph Selleck, Frederick Gilbert, Israel M. Dewey, and Reuben Chamberlin, settled in Middlebury within the same year.
Gen. William Warren, the son of the early pioneer, gives the author the following reminiscences :-
My father's family, and those who came with them, camped out, while making their own road from Le Roy to Middlebury.
In 1803, I took up land and commenced an improvement, on the little Tonawanda, where the Wilson's afterwards settled. Judge Webster went to Warsaw, in 1803, and built a log house.
In 1804, my father sold out in Middlebury, came to the site of the present village of Aurora, built a log house, and made a small opening in the forest. His hired men got their bread baked at Roswell Turner's in Sheldon. In March 1805, moved family in from Middlebury, on ox sled. There came in with him, Henry Godfrey, and Nathaniel Emerson. My father had cut the road from Transit line to lake Erie, for Holland Company, in 1804. He had also opened a road from Attica, three miles west, and then south, to Godfrey's hill.
NOTE .- Tabor Earl brought his wife in 1804, and, it may be claimed, was a settler cotemporary with old Mr. Adams. He, however, went down to Buffalo and wintered, Mr. Adams being the only one that remained over the first year. Mrs. Earl was the pioneer female of all that region.
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I sold out at Middlebury, and came here with my family, in 1805. Our first school was in 1806-kept by Mary Eddy, a sister of David Eddy. In -1808 we erected a framed school house. I opened the first tavern in Aurora, in a log house where upper village now is. The first merchants in town, were Adams and Hascall. The first birth in this region, was of a sister of mine, in 1805; first funeral, that of a daughter of Humphrey Smith. My father raised the first wheat, and built the first frame house.
In 1806, Major Phineas Stephens came in, and bought of my father the 200 acres of land, including the water power at the lower village. In that year he built a saw mill, and a grist mill in 1807; first south of Buffalo road and west of Attica. Major Stevens, in the war of 1812, organized a corps called 'Silver Greys,'-volunteered under Smyth's proclamation, and died at Buffalo of the then prevailing fever.
The author will arrest the narrative of the venerable pioneer ong enough to speak in brief terms, of a son of the early miller and enterprising and valuable settler he has introduced. Who in early days, did not know James Stevens? The wild, the eccentric, the odd, the dare devil-and yet the kind good hearted-" Jim Stevens." He was a wayward youth, and yet he was the general favorite in back woods life; ever present at rustic frolics; where there was fun, glee, hilarity, mischief, he was sure to be one of them, and a pretty prominent one too. The boys of the early pioneers generally had to work, as we all recollect-but work, and "Jim" had an early falling out and they never became reconciled. Was he set to a task in the field. he would bare headed and bare footed, wander away and find a congenial home among the Indians upon the Reservation, for weeks. There was a free and easy sort of life there that he liked; and he was a favorite with the Indians. He would be set to tend the mill, and the old gentleman's back turned, down went the gate, and the young miller would like- ly enough be found entertaining the boys who were waiting for their grists, with his fun and drollery. Approaching his majority, he submitted to the inconveniences of a hat and pair of shoes, and pushed out into the world, an adventurer. Just about the breaking out of the war of 1812, he was the teacher of a singing school on the Canada side of the Niagara river, head over heels in love with the daughter of a good loyalist. He was too much of a patriot to stay upon that side of the lines, and too good a lover to leave. without an arrangement for a Gretna Green affair. Coming upon this side, in a cold winter's night, accompanied by a friend, he crossed
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the Niagara in a canoe, and approaching the dwelling of his betrothed, managed to smuggle her aboard of his boat. Pushing out into the rapid water a little above Chippewa, in a violent snow storm, in the more than usual darkness it occasioned, the party were carried down with the strong current on the Canada side of Navy Island, and with all their exertions at the oars, were just enabled to strike the head of Porter's mill race. It was a narrow escape; marriage followed; and she, the object of his daring adven- ture, well repaid him for the risk of life. He had a military turn withal-took some little part in the war of 1812; and he may be re- membered within the last twenty five years, as the sometimes bare headed, bustling, clever and jovial Inspector of the - Brigade of N. Y. state militia.
Timothy Paine, an early settler in Aurora, was a brother of Gen. Edward Paine, the founder of Painsville, on the Reserve. Ephraim Woodruff was the early blacksmith in Aurora.
