Cornell University Library F 127 .E6W58 v.1 Our county and its people. "Il'llll Ml 3 1924 025 959 226 CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Albert R. Mann Library Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924025959226 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE A Descriptive Work on ERIE COUNTY NEW YORK EDITED BY TRUMAN C. WHITE VOLUME the boston History Company, publishers i8g8 INTRODUCTORY. It is not thought by the editor or the publishers of this work that apology is demanded for either its production or its character. While various attempts have been made in past years towards placing in per- manent form the interesting history of Erie county and the Niagara frontier, it is generally conceded that such attempts, although em- inently worthy in some of their features, have not as a whole resulted satisfactorily. In undertaking the preparation of a work bearing the title, "Our County and its People," as a successor to such books of local history as previously have been issued, the editor and his assist- ants chiefly realized their position and the burden of responsibility they were assuming. It was fully comprehended that if a favorable verdict was desired and expected fro.m readers it could be secured by nothing less than a publication that would stand as the best of its kind, containing a complete, comprehensive, and reasonably correct historical and biographical record of the county, in which the objectionable com- mercial features of many local works should be substantially eliminat- ed. An earnest, painstaking and conscientious effort has been made by all who have shared in this task to reach that high standard. It re- mains with the public to determine how far the effort has been suc- cessful. To those whose ancestors settled and who have long dwelt in this locality; who have figured in its memorable historical incidents or shared in its important events; who have watched the growth and contributed to the welfare of a community ; who have aided in develop- ing its great industries and founding its great institutions, the skillfully- told history of the region will have a peculiar interest and charm. Events and objects long familiar, perhaps, gain a new and more vivid fascination when the story of their creation or occurrence is placed upon the printed page, possibly linking them closely with vastly more momentous events of early times. The often -rehearsed story of a local iv INTRODUCTORY. battle ground is read with renewed interest by one who learns that his neighbor's sire or grandsire there shed his blood. A road so often traveled that its every feature is permanently pictured on the mind's eye, becomes more than a familiar highway when the reader learns its history as an early Indian trail. The very hills and valleys and streams assume a new aspect when the historical record peoples them with the men and women of long ago. These are facts which enhance the value of all properly prepared local history and biography, through which the reader is made acquainted with the past of his dwelling place and its vicinity, and in which are preserved records that no com- munity can afford to lose. Local history bears to general history a similar relation to that of a microscopical examination and one made with the naked eye. In other words the former must take cognizance of a multitude of minute de- tails which of necessity must be passed over in the latter. Minor facts of little value in themselves, often assume great importance when con- sidered with their attendant circumstances and surroundings. It is the gathering, compilation, and arrangement of these minute details that demand patience, time, and skill. Descriptions of local events, unless of paramount importance, frequently went unrecorded in early years, thus doubling the task of obtaining them at the present time. The placing on record of hundreds of dates and thousands of names is alone a long and arduous task and one demanding the utmost watchfulness and care to prevent error. Harsh criticism will, therefore, be tem- pered with mildness by the fair minded reader who may find a single error among a myriad of correct statements. The historical record of Erie county, which was until a comparatively recent date a part of Niagara, the latter including most of the western frontier of the Empire State, is replete with tales of stirring events and picturesque scenes. At various periods the fate of the whole country seemed to depend upon that of this frontier. The Niagara River saw the advent of white men almost contemporaneously with the landing of the Pilgrims on the rugged coast of Massachusetts Bay. Before and during the long struggle of the European powers for su- premacy on this continent the territory of our western frontier was peopled by the bravest and most warlike of the aboriginal nations who made it their battle ground. Across and near the territory of Erie county led some of their most important trails, and close at hand in later times were established some of the principal trading posts where INTRODUCTORY. v the white men initiated them into doubtful expedients of barter and too frequently prompted them to habits that eventually contributed to their downfall. The storied Niagara, with its mighty cataract, became a waterway of the highest importance during the struggle for con- quest in the western world, and upon its banks were laid the founda- tions of cities that are only just beginning to realize the greatness of their future. In later years, after the Revolution had given birth to the new republic, and when the young nation was drawn into a second war with the mother country, this frontier was the theater of mo- mentous events which were powerful factors in bringing the contest to a successful close. No pen, however facile, can do justice to the story . of the burning of Buffalo village in 1813, and the mad flight of its frenzied / inhabitants. It is almost equally difficult to portray in words the marvelous development of the city that is rapidly extending its bound- aries far beyond the site of the ruins of 1813 and drawing within its gates a vast volume of human activity. In the preparation of these volumes it was not expected that very much new material would be discovered. The historical field has been many times worked over, though frequently in a fragmentary or dis- connected manner. The dominant purpose has been to so compile and arrange the story of the frontier and the later development of the locality as to give the reader a continuous narrative and save him the task of searching through many incomplete volumes in scattered libraries for what he may here find. Chronological sequence has been preserved in the narrative as far as consistent, in preference to a gen- eral classification of subjects, in the belief that through this method the reader will be better enabled to follow the course of events as a whole. This plan has been followed even to the insertion in the body of the work of- records of most of the settlements and early events in the various towns and villages of the county, leaving for treatment in the final gazetteer of towns only some of the features of modern de- velopment and present condition. Separate chapters have been given to only those broader and more important subjects of the professions, legal, medical and educational, the press and the German population, and institutions of the county. To the Indian occupants of this region only brief space has been accorded. The reason for such a course is apparent; the subject was long ago substantially exhausted. There is no library of any importance that does not contain scores of volumes on the subject, written by men who made a life study of the history of vi INTRODUCTORY. the Indians, to which all readers can have access. Moreover, a treat- ment of the matter much more comprehensive than is here attempted would require a volume in itself. It is impossible to perform the otherwise pleasant task of expressing gratitude to the many who have given substantial aid during the prep- aration of this work; but it will not be out of place to mention a num- ber of those who have been prominently identified with certain of its departments, among whom are the following persons: Dr. A. L. Bene- dict, who rendered valuable assistance on the chapter devoted to Indian archaeology; Dr. William Warren Potter, on the chapter devoted to the medical profession and medical institutions ; William Keilmann, in the preparation of the history of the Germans and their institutions ; Prof. Henry P. Emerson, and his office assistants, on the history of educational institutions; Hon. James M. Smith, in revising the chapter on the bar of the county; the heads of departments of the city govern- ment, pastors of various churches, assistants in the several libraries of the city, and a multitude of others throughout the county. To all of these the gratitude of editor, publishers and readers is due. Especial thanks are due to H. Perry Smith for his indefatigable services in gathering the material used in these volumes, and for inval- uable assistance in its compilation and in the editorial labor. Mr. Smith has had large experience in similar work and in this connection his services have been indispensable. CONTENTS CHAPTER I. DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. The Original Divisions of New York State — Genealogy of Erie County — Situation and Boundaries of the County — Its Topography and Geology — Lakes and Streams — A Part of the Domain of the Senecas — Cession of Indian Lands — Under British Dominion — As a Part of the Holland Purchase — Its Survey. _ 1-21 CHAPTER II. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. Characteristics of Indian Archaelogy — Local Indian History — Aboriginal Occu- pants in the Vicinity of Erie County — Conquests of the Senecas Over the Eries and Kahquahs — Seneca Villages — Remains and Relics of the Senecas — Burial Places and Earthworks — Geological and Archaeological Antiquity of Buffalo Relics — Sites of Indian Occupation Around Buffalo — Description of Various Kinds of Relics— Conclusion 22-39 CHAPTER III. 1534—1697. Struggle of Three European Powers for Conquest of the Western Continent — Accidental Discoveries — Cartier's Explorations — Basis of the French Claim — Champlain and His Encounter with the Iroquois — The English Claim — The Plymouth Company — Henry Hudson's Discoveries — Basis of Dutch Claims — Richness of the Fur Trade — Coming of the Jesuits — French Colonization — Dutch Aggressiveness in Fur'Trade — A New Era for the French — La. Salle and His Success — Building of Fort Frontenac — La Salle's Patent — His Arrival at Niagara — Building of the Griffin — Death of La Salle— French War with the Iroquois — Niagara Abandoned — Treaty of Ryswick _ 40-61 CHAPTER IV. 1698-1748. Continued Tentorial Contention between France and England — Renewed Vigor in the Fur Trade — Beginning of Queen Anne's War — Importance of Niagara viii CONTENTS. as a Military Post— Treaty of Utrecht— Building of a Picketed Post at Niag- ara — Opposition by Governor Burnet of New York — Restriction in Sale of Indian Goods by the English to the French — Erection of Fortified Post at Oswego by the English — French Opposition to the Work — Attitude of the Iroquois — Building of a Stronger Work at Niagara — Rivalry between Os- wego and Niagara — Beginning of Another War — Its Relation to the West- ern Frontier — Joncaire's Influence — Treaty of Aix-la-Ghapelle 62-71 CHAPTER V. 1749—1755. The French Position Strengthened — Results of Competition in Fur Trade — Im- portance of Oswego — Building of a Fort Above Niagara Falls — Congress of English Commissioners — General Braddock's Council — Campaign Plans — Braddock's Defeat — Shirley's Operations at Oswego — His Failure to Reach Niagara — The French Elated — Improvements at Niagara — Plan of Campaign of 1756 71-78 CHAPTER VI. 1756-1758. Beginning of the Final Struggle for Supremacy — Three Expeditions by the Eng- lish — Their General Failure — Capture of Fort Bull by the French — Formal Declaration of War — Montcalm's Preparations for an Expedition against Oswego — His Capture of that Post— The French Jubilant — Indians Hasten to French Posts — Campaign of 1757 — Deplorable Condition of English Affairs -A Change Approaching— Pitt's Accession to the Prime Ministry in England —Energetic Action in Raising English Troops— Capture of Fort Frontenacby the English — Famine in Canada — Former French and English Conditions Reversed .__ _ _ 78-89 CHAPTER VII. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. The Last Campaign — Desperate Situation of the French — English Preparations for the Last Struggle— Discontent Among the Five Nations— They Go over to the English— Pouchot Returned to Niagara— Repair of the Fort— English Campaign Plans— Expedition Against Quebec— Organization of an Expe- dition against Niagara— Beginning of the Siege of that Post— Success of the English— Death of General Prideaux— A Doomed Fortress— French Rein- forcements—They Meet the English— A Sanguinary Battle— Rout of the French— Surrender of Niagara to the English— End of French Dominion- Treaty of Peace . . 89 1()0 CONTENTS. ix CHAPTER VIII. 1760-1774 Control of the Frontier by the English — Animosity of the Senecas — Building of Fort Schlosser — Repair of Fort Niagara — Marauding by the Senecas — Visit of Sir William Johnson to Niagara and Detroit — Encroachments on the Niagara Portage — The Massacre at Devil's Hole — Pontiac's War — Brad- street's Expedition to Detroit — Peace with the Indians — A Battle in Erie County Territory — A Period of Quiet — Formation of Tryon County 101-108 CHAPTER IX. THE REVOLUTION. Relations of Western New York to that War — Renewed Importance of Indian Co-operation — Col. Guy Johnson's Flight — Sir John Johnson Fortifying Johnson Hall — His Final Flight to Montreal — Buller at Niagara — Campaign of 1776 — British Aggressiveness in 1777— rTheir Important Successes — St. Leger Before Fort Schuyler — Massacres of Wyoming and Cherry Valley — Other Indian Forays — Sullivan's Expedition — The Senecas Flee to Niagara —Buffalo Creek — Seneca Settlement at that Point— Peace Treaty 108-116 CHAPTER X. THE REIGN OF PEACE. Beneficent Results of the Revolutionary War — British and American Treatment of the Indians Compared — Emigration Westward — Early Importance of Fort Erie — Origin of the Name of Buffalo Creek — Miss Powell's Description of an Indian Council — Rev. Samuel Kirkland's Journal — First Permanent Settler at Buffalo — Col. Thomas Proctor's Expedition — The First Inn Keeper at Buf- falo—William Johnston's Title to Erie County Lands— Early Settlers 117-129 CHAPTER XI 1800-1807. Beginning of Commerce on Lakes Erie and Ontario — Conditions in the First Years of the Century— Tax Roll of 1800— The First School in Buffalo— Cy- renius Chapin's Negotiations for Land — Ellicott's Removal to Ransom's Grove — Gen. Wilkenson Lays Out a Road — Efforts to Establish a Fort at Black Rock — Settlers in Newstead — Genesee County Formed— Difficulty in Selling Land — Brighter Prospects — The First Murder in the County — Sur- vey of New Amsterdam — Changes in Street Names — First Town Meeting on the Holland Purchase — Opening of the Middle Road — Dr. Chapin and Other Early Settlers in Buffalo — Prices of Land — Rev. Theodore Dwight's Description of the Village — Samuel Pratt's Arrival at Buffalo — First Post Route — Organization of Willink and Erie — Settlers Outside of Buffalo — The First Lawyer — First School House — Settlements in the Towns ,..130-157 x CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. 1808-1810. Further Territorial Changes— Erection of Niagara County— The New County Seat— Beginning of Court House and Jail— The First Courts and Judges- Impetus to Immigration— Lot Buyers in Buffalo in 1808— Settlements Out- side of Buffalo— First Town Meeting for Clarence— Settlements in Northern Part of the County— Glezen Fillmore's Arrival in the County— Letters of Juba Storrs— Attempt to Remove the Port of Entry— Erastus Granger's Protest — Religious Meetings in Buffalo _ - 157-167 CHAPTER XIII. JUST BEFORE THE WAR. . Continued Immigration — Census of 1810— Erection of the Town of " Buffaloe" — Holland Company's Sale of Rights in Indian Territories — Completion of Court House and Jail— Settlers in Buffalo in 1810-11— The Firm of Town- send & Coit — Grosvenor & Heacock — Removal of Custom House — Surveys of Black Rock— The Old Ferry— Its Removal to Ferry Street— A Moral So- ciety — Settlement in the Various Towns — Characteristics of the Pioneers — The Buffalo Gazette — Division of Willink — Erection of New Towns — Prepa- rations for War .' - 167-187 CHAPTER XIV. WAR OF 1812. Incentives to the Conflict — President Madison's Attitude — Congress Assembled — Elements 6f Opposition to the War — Its Effects upon Commercial Affairs , — The Local Military Situation — Dismay on the Frontier — British Superior- ity on the Lakes — An Indian Declaration of War — Plan of Campaign of 1812 — Hull's Failure at Detroit — General Harrison's Operations in the West — Sackett's Harbor Attacked — Captain Chauncey to Build a. Fleet for Lake Ontario — Attack on Kingston — Arrival of General Van Rensselaer at Fort Niagara — Plans to Invade Canada — Lieutenant Elliott's Brilliant Naval Ex- ploit — Battle of Queenston — Surrender of the Americans — General Smyth and his Proclamations— Concentration of Troops at Buffalo— Smyth's Abor- tive Operations — Invasion of Canada Indefinitely Postponed— A Riot in Buf- falo — Naval Operations — An Epidemic 188-209 CHAPTER XV. CAMPAIGN OF 1813. Preparations for Building a Fleet for Lake Erie— Arrival of Commodore Perry —Troops in Buffalo— Capture of Toronto— American Victory at Fort George — Fort Erie Abandoned— The Niagara River in Possession of Americans — Building of Stockades in Erie County— Chapin's Riflemen— Battle at Beaver CONTENTS. xi Dams — Chapin's Bold Escape — Dearborn Superseded — Enlistment of Sen- ecas — Battle of Black Rock — Flight of the Militia — General Porter's Efficient Action — Defeat of the British — Death of Bishopp — Porter and Chapin at Burlington Heights — Toronto Again . Attacked — Perry's Operations — The Battle of Lake Erie — Effects of the Victory — American Mismanagement — Forts George and Niagara Left Defenseless 210-223 CHAPTER XVI. CAMPAIGN OF 1813— (Continued.) Its Importance to Erie County — Disheartening Situation of the Americans — Fort George Abandoned — Burning of Newark — The Act Condemned — Brit- ish Retaliation — Capture of Fort Niagara by the British — McClure's Retreat to Batavia — Sacking and Burning of Youngstown and Lewiston — Advance of the Enemy — Battle of Black Rock — Erie County Participants— Rout of the Americans— Burning of Buffalo and Black Rock — Flight of the Inhabit- ants — Scenes and Incidents — Bravery of Mrs. St. John — Murder of Mrs. Love- joy — Return of the Enemy — Destruction of Buffalo Completed — Suffering During the Winter— Measures for Relief 223-238 CHAPTER XVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814. The Americans Under Better Conditions — The Situation — Erie County — Changes in Local Militia — Arrival on the Frontier of Winfield Scott — General Porter's Command — A More Vigorous Military System Inaugurated — Execution of Deserters — Rebuilding of Buffalo — Beginning of Public and Private Business — Military Operations in Progress — Capture of Fort Erie — The Enemy Pur- sued — The Battle of Chippewa — Failure of Co-operation of Chauncey's Fleet — General Brown's Plans to Attack the British — Battle of Lundy's Lane — Heroism of the American Troops — -Important Results of the American Vic- tory— Ripley's Flight to Black Rock — Siege of Fort Erie — A Memorable Sortie — The British Defeated — General Izard Arrives on the Frontier — Close of the Campaign— Treaty of Peace 239-255 CHAPTER XVIII. Erie County at the Close of the War — Its Deplorable Condition — Second News- paper in Buffalo — A Public Execution— The Cold Summer — Privations and Suffering — The First Bank in the County — A New Mail Route — Incorpora- tion of Buffalo Village — Travel in Western New York — Road Improvements — Four New Towns Created — Local Politics — Military Affairs — Church Work in the County — Increasing Commercial Importance of Buffalo and Erie County — The Early Lake Marine — The First Steamboat — Its Loss and Building of the Superior — Strife Between Buffalo and Black Rock — Incep- tion of the Erie Canal — A Struggle for the Western Terminus — Beginning xii CONTENTS. of Harbor Improvement — Construction of the Erie Canal — Progress Throughout the County— Grand Island Affairs 256-279 CHAPTER XIX. 1821—1825. Division of Niagara County and Creation of Erie County- — Provisions of the ' Legislative Act — New Act of Incorporation of Buffalo Village — Boundaries of the Village — Bright Anticipations in Erie County — Further Harbor Im- provements at Buffalo and Black Rock — A Memorable Meeting in Buffalo — Continued Rivalry between Black Rock and Buffalo — Subscriptions for a Canal between these Villages — Final Settlement of the Terminus of the Erie Canal — Waning Importance of Black Rock — Dam in Tonawanda Creek — Inception of Tonawanda Village — Final Work on the Erie Canal — Open- ing of the Great Waterway — Celebration of the Event in Erie County — New System of Collecting Land Payments by the Holland Company — Joseph Ellicott's Resignation as Agent — New State Constitution — General Progress in the Towns of the County — La Fayette's Visit to Buffalo — Mordecai M. Noah's Operations on Grand Island — Murder of John Love — Comparative Descriptions of Buffalo in 1820 and 1825— Maps and Views 280-293 CHAPTER XX. 1825—1832. Early Success of the Erie Canal — Its Influence on Erie County — Buffalo Charter Amendments — The Morgan Affair — Anti-Masonry in Erie County Politics — Another Newspaper — Rising Opposition to the Holland Land Company — The Jubilee Water Works Company — The Buffalo Hydraulic Association- First Insurance Companies — The County Alms House — Preparations for City Incorporation — Conditions of the County at Large — Advancement in Outer Towns — Arrival of the First German Immigrants — Progress at Tona- wanda — Preparation of City Charter — Passage of the Act — Important Pro- visions of the Charter — Ward Boundaries — Reorganization of Buffalo Fire Department — The First City Directory — A Description of the Young City List of Buyers of Lots in New Amsterdam. 293-312 CHAPTER XXI. 1832—1840. An Unwelcome Visitor — The Asiatic Cholera — Measures to Combat the Pes tilence — Cases and Deaths — Recovery from Effects of the Scourge Increas- ing Commercial Operations— The First Railroad in Erie County Beginning of a Speculative Era— Plenty of Money— Extensive Real Estate Sales- Prices Greatly Inflated— Benjamin Rathbun and his Ruin— A Financial Crash— Slow Recovery from Its Effects— Presidential Election— Comparative Pictures of Buffalo — The First Steam Railroad — Founding of the Young Men's Association — Its Later History— Buffalo Library — Plan to Build Up CONTENTS. xiii Black Rock — Harbor Maps — The Patriot War — Farther Opposition to the Holland Land Company — Promotion of New Towns 313-335 CHAPTER XXII. TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. Features of Town and Village Growth — Condition of the County at the Date of Its Formation — Effects of the Land Sale to the Ogden Company — Develop- ment in Aurora between 1821 and 1840 — Growth in Holland and Newstead — Beginning of the Village of Akron — Alden and West Seneca — Advance- ment in Hamburg and East Hamburg — Ths Celebrated Hamburg Cheese — Growth and Advancement in the Various Other Towns and Villages 336-355 CHAPTER XXIII. 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. Slow Increase in Population as a Consequence of the Financial Crisis — Receipts of Grain — Railroad Communication Eastward — Completion of the Ogden Purchase — Bank of Attica Removed to Buffalo — Beginning and Development of the Elevator System— The First Propeller — Era of Prosperity — Buffalo Board of Trade — Disastrous Gale — University of Buffalo — Erie County Workhouse— Plank Roads — Growth of Roman Catholic Churches — First Gaslight Company — Buffalo City Water Works Company — Buff alo Police De- partment — Census of 1850 — General Prosperity Throughout the County — The German Element — The Ebenezer Society — -Changes in Towns — Rail- roads— ^Lumber and Coal Trade — Shipbuilding — Banks — Increase in Area of Buffalo— Financial Crisis of 1857 356-385 CHAPTER XXIV. THE WAR PERIOD— 1860 TO 1870. The Election of 1860 — Bombardment of Fort Sumter — First and Second Calls for Troops— First War Meeting— The 21st Regiment— The 44th Regiment— The 10th Cavalry— The 11th Cavalry— The 12th Cavalry— The 14th Cavalry— The 16th Cavalry— The 24th Cavalry— Wiedrich's Battery— The 27th Light Battery— The 23d Light Battery— The 2d Mounted Rifles— Committee on the Defense of the Union— The 49th Regiment— The 100th Regiment— The 116th Regiment— Draft and Bounties— The 155th Regiment— The 164th Regiment — Bounties — Draft of 1864 — Issue of Bonds — Great Central Fair — Rumored Rebel Invasion from Canada — Lincoln's Re-election — The 187th Regiment — Bounties — Draft of 1865 — Summary of Enlistments — Close of the War — First Street Railway — Change in Basis of Representation in Board of Supervisors — The Buffalo Historical Society — The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy — Seeming Prosperity After the War — Railroad Building — Intro- duction of Manufacturing Interests — Wholesale Mercantile Trade — -Banks — The Grosvenor Library — The Young Men's Christian Association — Burning of the American Hotel — The Fenian Episode — Reorganization of the Buf- falo Police Department — Buffalo Builders' Exchange — Political... 385-414 xiv CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXV. MODERN HISTORY— 1870-1897. The Financial Panic of 1873 — Statistics of Lake Commerce — Changes in City Charter— The City and County Building— The Park System— Railroad Ex- tension — Increase in Population — Growth of Transportation Facilities — The Coal Interest — Railroads — Manufactures — Harbor Improvements — Real Es- tate and Building — Speculation in Real Estate — The Real Estate Exchange — The German Element — The Poles — The Hebrews — The Irish and Italians — Railroad Strikes — Charter Amendments — The New Charter of 1891 — De- partments of City Government — Railroad Grade Crossings — Natural Gas — Street Paving — Banking — The G. A. R. Encampment— G. A. R. Posts — Statistical Tables 415-451 CHAPTER XXVI. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. Political Parties — Officers in the National Government: President — Vice-Presi- dent — Postmaster-General — Secretary of War — Ministers to Foreign Coun- tries — Superintendent of the Government Printing Office — Members of Congress — Generals in the Regular Army. State Officers: Governor — Lieu- tenant-Governors — Secretary of State — Attorneys-General — Comptrollers — State Treasurers — Canal Commissioners — Inspector of State Prisons — Super- intendents of Public Instruction — Regents of the University — Canal Apprais- ers — Council of Appointment — State Senators — Assemblymen. County Offi- cers: County Treasurers. Politics before and Including 1815 — Politics and Elections from 1816 to 1896. Principal Village and City Officials of Buf- falo: Village Trustees and Other Officers — Mayors — City Clerks — City Treasurers — Surveyors and Engineers — City Attorneys — Street Commis- sioners — City Physicians — Comptrollers — Aldermen — Common Council — Boards of Aldermen and Councilmen _ 452-488 CHAPTER XXVII. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS 488-609 CHAPTER. XXVIII. THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. Extent of German Population— Characteristics of the Germans— Cause of Emi- gration—Statistics of Immigration— The First Immigrants— German Set- tlers Outside of Buffalo— The German Press— Amalgamation of Different German Elements— German Religious Organizations— German Musical So- cieties-Schools and Educational Institutions— The German Young Men's Association — Benevolent Institutions 610-6°R CHAPTER XXIX. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY ..628-664 CONTENTS. xv CHAPTER XXX. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY .665-710 CHAPTER XXXI. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY IN THE COUNTY OF ERIE. 1800-1900. Early History — Medical Societies — Medical Colleges — Hospitals — Medical Jour- nals — Medical Officers of the Civil War — Women Physicians — History of Homeopathy — Individual Members of the Profession 711 r 812 CHAPTER XXXII. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY 812-833 .CHAPTER XXXIII. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. Buffalo the First to Inaugurate a System of Charity Which Has Since Become Popular — Conditions Prior to the War of the Rebellion — The Buffalo Or- phan Asylum — List of Presidents — Hospital of the Sisters of Charity — Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum — Other Catholic Institutions — The Charity Foundation — Organizations Created Since the War — Women's Christian Association — Children's Aid Society — The Charity Organization Society — The First One in the County — Its Purposes and Its Success 833-854 INDEX - 855-906 ILLUSTRATIONS. Map of Central and Western New York in 1809 facing 8 Indian Relics facing 24 Iron Tomahawk from East Aurora. Head-comb of bone or shell, from grave at Ganagura, principal village of the Senecas, near present village of Victor. Indian Relics facing 26 Arrow heads, drills and scrapers from Buffalo. Indian Relics facing 34 Spear head from La Salle, Limestone pipe bowl from Fort Erie, Stone gouge, Grand Island, Hammer stone fitted to right hand of woman or child, Fort Erie. Panther pipe or totem of impure gypsum, Fort Erie, Grooved stone for war club, Fort Porter, near Buffalo. Hatchet or skinning stone, East Buffalo, Hatchet with curved edge, Cor- nelius Creek, Buffalo. xvi CONTENTS. Fort Niagara in 1759 ..facing 92 Joseph Ellicott— portrait facing 124 Map of the Village of New Amsterdam in 1804 facing 140 Samuel F. Pratt— portrait between 148-149 Pascal P. Pratt— portrait ..between 148-149 Map of Buffalo Village Inner Lots between 158-159 Map of Buff alo Village Outer Lots between 158-159 View of Lake Erie and the Bay from Buffalo in 1816 facing 256 Aaron Rurasey — portrait facing 240 Rt. Rev. William Heathcote De Lancey, D.D.,LL.D., D.C.L.,— portrait.. facing 262 Rt. Rev. A. Cleveland Coxe — portrait.. _ L facing 263 Rt. Rev. William D. Walker, D.D., LL.D., D. D. L.,-yportrait facing 264 Terrace, Market and Liberty Pole, Buffalo facing 266 View of Buffalo Harbor in 1825 facing 282 Map of Buffalo in 1825, facing 286 View of Buffalo Harbor— from Colden's Memoir, 1826 between 290-291 Buffalo Village from the Lighthouse — from Colden's Memoir, 1826. .between 290-291 Buffalo as seen from the Top of the Old Buffalo Bank in 1829, facing 296 Buffalo as seen from the Lake in 1829, facing 296 Old First Presbyterian Church facing 302 E. C. Sprague — portrait ,. facing 306 Eagle Tavern and Surroundings in 1830 . _ .facing 322 American House, on the Site of the American Block facing 322 Map of the Proposed Harbor Improvements in 1836 facing 329 Map of Buffalo in 1847 __ facing 362 Rt. Rev. John Timon, D. D.,— portrait facing 367 Rt. Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan — portrait facing 368 George W. Tifft— portrait _ facing 382 Millard Fillmore— portrait _ facing 469 Grover Cleveland — portrait _ facing 472 Old Court House and Jail __ facing 665 James Piatt White, M. D. — portrait 725 Austin Flint, M. D. — portrait 728 Frank Hastings Hamilton, M. D. — portrait.. _. 731 Sanford B. Hunt, M. D. — portrait _ _ 735 Thomas F. Rochester, M. D. — portrait , _ ..736 Judson Boardman Andrews, M. D. — portrait 746 First Buffalo Medical College _ 768 Second Buffalo Medical College _ 769 Gen. Albert J. Myer — portrait .__ _ 775 Hospital of the Sisters of Charity facing 779 R. W. Haskins — portrait _ _ [ facing 815 James D. Warren — portrait _ facing 816 James N. Matthews — portrait facing 823 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER I. DESCRIPTIVE OF THE .SUBJECT. The Original Divisions of New York State — Genealogy of Erie County — Situa- tion and Boundaries of the County — Its Topography and Geology — Lakes and Streams — A Part of the Domain of the Senecas — Cession of Indian Lands— Under British Dominion — As a Part of the Holland Purchase — Its Survey. The original ten counties of what is now the State of New York were created November 1, 1683, and named Albany, Dutchess, Kings, New York, Orange, Queens, Richmond, Suffolk, Ulster, and West- chester. On the 12th of March, 1772, Montgomery county, taken from Albany county, was erected under the name of "Tryon" (changed to Montgomery in 1784 in honor of the American hero who fell at Que- bec), and included nearly the whole of the central and western parts of the State. From Montgomery county on January 27, 1789, was erected Ontario county, its territory embracing most of the western part of the State. The erection of Genesee county from Ontario took place on March 30, 1802; it included all that part of the State lying west of the Genesee River and a line extending due south from the point of junc- tion of the Genesee and Canaseraga Creek to the south line of the State. From Genesee county was erected on March 11, 1808, Niagara county, including what is now Erie county. During the next thirteen years Erie county territory constituted a part of Niagara county and the history of the two is, therefore, intimately connected until the erec- tion of Erie county on April 2, 1821. Erie county lies on the western boundary of this State and is bound- ed on the north by the center of Tonawanda Creek and by the center of the east branch of Niagara River (between Grand Island and Ton- l 2 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. awanda) from the mouth of the Tonawanda to the junction with the west branch ; on the west by the line between the United States and Canada from the junction up along the center of the west branch of the river and of the whole river to Lake Erie, and thence southwest- erly along the middle of the lake to a point where the international boundary makes a right angle with a line to the mouth of Cattarau- gus Creek ; on the south by a line from such point of intersection to the mouth of the Cattaraugus, and thence up along the center of that creek to the crossing of the line between the fourth and fifth ranges of the Holland Company's survey ; and on the east by the line between those ranges, from Cattaraugus Creek to Tonawanda Creek, except that for six miles opposite the town of Marilla the county line is a mile and a quarter west of the range line. This range line is twenty- three miles east of the center of Niagara River at the foot of Lake Erie, and thirty-four and a half miles east of the mouth of Cattarau- gus Creek. The extreme length of the county north and south is forty-three and a half miles, and its greatest width, including the lake portion, is about thirty-nine miles. The land area Qf the county is 1,071 square miles, and the Lake Erie area about 160 square miles. When the first Europeans visited the western continent they found very large areas in what is now New England, the States of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, etc., and Upper Canada consisting of what may be termed open prairies. These open tracts were produced by periodical burnings by the natives, for the early attributed purpose of keeping back excessive growth of trees, shrubs, vines and other rank vegetation,, which would have obstructed rapid passage through it and cut off vision. Later observation assigned a more probable reason for these burnings, in the consequent destruc- tion of forest growth and the annual upspringing of tender and nu- tritious grasses, which enticed the deer, elk, moose, buffalo and other large game upon which the Indians largely subsisted. What were popularly called "oak openings" by our pioneers were doubtless once open prairies like those of the far Western States, which originated in the manner described; and what have been called "plains" in the local vicinity have an important relation to this part of the subject. These plains have been adequately described by intelligent early trav- elers. Theodore Dwight, who visited Buffalo Creek in 1803, wrote as follows on the subject : From the appellation of plains, usually given to these tracts, you will naturally DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 3 think as I did, that they are level grounds. This, however, is a mistake. They are generally elevated, and everywhere present a surface rolling easily, without any sudden declivity except on the borders of streams or swamps. The variations of the surface are, however, continual, and some of the eminences rise considerably above the common level. These grounds are also termed openings, as being in a great degree destitute of forests. The vegetation with which they are covered con- sists of grass, weeds and shrubs, of various kinds. This traveler then proceeds to describe the objects of the annual burnings by the Indians and their effects upon the appearance of the face of the country. So, also, an English traveler named Weld al- ludes to the same subject in' connection with his account of a journey made from the Indian settlement on Buffalo Creek to the Genesee River in 1796 : We found the country as we passed along, interspersed with open plains of great magnitude. Some of them, I should suppose, not less than fifteen or twenty miles in circumference. The trees on the borders of these having ample room to spread, were luxuriant beyond description. . . . These plains are covered with long coarse grass, which at a future day will probably afford feeding to numerous herds of cattle ; at present they are totally unfrequented. Father La Moine, the Jesuit who visited the Onondagas in 1634, wrote of traveling "through vast prairies," when hie saw "in divers quarters immense herds of wild bulls and cows, their horns resem- bling in some respects the antlers of a stag. " 1 Over those vast prairies and through the interminable forests roamed multitudes of animals of a herbaceous character, while the inter- vening mountain regions, which were thickly timbered, sheltered other multitudes of carniverous beasts, which, when pressed by hunger, preyed upon their more peaceful kind on the prairies. Even down to within a century of the present, deer, wolves, bears and panthers were numerous around the southern shores of Lake Erie. The topographical features of Erie county are diversified and inter- esting. In general terms the surface of the county is level in the north- ern part, rolling in the central, and hilly in the southern part. A large area along Tonawanda Creek on the northern border is almost perfectly flat and much of it is marshy. This low tract is bounded on the south by a limestone ledge or terrace, from twenty to sixty feet in height, extending from Black Rock eastward through the southern part of the 1 These animals have been supposed by many writers to be buffalo, which are believed to have ranged far eastward in early years, giving authority for the now generally accepted fact that the name of Buffalo Creek was derived from that animal. 4 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. towns of Amherst, Clarence and Newstead. A nearly level region ex- tending south from the summit of this ridge includes the site of Buffalo city and the towns . of Cheektowaga, Lancaster and Alden, and termi - nates, in the rolling section embracing the entire central part of the county. Various ridges in the central and southern parts, having a general north and south direction, rise gradually toward the south un- til their summits attain an elevation of 200 to 300 feet above the inter- vening valleys, 900 to 1,000 feet above the lake surface, and 1,400 to 1,500 feet above tide. Certain railroad surveys have established the following heights of different localities: South Wales, 507 feet above Lake Erie; Holland village, 699 feet above the lake; Sardinia summit, 891 feet above the lake, and Concord 920 feet above the lake. The highlands are divided into several distinct ridges by the valleys of Caz- enove and Eighteen-mile Creeks. The slopes of the hills are generally long and gradual, with occasional steep banks bordering the streams. The land along the lake shore in the north part is low and level, but farther south it rises in steep banks to a height of from twenty to fifty feet. The strata of the rock formation in Erie county incline upward toward the north. The lowest rocks are those of the Onondaga salt group, which are succeeded by the hydraulic, Onondaga and cornif- erous limestones. These crop out in the ledge before described. Over- lapping these and in the central part of the county are the Marcellus and the Hamilton shales, while the summits of the southern hills are covered by the rocks of the Portage group. The rocks of the salt group occupy nearly all of the low land below the limestone terrace, and are covered so deep with drift and alluvium that they have only slight in- fluence on the surface and cannot be profitably quarried. Hydraulic limestone, however, crops out in excellent quality along the northern base of the limestone terrace and has been extensively quarried for lime and building purposes. The shales of the central and southern parts of the county are generally covered with a thick deposit of drift and are visible only along the margins of streams. The soil in the northern part of the county is generally a stiff clayey loam, interspersed with beds of marl and muck ; farther south it is a clay and gravelly loam resting upon limestone. The southern hills are covered with drift of clay and gravel. In the valleys the soil is generally gravelly loam and alluvium and very productive. In early years the principal agricultural pursuits were grain and stock raising, which DESCRIPTIVE OP THE SUBJECT. 5 are still followed to a considerable extent ; but in more recent years, especially in the central and southern parts, dairying has become a very important industry. Tonawanda ' Creek, forming the northern boundary of the county, crosses the boundary at the northwestern corner of the county, and with its length in Genesee county flows about sixty miles from its source to Niagara River. Into it flow Murder Creek about four miles from the Genesee county line ; Ransom Creek, a stream about fifteen miles long, some twelve miles farther down, and just above its mouth the Tonawanda is joined by Ellicott, or Eleven-mile Creek, a stream of twenty-five miles in length. These tributaries of Tonawanda Creek all have their source south of the limestone ledge, Murder Creek breaking through it at Akron village, Ransom Creek at Clarence Hollow, and Ellicott Creek at Williamsville. Scajaquada Creek empties into the Niagara River two miles from Lake Erie, after having flowed a course of about fifteen miles in a westerly direction. Buffalo" Creek is the principal stream of the county and is composed of three branches. The main one, called the Big Buffalo, rises in Wy- oming county, crosses into Erie county and flows northwestward about fifteen miles and then westward about an equal distance to its mouth, which is part of the harbor of Buffalo. Its principal tributaries are Cayuga Creek, which it receives from the north about six miles from the lake, and Cazenove Creek from the south, which rises in the ex- treme southeast corner of the county and flows thirty miles northwest. Other principal streams of the county are Eighteen-mile Creek, which has its source near the south boundary of the county, flows northwesterly twelve miles and west five miles, where it receives the south branch, a stream twelve miles long; the whole then flows five miles westerly and empties into the lake about eighteen miles from the mouth of the Buffalo. Big Sister Creek, which has a length of about fifteen miles, empties into the lake eight miles above the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. Five miles south of the mouth of the Buffalo Smoke's Creek enters the lake after flowing a distance of twelve miles, and a few miles farther up is the mouth of Rush Creek, which is a still smaller stream. Cattaraugus Creek, which forms the south boundary 1 In the Seneca language, Ta-no-wan-deh, meaning "at the rapids or ripples," or perhaps more literally, "at his rapids."— French's State Gazetteer, p. 379. 2 On the Ellicott map of 1804 this stream is called Tos-e-o-way Creek. An ancient Indian treatv calls it Te-ho-se-ro-ron. 6 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of the county for a distance of thirty miles, rises ten miles east of the county line and flows westerly to the lake, with a large intervening southerly bend ; its tributaries in Erie county are small, the largest be- ing Clear Creek which it receives eight miles from its mouth. There are, of course, innumerable small streams which help to drain the various parts of the county. The territory of Erie county and our western frontier has been sub- jected to less changes in title and subdivision than many other local- ities in this State. Erie county territory originally constituted a part of the domain of the Iroquois Indians; its immediate possessors and occupants were the Senecas, who, after having conquered the Eries and Kahquahs, roamed over Western New York, established their villages, fought their widely-distributed enemies and maintained their fame as the most powerful of the Five Nations. For nearly half a century after the adventurous La Salle built his little vessel in Niagara River, this region was under nominal control of the French, as far as they were able to exert it against the native occupants. From them it passed to the English as one of the consequences of the prolonged wars described in succeeding chapters. The treaty of Ryswick (1697) did not definitely determine the sovereignty of Western New York ; both French and English claimed it, while neither nation had as yet a more valid claim to it than the Indians. In the later war (1702) the French gained in ascendency and influence with the Iroquois, especially the Senecas, although the Indians professed neutrality. The French re- built Fort Niagara about 1725, pushed their fur trade with unremitting vigor, and by every possible wile sought to, and did, acquire consider- able respect and confidence from the natives, and for thirty years longer this region was largely under their control. But it seems to have been a part of the beneficent plan of the Almighty that this country should not pass under French dominion, and should be re- served for the descendants of the Pilgrims and the English immigrants who came after them; for, after two other bloody wars (1744-48, and 1756-59) the final and overwhelming defeat of the French armies and their native allies was accomplished. Still further conflict ensued be- tween the Indians and the victors over the French before the English were in a secure position wherein they -could dictate the future of this region. Strife and bloodshed finally ceased in 1764. In April of that year Sir William Johnson, at Johnson Hall (now Johnstown, N. Y.) concluded a peace treaty with eight Seneca chiefs. Among the provis- DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 7 ions of that treaty was one conveying to the English king a tract of land along both sides of Niagara River, fourteen by four miles in ex- tent for a carrying-place around the falls. ' This treaty was more fully ratified in the summer of that year. From the time under considera- tion dominion over Western New York was practically divided be- tween the English and the Senecas, until the outbreak of the Revolu- tionary war. In that struggle the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas and Mohawks were most of the time in active participation with the British. The memorable campaign of General Sullivan in the spring of 1779 substantially destroyed the cohesion of the Iroquois league and hum- bled the Senecas, who fled to Fort Niagara and there during the severe winter of 1779-80, were supplied with food by the British. The declar- ation of peace in the fall of 1783 was followed by the treaty which established the well known boundary along the western frontier and gave to Americans the sovereignty, though the British, for causes hereafter to be recorded, continued to occupy fortifications on the American side. It will thus be seen that entire and unquestioned English authority continued over this territory only from 1763 to 1783, a little more than twenty years. Contrary to the policy of the British, the United States endeavored to treat the Indians justly. One early example of this policy was the establishment of the so-called Property Line, dividing the Indian lands from those of the English in this State. The line was fixed in 1770 and extended from a point a little west of Rome, N. Y. , south- ward to the Susquehanna River. In October, 1784, a treaty was made at Fort Stanwix (now Rome) between three commissioners in behalf of the United States and chiefs of the Six Nations." The Marquis de La Fayette was present at this council ; so also was Cornplanter, the famous Seneca chief, and Sayengeraghta, or Old King, and both took active part in the deliberations. Red Jacket claimed to have been present, but the records do not corroborate the statement. It was the desire of the United States to extinguish the Indian title to the western part of the State, a measure which was practically accomplished. Article II of the treaty was as follows : 1 This was the first step leading to the later reservation by the United States and the State of New York of a strip of land along the river for this purpose. 