USA > New York > Chautauqua County > Ellicott > The early history of the town of Ellicott, Chautauqua County, N.Y. > Part 36
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His great faith in the final success of truth, what- ever its source, over falsehood and error, was the day star that guided and controlled all of his actions. It was always his working principle, and he constantly followed it in all the concerns of life. £ He never pa- raded his opinions when out of season, and never thrust them obtrusively forward. He had all the warmth and none of the blindness of enthusiasm ; he was founded in strong convictions and deep feeling, but guided by a sober judgment and a sterling com- mon sense. Always firm in his opinions, he was nev- ertheless timid, and more retiring and unassuming than timid, and for this reason, we imagine, never took that rank which his powers of mind and ability entitled him; and we do know that his great generosity and kindness of heart frequently prompted him to work for the advancement of others to the injury of his own preferment. It was hard for him to withstand the entreaties of a friend when his own advancement was the main impediment in the way of a friend's ac- complishment of his desires. He never coveted office, and always placed others who did above himself, half believing that they were better qualified to fulfill its duties than himself. This was, we think, his weak- ness ; for he had abilities which would have placed him among the foremost in our state legislature, and would have shone in the halls of Congress. But the preferment of friends, guided by a modest estimate of his own powers, he could not master, and resulted in placing persons of less ability in stations he should have occupied. He never sought or asked for high station for himself, and was never envious of the suc- cess of others.
John A. Hall's rule through life was to do well
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everything he undertook; and he always hesitated at placing himself in situations in which his powers would be taxed in new and untried ways. For ourself we unhesitatingly say : that as a fully rounded man-by which we mean as a domestic man, as a son, as a hus- band and as a father-socially, as a neighbor, a citizen, as a member of society and of the state,-in morals, religion, and politics, he was, and is, our beau ideal of a perfect, "full-orbed " man. In all things he yielded to his sense of what was just and right, and to the greatest public good. One writing of him at the time of his death speaks of him as the good man-as one who never did another a wrong intentionally-that he honored virtue and purity, and the trend of whose nature was constantly upward-that all of the rela- tions of his life were most admirable-and that his ex- ample should be constantly held up as worthy of men- tion. He was correct and prudent in his business habits, frank in utterance of opinions, and a supporter of all reforms the purpose of which was to improve the condition of society, or to meliorate the condition of man. One of Mr. Hall's prominent and most shin- ing virtues was his forgiving spirit. Forgiveness was never withheld from the person who had wronged. him and asked to be forgiven-and the forgiveness accorded was full, hearty and without mental reserva- tions. On the contrary, if he had unintentionally in- jured any one he was not satisfied until he had most fully asked forgiveness for the fault.
Dr. Townsend, in his funeral discourse, says: " He never carried bitterness in his heart; and when he had done wrong he was magnanimous enough to say, I have done wrong; I desire your forgiveness. In his religious beliefs Mr. Hall inclined to the sunny side of
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Christianity, and believed from his youth that there was an eternal hope for all mankind."
It was a beautiful thing that the wife and mother, after so many years of faithful companionship, sur- rounded by all their children-save one who had gone before-were permitted to be present at the passing away of the husband and father. And among the many floral tributes that clustered about the casket in which he was laid, was one of most touching beauty and expressiveness. At the head was a pillow of rare white flowers with " FATHER " in purple immortelles across the center. How sweet the thought of passing to one's final rest in the midst of such a display of filial affection.
