USA > New York > Cortland County > Pioneer history; or, Cortland County and the border wars of New York, from the earliest period to the present time > Part 7
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
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
2. And be it further enacted, That the Courts in and for the said county, shall be held at the school-house on lot No. 45, in the town of Homer.
3. And be it further enacted, That all that part of the town of Fabius, situated in the county of Cortland, shall be called Truxton ; and all that part of the town of Tully, in said county of Cortland, shall be called Preble. .
Additional sections provide that Cortland shall have one member of Assembly, and that it shall form part of the Western Senatorial District, and part of the Thir- teenth Congressional District.
CHAPTER IX.
MILITARY TRACT.
"It was a gloomy wild where Indian warriors trod, Where savage minds in solitude looked up to Nature's God."
Cortland county was named in honor of General Peter Van Cortlandt, a gentleman who was extensively engaged in the purchase and sale of land. It is bounded on the north by Onondaga county ; east by Madison and Chenango ; south by Broome and Tioga ; and west by Tompkins and Cayuga.
Its area is a fraction over 500 square miles, and con- tains about 320,000 acres, forming a portion of the high " central section of the State." Its northern boundary lies on the dividing ridge which separates the waters flowing into Lake Ontario and the tributaries of the Susquehanna river. The surface of this county is much diversified, and may be appropriately divided into rich valleys and fertile hills.
The territory comprised within the boundaries of Cortland county, is composed of four whole and two half townships of the Military Tract, or lands granted by the State of New York to the soldiers of the revo- lution.
The bloody enormities and cruel massacres perpe-
104
MILITARY TRACT.
trated along the frontier of New York, by the tories and Indian allies, during the stormy period of our coun- try's history, and more particularly, of the years 1779 and 1780, and the neglect of several other States to fur- nish their proportion of troops for the protection of the lives and property of the people, caused the legislature of 1781 to enact a law requiring the enlistment of "two regiments for the defence of the frontier of New York." All necessary expenses incurred were to be canceled by the United States, and the troops were to be em- ployed in the actual service of the country for the " term of three years, unless sooner discharged." The faith of the State was held in pledge for the positive payment for such services. "The council of appointment of the State of New York was to commission the field-officers, and the Governor of the State, the captains and sub- alterns."
The non-commissioned officers and privates were each to receive in land, as soon as surveyed by the Surveyor General, 500 acres,
Major General,
5,500
Brigadier General,
4,500
Colonel,
2,500
Lieut. Colonel,
2,000
Major,
2,000
Captain,
1,500
Regimental Surgeon,
1,500
Chaplain,
2,000
66
Subaltern,
1,000
Surgeon's Mate,
1.000
The act above referred to contained a clause making
105
MILITARY TRACT.
an absolute settlement "on these lands" within three years from the close of the war necessary, otherwise they were forfeited, and reverted back to the State.
The United States Congress also granted one hun- dred acres of land to each of these soldiers as an addi- tional compensation for their valuable services in their country's defence. Officers of the different grades re- ceived larger amounts, according to their commission or rank.
Major General,
1,000 acres
Brigadier General,
900
Colonel,
500
66
Lieut. Colonel,
450
Major,
400
Captain,
300
Lieutenant,
200
Ensign,
150
The land granted, or set apart, for the payment of revolutionary claims in accordance with the act of Congress, was located in the State of Ohio. Arrange- ments were however made which enabled the soldier to draw his whole quota of 600 acres in one body in New York, on condition of his having first legally relin- quished his claim to the 100 acres in Ohio ; but if he neglected, or otherwise felt inclined, the sixth part, which his patent called for, reverted to the State of New York, and hence originated the term of "State's Hundred." If notice was given, $8 was taxed the pa- tentee as a fee for surveying, and in case of failure in paying that amount, fifty acres reverted to the State, and hence again arose the term of "Survey Fifty." Commissioners were appointed in 1784 to grant bounty
6
106
MILITARY TRACT.
land, " and settle individual claims." They consisted of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of As- sembly, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor.
The Military Tract was especially'set apart by the legislature of 1782, as bounty lands to be given to the soldiers of the revolution. The tract contained 1,680- 000 acres, and embraced within its boundaries the coun- ties of Onondaga, Cortland, Cayuga, Tompkins and Seneca, with parts of Oswego and Wayne.
The Indian title was extinguished by Treaty of Fort Stanwix, Sept. 12th, 1788.
