The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 98

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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His first wife died in 1882, aged 75 years. For his second wife he married Mrs. Frances Jacobs, daughter of Noah Williams, and they have one daughter, Miss Mary F. Keene, aged nine years. At the age of 85, Colonel Keene is a remarkably well-preserved and intelligent gentleman, possessing a cour- teous, genial and kind disposition, enjoying the fruits of a well-spent life, one whom it is a great pleasure to know. He has shown himself a kind husband, an accommodating neighbor and friend, and a good citizen. One could hardly say more of anyone. But in this instance, all that is said of this genial gentleman is true. His manner is gentle, his bearing that of a gentleman of the old school.

COLONEL ZEBULON H. BENTON.

[Copied from Wallace's Guide to the Adirondacks.]

THERE was probably no more romantic, picturesque or conspicuous figure connected with the chronicles of Lake Bonaparte than Colonel Zebulon H. Benton. The accom- panying engraving faithfully represents his appearance in daily life. He invariably dressed with the nicest regard to minute par- ticulars, in peaked felt hat, long black coat and ruffled shirt-every article faultlessly neat. With his fresh, ruddy complexion, clean-shaven face, rich growth of snow-white hair, graceful carriage, and form almost as lithe and perfect, at the ripe age of 82, as if in the flower of youth and strength, he seemed the embodiment of a gentleman of the old regime.

Colonel Benton was born in Apulia, N. Y., January 27, 1811, and the details of his checkered life would fill a book. We can only briefly allude to the following facts :

He was a cousin of Thomas Hart Benton, the great Missouri statesman, and consequently a kinsman of his daughter, Jessie Benton Fre- mont, the noted wife of the famous "Path- finder." In the War of the Rebellion he re- ceived an appointment on the staff of Gen- eral Fremont, but before he could arrange to take the position the General was suspended. He was also a relative of the eminent novel- ist, James Fenimore Cooper. From his very boyhood he led an extremely active life, and before he was fairly out of his teens he was entrusted by his employers with commissions of the utmost importance, which he brought to successful consummation. He was en- gaged from time to time in great enterprises, especially those of land, mining and rail- roading. The capital invested in these some- times exceeded a million dollars. His ven- tures, often gigantic, were not confined to Lewis and St. Lawrence counties, but ex-

ANTWERP.

456 ¢

COL. ZEBULON HOWELL BENTON.

tended into the Canadas, to the Gulf of Mexico, and even into South America. The mines at Rossie, Clifton, Jayville and Alpine are examples of these operations. We are convinced that the Carthage & Adirondack Railway owes its existence to Colonel Ben- ton and to Hon. Joseph Pahud, of Harrisville, N. Y., as they were unceasing in their efforts to establish that line to the Jayville mines.

From the Carthage Republican, Philadel- phia Press and other reliable sources, we

glean the following interesting information : Soon after the arrival of Joseph Bonaparte in this country, he met and loved a beautiful Quakeress, by the name of Annette Savage, a member of a family of high respectability, residing in Philadelphia, descendants of the celebrated Indian princess, Pocahontas. They were subsequently married in private by a justice of the peace in that city. Two daughters were the fruit of this union, one of whom died in infancy. The other was

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

christened Charlotte C. Soon after arriving at maturity, she became the wife of Colonel Benton. Their marriage resulted in seven children. The five surviving bear the appro- prite names of Josephine Charlotte. Zenaide Bonaparte, Louis Joseph, Zebulon Napoleon and Thomas Hart.

Mrs. Benton, having obtained a letter of introduction from General Grant to Hon. Elihu B. Washburn, United States Minister to France, and one also from Dr. J. De- Haven White, the eminent Philadelphia dentist, to his former pupil, Dr. Evans, the dental surgeon of Louis Napoleon, repaired to Paris in 1869. She obtained audience with the Emperor, and received immediate recognition as the daughter of Joseph Bona- parte; and by his imperial will and the laws of France, the union of her parents was con- firmed and her legitimacy established. Hon- ored by an invitation to attend the French court, she and two of her children were there kindly and cordially entertained by the Emperor and Empress, who presented her with valuable souvenirs upon the occasion. Napoleon often expressed great regret that

he did not know his cousin earlier, so that he might the sooner have bestowed upon her children the places to which, by birth, they were entitled. He presented her with her father's palace ; but this was lost through the downfall of the empire and of that ill-fated royal family. Mrs. Benton attended Na- poleon during his imprisonment in Germany, and a short time afterward (1871) returned to America. She was a woman of remarkable beauty and talent, and of most lovely char- acteristics. Her eyes were large, dark and lustrous, and, like the Colonel's, never dimmed by age. Receiving a fine education, in Europe and in this country, she early de- veloped great versatility in writing. Many brilliant articles in various papers and maga- zines were the productions of her pen, and she was the author of a book of rare merit, entitled "France and her People." She died December 25, 1890, at Richfield Springs. Her husband, the subject of this sketch, died May 16, 1893. closing an unique, inter- esting and wonderfully romantic life.

