USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Ellicott > The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y. > Part 12
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nership commenced during the fall of the next year, 1821, and a couple of months later, January 1, 1822, John C. Breed, a brother of William, arrived and was given employment in the shop af Keyes & Breed.
While the types are being set for this page, Mr. Breed is being borne to his long home. He died on the 6th day of December, 1886, aged 82 years and . eight months. A good man has fallen.
John C. Breed was born near Schuylerville in Saratoga county, N. Y., in the year 1804. He was the sixth child of a family of twelve children. Thomas Breed, his father, afterward moved to Cayuga county. In 1822, two years after he came to Jamestown to reside, which at that time had not outgrown its hamlet con- dition, there were but few families here and the whole country was a wilderness. There was then but one church organization in the town, and all of those re- ligiously inclined on Sunday met at the old Prender. gast academy for Divine worship, which usually con- sisted of the reading by some one of a sermon, of sing- ing and prayer. John C. Breed immediately identified himself with this band of worshippers which consisted of members of all denominations of Christians. He established and was the superintendent of the first Sabbath school organized in Jamestown. He was the first Baptist resident of the village, and one of the or- iginators and organizers of the First Baptist church here in 1826, and is the last one of its charter members.
John C. Breed has been a true and faithful exem- plar of orthodox Christianity in Jamestown for a per- iod of 65 years. There has been neither spot nor blemish on his Christian character during that long period. He was one of that small band at which the
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world points, and inwardly confess in their hearts and openly with their lips-they are Christians,
In November, 1827, he married Olive, the fifth daughter of Solomon Jones. For over 50 years he re- sided in the house in which he died. John C. and Olive (Jones) Breed had four children, of whom but two are now living-Judson W., the eldest son, is a resident of Cincinnati; Charles A., the youngest son, resides in Jamestown. Olive, his wife and companion of nearly 60 years of earthly life, tarries.
His father Thomas settled in Saratoga county on the farm that was noted for the surrender of Gen. Bur- goyne and his army in the war of the Revolution. This farm was situated about one mile from Schuylerville where he was born. His father's family numbered twelve children. The most of them afterwards settled in Chautauqua county. Aurelia Breed, who married Luther Botsford, is the only one of the family now liv- ing, and she came to Jamestown to attend her brother's funeral. She lives now in Salamanca with her daugh- ter, Mrs. Benjamin Garfield.
At a meeting in Jamestown a few years ago of the Breeds from various parts of the country, Deacon John (. Breed, in a very interesting address made on that occasion, closes with the following eloquent words :
"Our ancestors landed in this country 240 years ago. Eight generations of them have been born, most of them have passed to their long rest. They contrib- uted to the general good, they helped the nation to establish itself, as we are now helping to maintain it. They did their part. Are we doing ours as well? These are momentous questions. The gray hairs gathering on my brow, and whitened heads of others I see here to-day, together with our failing vision and failing
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strength, impressively remind us that we shall soon join the large circle who have passed on before. As wehave so good evidence of the Christian character and integ- rity of so many of our ancestors who now sleep in the grave, my prayer to God is that ourselves, our children and our children's children may all meet with the re- deemed family in heaven where its collected members shall be scattered no more forever."
Before proceeding farther we wish here to record a few more recollections of the Royal Keyes family. We have elsewhere recorded the return to Vermont of Royal Keyes and Samuel Barrett. their marriage, and their long sleigh ride with their wives, in return- ing to their home in the wilderness. Most thoroughly burned into our recollection, is that happy, delightful home of an early day, on the corner of Main and Fourth streets. A home of which not one of the occu- pants remains in Jamestown to-day ; all gone, nearly all " in the church yard lie," three or four, perhaps, yet living, but scattered in far distant localities. This is my recollection of that home twenty years or more after Royal Keyes's return from that long, dreary sleigh ride, as we have seen them seated together many an evening, Royal Keves and his wife Amanda Kid- der Keyes, and their six daughters. It was one of the calling, one of the visiting places of the young people of Jamestown of both sexes for a number of years. Sometimes when we reflect upon the long ago, it seems almost impossible that so great a change has taken place. Mary was the oldest daughter. She married a Presbyterian clergyman named Miles, and is, I am in- formed, still living somewhere in the west. Melissa married Lysander Farrar, the first principal of the Jamestown Academy. Mr. Farrar studied law in S.
