USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Ellicott > The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y. > Part 17
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In 1828 Ellick Jones, the oldest son of Solomon Jones, erected a hotel on the south side of Second street, facing Prendergast avenue. It was here that "Sine" (Orsino E. Jones) spent his early boyhood days.
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Mr. Jones's first wife, Louisa Walkup, died here in 1832.
It is fitting that we give a fuller account of Elliek Jones, for he was an important person in the early days of the town. He was born in Dover, Windham county, Vermont, in 1800. When less than 10 years old he drove a team, or did more rugged labor, when his father, Solomon Jones emigrated from Vermont to the wilderness of Chautauqua in 1810. His education was in part, that of our early common schools, but largely in the school of active labor, and worldly ex- perience. A stouter, more rugged, useful young man never trod the wilderness of the rapids; he grew up energetic, inured to hardships, and with expectation of battling with them. He was scarcely 20 when he married and moved into the log house at Jones's land- ing, vacated by his father's moving into the Allen tav- ern in Jamestown. He was early made captain of militia in the 162d regiment, and for many years was known as Captain Jones. After the death of his wife he left the hotel and engaged for a time in the grocery trade, but after the failure of Elder Trumbull # in sup- plying the village with meat, he went into that busi- ness and for many years kept the principal meat mar- ket in the village. He was a very prominent, active, necessary man in Jamestown, far more so than what we write of his pursuits would indicate. He had six children by his first wife who arrived at maturity; five of whom are now living.
* Elder Trumbull had been a Baptist minister. He built the first slaughter house in Jamestown and sold his meat in the slaughter house. This slaughter house was on the southeast corner of Second street and Potter's alley. Wellington Griffith afterwards used it as a barn. Later it was moved back and brick portion added in front for a livery. I believe a portion of the old slaughter house is included in the building now standing there.
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Rufus, his eldest son, became a prominent man in the south. He died many years ago, the awful loss of his family, subsequently, in a burning steamboat on the Ohio is not for us to detail.
Orsino E. Jones, everybody in Chautauqua county and in the surrounding states is well acquainted with. Years hence, somebody will write the "Biography of the Hon. O. E. Jones." If any who now reads this history live until that time, we advise them to buy and read that interesting volume.
Rinaldo was the third of the sons. He enlist- ed into Company B. of the Excelsior Brigade as a com- mon soldier and was among the first to answer to the country's call. He became a Lieuten- ant, but he was not spared to enjoy his hon- ors. It is on Decoration day that we most acutely remember that he gave his young life to his country.
Richard, the youngest son, is in business in James- town.
Calista the eldest daughter has been a prominent teacher in the Union School from its commencement. For over 30 years she has been a favorite teacher in the schools of Jamestown. If she should live to double her age, we doubt not, she would be found "teaching the young idea how to shoot."
Sarah (Jones) Hall is also a teacher of the Union School of whom about the same might be written as of her sister Calista. Her husband, Samuel Hall, died many years ago.
Elvira (Jones) Sterns is the last of this family. Her husband, who died a few years ago, was a most excel- lent man- a man of intelligence, well educated, a ready writer, a great reader. He was a particular
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friend of the writer, and it would please him to insert a memorial of Charles Sterns, but space forbids.
Ellick Jones for a second wife married Harriet De Jean, by whom he had several children, daughters. He died of cancer of the face in 1866. His wife is still living.
During the next few years this hotel had several landlords, the principal one of whom was Rufus Pier, Esq., one of the earliest settlers and previously spoken of as a hatter. Mr. Pier afterwards bought the old res- idence of Dr. E. T. Foote, together with about ten acres of land. Here he resided up to the time of his death. Katharine Blanchar, his wife, died there in The property was after- 1859; Rufus Pier in 1862.
wards sold to the Union School board and the first Un- ion school buildings erected in 1864. The hotel was finally sold to H. H. Loucks, and was destroyed by fire, as Jamestown hotels had been in the habit, in 1862. Mr. Loucks immediately built a new and larger house, reversing, however, the order of things. He erected the house on the opposite side of the street where the barn had been, and the barn where Ellick Jones had placed his hotel.