For further information in reference to the Bentons see page 440.

PUBLIUS DARWIN FOSTER,

OF Killingly, Conn., although he has not been a resident of Antwerp since the war, yet deserves mention in this History, for he has left here the impress of his good work.

His grandfather, Daniel Foster, was a pri- vate in the Continental Army, whose youngest son, Wodin Foster, was born in Maine, and,

in 1827 was commissioned a colonel by Gov. Clinton. He married Harriet Gould, and Publius D. was the first child born to them, December 13, 1828. Publius attended the common schools, became a bookkeeper, studied law with Judge Daniel Kellogg in Vermont, returned to Antwerp in 1852, and studied with Bagley & Wright at Water- town until admitted in 1853. Mr. Foster was a member of the first Republican State convention at Syracuse, presided over jointly by R. E. Fenton and J. A. King, which pre- sented the name of Preston King for Secre- tary of State, and Joseph Mullin for judge of the Court of Appeals. In 1862 he entered the government service, having charge of the ac- counting branch of the War Department, un- der whose writing passed bills calling for $1,200,000,000, and he at one time saved the government a large sum in detecting a spurious claim. During the war, Mr. Foster was secretary of the N. Y. State Soldiers' Aid Association, with Hon. R. E. Fenton president. He was a good lawyer, and was admitted to the U. S. Supreme Court in 1870, but retired from practice and left the capitol city in 1876.

In 1857 he married Amanda E. Warren, and three of their four children are now living-Warren Wodin Foster, M. D., Irving Lysander Foster, and Harriet, now Mrs. J. G. Moore, of Chicago. The youngest son, Irving, is a graduate of Brown University, and is a remarkable linguist. He recently refused an offer to teach French, Italian and Spanish at Williams College, and another to teach French and German at Phillips Exeter (N. H.) Academy, and is now studying in Germany.

PUBLIUS DARWIN FOSTER.

457

BROWNVILLE.

THE village of Brownville, aside from the towu of that name, is somewhat difficult to describe concisely. In the early settlement of the county, no town, Watertown not ex- cepted, was more important, and none main- tained, for many years, a more persistent de- termination to be "on top," and become a leading town of the Black River country. The final settlement of the question of loca- ting the public buildings, gave Watertown a greatly preponderating advantage, and though Brownville still kept along a close second in the race for supremacy, her chances steadily diminished. In the days from 1815 to 1840, Brownville had very many able citizens-men who would have come to the front in any community where their lot might have been cast. We name a few, all of them now dead; but they left records that will be long remembered. Col. William Lord was not one of the earliest of these worthies, but he made a more success- ful and determined fight than any of the others-his business life covering two gener- ations. Major Kirby was an ardent friend of Brownville, and maintained the fine style of living originated by Major General Jacob Brown, whose daughter he married. [Gen. Brown will be found mentioned on page 464]. The General had good reasons for loving Brownville, for it was named for him, and there were his "lares and pen- ates," his home, his ambitions-and there nearly all his immediate family are buried, though the General's body rests, we think, in the old Congressional burying-ground at Washington. The Loomis family was a large and important one, the father and all the sons being men of large proportions. Charles K., in particular, was a very able business man, at one time holding a leading position in the management of the Lake Shore (Cleveland & Buffalo) Railroad. He was instantly killed in an accident on the Erie road, some 15 years ago. A peculiarly able man was Mr. Knapp, who started the . manufacture of white lead in Brownville, but who removed to Pittsburg, Pa., dying there of cholera in 1851.