2 In 1712 the Tuscaroras, a North Carolina nation, were defeated by white men and Indian dlies of other nations in warfare growing out of disputes over land. The Tuscaroras who escaped slaughter fled northward and were adopted by the Iroquois confederacy as a Sixth Nation; they were given lands near the Oneidas. 8 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. A line shall be drawn, beginning at the mouth of a creek about four miles east of Niagara, called Oyonwayea, or Johnson's Landing Place, up6n the lake named by the Indians Oswego, and by us Ontario ; from thence southerly, in a direction always four miles east of the carrying path, between Lakes Erie and Ontario, to the mouth of Tehoseroron [or Buffalo] Creek, on Lake Erie; thence south to the north bound- ary of the State of Pennsylvania; thence west to the end of said north boundary; thence south along the west boundary of the said State to the river Ohio. The said line, from the mouth of the Oyonwayea to the Ohio, shall be the western boundary of the lands of the Six Nations ; so that the Six Nations shall and do yield to the United States all claims to the country west of the said boundary, etc. However ill pleased the Indians may have been with this agree- ment, they were in no' position to resist ; that they did not like it is clearly shown by their later complaints, which were so insistent that its terms were somewhat modified. The line agreed upon left all of Chautauqua county and a large part of Erie and Cattaraugus counties west of it. . Under the colonial charters of Massachusetts and New York, both colonies could set up a claim with some pretense of validity to not only all of Central and Western New York, but also to a broad strip running on westward indefinitely. After the close of the Revolution both Massachusetts and New York ceded to the United States their claim to the territory west of a line drawn south from the western ex- tremity of Lake Ontario ; this line forms the present western bound- ary of Chautauqua county. In 1786 commissioners from the two States named met at Hartford and in the effort to harmonize and ad- just their claims, Massachusetts agreed to yield her asserted right to all land east of the present east line of Ontario and Steuben counties. It was also there agreed that New York should have jurisdiction and sovereignty west of that line, while Massachusetts should have the title to the land, subject only to the Indian right of occupancy; in other words, the Indians could hold the lands at their pleasure, but could sell only to Massachusetts or her assigns, giving that State pre-emption rights. New York, however, reserved a tract a mile wide along the eastern shore of the Niagara River from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario, constituting the well known Mile Strip, or Mile Reserve. In the strife that had already begun to secure the rich lands of the Indians' two companies were formed, the New York and Genesee Land ^Company, of which John Livingston was manager, and the Niagara Genesee Company, composed principally of Canadians, with Col. John Butler at their head. With him were associated Samuel Street of CENTRAL AND WESTERN NEW YORK IN 1809. DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 9 Chippewa, Captain Powell, William Johnston, afterwards of Buffalo, and Benjamin Barton, then of New Jersey. To evade the constitu- tional edict prohibiting the Indians from selling their lands to individ- uals, these companies sought to obtain them under a lease. Butler and his associates possessed a large influence with the Indians and in 1787 the New York and Genesee Company obtained from the Six Na- tions a lease of all their lands, excepting some small reservations, for 999 years — a practical sale. The consideration was to be $20,000 and an annual rental of $2,000. But when this enterprising company sought recognition of their lease from the Legislature in the following winter, its evasion of the constitution was too apparent and it was promptly rejected. Many of the chiefs of the Six Nations claimed that this lease was granted without proper Indian authority. Under these circumstances Livingston and his associates proposed that they should procure a conveyance of the lands from the Indians to the State, provided the State would reimburse the company for all their expenses and convey to them half of the land. This magnanimous proposition, under which Livingston, Butler and the rest would have obtained four or five million acres of the finest land in the State, was also rejected. In 1788 Massachusetts sold all her New York lands, comprising about 6,000,000 acres, to Oliver Phelps and Na- thaniel Gorham, and associates, for $1,000,000, to be paid in three equal annual installments, the purchasers having the right to pay in certain stocks of that State, which were then greatly depreciated. This purchase was, of course, subject to the Indian right of occupancy. Mr. Phelps made an arrangement under which Livingston was to aid him in negotiating a treaty with the Indians, but in the mean time a disagreement arose between Livingston's and Butler's companies, and when Phelps arrived at Geneva where a council was to have been held, he learned that Butler and Brant had assembled the Indians at Buffalo . Creek, and had induced them to not meet either Livingston or Phelps. Phelps proceeded to Niagara, where he came to an amicable arrange- ment with Butler and his friends, and a council was called for the 5th of July, 1788, at Buffalo Creek. It was a memorable council. Brant, the great Mohawk chief, was present, as also was Col. John Butler, who had gained an unenviable rep- utation in the Revolution as commander of Butler's Rangers. There also was Rev. Samuel Kirkland, whose unselfish labors as a missionary among the Indians deserved and received commendation from all who 10 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. became familiar with the subject. William Johnston was there — a man who was afterwards to wield a powerful influence upon the future of Buffalo. Honayewus, or Farmer's Brother, the Seneca war chief and eloquent warrior, was present, dressed in full Indian costume. The great Sagoyewatha, or Red Jacket, participated in the proceedings, • though there was little to be said to change the arrangements which Brant and Butler had already completed. Capt. John O'Bail, or Abeel, better known as Cornplanter, the celebrated half-breed chief of the Senecas, was there, and Sayengeraghta, or Old King, or Old Smoke, as he was variously known, with a host of inferior chiefs, several Brit- ish officers from Forts Niagara and Erie, in their bright uniforms, and behind the chiefs a row of old squaws who could assert their right to be heard in such a council. It was certainly a picturesque assemblage and remarkable for the conspicuous character of many of its members. The council was perfectly harmonious in its action. There was little dispute regarding the location of the line, the Indians contending that the west line of the territory sold should run along the Genesee River; but Phelps shrewdly advanced the proposition that he wished to build some mills at the falls of the Genesee (site of Rochester), which would be a convenience alike to the white men and the Indians, and it would be necessary for him to have the line fixed some distance farther west so as to provide for his mill seat. Mr. Phelps, after due deliberation, decided that a strip about twelve miles wide and extending from the site of Avon to the mouth of the river, a distance of twenty-eight miles, ■ would be sufficient for his mill privilege, and it was granted ; the tract so added contained over 200,000 acres, and constituted, probably, the largest mill seat ever known. Southward from Avon the line ran along the Genesee to the mouth of the Canaseraga and thence due south to the Pennsylvania line. This was the well known Phelps and Gorham Purchase, which contained about 2,600,000 acres. The fool- ish Indians left the fixing of the price to be paid to Colonel Butler . Joseph Brant and Elisha Lee; it was made $5,000 in hand and $500 annually forever. A little later Butler received from Phelps 20,000 acres of the land, which was probably considered little enough remu- neration for his services in influencing the Indians to sacrifice their do- main for trifling consideration. 1 Although this great purchase did not 1 In writing to some of his associates after the treaty was closed, Mr. Phelps said: "You may rely upon it that it is a good country; I have purchased all the Indians will sell at present, and perhaps as much as it would be profitable for us to buy at this time." DESCRIPTIVE OP THE SUBJECT. ll include territory in Niagara or Erie counties, this brief account is given to show the methods and changes by which the Indian title in this part of the State was extinguished. In 1789 the county of Ontario was erected, which included the whole of the Massachusetts land, substantially all lying west of Seneca Lake. Phelps and Gorham had based their expectations upon paying Massa- chusetts with the depreciated stocks before mentioned, but when the stocks advanced nearly to par in consequence of the funding of the pub- lic debt of the States by the Federal government, the firm reported to the Massachusetts Legislature in the spring of 1789 that they were un- able to fulfill their engagement and asked to be released from so much of their obligation as related to the Indian lands not included in the treaty just described. The request was granted and Massachusetts at once sold the released land to Samuel Ogden as agent for Robert Mor- ris, the Philadelphia merchant prince. The east line of this Morris purchase began on the Pennsylvania line about forty-four and three- fourths miles west of the pre-emption line and ran due north to the forks of the Genesee River and Canaseraga Creek, thence northerly along the river to a point two miles north of the Canawagus village, thence due west twelve miles, and thence nearly north to Lake Ontario. The land transferred to Morris was described in five tracts ; the easternmost one he sold mainly in small parcels. The remaining four constituted the famous Holland Purchase. The Holland Land Company, as it has been called, was not a com- pany at all, in the ordinary meaning of the word. It was merely an association of wealthy Amsterdam citizens, who placed funds in the hands Of agents who were citizens of this country, with which to buy lands for speculative purposes. There was no incorporation and no company in a legal sense. The tsale to the agents or trustees of the Holland Company by Robert Morris was made in 1792-3 and included lands west of a line beginning on the Pennsylvania line twelve miles west of the west line of the Phelps and Gorham purchase (before de- scribed), and running thence due north to the center of Stafford, Gen- esee county; thence due west about three miles, and thence due north to Lake Ontario. This line has been known as the Transit Line, it having been surveyed with one of the first transit instruments used in the surveys. The offset in the line was made to prevent the Holland Company's lands from overlapping what was known as the Connecticut tract. i& ofrk COUNTY and its people. The sale by Morris to the Holland Land Company being made be- fore the extinguishment of the Indian title, it was agreed by Mr. Morris that he would aid the company to extinguish the Indian title as soon as possible, A council was accordingly held for this purpose, at Geneseo in 1797, where the title was extinguished to all lands on which pre-emption rights were held by Massachusetts, excepting the follow- ing reservations: At Canawaugus, two square miles on the Genesee west of Avon; Big Tree Reservation and Little Beard's Town, four square miles on the Genesee, opposite Geneseo ; Squawkie Hill Res- ervation, two square miles on the Genesee north of Mt. Morris; Gar- deau Reservation of twenty- eight square miles on both sides of the Genesee in Castile and Mt. Morris; the Canadea Reservation, sixteen square miles on both sides of the Genesee in Allegany county; the Oil Spring Reservation, one square mile on the line between Cattaraugus and Allegany counties; the Allegany Reservation, forty two square miles on both sides of the Allegany River extending north from the Pennsylvania line; the Cattaraugus Reservation, forty-two square miles on both sides of the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek; the Buffalo Creek Reservation, 130 square miles on both sides of Buffalo Creek ; Tonawanda Reservation, seventy square miles on both sides of Tona- wanda Creek, mostly in Genesee county; the Tuscarora Reservation, one square mile, three miles east of Lewiston, Niagara county. The titles of all these reservations excepting Tonawanda, Buffalo Creek, Cattaraugus, Tuscarora and Allegany, have since been extinguished. The Legislature of this State having in 1798 authorized the alien Hol- landers to hold lands here, the American trustees in the latter part of that year conveyed the Holland Purchase to the real owners. It was transferred, however, to two sets of proprietors, one of which was soon after divided, making three. . Each set held its tract as joint tenants, that is, the survivors took the whole; the shares could not be the subject of will or sale and did not pass by inheritance, except in case of the last survivor. The first transfer by the trustees included the whole tract excepting 300,000 acres; it was conveyed to Wilhelm Willink, Nicholas Van Staphorst, Pieter Van Eeghen, Hendrick Vol- lenhoven, and Rutger Jan Schimmelpennick. The 300,000 acres were cqnveyed to Wilhelm Willink, Jan Willink, Wilhelm Willink, jr. , and Jan Willink, jr. Two years later the five proprietors of the main tract transferred the title to about 1,000,000 acres in such manner as to vest it in the original five and also in Wilhelm Willink, jr., Jan Willink, jr., bEsckiPTivE of the subject. 13 Jan Gabriel Van Staphorst, Roelif Van Staphorst, jr., Cornelius Vol- lenhoven, and Hendrick Seye. Pieter Stadnitzki had some sort of an undefined interest in these lands Theophilus Cazenove was the first general agent of these owners, and continued in charge until 1799, when he was succeeded by Paul Busti ; the latter continued in charge until 1824, by which date a large part of the purchase had been sold to individuals and families for permanent settlement. After Paul Busti's administration, John J. Vander Kemp had charge of the company's affairs until their final settlement.' Joseph Ellicott was engaged as head surveyor for the company in 1797, and during the succeeding ten or twelve years completed the entire survey. In 1800 he was appointed local agent, and for more than twenty years had almost exclusive con- trol of the local affairs of the company. The principal office of the company was in Philadelphia. Mr. Ellicott ran the East Transit Line in 1798. The survey system was substantially the same as that fol- lowed on the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. The tract was first di- vided into ranges six miles wide, extending from the Pennsylvania line to Lake Ontario, and numbered from east to west. These were sub- divided into townships 2 six miles square, numbered from north to south. It was originally intended to divide each complete township into sixteen sections each a mile and a half square, and to subdivide these into lots each three-quarters of a mile long and one-quarter wide, each containing just 120 acres. This plan was soon abandoned as too complicated, and the townships were divided into lots three-quarters of a mile square, containing 360 acres each. Twenty-four townships had been surveyed when the first plan was abandoned, three of which were in Erie county, namely, the present town of Lancaster and the southern part of Newstead and Clarence. In the fall of 1798 Seth Pease ran the line of the State Reservation along the Niagara 3 River. Some difficulty was experienced in fixing the boundary at the southern end, but it was finally agreed between the State authorities and the company that the river should begin 1 These agents were invested with very broad powers in all directions for the sale of lands, promotion of settlement and establishment of roads, schools, churches, etc. It is on record that Paul Busti'decided almost without consideration and while offended with bigoted requests from a minister, to give the first church society formed in any town on the Purchase 100 acres of land, a gift pregnant with important results. 2 The reader should bear in mind the fact that the territorial term " township," as applied to the survey, has no reference to the later formed towns. a In early times this river was frequently alluded to as the "Streights of Niagara." 14 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. where the water was one mile wide. From a point on the eastern bank opposite the line where the water was a mile wide, a boundary was drawn consisting of numerous short lines forming substantially the arc of a circle with a mile radius, giving to the State all the land within a mile of the river, whether lying east from its . eastern bank or south from its head. This boundary, which became known as the Mile Line, began at the foot of Genesee street in Buffalo, as subsequently laid out, crossed Church street a little west of Genesee, crossed Niagara street a ,few rods northwest of Mohawk, continued on the arc before mentioned to the intersection of North and Pennsylvania streets, and thence ran northward to Lake Ontario, always at a distance of a mile from the river. Besides the before mentioned East Transit, another standard merid- ian was run as a base of operations in the western part of the Purchase, which was known as the West Transit. 1 It was the line between the sixth and the seventh ranges, and became the boundary between Clar- ence, Lancaster, Elma, Aurora and Colden on the east, and Amherst, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, East Hamburg and Boston on the west. A part of the 300,000 acres before spoken of as conveyed to the four Willinks, lay in a strip nearly a mile and a half wide just west of the West Transit, extending 1 from Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario. The remainder of the land belonging to that set of proprietors was in the southeast corner of the Purchase. All that part of Erie county west of the West Transit (excepting the pre-emption right to the reserva- tions) was included in the conveyance of a million acres to the larger set of proprietors, while that part east of the Transit was retained by the five original owners. The Transit was not, however, the line be- tween the possessions of the two sets throughout the whole of the Pur- chase. The survey of the Purchase was pushed ahead with vigor and in 1800 its division into townships was finished and a number of the town- ships were subdivided into lots. In that season, while in the east, Mr. Ellicott, acting as local agent for the lands, issued handbills headed "Holland Company West Geneseo Lands," and announcing that these lands would soon be for sale, and stating that they lay adjacent to "Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Streights of Niagara." .The West Transit line ran between what were the great towns Willink and Erie, both of which stretched across the entire width of the State. At its southern end Erie was twenty-four miles wide but it was DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 15 narrowed by the lake and the Canadian boundary to from eight to twenty miles wide through its northern half. It comprised one short range of townships in Chautauqua county, the western part of Niagara the Cattaraugus counties, and in Erie county the city of Buffalo, and the towns of' Grand Island, Tonawanda, Amherst, Cheektowaga, West Seneca, Hamburg, East Hamburg, Evans, Eden, Boston, Brant, North Collins, Collins, and the west part of Concord. The town of Willink, as organized, was eighteen miles wide and extended also from Lake Ontario to Pennsylvania. In contained one range of townships in Erie county, the eastern parts of Niagara and Cattaraugus counties, and the present town of Clarence, Newstead, Lancaster, Alden, Elma, Ma- nila, Aurora, Wales, Colden, Holland, Sardinia, and part of Concord. Early in the year 1808 there was a general reorganization of the counties and towns of the Holland Purchase. Allegany county had been set off from Genesee in 1806, the latter remaining otherwise as first erected ; but it was now apparent to Mr. Ellicott as well as to the settlers that furthur division was imperative. Towns eighteen miles wide and one hundred miles long became too unwieldy when settlers began to locate away from the Buffalo road, and voters could not be expected to travel from Fort Niagara to Buffalo, nearly forty miles, or from Olean, where settlement had begun, to Buffalo, sixty miles, to ex- ercise their right of suffrage. Accordingly on the 1 1th of March, 1808, a law was passed erecting the county of Niagara from that part of Gen- esee county lying north of Cattaraugus Creek and west of the line be- tween the fourth and fifth ranges of townships. Cattaraugus and Chau- tauqua counties were erected at the same time, with substantially their present boundaries. Buffalo was made the county seat of the new county which embraced all of what is now Erie county. By the same act the town lines on the Purchase were materially changed. A tier of townships from the east side of Willink was left in Genesee county and with old Batavia these townships were divided into the three towns of Batavia, Warsaw and Sheldon. All that part of Niagara county north of Tonawanda Creek, covering the same territory as the present county of Niagara, and being a part of the former towns of Willink and Erie, was erected into the new town of Cambria. All that part between Tonawanda Creek and the center of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, also comprising part of both Willink and Erie, was formed into the new town of Clarence, which it will be seen included the village of Buffalo; and all that part of Niagara county south of the center of the Reser- 16 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. vation, which had also been a part of the towns of Willink and Erie, was formed into a town which retained the name of Willink. It is clear that these changes completely obliterated the old town of Erie, while Willink, instead of being eighteen miles wide and one hundred miles long, was left as a town bounded by the Buffalo Creek Reserva- tion, Lake Erie, Cattaraugus Creek and the east line of the county, with an extreme width north and south of twenty-five miles, and a length east and west of thirty-five miles. The obliteration from the map of the town of Erie led to much confusion and misunderstanding. Local historians and statisticians were misled and even old residents forgot that there ever was such a town, although it is laid down on the map of the Purchase made by Ellicott in 1804. The Erie town book is in possession of the Buffalo Historical Society, but it contains only a record of receipts from licenses to sell liquors. Five of these were re- corded in 1805, three to persons in the present county of Erie, and two at Lewiston. The first town meeting of Erie town was held at Crow's tavern, Buffalo, but the record was destroyed with nearly all others of that old town in 1813. A new town of Erie was erected in 1823 from Clarence, fifteen years after the first Erie had disappeared from the map. The name of this second Erie was changed to Newstead in Ap- ril, 1831. Four new towns were erected in 1818. On the 10th of April an act was passed creating the town of Amherst from Buffalo (the latter now obsolete) ; Amherst then comprised the present towns of Amherst and Cheektowaga. Five days later the town of Willink passed out of ex- istence by legislative act. The law was passed in response to petitions sent to the Legislature, and the towns of Holland (comprising the pres- ent towns of Holland and Colden), Wales and Aurora were erected, from the former territory of Willink. 1 , 1 Chronological List of Town Formations. Clarence - -March 11, 1808 __ -From Willink. Concord March 12, 1812 " Willink. Eden March 20, 1812 " Willink. Hamburg. March 20, 1812 " Willink. Boston April 5, 1817 " Eden. Amherst April 10, 1818 " Buffalo. Aurora April 15, 1818 " Willink. Holland April 15, 1818 " Willink! Wales April 15, 1818 " Willink. Collins March 18, 1821 « Concord. Evans March 28, 1821 » Eden Sardinia March IS, 1821 ".""". " Concord, DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 17 In 1835 the Holland Company sold all their remaining lands and inter- ests to a new company, principally of Batavians, and a new order of affairs was inaugurated, which led to serious difficulties ; this phase of the matter is noticed in its proper place in a later chapter. Even after all the lands in Western New York, with the exception of the reservations before mentioned, had been taken from the In- dians, the white men were not wholly satisfied, and in 1819 the pre- emption owners made a persistent effort to induce the Indians to sell a part or the whole of their remaining lands. A council was held on the Buffalo reserve, at which were present commissioners in the in- terest of the United States and of Massachusetts, with Colonel Ogden, some of his associates in' the so-called Ogden Company, and all of the principal chiefs of the Senecas, Cayugas and Onondag^s. The United States commissioner explained the object of the council and submitted two propositions, both of which involved the sale of the Buffalo Creek Reservation. This gave Red Jacket opportunity to display his elo- quence, his diplomacy and his growing hatred of the white race. He declared most emphatically, as representing the voice of his people, that they would not sell a single foot of their lands. Waxing more eloquent as he continued on his favorite theme 1 , he declared that they would not have a white man on their reservations, neither workman, schoolmaster, nor preacher. If any of the Indians wished to send their children to school, or go to church, they could do so outside of Alden — - March 27, 1823 - Prom Clarence. Newstead (Erie) March 27, 1823 - - " Batavia. Colden April 2. 1827 " Holland. Lancaster March 20, 1883 " Clarence. Tonawanda April 16, 1836 " Buffalo. Brant March 25, 1839 " Collins and Evans. Cheektowaga March 22, 1839 " Amherst. East Hamburg (as Ellicott) October 15, 1850 " Hamburg, Lancaster and Cheektowaga. West Seneca (as Seneca) October 16, 1851 " Hamburg, E. Hamburg. Grand Island. —October 19, 1852 - " Tonawanda. North Collins (as Shirley) I.November 24, 1852 " Collins. Marilla December 2, 1853 " Alden and Wales. Elma December 4,1857 - " Lancaster and Aurora. Obsolete Towns. Black Rock February 14, 1839 To Buffalo, April 13, '53. Buffalo ...February 18, 1810 " Buffalo city, Apr. 20, '53. Ellicott October 15, 1850 - " E. Hamburg, Feb. 20, '52. Seneca .' October 16, 1851 " W. Seneca, Mar. 85, '52. Shirley November 24, 1852 " N. Collins, June 24, '53. Willink April 11, 1804 " Aurora, Apr. 15, '18. Erie Mareh 27, 1823 " Newstead, April, 1831. 3 18 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the reservation. Then he added with intense bitterness that if Colonel Ogden had come down from heaven clothed in flesh and blood, and had proven that the Great Spirit had said he could take their lands, then and not till then would they have yielded. Afterwards Captain Pollard and thirteen other chiefs apologized to the commissioner for Red Jacket's language. Captain Pollard declared that he and many of his people wished for civilization and Christianity, but that all were united in opposition to parting with more of their lands. Nothing was effected at that time. In 1826, however, the efforts of the pre-emption owners were partially successful. In the latter part of August of that year, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of Red Jacket and his supporters, a treaty was made under which the Indians ceded to the Ogden Company 33,637 acres of the Buffalo Reservation, 33,409 of the Tonawanda Reservation, and 5,120 of the Cattaraugus Reservation, besides about 1,500 acres in the Genesee valley. This cession in- cluded all of the Tonawanda Reservation in Erie county excepting a strip about a mile and a half wide and two miles and a half long, in the northeast corner of the town of Newstead. The village of Akron is on the land then purchased. From the Buffalo Creek Res- ervation a strip a mile and a half wide was sold off on the south side, extending from a point in the present town of Cheektowaga a mile and a half east of Cayuga Creek to the east end of the reservation ; also a strip about three miles wide from the east end, and finally a tract a mile wide, commonly called the "mile strip," extending along the entire south side of the reservation. From the Cattaraugus Res- ervation, besides a mile square in that county, there was ceded in Erie county a strip a mile wide along the north side of the reser- vation for six miles from the northeast corner (locally also called the mile strip), and a tract a mile square, known as the "mile block," south of the east end of that strip. Both are in the present town of Brant. After this treaty was agreed to by most of the chiefs, Red Jacket was informed by the agent of the Ogden Company that as he had so strenuously opposed the execution of the treaty, he need not sign it; but the famous chief would not hear to this. His name, Sagoyewatha, was affixed to every treaty made in the preceding forty years, and should not be omitted from this one. . As soon as practicable the land thus purchased was divided among the several individuals constituting the so-called Ogden Company and most of it was put in market. It was in the same year that the State DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 19 offered for sale its land adjoining the Buffalo Reservation, on the State Reservation, which extended as far east in Buffalo as Morgan street. It was appraised at $25 an acre ! But it is proper to add that this price was raised very soon after the sale. One purchaser has stated that he purchased twelve acres of the first purchasers for $950, kept it one year and sold it for $6,000. The Indians were not further harassed for possession of their lands until 1838, when a vigorous attempt was made to obtain possession of the whole of the territory remaining in their possession, not alone in Erie county, but in the whole of Western New York. A treaty was sanctioned by the executive department of the government by which the government agreed to give the New York Indians 1,820,000 acres of land in Kansas and there build for them mills,* shops, churches, schools, etc. A council of chiefs was called at the council house on the Buffalo Creek Reservation in January, 1838, and the treaty was laid before them, accompanied by a deed conveying to the Ogden Company all of their reservations for $202,000— $100,000 for the land, and $102,000 for the improvements. This treaty received the sig- natures of forty-five chiefs, or those who claimed to be chiefs. The treaty was sent to the State Senate, where it was amended by strik- ing out the appropriations for mills and other improvements on the Kansas lands, and inserting the sum of $400,000. The chiefs were again called together by United States Commissioner Gillett, who ex- plained to them that the deed was good even if the treaty was not rat- ified. General Dearborn was commissioner from Massachusetts, and he took an opposite ground. The amended treaty was signed by six- teen chiefs, while a remonstrance received sixty-three signatures. By some means, not wholly creditable to the white men it was charged, twenty-six more names of chiefs were obtained. But after the most persistent efforts a total of only forty-one signatures from the ninety - seven claiming to be chiefs could be obtained, while of the seventy-five who were undisputedly chiefs, only twenty-nine were signers. But not- withstanding this shortage in the number of signatures the treaty was ratified by the Senate. It afterwards became known that the Ogden Company had executed written contracts to pay certain chiefs sums of money for their influence, besides giving them life-leases of their im- provements. It was a plain case of bribery, and when the facts were made public, so much popular feeling was excited, and the determina- tion of the Indians not to go west was so strong, that the company was 20 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. unwilling to resort to the extreme measure of removing them. In May, 1842, a new agreement was made by which the Ogden Company permitted the Senecas to remain on the Cattaraugus and the Alle- gany Reservations (subject to the company's pre-emption right), and the Indians gave up the Buffalo Creek and Tonawanda tracts, on con- dition that they receive their proportionate value; that is, the value of all four of the reservations having previously been placed at $100,000 and the value of the improvements at $102,000, the company agreed to pay so much of $100,000 and of $102,000 as proper arbitrators should decide was due, based upon the proportionate value to the Indians of those two reservations to the whole four. This new arrangement sat- isfied the Buffalo Creek Indians, but not those on the Tonawanda Res- ervation. Arbitrators were chosen and decided that the proportionate value of the Indian title to those two reservations was $75,000, and that of the improvements was $59,000. Each Indian on the Buffalo Creek Reservation received his proper share of this $59,000, but such a distribution could not be made on the Tonawanda Reservation, for the reason that those Indians would not permit appraisers on their lands. After some trouble between the Indians and claimants, the whole controversy was settled by the United States government pur- chasing the entire title of the Ogden Company to the Tonawanda Res- ervation and presenting it to the Indians residing there, giving them the title in fee simple. Meanwhile the Buffalo Creek Indians accepted the money alloted to them, and after a year or two allowed them in which to make necessary preparations, they in 1843-44 abandoned the home where they had dwelt for sixty years, and which had been a favorite rendezvous of their nation for 200 years, and were scattered, some to their brethren on the Cattaraugus Reservation, some to the Allegany, and a few to the land allotted them in Kansas. A pathetic conclusion, truly! The company immediately had the land surveyed and sold to settlers. While in a general and superficial way the State of New York and the Federal government have been magnanimous in dealing with the now fallen nations of Indians who once roamed as conquerors over this broad land, there is still much to be regretted in the details of their treatment. Even to this day our Indian affairs in the far West seem tp be conducted upon a system under which the natives do not always receive justice. Ever hospitable and kind to the white pioneer, freely sharing his home and the best he could procure for his entertainment DESCRIPTIVE OF THE SUBJECT. 21 it seems at this distance and to the sympathetic mind, a hard condi- tion that made it necessary to war upon the Indian and drive him from his country, even to taking almost his last acre. ' He could do no less than fight for his home with such weapons and temperament as his Creator had given him. Pages have been written picturing the hor- rors that awaited the immigrant from the Old World ; tales have been told of the atrocity with which the families of the early settlers were slaughtered and their homes burned according to the barbaric code ; and these stories have been handed down to posterity until, may be, we have become accustomed to look upon them as the only truthful history of the red men in connection with the settlements in Central and Western New York, and to accept without reservation the dictum that the Indian was not only a savage from first to Ifest, under all cir- cumstances, but from the outset an implacable, remorseless, and blood- thirsty enemy to the white pioneers. This, we believe, is not in its broad sense true. The thoughtful student of the circumstances of the Indians when first visited by the pioneers of civilization, must reach the conclusion that at that time, and afterward until they were pro- voked into belligerency and made mad with rum, they were essentially friendly to their unknown visitors. This may be amply confirmed. Had they been otherwise — had they fallen upon the first immigrants, as they did upon white settlers on many later, occasions, it would have required a great civilized army to have effected a foothold on these shores, instead of its having been accomplished by mere hand- fuls of helpless men and women. When a country has been long possessed even by civilized white people, and usurpers seek to wrest it from them, it is a custom held almost sacred for the possessors to fight to the death for their hearthstones. Should we expect less from savages? The white man came to' the Indian with professions of friendship on his tongue, but too often with a gun in one hand and a rum bottle in the other. The Indian proved an apt pupil and readily accepted both. The result might have been forseen. 1 Colden wrote: "The hospitality o£ these Indians [the Five Nations] is no less remarkable than their other virtues; as soon as any stranger comes they are sure to offer him victuals. If there be several in company, and come from afar, one of their best houses is cleaned and given up for their entertainment." 22 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER II. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. Characteristics of Indian Archaeology — Local Indian History — Aboriginal Occu- pants in the Vicinity of Erie County — Conquest of the SeneCas over the Eries and the Kahquahs — Seneca Villages — Remains and Relics of the Senecas — Burial Places and Earthworks — Geological and Archaeological Antiquity of Buffalo Relics — Sites of Indian Occupation around Buffalo — Description of Various Kinds of Relics — Conclusion. While it is wholly foreign to the purposes of this work to enter upon a detailed history of the Iroquois Indians, their occupation of Western New York, their customs, and their characteristics, it will not be out of place nor unprofitable to present a concise review of some features of the subject, especially that of Indian relics and remains, upon which it is believed considerable new light is shed in this chapter. The student of Indian antiquities must keep ever in mind the fact that his work is archaeological and not historical. The archaeologist who explores the temples, tombs, monuments and dwellings of an an- cient civilized people, may well expect to find inscriptions, styles of architecture and the material expression of customs and superstitions which will enable him to settle ethnological and historical questions and even to assign approximate dates. The aborigines of the New England and Middle States, at the time of their first contact with Euro- peans, were strictly stone-age peoples, with absolutely no skill in me- tallurgy, with only the crudest ideas of the flight of time, and the most imperfect and perishable means of recording events. Their weapons and utensils were almost devoid of distinguishing characteristics, while their common remote ancestry and their habit of adopting captives of war, have divested even their bones of racial peculiarities which would serve to guide the student of ethnology. Though we may not be able to say to which one of the many tribes mentioned by early settlers a skeleton or a relic belongs, we are in many cases able to say whether it belonged to any of these, or whether it antedates the savages of whom we have either historic or legendary information. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 23 The little that is well established with regard to the political geog- raphy of Western New York shows that the vicinity of Buffalo was sub- stantially uninhabited from the beginning of European influence, early in the seventeenth century, until the middle of the Revolutionary war, and that barely twenty years elapsed after the establishment of the first permanent Seneca village at Buffalo Creek, when the thriving village of Buffalo began its existence. In other words, except for articles lost by hunting and fishing parties during brief sojourns in the summer, the Indian relics of Erie county date back to the stone age whose latest limit may be set at about 1650. In many regions, for example about Rochester and Canandaigua, the Indians continued for a century and a half in an independent state, following their ancestral customs of do- mestic life, warfare and burial, after they were wtell supplied with French glass beads, brass kettles and scraps of the same metal for ar- row-heads, etc., iron tomahawks and other articles of European man- ufacture. According to the reports of the early French missionaries, corrobo- rated in many instances from other sources, the distribution of the In- dian tribes at the beginning of the seventeenth century was as follows : On both sides of the Niagara River, but particularly to the west, were the villages of the Neutral Nation, so called because they found it necessary for their own preservation to maintain peace both with the Iroquois of Central New York and the Hurons of Canada, who were mutually hostile, but who met as if under a flag of truce in any of the villages of the Neutral Nation. Along the southern shore of the lake were the Eries, whose name, signifying wild-cat, 1 suitably describes the nature both of this nation and of the stormiest of the great lakes. The Iroquois, of the same general ancestry as the Hurons, were a con- federation of five locally independent tribes, named in order from east to west, Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, Senecas, each occu- pying the territory corresponding approximately to the valleys and in- land lakes of the same names. In 1654 or 1655 war parties of the Eries and Iroquois met at the outlet of Honeoye Lake and the former was utterly routed. The Iroquois followed up their victory by an in- cursion into the Erie territory and killed all but a few fugitives who escaped, beyond the Mississippi. According to tradition, many years afterward the descendants of the remnant of the Eries came east and i It is also stated that the word means raccoon. The derived meaning, however, remains un- changed, as the early explorers regarded the raccoon as a kind of cat. 24 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. engaged the Iroquois in battle, were again defeated and their remains were burned and heaped up into a mound which has been visible until recently, near the site of the Indian Mission Chapel on Indian Church street in Buffalo city. Mr. William C. Bryant has described the site of one of the most northern of the Erie villages, near Cattaraugus Creek. At this spot copper relics have been found, which are rare nearer Buffalo. The Neutra} Nation (Kah Kwahs, or Kahquahs) were estimated by the Jesuits at ten thousand, undoubtedly an exaggeration, but only four of their villages were on this side of the river, one being on Buffalo Creek and one on Eighteen-mile Creek. This nation was unable to carry out its peace policy and was effaced by death and adoption into the rival tribes of the Hurons and the Iroquois. By the latter part of the seventeenth century the only vestige of the Kah Kwahs was a small body who had been adopted by the Senecas, but who were allowed to form a village by themselves. It is possible that the large number of iron tomahawks found about East Aurora, a number disproportion- ate to other relics found and without other indications of corresponding peaceful occupancy, indicates the final struggle of the Kah Kwahs. We can scarcely imagine so many valuable possessions to have been lost otherwise than in a decisive battle, while the period of the dis- appearance of this nation is one in which French trade with the Indians was just beginning. It is consistent with what we know of the Indian character to suppose that the Kah Kwahs would possess European weapons before the adornments and implements of peace, and that they would obtain weapons similar to those which they had previously made of stone, before they would be supplied with fire-arms. As to the population of the Eries we have no authentic reports, but they were evidently sufficiently numerous to afford an obsti- nate opposition to the attacks of the Iroquois, yet not so numerous as to hold their own against the latter in a single campaign. In 1677, about a quarter of a century after the conquest of the Eries, an Englishman visited all the five tribes of the Iroquois and made what is presumed to be a fairly accurate census. He reported the number of warriors (probably a fifth or sixth of the total population) as follows: Mohawks 300; Oneidas 200; Onondagas 350; Cayugas 300; Senecas, *,000. Other estimates indicate the approximate correctness of these figures, and several observers speak of the Senecas as equaling in number all of the other tribes together. In 1792 the Iroquois on the Iron tomahawk from East Aurora. Head-comb of bone or shell, from grave at Ganagaru, principal village of Sen- ecas near present village of Victor. