USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Ellicott > The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y. > Part 11
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In 1813 Capt. Forbes built for Prendergast a large, high, well-framed, clap-boarded blacksmith shop on the west side of the Blowers house, next to the alley and over the gully of the swamp stream. If that shop was now standing it would be on the alley directly west of John M. Grant & Son's store and about twelve feet in the air; the ground has been graded down at least that much. In the fall of that year Eleazer Dan_ iels came over from Cross Roads and made mill irons for Prendergast in this shop and continued to work there until in April 1815. Daniels in the sum- mer of 1814 bought property on the Brokenstraw in the neighborhood of Youngsville and moved to his new home in the following April. About six weeks after Daniels left, Patrick Campbell came to the Rap- ids by the procurement of Martin Prendergast of May- ville and set up a forge in a slab shanty on the side of
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the race south of the present passenger station of the N. Y. P. & O. railway. This was the only man so far as our knowledge extends who in early days was hired to settle at the Rapids. Prendergast gave Campbell $75 as an inducement to come. Not long after James Portman came in and for a time worked with Campbell, making and repairing mill irons, but when Elisha Allen's shop on the north side of Third street, between Main street and Potter's alley, was built, he took possession of it.
Thomas W. Harvey, (afterwards Gen. Harvey) then a young man and an excellent blacksmith, came in the next year under engagement to set up machin- ery for the cotton factory-machinery which was never bought and consequently could not be set up. Har- vey married Melinda Hayward, a sister of Mrs. Solo- mon Jones and Mrs. Samuel Garfield, in Wardsboro, Vt., and immediately started for Chautauqua to fulfill his contract. On his arrival in Jamestown he found an enormous building called the cotton factory, but was given to understand that the building had been sold for debt and that there was no machinery to
set up and never would be. He remained a while in Jamestown, repairing machinery for Dan- iel Hazeltine, and set up a forge and did some blacksmithing in the Allen shop, intending soon to return to Vermont. He was fond of hunt- ing and remained so long that it was too late to return that season, and went into winter quarters at Sears's (Kiantone) and there remained undecided, and as game was plenty, until it was too late to return the next fall. Finally, at the urgent solicitation of his brothers-in-law, Jones and Garfield, and the promise of much work and support from Daniel Hazeltine,
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who wanted him to build him a carding machine im- mediately, he concluded to come back to Jamestown and build a house and shop, Judge Prendergast having offered him any lot he might choose. He finally said, " Friends, I have made up my mind to remain with you for better or for worse ten years, but I do not promise a day longer." He chose the lot on the northwest corner of Pine and Third streets, and built a very good story and a-half house, but which was never painted. I think the ground where his house stood has been cut down full twenty feet if not more. He built a shop on the west end of the lot on l'otter's al- lev.
In 1820 his brother, Charles R. Harvey, also a blacksmith, a good mechanic, a genius, and at last a noted inventor, came to Jamestown with his family and built a house where S. S. Cady lately resided on the east side of Pine street, sixty or seventy feet north from Second street. Several years after this house was removed around into Spring street, just north of Mrs. Z. G. Keeler's residence, and is still standing although greatly changed in appearance. Harvey built on the site of the old house a large two-story house in which he resided several years. He removed in 1836 to Poughkeepsie and afterwards to New York. His resi- dence on Pine street became the property of Adolphus Fletcher, afterwards of E. A. Dickinson and later of S. S. Cady; the house has lately been removed.