Alanson Skinner, once State Senator, was also an able mechanic, for several years part- ner of Colonel William Lord, subsequently becoming widely known by his stove and machine castings. George I. Knight was a successful and a very enlightened and pro- gressive farmer, living not far from the village. He was scarcely appreciated in Brownville, but he was a courteous gentle- man, worthy of decided praise. One of his sons was for a long time secretary of the re- nowned Franklin Institute at Philadelphia, Pa., the oldest and most distinguished and deserving mechanical institution in America. We might mention others, nearly as able, but the list already given shows that Brown- ville was behind no other town in the char-

acter of its leading men and in its location. Following the departure of these men, there came upon Brownville a period of business depression, which continued for some 25 years, interrupted for a short time by several more or less successful efforts to start up and run the cotton factory. At the present time (October, 1894), the old town gives evidence of some improvement. There is now a pulp-mill in operation, owned by the Outterson Paper Company, Mr. Gotham has a fine foundry, the electric railroad affords easy and cheap access and egress, and the in- habitants feel encouraged to believe that the worst is over, and that the oscillation of the pendulum of business stability having swung so far towards poor times, may now, in its return sweep, bring a protracted season of prosperity. We hope that this ex- pectation may be more than realized.

Brownville was formed from Leyden, April, 1802, and was named in honor of its founder and first settler, Jacob Brown, who afterwards became a Major General in the United States army. The town originally embraced all that portion north of Black river, from a line running from the north- west corner of Champion, north 45 degrees east to the southwesterly bounds of the county of St. Lawrence. LeRay was taken off in 1806; Lyme in 1818; Pamelia in 1819, and Orleans and a part of Alexandria in 1821. It is situated on the north side of Black river and Black River bay, which separates it from Houndsfield and Water- town; is bounded on the north by Clayton and Orleans, on the east by Pamelia, on the west by Lake Ontario, and on the northwest by Guffin's Bay (an arm of Chaumont Bay), and the town of Lyme. The present limits of the town include 33,994 acres. Railroad facilities are afforded by the R., W. & O. Railroad, which passes through the town, with stations at Brownville village and Limerick.

The first town meeting was held at the house of Samuel and Jacob Brown, and ad- journed to Brownville hotel, March 1, 1803, at which the following town officers were elected : Jacob Brown, supervisor; Isaac Collins, clerk; John W. Collins, Richard Smith and Peter Pratt, assessors; J. W. Collins, Ozias Preston, Samuel Starr, com- missioners of highways ; O. Preston, Richard- son Avery, Henry A. Delamater, Samuel Brown, Benjamin Brown, William Rogers, Abijah Putnam, fence viewers; S. Brown, S. Starr, overseers of the poor; S. Brown, Sanford Langworthy, Caleb J. Bates, Syl- vanus Fish, H. M. Delamater, Frederick Sprague, George Waffle, Ethni Evans, path- masters; J. W. Collins, H. A. Delamater and S. Brown, poundmasters.

SUPERVISORS-1803, Jacob Brown ; 1804-5, John W. Collins; 1806-7, Jacob Brown; 1808, J. W. Collins; 1809-10, John Brown;

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1811-12, Josiah Farrar; 1813, John Brown; 1814, Joseph Clark; 1815, John Brown; 1816-17, Walter Cole; 1818, George Brown, Jr .; 1819-20, Hoel Lawrence; 1821-28, Walter Cole; 1829-33, George Brown (of Perch River); 1834-35, Aaron Shew; 1836- 37, Walter Cole; 1838, Mahlon P. Jackson ; 1839-40, Alanson Skinner; 1841, William Lord; 1842-3, A. Skinner; 1844-5, Charles B. Avery ; 1846, A. Skinner; 1847, Charles B. Avery ; 1848, Arba Strong; 1849, Cyrus Allen; 1850, Thomas L. Knapp, C. Allen, special meeting; 1851, Cyrus Allen; 1852, Samuel Middleton, 2d; 1853, Charles K. Loomis. Members from 1854 to 1894 shown on pp. 337-344.

At a special meeting, January 29, 1818, the town petitioned for a tax upon themselves of $2,000, towards building a bridge at Williamstown (Pamelia) village, and another at Brownville village. John Brown, Joseph Clark and Thomas Loomis were appointed commissioners for this purpose. In 1813 a law had also been passed for the erection of bridges, by a tax npon this and adjacent towns.

At the annual town meeting in 1820, which was held at Perch River, after electing a portion of the officers, the meeting adjourned to the house of Edward Arnold, on Penet Square, till the next day. This measure created much excitement, and those living in the southern and eastern portions of the town rallied with all their forces, attended promptly at the earliest moment of the ad- journed meeting, organized and immediately voted another adjournment to the house of Elias Bennet, at Brownville village, on the afternoon of the same day, where the vote for town clerk was reconsidered, and the re- maining officers elected. Being thus robbed of their town meeting, the settlers on Penet's Square and in distant localities de- manded a separate organization, which was readily consented to, and all parties having met at an informal meeting, or convention, at the village, agreed upon a petition to the Legislature, which was acted upon, before another town meeting. The foregoing is a concise statement of the act of "stealing a town meeting," which gave rise to much talk at the time, and about which many fabu- lous stories have been related. It is said that this heinous crime of robbery was made the subject of a painting, that formed a part of a travelling exhibition.