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 25 State Reservation, much reduced in numbers by constant warfare and by the effects of vices borrowed to some extent from the white people, but increased by the admission of the Tuscaroras as a sixth member of the confederacy, amounted to 6,000, of whom 1,000 were warriors. In 1687, at the approach of De Nonville, the Senecas destroyed what had been for years their principal and almost their most western village, at Boughton Hill, twenty miles east of Rochester. In the same year La Hontan mentions a Seneca village on the site of Buffalo, but it was in all probability a summer encampment. In 1779 Sullivan's cam- paign against the Senecas, who were loyal to the British, extended no farther west than the Genesee River. The first permanent set- tlement of the Senecas in the territory which they had wrested from the Kah Kwahs was made in 1780, at Buffalo Creek* as an immediate consequence of Sullivan's expedition. In fact, this colonization of the Senecas was under the auspices of the British Indian agent and military officers at Fort Niagara, and was considered the cheapest way in which to provide for the Indians who had fled to them for succor. Agricul- tural implements, clothing, seed and even much of the food of the In- dians at Buffalo were supplied through Fort Niagara up to the evacua- tion by the British in 1796. There is not the slightest reason to suppose that the utensils, clothing, weapons or houses of this Seneca village of one hundred years ago would, if found, appeal to the archaeologist as " Indian relics " in any truer sense of the word than the broken tools and dishes, the cast-off garments or the houses and barns of the pres- ent inhabitants of the Tuscarora Reservation. In the home country of the Senecas, on the other hand, there was so little intimate contact of the natives with the whites that, for several generations, the Indians preserved their habits of life, and continued to use their stone-age im- plements, though conjointly with articles of European manufacture obtained in their limited trade. Thus, on the site of the village on Boughton Hill, already mentioned, may be found arrow heads of flint and those which are merely triangular bits of brass, stone celts and iron tomahawks, pipes of unglazed clay whose stems were molded about strands of twisted grass, as well as pipes of exquisite French workman- ship. In the same grave the writer has found beads of glass and a belt of wampum, a brass kettle and a stone for heating the water in it, which indicates the persistence of habit, for the Indian pottery was not firm enough to be set over a fire. Having heated water in his fragile pot- tery by casting into it a hot stone, he continued to do the same in his 4 26 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. brass kettle. In another grave were found the skeletons of a man of enormous muscular development, as indicated by the marks on the bones, also one of a smaller person, probably his wife, and the crumb- ling bones of an infant. With the last was a tiny brass sleigh-bell ; with the large skeleton, the vestiges of an iron knife and a string of beads, and at the feet of each adult skeleton was a brass kettle. In the grave, as well as on the surface of the ground, was manifest the tran- sition from the stone age to civilization. Some of the beads at the neck of the warrior were of red stone, doubtless brought through many a barter from a western tribe ; at the throat were minute brass beads, the verdegris from which had so preserved the string that there still remains the loose single bow-knot, which had been tied perhaps two centuries ago, when the preparation for burial was made. On the site of Buffalo itself the Senecas occupied and left for the collector a range of country, attractive to the Indians on account of many natural advantages, yet almost uncontaminated by European in- fluences until the rapid growth of distinctly Caucasian civilization. As we have seen, the Eries and the Kah Kwahs were practically ex- terminated before they could have been materially affected by European trade; and from their occupancy till the beginning of settlements no longer within the influence of the stone age, Erie county and most of the State as far as the Genesee valley, was simply a hunting ground and summer resort of the Senecas. Considering the number of surface relics and the amount of grading and excavating which has been done in and near Buffalo, surprisingly few Indian remains have been found. A few years ago, between Buffalo Creek and Clinton street, near the present city line, a number of Indian skeletons were found buried within a radius of twenty feet from a common center, and three or four feet below the surface. Most of the skeletons were unaccompanied with relics, but two large, flat- bottomed brass kettles were unearthed. No collector would imagine for a moment that these were the work of the Indians, although the burial place antedated the historic period. By a strange contrast, the surface of the ground above the burying place has yielded flint arrow heads, stone hatchets, unglazed pottery and other relics of the stone age, but not a trace of implements of European manufacture. Whether the kettles, with one or two skeletons, were intrusions of comparatively modern Senecas into an older burial place, or whether they were among the few foreign valuables that the Kah Kwahs possessed, is u'n- Arrow heads, drills and scrapers from Buffalo. . INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 27 certain. The Jesuits recorded the custom of the latter tribe as favor- ing the exposure of the dead upon scaffolds, whence they were removed once in ten years and deposited in a common burial place. On account of this fact "it has been decided that the skeletons in question were the remains of the older occupants of this vicinity. But almost precisely the same mode of burial has been noted in the Seneca country about Rochester, Canandaigua, and even in the territory of the more eastern of the Five Nations. Sometimes in burials of Iroquois the skeletons were arranged with the feet pointing toward a cache of kettles or other valuables; more often no regularity can be demonstrated and most of the skeletons are unaccompanied by relics. The fact that parts of the skeletons are often missing, suggests that the Iroquois, like the Kah Kwahs, collected the remains from aerial scaffolds at intervals of years. Single prehistoric interments have been occasionally noted in and near Buffalo, and it may be that these indicate the death of a member of a hunting party at a distance from his permanent home. Curiously enough the brass kettles alluded to have been used to support the theory of the presence of the Norsemen in this immediate region. An inspection of the metal and of the accompanying remains is sufficient to prove that no such antiquity is possible. Several Indian burial places have been discovered within the limits of Erie county; one at Clarence is said to have contained over two hundred skeletons. At Point Abino, Canada, there is a burial place containing many remains. With one of the skeletons from this locality was buried a large sea shell, and discoid beads of the same material have been found in con- siderable numbers. There is no evidence that this burial place is as modern as the period of European trade, and we may assume that the* shell (a conch fully ten inches in diameter) was obtained by barter ¥rom the aborigines of the coast. In the bluff at Fort Porter Professor Bishop has found a solitary skeleton, accompanied by rude implements of the stone age, indicat- ing considerable antiquity, as great, at least, as that of the relics ob- tained from the plateau above. Similar interments Of one, or at most two or three bodies, high up on river or lake banks, have been con- sidered by some as characteristic of a very ancient, platycnemic people, whose flat shins and other skeletal peculiarities were due to climbing and living in trees. About forty prehistoric mounds and earthworks have been described jn Erie county, including several at Lancaster and Clarence, and a 28 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. semi-elliptical inclosure near the old mission chapel on Indian Church street. There is no proof that the Mound Builders, proper, ever in- habited this region. On the other hand, within the last half century, intelligent Indians, lineal descendants, respectively of Seneca and Kah Kwah warriors, have declared that they have no traditions as to the origin of these works. The Senecas, to be sure, locate their final battle with the Eries at the earthwork named above, but they have no knowl- edge of its construction. A mound upon White's or Tonawanda Island was said by modern Senecas to be a burial place of the Kah Kwahs, but recent investigation has shown that it contained only two skeletons, by no means in accordance with the burial customs of the Neutral Na- tion, while the skulls are said to differ from the ordinary type. The writer may be allowed to express the opinion that the Mound Builders were not entirely distinct in race from the Indians, but that they were simply American aborigines who developed quite a high state of civilization through peaceful tendencies and the favoring influence of the climate and fertility of the Mississippi and tributary valleys. It may be remarked in passing that popular accounts of prehistoric remains are usually grossly inaccurate. The height of skeletons is apt to be exaggerated, whereas, in the experience of the writer, the greatest stature noted was only an inch or two over six feet and most of the remains were of persons of ordinary size. The collector cannot fail to notice that the sites of aboriginal habita- tions about Buffalo are high and dry and protected from prevailing winds, yet almost invariably in the neighborhood of streams or springs ; in short, just such places as would now be attractive, if we imagine our "city blotted out of existence and ourselves in the state of savages. The uniformity with which the slope rather than the summit of a hill was chosen, suggested also that our barbarian predecessors were evef on the alert for an enemy. There are usually found, a few flint chips or other relics on the highest point of the hill, and we may go so far as to imagine that these indicate the position of sentinels. In exposed banks, subject to effects of the weather, we find relics, if at all, in a stratum not deeper than the roots of grasses. When relics are found on ground sloping toward water courses, their presence ceases just where the ground begins to become damp, excepting where the dampness is attributable to the influence of recent drainage. These facts show that there has been no considerable change in the "lay of the land " from the earliest period of human occupancy to the present era of grading and excavating. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 29 The stone age has been divided, the world over, into palaeolithic and neolithic periods, according to the perfection of the flint and other relics found. Palaeolithic implements are of the rudest type and are some- times of such great antiquity that they have become covered with lay- ers of earth or gravel, or are so located with reference to lakes and rivers that it is evident that considerable geological changes in levels or the course of streams have taken place since they were used by human hands. Roughly chipped implements are found in the vicinity of Buffalo, but usually so closely associated with more artistic arrow and spear heads that we may probably ascribe them to bungling appren- tices of the neolithic and comparatively modern era. At Williamsville, however, there are several acres in the valley of the creek which are overflowed at almost every freshet and which bear quite characteristic palaeolithic implements. On the other hand, it must be conceded that the marks of chipping on these relics are still sharp, whereas if they were of palaeolithic antiquity, we should expect them to show more of the corroding action of time. In considering the age of sites of Indian occupancy, we must also bear in mind the possibility of tribes, widely separated by time, choosing the same eligible spots. There is absolute historic proof that several of the favorite locations of the modern Sen- ecas had been inhabited by earlier residents. In a general way, the sites where Indian relics are found in this county may be classified as camps, villages and arrow head factories. Without intending to use these terms in an arbitrary manner, or to intimate that all such sites can be accurately classified, the following illustrations will show the meaning of these terms. At Fort Porter, before official vandalism had removed our only picturesque and some- what ancient ruin and covered the original surface of the ground, there were several acres thickly strewn with flint chips and the cores from which arrow, spear heads and other chipped flint implements were made. At some spots the chips were so numerous as to suggest that here some ancient worker had sat day after day and fashioned lumps of flint into useful shapes and thrown the waste material about him. Not infrequently an arrowhead would be found with point well formed but with the base still unseparated from the core, and sometimes a fossil or other obvious flaw in the flint would show why the Indian ar- tisan had abandoned his task. Relatively to the large number of chips and unfinished implements, perfect arrow heads were few, and the en- tire cpllection of several persons, extending over a number of years, 30 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. included only a very few celts, two or three hammer stones, an un- finished gorget and one fragment of pottery. Any one who passes along Front Avenue and notices the double windows and storm houses, can appreciate why the Indian, with his crude architectural abilities, should have refrained from establishing a permanent village at Fort Porter. The absence of the necessary implements of peace, and es- pecially of pottery, shows that his occupancy of this beautiful but wind- swept spot was temporary and almost solely for the sake of manufac- turing flint weapons. The one fragment of pottery found at Fort Por- ter is closely covered with marks of finger nails and the clay is heavily loaded with crushed quartz, characteristics of the Fort Erie pottery, and it seems probable that it was brought across the river by some collector and accidentally dropped. In regard to the term "arrow head factory," it should be remarked that nearly all the chipped flint implements found in this immediate vicinity are made of the grey and black flint (or more properly chert), borne by the corniferous limestone, and which has given the name Black Rock to the upper 1 portion of the city. Most of the stone arrow heads found throughout the Seneca and Cayuga country have the same appearance, and their source is plain when we consider that there is no considerable outcropping of flint for a long distance to the eastward of Buffalo. According to credible information, the Indians, even since the Revolution, have been in the habit of making annual pilgrimages to Buffalo from points farther east than Canandaigua, the original, and to some degree the later, purpose of these expeditions being to obtain flint for weapons. The writer has noticed a striking similarity between arrow heads found on the point of land at Keuka Lake where Red Jacket was born and some of those from the site of an ancient village at Cornelius Creek, Buffalo.. The similarity consists in a peculiar curve of the margin of the stem, and might be merely a coincidence, if not seen in a sufficient number to suggest a common type. Strolling along the creeks which run into Niagara River within or near Buffalo, the careful observer will find many places where a hand- ful of flint chips, a few pieces of pottery, possibly an arrow head or two or some other relic will be found. A subsequent visit to these places will show that their resources in this respect have been ex- hausted. Occasionally, a little blackening of the soil may still be visi- 1 With the old Buffalonian " up " means north, or toward Main street. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 31 ble, and we surmise, though we cannot prove, that we have found the exact spot at which some party of Indians kindled their camp-fire. Again, the collector will occasionally find areas of several acres, rich in relics of various kinds, convenient to running water and pleasantly situated. In imagination he may see the smoke of the city clear away, the suburban landscape take on a wilder aspect and he may picture to himself the wigwam whose hearth-fires have blackened the earth, and the savage inhabitants whose hands have fashioned and broken and thrown away the bits of stone and baked clay which he so eagerly gathers. As may be expected, these types of arrow head factory, camp and village, are not always sharply contrasted in the field. The quarrying and working of flint may appear to have been the prfhcipal industry of what must have been a prosperous and quite permanent village site, or it may remain an open question whether a certain spot marks the brief encampment of a considerable party or the permanent home of a few families. Again, the American archaeologist uses the word per- manent with a small reservation. A village once burned by the enemy was seldom rebuilt ; we can readily believe that if sanitary conditions became such as to offend even the hardened susceptibilities of an In- dian, it was cheaper and easier to make a fresh clearing than to renovate the old; and from historic accounts, we know that the Indians were nomadic in their habits and possessed of few chattels which would cen- ter their interests in any one place. Stone-age arrow heads are much the same wherever found, and no one fact is more significant in its bearing on the unity of the human race than that the savage occupants of every country of the world, sep- arated, it may be, by vast oceans and still more widely by thousands upon thousands of years, all chipped flint, or some substitute therefor, inthe same shapes, ground out the same stone hatchets and manipu- lated bone and clay in the same rude manner. Aside from the obvious conception of a hard point that could be fashioned into a shaft, the thought is irresistible that the stone-age artisan followed leaves as a model for his arrow points ; it is, however, scarcely convenient to de- scribe arrow heads in botanical terms. Some arrow heads have stems, others not ; in either case they were fastened into the split shaft by winding the latter with sinew, pitch being perhaps added as a sort of glue. Unstemmed arrow heads may be classified as (1) one-pointed, which have a rounded base and a broadly or narrowly ovate outline ; 32 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. (2) two-pointed, converging to a point at each end, a comparatively rare type, found rather frequently at Fort Erie; (3) three-pointed, with either a straight or a concave base ; in the latter case the angles of the shafted arrow head act as barbs. Stemmed arrow heads may be classified according as the base is barbed or rounded and according as the stem is simply a narrow pro- jection to. fit within the cleft of the shaft, or as it is expanded to about the width of the base of the arrow head proper. In the latter case the stem itself may be either barbed or rounded. Rarely the stem is in- terrupted by a series of constrictions; this latter form has not been found in this vicinity, to the writer's knowledge. Occasionally the edges of an arrow head are serrated so as to produce the greatest pos- sible laceration of a wound. Rarely arrow heads have a spiral turn and there is much dispute among archaeologists as to whether the twist was accidental or intentional. The principal argument against the latter theory is that the heavy head of an arrow, however shaped, would have little effect on the revolution of the shaft, and not nearly as much as a spirally wound feather at the other end. The writer agrees with this ; but may not the native artisan have had in mind the equally practical and perfectly feasible object of producing the maximum amount of damage when the arrow head reached its des- tination? No arbitrary line can be drawn between arrow and spear heads. Points intended especially for shooting birds and small animals were from three-quarters of an inch to an inch and a half in length. Occa- sionally even smaller ones are found and it has been suggested that these were intended for children's toys; but, with growing experience, the archaeologist becomes more and more sceptical as to the existence of sentiment in the breasts of the American aborigines. A flint point of about two inches and a half in length would be adapted to use either on an arrow or a spear, but one much longer than this would be un- equivocally a spear head. The same classification may be used for both arrow and spear heads, but the latter are usually stemmed, for greater security in shafting, and seldom barbed, so that a too success- ful thrust might not leave its owner without a weapon. Somewhat irregular oval, circular or semi-elliptical implements may Be considered knives or scrapers. Arrow and spear heads accidentally broken at the point seem also to have been remodeled into scrapers. A stemmed scraper was intended for use in a wooden or horn handle INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 33 but we can ascribe no reason for a scraper with barbed base, except the utilization of part of a broken arrow or spear head. Drills are usually in the form of very slender, four-sided pyramids. Sometimes the ordinary type of stemmed arrow head is finished with a drill point. Judging from unfinished specimens, most flint implements were formed at the point first, probably because this was the easiest method. At Fort Erie has been found a very perfect representative, both in size and shape, of the ordinary dagger. Otherwise departure from the types of chipped flint implements is rare and the imitations of turtles, birds, fish, etc., seen in collections from the Mississippi valley are entirely lacking in this region. The mode of construction of flint implements has been a matter of much dispute, and the art was speedily lost by all stdhe-age peoples as soon as they were provided with metallic substitutes. It is quite well established, however, that the chipping was not done with the aid of heat, as has sometimes been asserted, but by pressing and striking with a piece of hard wood, bone or antler. The margins may have been perfected and serrations added by nipping off small fragments with a Y-shaped tool of the same material. Indian pottery is easily distinguished from the broken dishes of civ- ilized times by the absence of glaze, the thickness and the tendency to separate into two layers.. Although entire vessels are not found in this vicinity, sufficiently large fragments have been recovered to show that the ornamentation is usually limited to a border of two or three inches below the rim. Various patterns may be traced, but the curved line is almost unknown. A favorite mode of ornamentation, particularly in the Fort Erie pottery, is by the finger-nail. It is also common to find small circular depressions or complete perforations forming part of the pattern just below the mouth of the vessel. Few of the fragments on the east side of the river suggest vessels with necks, but rather shal- low bowls, six or seven inches in diameter and four or five inches in depth. On the Canada shore several large fragments have been found belonging to wide-mouthed jars, bulging below the neck and reaching a height and diameter of about a foot. At Fort Erie pottery kilns have been discovered. A few inches below the surface of the sand charcoal is found with the quite complete though shattered remains of a clay vessel. The outer boundary of the kiln is a circle of fire-cracked stones, each four or five inches in diameter, while the diameter of the whole kiln is about a yard. There seems to have been no foundation nor covering except the sand. 5 34 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The simplest Indian relic found in this vicinity is a round, water- worn, flat pebble, two or three inches in diameter, whose circumfer- ence is divided into halves, or rarely into quarters, by nicks. It is sup- posed that such stones were net-sinkers, as they are rarely found at a distance from water and are especially abundant at Fort Erie. At many sites along the neighboring creeks they indicate a greater depth of water and a far richer stock of fish than can now be found. Water-worn stones of oblong shape, rubbed thin in an oblique line about a third of the distance from one end to the other, and sometimes showing the same use on opposite sides, are supposed to have been whet-stones, usually termed by archaeologists " slick-stones." A some- what similar relic from La Salle, without the whet marks, has been de- clared to be a moccasin last by those who have studied western Indians. The size and shape certainly support this hypothesis. Hammer stones are approximately spherical or cuboidal, showing little artificial modification, except a depression pecked in the upper surface, and sometimes others on opposite sides, so as to allow a finger- hold. A rather elaborate hammer-stone from Fort Erie has a neck on which are grooves for the thumb and fingers. It is a significant com- mentary on Indian customs that these grooves are fitted to a woman's hand. Pestles, tapering cylinders of stone, are occasionally found, but corresponding mortars are rare, perhaps because perishable ones of wood were employed. Archaeologists use the noncommittal term of celt for various sharp- edged implements which might have been used as hatchets, axes, wedges, chisels, gouges, etc. Those of this vicinity are, with remark- ably few exceptions, flat or slightly curved on the lower surface and either arched or beveled on the opposite surface, while they present neither groove nor perforation for a handle. These stones were mainly used for skinning animals. Very few grooved celts, which might have been used as tomahawks, have been found in the vicinity and perforated implements of this character are almost unknown. Some of the more symmetrical and heavier celts were probably hafted by placing them in a cleft sapling and allowing the wood to grow around them. A few round stones, grooved equatorially, from Fort Porter and other sites of Indian occupancy, were fastened by a thong to the end of a stick %nd used as war clubs. From Grand Island, Fort Erie and elsewhere, rare specimens of gouges have been taken. Almost without exception the celts are made from glacial boulders, the favorite material being a greenish stone. Upper Row : Spear head from La Salie, Limestone pipe bowl from Ft. Erie, Stone Gouge, Grand Island, Hammer Stone fitted to right hand of woman or child, Ft. Erie. Middle Row: Panther pipe or totem of impure gypsum, Ft. Erie, Grooved stone for war-club, Ft. Porter, Buffalo. Lower Row : Hatchet or skinning stone, E. Buffalo, Hatchet with curved edge, Cornelius Creek, Buffalo. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 35 Hard, fiat pieces of slate, with one or two perforations, are occa- sionally found near Buffalo-, though they are rare here as elsewhere. These are most commonly oblong and quite uniform in thickness- — about three-sixteenths of an inch. The middle of the perforation is smaller than at the surfaces, showing that the holes were bored from each side. These stones are usually termed gorgets, but they may have been used as cloak fasteners, possibly as shuttles, or they may have had a significance as badges or religious tokens. Unfinished specimens of this kind have been found at Fort Porter and at Cornelius Creek. A beautiful totem of impure gypsum comes from Fort Erie. The animal represented is probably a panther, the long tail being curved forward and the claws showing in bas relief. Iferge conical per- forations from the neck and the lower part of the back of the figure meet at a common apex. Possibly these openings were intended one for tobacco and the other for the introduction of a reed stem. Pipes of clay were made in approximately the same shape as at present, but the necessary thickness of the material used gave them a clumsy appearance. Though not glazed, the clay is usually highly polished. The Indian seems to have been a very temperate smoker, for the bowls of his pipes hold scarcely more than a thimbleful. Stone pipe bowls, sometimes with a downward prolongation into which a stem was fitted, are even more rare than the clay pipes. The time- honored conception of the Indian pipe, a flattened tube of red pipe clay into which the bowl sets at an angle, like the mast of a boat, is almost never realized in the relics of this region. A description of other relics, only occasionally found in this locality, is scarcely within the scope of this chapter,- but may be found in Abbott's Primitive Industry and other similar works. Probably two or three thousand local arrow heads and as many hundred celts are pre- served in various public and private collections. A large room could be paved with the net-sinkers of Buffalo and Fort Erie, and bushels of flint chips and fragments of pottery still lie on the ground within the present city limits. A general similarity may be noticed in the relics from the various village and camp sites of southeastern Buffalo and the glossy flint of the Canada shore of Lake Erie is characteristic ; in some instances an experienced collector, knowing that an arrow head is from one of two or three ancient sites, may locate it correctly. But, as a rule, no deduction can be drawn as to the age of a relic or the tribe which made it. 36 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In their associations with the' settlers at Buffalo and its vicinity the Indians were usually peaceful. For many years they were familiar figures in the village, among them being several chiefs who occupied the highest stations in the Seneca nation. Farmer's Brother was one of these ; he resided at what was called Farmer's Point, the first cabin from the village line on the reservation. Farther up and just above Seneca street was the old council house, a block building where the Indians met for their legislative proceedings. Near it lived White Seneca, and his son, Seneca White, with others of lesser note. Still farther out was the main Indian village, where the great Red Jacket resided, and which was scattered along both sides of the Aurora road, west of the later village of Ebenezer, and on the flats south of the vil - lage. Their dwelling places at that time were principally log cabins. Buffalo was their metropolis and almost every day they came in, few or many, sometimes bringing baskets of corn on their heads, or chickens and eggs, and occasionally butter; and in the winter time the men brought in great loads of game, deer and smaller animals, which were sold to the settlers at ridiculously low figures. Capt. Samuel Pratt's 1 early store was their trade headquarters, and he was very pop- ular with them. They even gave him a title, " Negurriyu," meaning honest dealer, as remembered by members of his family. Many anec- dotes have been told of the business and other experiences of Captain Pratt and the Indians. The latter, in spite of the fact that they con- sidered the pioneer an honest man, sometimes played tricks upon him. Their furs were bought by weight in all cases, and the Indians some- times filled the beaver claws with lead, a device that would do credit to the ingenuity of a Connecticut Yankee. Negurriyu wished to avoid giving mortal offence to the dishonest Indian in such cases by making an open discovery of the fraud, so would clip off the loaded claws with a hatchet and throw them in a corner. It may be imagined that the Indian could not complain at losing the weight of the claws without exposure of his trick. On one occasion Mrs. Pratt had a kettle of meat boiling out of doors while, their house was in process of erection. A disreputable Indian commonly known as Peter Gimlet, was hanging about and the savory smell stifled his meagre conscience and he snatched the largest piece of meat from the kettle, thrust it under his 1 The history of the Pratt family gives his Indian name as " Hodanidaoh," meaning "merci- ful man." The name in the text above is according to the remembrance of his daughter. It is quite probable that both names were used by the Indians. INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 37 blanket and started for the reservation. Captain Pratt's little daughter Esther saw the theft, and hastened to the store and told her father. Pratt sent his son Asa after the thief, who brought him back. The captain opened the offender's blanket and found the meat, whereupon he administered to him a thrashing with a horsewhip, until he was glad to break away and flee to the reservation. A little later numbers of Indians began to arrive at Pratt's store and seat themselves in the street and around the building, and continued to do so until two or three hundred were gathered in a semi-circle in front of the store. They then sent for Pratt, and upon his appearance Farmer's Brother arose and related a tale told by Peter Gimlet of how he had been dis- gracefully whipped by Pratt without cause and .demanding redress. In reply Captain Pratt explained the facts and called nis little daughter as witness ; she told her story in a manner that carried conviction to the judges. Then followed a solemn consultation among the chiefs, after which Farmer's Brother again stood up, with .all the impressive- ness of his seventy years and his high standing, and delivered judg- ment. It was in effect that Peter Gimlet was a bad Indian ; that he had stolen Negurriyu's meat and had been deservedly punished, and Cap- tain Pratt might punish him again ; he also pronounced the sentence of banishment from that reservation of the offender. Captain Pratt then rolled out a barrel of salt from which every one of the remarkable court helped himself until it had all disappeared. A much more startling event took place in the Pratt family on one occasion when the family dinner was interrupted by the hasty appear- ance of their boy Benjamin, closely pursued by a warrior commonly known as ' ' The Devil's Ramrod, " who was brandishing a knife and threatening to kill the lad. The boy had been teasing the Indian and it was only with difficulty that the latter could be at all quieted. At length he exclaimed, " Me no kill Hodanidaoh's boy," stuck his knife into the door post with savage emphasis and strode away. Many other Indian stories are related in the history of the Pratt family, from which these are derived. Farmer's Brother was recognized as the principal man among the Indians, all things considered, though Red Jacket made himself the most conspicuous figure in the nation, through his aggressiveness and his antipathy towards the white people ; he was also, as far as could be seen, the principal sachem, or civil chief of the Senecas, while Farmer's Brother was a war chief. From early in this century until 38 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. his death Red Jacket was an inveterate enemy to civilization, Chris- tianity and education. He understood the English language, but always pretended he did not and would not reply unless addressed in his own tongue. His greatest delight, apparently, was in attending councils where he could rehearse the story of the wrongs of the Indians at the hands of the white race. Many of the white settlers attributed some kind of supremacy in the Senecas to Guienguatoh, commonly called "Young King," and some- times, "Young Smoke." He was probably the son of Sayengeraghta, or "Old King," otherwise, "Old Smoke," who was undoubtedly up to his death principal civil sachem of the Senecas. Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother were two of fifty chiefs who visited the seat of government in Philadelphia in 1792. At that time Red Jacket claimed to be favorable to civilization, and was presented by Washing ton with a silver medal which he ever after wore on all great occasions. In the later years of his life Red Jacket became greatly addicted to drink and his downfall soon followed. His opposition to the church and schools of the white people was bitter and determined and when about 1825 his wife joined the Christians, he abruptly abandoned her, but returned to her a little later. At about the same time twenty-five of the Seneca chiefs determined to depose him from his sachemship; they accordingly had a deposition drawn, charging him with numerous offenses extending over a long period, and signed it. Although this number of chiefs was a minority and without power in this matter, the action deeply incensed the old sachem. In 1827, or 1828, he visited Washington where he was advised by the commissioner of Indian affairs to return and sue with his people for the burial of the hatchet. He came back, called a council, made an eloquent speech in his own defense and was restored to his former rank. That was the last effort of a great mind. From that time forward Red Jacket was a confirmed drunkard and to a certain extent an imbecile. He died January 20, 1830, and was buried according to Christian rites, towards which he exhibited less animosity in his last years.' 1 A characteristic anecdote is told 6f Red Jacket regarding one of his visits to the seat of gov- ernment. On his arrival General Knox, then secretary of war, presented the great chief with a full military uniform and equipments. Red Jacket requested the bearer to tell General Knox tfcat he could not wear military clothing, being a civil sachem; if a similar present was to be made him, he would prefer a suit of civilian's clothes, but would keep the military suit until the other arrived. In due time a handsome suit of citizen's clothes reached him. This un- tutored savage took it, and remarked to the bearer that in war time the sachems went on the INDIAN OCCUPATION AND ANTIQUITIES. 39 Farmer's Brother, which name he received from the lips of Washing- ton, also known by the Indian name Honayewus, was a strong, stalwart warrior, the beau ideal of an Iroquois chief and warrior. He was, more- over, an eloquent orator, second only to Red Jacket in all the Six Nations, and in every way eminent and influential in his own nation. During his long life he had passed through many bloody scenes, among them the massacre at Devil's Hole, noticed in a later chapter. In his later years he was the friend of peace, a foe to intemperance and a conserv- ator of good order and civilization. Capt. John O'Bail, or Abeel, more widely known as Cornplanter, was another famous Indian of those times. He resided on the Allegany Reservation, where a band of Senecas looked up to him as leader. He was half white by blood, but wholly Indian in ifeture, and during the early wars was one of the bravest and most successful chiefs of the Senecas. At the time of the great council on Buffalo Creek, in 1788, Cornplanter was somewhat under a cloud with his people, on account of having assented to the treaty of Fort Stanwix. The names of the Seneca chiefs and sachems who were conspicuous in some direction need not be further followed here ; they are found in numerous accessible volumes, wherein the prowess, the power and in- fluence, and the high intelligence of the Seneca nation are fully set forth. war path with the other warriors and he would keep the military suit for such an event. And he thus kept both.— Stone's Life of Red Jacket. 40 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER III. 1 1534—1697. Struggle of Three European Powers for Conquest of the Western Continent- Accidental Discoveries— Cartier's Explorations — Basis of the French Claim— Cham- plain and His Encounter with the Iroquois— The English Claim— The Plymouth Company — Henry Hudson's Discoveries — Basis of Dutch Claims — Richness of the Fur Trade— Coming of the Jesuits— French Colonization — Dutch Aggressiveness in Fur Trade — A New Era for the French— La Salle and His Success— Building of Fort Frontenac— La Salle's Patent— His Arrival at Niagara— Building of the Griffin —Death of La Salle— French War with the Iroquois— Niagara Abandoned— Treaty of Ryswick. In the never-ceasing development of an all-wise Creator's dispensa- tions, the conquest of this western world, the wresting of its vast terri- tory from its native possessors, became an object of persistent and heroic effort by three separate European powers — England, France and Holland — whose rulers engaged in war, and two of them in pro- longed periods of bloodshed and devastation for the achievement of their purposes on this side of the Atlantic Ocean. With the armies of the French, religious zeal, as exhibited by the remarkable followers of Loyola, known as Jesuits, went hand in hand in efforts for the exten- sion of their king's domain and the filling of his treasury, as well as for carrying the White banner of the gospel among the heathen. To those indefatigable and unselfish devotees we are indebted for the first visit of white men to the immediate region of which this work treats. 1 It may, perhaps, be proper to state for the information of the superficial reader, if, perchance, this work shall fall into the hands of such an one, that it is only after due consideration that we devote this and the three succeeding chapters so largely to an account of the protracted struggle for supremacy on this continent between the French and English. Many of the events narrated transpired at considerable distances from the bounds of Erie county as they now exist and may at first glance appear to such a reader to be remote from the subject of this work, as indicated by its title; but the fact should not be overlooked that during that period of strife the Niagara and northern frontier, including' territory along both sides of Lakes Erie, Ontario and Champlain, and the rivers connecting them, was of the very highest military and commercial importance to t^e contending parties. A careful examination of the situation as it then existed makes it plain that each of the events referred to above was vitally connected with the conflict that ended in English dominion on this side of those waterways, and that the causes and motives that pre- cipitated the struggle, as well as the outcome of it, have all exerted a powerful influence in shaping the progress and destiny of our county and its people. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 41 The early European discoveries on this continent were in large meas- ure accidental; that is, they were incidental to a search for a short route to the Indies. The beauty, vastness, and richness of the new region soon dwarfed the main purpose and the conquest and develop- ment of the country became an object of the greatest importance. The French claim was based primarily upon the discoveries of Cartier and his successors. Under the king's commission he sailed in 1534 from St. Malo, discovered and named the St. Lawrence, raised his sovereign's standard of shield and cross on the site of Montreal, and took posses- sion of the country of New France. He made a second voyage in the next year, and in 1540 Francis de la Roque, Seigneur de Roberval, came over with powers second only to those of his sovereign and made some effort toward permanent settlement. While'little was accom- plished in this direction during a number of succeeding years, the am- bition and cupidity of the French ruler were stimulated by extravagant reports of the grandeur and value of the new country, and numerous adventurers turned their gaze westward. In 1603 a company of busi- ness men was formed at Rouen and received authority to form colonies on the St. Lawrence. One of these was Samuel de Champlain, a capable and intrepid navigator, under whose direction an expedition was fitted out and brought over in the year just named. He ascended the river to the site of Quebec, where he determined to erect a fort. The prospective profits of the fur trade were already overshadowing other considerations. Champlain evidently misunderstood the Indian situa- tion, or he would not have formed an alliance with the Hurons and Algonquins against the Iroquois. It is believed that he hoped to thus make permanent conquest over the latter and unite all the other Indian nations in support of France. For the attainment of this purpose he joined an expedition of the Hurons against the Iroquois in the year 1609. 1 Leaving Quebec on July 2, the party ascended the Sorel River to the Chambly Rapids, whence the vessel returned, leaving only three white men (Champlain and two others) with the invading Indians. Pursuing their way southward, they paddled their canoes up the lake which now bears Champlain's name to a point near the site of Ticon- 1 The genius of Champlain, whose comprehensive mind planned enduring establishments of French commerce, and a career of discovery that should carry the lilies of the Bourbons to the ektremity of North America, could devise no method of building up the dominion of France in Canada, but by an alliance with the Hurons, or of continuing that alliance by the establishment of missions. — Bancroft. 6 42 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. deroga, where they met a body of the Iroquois and a battle ensued. The story of that almost insignificant conflict — the first pitched battle fought on this continent — given in minute details in Champlain's jour- nal, reads like a romance. It was from every point of view a memorable event ; moreover, it was unjustifiable, except upon the sole ground of greed for conquest. There and then a Frenchman killed his first Indian with gunpowder, a weapon of destruction that very soon found its way into the grasp of those astounded Iroquois, to be turned by them with vengeance against the colonists of New France. Six years later Cham- plain planned and executed a much more pretentious expedition into the heart of the country of the Iroquois, the stronghold of the Onon- dagas, for details of which the reader must be referred to his journal. 1 Meanwhile other European sovereigns turned longing attention to this western promised land. In April, 1606, King James of England granted a patent to a number of his subjects for a vast and indefinite territory on this side of the Atlantic lying between the 34th and the 45th degrees of north latitude and stretching away westward into a wholly unknown region. Under this grant the Plymouth Company was formed and given control of the northern part of the territory. Attempts were made, of a more or less abortive character, to found permanent settlements, but it was not until the arrival of the Pilgrims on the rugged shores of Massachusetts Bay in 1620, that the English obtained a firm foothold in the new world. In September, 1609, Henry Hudson, an Englishman then employed by the Dutch East India Company, sailed across the Atlantic and up the beautiful river that received his name, to the site of Albany, a point only a comparatively short distance south of the spot where Champlain almost simultaneously began his unjustifiable slaughter of Mohawks in the interest of a rival nation. Although Hudson, in com- mon with other explorers, met with a friendly reception from the na- tives, his men wantonly abused their confidence before the close of his brief stay and killed nine of them, while Hudson and his crew escaped uninjured from the arrows of the astonished Indians. Hudson's explo- ration laid the foundation for the Dutch claim. Other voyagers soon came over from Holland, seeking primarily the profitable fur traffic with the natives; the great West India Company was organized, per- Doc. Hist, of the State of N.Y., Vol. Ill, pp. 2-17. The late O. H. Marshall, of Buffalo, in 1849, translated Champlain's journal of this expedition from the original French, for the New York Historical Society; see Proceedings, p. 100, etc. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 43 manent colonization was effected, fortified posts were established on Manhattan Island and near the site of Albany, and in 1623 a Dutch governor came over to administer affairs. During many early years it was the richness and profits of the fur trade that appealed to European rulers and their subjects more forci- bly, perhaps, than the mere conquest and acquisition of territory ; and throughout the whole long struggle that finally closed in English tri- umph, the enormous gains made in that traffic on the one hand, and fear of losing such a source of revenue on the other, led to the organi- zation and equipment of armies, commanded the study and intrigue of diplomats, inspired officers and soldiers with martial enthusiasm and called across the ocean from older lands a host of ambitious seekers for wealth. In the latter respect it was the era of diamond discovery in South Africa, of the gold discovery in California, in an earlier and far different guise. 1 The French were not successful in their efforts to colonize their new country, and their failure in this respect would have been still more pronounced had it not been for the tireless, sleepless labor of the Jes- uits. The vanguard of this striking order arrived in Canada in 1625," and joined their countrymen on the St. Lawrence. That stream, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie offered an open waterway to the westward and those religious enthusiasts were prompt to make use of its compara- tively easy passage into the distant Indian region where they were to suffer innumerable hardships in their hopeless attempt to teach the Indians religion and civilization, and incidentally to advance the inter- ests of their sovereign in more earthly paths. The Neuter Nation was visited by Father De la Roche Daillon as early as 1626, who passed the winter among them. Others followed him westward and they soon had stations as far west as Lake Huron. One of these was St. Marie, where Fathers Br^beuf 3 and Chaumonot labored and whence 1 The great magnitude and value of the fur trade is demonstrated by the fact that the gross value of the skins exported from New Amsterdam from 1624 to 1632 inclusive was 4R4,127 guilders, or about $189,219. The number of beaver skins constituting this export gradually increased from 4,000 to more than 13,500, and other rich furs in proportion. This, it should be noted, was the re- sult of the Dutch trade alone. a A number of members of the Franciscan friars came over with Champlain in 1615, but they were ere long supplanted by the more powerful order. 8 For fifteen years Brebeuf (one of the very earliest comers) carried on his missionary labors among the Hurons, scourging his flesh twice a day with thongs ; wearing an iron girdle armed at all points with sharp projections, and over this a bristly hair shirt, which continually " mortified the flesh ; " fasted frequently and long ; kept his pious vigils long into the night, and by peniten- 44 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. they set out in November, 1640, to visit the Neuter Nation. Their expedition is described in the Jesuit Relations (1641) from which we take the following: Jean Brebeuf and Joseph Marie Chaumonot, two fathers of our company which have charge of the mission of the Neutre Nation, set out on the 2d day of Novem- ber, A. D., 1640, to visit that people. . . Although many of our French traders have visited that people for purposes of trade, we have no knowledge of any who have been there to preach the gospel, except Father De la Roche Daillon, a Recollect, who passed the winter there in the year 1626. After minutely describing the route followed by his brethren the writer fixes the place of residence of that nation " at the foot of the lake of the Erigh or Cat Nation," and speaks of most of the Indian villages being "on the west side of the river." While the "Relations" do not speak in definite terms of those early Fathers having crossed the Niagara River, it is possible that they did so, and quite probable that they visited the vicinity of Buffalo Creek. These questions can never be more definitely answered. The events of the succeeding forty years bore only indirect relation to the settlement of Western New York. The wars of the Indian na- tions in which the Kahquahs were destroyed (1650) and the Eries ex- terminated (about 1653) ' postponed but could not permanently avert the coming of the white man, whose only formidable enemy was the Iroquois. From the time of their victory over the Kahquahs and the Eries, the Five Nations were the lordly rulers of a vast domain, the boundaries of which they rapidly extended. On every hand they sub- jugated their native enemies and when the white man came they in- spired his dread as an antagonist and his respect as an ally. During the period under consideration French colonization on the St. Lawrence made slow progress. The death of Champlain in 1635 was a crippling blow, and his immediate successors were unable to produce marked advancement. Quebec in 1662, fourteen years after it was founded, was reduced to a population of fifty souls — a condition created largely by hostility of the Iroquois, the original inspiration of which was Champlain's unique battles with them in 1609-1615. But if colonization and practical improvement were neglected by the French their energy in building up the fur trade was tireless, and by 1665 they tial acts resisted every temptation of the flesh.