The Harveys worked together for several years in the shop built by Thomas W. Harvey. Charles R. Harvey afterwards built a shop for himself on the cor- ner of Second and Spring streets, where Jason Palme- ter's house now stands. The Harveys being superior mechanics and men of great genius, built much ma-
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chinery for the factory of Hazeltine & Falconer, and' for others, and for a time occupied rooms in the base- ment of the woolen factory for machine building. But Thomas W. Harvey had remained not only the promised ten years, but nearly another ten years up- on that. He had already invented two very import- ant machines which were in successful operation at Ramapo, near New York, but he had others yet more important, which required him to spend so much time in New York that he finally removed to that city in 1832. His brother Charles in 1836 followed him as far as Poughkeepsie, where he put in operation two or three valuable inventions, and a couple of years later to New York, where he rented a very large building which he filled with machinery of his own invention for weaving stocks for the neck, (much used fifty years ago,) out of pigs' bristles, and cloth out of pigs' hair. The writer in 1841 was in this factory and in one room there were in operation forty looms on hair cloth. The inventions of the Harveys have added largely to the industries of the world. The first machinery for turning screws was the invention of Gen. Thomas W. Harvey. The first pin with a solid head was turned out by a machine of his invention, and now there is not a pin machine in the world that the prin- ciple of action did not originate in his active, inven- tive brain. Many are the inventions now in use, which originated in the inventive minds of the broth- ers Thomas W. Harvey and Charles R. Harvey. Col. C. R. Harvey expended his inventive genius on ma- chines of present utility; Gen. Thos. W. Harvey's mind penetrated deeper and interested itself in sub- jects from which he could not expect to reap a present. reward.
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He sought fame more than riches. He greatly improved upon the methods of making steel, but an- other appropriated the idea he originated, carried it to completion and reaped the immense reward. He was almost a fanatic on the subject of electricity and spent fortunes in making machinery and experimenting with it as a motive power. The writer frequently heard him say in 1841, when a member of his family, " If you live to the ordinary age of man, you will see electricity the great motor power of the world." Its present uses as a motor power and otherwise are but in their infancy, and yet we think exceed the Gen- eral's wildest dreams. He had in '41 a large building full of machinery, some of it costly, which he had in- vented and found inadequate and then cast aside, in prosecuting his experiments on this subject, and what is strange he did not strike a single principle involved in the electro-motor machines of to-day.
It has been said that invention is a normal func- tion of the American brain. The American invents, as the Greek chiseled, as the Venetian painted, and as the Italian sings. It is only necessary to go to the patent office at Washington to prove that the power to invent is inherent in the native of New England. It is possible that this trait of genius may have had its origin to some extent in the wants and the conditions which surrounded the early settlers of New England, and as we have so often heard, that it is strictly true that "necessity is the mother of invention." Some have thought that this genius to invent was spurred into action by the desire universal of gain, and the protection given by the government to the inventions of American genius.
Certainly this is not the whole statement of the
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case, for the disposition to invent was prominent and marked in the New Englander before the system of legislation was inaugurated for the protection of the products of his genius. If we would inquire into the genesis of this American trait we should first note that the country was mainly settled by men of that race, respecting which Prof. Thorold Rogers has said that he has been unable to find any one notable invention for saving human labor, originating elsewhere, excepting the solitary instance of the carding machine, the in- vention of a Frenchman. And of this great inventive, Teutonic race, it was the most ingenius branch, the English, which contributed chiefly to the settlement of the Atlantic coast.
Whether it is attributable to heredity, or to cli- mate or necessity, or to all, we will not undertake to decide, but it is certainly true that the carly settlers of New England and their descendants are the most inventive people in the world.
The Harveys during their residence in Jamestown were among its most useful citizens, not only on ac- count of the labor they performed and the machinery they built, but their prominence in all things touching the good and welfare of the village. They were men who should be gratefully remembered as long as Jamestown shall remember any of its founders.
Gen. Harvey was thrice married. His first wife, (Melinda Hayward) the mother of all his children, we have already spoken of. His second wife we did not know. His third was the widow of Alpheus Hawley, who was a merchant in Jamestown as long ago as 1838. The last Mrs. Harvey was a victim of the railway dis- aster several years ago at Norwalk, Ct. The general died soon after. Charles R. Harvey was first married
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in Vermont to Olive Willard, a sister of Harmis Wil- lard. She died in Jamestown in 1829, loved and mourned by all. He afterwards married Rebecca Hay- ward, sister to Matilda,* the second wife of the late Abner Hazeltine. Both wives bore to him large fam- ilies of children, twelve I think in all. Of this nume- rous family but four, we are informed, are now living. We have not been able to obtain the dates of the death of Col. Harvey and of his wife Rebecca, but they died several years ago. We shall speak of General and Colonel Harvey again when we write up the general muster, "general trainings" as more commonly called, of early times.