For several years there was a hotel on the south side of Second street, where Ahlstrom's piano fac- tory now stands. We will record that it was second class, had many landlords, and finally burned up. There was also, several years ago, a hotel on the south side of Warren street opposite to Harrison street, of which also may be recorded-second class, many landlords, destroyed by fire. We might mention other and less important hotels of early days, the most im- portant, perhaps, being the Wilcox house at the boat- landing, which for several years past was the residence
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of Cap't J. M. Murray, chief of police, and upon the location of which his present residence is built. Enough has been already written to show, that from the first year of its existence, Jamestown has been am- ply supplied with that forerunner of civilization-the hotel.
After the death of Elisha Allen in the summer of 1830, the house which he had for ten years made his residence (the Cass tavern) was rented for hotel pur- poses, and like the other taverns frequently changed landlords. The only one we wish to especially men- tion in these remembrances is Willard Rice, the man who demonstrated the practicability of running a hotel in Jamestown on strictly temperance principles. Al- though there was considerable opposition and some grumbling all around, Mr. Rice kept a strictly temper. ance house and with fair success.
During the time Willard Rice was keeping the " Jamestown Temperance House," a good looking, plainly dressed young man stopped with him, stating that he had not much money then, but was looking about for a good place to settle, and expected very soon to in some way earn enough to pay his board bill at least. Rice said he did not look like a swindler or a beggar, and that he could eat and sleep at his house until he got ready to pay. " Young man, I consider that Willard Rice is an uncommon good judge of hu- man natur and you can stay as long as you want to." At supper and at breakfast he sat alone at the table and was waited upon by Mr. Rice's eldest daughter, Mercy. A mutual sympathy seems to have sprung up at first sight between the two, for the young man had not been over twenty-four hours under Mr. Rice's hos- pitable roof, before the young lady was informed that
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he was poor, and was at that time looking around for a place to settle; that he expected soon to find such a place, when he hoped also to find a good looking, in- dustrious girl, as poor as himself, who would be willing to accept him as a husband; and if as successful as he hoped, would in a short time, if energy and industry could accomplish it, be rich. He had given her to understand that he was at the bottom of the ladder, but not discouraged; and should not be as long as he had good health and two hands, but that he must find something to do immediately, and that if nothing else presented he must take to chopping wood or sawing boards, for, to speak the plain truth, he had but half a dollar in his pocket, and must earn some money be- fore he could pay his board bill. She was not long in ascertaining that the young man was an extra fine penman, and suggested the getting up of a writing school, that her own chirography might be vastly im- proved, and that if he would undertake to teach her penmanship she would undertake to aid in getting up a class. The suggestion was a happy one and was acted upon at once. The young man wrote a " prospec- tus" in his best styles of penmanship, which under Miss Rice's direction he circulated among the young men of the village, and to which she added the names of several young ladies. A large class was secured, and the young man's pockets well stocked with half' dollars. This school, one of the most successful ever in Jamestown, was taught in the ball room of the hotel.
The young man had plenty of time to look around in our industrious, growing village, and its rapidly im- proving country surroundings. Log barns were then rapidly disappearing, and near many a dilapidated log
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house, the home of years of weary labor and privations in the past, were being erected plain, neat white houses, these in turn now rapidly disappearing on our rich farms, and giving place to the elegant residences of our rich farmers, the children of the early pioneers. The attractions in and about our village grew upon him rapidly, and he soon made up his mind that if he could succeed anywhere he could succeed in James- town. He had visions of peace, Mercy, happiness and
final wealth. He judged correctly and remained. Some who belonged to that early writing school still think the young man was selfish in drawing up the prospectus ; that it should have read "Mercy Rice's writing school with Alonzo Kent as teacher."
In January, 1834, Mercy Rice became Mrs. Alonzo Kent. For nearly fifty-five years they traveled life's journey together-sharing its joys and its sorrows. This was most assuredly one of those unions founded on love, and mutual esteem, which alone can increase happiness in this life, without adding to its cares and its miseries. They lived-never forgetting that the vow was-"until death us do part."