— Lossing's Cyclopedia of U. S. History Vol II p. 719. ' ' ' 1 See Chap. II, Vol. 2, Buffalo and the Senecas, Ketchara. PROM 1534 TO 1697. 45 had established trading stations at Machillimacinac, Green Bay, St. Joseph, and Chicago. Hand in hand with these ventures went the religious campaigns of the Jesuits. The route of the traders and mis- sionaries from the St. Lawrence to those far western posts was traveled, principally farther north than Niagara Falls, only by the most ven- turesome. This course was dictated by the friendly character of the northern Indians. The thrifty Dutch on the Hudson River were more sluggish but no less persistent and successful than the French in prosecuting the fur trade, while they were far more fortunate in gaining the good will of their Indian neighbors. The treatment of the natives by the Dutch was what self-interest taught them it should be, if we except their in- clination to drive hard bargains for the richest furs alid their reckless dissemination of the two destructive weapons, guns and rum, at prices that would have amazed a white man. The Indian possessed a latent appetite for the white man's "fire water," which was awakened under the mercantile manipulation of the fur traders, French and Eng- lish as well as Dutch, causing subsequent untold injury to all con- cerned. In 1664 the English, who had made marked progress in colonizing New England, closed a long and wordy strife with the Dutch by cap- turing Manhattan and the Hudson River region, meeting with insig- nificant opposition. The Dutch could till the land and victimize the Indians in trade, but they were indifferent fighters. The conquest of the English was made permanent in 1670. The Dutch did not, how- ever, leave the country, but continued a powerful factor in the fur trade, in advancing agricultural interests, and laid the foundation of an aristocratic social element that exists at the present time. 1 The 1 The opinion is quite prevalent even among the more intelligent of our people that we are in- debted to England for nfost of the institutions, laws and social customs that characterize and distinguish our civilization. The contrary appears to "be true. In the very valuable work of Douglas Campbell, A.M., LL. B. (Harper Bros., 1892), "The Puritan in Holland, England and America," this matter is fully and ably treated. With space here for the merest reference to the subject by way of digression, it may be said without hesitation that we are far more deeply in- debted in the respects above named to Holland and the other states of the Dutch republic than to England. Among the institutions, laws and social customs referred to may be mentioned: Written constitutions, and the element of permanence in the upper houses of our legislatures, State and Federal; equality among the States; the right of Congress to declare war and make peace; religious liberty and freedom of the press; the written ballot; the rigtft of persons ac- cused of crime to counsel in their defense; recording of conveyances and mortgages; separation of the sexes in prisons; equal division of property among children, male and female; short terms in office of the ruling classes; and the emancipation of woman. See also "Netherlands" in Larned's "History for Ready Reference" (The C. A. Nichols Co., 1894). 46 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. peaceful relations with the Indians maintained by the Dutch were con- tinued by the English. The conquered' province was granted by Charles II, king of England, to his brother James, Duke of York, who gave it the name of New York. This grant was made with the cus- tomary indefinite boundaries; it comprised not only all the lands along the Hudson River but extended on westward, encroached upon the prior grant of James I to the Plymouth Colony and overlapped the Massachusetts boundary as defined in the charter of Charles I, laying the foundation for the conflict of territorial jurisdiction that has been described in Chapter I. A new era finally approached for New France. To Louis XIV, then on the French throne, through his masterly minister, Colbert, came glowing reports of his possessions across the ocean, with results that were foreseen and inevitable. The attention of the empire was at- tracted hitherward. Among the names of French adventurers in the western world none stands forth more conspicuously than that of Robert Cavalier de la Salle ; not so much for the magnitude of his accomplishments, perhaps, as for their unique character. La Salle was a native of Rouen, born in 1643, son of a well-to-do merchant and took the name by which he was commonly known from the title of the family estate. He grew to be an ambitious, self-willed man of large mental capacity, united with the Jesuits in early life, but subsequently left the order and in 1666 grati- fied his innate love of adventure by joining his countrymen in Canada. He engaged in the fur trade at La Chine, where he received a valuable grant of land from the Sulpitians. 1 There he heard tales of the vast country to the westward, which excited his imagination, and taking with him two of the Sulpitians, he made a journey into the wilderness of Western New York and later went down the Ohio River as far as the site of Louisville. His enthusiasm for exploration was still further awakened by reports of the missionaries, Marquette and Joliet, who in 1673 pressed on beyond the farthest French posts and raised the em- blem of the cross on the banks of the Mississippi. La Salle beheld in his imagination the union of the great western country with Canada, thus vastly enlarging the French domain, and at the same time opening a region that would be prolific in trade, the export gateway of which 1 The Sulpitians were an order of priests whose purpose was the education of other priests. Some of their number came to America for that and kindred purposes, under the favor of the French king. FROM 1584 TO 1697. 47 would still remain on the St. Lawrence. These two regions he would connect with a line of military posts and trading stations. Incidental to these operations he always entertained the possible discovery of a route to the " South Sea," ' as it was then termed. This last extract* foreshadows the later operations at Niagara. Fron- tenac was appointed governor-general of Canada in 1672 and La Salle early secured his favor and co-operation; their plans and aspirations were similar. To further his purposes La Salle returned to France in 1674, bearing a letter of recommendation from the governor to Colbert, the king's premier. 3 In the mean time Frontenac erected a fort on Lake Ontario on the site of Kingston and gave it his own name. La Salle was more successful at court than he could have anticipated. His petition that Frontenac should be reimbursed for all that he had ex- pended in the erection of the fort was granted, the post was garrisoned and a priest supplied for its spiritual needs. La Salle was made its governor or commandant and large tracts of land in that vicinity, and a title of nobility, were conferred upon him by the king. He built vessels for the extension of his fur trade, of which he sought a monop- oly. His sudden prosperity and aggressive ambition created enemies and in 1677 he was again forced to visit France to maintain his posi- tion, and also to obtain aid and authority to carry forward his schemes of western exploration. He returned to Canada flushed with success. King Louis, on May 12, 1678, added to his former favors a grant or patent giving La Salle the privilege to "discover all the western part of New France through which a passage may be found into Mexico," authorized him to "construct forts wherever he should deem neces- 1 Through much of the correspondence of those times between the French ministers and their representatives in this country is found expression of the hope of discovering the "South Sea." For example, see the following: "The resolution you have taken to send Sieur de la Salle towards the South and Sieur de St. Luisson to the North, to discover the South Sea passage is very good; but the principal thing to which you ought to apply yourself in discoveries of this nature is to look for the copper mine.— M. Colbert to M. Talon, February, 1671, Col. Documents, Vol. IX, p. 70. "And again : " Sieur Joliet, whom Monsieur Talon advised me, on my arrival from France to dispatch for the discovery of the South Sea, has returned three months ago, and discovered some very fine Countries, and a navigation so easy through the beautiful rivers he has found, that a person can go from Lake Ontario and Fort Frontenac in a bark to the Gulf of Mexico, there being only one carrying place half a league in length, where Lake Ontario communicates with Lake Erie. A settlement could be made at this point and another bark built on Lake Erie."— Fronte- nac to Colbert, 1674, Paris Doc, Doc. History, Vol. IX., p. 121. s Frontenac's confidence in La Salle is shown by the fact that the latter was sent on a diplo- matic mission among the Onondagas in 1673. Frontenac wrote in his journal: " For this purpose he selected Sieur de Lasalle as a person qualified for such a service by the different journeys he had made into that country and by his acquaintance with the Indians."— Col. Doc, Vol. IX., p. 97. 48 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. sary " for his purposes, and imposed on him conditions similar to those attaching to his position at Fort Frontenac in the grant of 1675. Fol- lowing is a part of the concluding paragraph of this patent : To accomplish this and everything above mentioned, we give you full powers; on condition, however, that you shall finish this enterprise in five years, in default of which their pursuits shall be void and of none effect ; that you carry on no trade whatever, with the savages called Outaouacs, and others, who bring their beaver skins and other peltries to Montreal ; and that the whole shall be done at your ex- pense, and that of your company to which we have granted the privilege of trade in buffalo skins. 1 La Salle's " company, " here referred to, comprised, among others, Henri de Tonti, an Italian veteran, and Sieur La Motte. Accompanied by about thirty mechanics and mariners the party sailed from Rochelle in the summer of 1678, arrived safely at Quebec, and in due time pro- ceeded up the river to Fort Frontenac. There immediate preparations were made for embarking on the new mission. Father Louis Hennepin was at the fort and joined in La Salle's expedition with enthusiasm. He was an intelligent priest and kept a detailed journal of his travels, the following extracts from which give us the best available account of La Salle's operations on the Niagara River: On the 18th of November, 1678, I took leave of our monks at Fort Frontenac, and after mutual embraces, and expressions of brotherly and christian charity, I embarked in a brigantine of about ten tons. The winds and the cold of autumn were then very violent, insomuch that our crew were afraid to go, in so little a vessel. This obliged us, and the Sieur De La Motte, our commander, to keep our course on the north side of the lake, to shelter ourselves under the coast, against the north west wind, which would have otherwise, forced us upon the southern coast of the lake. On the 26th we were in great danger, about two large leagues off the land, where we were obliged to lie at anchor, all that night, at sixty fathomsof water, and above, but at length the wind coming at the northeast, we sailed on, and arrived safely at the other end of the lake Ontario, called by the Iroquois, Skannandario. We came pretty near one of their villages, called Tajajagon, lying about seventy leagues from Fort Frontenac, or Catarokouy. We bartered some Indian corn with the Iroquois, who could not sufficiently admire us, and came frequently to see us, in our brigantine, which for our greater security, we had brought to an anchor into a river, though before we could get in, we ran aground three times, which obliged us to put fourteen men into canoes, and cast the ballast of our ship overboard, to get her off again. . . . The wind then turning contrary, we were obliged to tarry there, till the 5th of December, 1678, when we sailed from the northern, to the southern side, where the river Niagara runs into the lake, but could not reach it that day, though it is but fifteen or sixteen leagues dis- ' Col. Doc, Vol. IX, p. 127. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 49 tant, and therefore cast anchor within five leagues of the shore, where we had very bad weather all the night long. On the 6th being St. Nicholas day. we got into the fine river Niagara, into which never any such ship as ours entered before. . . . On the 7th we went in a canoe, two leagues up the river, to look for a convenient place for building, but not being able to get the canoe further up, because the cur- rent was too rapid for us to master, we went over-land about three leagues higher, though we found no land fit for culture. We lay that night near a river l that runs from the westward, within a league above the fall of the Niagara, which as we have already said is the greatest in the world. The snow was then a foot deep, and we were obliged to dig it up to make room for our fire. The next day, we returned the same way we went, and saw great numbers of wild goats, and turkey cocks, 2 and on the 11th we said the first mass that was ever said in that country. The carpenters and the rest of the crew were set to work, but Monsieur De La Motte who had the direction of them, being not able to endure the fatigues of so laborious a life, gave over his design and returned to Canada, having about two hundred leagues to travel. The 12th, 13th and 14th the wind was not favorable enough to sail up the river as far as the rapid current above mentioned, where we had resolved to build some houses. Whosoever considers our map, will easily see that the new enterprise of building a fort, and some houses on the river Niagara, besides the fort of Frontenac, was like to give jealousy to the Iroquois, and even to the English, who lived in this neigh- borhood, and have a great commerce with them. Therefore, to prevent the ill consequences of it, it was thought fit to send an Em- bassie to the Iroquois, as it will be mentioned in the next chapter. The 15th I was obliged to sit at the helm of our brigantine, while three of our men hauled the same from the shore with a rope, and at last we brought her up, and moored her to the shore with a hauser near a rock of prodigious height, lying upon the rapid currents we have already mentioned. The 17th, 18th and 19th we were busy making a cabin, with palisadoes to serve for a. magazine; but the ground was so frozen that we were forced several times, to throw boiling water upon it, to facilitate the beating in and driving down, the stakes. The 20th, 21st, 22d and 23d, our ship was in great, danger to be dashed to pieces, by the vast pieces of ice that were hurled down the river, to prevent which, our cap- tain made a capstane, to haul her ashore, but our great cable broke in three pieces, whereupon one of the carpenters surrounded the vessel with a cable, and tied it to several ropes, whereby we got her ashore, though with much difficulty, and saved her from the danger of being broke to pieces, or carried away by the ice, which came down with an extreme violence from the great fall of Niagara. At this point in his journal Hennepin records the details of the em- bassy to the Iroquois, which journeyed thirty leagues in a southeasterly direction, finding the villages afterwards visited by De Nonville, and 1 The Chippewa. 2 These were .undoubtedly deer and wild turkeys. 7 50 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. then proceeds with the story of the building of the first vessel that ever floated on Lake Erie — the Griffin — as follows : On the 14th of January, 1679, we arrived at our habitation of Niagara very weary of the fatigue of our voyage [referring to the journey among the Senecas]. On the 20th arrived Mons. De La Salle, from Fort Frontenac, from which he was sent with a great barque to supply us with provisioas, rigging, and tackling for the ship, we designed to build at the mouth of the lake Erie. But that barque, had been cast away on the southern coast of lake Ontario, by the fault of two pilots, who could not agree a'bout the course they were to steer, though they were then only within two leagues of Niagara. The seamen have called this place the mad cape. The anchors and cables were saved, but several canoes made of barks of trees, loaded with goods, and commodities, were lost. These disappointments were such, as would have dissuaded from any further enterprise, all other persons, but such who had formed the generous design of making new discovery in the country. M. De La Salle told us that before he lost the barque, he had been with the Iro- quois Tsonnontouans, and had so dexterously gained their affection that they had talked to him of an embassy with applause, and had given him their consent to the execution of our undertaking. This good intelligence, lasted but a little while, for certain persons who made it their business to cross our design, inspired the Iroquois with many suspicions about the fort, we were building at Niagara, which was in great forwardness, and these suspicions grew so high, that we were obliged to give over our building for some time, contenting ourselves with a habitation built with palisadoes. On the 22d of the said month, we went two leagues above the great fall of Niag- ara, where we made a dock, for building the ship, we wanted for our voyage. ' This was the most convenient place we could pitch upon, being upon a river, which falls into the streight between lake Erie and the great fall of Niagara. The 26th, the keel of the ship, and some other pieces being ready, M. De La Salle sent the master carpenter, to desire me to drive the first pin: But my profession obliging me to decline that honor, he did it, himself, and promised ten louis d'ors to encourage the carpenters, and further the work. The winter : not being half so hard in that country as in Canada, we employed one of the two isavages of th,e nation called the Woolf, whom we kept for hunting, in building some cabins made of the rind of trees, and I had one made on purpose to perform Divine service therein on Sundays, and other Occasions. M. De La Salle having some, uigent business of his own, returned to Fort Frontenac, leaving for our commander pile Tonti, an Italian by birth, who had been forced to retire into France after the revolution of Naples in which his father was concerned. I conducted M. De La Salle as far as lake Ontario, at the mouth of the Niagara river, where he ordered a house to be built for the smith we had promised to the Iroquois, but this was only to amuse them, and therefore I cannot but own that the savages are not to be blamed for not having believed everything they were told by M. La Motte, in his embassy already related. He took his journey on foot over the snow, having no other provisions but a little 1 This voyage refers to their contemplated journey westward up the lake system. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 51 sack of Indian corn roasted, which failed him two days before he came to the fort, which is above four score league distant from the place where he left us. However, he got in safely, with two men and a dog, who dragged his baggage over the ice or frozen snow. When I returned to our dock, I understood that most of the Iroquois were going to wage a war with a nation on the other side of the lake Erie. In the meantime, our men continued with great application to build our ship, for the Iro- quois, who were left behind, being but a small number, were not so insolent as be- fore, though they came now and then, to our dock, and expressed some discontent at what we were doing. One of them in particular, feigning himself drunk, attempted to kill our smith, but was vigorously repulsed by him, with a red hot iron bar, which, together with the reprimand he received from me, obliged him to begone. Some few days after, a savage woman gave us notice that the Tsonnontouans had resolved to burn our ship on the dock, and had certainly done it, had we not been always upon our guard. These frequent alarms from the natives, together with therfears we were in, of wanting provisions, having lost the great barque from Fort Frontenac, which should have relieved us, and the Tsonnontouans, at the same time, refusing to give us any of their corn for money, were a great discouragement to our carpenters, whom on the other hand, a villain amongst us endeavored to seduce The two savages we had taken into our service, were all this while hunting, and supplied us with wild goats, and other beasts, for our subsistence, which encouraged our workmen to go on with their work more briskly than before, insomuch, that in a short time, our ship was in readiness to be launched, which we did after having blessed the same, after the use of the Roman church. We made all the haste we could, to get it afloat, though not altogether finished, to prevent the designs of the natives, who had resolved to burn it. The ship was called the Griffin, alluding to the arms of Count Frontenac, which have two griffins for supporters, and besides, M. La Salle used to say of this ship, while yet upon the stocks, that he would make the Griffin fly above the Raven. We fired three guns, and sung Te Deum which was attended with loud acclama- tions of joy, of which those of the Iroquois who were present were partakers, for we gave them some brandy to drink, as well as to our men. . . . On the very same day we were all on board, and thereby out of the reach of the insults of the savages. Hennepin, after relating an account of the amazement caused among the Indians by the size and appearance of the Griffin, although "it was but sixty tons," and the seizure of La Salle's property in Canada by his creditors who never expected to see him again, proceeds with his journal of the further operations of the company as follows: I went up in a canoe with one of our savages, to the mouth of the lake Erie, not- withstanding the strong current, which I mastered with great difficulty. I sounded the mouth of the lake, and found, contrary to the relations that had been made unto me, that a ship with a brisk gale, might sail up the lake, and surmount the rapidity of the current; and that therefore, with a strong north or north east wind, we might bring our ship into lake Erie. 52- OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. I took also a view of the banks of the streight, and found, that in case of need, we might put some of our men ashore, to haul the ship, if the wind was not strong enough. . . Before we could go on with our intended discovery, I was obliged to return to fort Frontenac, to bring along with me two monks of my own order, to help me, in the function of my ministry. I left our ship riding upon two anchors, within a league and a half of the lake Erie — in the streight between the said lake and the great fall of Niagara. The party did not return to the ship until the beginning of August, 1679. The journal continues : We endeavored several times to sail up the lake, but the wind being not strong enough, we were forced to wait for it. In the meantime La Salle caused our men to grub up some land, and sow several sorts of pot herbs and pulse, for the conveniency of those who should settle themselves there, to maintain our correspondence with fort Frontenac. . . We left Father Melithon, with some workmen at our habita- tion above the falls of Niagara, and most of our men went ashore to lighten our ship, the better to sail up the lake. The wind veering to the northeast, and the ship being well provided, we made all the sail we could, and with the help of twelve men who hauled from the shore, over- came the rapidity of the current, and got up into the lake. The stream is so violent that our pilot himself despaired of success. When it was done we sang Te Deum, and discharged our cannon and other fire- arms, in presence of a great many Iroquois, who came from a warlike expedition against the savages of Tintomha, that is to say, the nation of the meadows, who live above four hundred leagues from that place. The Iroquois and their prisoners, were much surprised to see us in the lake, and did not think before, that we should be able to overcome the rapidity of the current. They cried several times, "gannoron," to show their admiration. Some of the Iroquois had taken the measure of our ship, and immediately went for New York to give notice to the English and Dutch of our sailing in the lake. For those nations affording their commodities cheaper than the French, are also more beloved by the natives. On the 7th of August, 1769, we went on board being in all four and thirty men in- cluding two Recollets who came to us, arid sailed from the mouth of the lake Erie, steering our course west, southwest, with a favorable wind. 1 i Of further operations of La Salle it need only be noted here that after the Griffin had sailed, he and Hennepin went in canoes to the head of Lake Michigan. There he built a trading post and after waiting long months for the return of his vessel, he proceeded with thirty followers to Lake Peoria on the Illinois, where he built a fort and gave it the name, " Creve Coeur," or broken heart. But in spite of his disappointments he did not wholly despair and sent Hennepin to ex- plore the Mississippi, while he with three companions made the remarkable foot journey to Fort Frontenac with only three comrades. He returned to Creve Coeur only to find that the garrison had been driven away by the Indians. But again he gathered his followers and early in 1688 de- scended the Mississippi to the sea, the first European to explore any considerable part of that mighty river. Taking possession of the country in the name of his king, he named it Louisiana. Returning to France, the story of his explorations and adventures astonished king and court and in 1684 he was supplied with a fleet and several hundred men to colonize the new domain. Disaster now assailed him. The fleet, through fault of its commander, sailed to Matagorda FROM 1534 TO 1697. 53 The foregoing extracts from Hennepin's journal require little com- ment. They tell the story in a reasonably clear and straightforward manner, in spite of the ancient literary style of the translation, which was published in England in 1698 under the main title, "A New Dis- covery of a vast Country in America." ' It is of historical importance to notice particularly Hennepin's ref- erence to the giving of "jealousy to the Iroquois, and even to the English, who lived in the neighborhood," meaning the settlements of the latter in Eastern New York, and also his allusion to the embassy into the Seneca country for the purpose of quieting the antipathy of the Indians towards La Salle for his operations on the Niagara. Here is the foreshadowing of the later relations of the French to the Five Nations and to the Dutch and English. Had La Salle and the early governors of Canada fully appreciated the strength of the Iroquois and the consequent imprudence of incurring their hostility, doubtless a wiser policy would have guided the course of the French, which might have had momentous influence on the destiny of that nation in this country. Hennepin refers specifically in one part of his journal (omitted in in the foregoing extracts) to the fact of the Iroquois ' ' inhabiting the little village situated at the mouth of the river." This is significant evidence that the Senecas were in full possession of this immediate region and, naturally enough, watched the astonishing operations of the white men with vigilance and jealousy. In the same connection should also be noticed his allusion to the fact that the English and the Dutch were supplying the Indians with goods at lower prices than were demanded by the French, rendering the former ' ' more beloved by the natives." Competition in the fur trade, which in later years be- came active and unremitting, had already begun. The building and sailing of La Salle's ship was a remarkable accom- plishment under the surrounding circumstances. The intelligent reader will be able, after a perusal of Hennepin's description of the event, to / Bay, Texas; the store ship was wrecked, the fleet returned, La Salle failed to find the mouth of the Mississippi, his colony was decimated to about forty men by desertion and death, and at length he started with sixteen of his followers on foot for Canada for aid. But even in that little band were those who for some real or imagined cause bore him ill will and before he reached the Sabine two of them murdered him and his body was left unburied on the prairie— a fate too ignominious and sad for so intrepid and masterly a spirit. 1 Hennepin has been accused of extravagance and untrustworthiness, of which he may have been guilty in some parts of his records; but such a charge can scarcely apply to his record of the early experiences of the expedition., 54 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. bring to mind many interesting details of the enterprise and to prop- erly appreciate its magnitude and importance. The genius, persever- ance, and executive ability of La Salle will appear in their proper light. While he proved himself capable of grasping and controlling the undertaking as a whole, he at the same time was impressed with such minor details as the sowing of "potherbs and pulse," so that those whom he hoped would settle there and keep open communication between Frontenac and the western region he was to explore might have food in an emergency. So, too, the religious influences brought to bear on the expedition will strike the reader as not only quaint in themselves and an indication of the prevailing sentiment of those times, but also as probably an evidence of La Salle's foresight and judgment; he realized that his band of followers, as well as the natives they were to encounter, would submit more readily to his command if he were upheld and justified by the prayers, te deums, and other cere- monies of the Roman church. The expedition of La Salle was a most significant event in our local history, from whatever direction it is viewed. It is not, perhaps, strange that the exact site of La Salle's ship yard should have become a subject of dispute ; but it does seem singular, now that the question is definitely settled, that it should have required so many newspaper columns, so many pages in books and pamphlets, and so much verbal argument to prove what seems so clear in the records at hand. There is little existing doubt that the spot selected by La Salle for his dock was on what is called the Angevine farm, about two miles above the mouth of Cayuga Creek and on the shore of Niagara River. Argument has been presented in favor of locating the place on the lower side of that creek some distance from its mouth ; others have insisted that it was on the Canadian side of the river. While there are some minor facts seeming to support these presump- tions, they are overwhelmed' by contrary evidence. This is not the place to enter into details of the controversy, and we shall merely refer the reader to the various translations of Hennepin's journals, from one of which we have so liberally drawn, and especially to the writings of the late O. H. Marshall and a pamphlet published by Cyrus K. Remington, of Buffalo, in 1891. In the latter it is conclusively shown that the Griffin was built above Cayuga Creek on the Angevine farm. 1 1 Some palpable and inexcusable errors have been made by writers of reputation on this sub- ject. Many of these are set forth in Mr. Remington's pamphlet. Governor Cass located the ship FROM 1534 TO 1697. 55 The final fate of the Griffin is not definitely known. Reports were heard from natives that she was lost in a gale on her return voyage from Green Bay, where she had been loaded with a rich cargo of furs. The vessel left that place on the 18th of September, a season when tempestuous and treacherous weather might be confidently expected on the lakes. Her crew consisted of a pilot and five men. She never afterwards was heard of. It it believed she was lost soon after start- ing, or more definite reports would have been heard from natives who would have seen her on Lake Erie. Through the finding in the early years of this century of a quantity of ship irons on the lake shore in the town of Hamburg, Erie county, efforts have been made to show that the Griffin was wrecked near that point; but this is improbable. Before the close of the seventeenth century the* struggle for su- premacy between the English and the French became vigorously active, and the Senecas, as one of the Five Nations, were deeply in- volved. The two European powers clearly understood that the one which secured a firm alliance with the Iroquois would surely prove victor. By the. French both coercion and apparent friendship were early tried as a means of either gaining good will or inspiring fear on the part of the Senecas; in neither were they very successful. M. Le Febvre de la Barre was appointed governor of Canada in 1682. His short administration was a failure. In connection with their warfare against the western Indians the Senecas in 1684 pillaged a large number of French canoes and captured fourteen prisoners whom they detained nine days. -. In retaliation De la Barre was in- structed to make a destructive invasion of the Seneca countr}\ The French governor could not expect much sympathy from Dongan (then governor of New York) in such an undertaking, but he did solicit his negative aid, requesting him to refrain from selling guns and ammuni- tion to the Five Nations for a time. ' Governor Dongan was neither ready to join with the French nor to make any pledge of neutrality. yard at Erie. Mr. Bancroft in the first edition of his history of the United States placed it at the mouth of the Tonawanda, hut corrected the error in later editions. Catlin was confident it was on the Canadian* side, which uncalled for blunder was perpetuated by Jared Sparks in his life of La Salle, and by J. S. C. Abbott in his "Adventures of the Chevalier de la Salle," 1875. While it is of first importance that history should be correct, this subject has received more attention than it merits, as far as concerns the exact situation of the ship yard. 1 I dispatched Sieur Bourbon to Manate and. Orange to notify Colonel Dongan of the insult the French had received from the Senecas, which obliged me to march against them, whereof I gave him notice, assuring him that if he wished to avenge the twenty-six Englishmen of Merilande, whom they had killed last winter, I would promise him to unite my forces to his, that he may ob- tain satisfaction for it or avenge them. — Memoir of M. de la Barre, Col. Doc, Vol. IX, p. 840. 56 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. De la Barre's expedition arrived at Fort Frontenac August 9, 1684, one of his officers having previously reconnoitered the southern shore of Lake Ontario and the Seneca country. De la Barre was either cowardly or else sought for personal gain by evading open war on the Indians. He was accused of both by his own countrymen. 1 On Au- gust 21 his motley army of gaily dressed French troops, Canadian militia in homely garb, voyageurs in quaint habiliments of tanned skins, and Indians in their war paint and little else, arrived at the mouth of Salmon River in what is now Oswego county; the army numbered about 1,800 men. De la Barre promptly solicited mediation by chiefs of the Five Nations, and on September 3 a number arrived at the French headquarters where a council was held. De la Barre made a bombastic and threatening speech, the reply to which came from Gar- angula, a celebrated Onondagan, in which his scathing denunciation of the French operations, sarcastic ridicule of De la Barre's threats, and eloquent defense of the acts of the Senecas were happily blended. The French officer concluded what he called a treaty with the Senecas, in which the latter did not even promise future good behavior; on the other hand De la Barre pledged himself to quit the country the follow- ing day. Of his disastrous retreat he wrote : I departed on the sixth of September, 1684, having had all the sick of my troops, embarked before day (so as not to be seen by the Indians), to the number of one hundred and fifty canoes and twelve fiat batteaux, and arrived in the evening of the same day at Fort Frontenac, where I found one hundred and ten men, of the num- ber I had left there, already departed, all sick, for Montreal. 2 In spite of De la Barre's excuses to his government he was recalled March 10, 1685, and Jacques Rene de Brisay, Marquis De Nonville, was appointed in his place. The message of appointment from Louis XIV contained the following: I have reason to be dissatisfied with the treaty concluded between Sieur de la Barre and the Iroquois. His abandonment of the Illinois has seriously displeased me, and has determined me to recall him. I have chosen as his successor Sieur De Nonville, who will, of himself, understand the state of affairs. 2 1 Though I had the honor, my lord, to entertain you with the preparations we are making for the war, and the great expenses which the General [De la Barre] subjects his majesty, I shall, without being a prophet, take the liberty to tell you, my lord, that I do not perceive any disposi- tion in the governor to make war on those savages. I believe he will content himself with pad- dling as far as Cataracouy or Port Frontenac, and then send for the Senecas to negotiate peace with them, and make a fool of the people, of the Intendant, and of His Majesty, which proves that he sacrifices everything to his own interests. — M. de Meulles to M. de Seignelay, July 1, 1684, Col. Doc, Vol. IX, p. 331. 2 Col. Doc, Vol. IX, p. 343. « Ibid, p. 260. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 57 De Nonville was a man of different mould from De la Barre. He made himself familiar with the situation, reported in full to his sov- ereign, and promptly began preparations for subjugating the Senecas. He suggested the establishment of "a good post at Niagara and an- other on Lake Erie." 1 This was under date of November 12, 1685. .Again on May 8, 1686, he expressed the opinion that "the establish- ment of a very strong post at Niagara " 2 would both hold the In- dians in check and prevent the English from further extending their fur trade among the western nations. On November 11 of the year just named he wrote his government: "War once declared, it is an indispensable necessity to establish and maintain a post of two hun- dred men at Niagara, where married farmers ought, in my opinion, be placed to make clearances and to people that place, 1n view of becom- ing, with barks, masters of Lake Erie. I should greatly wish to have a mill at Niagara." 3 He explained the defenseless condition of the French, counseled the erection of fortifications, and insisted that the Iroquois were powerful and dangerous, made so chiefly by their ability to purchase arms from the English. 4 He also sent home an estimate of the quantity of beaver shipped from Canada from 1675 to 1685 in- clusive, an average of about 90,000 pounds annually. These are clearly the views of a broad-minded man of sound judg- ment. He opened correspondence with Governor Dongan in which he vehemently insisted on the prior right of the'French in the region of Western New York, and accused the English of being desirous that he should begin war on the Senecas. These assertions were as firmly denied by Dongan. , De Nonville proceeded with preparations for an invasion of the Seneca country through the winter of 1686-87, and on the 13th of June in the latter year he left Montreal with about 1,600 men and 400 In- dians in 350 bateaux and arrived at Fort Frontenac on the 30th. On the 4th of July he proceeded to the south shore of Lake Ontario and arrived at what is now Irondequoit, where he had ordered the forces at Niagara to meet him. There he built some slight fortification, and on the 1 2th started for the interior, leaving a garrison of 400 in the work he had constructed. True to their customary policy when about to be 1 Col. Hist. Vol. IX, p. 275. 2 Ibid, p 389-90. 3 Ibid, p. 306. 4 Their large purchases of arms and ammunition from the English, at a low rate, have given them [the Iroquois] hitherto all the advantage they possess over other tribes.— De Nonville's Memoir, Col. Hist., Vol. Ill, p. 381. 58 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. attacked by a very superior force, the Senecas fled from their villages, to which they first applied the torch. The negative victory of the French was consummated by the wholesale destruction of crops, in- cluding a great quantity of corn. * Of his experiences in this invasion De Nonville wrote the following : On the 13th about 4 o'clock in the afternoon, having passed through two danger- ous defiles, we arrived at the third where we were very vigorously attacked by 800 Senecas, 200 of whom fired ; but the resistance they met with produced such a great consternation, that they soon resolved to fly. All our troops were so overpowered by the extreme heat and the hard day's work that we were obliged to bivouac on the field until the morrow. On the next day we marched to one of the large villages where we encamped. We found it burned and a fort which was very advan- tageously situated on a hill quite nigh, abandoned. . We learned from the pris- oners who had deserted, that the Senecas had gone to the English, where they will not be allowed to want for anything necessary to make war upon us. Since that time I have had no news of the enemy. 2 During these operations of De la Barre and De Nonville, the ani- mosity between the French and the English was constantly gaining strength, as shown by the reports. The latter were not ignorant of the vast importance of Niagara to their interests; to them it was second only to Oswego and they watched it with jealous eyes. At the same time the French were constantly fearful that an early attempt would be made by their enemies to capture the post. On the 27th of Octo- ber, 1687, De Nonville wrote his government as follows: I have had intelligence this spring, from New England that Colonel Dongan was preparing to send them [a company of English traders on Lake Huron] a re- inforcement, and I am certain his plan was to occupy the post at Niagara. Had they succeeded the country was lost. There they were circumvented. . . The post I have fortified at Niagara is not a novelty, since Sieur de la Salle had a house there which is in ruins since a year when Serjeant La Fleur . . abandoned it through the intrigues of the English who solicited the Senecas to expel him by threats. My lord, if you do not wish to lose the entire trade of the Upper Country, we must maintain that post. 3 On July 31, 1687, De Nonville took formal possession by proclama- tion of Niagara. The proclamation possesses sufficient historical im- portance and interest in this local connection to warrant its insertion, as follows : 1 The destruction of the Indian corn belonging to the Senecas, subjected them to but a small amount of inconvenience. Not one of them perished of hunger, as two arrows are sufficient to enable a Savage to procure meat enough for a year's support, and as fishing never fails.— Captain Duplessis's Plan for the Defense of Canada, Col. Hist., Vol. Ill, p. I4T. » De Nonville's leUer, Col. Hist., Vol. Ill, p. 338. 3 Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 349. FROM 1534 TO 1697. 59 . . . We do declare that being come to the camp of Niagara situate south of Lake Ontario, west of the Senecas, twenty-five leagues above them, in the angle of land East of the mouth of the River of the same name, ... to reiterate anew for, and in the name of, the King the taking Possession of the said Post of Niagara, several establishments having been formerly made there many years ago by the King's order, and especially by Sieur De La Salle, having spent many years two leagues above the Great Falls of Niagara where he had a Bark built which navigated Lakes Erie, Huron and Illinois for several years, and of which the stocks are still to be seen. Moreover the said Sieur De La Salle having established quarters and some settlers at the said Niagara in the year 1668, which quarters were burned twelve years ago by the Senecas, constituting one of the causes of discontent that, with many others, have obliged us to wage war against them, and as we considered that the houses we have thought fit to rebuild could not remain secure during the war did we not provide for them, We have Resolved to construct a Fort there in which we have placed one hundred men of the King's troops to garrison the same, etc. 1 De Nonville spent the following three da3's in repairing and fortify- ing the post," giving his reason for so doing as a desire to protect his Indian allies. A detachment of about 100 men was left at the post with provisions for eight months. De, Nonville left Niagara on the 2d of August and reached Montreal on the 13th, stopping a day or two at Frontenac, where another 100 men were left. Possession of Niagara by the French was short-lived. The post was constanly threatened and harassed by the Iroquois, and the French, foiled and tormented on every hand, determined to seek measures for peace. De Nonville in the summer of 1688 ordered a cessation of hostilities and succeeded in inducing about 500 Iroquois to meet him at Montreal for negotia- tions, while at the same time 1,200 warriors were ready to fall upon that place if the results were not satisfactory. The principal points in- sisted upon by the Iroquois were the return of some prisoners, the de- struction of Forts Frontenac and Niagara and payment to the Senecas for the destruction of their property. A treaty was finally concluded, but its operation was frustrated by an unforeseen event. A Huron chief who had excited the jealousy of the French in some of his fur trading operations, to remove which he went to Fort Frontenac, accom- panied by a hundred warriors. There he was informed of the peace negotiations then in progress and that his presence at Frontenac with i Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 336. » " We immediately set about choosing a place, and collecting stakes for the construction of a fort which I had resolved to build at the extremity of a tongue of land between the River Niag- ara and Lake Ontario, on the Iroquois side." This is the language of De Nonville's journal, and removes all doubt as to the original location of this fortress. 60 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. warriors might anger the Iroquois and prevent the treaty. He appa- rently agreed that this was true, and under pretence of returning to his own country, he went into ambush on the St. Lawrence and when a large party of Iroquois came along on their way from Montreal, the Hurons attacked them, killing a part and making prisoners of the others. He gave the prisoners to understand that he was acting with the French and with De Nonville's authority.- When the prisoners in- formed him that they were peace ambassadors, he affected surprise and told them to go free; that he untied their hands and sent them home, although their nation was at war with his own. The French governor had led him to commit a dastardly action, and his mind would not rest until the Iroquois had taken revenge. The wily Hu- ron foresaw the consequence; the prisoners went among their own people and spread the news of the perfidy of the French, and their revenge was swift. On July 26th an army of 1,200 warriors landed on the south side of the Island of Montreal, surprised the French settlers, slaughtered men, women and children, burned houses and sacked the plantations. About 1,000 were slain and the island left a scene of devastation. The French were now in a condition of desperation, while the Iroquois were more firmly than before the friends of the English. Forts Frontenac and Niagara were abandoned. On Sep- tember 15, 1688, Sieur Desbergeres, then in command of the post, as- sembled the officers and the missionary, Father Millet, to listen to his communication of orders received from De Nonville, under date of July 6, to demolish the fortifications of the post, with the exception of the cabins and the quarters. A prods verbal was made by order of the commandant, containing a memorandum of the condition in which the quarters were left, which were allowed to remain intact for the purpose of maintaining his Majesty's authority in that vicinity. The prods verbal gave in minute detail a catalogue of the cabins and other structures, even to the number of deal "boards, windows, hinges, floors, etc. , and a well. ' Niagara was abandoned in ruins, and was not again occupied for de- fensive purposes for many years. In 1688 a revolution placed William of Orange on the English throne and war with France quickly followed. On this side of the ocean the In- dian allies of the French were almost powerless against the dreaded Iro- i This is a quaint and interesting document and may be found in Col. Doc, Vol. IX p. 387, PROM 1534 TO 1697. 