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A. Brown's office. He made Rochester his home, and was successful in his profession. He died several years ago. His wife is still living. Alsey married Charles Kennedy, who at an early day was a saddlerin James- town, he was afterwards Sheriff of the county. For some years he has been a resident of Washington, where himself and wife and family now reside. Phi- linda married George Blanchard, and died soon after. Lydia married John B. Forbes, and shortly died. Forbes afterwards married Sarah, who is, we are in- formed, still living in Fredonia.
Last summer a young lady called upon usand was introduced as Miss Farrar, a daughter of Lysander and Melissa Farrar. She brought me a long letter, all about the early days, from her mother. From this letter we make a few short extracts.
"I used to love to hear my mother tell her experi- enees when moving into the country. She and my father and Samuel Barrett and his wife were married on the same day, and expected to start the morning after the ceremony, Feb'y. Sth, 1818, on their wedding trip to Jamestown, which was to be their future home. But a furious snow storm came on in the night and in the morning the roads were impassible. They were delayed several days, but finally started in two sleighs, one covered and containing the two brides and grooms and a chest in which was packed the provisions for their long journey. The other sleigh was laden with their earthly possessions and driven by Levi Sherwin .* who was a carpenter and joiner by trade. The sleigh-
* Levi Sherwin was a brother of Milton Sherwin. He built the large frame house on the south-west corner of Layfayette and Third streets, which was lately removed, and died there about fifty vears ago.
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ing was good, and they were about three weeks in making the trip.
My father built his house on the south-west corner of Main street late in the fall, and could not finish it until next season. When my sister Mary was born mother said the snow sifted in between the boards and covered the bed on which she lay. Our parents, Dr., must have experienced some hardships we know noth- ing of-they were noble men and women. We shall never see their like again. I am proud of my New England parentage."
Mrs. Farrar gives some very interesting accounts of some of the first houses built in Jamestown by her father, viz .: S. A. Brown's, E. T. Foote's, Sam'l. Barrett's, Thos. Harvey's, and others, but is too long for our purpose.
She continues-"When our house was first built, the pine trees were so near it, that I used to lie awake in mortal terror when the wind blew, lest they should be blown down on the house and crush us."
I should have mentioned Royal Keyes as one of the captains of the old steamer Chautauqua towards the close of her career, and believe he became the sole owner, and at one time he was Major of the 162d Reg. of N. Y. S. Militia. He built the house still standing on the south-east corner of Fifth and Cherry St. in 1849, into which he removed, and there died July 1st, 1852. Sarah and her husband, John B. Forbes, about that time moved to Fredonia, and took their widowed mother with them, and the Keyes ceased to be inhab- itants of Jamestown. Mrs. Keyes survived her husband several years.
In 1825 the Breeds built a shop on the west side of Pine street between Third and Fourth, employed a
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couple of journeymen and increased the business. The front portion of the house now occupied by Mrs. Ellick Jones as a boarding house was constructed out of the shop put up by the Breeds in 1825. The Keyes shop some years afterwards was occupied by a man named Todd, and later by others, who built some cab- inet ware and other household furniture. The upper room of the shop was for two or three years occupied by the Rev. Mr. Smith, a Baptist minister, for a con- tinuation of Abner Hazeltine's Prendergast academy. It was afterwards occupied as a select school by a Miss Farnham of Ellington. In 1833 the Breeds erected a larger shop on the southeast corner of Pine and Third streets. Almon Partridge afterwards became a partner and they built a factory at the lower dam at the east end of the large factory at present operated by a son and grandson of William Breed. This industry, which commenced in the small way described above, is now one of the vast industries of our city. " Pearl City," for the writer takes upon himself, he will not say the honor, but the distinction of giving to Jamestown the name of Pearl City. How many cabinet factories, table factories, bedstead factories, lounge factories there now are in our city the writer is not informed, but he does know that the first pine and whitewood furniture made in this town, the boards were planed and nailed or glued together by Royal Keyes, and that as a business to be followed William Breed planed the first cherry and black walnut boards and fashioned them into tables, bureaus and other ware which we call cab- inet. Although furniture in small quantities was from time to time manufactured by others, mostly transient persons, the Breeds have been the autocrats of the furniture business for a period extending over more than sixty years.