LYMAN CRANE.
Lyman Crane came into the southern Chautauqua settlements previous to the Harveys, but came to Jamestown in 1823 and worked with John Portman in the Allen shop. He afterwards built a shop on the west end of the lot on which the hotel on Second street now stands, between Prendergast avenue and the alley. He was a good mechanic, and, what was more, a most excellent man. Lyman Crane will be remem- bered as long as a Methodist church exists in the city of Jamestown. The person never existed who knew Father Crane, who did not believe he was a Christian. His influence over the sick. especially those who did not belong to any church, was extraordinary. He was a plain spoken, uneducated man, pleasant but not gifted in conversation. During the earlier years of professional life the writer frequently came in con- tact with Father Crane in the sick room. If seen com-
* These were daughters of Charles Hayward who came to Jamestown from Connecticut, and were not related to the Vermont Haywards.
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ing out of a house in which there was a sick person, that alone was prima facie evidence that another jewel had been added to Father Crane's crown,-another soul safe within the Christian fold. We could relate numerous anecdotes illustrating this remark. Al- though a man of but few and plain words, his power over the human mind was extraordinary and seem- ingly irresistible.
Although we believe we have written all that can be said of any man as a Christian, nevertheless we had a feeling that more might be expected in the case of Father Crane. We therefore consulted tho Rey John Peate, D. D., who had for many years known him in- timately. His reply was, "You have said nothing you should not say of Father Crane, and surely you can- not say more. I think he was one of the most extra- ordinary men Iever knew. Although plain in person, slow in speech, below the medium line as a conversa- tionalist, he was a vast power. When living I made the man a study, and I have studied him since he went away. I am confident that his great strength consisted in his unbounded faith, and he conveyed his message to heaven in behalf of the sinner on the per- fect wings of that faith. He was gifted in prayer if not in the ordinary speech, and when his prayer was finished he had the perfect assurance that God had heard him; and the sick for whom he was praying felt the same assurance. The sick man felt, as it were, that he had been dragged by main strength over the battlements of heaven, and that. too, by one authorized to scale their golden heights." Elijah Bishop, who was present, remarked; "I can in fancy see him now, a humble worker in iron, pounding away and with each blow sticking his tongue out of one corner of his
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mouth in a most comical and laughable manner. His influence in the church and especially in the sick room was never excelled if ever equalled. It did seem to me he could gain admission to the court above when no other man could. I viewed him as one of God's es- pecial agents." Those who ever knew Lyman Crane, will remember him as a hard worker, genial, kind, pleasant, and as a Christian something different from what he ever knew before ; he would not dare to speak disrespectfully of religion in the presence of Father Crane, and the secret wish would always arise in the heart, that he was as good as Father Crane.
The blacksmiths in the country increased fast. The mills of various kinds for a time multiplied with wonderful rapidity, wherever there was a water power; giving an immense amount of work to this class of mechanics. Safford Eddy, a son of the Rev. Isaac Eddy, and Samuel Garfield, a son of Deacon Samuel Garfield, succeeded Gen. Harvey in the shop on Third street. Col. Harvey's shop on the corner of Spring and Second streets changed hands frequently. Father Crane, Marenus Hart, Obed Chase and others by turn occupied it. Chase afterwards built a shop on ground now occupied by a portion of the Tew block, corner of Main and Second streets. Lewis Taft and Jason Hazzard built a stone shop on the southwest corner of Third and Spring streets. Joslyn Butler built another next the alley on the east end of the lot now on the north side of Third street between Pine street and the alley, and Sanford Holman another on the south side of Third street and on the east side of the alley between Cherry and Washington streets. Blacksmith shops have become numerous, it will not be profitable to follow them farther.