Humphrey Smith, built the mills before the war, in 1809 or '10. Settlement was rapid in this region, for a few years previous to the war; but was pretty much suspended during its continuance.
My father died in 1810, at the age of 47 years. My mother is living in Chautaque, with my brother Enos, aged 84 years.
Gen. Warren, whose age the author neglected to ascertain, is yet vigorous-was during the last summer a constant laborer upon his farm. He is the father-in-law of A. M. Clapp, Esq., editor of the Buffalo Express.
The venerable David Eddy, who yet survives-a resident at Potter's Corners, in Hamburgh-was in all that region a pioneer, second only to Didimus Kinney, who settled on the Eighteen Mile creek in the now town of Boston, a few months previous. He has obligingly given to the author his distinct recollections of early events :-
I made a beginning in the woods in 1804-came in with my brother Aaron, and brother-in-law Nathan Peters, and my sister Mary Eddy, to keep house for us, in September; built a log house. I brought along some cows, the wood's feed was abundant. The same fall, Amos Colvin and Ezekiel Smith came in with their fam- ilies. In 1805 a number of settlers came in-among them, Asa Sprague and Nathaniel Titus.
I think my old pioneer friend William Warren is mistaken as to Phineas Stevens' saw-mill being the first one. In 1805 I was employed by Erastus Granger to build a saw-mill for the Indians on the reservation, on south branch of Buffalo creek. That mill furnished the first boards in all this region; before it was built our
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log houses were built without boards. In 1807 I built a saw-mill on Smoke's creek. In building both these mills I had to send to Albany for cranks, saws, &e., the transportation costing four and five dollars per hundred. David Reese, the Indian blacksmith in Buffalo did our first work in that line. Our first resources for bread, after exhausting the little stock we brought in, was to buy strings of corn of the Indians, burn out a hollow place in a stump, suspend a pounder by a spring pole, and thus make of the corn a coarse meal. One stump, pounder and spring pole, would answer for several families.
Before Phineas Stevens got his mill going, Daniel Smith, who lived on a small stream two miles south-west of Potter's Corners, built a rude mill. He put up a log building about eighteen feet square-had an over shot wheel-wood gearing throughout-no bolt, for there was no wheat to grind. The rock stones weighed about sixty pounds each. With this rude structure, he could grind five or six bushels of corn per day. He would run the corn through once, then separate the hulls with a sieve, then grind it again, and in this way make pretty good meal.
In 1805, an old bear made her appearance in the neighborhood and made sad havoc with the pigs. We caught her by first secu- ring her cubs, and by that means enticing her into a steel trap. She was uncommonly large. We were not so much troubled here with wolves and bears, in an early day, as they were in other portions of the Purchase, on account of our proximity to the Indian hunters. Deer was very plenty, all this region was a reserve. The young Indian hunters were prohibited by an edict of a council from hunting deer within a given number of miles from their village, in order to give the old men a chance. Trout used to be abundant in the small streams.
The Indians were always friendly, good neighbors; our first seeds were obtained from them; they seemed pleased to have white neighbors, and there used to be much traffick between them and the new settlers. When I first came to this region, Farmers Brother, Young King, Big Kettle, Jack Berry, Stephenson, Pollard, (who was half French, ) were the influential ones among them. Red Jacket, so far as I have observed, was not generally popular with his own people; with all his talent, he had some bad traits of character, and was too intemperate to be a safe counsellor.
The Wm. Johnston, who was the British interpreter, when the settlement of the Holland Purchase commenced, had a son whose mother was a Seneca Squaw. He was educated; for many years a chief and interpreter. He married a daughter of Judge Barker on the lake shore; died a short time previous to the war.
Nathaniel Titus was the first tavern keeper on the lake shore; commenced there as early as 1805; Elisha Enos succeeded him; -Smith succeeded Enos. Zenas Barker bought the property and commenced keeping the tavern, I think during the war.
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At the mouth of the Eighteen, Joel Harvey commenced keeping a tavern in 1806.
Friends' meeting was first organized in 1806; built a meeting house in 1807; had monthly meetings in 1808; quarterly, in 1816. The first settlers here were mostly Friends.
A Presbyterian church was built at Abbott's Corners, after the war; that place took its name from Seth Abbott, who built a large tavern house there after the war. White's Corners, took its name from an early settler there who kept a public house.