What was written by Mr. Shankland of the Jamestown Standard, at the time of his death, so ac- cords with our own views, and is so much better ex- pressed than we can do it ourself, that we transcribe what he wrote here. It is a beautiful, truthful and deserved tribute:
"The qualities of Mr. Hall were of a kind to read- ily inspire friendship, particularly so among those who were anyway intimately associated with him. His nature was in every sense kindly, and generous, and it was easy for his sympathy to be aroused and to lean out with warmth of expression towards those who were depressed by misfortune or grief. It was one of his strong characteristics that no rival jealousies ever swayed him. He was pleased with the success of others, and enjoyed their well doing. His feelings were based on the golden maxim of doing and acting ' unto others as he would have them do unto him. His heart was expansive and broad in all the kindly emotions towards his fellow man, and his faith was
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large in the uprightness and stability of humanity. He believed that the good predominated largely over the bad in mankind, and he never was disturbed by imaginary fears, nor the croakings of others. His temperament was of the sanguine order, and he was easily moved to enthusiasm. This characteristic was no more conspicuously displayed than in the warmth of his friendship towards those of his chosen circle of intimates and old acquaintances and neighbors, and gave life and feeling to any cause that he espoused, making him a genial and entertaining companion. Mr. Hall was a man of strong and well guided emo- tion, which at times, perhaps, reflected qualities which gave a force and strength to his action and opinions, but he was sensitive and careful not to intrude by unjust or ungenerous conduct on others. As a neigh- bor and citizen he was considerate and obliging, and his genial, frank and modest demeanor inspired re- spect and commanded friendship. He was liberal and generous in his views, intelligent and entertaining in his conversation, and thoroughly democratie in the simplicity of his habits and manner. These were gifted qualities to make friends, which were aided by the glowing warmth of his nature. In the family cirele he was the affectionate and kindly husband and father, and in the community he was progressive, en- terprising and thoroughly loyal to its best interests."
The Dansville Advertiser says of him: " A man of pure and noble nature, of quiet, simple habits and retir- ing nature, comparatively few knew the worth of the man, and these he drew towards him as the magnet draws the steel. To us his death seems like the death of a member of our own family. He led an honorable, useful and successful life, in the highest sense of those
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terms ; honest, courageous, pure-hearted, he lived fo the betterment of his kind."
The Elmira Advertiser speaks of him in these words : " Western New York has met with an irrepar- able loss in the death of John Adams Hall, editor of the Jamestown Journal. At the age of seventy-two years this earnest-minded, upright and exemplary man, this able, conscientious journalist, this model hus- band and father has gone to his rest and reward. His name is honored wherever it is known, and the good example of his life is emphasized to all who saw its purity and strength, in the peace and resignation of his Christian death."
From many different sources we might select mentions of John A. Hall in similar language. As a farmer, as a merchant, as a man of business, as a jour- nalist, and as a public servant, there is nothing to be said of him but the highest praise, In this memoir it has been our attempt not to speak of him as a man of business, but as a private citizen and as a member of society ; for truly it may be said, he adorned private life.
In March, 1835, John Adams Hall was married to Emily Perry, who survives him.
To John A. and Emily (Perry) Hall were born seven children, all now living but Henri, who died after attaining adult age. The names of the children were as follows : Marian, Ann Eliza, Edward L., Henri, John A., Irene A, Fred P.
On the evening of the 29th of January, 1886,. peacefully and without pain, John Adams Hall, in the evening of a long life, surrounded by his family, passed from earth and entered upon eternal rest. In the full sense of the words he was the
MODEL CITIZEN AND TRUE FRIEND.
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THOMAS W. HARVEY.
At the time we wrote our chapter VI, in which is mentioned the early blacksmiths and other artisans of the country, we were laboring under the erroneous im- pression that there was no one of the Harvey family living. We were informed immediately afterward that Hayward A. Harvey was not only living, but also a man of importance in New York; that as an inventor he had a reputation as world-wide as his father, the General. That his residence was in Orange, N. J., and that he was President of the Haryey Steel Works in Wall Street, New York City. We sent him a few pages of Chapter VI, which elicited a reply in which he stated that he well remembered the persons, and many of the transactions therein mentioned. That they had served to bring back vividly to his memory happy days of boyhood, when he was one of the Jamestown boys and his father was the village blacksmith. He also expressed his regret that we did not know more of his father after he left Jamestown; spoke of his own numerous inventions, and concluded by saying there
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were errors, which would not effect the value of our work, but which he thought it would be well to correct if not too late. We wrote to him immediately that the work was too far advanced to obtain from him the necessary data and put them in shape for publication, that within ten days, at the farthest, all would be in type, but desired him to send the corrections he had mentioned. The letter herewith published, received last evening, was the reply.