61 quois, who harassed the settlements in Canada, until the French be- came convinced that unless more thorough measures were adopted they were lost. In 1689 Count de Frontenac, whose former management of the col- ony had been so effective, was again sent over as governor. He was an old man, but vigorous, brave and capable, and the flagging spirits of the settlers soon revived under his administration. Failing in his efforts to negotiate peace with the Iroquois, he opened a vigorous cam- paign; burned Schenectady on the night of February 9, 1690; defend- ed Montreal against attack by General Schuyler of New York ; and at all points faithfully served his country's interests. But with all his struggle it was a losing cause. The French were harassed and pre- vented from tilling their lands or reaping what they Bad sown ; the fur trade was stopped by the Indians, who took possession of the passes between the French and their allies in the West; famine came on and in June, 1692, the Iroquois entered into a formal treaty of alliance and friendship with Governor Ingoldsby of New York. Frontenac in desperation organized a raid against the Mohawks in 1693, but like many other similar incursions into Indian country, its consequences recoiled upon the invaders. In the summer of 1696 he made a pre- tentious expedition for the purpose of destroying the Onondagas. His victory was a barren one ; the Indians fled as usual, leaving only their villages and crops for the torch of the French army, which returned to Canada in discomfiture. The century closed in peace under the treaty of Ryswick, made in 1697, and the French king, who* had espoused the cause of James II, acknowledged William of Orange, king of Great Britain and Ireland. 63 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER IV. 1698-1748. Continued Territorial Contention between France and England — Renewed Vigor in the Fur Trade — Beginning of Queen Anne's War — Importance of Niagara as a Military Post — Treaty of Utrecht — Building of a Picketed Post at Niagara — Opposi- tion by Governor Burnet of New York — Restriction in Sale of Indian Goods by the English to the French — Erection of Fortified Post at Oswego by the English — French Opposition to the Work — Attitude of the Iroquois — Building of a Stronger Work at Niagara — Rivalry between Oswego and Niagara — Beginning of Another War — Its Relation to the Western Frontier — Joncaire's Influence — Treaty of Aix-la- Chapelle. The close of the war did not settle territorial differences between the French and the English, and Western New York continued a source of infinite difficulty. The veteran Frontenac died in November, 1698, and was succeeded by Chevalier de Calieres, while Lord Bellomont succeeded Governor Sloughter in New York. A treaty of neutrality was negotiated August 4, 1701, at Montreal, by De Calieres, between the Iroquois on one side and the French and their Indian allies on the other, which gave great satisfaction to the French king. ' This treaty was assented to by New York, and permanent peace seemed assured to the English and Dutch colonists, who engaged with renewed vigor in their fur trade. The Jesuits promptly took advantage of the peace- ful conditions, and the surrounding waters bore their canoes hither and thither, while the forests echoed their prayers and hymns. They were very active in establishing and promoting missions among the Five Nations, a course which gave such offense to the English that an act was passed by the Colonial Assembly of New York in 1700, requiring every ' ' ecclesiastical person receiving his ordination from the Pope or See of Rome," then residing in the province, to depart from it before the 15th of November, under penalty of death. 1 1 have learned with great joy that his Majesty has been satisfied with the treaty I concluded last year with the Five Iroquois Nations, and with that I have procured for our Indian allies.— Letter from Chevalier de Calieres to the French court, November 4, 1702, in Col. History, Vol. IX p. 736. FROM 1698 TO 1748. 63 What is known as Queen Anne's war began in 1702 and ended in 1713. Before military operations had progressed far on this side of the ocean the French had, through the influence of the Jesuits, and the diplomacy of Vaudreuil, 1 regained the good will of the western In- dians, and so improved and strengthened the situation of the French as to place them in many respects in equality with the English. Dur- ing that war the Five Nations skillfully maintained an appearance of neutrality and friendship for both the French and English; there is, however, little doubt that their sympathies were for a time with the latter. While the war was directed on the part of the English prin- cipally against Port Royal, Quebec and Montreal, Western New York and our frontier continued to be looked upon by the French as an essential point of vantage. In 1706 proposals were Submitted to the French court to take possession of Niagara as a means of controlling the fur trade and protecting the western region against the Iroquois and the English. 2 On June 30, 1707, information came from Versailles that the king had learned that the English were endeavoring to seize the post at Niagara ; that it was of great importance as an entrepot for Detroit and instructing the Intendant to examine on the spot and learn if it would be possible to obtain consent from the Iroquois to establish a garrison there. 3 This plan was carried out and on Septem- ber 14, 1708, Sieur d'Aigremont reported to M. de Pontchartrain that he arrived on the 27th of June at Niagara where he had appointed to meet Sieur Joncaire, to discuss the advantages of establishing a fort at that point. D'Aigremont doubted the possibility of doing so, owing to opposition by the Indians and jealousy of the English." The details of this eleven years period of war do not properly belong in these pages. The war closed with the treaty of Utrecht, April 11, 1713, in which France ceded to England "all Nova Scotia or Acadia, with its ancient boundaries, also the city of Port Royal, now called Annapolis Royal, and all other things in those parts, which depend upon the said lands; " she also agreed to "never molest the Five Na- tions subject to the dominion of Great Britain." But the all-important questions of boundaries and control over vast regions of country were left unsettled, to rise in later years and cloud the peaceful horizon. 1 Chevalier de Calieres died at Quebec in 1703 and was succeeded as governor by Philip de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil, who held the office until his death, October 10, 1735. He was per- sistent and active in his conduct of affairs and made the English infinite trouble by inciting the Indians to frequent forays on the frontier. 2 Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 773. a Ibid, p. 807. * Ibid, p. 821. 64 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. While the victory lay with Great Britain, the French lost none of their prestige in the West, nor did they relax their activity in establishing stations and prosecuting their fur trade. Correspondence, complaints and recriminations promised to be endless, and ere long it became ap- parent that permanent peace was not yet secured. In a French report dated October 20, 1720, Messrs. Vaudreuil and Begon stated that in the previous spring Sieur Joncaire had caused the Indians to erect/a picketed house at Niagara. The English, of course, bitterly opposed this act. Through Joncaire's great influence with the Senecas, that nation was induced to consent. The reason given for the erection of the work by the French was, that it was "required to prevent the English introducing themselves into the Upper Country, and to increase the trade at Fort Frontenac. " ' Gov. William Burnet, of New York, protested, 2 claiming that "the French flag had been hoisted in one of the Seneca castles,'' which he considered "an ill observance of the articles of the Peace of Utrecht." Vaudreuil replied, insisting on the right of the French to the post at Niagara, claiming that Bur- net was " the first English Governor-general who has questioned the right of the French from time immemorial, to the post of Niagara, to which the English have, up to the present time, laid no claim," etc. 3 It was evident that the time had arrived when the English were de- termined to secure control of Lake Ontario. Governor Burnet in 1721 established a temporary trading station at Irondequoit, which did not, however, remain long. 4 Meanwhile the New York Legislature passed a law forbidding the further supply of Indian goods to the French, who were unable to get them elsewhere except at higher prices. This act seriously affected the New York importers, as well as crippled the French, and the latter retaliated by inciting the northern Indians to drive the English from their country. "Since the close of October, 1723," wrote De Vaudreuil, "the Abenakis did not cease harassing the English with a view to force them to quit their country." 6 To further his purposes Governor Burnet made preparations to estab- i Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 897. 2 Letter of 34th of August to M. Vaudreuil, Ibid, p. 901. 3 Ibid, p. 901. 4 That I might improve their [the Indians] present good humor to the best advantage I have employed the five hundred pounds granted this year by the Assembly chiefly to the erecting and encouraging a settlement at Tirandaquet, a creek on the Lake Ontario about sixty miles on this side of Niagara whither there have actually gone a company of ten persons with the approbation of our Indians."— Burnet to the Board of Trade, Oct. IB, 1721. a Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 980. FROM 1698 TO 1748. 65 lish a strong defensive work at Oswego in 1725, and in the following spring he carried out his plan. 1 This gave the French great uneasi- ness. De Vaudreuil wrote concerning it that he "had received the advice that the English and Dutch had projected an establishment at the mouth of the River Chouaguen [the French name for Oswego] . . . on soil always considered as belonging to France. " His un- easiness is further indicated in his statement that he "felt the difficulty of preserving the post of Niagara where there is no fort, should the English once fortify Chouaguen ; and that in losing Niagara the colony is lost, and at the same time all the trade with the upper country In- dians. " 2 The fort at Oswego was finished in 1726. It now became of vital importance to the French to place Niagara in a state* of defense, which they hesitated to undertake without acquiescence of the Iroquois. The bewildered Indians, alternately cajoled and threatened for many years by representatives of both European powers, could scarcely determine where their best interests lay ; it is not strange, therefore, that they vacillated to some extent from one to the other. De Vaudreuil sent M. de Longueil among the Onondagas, 3 whose consent he obtained to the building of a fortification at Niagara, and two vessels to sail on Lake Ontario. De Longeuil found Oswego and the water passage to Onondaga in full possession of the English, who exhibited an order from the New York governor to allow no Frenchmen to pass up th Oswego River without showing a passport. Messrs. de Longueil and Begon, in their report on the proposed French fort at Niagara, urged the importance of beginning it in the spring of 1726, transmitted a plan of the work and an estimate of its cost, which was 29,295 liv. ; the two barks were built at a cost of 13,090 liv., which sums were sent over by the king. There was some difference of opinion between the engineer who planned the fort and other French officers as to the most desirable location for the "stone house. " The engineer selected the site of the former work erected ■ by 1 Burnet wrote the Board of Trade on the 9th of May, 1726, as follows: "I have this spring sent up workmen to build a stone house of strength at a place called Oswego, at the mouth of the Onondage river where our principal trade with the far Nations is carried on. I have obtained the consent of the Six Nations to build it." The place was garrisoned by sixty soldiers, a cap- tain and two lieutenants, and there were gathered there at that time about 200 traders. 2 Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 950. 3 He afterwards repaired to Onontague and obtained the consent of their chiefs to the erection of a stone house at Niagara, in the place of the one which fell in ruins; also, to the construction of two barks for the transportation of materials. — Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 976. 9 66 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. De Nonville, which was substantially the site of the present fort. He made a map of the locality and traced a line of fortification around the site of the house, and accompanied it with "some reasons which obliged him not to .build it at the Portage, marked B, on the site of the former house, but to locate it at the mouth of 4fte Niagara river, so as to prevent the English going to trade on the north shore of the lake, and seizing. on that river, which is the passage from the upper country, as the Lake cannot be crossed with their bark canoes; whilst, had he built at the Portage, which is three leagues up the river, and should the English .locate themselves at the mouth, where the House is erected, the Lake would be surrendered to them, and the House block- aded in such a manner that it would be impossible to assist it or to withdraw the g.arrison from it." On the other hand, while Messrs. de Beauharnois and Dupuy (the former was appointed governor in 1726) admitted that the house was "well located for defending the communi- cation into the la,ke, and the passage from the lake to the upper coun- tries," insisted that it did "not absolutely command the Portage, which is the spot where everything passes. " On this subject, so important in connection with the early history of our frontier, we quote further from the Colonial Manuscripts from which the foregoing extracts are taken, as follows : In order to remedy this inconvenience, they propose to rebuild that which stood at the Portage, . . and say that such expense is absolutely indispensable if it -be desirable to secure the Upper country. They transmit the Plan andelevation thereof, with an estimate amounting to 20,430 liv. 14s. lid. They add that this building will not give any umbrage to the Indians, inasmuch as it will be considered as the re-erection of one entirely similar to that which stood there, and has almost fallen down. It will not be a new affair requiring negotiation with them. ' On the 25th of July, 1726, M. de Longueil wrote that the business of erecting the fort ' ' has been well managed and pushed forward, and that the barks constructed at Fort Frontenac have afforded wonderful assistance; that no opposition has been offered by the Iroquois, who, on the contrary, appeared highly pleased' to see us near them ; but, that the English, uneasy and jealous, have solicited and gained over some Seneca chiefs to thwart this establishment, which has been of no other effect than to attach the Iroquois to us more strongly." 2 On the 7th of September, 1726, De Longeuil wrote the French gov- ernor that there were no more English at Oswego, along the lake nor 1 Paris Doc, Col. Hist., Vol. IX, pp. 978-77. s Ibid, p. 978.. PROM 1098 TO 1748. 67 in the' river, and that if he encounter any in the lake, he will have them pillaged. That the house at Niagara is very much advanced. 1 While these operations were in progress the English were constantly striving to incite the Iroquois against the French and to induce them to prevent the completion of the Niagara fort, but with indifferent suc- cess. 3 On the 29th of April, 1727, King Louis in a memoir to his Ca^ nadian governor, approved of the construction of the house at Niagara, and of the two barks ; also approved of the proposal of Beauhaf nois and Depuy "to rebuild the old house at the portage." " The strife and contention went on until it culminated in another war; this result was inevitable. The posts at either end of Lake On- tario, Niagara and Oswego, were now of the highest importance to both French and English. The nation in possession of both would hold absolute sway over Lake Ontario and through that of the great bulk of the fur trade. Consequently the letters, memoirs and dis- patches that passed between the two powers struggling for the mas- tery, from the date of the erection of the stone structures at Niagara and Oswego, were very largely devoted to this subject and need only brief notice here. Everywhere the French were vigilant and active. They erected a stockade in 1731 at Crown Point on Lake Champlain. In 1734 Beau- harnois counseled increasing the garrison there to 120 men, and a con- siderable force was stationed there a few years later. At the same time more troops were called for from France for general defense. In a dispatch of December 24, 1734, the governor admitted that the French could do nothing against Oswego if the Indians remained neu- tral, at the same time contending that the English could not success- fully assault Niagara. The French, as shown by the records, had im- plicit confidence that the Indians would never countenance any move- ment of the English against that post. l 1 Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 978. 2 The Indians replied to the exhortations of the English as fallows : " You have been a long time repeating the same thing to us, and always in vain ; we do not regret having given our con- sent to the" building of the house and the barks ; we have given our word, and are satisfied with the manner in Which the' French have acted ; it is useless to say any more, and if this post offend you, go and pull it down."— Ibid. ■ a Ibid, p. 964. •• "The Five" Nations who are impelled by one and the' same interest would doubtless certainly oppose any attempt on the part of the English against Niagara, just as they would resist any effort on our part against Choueghen ; on the other hand, the Iroquois would have nothing to re- proach us with, were the English the first to move against Niagara ; under such circumstances I 68 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The English were no less energetic in efforts to maintain or strengthen their situation; but they were far less successful, particularly in their relations with the Iroquois. Strong as they had been in the past, they finally became doubtful of their ability to hold Oswego, and as confi- dent that its capture would be attempted by their enemies. Governor Clarke wrote the Board of Trade as follows : My Lords — If the loss of Oswego (which I much fear will fall into the hands of the French on the first rupture) does not stagger the best resolutions of the Six Nations, who at present fear more than they love the French ; that Fortress, or rather, Trad- ing house, for it is no better, is in a defenseless condition, the Garrison consists but of a Lieutenant, Serjeant, Corporal and 20 men. It is and has been without ammu- nition, the Assembly refusing to be at the expense, as well as to make provision for victualling a larger Garrison. 1 In the same year the governor wrote of the French situation as follows : The French had lately three, and now two sailing vessells, each of about 50 or 60 Tons, on the Lake Cadaraqui; on the North East end whereof, near the entrance in- to the River of St. Lawrence, they have a small Stone fort called Frontenac, with a Garrison of about thirty or thirty-five men, and on the South west End, near the fall of Niagara, another with the like garrison, a trading house under the cover of it, and are now building there one or two more trading houses. . . . We have a trading house*and a Garrison of 20 men in it at Oswego, almost opposite to Fort Frontenac, which in our present situation will inevitably fall into the hands of the French on the first opening of a War & with it the Five Nations, the only Barrier against the French to all the Provinces from this to Georgia. 2 During all of these prolonged proceedings that were leading towards war, both the powers most interested threatened, coaxed and intrigued and made presents to the Indians in the hope of winning their undivided allegiance. Promises of an alluring character were freely made by both nations, presents were distributed, among which intoxicating liquor became a prominent feature. a War was declared in 1744, involving England, Spain, France and Austria, including the western colonies of the three first named. While it was an eventful struggle in its general character, its story possesses would be always in time to attempt the capture of Choueghen, wherein I would experience less opposition, and which I would not fail immediately to attack."— Beauharnois, letter to Count de Maurepas, Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 1106. i Clarke's letter of Aug. 20, 1742, Doc. Hist., Vol. I, p. 463. * Ibid, p. 465-66. 3 " The toleration his Majesty [the French king] is pleased to entertain in favor of the distri- bution of brandy to the Indians, is so much the more necessary, as that liquor is the sole allure- ment that could attract and preserve them to us, and deprive them of all inducement to go to the English."— Abstract of dispatch, Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 1016. FROM 1698 TO 1748. 69 little local interest. During the summer of 1744 the old stockades at Niagara were repaired and doubled, and on October 8 Beauharnois in- formed his government that he had sent Sieur de Celeron to command the post, and "have added thirty men to its garrison, so that this con- sists of sixty-four soldiers and six officers. " ' Two years later the same 'writer wrote of the garrison showing that it comprised only about one-half of the above number, and was under command of Captain Duplessis. Neither Niagara nor Oswego was directly involved in this war. The latter was substantially deserted during the whole period. During the first and greater part of the contest the Iroquois greatly favored the French, though constantly persuaded and allured by the English. In 1747 it was reported that the Senecas, as well as the others of the Five Nations, were divided in their allegiance, " part for the French and part for the English, who are endeavoring to corrupt them by all sorts of means." 3 In the fall of 1747 the post at Detroit received a large accession, as shown by the following report : The Montreal convoy arrived safe at Detroit on the 22d of September, escorted by about 150 men, including the merchants and their servants. This relief is the salvation of Detroit, and has apparently made an impression on the Nations. 3 Under the same date occurs the following : The Niagara and Frontenac posts are quiet. We learn by this same opportunity that the sloop on Lake Ontario has arrived at Niagara freighted with provisions and merchandise, by which means that post is well supplied. Fort Frontenac is equally well provisioned. 4 The attitude of the Iroquois Indians during the latter part of this war is well set forth in the following brief extracts from the above mentioned journal. Under date of May 28, 1748, is the following: Count de la Galissoniere sends, with a convoy, Captain de Raymond, to relieve M. de Contrecoeur, the commandant at Niagara, who has applied to be recalled. . . Sieur Joncaire, 5 Resident at the Senecas, having demanded to be relieved, in con- 1 Col. Hist., Vol. IX, p. 1104. ! Col. Hist. Vol. X, p. 123. 8 Journal of Occurrences in Canada, 1747-8, Paris Doc. X, Ibid, p. 140. 4 Ibid, p. 143. 5 Thisname of Joncaire has an important place in the early history of the frontier of Western New York. As already stated, when the French determined to reoccupy Niagara preparatory to establishing a post there, M. Chabert de Joncaire was sent on a mission to the Senecas to obtain their consent to the erection of the work. In earlier years he had been captured by the Senecas, who adopted him and he married a Seneca squaw. He was released by them when peace was declared, and was afterwards employed by the French to promote their interests with the Sen- ecas, where his position and influence, as their adopted son, gave him great influence. They per- mitted him to build a cabin on the site of Lewiston, from which the English were powerless to 70 ' OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. sequence of his health, the General has appointed Sieur Joncaire Clauzorine, his brother, to succeed him, to whom he furnishes the necessary instructions respecting the course he is to pursue towards the 5 Nations, under existing circumstances. 1 Under date of July 19 is found this: Letters from Niagara are received at Quebec, stating that the 5 Nations are gone to the council at Orange [Albany] and that they promise to come and visit their Father at Montreal immediately on their return. It is reported that these nations have sent back the hatchet which the' English gave them to use against the French.' 2 On the 2d of November, 1748, a council was held at Quebec with deputies from all nations of the Iroquois excepting the Mohawks, and M. Galissoniere. The Indians there said that they desired to be at peace with the French and English, but that the latter had continually solicited them to take up the hatchet against the French, which they constantly refused to do ; that they were glad to see traders settle in their neighborhood, but that they had not ceded to any one their lands. It is quite possible that the whole Iroquois confederacy would have been led into active partisanship with the French had it not been for the great influence over them, particularly the eastern nations, of the man who is known in our history as Sir William Johnson. He came to America in 1738, when he was twenty-three years old, to take charge of lands in the MohaWk valley belonging to his uncle, and settled at what is now Johnstown. His fairness and honesty in deal- ing with the Indians soon gained their confidence and gave him almost dislodge him or to obtain similar concessions for any of their own men. Joncaire established a considerable trading post which was maintained during the period when Niagara was abandoned by the French and a group of cabins was added to his own in course of time. In 1721 he was charged by the English with the murder of M. Montour, a Frenchman who, like himself, had taken a native wife. M. Vaudreuil vindicated the act. In 1730 Joncaire appeared among the Senecas with several French soldiers, informing them that for some trivial offense against his governor he had been whipped and banished, and came to them for protection. From that time to his death, in 1740, he was' an active agent of the French. After his death the Senecas applied to the French to permit his son (also named Chabert) to come and live with them, which they did. The son was called by the English a "French Indian." Speaking both the English and French languages, he soon made himself as useful to the French cause as his father had been. In 1741 he asked to be released from his service with the Senecas on account of ill-health, and his younger brother, Clauzonne Joncaire, was appointed in his place. The other son, Chabert, seems, how- ever to have remained in French employ, as the names of bbth brothers are signed to the capitu- lation of Fort Niagara to Sir William Johnson in 1759. In relation to that event the Maryland Gazette of August'30, 1759, said: "There are ten other officers, one of which is the famous Mon- sieur Joncaire; a ver y noted man among the Seneca Indians; and whose father was the first that hoisted French colors in'that country. His brother, also a prisoner, is now here, and has been, "very humane to many Englishmen." The 'connection of the Joncaires with other affairs on the frontier will be described as we proceed. i Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 108. " Ibid, p. 172. FROM 1749 TO 1755. 71 unlimited influence with them. About the time of .the opening of the French and Indian war he was given the superintendency of Indian affairs, and it was very largely through his .good offices that the whole frontier was left free from bloodshed until the treaty of Aix-la- Chapelle. That treaty was signed October 18, 1748, and it was fondly hoped that under it permanent peace in Europe and this country was secured. By its terms several former treaties, including those of Byswick and Utrecht, were renewed and confirmed. With all barriers removed, the trading posts around Lake Ontario and elsewhere soon assumed their former activity. The waters were again enlivened by Indian canoes and white men's bateaux ; traders gathered at Niagara and Oswego and even opened considerable business with their late enemie's in Canada, who were blind to the illicit character of a commerce that was profitable to them. CHAPTER V. 1749—1755. The French Position Strengthened — Results of Competition in Fur Trade — Im- portance of Oswego — Building of a Fort above Niagara Falls — Congress of English Commissioners — General Braddock's Council — Campaign Plans — Braddock's Defeat — Shirley's Operations at Oswego — His Failure to Reach Niagara — The French Elated — Improvements at Niagara — Plan of Campaign of 1756. While outward peace reigned, the old inward conflict never ceased. From the date of the capture of Louisburg in 1745 the French had ex- tended and strengthened their dominion and the treaty of 1748 found them with a population in this country of about 100,000, and with a line of posts extending from Nova Scotia to the Gulf of Mexico. They soon became aggressive. Personal trade interests were constantly clashing, while the stake for which the two powers were contending was a magnificent one. The causes of trouble extended downward, from the general desire to rule the whole country, to the minutest de- tails of the fur trade. Soon after the close of the war the French authorities fixed the prices that should be paid for beaver skins; these 72 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. prices were promptly exceeded by the English, with the natural result of diverting the trade. In an abstract of dispatches from Canada under date of April 30, 1749, is the following: That although they followed the orders that had been given respecting the fixing the price of the Beaver, it had been well if the rate had not been diminished ; that a much greater quantity of the article will hereafter go to the English inasmuch as our Indians carried it thither even during the war when it was four livres. ' This condition of trade gave the French great uneasiness, and steps were taken to counteract the policy of the English, by keeping on hand at the important posts larger'and more complete stocks of goods and lowering the prices whenever it was possible a During the years 1749-50 the French authorities expressed their ap- preciation of the importance of the post at Oswego and began discuss- ing plans for its capture. In a memoir to his government dated in December, 1750, M. Galissonniere 3 wrote as follows: As long as the English will possess Choueguen there will be a perpetual distrust of Indians the most loyal to the French, twice more troops than the colony requires, or comports with its condition, will have to be maintained in times of the most profound peace ; forts will have to be established and kept in an infinite number of places, and very numerous and very expensive detachments sent almost every year, to restrain the different Nations of Indians. " The navigation of the lakes will always be ex- posed to be disturbed ; agriculture will not advance, except very slowly, and cannot be pursued except in the heart of the colony ; in fine, matters will be always in a situation possessing all the inconveniences of war, even without any of its ad- vantages. 4 In the summer of 1750 Joncaire the younger informed the Senecas that the French intended to build a fort above Niagara Falls. This information was authoritative and in that season the French erected a small work a short distance below Gill Creek and at the upper terminus of the portage. It served as a rendezvous for the French and their allies on their way to and from the West. Sir William Johnson soon received notice of this proceeding, * Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 200. s "Too much oare cannot be taken to prevent these Indians continuing their trade with the English, and to furnish them at this post with all their necessaries, even as cheap as at Choue- guen [Oswego]. ... It will be necessary to order the commandants at Detroit, Niagara and Fort Frontenac to be careful that the traders and storekeepers of these posts furnish goods for two or three years to come at the same rate as the English." — Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 202. s Rolland Michel Barrin, Count de la Galissonniere, was made governor of Canada in 1747, suc- ceeding Beauharnois. * Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 229. FROM 1749 TO 1755. 73 Uncertainty as to the future attitude of the Indians continued, as it always had been, an ever-present cause of anxiety and jealousy, and during the period from 1748 to the next declaration of war, no effort that diplomacy and ingenuity could suggest was spared by either French or English to gain the fealty of the Iroquois. On the 23d of October, 1754, a secret conference was held at Montreal by a portion of the Iroquois and the "domiciliated Indians " (the French allies), with M. Duquesne, which resulted in those present promising to listen no longer to the English, and to be " deaf to the words of the Onon- tag£s as well as to those of all others. The English will never obtain anything from us, nor even settle on our lands." ' In the same year, and as one of the steps taken by the English to gain the further favor of the Iroquois, a "congress "of commissioners from New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Maryland, met at Albany. An address was prepared to be delivered to the Indians, among whom was the famous Mohawk chief, Hendrik. This congress continued in session about a month. The king sent presents for the Indians and urged the utmost efforts to secure their friendship. Other councils were held with the same purpose in view, while the diplomacy of Yaudreuil and his emissaries on the one hand, and of Sir William Johnson and his agents on the other, was unceasingly displayed in this direction ■ which side was most successful will appear as we proceed. Like the French, the English now began to appreciate the importance of Oswego, and in 1754 the New York Assembly voted about $1,300 for the repair of the fortifications of that post and to increase its gar- rison. They were undoubtedly aware that the French were even then planning the capture of the post. M. de Vaudreuil wrote his govern- ment July 10, 1755, as follows: I had the honor to inform you in my letter of the 2d instant, that the English were sending' a number of people towards Choueguen, where they had built sloops carry- ing 10 guns, and two sorts of little galleys ; that a force of 3,000 men were assembling also at Fort Necessity, within about 40 leagues of Fort Duquesne, where the van- guard, consisting of 700 men, had already arrived. . . I had the honor to in- form you that I should order 400 men whom I would take from Presque'ile, to fall back on Niagara, but the danger to which Fort Duquesne is exposed has caused me to change my mind, and they will proceed to the latter post. 2 In February, 1755, Gen. Edward Braddock arrived in Virginia, com- » Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 269. ' ; IWd, p. 805, 10 74 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. missioned commander-in-chief of all the British forces in North America. Next under him was Gov. William Shirley, of Massachu- setts. Braddock called a council at Alexandria, composed, chiefly of the provincial governors, to determine upon a plan of operations against the French. The council met April 14, 1755. Governor Shirley was a man of judgment and foresight, and advocated the ad- vantages of a general movement by way of Oswego for the capture of Niagara, and the building of a navy on Lake Ontario which would be sufficient to both move the troops and hold supremacy over that im- portant body of water, thus cutting the French domain in twain and leaving the western posts to fall an easy prey. Braddock entertained different views; he would march directly against Fort Duquesne, while Col. William Johnson, .now made by Braddock a major general and superintendent of Indian affairs, was ordered to take an expedition against Crown Point, and Shirley- was to operate against Niagara. Braddock made a mistake. He began his march June 10 and on July 9 met with a crushing defeat, to which his stubbornness and neglect of the advice of Washington largely contributed. The Crown Point ex- pedition, also, was to some extent a failure. Johnson met Dieskau at the head of Lake George, was wounded early in the engagement, and general defeat was averted only by later desperate fighting by the Eng- lish under General Lyman, who succeeded to the command. The English retired to Crown Point and Ticonderoga and entrenched, and built Fort William Henry, a strong work, at the head of Lake George. Johnson was given a baronetcy for his part in the battle. Shirley acted with characteristic energy. He sent on troops to Oswego to strengthen the post and to build a schooner. The vessel was rapidly constructed and launched on June 28. Before this date 300 ship carpenters were forwarded. By the 21st of August, when Shirley reached the post with his own regiment, there were 1,500 men in the garrison. 1 Fort Ontario was erected on the east side of the river, three or four sloops or schooners were built, and more than a hundred boats. But Shirley was to be disappointed by failure, as the other expeditions had been. Just as his troops were about to embark, tempestuous 1 The regiments of Shirley and Pepperell, with the militia of New York and New Jersey, ac- cording to the plan we have spoken of, arrived at the end of June at Oswego, from whence they could equally menace both Frontenac and Niagara. Bad weather and a sickness that prevailed among them prevented their designs. They employed themselves during this campaign, in forming an entrenched camp around Oswego, and in building Fort Ontario, on the other side of the river.— Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 45. FROM 1749 TO' 1755. 75 weather eame on, which, added to previous sickness in the garrison, prevented his departure for Niagara. 1 Fully realizing the importance of holding Oswego, he pla,ced Colonel Mercer in command, with orders to build additional fortifications, and returned to Albany in October, where he was made commander-in chief of the British forces, a posi- tion he was destined to hold only a short time. The failure of these English operations greatly elated the French, though they now regretted not having attacked Oswego earlier. , On the 24th of July, 1755, M. de Vaudreuil wrote the minister as follows: The expedition against Choueguen, which at all times would have been easy, is now unfortunately very difficult, and that (I cannot but repeat) because the English have experienced no impediment to their labors and ambition. . . Nevertheless, my Lord, I act with confidence, and dare flatter myself that* I shall pull down Choueguen. 8 In the mean time the French were making more or less successful effort to place the fort at Niagara in better condition for defense. 'During the operations in Ohio,' just described, reports reached the French authorities of "horrible waste" at Niagara, in connection with transportation over the portage, and as a consequence that business was opened to competition. The price finally agreed upon was fifty sous the piece, but M. Duquesne gave his opinion that the contractors could make no profit owing to mortality among horses and other causes. As to the condition of the post itself early in that year (1755) M. de Vaudreuil wrote as follows : I am informed that the fort is so dilapidated that 'tis impossible to put a peg in it without causing it to crumble ; stanchions have been obliged to be set up against it to support it. Its garrison consists of thirty men without any muskets. Not a bright picture for the French, surely, when in anticipation of Shirley's attack. De Vaudreuil's proceedings to put the post in better condition are best described in his own words : I had provided for its security, and for that purpose had given orders to the Com- mandants at Detroit and Missilimakinak to send down some Indians there, but they were so fatigued after their campaign at Fort Duquesne, that they were unable to * According to the historian, Mante, the first English schooner on Lake Ontario was launched in this summer. The vessel was about forty feet keel, mounted fourteen swivels, and was rigged for rowing as well as sailing. The fleet fitted out at Oswego during th"e year comprised a decked sloop of eight four-pounders and thirty swivels, a decked schooner of eight four-pounders and twenty-eight swivels, an undecked schooner of fourteen swivels and fourteen oars, and another of twelve swivels and fourteen oars. All of these were unrigged and laid up in the fall.— Churchill's Hist. Oswego County, p. 66. 2 Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 308. t6 OUR COUNTS AND ITS PEOPLE. go and join M. de Villiers; as soon as I had been informed of that circumstance, I hastened to order M. de Foubonne, Commander of the battalion of Guienne, to re- pair with his men to that post and take the chief command of it I have transmitted him instructions for all eventualities. I have issued orders to M. de l'Hopital, Com- mander of the Beam battalion, to detach Captain Pouchau to accompany M. de Foubonne to Niagara. As M. Pouchau is in possession of engineering talents, M. de Foubonne will direct him to have such intrenchments as Niagara admits of, con- structed in great haste, so as to put that place in a condition to resist the enemy, who, according to the report of several prisoners, are making arrangements at Choueguen to attack it. I ordered M. de Villiers to retain M. de Lery, junior, on his return from Fort Duquesne, for the purpose of constructing some intrenchments, which he has done proportionate to his force. M. Pouchau will turn all his works to the best advantage possible. . . . My orders have reached M. de Foubonne, who has taken his departure. At Niagara he will find M. de Villiers with about 500 men, including detached marines, Canadians and Indians, and will be able to offer the greatest resistance to the enemy. The artillery taken from the English at Duquesne will remain at Niagara. It will arrive there without any delay. I instruct M. de Foubonne to arrange it to the greatest advantage possible. 1 The "M. Pouchau" above mentioned, was Captain Pouchot, to whom we have already given credit for an extract, and from whose memoirs of this war we shall further quote; he was an accomplished and ener- getic engineer, who was able by his excellent qualities as exhibited during his stay at Niagara, to both advance the interests of his country and gain the . confidence of the troops and Indians. Regarding the latter De Vaudreuil wrote in the same report from which we have just quoted as follows : I applied myself particularly to acquire a knowledge of the sentiments of the In- dians of the Five Nations. I sent my orders to M. Joncaire, the elder, to remain con- stantly with them. He has run from village to village, and met Col. Johnson's and M. Shirley's emissaries in each. He has sent me a collection of rumors that the English have spread among the Indians. These reports are in part true ; but the English have superadded a number of events to their favor, capable of destroying the confidence the Indian Nations have always reposed in the French, and they have even wished to persuade them that I had been taken by their fleet. But M. Jon- caire had annonnced my arrival to them, which has induced three villages up the Cascon-Chagon [Genesee river] to reject the hatchet of the English, notwithstand- ing all their efforts. The Cayugas have warned him not to pass by the river Cas- conchagon, as the English had set a watch for him there. He is to go across the woods to Niagara, and thence to La Presentation [Ogdensburg] where the Cayugas have told him to wait for them, as they wished to assure me of their fidelity. M. Joncaire writes me that he has no doubt but the rest of the Five Nations have gone over to the English, and are at Choueguen with them. » Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 325. PROM 1?49 TO 1755. 11 These extended extracts give a clear idea of the situation from Ihe French standpoint during the period while they were awaiting the ex- pected attack on Niagara, which, as already shown, did not take place. On the 1st of October, 1755, De Vaudreuil held a conference with twenty Senecas under the lead of Joncaire, during which the usual apologies and promises were made on both sides. The Indians com- plained of being in "bad health," and Vandreuil promised to provide for them until spring, when he would dispatch them to their territory. The Indians had been suffering from small pox. Niagara having been almost providentially saved from Shirley's attack, the French now lost no time in placing it in better condition. On the 1st of October, 1755, a courier was sent from Montreal to Fort Frontenac with orders for the Guyenne regiment to* immediately pro- ceed to Niagara, there to prepare material for building fortifications in the next year and to erect barracks for 400 men during the approaching winter. At the same time the Beam regiment received orders to re- duce the extent of the intrenchments and to build barracks for 300 men. The Guyenne regiment embarked on this mission on the 5th of Octo- ber in forty-eight armed bateaux. * As these operations progressed the spirits of the French rose. They foresaw a campaign of repeated victories. Joncaire arrived at Mon- treal on the 30th of October with a Seneca chief and ten others of that nation, and reported that the Five Nations generally would remain neutral, but that the' promises of the Nontagu6s could not be fully trusted. This news still further stimulated the French. 2 Their plans for the campaign of 1756 are indicated by De Vaudreuil's letter to the minister under date of September 25, 1755, from which is taken the. following : . I shall give myself less trouble about the defense of Niagara than about Choueguen. I will do my best to cut off the communication of the forces that might be sent thither from Orange [Albany], and on the intelligence I shall receive of the enemy's situa- tion, will .dispatch an army of regulars, Canadians and Upper Country Indians to reduce it. I shall then arm one or even two large sloops to chase those of the Eng- lish that will make their appearance on Lake Ontario. If no obstacles should inter- pose to my project, the Choueguen campaign will be concluded before the end of May. . . I shall always have parties of Indians throughout the winter at Choueguen to harass the enemy, and will even try to burn their sloops and ba- teaux. 3 General Shirley again called a council of the provincial governors > Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 351. 2 Ibid, p. 377. 3 Ibid, p. 377. 78 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. who met this time in Albany in December. Shirley ardently urged the raising of a body of 5,000 soldiers, who should rendezvous at Os- wego in the spring, to aid in the capture of Niagara and the conquest of the northern frontier. Although he was soon relieved from military duty, his plan was substantially followed in the succeeding campaign. Oswego was left under command of Col. John Bradstreet, an efficient young officer. CHAPTER VI. 1756-1758. Beginning of the Final Struggle for Supremacy— Three Expeditious by the Eng- lish — Their General Failure — Capture of Fort Bull by the French — Formal Declara- tion of War — Montcalm's Preparations for an Expedition against Oswego — His Capture of that Post — The French Jubilant — Indians Hasten to French Posts — Campaign of 1757 — Deplorable Condition of English Affairs — A Change Approach- ing — Pitt's Accession to the Prime Ministry in England — Energetic Action in Rais- ing English Troops — Capture of Fort Frontenac by the English — Famine in Canada — Former French and English Conditions Reversed. . Although open hostilities had continued for about two years between the French and the English in this country, formal declaration of war was not made until May, 1756. The last struggle for supremacy was inaugurated. The year opened ominously for the English cause. Dur- ing the winter and spring Pouchot pushed his work at Niagara and through his energy and engineering skill placed the post in good con- dition. The following upon this subject is found in an abstract of dis- patches from Canada under date of February 2-8, 1756: The works which have been considered necessary to put Niagara in a state of de- fence, were much advanced, and they would, it was expected, be completed this spring. A garrison of three hundred men is actively at work there. Niagara will thus be capable of resisting the enemy; its position is, moreover, very advantageous. . . De Vaudreuil has caused two sloops to be built on Lake Ontario, which are to be equipped as war cruizerson that lake, where they will be capable of doing good service. 