The tract was surveyed by act of Legislature of 1789 into twenty-six townships of one square mile, and each to contain one hundred lots of 600 acres. General Simeon Dewitt, assisted by Moses Dewitt and Abram Hardenburgh, "laid out the whole tract," the former " plotting, and mapping the boundaries, and calculating its area."
We annex a table of the townships as originally named, though previously known only by the number.
TOWNSHIPS.
No. 1. Lysander. No. 10. Pompey. No. 19. Homer.
2. Hannibal. " 11. Romulus.
" 20. Solon.
6 3. Cato. " 12. Scipio. " 21. Hector.
66 4. Brutus.
" 13. Sempronius. " 22. Ulysses.
5. Camillus.
" 14. Tully. " 23. Dryden.
6. Cicero.
" 15. Fabius.
" 24. Virgil.
7. Manlius.
" 16. Ovid.
" 25. Cincinnatus.
66 8. Aurelius. " 17. Milton.
" 26. Junius.
9. Marcellus. " 18. Locke.
In 1791, the commissioners decided by ballot who
107
MILITARY TRACT.
were the claimants to these bounty lands. "Ninety- four persons drew lots in each township." One lot was especially set apart for the promotion of literature, and another for the support of the Gospel and common schools. There still remained four lots in each town- ship to be disposed of. These were appropriated to the benefit of certain officers, and to such as had drawn lots which were measurably covered with water.
In 1792 township number twenty-seven was surveyed and known by the name of Galen. This grant was made, in accordance with law, to the Hospital depart- ment.
In 1796 it was found that there were yet many un- satisfied claims for bounty lands, and consequently another township was laid out, and numbered "twenty- eight," which satisfied all legal claimants. To this was appropriated the name of Sterling.
The act relative to a positive settlement in three years was annulled, and the time extended from 1792 to 1799.
The State, in disposing of its bounty lands, conveyed them by an instrument called a Patent, to which was attached a large waxen disc, with paper on each side, bearing the arms of the State on the face, and an im- pression on the back, called the "reverse."
It is, perhaps, well known to the general reader, that a town frequently embraced a number of townships. Ulysses originally included the townships of Ulysses, Ithaca, Enfield and Dryden. Pompey contained the townships of Pompey, Fabius and Tully. Homer em- braced that of Homer and Cortland. Virgil embraced Virgil, Harford and Lapeer. Cincinnatus contained
108
MILITARY TRACT.
Cincinnatus, Marathon, Freetown and Willet. Solon embraced Solon and Taylor. Preble contained Preble and Scott.
A township embraced one hundred lots, though, for lack of a proper understanding, many have confounded the terms of town and township ; and we notice in- stances where authors have substituted the one for the other.
Previous to 1792, the revolutionary claimants suf- fered materially on account of the many frauds com- mitted by a lawless band of land pirates, who, in order to rob the HERO and PATRIOT of his inheritance, hesitated not to commit the most open and glaring forgeries. Numerous fraudulent conveyances bore anterior dates, and consequently gave rise to many unpleasant con- tests, as well as bitter recriminations. In some in- stances, four and even five forged conveyances were held by as many different individuals for the same lot of land.
In some cases the legal claimants were deprived of their rights. But these land-sharks were not always aware of the material with which they had to contend, and occasionally met with a rebuke and discomfiture from which they did not soon recover. Among those gallant spirits who braved the danger of revolution, and who were unappalled by the roar of British cannon, and the menace of hostile armies, were men who were not easily forced or ejected from their possessions. In the eastern part of Cortland lived one who was an asso- ciate with the chivalrous sons who marched to Quebec when winter's awful tempest opposed their progress, and who crossed the ice-choked Delaware, regardless
109
MILITARY TRACT.
of chilling winds and angry waves-again, defying the rage of battle beneath the burning sun at Monmouth- kindred spirits to those who fought at Lexington, Con- cord and Bunker Hill. He had made bare his bosom to the shafts of battle, and shrunk not from the horrors of a seven years' war. After locating on his lot, and at a time when hope painted to his eager vision long years of future happiness, he was called upon by one of these gentlemen Shylocks, who informed him that he held a conveyance of his lot, and that he was the only legal owner, and gave him a very polite invitation to evacu- ate his possessions. But the stern old patriot-the hero of many battles, and who carried on his person the certificates of his valor-was not thus hastily to be ejected from his revolutionary inheritance. The fire that once glowed so brightly in the old man's eyes on the field of battle was rekindled, and he would sooner have fallen a martyr to justice and right than have obsequiously acquiesced in the mandate of his ungal- lant oppressor. The conveyance was at length laid open and examined, and was found to bear a date prior to that of his own.