What we here write can scarcely be called a me- morial, but we desire to add a few more words to what we have already written of Thomas W. Harvey, and must place it here, or exclude what we wish to add, altogether. We desire to bring into our memory once more-the General, Aunt Melinda, and their children, as we remember them and so frequently saw them in the long ago, in that old house, which was their home for more than twenty years. That old house is most indelibly painted on our memory. The General built it himself, with the royal assistance of Royal Keyes. Old Father Hart put up that monstrous stack of chim- ney in the center, with those two immense fire places, the one looking north into the living room, and the other south into the spare room; the unplaned clapboards painted by the hand of time a dark brown, slightly streaked in places with a lighter color; the windows, of the then orthodox size and shape, with two sash to each opening and each opening containing twenty-five panes of 7x9 rainbow glass, not one more or less. We well remember those two blocks on which was a piece of plank for door step, the large heavy front door, a compromise between a panel and a batten, and that heavy fancy door handle of Harvey's own make-the door opening against Hart's stack of chimney-turning
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north we gained the living room-turning south we entered the spare room-which was seldom used un- less some visitor occupied the spare bed surrounded by curtains, which stood in one corner.
In those days door handles were of all possible sizes and shapes for outside doors, and were manufac- tured for the most part by our own village black- smiths ; but to our liking some of the handsomest were the work of the carpenter. Knobs of what we now term porcelain were then unknown. We do re- member in primitive Jamestown one door knob, that was a small brass affair, and but few knew how to man- ipulate it-whether to twist, push or pull, and was a great vexation to people in those days, when you en -. tered a man's house by the command from within " come in;" so much so that the owner was known as "the man who lived in a house with a knob on the door." Weremember Gen. Harvey's house perfectly, but we cannot realize, what is certainly true, that the grade at the crossing of Pine and Third streets is now twenty feet or more lower than it was then. At that time the boys could slide down hill both ways on Third street from Pine, which then was a ridge, divid- ing the town into an east and west portion.
General Harvey took great pride in military mat- ters. He was a proud appearing officer, and always perfectly dressed for the particular post he occupied. Nevertheless, as a military officer we believe he was fully equalled by his brother, Col. Charles R. Harvey.
It was our intention to add a chapter on our early militia trainings, but found that our space would not permit. It then was but a short time after the closing of the war of 1812, and the military spirit ran high. Thomas W. Harvey, soon after he came to Jamestown,
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organized what was known as the Green Rifles, be- cause of the color of the dress-which was a sort of frock made of a coarse, soft kind of green flannel. The frock reaching to the knee-with pants or leggins to match, and these bordered with a short, thick, black fringe-wide black belt with large silver clasp in front, containing bullet pouch, tomahawk and scalping knife-very large powder horns, attached by red cord, which slung the horn on the right side-hard wool hats with narrow brim, large brass plate in front and tall, heavy red plumes. As some would now express themselves, they did look "just splended," " too sweet for anything." Harvey took great pains in drilling and disciplining this company of savages. We well re- member when the boys on training day morning would watch near the house for Captain Harvey's ap- pearance, and when he came out would shout, " There comes Captain Harvey." Before he had reached Pot- ter's Alley there would be a salute from a drum corps down at Allen's tavern, and where you could not see a green uniform one minute previous, you would see a hundred savages, brandishing their tomahawks and giving the characteristic whoop-and before the drum corps could march three rods to their place on Third street east of Main, every member of that company would be in their proper places in line. It was a proud company; they had a proud Captain, but neither the Captain or the company were half as proud as those early citizens of Jamestown who watched their move- ments. After Harvey left the company it began slowly to lose in discipline, and when the old military organization a dozen years later gave place to the new, it was in the last agonies of dissolution.
And we remember that wonderful sham fight on
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"General Muster Day," up among the logs and bushes where Frank E. Gifford's residence now stands, and where Capt. J. E. Budlong with his "Infantry," and · the "Floodwood," under Capt. Ellick Jones, whipped the Indians and took Old Tecumseh (Capt. Harvey) prisoner, and marched him back across the "flut" and over the bridge and up Moin street-the Green Rifles following, whooping and yelling and firing their guns and brandishing their tomahawks, as if they were de- termined to rescue their chief-and we were in hopes they would-but that was not a part of the " sham."