At the town meeting, in 1821, the clerk read three notices for the division of the town, which were not voted. The first was to annex a part of Brownville to Pamelia; the second, a part of Brownville to LeRay, and the third to erect four new towns from Brownville and LeRay. In 1822, a motion to annex Pamelia to Brownville was de- feated.

This town was first explored, with a view of settlement, by Jacob Brown, afterwards a distinguished citizen, who, while teaching a school in New York, had met with Rodolph

Tillier, the general agent for the Chassanis lands, aud was induced to purchase a large tract, and become the agent for commencing a settlement, at a time when the difficulties attending such an enterprise were very great.

[For an account of the efforts made by General Brown and others to settle Brown- ville, reference is made to the extended sketch of General Jacob Brown, p. 464.]

In the fall of 1800 a saw-mill was built at the mouth of the Philomel creek, the mill- wrights being Noah Durrin and Ebenezer Hills, and late in the fall of 1801 a grist-mill was built for Mr. Brown by Ethni Evans, afterwards the pioneer of Evans Mills. A few goods were brought on with the first family, but in the fall of the same year Jacob Brown went to New York on other business, and selected a small stock better adapted to the market. In 1799, a great number came in to look for lands, many of whom selected farms on Perch River and between that place and Brownville, where they commenced small clearings, and made arrangements for removal with their families in the spring. Among these were John W. Collins, Richardson Avery, Nathan Parish, Horace Mathers, and others. In the sum- mer of 1800, a great number settled, and the clearings had extended from the bank of the river nearly half a mile. The first settlers on Perch river incurred an obligation to clear a certain amount of land and build a house.

The surface of Brownville is level or gently undulating. The soil is sandy or clayey loam. Sulphate of barytes is found on Pillar Point, and the vein has been worked to some extent for lithic paint. Upon the west bank of Perch river, a few rods below Limerick, is a cave extending 150 yards into the bank, and 30 feet below the surface. Perch river enters the town in the northeast corner, and taking a south westerly direction, empties into Black River bay. It is a dull, sluggish stream, and the lay of the land along its course is flat, and in many places marshy. A dam was built at Limer- ick at an early day, but it was found to over- flow the flats above and render them un- healthy, when it was removed by order of the court, and afterwards built below.

In 1820 the village contained but 60 dwell- ings, a stone church, school house, two grist- mills, three saw-mills, one fulling-mill, one carding machine, a woolen factory, a cotton factory with 1,000 spindles, a rolling and slitting mill, a trip hammer and nail factory and a number of stores; and there were be- sides these in the town five grist-mills, seven saw-mills, one fulling mill, two distilleries and 33 asheries.

In 1880 Brownville had a population of 2,624. The town is located in the first school district of Jefferson county, and in 1888 had 20 school districts, in which 24 teachers were employed 28 weeks or more. There were 632 scholars attending school, and the aggregate attendance during the

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BROWNVILLE.

year was 57,589. The total value of school buildings and sites was $16,500, while the assessed valuation of all the districts was $1,654,733. The whole amount raised for school purposes was $5,913.19, $3,194.39 of which was received by local tax.

BROWNVILLE VILLAGE, a station on the R. W. &. O. Railroad, is located on Black river, fonr miles from Watertown, has telephone, telegraph and American Express offices, one hotel, several churches, three or four paper and pulp-mills, & foundry and machine shop, two blacksmith shops, shoe shops, harness- maker, livery stable, a general store, two groceries, a dry goods store, and a popula- tion of about 600. Many of the residences and other buildings are constructed of stone, which gives the village an ancient appear- ance.

LIMERICK is a postoffice and station on the R., W. & O. Railroad, eight miles from Watertown. It is located on Perch river, has telephone, telegraph and American Ex- press offices, a hotel, store, a few shops and about 75 inhabitants.

PERCH RIVER (p. o.) is a small hamlet on the river of the same name, and is located in the northern part of the town. At an early day it was known as Moffattville. It has telephone and express offices, a church, a few shops and about a dozen dwellings.