But the time for the parting came. It was a beau- tiful day in the early summer-the balmy air filled the lungs of all that breathed, with gladness-the birds sang together their sweetest songs. Nature had arrayed herself in deepest green, and decked herself with a thousand painted, fragrant flowers. In the midst of all this loveliness the summons came, and on the 8th day of June, 1886, Mercy (Rice) Kent left the scene of so much earthly joy, for those far more joyous ones of eternity.
That it was the clear-headed Mercy Rice in the background that pointed out to Alonzo Kent that he
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could make a writing school successful, and also pointed out the method of its management no one at the time doubted. If this be so, it was certainly she who laid the corner stone of that fortune which afterwards they together enjoyed.
Mr. Kent has been one of our most active and one of our most successful, business men. In 1834 he com- menced the sale of dry goods in a small and provident way, in what had been previously Shaw's drug store, just above Fenner's shoe store. He soon after entered into partnership with Walter Stephens, previously mentioned as a fanning mill maker, and they added lumbering to their previous trade in dry goods, in which they were successful. Mr. Kent continued in the dry goods trade, either alone or in company with others, until in 1853, when he established the James- town bank. The name after the war was changed to First National bank. He was made president of this bank in 1853, and continued to hold this office until a few years ago, when he retired in favor of his friend, Gov. Fenton. Since the governor's death he again put on the harness of active life, which he continues to wear. Coming to Jamestown in 1832 with fifty cents in his pocket, Alonzo Kent, by energy and strict atten- tion to business, has made himself one of the wealthy men of the county. Formerly it used to be said of Jamestown "It is a busy, active, energetie village." There are but few wealthy men there, what capital they have is in active use and somewhat equally di- vided, They have no poor people; they all work and make their own living." This is no longer true. We now have our men of wealth, and our poor men, too. The wealth has for the most part been accumulated here, and much of the poverty is also of indiginous
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growth. The principal causes of failure here as well as elsewhere, have been intemperance and neglect of business. Want of business tact has been operative in some cases, and misfortunes have blasted the prospects of a few, but these are the exceptions. Intemperance, neglect of business, and dishonest methods, here as everywhere else, have been the great causes of failure. The time has come, or is near at hand, in which the Pearl City must erect her hospitals and asylums. The great factories and the beautiful residences of the in- dustrious, the temperate and wealthy are here, and the time has arrived in which hospitals, asylums, and other elemosinary institutions, gifts of the rich to the poor, of the fortunate to the unfortunate, should com- mence to adorn our beautiful city, speaking to the transient visitor in language louder than words: " We are a happy, fortunate people ; true we have the poor and unfortunate with us, but these are our noble, charitable gifts, erected for their comfort and welfare."
DISTILLERIES.
As taverns and hotels have always been intimate- ly associated with distilleries, we include the latter in this chapter.
Jamestown at an early day could boast of two dis- tilleries; many years afterwards, it had its brewery and its horrible tragedy, now it is thankful that it has neither. The first distillery was built in a dense for- est, in which only a small patch of ground had been cleared, on what now is the northeast corner of Sec- ond and Winsor streets. When but a small boy, our mother occasionally sent us there for " emptins," and well we remember the crooked road, full of deep mud- holes which through a heavy pine forest extended from Prendergast avenue to within a few rods of the
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"still," We have heard it said that the establishment was owned by J. E. Budlong and Walter Simmons, it was conducted by Walter Simmons; and Aaron Tay- lor at first and afterwards by Emeric Evans. The sec- ond distillery was erected on the bank of the outlet a little west of the present gas factory. Who erected it, we have not been able positively to ascertain. Our earliest recollection makes Eber Keyes, (Deacon Keyes) a brother of Royal Keyes, the owner of the establish- ment, but whether this was during or after its use as a distillery, we cannot now say. Its use as a distillery was of short duration. It was closed for several years, and then used as a foundry and machine shop. Mr.