To Thomas W. and Melinda (Hayward) Harvey," were born five children. There may have been others who died in infancy-we are not informed-but these the General lugged off with him when he removed to New York.
1. ARTEMESIA-who about the time of the re- moval became the wife of Rev. Amos P. Hawley, the eldest son of Alpheus and Keziah (Berry) Hawley.
2. VESPASIAN .- Our old friend, Hayward, must excuse us for here giving an anecdote of his father- we have the opportunity, and as is usual with us, we cannot forego the pleasure of resuscitating those inci- dents which it would, perhaps, be better to forget. Gen. Harvey was among the earliest members of the Con- gregational church. At the time under review, good old Father Spencer feared the General was using more of the goods manufactured at our then flourishing
* See note on page 148.
Mrs. Thomas W. Harvey belonged to the Vermont family. She was a sister of Mrs. Solomon Jones. Many years afterwards Keziah (Berry) Hawley became the second wife of Gen. Harvey.
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" still" than was for his welfare, and had cautioned him on the subject. . He feared that Brother Harvey, if he had not then, would soon wander from the fold, and as he was sent into the wilderness as a shepherd to look after wandering sheep, he considered it was his duty to caution him. He was afraid he was getting more spiritual consolation from the corn field than from the old Academy; that the worm of the still was drowning the still small voice, etc. Harvey's answers were evasive, and not up to Father Spencer's theology. Spencer was quick witted, and was as noted for his waggish and sharp reproofs as for his earnest, faithful preaching, and as an old Revolutionary officer, was more of a general than the General himself. In due time Harvey and his wife presented their infant son for baptism. Spencer asks, " What name do you give this child ?" The answer was, " Vespasian." " Dissi- pation, Dissipation ?" "No, Vespasian," says the General, with a little more voice, getting red in the face. "Dissipation, I bap-" "No, no-Vespasian, I tell you," roars the General, in his deep, bass voice, a streak of mad at the same time running through the deep red of his face. The child was baptized Vespa- sian; Father Spencer all the time well knowing what the name was. As soon as the services were closed, Spencer quickly disappeared, mounted his horse, and was not seen until his next quarterly visit. To cap all, the sermon Spencer had selected to be read on the next Sunday morning, was on the great virtue and re- wards of temperance, and Deacon Deland called upon Gen. Harvey to read it. He came forward and read the sermon, not knowing the subject. The General at that time was the favorite sermon reader; his deep, strong, bass voice filled the old Academy, and every
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one was pleased when he was called upon to read. Those who heard that sermon read were accustomed to say that Harvey never read so well in his life ; it seemed as if every word of it came direct from his heart, and it reached the hearts of those who listened. General Harvey never entered that Distillery after- wards but once, then officially as coroner .*
3. HAYWARD A.,-the third child, was one of our bright, active, mischief-loving boys of the early days -when Jamestown was a boy's paradise. He must have sadly missed the old haunts for years after leav- ing them. We have not seen him since the spring of 1842. He was then treading in his father's footsteps, and now is the father of eighty important inventions (patented) of his own, in this country, and twenty of world-wide reputation, for which he has patents re- corded in Europe.
We received a few days ago the photograph of an elderly, white whiskered, bald headed, quite good look- ing personage, sent as that of Hayward A. Harvey. We know we are growing old-but to pass that old man upon us as the true likeness to-day of the boy who. knew every crook and turn of Jamestown streets when he was fifteen years old-don't work with us-it is un- satisfactory, and we have laid it away to take its place in our album of the early inhabitants ef Jamestown- to be deposited with the Historical Society for future reference.
In compiling this history of the early days of Elli- cott we have most assuredly learned this-that many years ago, if not now, Jamestown was a great place to be born in, if not to live in. The number of full-
* See page 230.
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sized, full brained, useful and eminent men that were born and have gone forth from Jamestown and vicin- tiy is something wonderful. They are witnesses for what we have contended for all through this volume, that Chautauqua county was peopled in a very differ- ent manner from what most new countries are. Our contention has been, that the first settlers of Chautau- qua, for the most part, were the best members of the best families-the descendants of the Pilgrims of New England and the Dutch families who peopled the val- ley of the Hudson. They were the sons and daughters who claim the nobility of having descended from the first-the Pilgrim Fathers to the northern portion of these United States.