1 Montcalm was writing of the works at Niagara in June of this year 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 410. PROM 1756 TO 1758. 79 and said that the fort consisted " of a horn-work with its. half -moon, covert- way, lunettes at the places d'armes re-entering from the covert- way. The front of the work is 120 toises [fathoms]. It is fortified according to M. de Vauban's method. " Three expeditions were planned for the campaign of 1756 by Gen. James Abercrombie, who had been given the chief command of the English forces, similar in their general character to those of the pre- ceding year — one against Fort Duquesne and other western posts; one against Crown Point and Ticonderoga; and the third against Niagara. Neither was successful. Dieskau was succeeded in command of the French forces by the Marquis de Montcalm, one of the bravest and ablest generals of the eighteenth century. Fort Bull, a small work guarding the carrying^place between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, was captured on the 27th of March, by a party of 400 French, Canadians and Indians. Its brave commander refusing to surrender, the little garrison of seventy or eighty men was ruthlessly butchered, and the large quantity of stores were thrown into the water. The post was an important one, as it aided in maintaining communication between Albany and Oswego. Closely following upon this incident Sieur de Villiers, a French captain who had shown good qualities in the vicinityof Fort Duquesne, was dispatched with a party of 900 French soldiers, Canadians and Indians, instructed to operate anywhere about Oswego, on the Oswego River, at the carrying-place (Wood Creek to the Mohawk), to weaken any preparations the English might be making to operate against Niagara. De Villiers made his headquarters at what is now Henderson Bay and for some time harassed the Mohawk valley settlements and the vicinity of Oswego. Formal declaration of war was made by England on the 18th of May, 1756, which was responded to by France on the 9th of June, and warlike operations went steadily forward. Near the last of May Com- modore Bradley, naval commander at Oswego, made a short voyage of exploration towards Niagara, with a few small vessels, but was soon driven back by bad weather. He went out again with a larger fleet a month later, and on his return was chased by four French vessels and a small schooner of his fleet was captured. In the mean time De Villiers, whose vigilance and activity were unceasing, determined to make a demonstration against Fort Ontario [Oswego], provoke a sortie by the garrison and destroy it by ambuscade. His force arrived be- fore the fort on June 15, and on the following morning moved can- 80 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tiously forward, his Indians ordered not to fire until a sortie was made. Discovering a party of eight workmen outside of the fort, the tempta- tion was too much for the savages, and with a whoop they sprang for- ward and fired, killing five of the English on the spot. The French were then driven off by the garrison and failed in their main purpose. In the mean time Pouchot prosecuted his work on Fort Niagara with vigor and received commendation from all quarters. De Vaudreuil wrote concerning him on June 8, 1756, as follows: I must render you the best report in particular of M. Pouchot, captain in the Beam regiment. . . . He was so good as to take on himself the direction of the forti- fications I proposed constructing at Niagara, and applied himself so closely thereto . . . that that fort, which was abandoned and beyond making the smallest resist- ance, is now a place of considerable importance, in consequence of the regularity, solidity and utility of its works. . . . M. Pouchot has surmounted all obstacles, . . his zeal has suggested resources to accelerate his labors ; he has even accom- plished' all with an economy whereat I cannot but feel agreeably surprised. l It is clear that this Captain Pouchot possessed traits which were un- common in French officers of that time, particularly in that his ad- ministration of affairs was characterized by honesty to his king and a degree of economy in the expenditure of his means that was as re- markable as it was unusual. He sought to restrain extravagance and increase income by every means in his power, and did not always meet with encouragement from his immediate superiors. On the 29th of July the incompetent Earl of Loudon arrived at Albany and succeeded Abercrombie as chief in command of the Eng- lish forces. He poorly appreciated the importance of Oswego, but after being importuned by officers whose opinions he could not. ignore, he sent one brigade under Colonel Webb to strengthen its garrison. The brigade never reached its destination. The gallant Montcalm left Montreal on July 19 for Crown Point and Ticonderoga, but returned in about two weeks with his plans perfected for an assault on Oswego. On the 29th he arrived at Frontenac and in six days had his army of 3,000 (given by some English authorities as high as 5,000) ready for the campaign. A part of the force consisted of the Beam regiment which was withdrawn from Niagara. Between the 8th and the 11th of August Montcalm's forces reached a position .before Ontario, the military genius and efficiency of the commander having been displayed at every step of the expedition. While this 1 Hough's translation of the Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 54 (note). FROM 1756 TO 1758. 81 was being accomplished, Colonel Mercer in Fort Ontario received in- telligence of the approach of the French and took such steps as were possible to prepare for defending his post. The assault on the works was thus vividly described by Montcalm: On the 12th at daybreak, the regiment of Beam arrived with the batteaux of artil- lery and provisions. These batteaux were forthwith unloaded in presence of the English barks which cruised in front of the camp. The battery on the beach was increased — the park of artillery and the depot of provisions established, and Captain Pouchot . . received orders to act as Engineer during the siege. Arrangements were made to open trenches that very night ; six pickets of workmen, fifty men each, were under orders for that night; two companies of grenadiers and three pickets to support them. . . The enemy's fire, which had been very brisk since the break of day, ceased about 11 o'clock at night, and it was perceived that the garrison evacuated Fort Ontario and passed over to that of Chouaguell at the opposite side of the river. They abandoned, in retiring, eight pieces of cannon and four mortars. The fort having been immediately occupied by the grenadiers-of the French, the workmen were commanded to continue the communication of the parallel to the river side, where, at nightfall, was commenced a large battery, placed so as to batter Fort Chouaguen. the road from that fort to Fort George, and take the in- trenched camp in the rear. Twenty pieces of cannon were conveyed during the night, in men's arms, a labor which occupied the whole army, with the exception of the pickets and the camp guard. 14th. At daybreak the Marquis of Montcalm ordered Sieur de Rigaud to ford the river to the other side with the Canadians and Indians, to occupy the woods and harass the communications with Fort George, where the enemy appeared making considerable preparations. At six o'clock we had nine pieces ready to bear, and though the fire of the besieged, up to that time, was more brisk than ours, they hoisted the White flag at 10 o'clock and sent two officers to demand a capitulation. 1 The brave Colonel Mercer was killed in this defense of Oswego. The number of prisoners captured by the French was 1,700, with seven war vessels and a large quantity of cannon and other munitions. Mont- calm ordered the destruction of the whole fortification ; this was done, in part at least, to show the Indians that the French did not desire to maintain a military station in their territory. The capture of Oswego had the effect of turning many of the Indians from the English to the French, causing great rejoicing by the latter and corresponding de- spondency among the English. 2 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X. pp. 443-3. 3 " The capture of Oswego produced the greatest effect upon all the Indian tribes, because the English had affected a decided superiority over us. and by their braggadocio on their power and courage, sought to make the Indians believe that we should not be able to resist them. The latter saw with what ease we took the post which had as many defenders as assailants, and their brisk cannonade, of which they had never heard the like, did not disturb the French troops. We 11 82 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Moreover, the moral effect of the victory was disastrous to the Eng- lish, and their offensive operations ceased for a time. It removed what the French regarded as the chief danger to their plans for whole- sale conquest, and left unbroken their possession of the valleys of the St. Lawrence, the great lakes, the Ohio, and the Mississippi. 1 The Indians hastened in large and small bodies to Niagara and other French posts. So many arrived at Niagara as to give Pouchot (who returned to that fort in September with a picket (company) of the Beam regiment) much difficult} 7 in providing for their subsistence.' Mont- calm saw this' change in the attitude of the Indians, concerning which he wrote the Count d'Argenson, April 24, 1757, as follows: All the news from Detroit, Forts Duquesne and Niagara assure us of the disposi- tions of the Indians of the upper countries, which is principally owing to the fall of Choueguen. Captain Pouchot, of the regiment of Beam, who commands at Niag- ara, is wonderfully liked by the Indians, and conducts himself much to the satisfac- tion of the Marquis de Vaudreuil. 3 Under Pouchot's administration Niagara was still further strength- ened, as shown in the following abstract from dispatches: Niagara is also well fortified. It had only six guns. Choueguen has furnished 24 of the largest caliber which are now mounted. People are busy supplying Forts Duquesne, on the Beautiful river, Niagara and Frontenac with provisions, in order to be no longer obliged to employ the best men at such work when they may be re- quired elsewhere. The greatest point is that the English-keep on the defensive and do not come to. attack us. M. de Montcalm writes that they will never be able to come at a more favorable time for us, holding, as we do, all the important posts. The harvest in New England is said to be very bad and all the prisoners assure us that if the English do not take Carillon and St. Frederic, this year, New England is swamped and unable henceforth to contribute anything. 4 On December 13, 1756, M. de Vaudreuil held a conference at Mon- treal with a hundred Indians representing all the Five Nations except may say, that since this event, they have redoubled their attachments and friendship for the French."— Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p 70. 1 The victories of the French gave them command of Lake Champlain and Lake George. Their success at Oswego confirmed their control over the western lakes, and the valley of the Mississippi. Their occupation of Fort Duquesne enabled them to cultivate the friendship, and continue their influence over the Indians west of the Alleghanies. Their line of communication reached from Canada to Louisiana, and they were masters of the vast territories that spread •out beyond it. Their supremacy on this continent was now at its zenith ; henceforward all change tended to' their decline and final dispossession. » Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, pp. 61-62. • Note from Col. Hist., X, 548, in Pouchot Memoirs, 1, 77. ( Col. Hist., Vol. X. r . 481. FROM 1756 TO 1758. 88 the Mohawks and including several minor nations. The Indians, as usual, wanted assistance and made apologies for their remissness and promises of future fealty to the French. On the other hand the French officials reprimanded them for their past failures to keep their agree- ments and made new compacts with them. In January, 1757, a large body of the Loups of Tioga assembled at Niagara to hold a council. Scattering bodies of other nations, even of the Senecas, were present, from whom it was learned that Sir William Johnson had sent belts to the Senecas and Loups, promising supplies and protection in return for their allegiance. Nevertheless, the Indians adhered to the French, and as a consequence, "small parties of Indians and some French went out from almost every post from Frontenac to Fort Duquesne, devastating frontiers of New York, New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, Maryland and Virginia. " ' In a communication dated at Quebec September 9, 1757, Montcalm wrote as follows to the Marquis de Paulmy : Our latest dates from Fort Duquesne, of the 7th 7ber, confirm the good disposi- tions of the Indians, the continuance of their forays, which spread desolation throughout the English colonies. Sieur de Liniery, a Colonial Captain in Command there, writes me that the different parties brought him in recently 200 prisoners or scalps. The same is nearly the case at Niagara, according to the letter of M. Pouchot, who commands there. "On the 1st of July there was held a grand council at Niagara, at which the Iroquois informed by a fine belt the Hurons, Ouias, Miamis and Outaouaes, that they had taken up the hatchet for their father (the French king) and that they would not quit again. These nations always distrusted the Iroquois and loved them not. Each jealous of the superiority of the other, could only regard the Five Nations as the allies of the English." 2 Pouchot notified M. Vaudreuil that the fortifications at Niagara were finished. He was soon afterward relieved of command at that post and was succeeded by Captain Vassan, a brilliant and capable officer. This was against Montcalm's advice, and from this time onward there is noticeable in the correspondence of both Vaudreuil and Montcalm a growing feeling of opposition and distrust. 3 The policy adopted by i Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 78. a Ibid, I, 84. 3 Captain Pouchot, of the Beam regiment, who has long; commanded at Niagara, was accom- plishing wonders among the Five Nations and Delawares. The Marquis Vaudreuil admits it, and has frequently told me he wished him still there. Why did he recall him ? Why does he not 84 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Pouchot's successor was not such as to retain the good will of the In- dians in minor matters, or to advance the larger interests of his superior officers. The campaign of 1757 as a whole terminated disastrously for the English, leaving their affairs in a worse condition than at an)' former period. Fort William Henry fell before Montcalm's army in August, and the French still controlled the western region. But a change was at hand, which was brought about to a considerable extent by the suc- cession of William Pitt to the prime ministry of England. He was a man of great ability and a devoted friend to the American colonies. He promptly gave assurance that ample forces should be sent over and recommended that the colonists raise as many men for the armies as possible. Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire and New York voted from 5,000 to 7,000 men each, and so inspiriting was the outlook that those troops were ready for the field in May, 1758. The impotent Loudon, after endeavoring to shift the blame for past reverses upon other shoulders, returned to Europe, and the command of all the Eng- lish forces in America devolved upon Gen. James Abercrombie. Three expeditions were planned for this year, neither of which directly in- volved the frontier in Western New York. The one against Louisburg was successful, and the post was taken by Major- Gen. Jeffrey Amherst ; the second against Ticonderoga and Crown Point was under Abercrom- bie in person, who was defeated ; the third was directed against Fort Duquesne and was successful. General Bradstreet, who had been commissioned a brigadier-general, endeavored early in the season to gain Abercrombie's consent to an expedition for the capture of Fort Frontenac, but was refused. After the Ticonderoga battle, however, Abercrombie reversed his decision. Bradstreet, accompanied by Maj. Philip Schuyler, took command of 3,000 troops who were engaged in building Fort Stanwix (on the site of Rome), proceeded -to Oswego, built a schooner in three weeks, and on the 25th of August landed his troops near Fort Frontenac. There he constructed a battery and began the siege on the 27th. The Indians had already deserted the post and the garrison of 120 men surrendered the same da)'. Bradstreet lost only four or five men. 1 send him back ? Many officers, exempt from suspicion, have proposed to him to send Captain Pouchot back, as being one of the officers best qualified to manage the Indians.— Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 693. 1 They soon breached the wall and the garrison of ninety men and thirty voyageurs surren- dered upon condition of being allowed to descend to Montreal. The English took away part of PROM 1756 TO 1758. 85 One authority says that the English found nine vessels, two of which they sent to Oswego. Pouchot says (vol. I, p. 125,) that they took away a bark and a brigantine and " the rest of our marine they burned." The destruction of property and abandonment of this post by Brad- street was censured in some quarters, it being thought the fort could have been held permanently, greatly strengthening the English position. The capture of'Frontenac was one of the most important events of the war. It facilitated the fall of Duquesne, discouraged the French, gave joy to the English, and reflected honor on the provincial soldiers. So powerful was its effect on the French that a cry for peace went up throughout Canada, the resources of which were becoming exhausted. There was almost a famine in that region and men afhd officers of good judgment, who were aware that a turn had come in the tide of English affairs, foresaw approaching disaster. A letter from Quebec under date of June 15, 1758, says: The twelve thousand barrels of flour which have arrived in no wise relieve the scarcity [of provisions]. They enable us only to march to oppose the enemy's plans ; this is the most essential point. Of 36 ships that sailed from Bordeaux in 3 divisions, 24 are missing, which were all freighted with provisions and other necessary supplies. Not a single vessel has yet made its appearance from Rochelle, whence many are expected; neither from Bayonne, nor Marseilles, from which ports several had sailed. The sea swarms with English privateers and we have not one. These privateers are supported by men-of-war and there is hardly a frigate to escort twelve of our mer- chantmen. All this affords every reason to believe that we shall be worse off the next winter than the last. To crown the misfortunes, this year's harvest cannot fail to be bad. Little has been sown for want of seed ; and sowing was scarcely com- pleted when the land was inundated with rain, which has continued nearly a month. It is since cold, and now freezes at night so hard as entirely to destroy all the vege- tables, which are, so to speak, the sole resource of the people who, since a year, are in want of bread. This, my Lord, is a situation the more cruel, as it is not ex- aggerated; the result is an advance in prices so horrible as to entail suffering on the most comfortable. We are all in the same category. 1 The vigilant foresight and military genius of Montcalm enabled him to clearly appreciate the increasing adversities of the French. In July of this year (1758) he reported to Marshal de Belle Isle the numbers of the French forces, recounting how little they could depend upon the Indians excepting for haphazard forays, concluding as follows : the artillery which we had captured at Oswego, and, destroyed what they could not remove.— Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, pp 124-5. 1 M. Doreil to Marshal de Belle Isle, minister of war, Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 718. 86 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. With so small a force, how preserve, without a miracle, from the Beautiful river, [Ohio] to Lake St. Sacrament, and attend to the descent on Quebec; 'tis an impossi- bility. Whoever will write to the contrary of what I advance will deceive the king. However so unpalatable soever it be, 'tis my duty, as a citizen, to write it. This is not discouragement on my part, nor on that of the troops, for we are resolved to bury ourselves under the ruins of the colony. ' De Vaudreuil did not share Montcalm's apprehensions; indeed the two were clearly at cross purposes, as indicated in the records of the time. How prophetic were Montcalm's words the sequel shows. 3 De Vaudreuil reported the capture of Fort Frontenac to his war min- ister on the 2d of September, and made the following statement: The enemy have found at Frontenac considerable provisions, goods and artillery, which were intended for the posts on the Beautiful river and at Niagara. One of the sloops [two of their largest were captured by Bradstreet] was loaded with those articles ; that fort being the entrepot of our Lake Ontario n avy , it could not happen otherwise ; even though I should have had 5 or 600 men at that post, they could not defend it in consequence .of its construction. . . As soon, my Lord, as I was aware that the sloops were in the hands of the Eng- lish, my uneasiness for Niagara increased in consequence of the difficulty of getting to that place. I have at the moment dispatched 30 bark canoes to overtake M, Du- plessis and have ordered him to deliver them to M. de Montigny whom 1 have en- trusted to repair to Niagara with 5 to 600 men, some additional gunners and 20 thousand weight of powder. I hope if time be given this detachment to arrive at Niagara, 'twill be out of danger, and thai, as the bark canoes can be hid in the woods, they will escape the vigilance of the sloops. . . . Peace appears to me an absolute necessity for this colony. 3 The foregoing reads much like an apology. The fact is, the capture of Frontenac was due to thorough efficiency on the one side and ineffi- ciency on the other. More forcibly than anything else this event indi- cated the changing fortunes of the two nations who were in conflict for dominion. On the 9th of the same month Montcalm wrote Belle Isle, war min- ister, regarding the capture of Frontenac as follows: What is most unfortunate is, that they the English have taken considerable pro- visions, quantity of merchandise, eighty pieces of iron cannon, large and small, many of which they left after breaking the trunnions, and destroyed the navy, for which we were indebted to my capture of Choueguen ; burning five of our sloops and carrying two of them away. . . That navy assured to us the superiority on Lake Ontario, which we now lose. 'Twill be still worse should the enemy reduce Niagara, which is a strong post for this country. 4 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 761. 2 See correspondence between Doreil and Belle Isle, Ibid, pp. 768-9. ' Ibid, pp. 883-24. ♦ Ibid, p. 881. FROM 175C-TO 1758. 87 Montcalm had been called to Montreal from Carillon to confer with Vaudreuil, and in his letter from which we have quoted does not hesi- tate to impute to his superior officer the assured loss of Fort Frontenac and all that wen! with it, and the possible future fall of Niagara. Everywhere the French were growing despondent; it would seem that if the English had been prepared and had pushed their operations vigorously in the latter part of the summer of 1758, the war might have closed earlier than it did. M. Doreil wrote M. de Massiac, minis- ter of marine, on August 31, 1758, from Quebec, as follows upon the gloomy prospects: Things have greatly changed, my Lord, since the signal victory gained by the Marquis de Montcalm and the French troops on the 8th of July — a day ever mem- orable, which has saved the colony for the time [referring to Ticonderoga]. The capture of Louisburg, the movements of the enemy on the Oyo [Ohio] and at Fort Duquesne, those which they are making on Lake Ontario, where our posts are abso- lutely bare, and General Abercrombie's powerful army, which continues opposed to the Marquis de Montcalm, place it in great danger this very year, and will bring down its total ruin if peace be not concluded this winter. 'Tis evident that the In- dians of the Five Iroquois Nations and even some of our domiciliated tribes have deceived the Marquis de Vaudreuil, who has perhaps confided too much in them, and who, on the strength of their promises, had scarcely any person at Niagara or at Fort Frontenac. . . . The English have actually more troops on foot in this Continent than Canada has people, old men, women and children included. . . . The enemy are masters of Frontenac since the 27th of August ; and what is worse, of our barks which have not been burnt; and of the provisions and goods stored at that post for the Upper countries. . . . The Indians have begun attacking us. Fears are entertained for Niagara and for the Marquis de Montcalm's army, like- wise for the Beautiful river. 1 The rapid increase of population in the English colonies and the ex- pedition with which they had enlarged their armies, added to the anxiety of the French. High officers began to doubt their ability to hold Niagara, although it was considered the most tenable of their re- maining posts. In the late months of the year (1758) plans were laid by both powers for the campaign of the next year, which it was be- lieved would end the conflict. It was held by Montcalm to be of the highest importance that Lake Ontario should be controlled by sufficient vessels to keep the English in check. He estimated, upon authority of De Vaudreuil's memoir, that about 3,000 men were available for service in what he called the " Lake Ontario district," and continued as follows upon the plans and prospects: 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X, pp. 838-29. 88 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. From these, however [the 3,000 men], must be detached the 500 men who have gone to Niagara with M. de Montigny. Their business is to remain in that fort until the arrival of the troops destined to garrison it, and to be occupied there, in the mean while, either in coming or going for victualling that post, or at the different civil and military buildings which M. de Pouchot, whom I shall send thither imme- diately to command them, would judge necessary for a long and vigorous defense ; therefore, no more than 2,500 or 3,500 m'en must be calculated. 1 De Vaudreuil made some observations on Montcalm's memoir, dif- fering with him, as usual, in which he wrote : The Marquis de Montcalm is too much of a military man not to admit that, no matter however well we may victual Niagara, were it reduced to the defense of its garrison alone, and we should abandon our lakes, neither it nor any of the other little posts could fail of being taken, if the English lay siege to them. ... I consent to confer the command of Niagara on M. Pouchot, as he is qualified to com- plete and even defend the works if attacked. 2 Fort Duquesne was captured by the English on the 24th of Novem- ber, the garrison escaping down the river, " abandoned, or at least not seconded by their friends, the Indians, whom we had previously engaged to act a neutral part, and who now seem all willing and ready to em- brace His Majesty's Most gracious Protection." 3 The prophecies of a bad harvest in Canada were fulfilled; the Eng- lish were inspirited by success and their armies were strengthened by large accessions, and the year closed in gloom for the French. They foresaw their doom in the coming campaign. 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 870. 2 Ibid, p. 872. 3 Report of General Forbes on the siege of Duquesne, Ibid, p. 905. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. CHAPTER VII. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. The Last Campaign — Desperate Situation of the French — English Preparations for the Last Struggle — Discontent Among the Five Nations— They Go over to the English — Pouchot Returned to Niagara — Repair of the Fort — English Campaign Plans — Expedition against Quebec — Organization of an Expedition against Niagara — Beginning of the Siege of that Post — Success of the Englisll — Death of General Prideaux — A Doomed Fortress — French Reinforcements — They Meet the English — ■. A Sanguinary Battle — Rout of the French — Surrender of Niagara to the English — End of French Dominion — Treaty of Peace. The* spring of 1759 found the French in a deplorable condition. The preceding harvest, as was predicted, was a complete failure, causing famine that was not the least of their misfortunes. * The Eng- lish were, on the other hand, exultant and as soon as the season was sufficiently advanced, they made preparations for the final campaign which was to give them permanent victory. In a French memoir of January, 1759, on the position of the French and English in America, and what was absolutely necessary to enable the French to make an adequate defense, is the following: Eight French battalions which will hardly number, at' the opening of the cam- paign 3,400 men, twelve hundred troops of the Marine, at most, five or six thousand Militia. Such are our forces. The Indians cannot be included in the account. Eng- lish presents, our poverty, our -prodigious inferiority — what motives to abate their ardor ! Besides, being independent, never making two expeditions consecutively, even should the first have resulted only in raising one scalp ; ill qualified for defense ; afraid of death ; what benefit can be expected to be derived from them? No stronghold in the country ; Niagara, the most tenable of the whole, if properly attacked, cannot hold out more than three weeks. Shell alone will force Carillon to surrender. ... I do not even except Mont-Real and Quebec, if the foot of their walls be once reached. ' The rations of bread were reduced to a pound and a half, and that of pork to a quarter of a pouud. The latter failing, the intendant proposed to issue horseflesh to the troops, which they were obliged to submit to without a murmur. With economy they were still able to furnish a little pork, but when the ice melted the}' were obliged to throw it away as spoiled. The con- tractor was therefore ordered to furnish horses, and he accordingly collected all the jaded nags of the country to feed the troops. — Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 134. 12 90 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. We are in want of provisions, that is to say, by carefully economizing the little we have, it will be hardly possible to enter on the campaign and subsist through the first month. We are in want of powder, to such a degree, that if the English come to Quebec, there is not six days supply for the cannon. Almost all the guns are iron, and bad. Mortars are wanting, and still more so shells of the calibre of those we have.' The discontent of the Five Nations, aggravated not so much, per- haps, by parsimonious treatment by the French as by promises and more liberal treatment by the English, under the skillful diplomacy of Sir William Johnson, alarmed MM. Vaudreuil and Montcalm. It was the judgment of both that Captain Pouchot should be sent to Niagara as the one of all their officers best qualified to regain the weakening fealty of the Iroquois. Both knew that the attempt to further strengthen Niagara was a make-shift to impress the Indians, rather than an effort to intimidate the English or to place the post in better condition for, defense. Captain Pouchot, with only " three piquets, amounting to 149 men," 3 left Montreal on the 27th of March, accompanied also by 157 Canadians under a colonial officer. In taking leave of Montcalm, Pouchot said to him, " It appears that we shall never meet again, except in England." 8 Pouchot arrived at Niagara on the 30th of April, after various delays. With his customary energy he set about repairing the fort, to which nothing had been done since he left it in 1757. Joncaire was there and informed Pouchot that the English were on the march, and that the Five Nations "had totally declared themselves for them." 4 During the month of May small bodies of Indians, chiefly from the west, who had remained faithful to the French, arrived at Niagara, but the French hoped no longer for aid from the Iroquois ; they were prone to join the victorious side. On the 28th of May a body of Cayugas went to Niagara for a council. Pouchot charged them with sending belts to other nations to turn them against the French. Their reply was unique as well as suggestive. " It is true, father, that we have no courage. We well know all the evil that we do, but no one is more embarrassed than ourselves. The French draw us one way, and the English the other. " e Even the courageous Montcalm was now hopelessly discouraged, 1 This extract from the memoir found in Vol. X, p. 928, Colonial History, is in the charaeteris tic style and also conveys the sentiments of Montcalm. 2 Pouchot, I, 140. s Ibid. « Ibid. s Ibid, p. 149. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. 91 though still prepared to do his duty to his king. He wrote from Mon- treal to Belle Isle on the 12th of April: Canada will be taken this campaign, and assuredly during the next, if there be not some unforeseen good luck, a powerful diversion by sea against the English colonies, or some gross blunder on the part of the enemy. The English have 60,000 men, we, at themost, from 10,000 to 11,000. Our government is good for nothing ; money and provisions will fail. . . The Canadians are dispirited ; no confidence in M. de Vaudreuil or in M. Bigot. ' The general plans of the English for this campaign, in their relation to our western frontier, as suggested by Colonel Montressor, are set forth in the following: Five hundred to keep the post and depot at Oswego, and two thousand to embark and shape their course for Niagara, one engineer, one Lieu't of* artillery, 2 bomba- diers, 4 gunners, 12 matrosses, with 2 twelve-pounders, 2 six-pounders, one 8-inch howitzer, 2 royals, 4 cohorns. This body is to land on the nearest and safest land- ing place to the fort, with summons to surrender, letting them know that all their communications are cut off from the River St. Lawrence. That the English are in actual possession of La Galette [Ogdensburg] and marching their army towards Montreal, which, if not agreed to on the spot, then to be attacked vigorously, which must be on great disadvantages on the enemy's side, who will not dare to hold out, considering the situation they'must be in after the loss of Fort Duquesne. This place, when taken, must be secured, provided and strengthened, in order to keep a garrison there for preserving the thoroughfare and communications from the upper lakes to the lower, and to the vast country through which the Ohio and Mississippi run through. 'Tis been always a noted Indian mart and trading place. 2 The British planned three different expeditions in the approaching campaign, the success of which would conquer the whole of Canada. These were to be made one against Ticonderoga and Crown Point under Major-Gen. Jeffrey Amherst, who had succeeded as comman- der of all the British forces; another against Quebec, and the third against Niagara. In the spring of the year a strong expedition was fitted out under the gallant Gen. James Wolfe to proceed against the Canadian strong- hold at Quebec, which left Louisburg on the 27th of June. Of this movement Pouchot wrote: We have been notified from France, that an English fleet had sailed on the -first days of February, to besiege Quebec with 10,000 men, embarked under the orders of General Wolf. An army of 25,000 was to penetrate Canada by way of Lake George, under General Amherst, who was to send a detachment by way of Lake Ontario. 3 1 Col. Hist., Vol. X, p. 960. 2 Ibid, pp. 008-9. 3 Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 145. 92 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Three thousand French and colonial soldiers and militia were sent to attack Carillon (Ticonderoga) and the remainder of the French forces were ordered to Quebec to oppose the threatened attack of the Eng- lish. In the mean time the expedition against Niagara was organized in strong numbers under Gen. John Prideaux, with a large Indian force under Sir William Johnson. The army consisted of about 2,000 white soldiers and 600 Indians; the latter were increased to 1,000 before the expedition reached Niagara. The rendezvous was made at Oswego, whence the troops were transported along the southern shore of Lake Ontario to the mouth of Four-mile Creek, where they arrived on the 6th of July. It is evident that the English approached this point without being discovered by the French, although the corvette of the latter (the Iroquois), which entered Niagara River at 4 o'clock p. m. , July 6, on its return from Oswego with the report that there were no English at that post, ought to have seen the English barges cruising near the shore. Had the corvette discovered them, "they might with their ten or twelve guns, have stopped or destroyed this army on its march. The English would have found it very difficult to fire, and could neither have advanced nor retreated." 1 The following account of the ensuing operations, as viewed from the French standpoint, is derived from the Pouchot Memoirs (Hough's translation), and that work will need no further credit for the story other than the quotation marks which indicate actual extracts from the work: The approach of the English was discovered by "a soldier hunting pigeons. . . He at once ran to notify M. Pouchot, who sent out ten men to reconnoiter, supported by fifty men. . . They found them- selves surrounded and exposed to the fire of more than two hundred muskets. . . Five were taken and two wounded. M. Pouchot called them back, after having fired some volleys of cannon at the ene- my. They replied by regular volleys from behind coverts. . M. Pouchot this night posted guards to occupy the outposts." Thus began the siege of Fort Niagara by the English, an event that was to prove of inestimable importance and influence on the future of this country. "General Prideaux's army consisted of the 44th and 46th Regiments, 1 Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, pp. 159-60. FORT NIAGARA IN 1759. Galleries to communicate with the exterior works. Lake Ontario Bastion. Barracks, stores and vestiges of the old fore. Niagara Gate, Bastion at the Gate of the Five Nations. Barbel Battery of 5 guns. Relief Gate. Another Barbel Battery of 5 guns. Indian huts. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. 93 4th Battalion of Royal Americans, two battalions of New York troops, a detachment of Royal Artillery, and a large body of Indians under General Johnson." ' The French " garrison consisted of one hundred and forty-nine men detached from'' various regiments, "and one hundred and eighty- three men of colonial companies, . . and one hundred and thirty- three militia, and twenty one cannoniers. . . The whole amount- ing to four hundred and ,eighty-six soldiers and thirty-nine employees, of whom five were women and children." "'On the 7th of July seven barges appeared under the steep shores of the lake to reconnoiter the place. . . . We fired some cannon which quickly made them gain the open lake." Captain Pouchot sent out scouts both by water and land, who reported from fifteen to twenty barges with twenty men each, and " a great many people who were' walking on the shore. " Believing this to be, as it was, the advance of the English, Pouchot sent a courier to Chabert Joncaire, then in command of the fort at the portage, with orders to fall back to Chippewa Creek, should he know of the enemy near the fort, and to Presque Isle (Erie), and other posts, and to send to Niagara " all detachments of French. and Indians." On the 8th of July Pouchot discovered that the English had formed a camp at the " Little Marsh" — on the lake shore — evidently as a depot for their stores ; he ordered the corvette to that point, the guns of which forced the English to quit their camp and seek shelter. In the after- noon Pouchot received a letter at the hands of an Iroquois from Jon- caire at the portage, saying that he had burned the-fort there, as the place was no longer tenable. The valuable property he had removed up the Chippewa River. On»the 9th a white flag appeared in the clearing, and the bearer, .an officer, was met and brought into the fort with his eyes bandaged. He brought a letter from General Prideaux, demanding surrender of the fort ; to which Pouchot replied that he found himself in a condition to defend the work, and should do so; invited the officer to breakfast with true French politeness, and then bandaged his eyes and sent him back. Satisfied that the English were actively beginning the siege, Pouchot made a disposition of his forces to defend, as best he could, the differ- ent parts of the works, which plan was carried out every night of the siege. 1 F. B. Hough's note in the Pouchot Memoirs, Vol. I, p. 159. 94 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. On the 10th, says Pouchot, " we perceived a parallel of more than 300 toises, 1 which beginning at about the middle of the front of the fortifications, extended to the left on the side towards the lake. . . We battered both ends of the parallel with four pieces of cannon. At noon the two Joncaire brothers 2 arrived with seventy persons, several of them women; there were three Iroquois, among whom was the chief Kaenda6. " On the 11th Kaendae, on his request and by permission of Pouchot, had an interview with the Indians of the Five Nations who were en- gaged with the English, and brought in two deputies to Pouchot to learn his views concerning themselves. ' ' These deputies said they did not know how they had got involved in this war, and that they were ashamed of it." But for all the " good words " and protestations by the Indians, they returned to the ; English, and the only result of the parley that M. Pouchot could discover was that, though firing had been suspended on both sides, the English had extended their works. On the 12th the French saw that during the preceding night the English had still farther enlarged and strengthened their approaches. " In the morning Kaenda6 asked leave to go out and hold another council with the chiefs of his nation. M. Pouchot did not oppose him, but gave notice that he should not suspend any of his operations, be- cause the whites [English] would take advantage of the interval to labor. ... At three o'clock in the afternoon Kaendae" returned with .an Onondaga chief named Hanging Belt, and two Cayugas. They presented a large white belt to M. Pouchot." 3 An extended parley followed, resulting in a portion of the Indians leaving the English and going to camp at La Belle-Famille — a "place a short eighth league from the fort, upon the right bank of the river, above the fort." 1 A fathom, six feet. 'These Joncaires were figures of considerable importance on the frontier at this time. Cha- bert Joncaire is believed to have been a- young French soldier who was captured by the Senecas prior to 1700, was adopted by them, married an Indian wife and had several children. After many years he was liberated and took his family to Montreal. There he was immediately employed by the government and continued in active service during the remainder of his life. He wielded a powerful influence among the Senecas. He made his appearance in the Seneca country in 1730, and he was looked upon as a son of the nation. He died at Niagara in 1740, and the Senecas ap- plied to the French to permit his son to come and dwell with them; his name was Chabert also and he soon became active and useful to the French. In 1741 the son asked to be released from Service for the French, and his younger brother, Clauzonne Joncaire, was appointed in his place. Chabert did not, however, fully relinquish his connection with the French, for his name, as well as that of his brother, is signed to the capitulation of Fort Niagara in 1759. 8 A sign of peace. END OF FRENCH DOMINION. 95 On the 13th in the morning Pouchot examined the works of the en- emy and found a six-mortar battery added to their siege approaches. The chief, Kaendae\ was permitted to meet a white flag from some In- dians across the river who had come to council. They were not al- lowed to enter the fort, but promised to remain neutral. On the 14th Pouchot observed the advancing work of the enemy. Kaenda6 and another Indian were permitted to go to the camp of the Indians and English, and reported about eighteen hundred men, and that "Johnson had induced his Indians to, remain by promising them leave to pillage the place, on which they would make an assault in two or three days. Lastly, that they had only a small stock of provisions and were expecting a convoy." That day Pouchot permitted the In- diams at the fort, with their women, to cross the river, as they were afraid of the bombs, and " was well pleased to get rid of them." On the 15th it was seen that another battery was under way and the English threw many bombs, wounding some of the French. In the evening "a deserter, a kind of Frenchman, who had been with the Iroquois," came into the fort and reported the force of besiegers about the same as had Kaenda£, and that on the morrow the English would place their cannon in battery — fifteen pieces ; that they were short of provisions and were expecting a convoy from Oswego, where " M. de la Come, in venturing to attack, had been repulsed." On the 16th it rained constantly. Two barges appeared on the open lake, "but out of range of a twelve-pound cannon. These boats were reconnoitering. " On the 17th, "by reason of a fog which did not rise till quite late, we did not observe that the enemy had thrown up new works." The English opened with their batteries on the opposite side of the river, from which a shot "entered the chimney of the com- mandant's quarters, and rolled down by the side of the bed where he had lain down " Artillery and musketry firing were kept up all day on both sides,' the battery across the river obliging Pouchot to add to his defenses on the river side, where he had only an intrenchment. On the 18th in the evening the French saw a great smoke arise from one of the English trenches, which was caused by a shot from the fort having set on fire one of their powder magazines. ' ' On this day General Prideaux was killed in the trenches." Firing was sharp on both sides; the French "were greatly distressed," having many soldiers wounded and some killed." "Brigadier-General John Prideaux was accidentally killed in the 96 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. trenches on the 19th of July, by the carelessness of a gunner in dis- charging a cohorn, the shell bursting instantly as the general was passing it. Word was at once sent to General Amherst, who dispatched Brigadier-General Gage to succeed Prideaux, but he did not reach the place before the fort surrendered to Johnson." ' Pouchot saw on the 20th the enemy's approaches gradually advancing under a heavy fire, which he ' ' answered very fiercely with our ar- tillery." In noting the advance of the English trenches he farther says: "They fired very briskly with musketry on every side till midnight, but ours somewhat slackened toward daybreak, on account of the exhaustion of our troops, and the bad condition of our guns." The day previous in the afternoon the corvette appeared and Captain Pouchot sent out a canoe and .seven men to her; they ran the gaunt- let of the enemy's guns, a ball from which struck one of the boat's paddles. During the night of the 19th the canoe returned, bring- ing dispatches from Montreal and Quebec. " They were concerned about us, but did not know that we were besieged." About ten in the morning of the 20th, Pouchot sent back the canoe with dispatches for Vaudreuil and Montcalm. On the 21st " the firing was not as active on the enemy's side during the day as during the previous evening, because they were busy work- ing on their trenches. " "In the evening the enemy redoubled his fire. We had several men killed and wounded. We replied quite actively from . . three cannon which each fired fifty charges of grape shot. A shower which was too brief for us, and would have deluged their trenches, interrupted this firing. " On the 22d, "about nine o'clock in the morning they began to throw red hot shot from the battery on the other side of the river. The bat- tery where they had placed their heaviest guns did the same. By the precaution that M. Pouchot had taken, of having casks full of water before all the buildings, and parties of carpenters ready with axes to cut away the places exposed to the flames, the fire did not commit any ravages. The enemy could never understand it." The French were now driven to extremities; aside from the serious damage that was be- ing done to their works by the cannonade of the English, and the loss of men by death and wounds, their arms and munitions were giving 1 Mante, p. 235. It will be seen that Pouchot makes the date the 18th; Lossing gives it as the 19th. END OP FRENCH DOMINION. 