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In a country in which even at an early date there were so many mills and so much machinery of various kinds, one would naturally expect to find many edu- cated millwrights, mechanics skilled in hydraulics and strength of materials. One of the earliest workers of this class was Phineas Palmeter, a man of great genius and a superior mechanic wherever placed. Neverthe- less, he was accustomed to say that he was not a mill- wright, that the business was distasteful to him, and he would not engage in mill building if he could avoid it. The earliest millwrights of the county were Capt. Horatio Dix, Milton and Levi Sherwin, Capt. William Forbes, Royal Keyes, and a man by the name of Spaf- ford. Probably the first and the last named were the only ones who claimed to have received education in this employment. There were others, but these were the leading and the best until Elijah Bishop came in the fall of 1829. The first work in the line of his " pro- fession" was to build and paint a pulpit and do some other work on the first Congregational church which was then nearing completion, and was finished in the middle of December of that year, and dedicated Janu- ary 1, 1830.
Among the first of Mr. Bishop's work was the put- ting in of new water wheels and, building other ma- chinery for Hazeltine & Falconer. The burning of Judge Prendergast's big cotton-factory flouring mill gave Mr. Bishop an opportunity for showing his un- usual skill as a millwright, for the Judge determined to replace the old mill, which was a good one, with as good a flouring mill as could be built. Mr. Bishop introduced in this mill superior machinery for smutting and cleaning the grain, and many improvements in the bolting apparatus. And what was of great and
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permanent value, he put in improved water wheels. giving more power, together with a great saving of water. For many years Mr. Bishop par excellence was the millwright of this section of the country. It was during the period he was actively engaged in this busines that the rude " water-devouring " wheels of the past gave place to the economical and scientific struc- tures of the present. In an early day economy of water was little thought of. Under Bishop's regime the eco- nomical use of power gave positive existence to a few of the many waste water privileges which previously existed only in the deeds describing them.
Henry Crippen was for several years a millwright here. I do not remember whether he came before or after, but I think he learned what he knew of mill building of Bishop.
A ludicrous anecdote of Crippen I cannot avoid relating. In 1852 the buildings on the east side of Main between Second and Third streets burned down. The old Allen Tavern on the corner of Main and Third streets, built by Capt. Dix and Jesse Smith in 1815, was included in this fire which originated in the store of Higley & Kellogg, situated about the cen- ter of the block, on ground occupied by a store owned by William Broadhead and occupied by Whitley & Son. Crippen slept with a dozen others in the ball- room of the tavern at the time of the fire. The other occupants of this bedroom had been up and in the street nearly an half hour, but Crippen continued to sleep. Finally they commenced removing the furniture, as it had become evident that it would be impossible to save the building. Crippen awoke in a crazed condi- tion, poked his head out of the window and cried "fire! fire! fire!" with all his might; and then, much
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to the danger of the many skulls congregated below, threw out of the window a looking glass and several frangible articles of furniture. Having performed this feat of a too quickly aroused mind, he poked his legs through the arm holes of his vest instead of putting on his trousers, and thus equipped made his appear- ance in the street below, carrying an enormous pair of iron firedogs. The fire was not so far advanced but that he was able to rescue the balance of his clothing; but the laugh was greater than Henry could endure, and soon after he went west.
John Phetteplace, our present experienced mill builder, I think was a pupil of that autocrat, Bishop. Ben Nichols is the prince of the present millwrights, but we are profoundly ignorant as to his "hat meas- ure " and will drop the subject.
We would further remark of Bishop that for many long years he has been Jamestown's "poet laur- cate." Who among the old citizens does not remem- "Florian " of fifty years ago? But one other could have presumed to dispute his precedence. Our late townsman, the amiable, gentle and good Dr. Asaph Rhodes, was the only poet who ever gained the repu- tation of being able to compose a poem, the sense and beauty of which would not be lost whether the read- ing was commenced from the middle or either end. Whenever a new hymn was needed in this locality for some special occasion, we generally find that Eli- jah Bishop or the gentle doctor was the composer.
