The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 102

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098

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chosen to command the 35th, was a man un- able to lead that grand body of men into action, or to subject them to the proper dis- cipline that should mould them into efficient soldiers ; and so he decided to try his best to gain the command, and become colonel. In this he was finally successful, but he was never safe from the same spirit of intrigue which he had helped to inaugurate, and was at last himself a victim to the spirit of dis- content that always characterized the line and staff officers of that excellent hody of men. After his regiment had participated under his leadership in all of its important battles, his resignation was accepted. This, how- ever, was not done until several of his friends among the officers of the 35th (a two- year regiment), had promised him their sup- port in organizing a cavalry command when the 35th should be mustered out and the men ready in all likelihood to return to the field as veterans, and with a large bounty as an inducement for further service. Accord- ingly the 20th N. Y. Volunteer Cavalry was formed, and Colonel Lord was made its colonel; Colonel David M. Evans (see p. 34), was made lieutenant colonel. This was a large and very able regiment, nearly every person in it having seen hard service at Fredericksburg, Antietam and at Second Bull Run. It was unfortunate for Colonel Lord that he always manifested an unwilling- ness to obey promptly the order of a super- ior. This brought him in contact with the good and amiable General Wadsworth be- fore the 35th had ever been under fire, and was a decided detriment when he came in conflict with General B. F. Butler while the 20th Cavalry was doing duty on the coast, within that General's command. He was deprived of his commission by Butler, and Colonel Evans thenceforth led the 20th Cavalry to the end of its service, sharing in the final winding up of the Confederacy in Virginia.

Colonel Lord became afterwards a railroad contractor, operating in that capacity finally in Chile, S. A., where he had important and valuable concessions from the government. But he was not destined again to see his native land, dying July 14, 1890, in his 59th year. Thus terminated an eventful and stirring life. He married Miss Cornelia Stone, who died in 1882. They reared four chil- dren: Robert, Richard, Kate and Maggie.

He was a man of some excellent traits of character. He was bold and enterprising, but his impatience under restraint detracted from his ability as a soldier, where implicit and unquestioning obedience is demanded at all times. His lineage was first-class, his education fair, but it seems that his success was less than it might have been had he held a stricter and closer rein upon his own will. He had the bearing of a soldier, but his will was scarcely ever in accord with his superior in rank. Had he held a roving commission, like Marion in the Revolution, he might have achieved an enduring success. J. A. H.

476

THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

CAPE VINCENT.

PREPARED BY MAJOR JAMES H. DURHAM.

R. W. & O. R. R. DOCK, CAPE VINCENT.

CAPE VINCENT was erected from Lyme, April 10, 1849, being the youngest of the towns composing Jefferson county. It was named in honor of Vincent LeRay, son of James Donatien LeRay de Chaumont, a dis- tinguished and early proprietor. It embraces the northwest corner of the county, and in- cludes Fox, Grenadier, Carleton and Linda islands. It covers all that territory lying west of a line running from the mouth of Little Fox creek N. 4834º E., 646 chains ; thence N. 57º E., 235.56 chains to the town of Clayton, its boundaries being the St. Lawrence river on the west, north and north- west, Clayton on the northeast and east, Lyme and Lake Ontario on the south and southwest.

The surface of the town is generally level, or slightly undulating until the lake is ap- proached, when the surface is broken into valleys and terraced ridges, showing the out- lines of the lake-shore during an early period, indicating that the summits of the present ridges were islands at a time long past. There are now but few streams in the town, the principal one being Kent's creek, which, rising in the eastern part of the town, flows in a southwesterly direction and empties into Lake Ontario. There are numerous sulphur springs, some of which have been analyzed and found to contain ingredients of great cu- rative power. It is also believed that a flow of natural gas could be reached by boring to a moderate depth, so as to penetrate the same deposit in which the gas supply of Sandy Creek is found, and which underlies the surface-rock of birds-eye limestone. This belief is strengthened by the fact that no less than two wells in the town, one of them on the principal street of the village, were formerly so impregnated with hydrogen that the water was unfit for use; and from

one of them a current of gas sufficient to ig- nite was known to flow.

The earliest settlement within the present limits of Cape Vincent was made on Carleton Island, which became a British trading post of no small importance 119 years ago. In 1778 a strong fortification was begun, and named Fort Haldimand, in honor of Gen. Sir Frederick Haldimand, who succeeded Sir Guy Carleton in command in the Canadas, and by whose orders the fort was built. The island was known to the French as " Isle aux Chevereaux," or Goat Island, but was by the English mistaken for "Isle aux Chev- reuils," (Roebuek, now Grenadier,) and henee for many years it was called Deer Is- land; but on its selection as a place to fortify, the name was changed to Carleton Island. A more detailed account of Fort Haldimand will appear further on.