We nad a school in this neighborhood as early as 1806, in a log school house, where Friends' meeting house now stands; Henry Hibbard was the first teacher. Ezekiel Smith built the first framed house, and I built the first framed barn. I set out the first orchard, in 1808. The first season I came in, I broke into heavy timbered land, commenced by first building fires to burn the dry leaves, and clearing away the underbrush. I then chopped down the trees, cut, piled, and burned the tops, leaving the bodies upon the ground; planted corn and pumpkins and had a crop of near 1000 bushels of corn, which proved very useful to the new settlers.
In some of the earliest years, a young man by the name of John Sumner, took up a lot in this neighborhood; built a house; was enterprising and industrious; kept bachelor's hall. After he had been here two or three years, doing well, apparently, he was missed, search was made for him for a long time, and finally aban- doned. Some time afterwards, his body was found on the banks of Rush creek, in a secluded place, where he had committed suicide. He was buried by his log cabin. This was the first death in this region, except that of a small child of Daniel Smith. We after- wards got information that the young man had left Massachusetts in consequence of a disappointment in a love affair.
In early times there was an Indian living upon the reservation, who I think was 115 years old. He was a christian in all his sentiments; had been a peace-maker through life. I will give you the benefit of a tradition he related to me. He said that a nation called the Eries once inhabited all this region; that they were a powerful, warlike nation, dreaded and feared by all other nations. They were finally warred upon, and their country conquered by the Senecas.
Fish, caught in the lake, was a great help to the new settlers. In the absence of that resource for food, many must have abandoned their new homes in the woods.
Samuel and Benjamin Tubbs, were the pioneer settlers in Eden at the place called Tubb's Hollow, at first, now Eden Valley. There followed soon after, Joseph Thorn,- Hill, David Pound. Jacob Taylor was first settler of Collins; he was agent of Friends' Indian Mission.
Town of Boston was first settled by Didimus Kinney, as has been observed, in 1805, Charles and Oliver Johnson followed soon
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after, settling on the plains. There was an open spot, pretty much clear of timber; there was an ancient fort there; many relies of ancient occupancy in the neighborhood. There was found in 1807, in a ravine, 500 lbs. of old French axes; the iron was excellent, and was much needed by the new settlers. Axes and brass kettles were found all over this region. A brass kettle was found that would hold sixteen quarts, in a situation where it had kept dry; it was in a good state of preservation.
Mr. Eddy is now 70 years of age, his health and constitution tolerably good, though laboring under the effects of a fractured limb; his wife died in 1844. He was in an early day, an agent of Mr. Ellicott; assisted in locating settlers, and from time to time reported to him how the settlers were getting on with their im- provements. There is now living in Hamburg, beside him, of the earliest settlers, Asa Sprague.
The following reminiscences of the primitive settlement of Warsaw, and its neighborhood, were derived from Messrs. Daniel Knapp and Josiah Hovey :-
The Pioneer settler of Warsaw, as has been mentioned by Gen. Warren, was Elizur Webster, Esq. [For names of early settlers, see T. 9, R. 1.]
Judge Webster opened a tavern soon after he came in, and soon after Nehemiah Fargo opened a house of public entertainment. Judge Webster built a saw mill in 1804, and Joseph Manley built a grist mill in 1806, with one run of stones, which he soon after sold to Solomon Morris. Previous to the erection of Webster's saw mill, the log dwellings of the settlers were built without boards.
Judge Webster raised the first crops. He set out a large orchard in an early day. It is presumed that he erected the first cider mill upon the purchase; his first cider was sold for $7 per barrel .* The early settlers were supplied with apple trees from the nursery planted by Josiah Hovey.
Seymour Ensign erected the first carding and cloth dressing establishment at Warsaw. He was succeeded by Simcon R. Glazier, and David Seymour. Col. Elkanah Day, father of Judge Day of Olean, was the first blacksmith.
In 1806, there was no settler on road from Warsaw to Leicester. The road was opened in that year. The first settlers on the road were- -Woodward, at Perry Centre. He opened a tavern, was
* Judge Webster's orchard was early and widely known. In all the earliest years, before that began to bear, apples and cider were brought from over the river. The arrival of a barrel of cider and a few bushels of apples, at the primitive log taverns, was no ordinary event; it would generally be the occasion of a sleigh ride and a frolic. Apples were often sold at two shillings per dozen, and cider at the same price per quart. A basket of champaign, is not now enjoyed with the zest and relish that a barrel of cider was in those days.