Brown, in his lecture in 1847, makes no mention of this second distillery confining himself to "the first still." We copy from Mr. Brown's lecture read at Jamestown academy in 1847; "The first still erected in this town, was located a short distance north of the
sash factory. The citizens were pleased with this acquisition, believing it would make a market for corn and rye, and give employment for laborers. In those days of ignorance, there were but few who did not patronize it by word, and example too. But it had not been in operation long, before a coroner's jury was called to sit upon the body of a miserable inebriate who had stopped there at night and was dead in the morning. After the jurors had discharged their duty, the body was dressed for the grave and placed on a bench in an open shed on the east side of the still, there to remain until buried. On leaving the still, a bystander said to Gen. Harvey, the coroner, that he never saw a literal laying out before."
CHAPTER IX.
NEWSPAPERS VIEWED FROM DIFFERENT STANDPOINTS -JAMESTOWN JOURNAL-ADOLPHUS FLETCHER- FRANK W. PALMER-COLEMAN E. BISHOP-CHAU- TAUQUA REPUBLICAN - MORGAN BATES-CHAU- TAUQUA DEMOCRAT-J. W. FLETCHER-OTHER EARLY NEWSPAPERS.
NEWSPAPERS, THE AMERICAN COLLEGE.
Whatever may have been our original aptitudes for the acquirement of learning, and however great the advantages we may have enjoyed for its acquire- ment, the truth is now plainly seen and generally ad- mitted, especially in our own country,in which knowl- edge is more generally disseminated than in any other, that the most valuable portion of our education is that we derive from our daily and weekly newspapers. Since the discovery of the art of printing, books have ac- cumulated to a marvelous extent, for we now count them by the millions; colleges have been vastly mul- tiplied, academies are now found in every considerable village in our land, and the common school even in the newest portions of our country, are within easy travel of everyone. Nevertheless the newspaper is the principal teacher of the masses in this country. Our colleges and higher seminaries of learning are abun-
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dantly supplied with the most learned professors, with extensive libraries, and with all the apparatus and im- plements for the most extended scientific research. Our common schools are amply supplied with care- fully trained teachers and all of these educational in- stitutions are crowded with learners. Notwithstand- ing this abundant supply of all means for the higher education, the most valuable and useful knowledge that we gain, from the professor down to the daily toiler on our railroads and in our factories, is gained from the newspapers, and the humble village print according to its size and circulation, is but little be- hind its city competitor in usefulness. Thousands up- on thousands in our land learn to read, with but the single object in view-that they may read the news- papers. We are a nation of newspaper readers and if asked what do you consider the leading characteris- tic of the American we would answer, he can read and write and reads the newspapers. The sovereigns of America are educated and prepared to wield the na- tion's sceptre by reading the newspaper. It teaches us not only politics, political economy and the science of government, but also agriculture, philosophy, his- tory, literature, arts, moral and mental philosophy. Every trade, art or science known to this world in either ancient or modern times is thoroughly ex- pounded and taught in the American newspaper. Our most learned men, poets, philosophers, scientists and statesmen, follow the plow, hammer iron, make shoes, sit in our legislative halls and in the presiden- tial chair. They were self-educated-the newspaper was their text book. The newspaper is the American college which comes weekly or daily to every man's door, the best bulwark of our liberties, the defender
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of the weak against the strong, of the right against the wrong. It is the alarm bell of the nation, and no destructive influence is great enough to stifle its clar- ion tones, until the people have time to examine into the cause. All hail the newspaper; let it continue to speak, and to teach in this country in the future, as in the past. We can endure some evils rather than to limit the freedom of the press. A free press and free- dom will ever advance with clasped hands. May they ever remain free and united.
THE NEWSPAPER A TEACHER OF EVILS.