Originally Cape Vincent was a part of the Alexander Macomb purchase, which em- braced the greater part of Franklin county, the whole of St. Lawrence, excepting Mas- sena and the "ten towns," and the whole of Jefferson excepting Penet Square and 600 acres on Tibbett's Point, which latter was patented to Captain John Tibbett, of Troy, and surveyed in 1799. In the cession to Ma- comb, the State also reserved Carleton Is- land.

The earliest settlement on the main land was made by Abijah Putnam, who came from Rome in 1801, and settled at a point about two miles below the present depot, where he projected a village, and established a ferry to Wolf Island. The place was named "Port Putnam," but can hardly be said to have had an existenee, except in the mind of the projector, until the next year, when Mr. Putnam sold his interest in the vil- lage to John Maeombs and Peter Sternberg, of Little Falls, who laid out the village and proceeded to sell lots. The Great Black River State road was extended from Brown- ville to this point, and, by 1803, had been partially eut out. In May, 1803, Mr. John B. Esselstyn, of Montgomery, settled a mile be- low Port Putnam, and in 1804, Daniel Spin- ning came from Western. and shortly after him came two families by the name of Smith, a Mr. Sheldon, Jonathan Cummings, and several others, whose names eannot now be ascertained, all of whom located at Port Put- nam or near by. In 1806, Richard M. Essel- styn settled near his brother, below the vil- lage.

Port Putnam, as originally laid out by Ma- combs and Sternberg, was intended for a place of some importance. According to one of their maps, yet in existence, it was laid out in the form of a parallelogram, with a public square of about six acres in extent in the center, at the upper end of which, facing

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the river, a space was reserved for public buildings. Parallel with the river was Water street; then First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh streets, and intersecting these at right angles were Green, Montgomery, Herkimer, Washington, Jeffer- son, Clinton and Hancock streets. Pleasant street occupied both sides of the square. In their prospectus, which was attached to and formed a part of their map, Messrs. Macombs and Sternberg set forth some of the ad- vantages of their village as follows : "Lum- ber of all kinds is rafted from this village to Montreal and Quebec on a large scale, taking from nine to 13 days only to make a trip. Besides this, the great Black River State Road from Johnstown, Montgomery county, re- ceiving in its course the roads from Little Falls, Herkimer, Utica and Rome, runs through the middle of this village, and con- nects with Kingston and Upper Canada by ferry."

The attempt, however, to boom Port Put- nam into a place of importance was a failure. Through the influence of LeRay, the site was abandoned for that of "Gravelly Point," where there were already five or six houses, and where, in 1811, he caused a village plot to be surveyed, which was named after one of his sons, as already noted. At this time, other points were designated as "Hubbard's Bay," now Riverside ; "French Creek," now Clayton ; "Catfish Falls," Depauville; "Fish Island," Dexter; and "Long Falls," now Carthage. At this time the families at Port Putnam and below, had been increased by Elnathan Judd, Norman Wadsworth, E. Cole, Caleb Lobdell, Mr. Phelps, William Hollen- beck, Charles Gillett, Orison Butterfield, Zimri Butterfield, Daniel Nicol, Samuel Brit- ton, Abner Hubbard and a Mr. Dodd, several of whom removed to the new village at Gravelly Point.

Eber Kelsey was the first settler on the present site of the village, having come here from Turin in 1809, and cleared for LeRay a tract of 50 acres along the river, built a small wharf, erected a block house, a dwell- ing house, a barn, and also a tavern where the Rathhun House stands ; the block-house being further toward the river. The wharf was at the foot of Market street, and some of its remains are yet visible. Mr. Kelsey came originally from the town of Lyme, Con- necticut, and it is thought that his influence gave our town of Lyme its name. Mr. Kelsey was shortly followed by Dr. Avery Ainsworth, who came from Vermont. He was the first physician here, and built a house and store the same year. About this time Richard M. Esselstyn built a house and store, and began business under the firm name of J. B. & R. M. Esselstyn. Their store was at the foot of James street, where Mr. Richard Davis' coal house now is, and Dr. Ainsworth's store was near where the stone shop now stands, facing James street. That LeRay had early designed Gravelly Point for the site of a village of some size,