In short, it was a forgery.
When the defrauder found that the stern, heroic war- rior would not yield to his demand, he threatened him with the terrors of law, and the cost of an ejectment suit. This, however, only caused a smile to play over the face of the worthy pioneer of civilization. He knew that he had fought and bled upon the gory plain ; that he had sacrificed the soft endearments of home, discarded honors, and rushed to the "tented field," to strike for liberty and universal freedom ; that his pos- sessions were legally bequeathed him, as a compara-
110
MILITARY TRACT.
tively small gift for the sacrifices he had made in the cause of human emancipation; and to be thus deprived of a home which he had purchased with sacrifices and blood, would not comport with the principle for which he had contended, and he spurned the intruder from his presence.
Instances of a like character were of frequent occur- rence. Some yielded without making scarcely an effort at resistance.
But the soldiers suffered from other circumstances, and from causes over which they had no control. The long interim of time which intervened between the day of promise and the time of legal assignment of bounty lands, and the coldness with which their appeals were received by the State government, caused many to doubt the propriety of urging their claims, and in num- erous instances parted with their patents for a mere nominal sum, and in some cases for an amount varying from three to eight dollars.
The act of '94 was intended to prevent future frauds, and unquestionably had the desired effect. " All deeds and conveyances executed before that time, or pretend- ing to be so, were to be deposited with the clerk of the county of Albany, for the time being, and all such as were not so deposited should be considered fraudulent." " This put a stop to further forgeries ; yet the courts were pressed with suits in regard to contesting claim- ants. Very few lots were quietly settled upon, there being two or more pretended owners. Squatters had to be ejected, and often exorbitant sums paid for the mere shadow of an improvement. The disputes became so frequent, so unpleasant, and withal so injurious to
111
MILITARY TRACT.
the peace and comfort of the Military Tract, that, in 1797, they united in a general and urgent petition for the passage of an act whereby all difficulties might be settled, and the controversial war ended. The petition was heard and answered. Commissioners were appoint- ed, "with full powers to hear, examine, award, and determine all disputes respecting the titles of any and all the military bounty lands." Wrongs of long stand- ing were redressed, and justice equitably distributed.
The termination of these vexed questions of right gave rise to a more liberal and happy feeling among the pioneers, and resulted in a more speedy settlement of the territory, and consequently in a rapid increase of population.
Cortland county is at present divided into fifteen towns, which were organized as follows :
Homer,
1794
Marathon,
1818
Solon,
1798
Willet,
.
1818
Virgil,
1804
Cortlandville,
1829
Cincinnatus,
1804
Harford,
1845
Preble,
1808
Lapeer,
1845
Truxton,
1808
Taylor,
1849
Scott, .
1815
Cuyler,
1858
Freetown,
1818
T
ยท
CHAPTER X.
GEOLOGY, MINERALOGY AND METEOROLOGY.
"Nor gold nor jeweled gems were there, Yet 'neath the turf were mines of richest store."
TO THOSE who read the book of Nature with due attention, and who are conversant with the laws of cause and effect, the study of Geology, Mineralogy and Meteorology will prove not only interesting, but instruct- ive, and they will necessarily be led to inquire into those causes and influences which may have operated at a very remote period of time in giving an almost entire change to the general appearance of the earth's surface. In our mind there is no question as to the fact of the ancient ocean having, far back in the dim distance of the past, overspread our hills and valleys, ebbing and flowing in obedience to physical laws, and, as now, sending her storm-beaten surf against the huge rocks that line the mountain gorge. Then, as now, it was dotted with isles and sand-bars. Then, as now, there were calms, when the sun, the moon, the stars, looked down in beauty upon its glassy surface. Then, as now, the rainbow clasped the wide expanse, while its ever- varied hues were reflected far beneath the gentle wave-
GEOLOGY. . 113
lets. Then, as now, the zephyrs played o'er its un- fathomed waters, sending its undulating swells to rip- ple along the beachen shore, "recording its history in the sands beneath."
The Tioughnioga river has its source near the south- ern line of Onondaga, and flows southward, with its tributaries watering nearly the whole of Cortland county. The Otselic is its main branch.
Geologically, Cortland does not present as great a variety of specimens as some of the other counties in the district .*
Slate is the basis-rock of the county. The Hamilton group, extending from Onondaga, enters the northern part of the town of Truxton, and terminates some distance east of Tinker's Falls.