PILLAR POINT (p. o.) is located in the southern part of the town on Black River bay, opposite Sackets Harbor. It owes its name to the appearance of certain rocks along the shore in this part of the town, which the action of the water has left stand- ing, partly supported. A church, a few shops and about two dozen dwellings are located here.

[For full particulars of the various pulp- mills at Brownville and Dexter, see page 193-4, and for full particulars of that great industry on Black river, see pages preceding 193.]

On the announcement of the declaration of war, Brownville became the seat of much activity and excitement, from its being the headquarters of General Brown, who had the personal direction of military operations on this frontier during most of the first season. A hospital was established here, and troops were stationed in the village and vicinity at various times during that period. The greatest alarm prevailed throughout the country upon the arrival of the first tidings of war, but this soon wore away.

The inhabitants living on Perch River, on receiving the news of the war, were greatly alarmed, from their supposed exposure on the frontier, and some of the timid ones re- solved to leave the country. To dissuade them from this, it was proposed to build a block-house, which was forthwith done by voluntary labor, but when completed, only served as a storehouse for the wheat of a neighbor. Some ridiculing the idea of danger, humorously proposed to post them- selves on the brow of some of the limestone

ledges towards Catfish creek, in the direc- tion of Canada, which would give them the double advantages of a commanding posi- tion, and an abundance of material for mis- siles, in case of attack. This had its effect, and after a few weeks' reflection the idea of Indian massacre was forgotten. It will be remembered that many of the older inhabit- ants had realized in their youth the horrors of Indian warfare, and the tales of midnight massacre which they related as they assem- bled on evenings for mutual safety, enhanc- ed, in no small degree, this timidity. Still, the alarms which prevailed in this county were far less than those that spread through the St. Lawrence settlements, and, as after- wards appeared, in Canada itself, where nearly every family along the river had been fugitives from the desolating hand of war, from their adherence to the Royal cause in the Revolution. The apprehensions of both parties soon subsided, and men resumed their customary pursuits, except when occasional drafts or general alarms called out the militia, or the exigencies of the service required the assembling of teams for the transportation of munitions of war. Prices of produce were, of course, extremely high, and from the large amount of government money expended here, the basis of many fortunes in the county were laid at that period.

The first bridge at Brownville was built by Oliver Bartholomew, at the mouth of Philomel Creek, in the summer of 1802, and the price, $1,000, was raised by subscription. This bridge was carried off by the great flood in the spring of 1806, and was rebuilt by Mr. Bartholomew and his sons in 1807, on the site of the present bridge.

The first publie house in Brownville was built by Jeremiah Phelps, in 1805, on the site of the present stone hotel. The latter was built about 1820, by Henry Caswell and a Mr. Emerson, who soon afterwards sold it to a company made up of William Lord, H. Lawrence, W. S. Ely, E. Kirby, I. Shields and John E. Brown. In 1805 John Brown (afterwards Judge Brown) bought the lands on the south side of the river, and built the mills there, and in 1806 the first dam was thrown across the river at that place. In 1805 Samuel Starr built a log distillery down by the brook near his house, where was made the first whisky in town. Nathaniel Peck married a daughter of Mr. Starr, and was in company with him in the manufacture of whisky. He afterwards removed the dis- tillery to what was known as the Nathaniel Peck farm.

Alexander Moffat was the first settler in the vicinity of Limerick, about 1805. A Mr. Smith, Samuel Shelley and Isaac Day were also early settlers here. Mr. Shelley once owned a mill at Limerick.

Among the early settlers in the neighbor- hood of Pillar Point, were Horatio Sprague, Eleazar Ball, Peter and Solomon Ingalls, Mr. Sherwin, Eliphalet Peck, Isaac Luther, Mr.

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THE GROWTH OF A CENTURY.

Burlingame, Daniel Ackerman, Jere Carpen- ter, Jesse Stone, George Rounds, James Douglass, Henry Adams, Samuel Reed, Mr. Fulsom, Luther Reed and Henry Ward. Samuel Knapp bought and cleared up 150 acres of land on the road to Limerick. Jere. Phelps, David Lyttle and Solomon Stone located at Dexter, and later Mr. Willis and Jere. Winegar, and still later Kendall Hursley, Joshua Eaton, Jesse Bab- cock, Sylvanus Pool, John T. Wood, James A. Bell, Solomon Moyer, John P. Shelley, and others.

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The growth of a century: as illustrated in the history of Jefferson county, New York, from 1793-1894, Part 98

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