there is no doubt; principally because of its close proximity to Wolfe Island and the comparative ease with which Kingston could be reached, but it was not until 1811 that he directed Mr. Musgrove Evans, one of his surveyors, to survey and plat a mile square for the proposed village, which, as after events proved, was amply sufficient, as the present corporate limits, established April 14, 1853, occupy scarcely one-half of the original plat. A ferry was early estab- lished by Eber Kelsey, while as early as 1807 Peter Sternberg secured the exclusive right of ferrying from Carleton to Wolfe Island, which was, of course, discontinued during the war which followed. The busi- ness of lumbering was begun in 1809 by Richard M. Esselstyn and a man from Augusta, Canada, by the name of Murray; they bought their timber from LeRay, manufactured it into staves and hewn timber, and exported it to Montreal. This traffic gave employment to many men, and increased the growth of the village rapidly. The business extended in a short time to the Genesee and Niagara regions, so that in 1810 about 200,000 staves were brought here by water and then rafted to Montreal. At the end of the season 80,000 or 90,000 staves were detained here by the embargo; and when that was taken off, the business of building arks for the Montreal trade became very brisk, and was followed as late as 1811 by the Esselstyns alone, though not as largely as before; and though whisperings of war had begun to make themselves heard, the opportunities for money-making were so great and so attractive, that they passed almost unnoticed; and though the embargo was again laid in 1812, preparations went steadily forward to raft the staves which re- mained of the trade of 1810-11. But the war eame ; the rafting was not done, and the staves were mostly used for fuel by the sol- diers. An extract given below from a letter written by Eber Kelsey to his wife, then in Leyden, Lewis county, will bring the stave trade clearer to view. After acknowledging the receipt of a letter from Mrs. Kelsey, in which she expresses fears for his safety, Mr. Kelsey says: "If you enjoy as much peace as we do, you have no reason to complain, as we have not seen nor heard of any movement of the enemy on the river, but I understand. there has been a British spy boat to Sacket's Harbor, and took a boy from there who was hunting ducks, and carried him to Kingston ; and they have stopped twice at Grenadier Island and tarried some time, but never offered to molest any of the inhabitants. You write that there is no prospeet of peace, but Mr. Esselstyn tells me that there is a pros- pect of an armistice taking place soon, to continue during the negotiations ; and if it does, he has no doubt of trade being resumed on the river soon ; and he is so far induced to believe it, that he is now out to get his staves rafted that lie along this shore, and wants my assistance with team and otherwise ; and

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I do not know but I shall undertake to raft two cribs, so as to save those cribs I made for Taylor, which are yet lying along this shore ; but it will be extremely difficult to get help. He offers me $100 to repair those cribs and fill them with his staves, and also to pay for collecting what staves are scattered." Mr. Kelsey speaks of purchasing the "Kindrick lot," which adjoins one which he has already bought, and on which there is as "good a sugar place as I ever saw ; on which Captain Rogers and Hans Van Housen have made about 800 weight of sugar this season."

Just at this time there were but six or seven families remaining here, the others having removed to escape the probable dangers attending a state of war, the news of which had spread terror throughout the settlement. At the laying of the embargo, Captain Farrer, with part of a company of militia, was sent here to enforce it, and on the breaking out of the war, Major John B. Esselstyn was directed to assemble a body of militia, and three companies were placed here under his command. A company of militia, from the Mohawk valley, under Captain Getman, were stationed here for a time, and also a battalion under the command of Major Allen, with a detachment of rifle- men under Captain Forsyth, a section of light artillery and a detachment of dragoons.

During the winter of 1812-13, a line of sentries was established along the bank of the river, from Tibbett's Point to Hubbard's Bay (now Riverview), which gave rise to a laughable incident, and served to greatly re- lieve the monotony of sentry duty. A corporal by the name of Dean had crossed over to Wolfe Island and made the acquaint- ance of a fair one by the name of Button, after whose father Button Bay is named- and taking her heart by storm, the gallant corporal . brought her away with him, a prisoner for life. One night a waggish sentry, whose love of fun overcame his fear of military discipline, sang out: "Button ! Button ! Who's got the Button ?" "Corporal Dean!" was the answer; which, clear as a bugle note, rang out upon the still air of the night, until forest and stream fairly echoed to the cry of "Corporals," "Deans " and " Buttons."