In Preble, Truxton, and parts of Homer, are found quantities of Genesee slate. These generally project from the hills which form the barriers of the valley.
The Portage and Ithaca groups extend over the towns of Cortland and Solon, the larger portion of Homer and Scott, "and the terrace between Truxton and Solon." They are found on either side of the Tioughnioga, but become more narrow as they "increase in thickness going south." Some fine specimens are also found along the borders of the Otselic in Willet and Cincin- natus.
These groups form a number of valuable quarries, and from which have been taken large quantities of stone
* This (the third) Geological district is composed of the counties of Montgomery, Fulton, Otsego, Herkimer, Oneida, Lewis, Oswego, Madison, Onondaga, Cayuga, Cortland, Chenango, Broome, Tioga, and the eastern half of Tompkins.
6*
114
GEOLOGY.
for building and flagging purposes. A short distance above Port Watson are the quarries of Messrs. Miller & Derby. To the south are those of Messrs. Stephens, Rose and Betts. Between Homer and Cortland are Pierce and Rood's quarries. These are of great value, "and furnish nearly all the flag-stones used in Homer." The lower part of the quarries consists of flags from one to six inches in thickness ; not so smooth or straight as those of Sherburne, but waved like the slight move- ments which water produces upon a sandy bottom. The flags contain fucoids, large and small, some of which anastomose and are smooth. Above these layers there is a line of concretion, about a foot or more in diameter, with shale. On the top of these are slaty, broken up, and decomposed layers of shale and sand- stone, forming the refuse of the quarry. Some of the lower layers of sandstone contain vegetable impressions, and show small accumulations of coal, owing to the alteration which the material of the plants has undergone."* This quarry is a most val- uable acquisition to the mineral wealth of Homer.
Those citizens of Homer who are observant of objects about them, will find many interesting confirmations in the flag-stones upon which they walk, of the truth of the above observations. The beautiful ripple marks, everywhere seen, carry us back to the time when these same rocks formed the soft floors of shallow Silurian seas.
North and west of Homer, are other valuable quar- ries, in one of which a variety of vegetable impressions
" See State Geological Report, 1842, to which we are indebted for many interesting facts.
115
GEOLOGY.
are discernible-none, however, which resemble those noticed by us in the quarry above referred to.
The Chemung group covers the southwest part of Virgil. This is the highest elevation in the county. The same group is perceptible on the lines of Freetown, Cincinnatus, Willet and Marathon.
There are three marl lakes or ponds a few miles south west of Cortland village. The larger one covers an area of fifteen acres, the second in size, six, and the third, four. When freed from the particles of vegetable matter, it presents a very light appearance, and is without doubt a fair species of carbonate of lime. Large quantities of lime are annually burnt and dis- posed of at the kilns.
Marl is also found in smaller deposits in Tully, Pre- ble, and the northern part of Homer. It will at some future time prove to be of great importance to the county, especially as a manure.
Bog ore, it is believed, does not exist in this county to any great extent, though small specimens have been found in some of the swamps.
Albite, or white feld-spar, exists in small quantities in Scott, Fabius and Solon.
We have two or three specimens of amphibole, or basaltic hornblende, gathered from the northern part of the county. The crystals are well-formed, but so firmly imbedded in the rock as to render it difficult to detach them without marring their beauty.
Calcareous tufa is common in some of the eastern localities of the county.
On the west branch of the Otselic river is a small
116
TORNADOES.
calcareo-sulphurous spring, the water of which is strongly impregnated with the mixed ingredients of sul- phur and lime.
In the county are several sulphur springs, some emit- ting very pure particles of sulphur. Little York, or Sulphur lake, a few miles north of Homer, is slightly tinctured with sulphur.
Tornadoes are classed among the more prominent meteorological phenomena. Their course is invariably in an eastward direction, and, unlike that of a whirl- wind, moving "in a circuit round its axis," their whirl is always to the left. They frequently travel at the rate of a hundred miles per hour, leaving the marks of devastation behind.
On the 13th day of August, 1804, a tornado swept over the northern part of this county, and in its mad- dened course tore up trees, demolished buildings, and blasted the pioneer's hopes of a plentiful crop.