97 out. "The material for cannon wads was wanting, and we had not even hay They took the mattresses of the beds, then the straw and finally the linen. " On the night of the 22d and 23d the English crowded their trenches still closer to the doomed fort, keeping up meantime a heavy fire of grape and solid shot. ' ' We replied to them from our fort, but our arms were in so bad a condition, that among ten guns [muskets] scarcely one could be used, and on the next day there remained not more than a hundred fit for use, notwithstanding all the repairs daily made. Seven smiths or armorers were constantly employed in mend- ing them. The domestics and wounded were employed in washing them." On the 23d four Indians appeared in the road from La Belle- Famille to the portage, carrying a white flag. They. Bore letters dated July 17 and 22. They were from MM. Aubrey and Lignery, at Fort Machault and Presque Isle, in answer to messages of M. Pouchot of the 7th and 10th, and asked Pouchot's advice as to what they could do to relieve him. Pouchot replied, making four copies of his letter, One for each Indian, advising Aubrey and Lignery of his struggle with the English* and leaving to them the course they should pursue. The firing of the English during the day had ruined the flag bastion of the fort, leaving not two feet of the parapet. Pouchot says, " We will re- mark that of late we had been obliged to make our embrasures of packets of peltries for want of other materials', and that we used blankets and shirts from the magazines for cannon wads. We could no longer induce the Canadians to fire into the embrasures at the en- emy. Those who were placed at any point crouched down to cover themselves and were soon asleep. In the evening the enemy's fire con- siderably slackened. . . . This respite made M. Pouchot believe, either that they intended to raise the siege, or that they were preparing for some determined assault. We had many wounded this night, and several killed in working to repair damages." "On the 24th we heard some firing in the direction of La Belle- Famille. " This firing was the beginning of the action between the Eng- lish and the troops under Lignery on their way to relieve Pouchot, as described a little further on. Pouchot tells in detail what he could see of this part of the contest, but evidently was not aware of the outcome. An Onondaga Indian who had gone out with Pouchot's leave about noon, returned at two o'clock. " He related the whole of our disaster, which we could scarcely believe, and we thought the English had in- 13 98 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. vented the account. He told us that they had all fled, that MM. de Aubrey, de Lignery, de Montigny and de Repentigne were prisoners and wounded, and that the rest of our officers and soldiers had been killed. We hoped this man was telling a lie." When Pouchot be- came satisfied that the relieving party had retreated, he redoubled his fire from such batteries as were yet serviceable ; but did not check the English gunners, who fired so briskly that "it occasioned us the loss of many men." In the afternoon, about four o'clock, an officer from the English appeared before the fort for a parley; he was Major Hervey, bearing a letter from Johnson, who had been in command after the death of Prideaux. Johnson demanded surrender. Pouchot was now forced to believe the story of the Indian regarding the force of De Lignery, for it was confirmed by Major Hervey. Pouchot thereupon allowed a French officer to go to the English camp, where he saw De Lignery wounded. After a deliberation by all the French officers and an examination of their remaining stores and munitions, it was decided that "we could not hope to defend the place with vigor." Pouchot was forced to surrender, after his heroic defense of the post. He called in the English officer, " asked to capitulate and to be rTermitted to march out of the works with the honors of war." Articles of capit- ulation were drawn and signed and on the 25th of July, between ten and eleven o'clock in the morning, the English took possession of the fort, and on the 26th the garrison marched out and embarked, after grounding their arms, and proceeded to Oswego. The foregoing quotations indicate a modest and dispassioned account of the memorable siege of Niagara, from the French standpoint, and little farther is needed in this connection. A brief addition to the foregoing account from the English authori- ties, will give the reader a clearer understanding of the operations on that side, especially in regard to the engagement with the reinforce- ments sent to Pouchot's aid. This force consisted of 600 French soldiers and nearly 1,000 Indians. They came down the river in a large fleet of canoes and reached Navy Island, whence scouts were sent out to learn the position of the English. When Pouchot learned of the approach of the reinforcements, he advised that if they did not feel strong enough to attack the English army they should cross over t*o the Chippewa and pass down on the other side, drive the enemy out of their batteries, and then recross. This counsel was not followed and they continued on down to Lewiston. The English were then stationed END OF FRENCH DOMINION. 99 in three divisions — one at the little swamp where their landing was made ; one at La Belle-Famille about a mile above the fort on the river, and the other between these two. M. de Lignery, in command of the reinforcements, was advised to attack and defeat one of these divisions, upon which it was hoped the siege would be raised. The attack was made at La Belle-Famille (the site of Youngstown village) on the 24th. In the mean time Johnson laid an ambuscade to assail the French as they came on from Lewiston. The engagement was short and decisive. The French were routed and fled to Schlossef and thence across the river. When Pouchot learned of this disaster he called the council of officers as before stated. The garrison was worn out and despondent; 109 men had been killed and wounded, and fifty-seven were sick, leav- ing only 607 effectives. Farther resistance was unjustifiable and sur- render was unanimously advised. Difficulty then arose over the terms demanded by Johnson. After discussing the matter through the night, Pouchot was about to stop the negotiations and take the chances of un- conditional surrender, when the Germans, who constituted a majority of the garrison, mutinied and demanded the acceptance of the capitu- lation. The terms were then agreed to by Pouchot and the post was surrendered. French accounts state that the troops who escaped from the rout of the previous day fled to Navy Island, where a guard of about 150 men had been left. They then proceeded to Detroit, and it is claimed that one or more vessels were burned at the island before the departure. Both of the Joncaires were made prisoners. Another English account (doubtless derived from Mante, the English historian, as quoted in the Pouchot Memoirs, vol. I, p. 205), gives the following brief version of the closing scenes of Jhe siege : When Johnson learned of the approach of the French reinforcements on the 23d, he at once disposed of his forces near the road and not far below the five-mile meadows at a place now known as Bloody Run. The action began early in the fore- noon of the 24th and continued about an hour. Captain De Lancey, son of General De Lancey, was in command of the advance sent up on the 23d. He threw up breastworks on the night of the 23d and early the next morning sent a sergeant and ten men to cross the river and bring up a ten-pounder. These men were attacked a short distance above De Lancey's line and were killed or captured. Reinforcements came to the English in the course of two hours, so that they numbered 600 regulars, 100 New Yorkers, and 600 Indians, when the battle opened at eight o'clock. The French and Indians attacked with screams and war whoops, but the English and their allies were accustomed to this and held their ground. Johnson's Indians at- tacked the French on the flank and the English leaped over the breastworks and 100 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. assaulted so fiercely in front that the French were soon overwhelmed. It is said that the French Indian allies deserted them in the hottest of the fight. The pursuit was continued some miles towards Lewiston. De Aubrey, in command of the French, and De Lignery were wounded and captured. Marin, commanding the In- dians, was captured. Johnson divided the prisoners and scalps, comprising 146, of whom 96 were prisoners. The officers he released from his Indians by ransom, after some difficulty. The Indians were given all the plunder from the fort. Of the ordnance stores captured there were two fourteen-pounders, 19 twelve-pounders, 1 eleven-pounder, 7 eight-pounders, 7 six-pounders, 2 four-pounders, and 5 two- pounders, with large quantities of munitions. The English loss was 63 killed and 183 wounded. That the Indians took good care of themselves during the siege is shown by the fact that only three were killed and five wounded. Two French vessels cruising off Niagara prevented Johnson from leaving the port until the evening of August 4 ; he arrived at Oswego on the 7th. Additional light is thrown upon this important event by an account published at.the time in the Maryland Gazette. After describing- the battle and giving a list of the captured stores, the editor said : A letter from Niagara, dated July 25th, has the following particulars: " Your old friend, Sir William Johnson, has gained immortal honor in this affair. The army have the highest opinion of him, and the Indians adore him, as his conduct has been steady and judicious; he has carried on the siege with spirit. The Mohawks have done wonders, serving in the trenches and every place where Sir William was." . . . We are informed, that upon Gen. Amherst receiving the news of the death of- Brigadier Gen. Prideaux, he immediately appointed Brigadier Gen. Gage, of the Light Infantry, commander-in-chief of the forces before Niagara ; and that Gen. Gage was at Albany, when the orders of Gen. Amherst came to him ; but it was im- possible for him to reach Niagara before it surrendered to Sir William Johnson. Thus passed the control of Niagara River, which had been- under French domination more than a hundred years, to the English. Quebec under Montcalm * fell before Wolfe on September 13, and French rule was extinguished forever on the western continent. But. the French clung to their colonies with desperate, though failing, grasp, and it was not until September, 1760, that the Marquis de Vaudreuil surrendered Montreal and with it all the other posts in his jurisdiction. This surrender was ratified by the treaty of peace between England and France in February, 1763, which ceded Canada to the former power. 1 Both of these brave officers were mortally wounded. The brilliant Montcalm had said that " he would find his grave under the ruins of the colony," which proved a veritable prophecy. PROM 1760 TO 1774. 101 CHAPTER VIII. 1760—1774. Control of the Frontier by the English— Animosity of the Senecas — Building ot Fort Schlosser — Repair of Fort Niagara .-Marauding by the Senecas — Visit of Sir William Johnson to Niagara and Detroit — Encroachments on the Niagara Portage — The Massacre at Devil's Hole — Pontiac's War — Bradstreet's Expedition to Detroit — Peace with the Indians — A Battle in Erie County Territory,— A Period of Quiet — Formation of Tryon County. Although the hostilities of the war substantially ceased in 1760 with the surrender of Montreal and other posts, a treaty of peace (known as the treaty of Paris) was not signed until 1763. The importance to the English of the Western New York frontier is shown by the prompt- ness with which they assumed its control after the French surrender. It was imperative that they should maintain all such carrying-places in order to keep open their communication with distant western posts; none was more important than that at Niagara. This portage was placed in charge of John Steadman in 1760, who was employed by Sir William Johnson to open and improve the road, much to the dissatis- faction of the Senecas, whose animosity to the English still continued. Under the arrangements inaugurated by the English a new fort was built at the upper end of the portage, on the site of Little Niagara, consisting of a line of palisades enclosing a few storehouses and bar- racks; it was named Fort Schlosser from Capt. Joseph Schlosser, its first commander. A tall chimney, which is still a conspicuous object on the Porter farm below Gill Creek, and which had belonged to the former French barracks burned by Joncaire, as before related, was used by the English in the construction of the new work. Meanwhile Fort Niagara was repaired and strengthened and served as a base of supplies for the western country and -the rapidly increasing Indian trade. The Senecas, in their lingering affection for the defeated French, and in disregard of Johnson's authority as superintendent of Indian affairs, joined with western Indians in marauding forays through the 103 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. country, on some occasions pursuing their depredations near to the gates of Niagara. In one of these an Englishman was killed near the fort; three others were killed near the mouth of Chippewa Creek. It should be remembered that at this time there was no Indian settlement between the Genesee and Niagara; a few cabins remained at Lewis- ton, whence some of the Senecas aided in transporting goods over the portage. Johnson arrived at Niagara on the 24th of July, 1761, on his way to Detroit. He fully appreciated the rising jealousy of the Senecas and other nations of the advance of the English beyond Ni- agara. The Indians already foresaw what finally took place — their ex- pulsion from their old homes and their ultimate extinction. Johnson visited the several points on the frontier and left for Detroit on the 19th of August.' Activity and competition in the growing fur trade led to difficulty, complaints of which reached Johnson and received his earnest consideration. A man named Stirling, it is recorded, had placed "a great store of goo,ds" at Schlosser, where he was pursuing the customary routine of cheating the Indians. General Amherst had also licensed Captain Rutherford and Lieutenant Duncan, with others, to settle on' the portage, and, it was charged, had given them 10,000 acres of land along the road. The general's explanation of this was that the grant was made subject to the pleasure of the king, and in the interest of trade and settlement. The king issued an order to "put a stop to any settlement on the carrying- place. " In 1762 two traders were murdered while passing through the Sen- ecas' country, and the Indians were given to understand by Johnson that any further similar crimes would be promptly avenged. This was only one of the many incidents that provoked the later hostilities on the frontier and Pontiac's war in the West. At that time the portage between Lewiston and Schlosser extended most of the distance through a forest and parties traveling it were especially subject to surprise and attack. Soldiers were kept, at both ends of the portage to accompany teamsters. On the 14th of September, 1763, a wagon train started from Lewiston with supplies for Detroit. On the return with an escort of twenty-five men, accompanied by Steadman, the party arrived at a point called the Devil's Hole, on the precipitous bank of Niagara River. There they were attacked by a large body of Senecas who were in ambush. As the wagons appeared moving past the declivity, the sav- ' In his record Johnson notes his visit at Lewiston, which he calls "Trader's Town." FROM 1760 TO 1774. 103 ages opened fire. It was a deadly volley, deliberately aimed and at close range. The Indians then sprang upon their victims and com- pleted the slaughter with tomahawk and knife. It is recorded that some of the teams were frightened over the precipice and that some of the English jumped over, preferring that desperate method of death to the tomahawk of the savage. One of these was a drummer boy named Matthews who fell into a tree top and descended in safety; he died long after at Queenston at the age of ninety years. A wounded team- ster is also said to have crawled into a secluded spot and escaped. Steadman was mounted, and spurring his horse into a run he escaped through a shower of bullets to Schlosser. 1 When the firing was heard at Lewiston reinforcements started for the scene of slaughter. Doubt- ful of the exact place these troops marched cautiously forward, but only to sure destruction. The Indians finished their first bloody work and heard the approach of the reinforcements. Again secreting themselves they waited until the troops were close at hand, when they opened up- on them a deadly volley, killed and wounded many, and massacred most of the remainder with knife or tomahawk. Only eight men are supposed to have escaped to carry the news to Lewiston and thence to Niagara. The garrison turned out to.pursue the Indians, but they had fled from the scene. The soldiers found the remains of their stripped and mutilated comrades, many of them mingled with broken wagons, dead and wounded horses, etc., at the bottom of the precipice. 2 What is known as Pontiac's war began in the West in June, 1763, 1 Maud recorded that the Indians, a few months after the massacre gave John Steadman a grant of " all the land he galloped over in his flight," as they considered his escape a miracle, and that the Great Spirit would be angry at their attempt to kill him. The fact is, the Steadman family retained possession substantially of the farm at Schlbsser and probably the carrying-place a number of years. After the Revolution they made application to the Legislature for a confirm- ation of the Indian grant. The application was refused. 2 The little stream near by the scene of this bloody massacre, which once supplied power for ■ a saw mill, is known as Bloody Run. Thousands of tourists have visited the place, where, for many years, a charge was made for descending the declivity on rude steps. Relics of the massa- cre were found in the vicinity half a century later. It will, perhaps, be proper to preserve here the following account of this memorable deed which was related to Maud, the English traveler who visited Niagara Falls in 1800, by a son of John Steadman: "In 1760 John Steadman was mas- ter of the portage. In 1763 the Indians attacked the train of wagons and its guard, consisting in soldiers and wagoners of ninety-six persons. Of these, ninety-two were killed on the spot, three jumped down the precipice overhanging ,the river, and John Steadman, putting spurs to his horse, galloped to Fort Schlosser. The three who jumped down the precipice (considered by them as certain death, which they preferred to the tomahawk of the Indians), were preserved by- shrubs and brushwood breaking their fall. One was a drummer, whose drum, falling into the river, gave the first news of this defeat, at Niagara." This latter statement is probably fanciful. —Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol I, p. 149. 104 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and was a result of the general disquietude of the Indians over the encroachments of the English and their defeat of the French. Pon- tiac was a celebrated Ottawa chief who had been an ally of the French. He organized a league consisting of nine or ten of the western nations, with the operations of which the Senecas were in sympathy. The other Iroquois nations were still generally loyal to the English, through the powerful influence of Sir William Johnson. Pontiac and his hordes went on the war path, surprised nine of the twelve English posts and massacred the garrisons and traders. Forts Pitt, Niagara and Detroit were saved, although the latter withstood a siege of about a year in length. In July, 1764, Major-Gen. John Bradstreet, hero of many brave deeds, started for the West with an army of about 1,100 provincials, to quell this outbreak. Arriving at Oswego he there met Johnson with over 500 Iroquois warriors, and the whole body sailed for Niagara on the 3d of July. Here the army was increased to nearly 3,000, and it was of the same motley character so frequently seen in those times. A grand council was held, at the close of which Johnson returned home. The Senecas joined in the council only after receiving imperative orders from General Bradstreet; but they finally acquiesced in the peace treaty there made and about 300 of their number joined the army. Still distrusting them, Bradstreet ordered Lieutenant Mon- tressor to throw up a line of redoubts from the landing place at Four- mile Creek to Schlosser, ' ' in order to prevent any insults from the enemy," and also to "build a fort on the banks of Lake Erie, for the security of vessels employed upon it." These orders were executed, one of the results being the erection of Fort Erie, opposite Buffalo, in and around which were to be enacted stirring scenes in a later war. Ascending the Niagara to Buffalo early in August, Bradstreet pro- ceeded hence, probably in open boats, along the southern shore of. Lake Erie, meeting and successfully treating for peace with the Indians be- tween the lake and the Ohio River. 1 He was warmly welcomed at Detroit, whence he sent a detachment to take possession of Mackinaw. On September 7 he met the Ottawas and Chippewas in council and peace conditions were consummated. Pontiac did not appear. The Indians were thus speedily awed into submissiveness, but Pontiac him- self remained hostile until 1766, when he met Sir William Johnson at » Lossing's Cyclo. U. S. Hist., Vol. I, p. 153. FROM 1760 TO 1774, 105 Oswego and took part in a council. Arriving there in June, the chief awaited the coming of Johnson until July 20, being in the mean time entertained by the commissioner from . Niagara, Norman McLeod. The council opened on the 23d and continued several days. In reply to a speech by Sir William, Pontiac replied as follows : I am now speaking in behalf of all the nations I command, and in their name take you by the hand. You may be assured that whatever I now agree upon will be a law to them, and I take the Almighty to witness, that what I am going to say I am determined to steadfastly perform; for it seems that he who made the universe would have it so. While I had the French king by the hand, I kept a fast hold of it; and now having you, father, by the hand, I still do the same, in conjunction with all the western nations in my district, whom I shall acquaint with every transaction of this congress as soon as I return, and who will readily comply with anything I desire. 1 On the last day of August, after the impressive ceremonies were concluded, Pontiac and his imposing retinue launched their canoes, laden with presents, each chief carrying a silver medal bearing the in- scription, "A pledge of peace and friendship with Great Britain, con- firmed in 1766," and began their summer journey to their western homes, their paddles keeping time to a weird Indian song." In the mean time on October 19, 1763, took place the first hostile combat on the soil of Erie county in which white men were involved. As nearly as can be ascertained from the meagre records, the scene of the fight was on the wooded bank of Niagara River, about on the site of Black Rock, where there was opportunity for ambush. Six hundred English soldiers, under command of Major Wilkins, were on their way in boats to Detroit, when 160 of them who were in rear of the main body were suddenly fired upon from the shore by a band of Senecas. Thirteen men were killed and wounded at the first volley. The cap- tain in command of the nearest boats sent fifty men ashore to attack the Indians. In the brief period of fighting that followed three more soldiers were killed and twelve seriously wounded, including two com- missioned officers. 3 1 Stone's Life of Johnson, Vol. II, p. 278. 2 Pontiac was slain in the summer of 1769, probably by the tomahawk of a jealous Illinois Indian. s Prom the Maryland Gazette, December 22, 1763. New York, December 5.— Last Monday, Capt. Gardiner of the 55th, and Lieut. Stoughton, came to town from Albany. They belonged to a detachment of 600 men under the command of Major Wilkins, destined for Detroit, from Niagara ; but on the 19th of October, at the east end of Lake Erie, one hundred and sixty of our people being in their boats, were fired upon 14 106 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The Indians probably did not suffer so severely. When the firing ceased the soldiers withdrew in their boats. This was the last serious attack by the Senecas on the English. When they learned of the ces- sation of hostilities in the West, they hastened to Sir William John- son to sue for peace. Johnson advised the Board of Trade that, in his . opinion, the Senecas were sincere and advocated negotiations with them which should exact from them a tract of land fourteen by four miles in extent lying along both sides of the Niagara River from Lake Ontario to Schlosser, and, of course, including the whole portage. Johnson met about 400 Senecas and eight chiefs at Johnson Hall in April (1764), and a peace treaty was then made which contained the above provision. This treaty was farther ratified by the council held at Niagara in July, when Bradstreet passed on his way westward, as before noticed. From this time to the Revolution substantial peace reigned over the Niagara frontier, and trade with the Indians rapidly increased. A large volume of this was carried on along the borders of Erie county, as also was the commerce of the upper lakes for the supply of the western and southern military posts. Nearly the whole of this commerce was con- ducted in open boats. There were, however, two or three English trading vessels on Lake Erie prior to the Revolution, and probably an an armed English vessel or two. 1 Temporary sails were sometimes rigged on the open boats and in fair weather good progress could be made; but in the frequent storms many were lost and great suffering was sometimes endured by the crews. It was in 1765 that Rev. Samuel Kirkland left Johnson Hall on Jan- uary 16, in company with two Seneca Indians, on a mission through the Iroquois country. After stopping one day with the Onondagas, from the beach by about eighty Indians, which killed and wounded thirteen men (and among them Lieut. Johnson, late of Gorham's, killed!, in the two stern-most boats, the remainder of the detachment being ahead about half a mile. Capt. Gardiner, who was in the boats adjoining, im- mediately ordered the men, (fifty) under his command, ashore, and took possession of the ground from which the enemy had fired ; and as soon as he observed our people landing, he with Lieut. Stoughton, and twenty-eight men, pursued the Indians. In a few minutes a smart skirmish en- sued, which lasted near an hour, in which three men were killed on the spot, and Capt. Gardiner, with Lieut. Stoughton, and ten others, badly wounded. During the skirmish, the troops that did not follow the Indians, formed on the bank, and covered the boats. • 1 One of the former was named the Beaver, and was wrecked in a storm on the shore of the lake and probably near the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. It is believed by good authorities that the ship irons found in that locality and which were attributed to the Griffin, really belonged to the Beaver, FROM 1760 TO 1774. 107 they proceeded westward to Kanadesaga, the chief town of the Sen- ecas. There he remained some time, laboring with the natives and suffering with them in the ensuing spring from a famine caused by a scarcity of the corn crop of the preceding year. This devoted mission- ary continued his self-sacrificing work among the Six Nations a num- ber of years, frequently to the great benefit of the white people, as will appear. Sir William Johnson continued to urge upon the Lords of Trade a policy -of conciliation, honesty and kindness towards the Indians, and wielded a wide and beneficent influence. • About this time he advanced the Claim, which was doubtless a just one, that he had never received adequate compensation for his services, and asked fy confirmation of title to lands given him by the Mohawks in the valley of that nation, and an increase in salary. The land was granted him and he continued to give much of his time to adjusting difficulties among traders and regulating affairs on the frontiers, among which Niagara was one of the most important. In 1772 Tryon (afterwards Montgomery) county was erected, com- prising the whole State west of the east line of the present Montgom- ery county, and Erie county territory was, of course, included within its boundaries. Guy Johnson, Sir William's nephew, who was already coming, into prominence, was the earliest first judge of the Common Pleas of that county. In the few years preceding the Revolution settlement advanced very little 1 beyond the various trading posts, everybody being intent upon making profit in furs, to the neglect of clearing away forests and tilling land. The English maintained a ship yard on.Navy Island, and in the fall of 1766 one of two vessels was burned there. In 1767 Commissary McLeod, at Fort Niagara, called a small council of Senecas and other Indians, chiefly for the settlement of trouble growing out of a. drunken quarrel between parties of those Indians, some of whom were wounded. As the causes of the American Revolution against the mother coun- try became more clearly developed and hostility to royal dictation more demonstrative, the Johnsons, Sir William, his son, afterwards Sir John, and his nephew, Guy, showed their fealty to the British king. Sir William was greatly troubled over the situation and it may have hastened his death, which took place in 1774. The subsequent attitude of his son and nephew will appear as we proceed. 108 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER IX. THE REVOLUTION. Relations of Western New York to that War — Renewed Importance of Indian Co-operation — Col. Guy Johnson's Flight — Sir John Johnson Fortifying Johnson Hall — His Final Flight to. Montreal — Butler at Niagara — Campaign of 1776— British Aggressiveness in 1777 — Their Important Successes — St. Leger Before Fort Schuy- ler— Massacres of Wyoming and Cherry Valley — Other Indian Forays — Sullivan's Expedition— The Senecas Flee* to Niagara — Buffalo Creek — Seneca Settlement at that Point— Peace Treaty. The causes leading to the appeal to arms by the American colonists against the mother country are well understood and need not be re- counted here. Their existence began years before the first gun of the Revolution was fired and continued until the forbearance of the people was exhausted, and they rebelled. The famous Declaration of Rights, prepared in Philadelphia in 1774, was sent to the English court to be received with only ridicule and threats. The battle of Lexington, where was "fired the shot heard round the world," was fought on the 19th of April, 1775 — a battle of insignificant proportions, but most mo- mentous as the beginning of a struggle which was to close with the founding of the greatest republic the world has ever seen. The frontier of Western New York had very little immediate connec- tion with the stirring events of the Revolutionary war, though the post at Fort Niagara was an important one in a military sense for either of the contesting powers to hold during that struggle It remained in un- disputed possession of the English, but the great events of the contest that gave freedom to America, were enacted far from this region. Again the fealty of the Six Nations of Indians became an object of prime importance to two powerful nations of white men. The great influence of the Johnson family, now led by Colonel Guy (who had been appointed superintendent of Indian affairs) and Sir John, was exercised in the British interest, and soon carried over the alliance of all the Iroquois, excepting the Oneidas and Tuscaroras. The Senecas wavered for a time, but the attractions of the war path and the pay THE REVOLUTION. 109 they were led to expect from the British soon overcame their scruples, and from 1777 they were active for the king. The statement has been placed on record that at a council held at Oswego,, the agents of the British gave' the Senecas numerous presents and "promised a bounty on every scalp that should be brought in." 1 This question has been widely discussed and never definitely settled. The Americans were no less active in their endeavors to secure an alliance with the Indians, but were soon forced to see them take up arms for the king. Fort Niagara again became the key to all the western region. There the Butlers, Johnsons, Brant and other enemies of the colonies made their headquarters, planned forays and spurred on the Indians to bloody deeds at many points between Lake Erie and Albany. In the summer of 1775 Col. Guy Johnson, with a body of retainers and some Indians, fled westward up the Mohawk valley, and thence to Oswego, where he met a large number of Indians, with whom he counciled several days to bind them to the king's service, and then proceeded to Montreal with about 220 of the party. This was all he could transport ; the remainder returned to their homes, promising to follow when called upon. 2 In January, 1776, Guy Johnson, Joseph Brant and a Mohawk chief, made a. brief visit to England in the inter- est of the royal cause. Sir John Johnson remained,' surrounded by his family and relatives, at Johnstown, where he constructed fortifications and secretly labored to perfect the coalition between the British, the Indians and the tories. As his hostility becarhe known to the patriots, steps were taken to place him under arrest, in May, 1776. Johnson learned of this and with a large number of his tenants fled through the forest to Montreal, where they arrived after much suffering. There he was given a colonel's commission in the British army and com- manded the Royal Greens. John Butler was sent to Niagara and was in command of the post for some time; he organized the notorious Butler's Rangers and be- came one of the most conspicuous figures in the border wars. The results of the campaign of 1776 in New York were generally unfavorable to the Americans. The fort at St. John's, the first mili- tary post within the Canadian border, had been taken on the 3d of November, 1775, by Montgomery, who promptly pressed forward to 1 Narrative of Mary Jemison. 2 Record of Indian 'transactions under Guy Johnson's superintendence, reprinted in Ketch- -am'-s B. & S., Vol. I, p. 343. 110 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. attack Quebec._ "Until Quebec is captured, Canada remains tin- conquered," he wrote to the Continental Congress. On the last day of that year, amid the rigors :of a Canadian winter, the army of patriots stormed the almost impregnable works ; Montgomery fell ; Arnold was wounded and his division captured ; the assault had failed. Other im- portant events of the year were the evacuation of Boston before Wash- ington's army on March 17; the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence; the expulsion of the American forces from Canada; the flight of Sir John Johnson, before mentioned; the attack upon the Americans on -Long Island and the retreat in August of Washington's army to New York; the evacuation of New York in October; the cap- ture of Fort Washington on the Hudson River by the British on No- vember 16; the battle of Trenton and Washington's victory in Decem- ber — almost the only bright ray to lighten the general gloom of the year. In the latter part of the season complaint was made to the British authorities that large sums of money had been expended at Niagara on the Indians gathered there, and that they had not partici- pated in the war. Butler's accounts were, however, audited at Quebec and settled. Inspired by repeated successes the British made extensive prepara- tions for their campaign of 1777, involving the invasion of New York by an army under Gen. John Burgoyne, who had recently come over from England to supersede Gen. GuyCarleton in command in Canada; and an expedition organized under Col. Barry St. Leger, composed of regulars, Canadians and Indians, to land at Oswego and penetrate and lay waste the Mowhawk valley. The first of these movements was successful and Ticonderoga was captured on July 6, the commander, St. Clair, being forced to flee southward to near Albany. St. Leger came to grief. The Canadians and Indians in his army were commanded by Sir John Johnson, his heart beating to revenge his ignominious expulsion frpm his old home. St. Leger, with his large force, made his rendezvous at Oswego, and started on his pre- tentious expedition on July 27. The first detachment, under command of Lieutenant Bird, arrived before Fort Schuyler, formerly Fort Stan- wix (on the site of the city of Rome) ; that work was under command of Col. Peter Gansevoort, who was joined by the brave Col. Marinus Willett and his regiment in June. Bird had with him, as a part of his forces, Brant and his Indians. The fort was most gallantly defended by its heroic garrison of about 600 men. The determined defense of THE REVOLUTION. Ill the fort, the movement of General Herkimer up the valley to its relief, and the ensuing bloody battle of Oriskany; the relief of the garrison by Arnold and Lamed, and the raising of the siege, can only be men- tioned here ; their details illumine some of the most interesting pages of our history, and the events themselves were especially important to the success of the American armies. The remnant of the discomfited British soldiery that had left Oswego a few weeks earlier full of confi- dence in approaching victory, now hurried down the turbulent stream, frustrated and disappointed, their artillery left in the trenches before Schuyler, and their red allies bewailing the slaughter of their breth- ren. St. Leger took his regulars to Montreal; Butler and Brant re- turned to Niagara, and Johnson went with his Royal, Greens to Oswe- gatchie. Burgoyne's surrender on the Hudson, October 17, closed the military operations of the year. The so-called massacre of Wyoming took place in July, 1778, when a motley host of tories and Indians under the general command of Colo- nel Butler, entered the valley. The locality had already sent two com- panies into the Continental army, leaving only old men, women and youths, with a few soldiers for its defense. On July 3d these to the number of about 400, marched up the valley in an effort to surprise the invaders. They were attacked by the Indians and tories, and very soon more than 200 of their scalps were in the hands of the enemy. The night that followed was filled with horror. Prisoners were tortured and slaughtered and fugitives were in constant fear of death. During the night of July 4, after a few of the fugitives, who had taken shelter in what was called Forty Fort (near Wilkesbarre) had been offered humane terms of surrender, the Indians overran the valley and completed the work of plunder, burning and murder. Almost every house in the valley was given to the flames and the survivors of the residents fled to the Wilkes- barre mountains. In this affair the Senecas formed the main body of the Indians and well performed the part assigned them. Brant was not present. In the same year (1778), on November 11, in the midst of a storm of sleet, a band of Indians and tories, the former led by Brant and the latter by Walter N. Butler (son of Col. John Butler), fell upon Cherry Valley, Otsego county, and slaughtered thirty-two of the inhabitants, mostly women and children, with sixteen soldiers in a little garrison. Nearly forty men, women and children were carried away captives. "Butler was the arch fiend on this occasion, and would listen to no appeals 112 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of the more humane Brant for mercy on the innocent and helpless." 1 Many of those taken captive suffered terribly in the march through the inclement weather. To chastise the Indians in some measure for their repeated atrocities, an expedition was made against the Onondagas in the spring of 1779, under Colonels Van Schaick and Martinus Willet; it resulted in the de- struction of their dwellings and crops, but otherwise served only to further exasperate the savages, who fled from their villages, as usual. Later in the same year a similar but much more extensive expedition was organized, with the same object in view — the punishment of the Indians. This expedition was directed against the Senecas, with the capture of Fort Niagara as a consequent possibility. General Wash- ington placed Gen. John Sullivan in command of about 3,000 Conti- nental soldiers, gathered in Wyoming valley and the surrounding region, with orders to march against the Senecas, and leave nothing but des- olation in his path. Sullivan arrived at Tioga Point August 22, and was there joined by Gen. James Clinton with 1,600 men. The expe- dition was slow in its early movements, giving the British opportunity to send a force to the aid of the Indians. The latter fortified them- selves at Newtown (Elmira) and a battle was fought in which the Americans were victorious. The march was then continued into the Genesee country. There Sullivan found a condition of the country that greatly astonished him. The Indian village contained 128 houses, " mostly large and very elegant," surrounded by a flat extending for miles, "over which extensive fields of corn were waving, together with every kind of vegetable," as the record has it. The torch and the axe were applied everywhere, and the beautiful scene was soon transformed into a picture of dreary desolation. The corn destroyed was estimated at 160,000 bushels. Orchards were cut down, one of which is said to have contained 1,500 trees. The Indians pursued their usual tactics in the face of such expeditions and fled. Sullivan and his army retraced their steps eastward, leaving Niagara untouched. Why he did not continue and capture the post is not known, for it could, without doubt, have been easily taken at that time. The Senecas were completely humbled and broken up by this expedition and fled to Niagara. During the year 1780 several important forays were planned and ex- ecuted against the border settlements. Taking advantage of the desire 1 Lossing's Cyolo. U. S. Hist., Vol. I, p. 286. THE REVOLUTION. 113 for vengeance aroused in the Indians by Sullivan's campaign, Sir John Johnson made a raid into the Mohawk valley from Crown Point in May of this year. Arriving at Johnstown, his former home, he burned every house in that section excepting those of tories; slew many per- sons, recovered his buried valuables at Johnson Hall, took twenty of his former slaves and with his booty and a few prisoners, hastened back to Canada. In April Brant again took the war path, his main purpose being a raid into the Schoharie country. Leaving Niagara in the early spring with his followers, he reached his destination and destroyed one vil- lage, a second one being saved by the cool falsehood of one of his prisoners, who represented that a large force of Continentals had just arrived there. Brant returned to Niagara bringing 1 many prisoners. When the party reached the western part of the State Brant sent a runner ahead to apprise the Indians of his approach with prisoners. It is believed by good authority that his purpose in this was the humane one of having the garrison meet him at the Indian settlements, one of which was Lewiston, and thus protect his prisoners from tortures that they otherwise might have had to suffer. The prisoners were thus protected and kept in confinement at Montreal, Quebec and Halifax until 1783. Only a short time after Brant's arrival another party of prisoners came on from the east and were compelled to run the gaunt- let, but under such favorable conditions that they did not suffer severely. One of these captives was a Captain Snyder, who wrote of the condition of the fort, etc. He mentions Johnson, the two Butlers and Brant, and said that the fort at that time was a work of considera- ble magnitude, enclosing an area of six to eight acres, and of great strength. The garrison at that time consisted approximately of sixty British regulars, 400 loyalists, and 1,200 Indians including women and children. These Indians probably fared better than they ever had before. The journal kept by Sullivan of his campaign against the Senecas, from which a few brief quotations have been made herein, shows that the Senecas had made considerable progress in the arts of peace ; they were turning to agriculture in its simpler features, to supply a part of their' physical wants, all of which had formerly been gratified by the chase. It was this fact that made the results of the expedition of such paramount importance to both the American cause and to the Senecas, and sent the latter fleeing to their employers at Niagara for sustenance. 15 114 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. They were there fed from the British commissary through the terribly severe winter. In a letter dated July 26, 1780, from Col. Guy Johnson to Lord Germain, upon Indian affairs, is found the following: The large body that was to be provided for at this post, during the last winter, in consequence of the rebel invasion, and the destruction of many Indian towns, occa- sioned much expense, and great consumption of provisions, which I have endeav- ored as far as consistent with the service, and the Commander-in-Chief afforded his assistance for re-establishing them, and enabling them to plant, as early as he could ; to promote which, as well as to forward parties, I have lately visited their new settlements ; one on the Ohio route is increasing fast, and I have already in- duced above twelve hundred of their people to settle and plant these places, which will lessen the burden of expenses. 1 It was on this " Ohio Route," mentioned above, that was located one of the principal Indian settlements, and one in which the reader of these pages is especially interested. This was at Buffalo Creek. The date of this first permanent settlement of some of the Senecas at this point was probably in May or early in June, 1780. During that season they cleared some ground and raised a little corn, The " Narrative of the Captivity and Sufferings of Benjamin Gilbert and his Family," 2 contains slight reference to the settlement at Buffalo Creek, to which point several of the members of the family were brought by their captors. While, without doubt, the Senecas had huts on the creek previous to this time, for temporary use on their hunting and fishing expeditions, they had no permanent abiding place there until the date in question — the spring of 1780. These Senecas were under the leadership of Siangarochti, or Sayengaraghta (known also as Old King), an aged sachem. The squaws at once built some log huts and began tilling the ground, as before stated. 1 Buffalo and the Senecas, Ketcham, Vol. I, pp. 368-59. 2 This narrative is well known, it having been published in book form. The Gilbert family consisted of fifteen persons who were captured in April, 1780, by eleven Indians, at their home in Northampton county, Pa. The buildings and other property were burned, after which the In- dians took the horses and their captives and hurried away. Their j ourney through the country to Fort Niagara was an experience of terrible suffering. On May 15 the party reached Kanadesaga, which had been burned by Sullivan. There the elder Gilbert was painted black, indicating that he was to be killed. On the 17th they crossed the Genesee River and on the 21st they heard the morning gun at Fort Niagara. They were destitute of food and delayed there a day until a sup- ply was brought from the fort. This was at an encampment, or village, between Lewiston and Niagara. There they were visited by Captains Dace and Powell from the fort, who were instru- mental in having the prisoners taken in a boat to Niagara on the following day. There they saw Col. Guy Johnson and Col. Butler. On the 25th, just a month after their capture, Benjamin Gil- bert and his wife, and Jesse, a son, were given up to Johnson. According to the published narra- tive, none of the other captives was liberated at that time. Jesse Gilbert's wife was ultimately liberated principally through efforts of British officers at the fort. Others were taken to Mon- treal as herein noted. THE REVOLUTION. 