The soldiers' barracks stood, one building on the corner of James street and Broadway, and another at the foot of James street ; while a building standing on Murray street was used as an hospital. These buildings, together with a store belonging to Henry Ainsworth, and one belonging to the Essel- styns, two or three small vessels, Major Esselstyn's house, which stood below Port Putnam, several barns and a large quantity of lumber, were burned by the British at different times during the war. They also burned a tavern and store, and destroyed an orchard belonging to Samuel Britton, which stood on the farm now owned by Robert Percy, Esq., opposite Linda's Island. In- dians destroyed the house and barns belong-

ing to Dr. Avery Ainsworth, in Pleasant Valley. The Doctor, with the rest of his family barely escaping in time to save them- selves. These Indians came over from Wolf Island. For the most part, the burning and plundering was done by the crews of British gun-boats, which frequently passed up and down the river. One morning, however, just in the grey of dawn, a gun-boat landed at the foot of James street, for the purpose of plunder. The crew leaped ashore, eager to begin their depredations, when they were met by a detachment of Forsyth's riflemen,. who had followed their course up from Port Putnam, and a sharp skirmish ensued, in which nearly all the boat's crew were cap- tured, and several killed and wounded ; only · four or five escaped to the boat, which they got out of harm's way as rapidly as possible. The prisoners were sent to Greenbush-on-the- Hudson, and the dead were buried at the corner of Broadway and Murray streets. It was about this time that a man named Draper, belonging to Captain Getman's com- pany, obtained permission to dislodge a party of Indians on Wolfe Island; but the raid was badly managed, Draper was killed, and, it is said, scalped ; two of his men were wounded, and the party retreated, leaving the victory with the redskins, Just before the British attacked Sackets Harbor, a gun- boat landed at Cape Vincent in the night, and surrounded a private dwelling which stood near the corner of Broadway and Essel- styn streets, where Dr. E. M. Crabb's house now stands, in which were three dragoons from Sackets Harbor; one of them was a Sergeant Moore, who had formerly been in the British service. By some means the enemy had learned that Moore was in the house, and they demanded his surrender, which was refused. They then broke into the house, and Moore, grasping his saber, backed into a corner of the rooom, while his cowardly comrades fled to the chamber. He was an expert swordsman, and so gallantly defended himself, saber against bayonet, that finally the cowardly order was given to shoot him down. It was done, and with his last breath he anathematized both comrade and assailants as the veriest cowards. Some years ago, when the house was moved, the bullet which destroyed the life of the gallant sergeant, was found embedded in the plank- ing.

The Royal George, a British vessel of war, carrying 24 guns, touched at the Cape once, but retired without making any hostile demonstrations, although for a time there was no little excitement, and great fear was expressed as to what would be the outcome of the visit. A boat loaded with flour was captured by the British fleet, while on its way from Cape Vincent to Sackets Harbor, May 28, 1813. Although no great events transpired here, its situation made it a place of much importance.

As already stated, most of the early settlers left the town during the war, and

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not half of them ever returned; and this fact had the effect of greatly retarding settlement generally. Until 1825, Warren Settlement was an untrodden wilderness. In that year Sheppard Warren and his brothers, James and Asa, made a clearing, and were soon followed by Edwin Tuttle, Joel Torrey and John Howland; and not until a still later period was the St. Lawrence region oc- cupied; the first settlers there were Jacob St. Oars, Silas Mosier, Eli Wethey, Horatio Humphrey, Hamilton C. Wallace, Samuel Dillen, Jerome Wethey, Daniel Corse, Charles Cummings and Dyer Pierce. A little later, and the names of Curtis, Camp- bell, Carpenter and Wheeler, appcar among the list of settlers. The settlement was called Rogers' Corners, because James Rogers built the first tavern there; next it was Gotham Corners, and then Crane's Corners- until finally the mail route was established, when, in honor of a Miss Lawrence, of New York, who owned a large lot of land adjoin- ing, the name of Lawrenceville was sent in, hut as there was already a post office of that name in the State, St. Lawrence was finally decided on, and is probably a fixture. In

what is yet known as the "French Settle- ment," the first comers were nearly all Americans, and Yankees at that. Among the first were Thomas Shaw, Samuel F. Mills, Jacob Van Nostrand, Aaron Whit- comb, Asahel and Phineas Powers. These sold out their lands and gave place to a num- ber of French families, whom LeRay or his agents had induced to emigrate to this country, and many of whose descendants still occupy the farms which their fathers and grandfathers cleared in the wilderness.