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In a new and wilderness country, just receiving its first few inhabitants, unused and unaccustomed to the surroundings in which they found themselves placed, among the various mechanics that by chance strayed into their midst none was so warmly welcomed as the blacksmith. He was an absolute necessity. A new settlement cannot prosper if the blacksmith is not in the wilderness with them, all others are luxuries; at least, settlers of a new country can get along with- out them. In moving in, a horse has cast a shoe, a tire has given out, a bolt broken; the first call is for a blacksmith. Unless one can be obtained they are in the midst of a dire calamity. After he has arrived at his new home, he has immediate and most constant use for a blacksmith. If there is no blacksmith in the new settlement, the settlers are uneasy until they ob- tain one. We could relate several anecdotes of the early settlers walking through the wilderness fifteen or twenty miles to get a small, indispensible job of black- smithing done. If, by chance, a blacksmith happened to come along, all sorts of promises of aid and support were made to induce him to remain. And if per- chance he should conclude to seek some other place, there was mourning and trouble in that community until another was found to take his place. At least in the early settlement of southern Chautauqua the black- smith was found to be the most important, the most indispensible member of the little communities in the wilderness. Old Father Spencer used to say, that a man to make a good pioneer preacher should first learn blacksmithing; that that would be the best recommend he could carry into the wilderness.
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SCYTHE SNATHS, ETC.
Among the dead industries of Jamestown is the manufacture of scythe snaths and grain cradles. This industry was introduced by Deacon Samuel Garfield, a man of strong and superior natural intelligence, in- ventive mind and was in many ways identified with the early welfare of Jamestown. He was born in Worcester, Mass., removed with his father, Eliakim Garfield, who was a Revolutionary soldier, in 1803 to Windham County, Vermont. He there married a sis- ter of Mrs. Solomon Jones and of Mrs. Thos. W. Har- vey, and emigrated to Chautauqua in 1814. He pur- chased a farm in what is now Busti, (lot 46, tp 1, r 11) on the top of the hill, beyond Abraham Pier's, now the Jenner place. He was a carpenter by trade, a farmer from choice, and an inventive mechanic by profession. He built a shop near his house and worked in iron as well as in wood. His first mechanical work furnished the country with grain measures, nested from a half- bushel down ; rakes were a product of his Busti shop and soon, if a farmer needed a grain cradle or a cradle of any kind he could procure it at Garfield's. The bent snath which afterwards became so immense an industry in Jamestown, was a product of his inventive genius. He manufactured then at his little shop on the hill in Busti until the demand far exceeded his ability to produce, and he was forced to seek a larger field for his operations. The Stevens' tannery at that time was not in use, he purchased that and soon was engaged in manufacturing seythe snaths on an extended scale. The name of Stevens' tannery was soon forgotten, and the building was afterwards known as Garfield's scythe snath factory.
Immense quantities of these "crooked sticks"
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were here manufactured, supplying the whole country and taken to the southern markets by boatloads. At first scythe snaths only were manufactured; afterwards grain cradles also. At one time as many as three of these factories were running at the same time. A. B. Cobb & Son, who I think were the third firm to en- gage in this business, and who bought out Garfield, manufactured grain cradles and rakes extensively. Several of these establishments from time to time burned down, the old Stevens tannery among them. Cobb & Son were burned out twice and, I think, three times. Soon after Garfield had established the busi- ness in the Stevens building, Ezra Wood became his partner. Afterwards, Ed. Reynolds, then the Cobbs and Broadhead were prominent men in this industry. Afterwards Simmons & Tyrrel built a factory at the corner of Second and Cross streets and manufactured largely. This establishment also burned. Ezra and Nathan Breed occupied a large factory on the west side at the lower dam and manufactured extensively' not only scythe snaths but also other agricultural
implements. According to my recollection Harmis Willard, Win. Broadhead and W. R. Denslow were moderately engaged in this business at the lower vil- lage as late as 1870. In 1871 it became a dead indus- try in Jamestown; why, we are not informed. At one time it was by far the most extensive in the town. At an early day, before the establishment of these fac- tories, the most of the hay rakes in use were made in Busti by Palmer Phillips, a celebrated local Methodist minister fifty years ago or more. He also made a few grain cradles. Rakes were also made by the Marshes at what was called the Marsh Settlement on the Still- water near A. M. Kent's farm. Samuel Garfield and
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wife died several years ago. They had a large family of children, all I think, now dead, excepting Lydia whose first husband was a Dilno and who is now the wife of Amos Palmer; and Benjamin who now lives in Salamanca. Fred Garfield, our energetic railroad man, is a son of Ben's.