FANNING MILLS.
Walter Stephens came to Jamestown as a fanning mill maker about the year 1832. He took for a fac- tory a building previously used by Cyrus W. Jackson as a gun shop, and which was situated about the cen-
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ter of where the Bush block is located on the north side of Second street between Main and Pine. After pursuing this business for two or three years, he formed a copartnership with Alonzo Kent and went into the dry goods trade. Afterwards he removed to Jackson- ville, Fla., and erected large saw mills. He died in Jacksonville. Stephens married Matilda Tew, sister of Geo. W. and Wm. H. Tew. Three of his children are living-Emily, wife of Nat. Flint who now resides in Fairbault, Minn .; Antionette Stephens, who resides here; and Edgar W. Stephens of the Columbia grain drill company of this city.
Ed. Reynolds, who afterwards engaged in the scythe snath business, succeeded Stephens in the man- ufacture of fanning mills. Since Reynolds, we know of no one engaged in the fanning mill industry or any other wooden machinery directly for the "raising of the wind;" other methods are now in use.
WAGON AND CARRIAGE MAKING.
Wagon making was not among the earliest indus- tries established in this region. The wagons employed in bringing the pioneer settlers into this country for several years supplied all the conveyance of this kind needed. In winter and, in truth, in other seasons of the year, home manufactured sleds of the rudest con- struction were much used. When there was no snow, the deep, thick mud of those early times was more easily navigated by the broad-runnnered sleds than by any wagon ever built. The settler would go into the woods and select two small saplings with a similar crook, and from these he cut his runners, peeled of the bark and, if he had a shave, flattened the bottoms so that they would present a broader surface to the mud. An axe, a shave, an augur and a jackknife were all the
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tools absolutely necessary to make for himself this primitive conveyance. It was the remark, of Phineas Palmeter, that the settlers as a class never went into any new country so well prepared with mechanical implements as those who came to this. In nearly every log house might be found a small but fairly filled tool chest.
What were termed "jumpers" were very fashion- able in an early day-as a stylish one-horse rig in win- ter. The runner and the thill were made from a sin- gle pole; the pole was half shaved away for a couple of feet where the forward end of the runner was in- tended to be so that the longer remaining part would bend upward to form the thill. Into the runner por- tion of two poles thus prepared two or three holes were bored, into which were driven pins about a foot in length. Two or three strips with holes at the ends for the upper ends of the pins fastened the runners to- gether and made the foundation for the box, for which a crockery crate was the orthodox thing. A young man who had a good horse, a good jumper with a crockery crate for a box, a good buffalo robe or a couple of Indian blankets, with a string of enormous bells to seare the wolves away, was happy-the envy of the whole neighborhood. He could give his sweetheart an extra fashionable ride to the nearest neighbor's, perhaps five miles away, or to the nearest log tavern to a New Year's dance. But the young man generally took his rifle with him, for there were bears as well as wolves in the woods, and he did not care to meet any competition in the hugging business, in the deep forest through which he would have to pass. A very com- mon, all-the-year-around, go-to-mill conveyance, was a small crotehed sapling. A board, perhaps a box,
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was made fast to the crotch, in which the grist was placed. The oxen were hitched to the butt end of this machine, and the crotch end dragged in the mud. From experience we must declare that it was an easier thing to ride on than some of the elliptic spring bug- gies of present times.