By 1818-20, Joseph Cross, Benjamin Estes, Dr. Brewster, Dr. Sacket, Captain Merritt, John Vincent, Willard Ainsworth, Captain Caton, Michael Van Schaick, and others, had located in different parts of the town; some of them, it may be, came a year or two earlier; and very soon after came James Borland, Jacob Bedford, James Buck- ley, Abner Rogers, Ira Hadley, Oliver Pool, Philip Gage, Abner Gage, Messrs. Hoff, Van Housen, Marshall, Holman, Pigsley, Con- verse, Hassler, Green, Fuller, and many others, whose names are not now accessible. Most of these were farmers, and many of their descendants are yet living, either in the village or in the adjoining country.

About the year 1815, several educated and accomplished French families located at Cape Vincent. Among these were Count Pierre Francois Real, who was chief of police under the First Napoleon, and his son-in-law, Gen. Roland, Camille Armand, Col. Jer- moux, Prof. Pigeon, private secretary to Count Real, and Capt, Louis Peugnet, of Napoleon's body-guard, and an officer of the " Corps d'elite." That these brilliant and daring, but somewhat reckless exiles, were engaged in a plot to abduct their beloved emperor from the Island of St. Helena, and bring him to Cape Vincent, has something

more than mere tradition to support it. It is but a few years, since there were old citi- zens yet alive who had themselves heard from the lips of these enthusiastic Imperial- ists, that such was their object. Count Real and his fellow-exiles were just the men to entertain a scheme so daring, and which, with the aid of an American sea captain of oft-tried skill and undoubted bravery, they hoped to successfully accomplish.

The letter written by Count Bertrand to Joseph Bonaparte, on the death of Napoleon, shows that the exiles on the lonely island of St. Helena were awaiting a welcome sum- mons from America. After announcing the sad news of the death of his adored chief, Marshal Bertrand says: "The hope of leaving this dreadful country often presented itself to his imagination. We sometimes fancied that we were on the eve of starting to America; we made plans; we read travels; we arrived at your house; we wandered over your great country, where we might hope to enjoy liberty."

As a further confirmation, the negotiations of Joseph Bonaparte with James D. LeRay, for lands in and around Cape Vincent, may be referred to; but a stronger evidence is the building of that unique edifice, known far and wide as the "Cup and Saucer House." This was erected by Count Real in 1816, ostensibly for his own private residence. It was octagonal in form, and crowned with a cupola and tower, the whole combined so closely resembling a cup and saucer, that it gave rise to the name which it ever after re- tained. The house, which stood on Real street, at the head of, and looking down Gruvello street, was burned on the 14th of October, 1867. It was richly furnished and contained many valuable relics of the de- ceased emperor, almost all of which were stolen at the time of the fire-such, at least, is the statement of one who resided in the house at the time. Count Real was an ac- complished scholar and philosopher, and had furnished his house with the best astronomi- cal, philosophical and chemical apparatus of that time, all of which was destroyed. An upper room, containing this apparatus, to- gether with a great number of curios, was known as the "museum." A valuable library and some rare paintings were a part of the contents of the house, all of which were lost.

Count Real, among other accomplish- ments, was a fine musician, and was the owner of a valuable "Stradivarius." On his return to France, the home and its con- tents were left in the care of Mr. Theophilus Peugnet, including the costly violin. On one occasion, at a party given in the village by a prominent lady, a wish was expressed by the young people to have a dance. It chanced that there was a young musician from Watertown present, who was willing to play for them, but he had no instrument, so Mr. Peugnet very kindly sent for the " Stradivarius," and the dance was enjoyed

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by all. When the violinist returned to Watertown he took the violin with him, promising to return it in a short time, when he came again. But he never came. He left Watertown, was heard of occasionally in Detroit and other cities, became dissipated, and died in a short time. The violin was twice heard of afterward, but with so heavy a bill attached that Mr. Peugnet refused to settle it, and so in time it was wholly lost sight of, and now some one probably rejoices in the possession of a " Stradivarius " worth its thousands, and it may be with no knowl- edge of its real value. It is affirmed, but with how much truth the writer cannot say, that there are at this time, many articles in the possession of families living in or near the village, which were once the property of the Bonaparte family. Mrs. Frasier, now living in the village, has a fowling piece which once . belonged to Joseph Bonaparte, and was by him presented to Mr. Theophilus Peugnet, her first husband. She has also a small military camp-chest, which belonged to the Emperor himself, and was by him pre- sented to Capt. Louis Peugnet, and she avers that at the burning of the " Cup and Saucer House," many relics of the deceased monarch were appropriated by some one, but by whom, and where they are, is not known.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 102

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823- Publication date: 1895 Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company Number of Pages: 1098

Author: Haddock, John A., b. 1823-
Publication date: 1895
Publisher: Albany, N. Y., Weed-Parsons printing company
Number of Pages: 1098