CHAIR MAKING.
The chairs used in the settlement at an early day were of the splint bottom variety and mostly made by the Marshes. There were others who made a few, but I do not remember them. There was a man named Nash who lived on Oak Hill who was an adept in put- ting in flag seats, and I think he made a few chairs of this variety. Many in town employed him to renew their chairs with flag seats when the splints were worn out or broken. Phineas Palmeter in the year 1827 commenced the chair making business here, building a two-story shop on the tail race of the grist mill not far from the east end of Broadhead & Sons' worsted mills. In this factory they manufactured wood seat and flag seat chairs. The power for running the fac- tory was gained by a large, long wheel which was turned by the mere force of the current of water in the race as it passed along. The next year Palmeter brought from Pittsburg our townsman, Robert V. Cun- ningham, of whom we have already spoken, and Ben- jamin T. Morgan who two or three years later mar- ried a daughter of James Hall, Esq., of Kiantone. Soon after his marriage Morgan left chair making for farm- ing. The Kiantone Morgans. Delevan, Benjamin and others were his children. Morgan died many years ago. I cannot say whether or no Cunningham bought out Palmeter, but this tail race water power was found inadequate and Cunningham commenced the manu-
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facture of chairs elsewhere. He built a residence and shop on the southwest corner of Third and Cherry streets, now occupied by Mrs. Andrew Smith as a resi_ dence, and their continued the manufacture of chairs. I have flag seat chairs in my house to-day manufac- tured for Dr. Laban Hazeltine, by Robert V. Cunning- ham fifty-five years ago. Cunningham afterwards erected the building now standing, south of the Sher- man house and used as a boarding house, and there manufactured chairs. I well remember the first power used by Cunningham. It was a foot lathe and most thoroughly was his right foot educated to the busi- ness. Afterwards he had lathes in a room in the low- er part of Prendergast's saw mill. Cunningham is vet, I believe, connected with a chair manufactory. His wife, the eldest daughter of Elmer Freeman is still living.
Afterwards chairs were manufactured more extens- ively by a man named Bell, and others, at the lower dam, and afterwards still more extensively by George A. and Nat. Flint and L. B. Warner, also at the lower village. Chairs by them were sent in quantities to the lower market. The Flints and Warner afterwards erected a large building below Allen street, near the lower pond. They may have manufactured chairs in it, but I think it was used for the most part for sawing and planing lumber. This large building and much property were finally destroyed by fire. We have now in our city an immense factory for cane seat chairs of all styles which are sold in all sections of the United States; also an immense factory for wood seat chairs, quite as extensively sold. In addition to these we have smaller establishments in which are made heavy splint seat chairs and rockers; and other establishments for
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fancy seat chairs. We merely mention these ; the early industries only come within our plan.
CABINET WARE.
There is to-day standing on the south-west corner of Main and Fourth streets a small one-story house which for several years has been used as a millinery estab- lishment. This house, with its woodshed extension, originally reached nearly to the alley, and was built by Royal Keyes in 1818, and was for many years his residence. Keyes by trade was a carpenter and joiner, and came into the country from Newfane, Vt., with Elisha Allen in 1815. In the fall of 1816, assisted by Captain Horatio Dix, he erected a two-story workshop south of this house. There was a space of eight feet between the buildings, and the front of the shop was about five feet farther from the street than that of the
house. During the winter of 1817-18, he returned to Vermont and married Amanda Kidder, sister of the wife of Abner Hazeltine, and then returned in the same sleigh to the Rapids with his wife, together with Samuel Barrett and his wife. Keyes himself was for several years actively engaged in housebuilding, but used his spare time in making cheap articles of cabinet furniture in the shop mentioned. Finding ready sale for all he could make, he employed a traveling jour- neyman to work constantly at the business. During the winter of 1816-17 a school was taught in the sec- ond story of this building by Abner Hazeltine. Wil- liam Breed, a cabinet maker, came to Jamestown in the spring of 1820, and as Keyes was at that time en- gaged in erecting a mill for Nicholas Dolloff he per- mitted Breed to occupy his shop while absent, with the agreement that they should form a partnership as soon as Keyes completed his present job. The part-
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