The newspaper, if we approach it from one side, ap- pears to be the great source of general knowledge, and of highest value, but if we change our point d'appui, and make our examination from the opposite side, it appears as a great hindrance placed in the pathway of virtue and intelligence. In a free country only, can it reach its greatest perfection, as a promoter of knowledge, and as an upholder of the right. Unfor- tunately in such a country, the greatest opportunity is given for the promulgation of truths of evil tendency and of doctrines injurious to society and destructive of national life. It is a tenet of national law that it is a nation's duty to regulate and if necessary suppress all things injurious to the body politic. But how the present evil tendency of our newspaper shall be regu- lated if at all, is a grave question that we have not the ability to answer. An evil crying aloud for abate- ment for a long time, has been the medicine advertis- ing humbug. The advancement of science has called a halt to superstition, but her twin sister credulity is as smart and active as 2,000 years ago. It is certainly true that the sick and afflicted "catch at straws." The
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most barefaced falsehoods, and accounts of impossible cures appear in nearly all of our newspapers. The harm wrought in community not only pecuniarily, but to health and to life is wide spread and frightful. Our newspapers should be melanges of literature, of history and biography, of criticism, of politics, of phil- osophy, of religion, and of everything that the busy community pursue with ardor and solicitude but never of falsehood and deceit.
The idle, vicious and dangerous classes in every community seize the latest paper with eagerness and read it with avidity, for they well know that there is advertised frequently in editorial columns, the latest movements, failures and successes of the idle and the vicious. Passing over the accounts of ball plays, horse racing, cock fighting and encounters without gloves between brutal men, all for the benefit of the blackleg and gambling community, which the mor- alist as well as the religionist and every man's con- science, not thoroughly brutalized, will say are wrong, these worthies find therein the latest scandals. If hap- pily none have transpired in the neighborhood within the past week, the editor does not forget this class, or the reading they so much love, but scans his exchanges and selects two or three cases that occurred in Nova Scotia, Texas, or Timbuctoo for their delectation. Their wants are known and carefully supplied. The majority of our best city pa- pers furnish one page of reading suited to this vitiated taste; and which is spread from day to day before the young people of the country, those who should read something useful, instructive, or at least moral. This kind of reading is beginning to taint all the rest; you cannot keep the meat you eat in the same market
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room in which there is carrion. If we will but look over the files of our newspapers and read the ordin- ary advertisements of our business men we will find they have caught the spirit of boast and untruth of the gamblers, and the advertisers of nostrums and patent medicines. This spirit of deceit, unchecked by the ordinary precepts of true morality, is found even in the columns of our local editors. The spirit of unre- straint and immorality is growing daily more unre- strained and more immoral. Ministers and moralists and editors daily warn us against a certain class of newspapers as well as against our yellow-covered lite- rature, forgetful that the largest heads the hydra wears, are to be found in the majority of our best newspapers. This is a truth few can or will deny. Most proprietors of newspapers admit it. They excuse themselves by saying, "If we should throw out these things it would lower our subscription list one-half." " John make money-honestly if you can-but make money !"
EARLY NEWSPAPERS.
The first newspaper published in Chautauqua county was The Chautauqua Gazette, established as early as 1817 in the then small but thriving village of Fredo- nia. Also the second paper was established there, in the year 1821, the Fredonia Censor, which is now the oldest paper in the county. In 1824 a paper was started in Forestville called The People's Gazette, which two years later was merged in The Chautauqua Gazette under the name of Fredonia Gazette.
The fourth paper was published in Jamestown in 1826 by Adolphus Fletcher, and was called The James- town Journal. The paper has been published unin- terruptedly ever since, and of its Weekly edition is in
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the 61st year of its publication, and the Daily in its seventeenth.
Mr. Fletcher's parents lived a short time in Croydon, N, H., where he was born in 1796, but soon returned to their former home in Worcester, Mass. Adolphus, after spending a portion of his boyhood on his father's farm and in attending the country district school, was entered as an apprentice in the printing establishment of The Massachusetts Spy, which was established before the Revolution, and which ranked among the earliest and best newspapers of the country. He married Sarah Stowe when 21 years of age, and accompanied his father to this county in 1818. The Fletchers pur- chased of Ruben Slayton, the first occupant, the pres- ent site of the village of Ashville. Adolphus Fletcher first engaged in farming, afterwards in tavern keeping and later, in company with Dr. Deming, of Westfield, in merchandise.
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