Just a half century after, Cortland county was again visited by a tornado. Its path was narrow, yet alarmingly destructive. Its course was east south-east, and its ravages were traceable for a distance exceeding 250 miles. A little previous to its appearance, cloud after cloud of awful blackness rolled up in the west, and gradually spread over the sky, until finally the whole firmament became enveloped in almost tartarean darkness. Forked lightnings flashed athwart the sky, or, zig-zag, leaped from apparent spiral columns of red- hot wreathing flames. The rain poured down in tor- rents. It was not like one of those ever-drizzling rains so common among the tropics, but more like a perfect
117
TORNADOES.
avalanche. The rain was succeeded by a violent hail- storm, which tended greatly to cool the overheated atmosphere, the mercury having ascended to a point unusual for this latitude.
The tornado entered this county from Locke, and passed, in its desolating and destructive course, within two miles of Homer. Having gathered fresh strength in crossing the valley, it rose the eastern hills-those ancient battlements where the shadows of ages have fallen and which fearful convulsions have shaken-with a spirit unawed and unbroken, and then waged war with the hitherto unconquered monarchs of 400 years' stand- ing, tearing them up by the roots, or twisting them into splinters as Sampson did a green twig, and whirling their shattered fragments in almost every conceivable direction. Indeed, sad havoc was made with the forest trees. But the ancient dwellers offered no opposition, for the storm-god did not even presume upon a contest for the right of way. His course was onward, and woe to the giant oak that came within the whirling folds of the destroyer.
A gentleman, crossing Cayuga lake in a small boat at the time of this occurrence, describes the scene as one of terrific grandeur. As it approached the water, it leveled every impeding obstacle. The roaring of the tornado, the sharp, vivid flashes of lightning, and the deafening thunder, were to him really alarming. The water, for the space of several rods, extending across the lake, suddenly became elevated a number of feet, very much in the form of a pier, and for an hour or more ebbed and flowed with the same regularity as is ob- served in the ocean's tide. On, on sped the storm-god,
-
118
TORNADOES.
raving and howling as if forced forward on the very wings of despair.
There were several remarkable incidents connected with this singularly strange and destructive visitor. In the town of Locke, Cayuga county, a brass kettle was caught up in its terrible folds, and lodged, some forty rods distant, in the top of a graceful poplar. A wagon-seat was carried across the Tioughnioga river, and dashed to atoms. A barn roof was divided, and one-third carried away without materially injuring the remaining two-thirds. In Chenango, a little boy, five or six years old, was caught up and carried upwards of thirty rods, and safely deposited by the side of a hay- stack, having escaped with only a rude shaking. An aged matron, stepping to the door to shake the crumbs from her table-cloth, had it rather unceremoniously taken from her, and the last she saw of her favorite linen, it was at a great distance, cutting fantastic capers in " mid air," being under the immediate con- trol of the storm-spirit.
On the 30th day of September, 1858, another tornado visited our county. Its course, from Lake Erie to the Atlantic, was wide and fearfully marked with its deso- lating effects. In various places its strength was divided, and it traveled in different lines for miles, and when again united, raved and roared with redoubled fury.
The sky was shrouded with thick and sulphury clouds, increasing to almost pitchy blackness. Forked light- nings flashed athwart the sky, and deafening thunders rolled and reverberated amid the contending elements. The damage to property was immense. Orchards and forest trees were alike prostrated; fences were blown
119
METEOROLOGY.
down, houses and barns unroofed, and in some instances entirely destroyed. We visited one sugar-orchard of two thousand trees, all of which, save forty-nine, were leveled to the ground. On another lot we saw sixty acres of forest trees lying in every conceivable direc- tion. But the damage was so great, and so generally felt, that we deem an extended notice unnecessary. In the evening the sky was almost constantly lit up with spiral streaks of lightning, accompanied with deafening thunder, inconceivable grand and awe-inspiring.
The data we possess relative to our climate is limit- ed to the results of a few observations. We have been favored with the reading of a valuable and interesting Report on Vital Statistics, made to the Medical Asso- ciation of Southern Central New York, by Doctor C. GREEN, from which we make the following brief outline of interesting facts:
The climate of Cortland county is characterized, in common with that of southern central New York, by great variability. The region of the State, south and south-west of the Mohawk valley, including Onondaga and Cortland counties, shows, according to the report of Dr. Emmons, a lower reduction of temperature by four degrees to eleven degrees than the average of the State, and autumnal frosts occur earlier by four to thir- teen days. The physical features of the county would indicate that our climate would at least be colder than the western portion of the State in the same latitude. The geological features of our county are interesting in relation to the succession of hill and dale, their relative elevation, and the elevation above tide water. These valleys are cut through the Portage and Chemung group of rocks. The hills bounding these valleys are generally
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.