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succeeded by Beebe. Elisha and Amos Smith, on inlet of Silver Lake; Elisha opened a tavern. The Atwoods came in as early as 1807 or '8.
A Presbyterian church was organized at Warsaw in 1807~a fine church, the best then upon the Purchase, was erected in 1817. Father Spencer officiated at the formation of the church.
Dr. Chauncey L. Sheldon, was the first physician. Previous to his coming in Dr. Eastman of Attica, and Dr. Sill of Geneseo, were occasionally sent for. In many cases of child birth, the attendance of a physician had to be dispensed with; old Mrs. Palmer used to be toated about on an ox-sled to supply the place of a physician.
The first stock of goods brought to Warsaw, was by Gen. Almond Stevens. The goods were furnished by Dixon, the early merchant in Richmond, Ontario Co.
The surviving early residents of Warsaw and its neighbor- hood, are Josiah Hovey and wife, Simeon Hovey and wife, Lyman Morris, Shubel Morris, David Fargo, Silas C. Fargo and wife, Amos Kinney and wife, Ezra Walker, Mrs. Young, wife of A. W. Young, (author of Science of Government, and other school books.) Mrs. Young is a daughter of Judge Webster, and was the first born in town. John Munger and wife, Daniel Knapp, Mrs. Norton, (wife of Col. E. Norton, and daughter of Judge Webster.) Harry, a son of Simeon Hovey, the first male child born in town. A son of Deacon Walker, an early and prominent settler, is a Presbyterian clergyman, and another son is a resident and ex-mayor of Baton Rouge.
Judge Webster the early pioneer of Warsaw, sold out his fine farm during the era of speculation, (1837 or '8,) for a high price, and emigrated to Ripley, Chautaque Co. where he now resides. He is 80 years old, but yet vigorous in mind, and physical con- stitution.
John Wilder, Esq. of Warsaw, was an early pioneer, locating at Attica, in 1806. The author, as in other instances, will principally give his narrative as he related it :-
I came in with another young man, Asa Johnson. We were both millwrights. Our first work was the putting in of the running geers to a saw mill that Zera Phelps was building. Phelps then owned the land now occupied by Attica village, principally. A grist mill had been put up a year before, by John Munger, and purchased by Phelps. We overhauled it and put in new running geers. In 1806, Wm. Vary, who was himself a millwright, had put up a saw mill at what is now called Varysburgh. Johnson and myself put him up a small grist mill-one run of rock stones .*
* This was the first mill, in all the region south of Attica. Well does the author remember the mill, the miller, the miller's wife, and the miller's boys. The old gentle-
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In July 1807, myself and Johnson, and my brother Joseph Wilder, bought out Zera Phelps at Attiea. The grist mill was burned in 1809 with 1000 bushels of grain. In that year we built a new grist mill and saw mill.
The first clothing and carding establishment was erected at Attica by two brothers, named Fuller. Hoisington and Esquire Wright were the carly blacksmiths at Attica.
The first merchant establishment in Attica was a stock of goods sent from Batavia by Trumbull Cary, Esq., in 1809; they were put up in a part of my dwelling house. Gaius B. Rich, Esq., now of Buffalo, established himself in Attica as a merchant, in 1811. Myself and my brother Joseph. retained the mills in Attica until 1818, when we sold out to Parmenio Adams and John Peabody. Peabody was an early tavern keeper in Attica, commencing there as early as 1811. His widow is now a resident of the city of Buffalo. I erected a distillery in Attica in 1811.
In 1809, my brother Joseph built a grist mill in Hume for Elisha Mills, the first in all that region; a saw mill had been erected a year or two before. In 1810 I built a grist mill for Judge Griffin in Pike. In 1811, myself and brother built a grist mill in Wales for Isaac Hall. In 1810 we built a grist mill for Judge Wilson, where Linden village now is, in Bethany. In the same year, a grist mill for Elder Brown, on the little Tonewanda, three miles from Alexander, in the town of Bethany.
We held our first singing schools in Attica, in a hollow button- wood tree. It was felled and a section about thirty feet long cut off. The hollow was large enough for a man of ordinary height to walk upright through it. Benches were made in it; holes cut to admit the light, and it answered a good purpose; the voices of the young folks would sound in it as they would in an arched room.
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