4. OLIVE-Was but a child when her parents re- moved from Jamestown. In 1841 we were for several months an inmate of General Harvey's house in New York. Olive was then just blooming into womanhood. The most beautiful, the most accomplished, the most noble girl we ever knew ;- but the destroyer had set his seal; and a few years later she went home.
5. CHARLOTTE .- We feel positive this was the name. A very young child when her parents left Jamestown. We know nothing of her history.
HARVEY STEEL COMPANY, New York, Feb. 2, 1887.
DR. G. W. HAZELTINE, DEAR SIR :- I thank you for your pleasant mention of my father, the late Gen. Thomas W. Harvey, who spent the early days of his life in your town, and in which I was born. My early recollections are of Jamestown, and you mention many
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occurrences in your book that come up as old memo- ries and old acquaintances in my mind. I most sin- cerely regret that you did not know more of his great labors in later years. In addition to his machines for making screws and pins, he invented a number of im- portant and now indispensable machines that are used the world over. In truth there is no man who has originated more useful machinery than he, and his reputation has become world wide.
His electric Motors were not quite the failure you represent; he lived to astonish New York by putting in motion an amount of machinery requiring a heavy steam engine to run it. He lived to demonstrate the feasibility of Electricity as a motive power.
Mrs. Hawley became my father's second wife. She died, as you state, from injuries received at Norwalk, May 11th, 1853. My father married for his third wife Miss Sarah L. Cowles, of Connecticut.
My father died June 5th, 1854. His widow is still living.
Very truly yours,
HAYWARD A. HARVEY,
Harvey Steel Works, 52 Wall St.
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ALEXANDER THOMPSON PRENDERGAST.
Alexander Thompson Prendergast, the only child of James and Agnes (Thompson ) Prendergast, was born in Pittstown, Rensselaer Co., N. Y., February 3d, 1809, and died suddenly from apoplexy at his home in James- town, August 1st, 1885. His only son died before him. He was the last of his family. With him the family of James Prendergast, the founder of Jamestown, be- comes extinct. He was the worthy son of a most noble parentage. He was a man of rare intelligence, sound judgment, unbounded generosity, and unswerving in- tegrity.
What is Goodness ? We may not be able to men- tion all of those attributes of the human soul which enter in to the make up of the truly good man ; and if we have ever been fortunate enough to know such a man, our description must always fall far short of our estimate of him. We can never paint such a char- acter, and then looking at it say it is the true image of the good man; there will be imperfections not seen in the original. We do not urge that Alexander T. Prendergast was perfect, without fault or blemish, but we do know that goodness was his great, overwhelming characteristic, which stood forth prominent and fore- most among his many noble traits and virtues ;- the prominent features of his mind may after a time be forgotten-but those of his heart will live forever. If we should attempt to point out any weakness or blem- ish in his character, as exemplified by his life, it would not militate against the perfectness of his goodness, and we shall not attempt to describe that of which the
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world sees too little-to write a full description. Never- theless, he was in the highest, best sense of the words, " A GOOD MAN." He represented a class of men of whom there are few, indeed, in this world, on whom all eulogy is lost. A class, of whom the mere record of their good and generous deeds is far superior to the highest eulogy -- and of whom the record is impossible, for good deeds were their constant, daily life. Of such men all writ- ten memorials are tame and unsatisfactory to those who were witnesses of the noble lives they lived and of the generous deeds they performed. After reading the most carefully prepared memorial of Alexander T. Prendergast, there will arise in the minds of those in- timately acquainted with him the feeling that full justice has not been done to his memory ; that there is something that should have been said that has been omitted; something that should have been written that has not been ;- forgetful that the good deeds of such men fill their whole lives, and that a few short sen- tences cover the actions of the whole life. There is nothing more difficult than to prepare a fitting remem- brance of the truly good man, of one who loved his neighbor as himself, of one in whom there was no guile ;- of one in whose whole life there were no dark streaks of envy, malice, or uncharitableness, or wrong doing, to serve as a sombre back ground to the truthful picture you may draw of a pure and useful life. The contrasts of light and shade are wanting.
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