The first wagon shop in Jamestown was erected by a Mr. Welch, just above Mrs. Jones's boarding house on Pine street, between Third and Fourth streets, in 1824. The same building was many years ago moved to the side hill near the boatlanding just above Cap- tain Murray's residence, where it yet stands. Patrick Maher lived in the building several years before erect- ing his present residence on the corner above. Sev- eral persons occupied this shop, each for a short time, after Welch abandoned it. Bradford B. Burlin com- menced the wagon-making business in this shop. The firm of Burlin & Forbes afterwards removed to a large building which they erected on Third street. Nelson . Woodford's " white horse" blacksmith shop now occu- pies part of the ground once covered by this factory. They manufactured carriages and sleighs for many years. Isaac Forbes finally retired from the business and Royal D. Warner took his place, and later John B. Rawson, our present Surgeon Dentist. Various per- sons and firms, one after another, succeeded Burlin & Warner in the wagon business. The building finally disappeared in one of our numerous fires. Dana H. Allen, a son of Gen. Horace Allen, and others for several years manufactured wagons and sleighs in buildings on the corner and west side of the present Institute street. Since that time this industry has been carried on at various points in our town. The business has from the first gradually increased in importance until
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it has reached its present dimensions. It should be borne in mind that many wagon shops during this time have sprung up in the surrounding country. The most important and deserving of mention are perhaps those of Busti Corners, Frewsburg and Fluvanna.
TAILORS.
James Dinnin, an Irishman, father of the late Col. James Dinnin of the 9th N. Y. cavalry, and of John Dinnin of Boston, was the first of the clothes-making fraternity to settle at the Rapids. He had not been here long before he erected a building for a shop and residence on the southeast corner of Main and Fourth streets. Before this building was completed he married a daughter of Elias Tracey the celebrated old hunter, and a sister to the wife of Wm. H. Fenton, Esq., and soon after removed to Warren, Pa., and resided there several years, and then returned to Jamestown. Several years ago he removed from Jamestown to Panama and from there to Michigan, where he died. Dinnin in early life was dissipated, but reformed and joined the Presbyte- rian church. He built and resided for many years in the house now occupied by E. H. Danforth, on Fourth street, between Lafayette and the alley.
Loring Johnson was the second of the craft to set- tle in Jamestown. He resided here for many years. Between 1840 and 1845 he removed to Stockton where he died. Johnson resided on the northwest corner of Third street and Prendergast avenue. He built a small residence on that location, and also the pen, from which the bear the writer did not kill, stole the pig.
Noah W. Harrington was the third come-to-stay tailor, and who came to town in the year 1822. Har- rington was by nature as much a comedian as was ever Burton or Emmett. Before he came to James-
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town he was at one time a member of a theatrical troupe. He trained a couple of Jamestown girls and twice the number of young men into tolerable actors, and in the winter of 1824 they gave, in the ball room of Ballard's tavern a most excellent theatrical exhibi- tion. Harrington's personification of Robin Rough- head in a celebrated comedy, the name of which we connot recall, we shall never forget ; and there were those present at that early backwoods performance who had seen good acting in New York and elsewhere, who declared they had never seen any one do Roughhead better justice. In 1823 or '24 there was built on the west side of Main street, fifty feet above the corner of Third street, and adjoining the north side of the build- ing which was first known as Jones's tavern and finally as Shaw's hotel, a two-story frame building, with a wide platform in front of the second story, which was reached by a flight of stairs from the street. We think, but have no positive information, that Harrington erected this building. He had not long been a resident of Jamestown when he chose Capt. Horatio Dix for a father-in-law.
Keziah would naturally desire a house of her own, and Capt. Dix being an indulgent father and a good builder would naturally suggest to Noah the building of the Ark, as it was called in those days. About the year 1828 Ira Couch came to town, and for a time was in company with Harrington. He was a resident of the town several years, and at the close opened a shop on the east side of Main street, in a building still standing, the third above Fenner's shoe store. This house in 1821, and for several years after- wards, was occupied by Joseph Waite, Esq., as a resi- dence and law office ; then by Couch as a residence and shop or store. Still later it was purchased by Dr.
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Asaph Rhodes, who occupied it as a residence and an office. First and last the building has had many occu- pants and is now divided up among several tenants. It is one of the landmarks of the early days which would benefit our most prominent street were it oblit- erated. Couch, after his removal to this location, pur- chased a quantity of cloths and ready-made clothing, and was the first to advertise as a " merchant tailor." He not long after failed and left Jamestown and went to Chicago, which just then was looming into import- ance, and where within the next ten veers he made a large fortune. He became one of the richest among Chicago's monied men. He built, owned and managed the Tremont house and another large hotel, and built a block of stores and several residences.
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