115 One member of the Gilbert family who was brought to Buffalo Creek was Elizabeth Peart, wife of Thomas Peart, son of the elder Mrs. Gil- bert by a former husband. She had been adopted by a Seneca family, while her child, less than a year old, was taken from her and adopted by another family living near Fort Niagara. Near the close of the winter of 1780-81 the Indians at Buffalo Creek were compelled to go to Fort Niagara for provisions, and she accompanied them to see her child. She learned that it had been bought by a white family. By practicing various deceptions, and with the aid of Captain Powell, she finally escaped to Montreal with her husband and children. In the same spring another body of Indians came to Buffalo Creek, having with them Abner and Elizabeth Gilbert, the two yoijng children of the family. This band, however, settled some distance from the other and the children were not permitted to visit each other. In July of that year the family having Abner Gilbert went to " Butlersburg" (or Butlersbury), a little village opposite Fort Niagara, which was named after Colonel Butler. Butler purchased the child for various presents, the boy to be delivered within twenty days. The squaw took him back to Buffalo Creek, but returned -with him before the expiration of the stipulated period and the children were sent to Montreal. Rebecca and Benjamin Gilbert, jr., were not released until the next year (1782). White men soon followed the Indians to their village at Buffalo Creek for purposes of trade. In the family £>f Sir William Johnson were two sons by his Indian wife, Molly Brant, named William and Peter; both are mentioned in the records of Johnson's time, and both accompanied Col. Guy Johnson on his flight to Canada in 1775. In the early part of the winter of 1780-81, according to the Gilbert narrative, two British officers, Captain Powell and a Lieutenant Johnson, visited the Seneca settlement at Buffalo Creek. Their errand was, probably, to assist in firmly establishing the Senecas, and possibly to open trade on their own account ; incidentally they made strenuous efforts to obtain the re- lease of Rebecca and Benjamin Gilbert, in which the were unsuccess- ful. It has been claimed by several writers that the Lieutenant John- son (or Johnston, as he wrote his name), was the half-breed son of Sir William, just mentioned. It is not positively known that he was not, but many facts and cirumstances point to the contrary. Other writers assume that Johnston was a half brother of Captain Powell, who had married Jane Moore, a Cherry Valley captive, and it is quite probable that he was. At about the period now under consideration Johnston 116 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. married a Seneca wife ; he had a son John who was a young man when Buffalo was laid out in 1803. The war of the Revolution continued with its march of notable events, but their record is a part of general history and possesses little interest in this immediate connection. Brant made some desultory and unimportant forays from Niagara during the winter and spring of 1780-81, but aside from this the frontier was quiet. In 1782 hostilities between the two countries approached their close. Demonstrations of conciliation were made by England, but Washington prudently kept the country in a state of defense until peace was finally established. The arrangements for a peace treaty began with the agreement for the cessation of hostilities made in Paris in November, 1782, and signed by commissioners January 20, 1783. On March 24, 1784, a letter was received in this country from General La Fayette announcing a general peace. Congress issued a proclamation April 11, declaring a cessation of military operations on sea and land. But England submitted to defeat with bad grace. Under the treaty the boundary between the possessions of the two nations was to run along the 45th parallel, and in the middle of St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie ; but the mother country objected to the Americans oc- cupying the posts on the frontier to the south of this line. That coun- try also set up a claim that the United States government had not the power to enforce observance of a commercial treaty, and therefore re- fused to join in the execution of one. These matters, in connection with the fact that debts due to British subjects from Americans were in many instances left unpaid, and confiscated property was not re- turned to royalists from whom it had been taken by Americans, were made the basis of the astonishing condition of affairs that existed for thirteen years after the peace, during which period a nation unsuccess- ful in war, occupied and held fortified military posts within the lines of the victorious country. The frontier was not formally surrendered until July, 1796. THE REIGN OP PEACE. 11? CHAPTER X, THE REIGN OF PEACE. Beneficent Results of the Revolutionary War — British and American Treatment of the Indians Compared — Emigration Westward — Early Importance of Fort Erie — Origin of the Name of Buffalo Creek — Miss Powell's Description of an Indian Coun- cil — Rev. Samuel Kirkland's Journal — First Permanent Settler at Buffalo— Col. Thomas Proctor's Expedition — The First Inn Keeper at Buffalo — William Johnston's Title to Erie County Lands — Early Settlers. We now come to a period in the history of Erie county which was productive of pleasanter scenes and events than those described in foregoing chapters — a period during which the rude reign of war, with its unnumbered terrors, gave place to the gentle sway of peace. The Revolutionary war, while impoverishing the nation and ruinous to many individuals, was not barren of beneficent results. A large part of the Continental army, drawn from other States, was frequently encamped ^in or marched through this State. The officers and soldiers thus became familiar with the lands and mingled with the people, mar- ried wives among them, and returning to their homes, gave glowing accounts of the many attractions of this region, thus early exerting an influence to bring hither the adventurous New Englanders. The treaty of Fort Stanwix (as it is familiarly known) was made Oc- tober 22, 1784, extinguishing the title of the Indians to all lands west of the line fixed by the treaty, and guaranteeing them peaceable pos- session of the territory east of the line. 1 In contrast with the course followed by Great Britain, which made no provision for her Iroquois allies, the United States not only gave the Indians lands on which to dwell, but endeavored to guarantee them in their possessions as defined by the treaty alluded to. As late as 1790, when the great sachems, Cornplanter, Half Town, and Great Tree, complained to Washington that they were being despoiled and ill-treated in many ways, they were assured by Washington that their rights should be protected and that 1 See Chap. I. 118 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PttOPLE. the provisions of the treaty of Fort Stanwix should be observed by the white men. They were, to be sure, ultimately forced to give up their lands, but for the time being they had little cause for complaint. With the close of the war emigration westward assumed considerable activity, many of the pioneers following Sullivan's old route as far as the Genesee River, whence they proceeded to Lewiston. Soon aftef 1790 a road was opened to the crossing at Black Rock. From Batavia the road followed the high ground on nearly the same course as the old stage road, turning to the right on the hill at York street, Buffalo. Fort Erie was then the business center and the only one in that imme- diate vicinity until after 1800 ; from there the first settlers drew most of their supplies, communication therewith being principally from the mouth of Buffalo Creek directly across. Most of the western shore of the river from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario was settled and cultivated before the forest was much broken on this side, excepting at the car- rying-place, where the Steadman farm was considerably cleared. From Buffalo Creek a road extended to Black Rock along the beach of the lake, which was in use until after the war of 1812. The treat}' of Fort Stanwix was the first public document in which the name, Buffalo Creek, is found, while the Gilbert narrative applies that name to the creek in writing. A great deal of local historical labor has been expended in efforts to discover the reason forgiving the name of the now almost distinct monarch of the prairies to this rather insignificant stream. The chief point in dispute has been as to the buffalo having roamed as far east as this vicinity, thus giving the In- dians inducement to apply the name to the creek. There is at this time no necessity for entering into further discussion of this subject, for it has been, as we believe, conclusively established that the buffalo formerly inhabited this region and was gradually pushed westward, and that his name was adopted 'for the stream on the banks of which the settlement of Buffalo began. Some interesting and valuable glimpses of Buffalo and its vicinity, as it appeared between the close of the Revolution and the beginning of the present century, are found in existing records, all aiding in per- fecting the story of the county. A Miss Powell (who was probably .a sister of the Captain Powell already mentioned) was on the frontier in 1785. From Fort Niagara she, in company with Mrs. Powell and several British officers, came up the river in boats to Fort Erie, and on the following day attended an Indian council at Buffalo Creek. The real THE REIGN OF PEACE. 119 interest of her letter centers in her description of this council and its participants. She wrote : We saw several chiefs at their toilet as we passed along to the spot where the council was held. They sat upon the ground with the most profound gravity, dress- ing themselves before a small looking glass, for they are very exact in arranging their ornaments. I am told one of these fellows will be an hour or two in painting his face; and when any one else would think him sufficiently horrible, some new conceit will strike him, and he will wash it all off and begin again. . At this meet- ing there were not many of the fair sex. Some old squaw's, who sat in council, were present, and also a few young ones, to dress the provisions. . . . We then went up to a very beautiful spot. The tall trees were in full leaf, and the ground covered with wild flowers; and we were seated on a log in the center, where we could see all that passed. Upwards of two hundred chiefs were assembled and seated in proper order. After a further description of the proceedings of the council, Miss Powell went into raptures over the manly and dignified appearance of the Indians, and particularly of Captain David, who, she asserted, bowed with more of grace than the Prince of Wales and made the finest appearance she ever saw in her life. In the autumn of 1788 the missionary, Rev. Samuel Kirkland, went westward through the State to Fort Niagara and Buffalo, keeping his customary journal; but it contains little of local interest. In the fol- lowing brief extracts he touches upon his experiences in Erie county : Saturday, ,25th [of October]. — Left Niagara for Buffalo Creek. Was advised to travel on the west side of the river, as some of the Buffalo Indians were expected to be on their way to Niagara, by way of Fort Erie, particularly the chief, called Skendyoughwatti, and the second man of influence and character among the Senecas at the Buffaloe. The missionary was detained several days at Fort Erie, not having a pass, for which he was compelled to hire an express to go to Niagara. His journal continues : 31st. — Early this morning reached the capital village on the Buffaloe. The chief sachem, called in English, Farmers Brother (alias Oghwaiyewas), immediately sent off runners to the Onondaga and Cayuga settlements, and assembled the Indians be- fore noon, when I was introduced and delivered my message [concerning the treaties for their lands] and continued in council with a small number till near midnight. Mr. Kirkland returned east just before the close of the year. In 1789 the. county of Ontario was erected from Montgomery, em- bracing substantially all the territory west of Seneca Lake. At about the date under consideration (1789) and certainly before 1791, the first permanent settler located at Buffalo. This was Cornelius 130 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Winne (Winney), a Dutchman who migrated west from the Hudson River country. He built a small log store on the site of Buffalo arid began trading with the Indians ; it stood at the foot of the hill which then descended towards the creek from the site of the Mansion House. Captain Powell had an interest in Winney's store. It should be remem- bered that the site of Winney's store was about four miles from the prin- cipal Seneca village, but scattered huts stood all the way down the creek to Farmer's Point, as it was termed, where Farmer's Brother lived. In giving Winney the honor of being the first permanent white settler, it is not forgotten that William Johnston was there for a consid- erable time much earlier ; but he can. scarcely be considered then a per- manent resident. There is slight evidence also of a negro named Joseph Hodge, or " Black Joe," being established as a trader on Cat- taraugus Creek in 1792, and he may have been there a few years earlier. In April, 1791, Col. Thomas Proctor was sent on a westward mission by the War Department, to pacify the Indians in the West (against whom St. Clair was then preparing to move). The Indians were con- tinuing depredations on the frontier and it is believed they received en- couragement in their deeds by the British, who still held the frontier posts. Proctor visited Cornplanter's villages on the Allegany, whence he proceeded to the Cattaraugus settlement, accompanied by Corn- planter and many of his warriors ; from there he followed down the beach to Buffalo Creek, where he made efforts to induce the Senecas to use their influence to stop Indian hostilities in the West. At that time Red Jacket had risen to an influential position, and when he heard Proctor's purpose stated in a council, he questioned his authority. This Proctor substantiated, and on the following day Red Jacket de- declared his determination to remove the council to Niagara. To this Proctor demurred, and the Indians compromised by sending there for Colonel Butler. Two or three days later Butler arrived at Winney's store and requested the sachems and head men to meet him, which they did on the 4th of May. The details of the council proceedings and other negotiations are of little interest here; it need only be stated that Proctor made preparations for his expedition farther west, and was overjoyed when Red Jacket arose and announced that the women had decided, after proper consultation, that the sachems and warriors must aid the commissioner and that a number of them would accompany him to the West. But obstacles appeared. The British officer, in command opposite Fort Niagara, refused Proctor's request THE REIGN OF PEACE. 121 to be taken on a British merchant vessel up Lake Erie, the chiefs re- fusing to go in an open boat. Moreover, Red Jacket had to be bribed ; he wanted liquor for a big dance before the departure ; his house needed a floor ; he wanted a special allowance of rum for his wife and mother — also a little for himself. All these things were perforce supplied by Proctor, but, as stated, the expedition was abandoned and Proctor left for Pittsburg on the 21st of May, after having passed nearly a month at and near Buffalo. Proctor gives us no description of the settlement, but in his journal of the day of his departure for Pittsburg, he made the following entry : Settled with Mr. Cornelius Winney for liquors, etc., had for the Indians occasion- ally, 25, 5s, deducting thirty-two dollars for a horse sold to him, bought of Mr. Maxwell at Tioga. Also gave a white prisoner that lived with said Winney, nine pounds four and a half pence. A man named Hinds Chamberlin visited Buffalo Creek in 1792, and wrote as follows: We arrived at the mouth of Buffalo Creek the next morning. There was but one white man there. I think his name was Winney, an Indian trader. His building stood first as you descend from the high ground. He had rum, whiskey, Indian knives, trinkets, etc. His house was full of Indians. They looked at us with » good deal of curiosity. We had but a poor night's rest. The Indians were in and out all night, getting liquor. ' As early as 1794 William Johnston took up his residence in a block- house which he erected near Winney's store, at the mouth of Buffalo Creek on land procured from the Indians, as described farther on. At about the same date Martin Middaugh, a Dutch cooper, and his son-in- law, Ezekiel Lane, settled near Johnston in a log house which they built with his consent. Middaugh and his brother had previously kept a public house at Lewiston. Somewhat later Middaugh left this log house and "squatted" on the south side of Buffalo Creek, abdve the foot of Main street, probably with Ellicott's consent, and remained there until his death in 1825. 2 In the year 1795 there was at least one public tavern at Buffalo. It is probable that a man named Skinner kept some kind of a public I , IQstcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 128. 2 It is believed that Middaugh left no male descendants. The descendants of Lane claimed the land on which Middaugh lived on the west side of the creek ; and their contest with the heirs of Mr. Ellicott, or those who claimed to be the legal owners, gave rise to what was known as the " Middaugh land suit," which occupied our courts for many years, and was finally decided ad- versely to the heirs of Middaugh.— Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 134. 10 122 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. house there as early as that ; he certainly did a little later. John Palmer built his public house in 1795 and opened what may be consid- ered the first regular inn. It was at this house that the French duke, De la Rochefoucauld- Liaincourt stopped in 1795, while on a journey through this region. On his way to the Seneca village he staid over night and left the following record of his experiences : We at length arrived at the post on Lake Erie, which is a small collection of four or five houses, built about a quarter of a mile from the lake. We met some Indians on the road and two or three companies of whites. This encounter gave us great pleasure. In this vast wilderness a fire still burning, the vestiges of a camp, the remains of some utensil that has served some traveler, ex- cite sensations truly agreeable, and which arise only in these immense solitudes. We arrived late at the inn, and after a very indifferent supper, we were obliged to lie upon the floor in our clothes. There was literally nothing in the house; neither furniture, rum, candles nor milk. After much trouble the milk was pro- cured from neighbors, who were not as accommodating in the way of rum and can- dles. At length some arriving from the other side of the river [Fort Erie], we sea- soned our supper with an appetite that seldom fails, and after passing a very com- fortable evening, slept as soundly as we had done in the woods. Everything at Lake Erie, by which name this collection of houses is called, is dearer than at any other place we visited, for the simple reason that there is no direct communication with any other point. Some were sick with fever in almost every house. Palmer must be recorded as the first regular tavernkeeper at Buffalo. He was appointed one of the seven pathmasters west of the Genesee River in 1801, and remained at Buffalo until 1802, as shown by a public record which mentions the road leading "from Batavia to the mouth of Buffalo Creek, near John Palmer's house." He married a daughter of Lewis Maybee, whose home was a few miles below Black Rock on the Canada side. After her death he married her sister, who went back to her parents after her husband's death and kept what was long known as Mother Palmer's tavern. Sylvanus Maybee was a brother of Lewis and in 1796 kept a little store in a log building on the west side of what is now Main street, about twenty rods north of the Exchange street line. 1 William Johnston was the first land owner at Buffalo and for a num- ber of years was the most prominent man of the place. He was re- spected by both white families and Indians and died in 1807. His con- 1 Mr. Maybee bought inner lot 35 in 1804, but did not long remain in the place, removing to the mouth of Cattaraugus Creek soon after 1800. The lot passed to James McMahan. The May- bees were then from Canada and probably originally from the Mohawk Valley. THE REIGN OF PEACE. ' 123 nection with land titles at Buffalo was peculiar. The fact has been stated in Chapter I that the New York reservation excluded the Hol- land Company's boundaries from the waters of Niagara River, and from the shore of Lake Erie one mile southerly from the river; it therefore became an object of importance for the company to secure a landing-place and harbor at the mouth of Buffalo Creek, with land on which to found a village. Johnston had procured from the Indians, by gift to his son by a niece of Farmer's Brother, a tract of two square miles of land which included the site of the city of Buffalo. He also made an agreement with the Indians under which he became possessed of a certain mill site about six miles from the mouth of the creek, with timber land adjoining, on condition of his supplying the Indians with plank and boards for their buildings near by. Johnston, of course, had no title in law, but the Indians showed an inclination to insist on the tract being included in their reservation, unless a compromise was made with Johnston. Under these circumstances the Holland Company made an agreement with him, which was fulfilled, under which John- ston agreed to surrender his right in the two square miles of land and to use his influence to induce the Indians to leave this tract and the mill site out of their reservation, while the company agreed to convey to John- ston 640 acres, including the mill site and timber lands, with forty-five and a half acres of the two square mile tract which would include the buildings and improvements then owned by Johnston, four acres of which was to be situated on "the point." These lands, as afterwards definitely located were bounded north by Seneca street, west by Wash- ington street, and south by the Little Buffalo Creek, containing forty- one and a half acres ; and another tract bounded east by Main street, southwesterly by Buffalo Creek, and northwesterly by Little Buffalo Creek, containing about four acres. Johnston's house was situated on the larger tract on what became outer lot 94 of the original survey, near a spring. ' A foot note in Ketcham's work, from which we have quoted, gives the following information regarding Johnston, which is of importance in this connection : Since the publication of the first volume of this work, the author has visited an age3' lady, a sister of the late Colonel Warren of Fort Erie, for the purpose of ob- taining more authentic information in regard to Capt. William Johnston. She say's 1 This spring was ultimately purchased by Mr. Le Couteulx, with a surrounding lot, the lot ex- tending diagonally across Exchange street to the Little Buffalo Creek (Hamburg canal). 124 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. he was a half brother of Col. Powell, who after the close of the revolutionary war, resided on the Niagara river below Fort Erie. The mother of Col. Powell married a Col. Johnston, and William Johnston was a son by this connection, and was an officer under the British government. Col. Powell died at an advanced age, a few miles from Fort Erie. It is probable that Capt. Powell spoken of in the "Narrative of the Gilbert Family," who married Miss Jane Moore, and the Col. Powell spoken of by Mrs. Hardison, the aged sister of Col. Warren spoken of above, is the same in- dividual, and the house of Capt. Powell mentioned in the journal of Col. Proctor in 1791, was at the place it is said by Mrs. Hardison Col. Powell resided. The campaign of Anthony Wayne, begun in 1794, in which the western Indians were wholly subdued, together with the tardy surren- der by the British of Fort Niagara and other posts in July, 1796, taught the Indians as a whole that their best future policy was to cultivate friendly relations with the Americans. From that time forward there was little to complain of in their general conduct. It was not until July 4, 1796, that Fort Niagara and other frontier posts were finally and fully surrendered by the British. Down to that time the relations of the people on either side of the boundary had not been cordial and the peculiar situation without doubt had a tendency to retard settlement at many points. In that year the little cluster of houses to which the name ' ' Lake Erie " was beginning to be applied, received an important addition. Asa Ransom, who had removed from Sheffield, Mass., in 1789 and set- tled at Geneva to carry on his trade of silversmith, took his wife and infant daughter and journeyed westward to Buffalo, where he built a log house on the terrace near the site of the liberty pole. There he continued the manufacture of ornaments for the Indians and such other articles as he could sell. Another daughter was born to this family in the fall of 1797, who was the first white child born on the soil of Erie county, so far as known, and the first in this State west of the Genesee River, outside of Fort Niagara. This daughter subsequently became the wife of F. B. Merrill, who was an early clerk of Niagara county. Mr. Ransom did not long remain at Buffalo, as noticed farther on. The first general agent of the Holland Company was Theophilus Cazenove. Preparatory to placing their lands in market, he, in 1797, employed Joseph Ellicott as chief surveyor to lay out the tract on the plan described in Chapter I. Mr. Ellicott had already surveyed a tract in Pennsylvania for this company. 1 In the the fall of the year just i Thomas Butler wrote for Turner's History of the Holland Purchase as follows: In 1T97, dur- ing a vacation in college, I came home to Niagara. Joseph Ellicott, a surveyor named Thompson, JOSEPH ELLICOTT. THE REIGN OP PEACE. 125 named he came on westward with six or eight assistants, accompanied by Augustus Porter, who was employed as a. surveyor by Robert Mor- ris. To first determine the. number of acres in the purchase they started at its northeast corner and followed the shore of Lake Ontario to the Niagara, thence up the river to Lake Erie and along that lake to the west boundary of the State. It was on this journey that Mr. Ellicott first saw and appreciated the desirability of the site at the mouth of Buffalo Creek for a village or a city. The surveying campaign began in earnest in 1798, for which elabo- rate and extensive preparations were made. There were eleven sur- veyors besides Mr. Ellicott, each provided with a corps of assistants. A part of the force under John Thompson came by way of New York and westward over the customary route to Buffalo, where a part of the outfit was left for use on the western part of the purchase, while the remainder was taken to Williamsburg, on the Genesee, where a sur- veyors' storehouse had been established. These two points were the first principal stations and depots of the surveyors; but before the close of 1798 the principal headquarters was made at the Transit Line (which was surveyed by Mr. Ellicott in person), at the point then known as the Transit storehouse. After running the east line of the purchase Mr. Ellicott remained most of that season at Buffalo Creek, where there was a cluster of cabins that had been called "Lake Erie"; this appellation was dropped when the survey began and the name "Buffalo Creek," or New Amsterdam, was transferred from the_ Seneca village to which it had previously been applied. During the years 1798-99 surveying went on briskly, and during the first named year Mr. Elli- cott never lost sight of his purpose to make room for a city at the foot of Lake Erie. The arrangement with Johnston described in this chap- ter was largely the result of his efforts in this direction. While that arrangement gave Johnston his mill site on Scajaquada Creek, it left the site of Buffalo largely open to sale and improvement ; it made the north boundary of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, instead of being ex- tended due west along the line of William street and striking the State reservation near Fourth street, as would otherwise have been the case, turn a little east of East Buffalo (so called) and run southwest to the creek and thence to the lake. and six or eight others were just starting from Schenectady with bateaux on their way to the Holland Purchase. I came in company with them. I found Mr. Ellicott a very agreeable travel- ing companion. Our route was via Oswego and Lake Ontario.— Turner. 126 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In the list of lot buyers in New Amsterdam for 1804 appears the name of William Robbins. He was a blacksmith and settled there as early as 1798, his shop being situated at one time on the west side of Main street. When Mr. Ellicott moved the headquarters of the surveyors to the Transit storehouse in 1798, James Brisbane, who was his principal clerk and agent, followed and continuedin the same capacity. He first saw the settlement at Buffalo in that year and from personal statements made by him Mr. Turner drew the following picture of the place at that time : There was the log house of Middaugh and Lane — a double log house — about two squares from Main street, a little north of the present line of Exchange street. Capt. Johnston's half log and half framed house, stood a little east of the main building of the present Mansion House, near Washington street. There was a two-story hewed log house, owned by Capt. Johnston, about where Exchange street now is, from six to eight rods west of Main street, where a tavern was kept by John Palmer. This was the first tavern in Buffalo. Palmer afterwards moved to Canada, and kept a tavern there. Asa Ransom lived in a log house west of Western Hotel Winne had a log house on bank of Little Buffalo, south of Mansion House. A Mr. Maybee, who afterwards went to Cattaraugus, kept a little Indian store in a log building on west side of Main street, about twenty rods north of Exchange street. There was also a log house occupied by a man named Robbins. The flats were open ground; a portion of them had been cultivated. Such was Buffalo — and all of Buffalo — in 1788. This is a clear and doubtless a faithful picture of the little settlement; from it the person familiar with the great city of the present can see in imagination the primitive village as it then appeared. When the survey of the Holland purchase began in the spring of 1798 all travel from the east to Buffalo was along the old Indian- trail ; but in the previous winter the Legislature appointed Charles William- son a commissioner to lay out and open a State road from the Genesee River to Buffalo Creek, and to Lewiston. Towards defraying the ex- pense the Holland Company subscribed $5,000, and Mr. Williamson proceeded with his task during that year, generally adhering to the In- dian trails. The first roadway passable for wagons on the purchase was opened by Mr. Ellicott, with the help of a party of Indians, early in that season, as preliminary to beginning the survey. He so improved the trail from the East Transit to Buffalo Creek that it was reasonably passable. The shrewd managers of the business of the Holland Com- pany well knew the value of early and practicable highways to accom- modate those who might desire to settle on their lands. Paul Busti, THE REIGN OF PEACE. 127 who succeeded Mr. Cazenove as agent of the company in 1799, wrote on this subject as follows to Mr. Ellicott on the 15th of August, 1800: The opening or communication through the country, is a matter deemed of such importance, that it will not escape your attention, and that the application of money for that purpose has been appropriated on a much larger scale than you thought necessary. By extending the amount of expenditures on that head, I mean to evince to you how much I am persuaded of the usefulness of having practicable roads cut out. You will have to take care that the roads to be laid out at present, are to be cut in such a direction as to become of general advantage to the whole country. The road as laid out by Mr. Williamson and others, as before stated, followed substantially the Indian trail, which crossed the Genesee at Avon, thence through Batavia and down the north side of Tonawanda Creek, entering Erie county at the Tonawanda Indian village; thence it passed across the site of Akron, through Clarence Hollow and Will- iamsville to Cold Spring, and thence followed nearly on the line of Main street to the creek. A branch left this trail about where North street was laid out and continued to Black Rock, where the crossing of the river was made. Another branch left the main trail at Clarence, extended to Cayuga Creek at Lancaster and ran along the creek to the Seneca Indian village. Another principal trail extended from Little Beard's Town, on the Genesee, to the Erie county boundary near the southeast corner of the present town of Alden, struck the reservation at the southwest corner of that town and continued westerly to the Seneca village. Also there were trails up Cazenove and Eighteen- mile Creeks and between Cattaraugus and Buffalo villages. In the summer of 1799 there was still not a house built on the road from the East Transit Line to Buffalo. To change this situation the shrewd agent, Paul Busti, on June 1 of that year, authorized Mr. Elli- cott to arrange with six reputable persons to settle on the road about ten miles apart and open public houses, in consideration of which they were to receive from fifty to 150 acres of land each, upon liberal terms as to price and time of payment. Three persons availed themselves of the offer. Frederick Walthers took 150 acres of land, which included the East Transit storehouse, before mentioned, and the site of the later village of Stafford. On September 1 Asa Ransom left Buffalo and set- tled on 150 acres in township 12, range 6, at what is now Clarence Hol- low; in early years the place was known as Ransom's Grove, Pine Grove, or Ransom ville. ' There in the backwoods hotel was born 1 According to Turner, Mr. Ellicott made Ransom's house his headquarters as soon as it was 128 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Harry B. Ransom, in November, 1799, who was without doubt the first white male child born in Erie county. The third wilderness landlord was Garritt Davis, who settled on September 16 in township 13, range 2, on 150 acres on the south line of the township, east of and adjoining the Tonawanda Reservation. These three persons built comfortable log houses and as best they could entertained travelers. In the year under consideration Benjamin Ellicott (brother of Joseph) and John Thompson, the surveyor, were given a contract for 300 acres in township 12, range 7 (Amherst), which had not at that time been subdivided into lots. The price was f 2 an acre, and the tract undoubtedly included the site of Williamsville and the water power at that point, though there is some discrepancy in the description in the records. In the same year Timothy Hopkins came in to take charge of Johnston's saw mill, which was then the only one in the county. In the following year (1800) Mr. Hopkins and Otis Ingalls cleared some land two miles east of Ransom's location (in the edge of Newstead) and raised a little wheat — the first on the purchase. The grain was car- ried to Street's mill at Chippewa to be ground ; the trip was made with three yoke of oxen and the ferriage at Black Rock was $2. 50 each way. In 1800 the survey of the purchase into townships was finished and a number of these were divided into lots. While in the East in this sea- son Mr. Ellicott had handbills printed, with a heading, "Holland Company West Geneseo Lands," in which he eloquently described the region and announced that it was ready for sale. He had already been appointed local agent. Paul Busti, who had succeeded Cazenove as general agent, conducted the affairs of the company with ability for twenty- four years. The following quaint description of early Buffalo was written by William Peacock, who was a venerable citizen of Mayville at the time Mr. Ketcham published his well known work. Mr. Peacock passed through Buffalo on horseback in 1799: The Indian path passed down to Buffalo creek about the middle of Main street, to the Terrace, on which was erected a log cabin, or house, covered with bark, and oc- cupied by Johnson, a descendant of Sir William Johnson. ready, a part of the house being used for an office. Colonel Asa Ransom was for many years an active and enterprising citizen of the county ; he was sheriff before the division of Niagara •ounty and died in 1837, aged seventy years, respected by the community. Two of his brothers came into this region about the same time with him. Elias Ransom built a frame house on the road to Batavia about seven miles east of Buffalo, which was probably the first frame building west of Batavia ; in later years he resided in Buffalo and left numerous descendants. Amasa Ransom settled on Seneca street, Buffalo, at a later date and left a family of children. THE REIGN OF PEACE. 129 A little above where the Liberty Pole now stands, and on the bank of the Little Buffalo Creek, now part of the Erie Canal, there was erected a log cabin, about twelve feet square, covered with bark, and standing about in the center of Main street. It was occupied by a Mr. Palmer, a young man, and was his storehouse, where he vended his small stock of Indian goods. In passing down along the Indian path, (now Main street), to the Terrace, the land was covered with a very thick underbrush, small timber, and some large old oak trees; and the underbrush and small timber so overshadowed the path that, when our saddle-bags touched a bush, we would be completely drenched with rain after a shower. There was a little cleared spot on the Terrace bank on which is now erected the Western Hotel. That little spot was covered with a green sward, on which the Indians, on a fine day, would lie and look off from the high Terrace upon Lake Erie ; I must say that, to me, it was one of the most beautiful views I ever put my eyes upon. Coming out of the woods, it burst on my vision the larfje and beautiful sheet of water, Lake Erie ; and there I offered up my prayers to God, the creator of all things, and to that Providence which guarded and protected me, young as I was- — being then only nineteen years of age. It made an impression on me that will always remain, with most devout and religious remembrance. The arrival of the Holland Company's surveyors at Buffalo Creek has been mentioned. It was a numerous company as a whole, the members of which were distributed over the vast tract to be surveyed. Those selected for Buffalo were Messrs. Pease, Smedley and Eggleston. From the foregoing pages of this chapter it will be seen that Buffalo and the territory now comprising Erie county had not progressed far in settlement and civilization at the beginning of the present century. In the mean time the vanguard of the pioneers from New Jersey, the New England States and Eastern New York appeared and settled at other points on the frontier in the old Niagara county. Silas Hopkins was buying furs at Lewiston in 1788 and afterwards settled on a farm on the Ridge road. It is on record that in 1788 there was only one white resident at Lewiston, one Middaugh, who kept a tavern; he was doubt- less one of the men of that name who came to Buffalo, as before stated. John Street, father of the late Hon. Thomas Street, had a trading place at Niagara, Canada, in 1790, and was later murdered near Warren's Corners. In 1792 a traveler westward from Boston described the country through which he passed. Of the Genesee country he said it was very rich, clear of trees, producing grass ten feet high. Coming on to Niagara, a distance of ninety miles, he found "not one house or white man the whole way." The reader will note that this was years after the close of the Revolutionary war. Arriving at Fort Niagara he crossed the river, where he found a decent public house. A regiment was gar- 17 130 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. risoned thete which he said " had the honor of dancing Yankee Doodle on the plains of Cambridge, 19th of April, 1775." He alluded to the comparatively easy task of cutting a ditch twenty three miles and con- structing a lock by which a water course could be opened to carry com- merce "through an extent of country capable of maintaining several millions of people." In 1791 there was not a house on the site of Youngstown. In that year Joshua Fairbanks began , keeping a tavern at Queenston and made his house a popular resort ; later he moved to Lewiston. CHAPTER XL 1800-1807. Beginning of Commerce on Lakes Erie and Ontario — Conditions in the First Years of the Century— Tax Roll of 1800— The First School in Buffalo— Cyrenius Chapin's Negotiations for Land — Ellicott's Removal to Ransom's Grove — Gen. Wilkenson Lays Out a Road — Efforts to Establish a Fort at Black Rock — Settlers in Newstead — Genesee County Formed— Difficulty in Selling Land — Brighter Prospects — The First Murder in the County — Survey of New Amsterdam — Changes in Street Names — First Town Meeting on the Holland Purchase— Opening of the Middle Road — Dr. Chapin and Other Early Settlers in Buffalo — Prices of Land — Rev. Theodore Dwight's Description of the Village — Samuel Pratt's Arrival at Buffalo — First Post Route — Organization of Willink and Erie — Settlers Outside of Buffalo — The First Lawyer — First School House — Settlements in the Towns. Almost contemporaneous with the beginning of permanent settle- ment along the Niagara frontier incipient commerce was opened on Lakes Erie and Ontario. The journal of Colonel Proctor (whose ex- pedition has been noticed) states that the English had several vessels on Lake Erie in 1791 ; it was in one of their merchant craft that he at- tempted and failed to obtain passage westward. It is well known that Judge Augustus Porter, who first visited Niagara Falls in 1795 and a few years later became a permanent resident there, left valuable records of early commercial operations on the lakes. At the time of his first visit he was advised by William Johnston, at Buffalo, to go down to Chippewa, where he could take passage westward. At Chippewa Cap- tain William Lee owned a small sail boat in which he carried passen- FROM 1800 TO 1807. 131 gers to Presque Isle, provided the travelers would work their passage. Judge Porter, Judah Colt and Joshua Fairbanks of Lewiston, took passage on those terms and had a pleasant voyage. At that time (1795) Judge Porter states that he was not aware that a single vessel was owned on the United States side of the lakes. In 1796 he made another journey westward in connection with the survey of the Western Reserve. This surveying expedition reached Buffalo and thence proceeded partly overland and partly by water, arriving at the mouth of Conneaut Creek July 4, 1796. The record continues : One of our four boats was employed during the season in bringing up provisions from Chippewa, and in October was wrecked in a gale off the mouth of Chetauque Creek. No American vessels had yet been built. The schooner General Tracey was built at Detroit, and in 1808 purchased by Porter, Barton & Co. and thoroughly repaired, and on her second or third trip was.wrecked on Fort Erie reef in 1809. A small vessel, the Good Intent, was built at Presque Isle by Capt. William Lee, about 1800, and was wrecked near Point Abino in 1805. In 1802 or 1803 the schooner General Wilkenson, of seventy tons, was built at Detroit, and sold to the United States during the war. In the win- ter of 1802-3 the schooner Contractor was built at Black Rock and sailed by Capt. William Lee. In 1803-4 a small sloop called the Niagara was built at Cayuga Creek on the Niagara River by the United States government, but not put into commission. Porter, Barton & Co. pur- chased her in 1806, and changed her name to the Nancy. In 1806 the schooner Mary, one hundred and five tons, was built at Erie by Thomas Wilson, and sold to the United States during the war. In 1810 the sloop Erie was built at Black P.ock and sold to the United States. The schooners Salina and Eleanor were built and sailed before the war. A number of vessels owned and armed by the United States during the war, were afterwards sold and employed in the commerce of the lake. The reader will understand from what has already been written that at the beginning of the present century only limited progress had been made in Western New York in any respect. It was still largely an unimproved wilderness, aside from the several rude frontier settlements on the Niagara River. Previous to the arrival of the Holland Com- pany's surveyors, white men in civilian dress were not often met. That survey brought in a new element, created a certain kind of business activity, and gave employment to all who applied for it. The elder Captain Mountpleasant made the following pertinent statement to Mr. Turner : 133 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. As soon as the surveyors had taken possession of " Bill Johnston's house at Buffalo creek," he (Mountpleasant) applied to them for employment, and was axe-man for one of the parties the first season. . . . Mr. Ellicott used to be called the " Sur- veyor General." Whiskey distilleries in early times were quite sure to follow settle- ment, but seldom preceded it. There was a distillery at Schlosser, while the country was in possession of the British, and one of the first applications that Mr. Ellicott had for lands, came from one who dated his letter at Schlosser, and wished to turn out a copper still as the advance payment. The following tax roll is the first one made for the territory west of the Genesee River (then all included in the great town of Northampton), and is dated October 6, 1800. It is valuable in this connection, for it contains the names of most of the settlers before mentioned and gives the assessed valuation and the tax of their respective lands. It appears that there were not more than twelve taxable dwellers at that time on the purchase; in Buffalo are found only the names of Johnston, Mid- daugh, Palmer and Lane. About fifteen names are missing from the first page of the roll : Value of Real and Personal Estate. Am. Tax Curtis, William 9 30 $ 06 Carter, William 94 18 Chamberlin, Hinds_. 284 40 Curtis, Augustus 500 61 Curtis, Jonathan 387 £4 Campbell, Peter 52 09 Chapin, Henry 3,000 6.50 Chapman, Asa 112 23 Cumins, Joseph 20 04 Conatt, Samuel . .. 38 06 Chamberlin, Joshua . 60 12 Cary, Joseph _. 948 1.61 Coots, Timothy 396 54 Dugan, Christopher . 1,306 1.63 Douglas, Cyrus 78 14 572 72 Davis, Garret 350 45 Davis, Bela 105 22 Davis, Samuel 312 37 Ellicott, Benjamin __ 600 71 Fish, Josiah 1,516 1.86 Farewell, Elisha 288 37 fuller, David 80 12 Forsyth, John 330 43 Granger, Eli 100 14 Goodhue, George 176 20 Value of Real and Personal Estate. Ganson, John, jr. 1,640 Ganson, James 12 Griffith, Eli 658 Hencher, William ._ . 1,036 Hicks, Samuel 44 Heth, Reuben 40 Hunt, Elijah 68 Harris, Alpheus 72 Hall, Friend 200 Hunt, Joseph 64 Hopkins, Timothy... 42 Hayne, John 50 Hawley, Chapman .. 112 Hall, Gilbert 370 Hoit, Stephen _ 153 Jones, H. John 140 Jones, Elizabeth 153 Johnson, Moses 800 Johnson, William 2,034 Kith, M. Michael.... 42 Kimball, John 700 Kent, Elijah 96 Lane, Ezekiel 114 Lay bourn, Chris- topher . .'. 470 Lyon, John _ . 40 Am. Tax 2.10 02 98 1.64 09 09 14 15 30 13 09 11 18 52 34 23 24 1.07 3.50 09 1.03 14 24 08 FROM 1800 TO 1807. Value of Real and Value of Real and Personal Estate. Am. Tax Personal Estate. Am. Tax Leonard, Jonathan.. 40 06 King, Simeon 40 10 Lewis, Seth 60 14 Hender, Stephen 12 02 Mills, William .... 714 94 Ransom, Asa 410 61 Mills, Lewis 72 16 Erwin, John 428 96 Mills, Alexander 80 19 Woolman , John 1 62 36 Mills, Samuel 250 30 Philips, William 30 07 Morton, Simeon 50 11 Carver, John _. 316 40 Mading, Timothy 128 16 Eli, Justin 5,000 9.91 McCloning, John 40 09 Barnard, Ebenezer.. 1,950 3.87 McCloning, John, jr. . 12 02 Phelps, Enoch 4,437 8.80 Middaugh, Martin . . . 45 09 Hartford, Charles ... 2,333 4.62 30 09 King, Gideon (heirs). 4,500 8.92 84 19 Hinkley, Samuel Mulkins, Henry 54 11 Stone, John .*.. 5,000 9.91 Nettleton, Philemon . 592 80 Wadsworth, James.. 34,500 68.38 Morgan, Joseph 870 1.11 Williamson, C. and M'Naughton, John _ . 48 11 others 34,500 .68.28 McPherson, Dan 100 22 Gilbert, Warren 2,190 2.60 Patterson, Lawrence 500 90 Colt, Judah ...1,320 2.61 Pebody, Stephen 86 18 Morris, Thomas 4,200 8.32 Palmer, John 482 72 Hall, Amos 700 1.38 Pangman, William.. 300 66 Holland Company, Quivey, Norton . 70 15 3,300,000 5,231.62 Redford, John 130 19 Williamson, Charles Rhau, Alexander 85 12 155,150 307.41 Stimson, Leonard... 52 11 Williamson & Phelps SLimson & Jones 200 29 100,000 219.14 Stoughton, Amaziah. 164 21 Craigie, Andrew 50,000 73.96 Sheffer, Peter 4,260 5.36 Ogden, Samuel 50,000 109.57 1,108 1.45 Cottinger, Garrit ...50,000 109.57 Shelly, Phiros 150 18 Church, Philip ....100,000 219.14 Scott, Salmon 796 95 Unknown 27,210 59.41 Scoonover, Jacob 731 1.00 Leroy & Bayard ... 82,000 179.68 Thompson, Adriand- Leroy & Bayard ... 40,000 87.66 n-er . 30 07 Phelps & Jones sup- Utley, Asa 901 1.17 posed to be owned Olmstead, Jeremiah . 120 29 by Thomas Morris 40,960 89.36 Wilber, Charles 60 31 Joseph Fitts Simmons Walther, Frederick. . 488 68 Joseph Higbv 600, 000 1,314,84 27 17 42 10 Total $4,785,368 8,387.11 King, Thomas 30 07 Note. — Many of these names were wrongly spelled on the roll, but have been corrected-as far as postively known. The first steps towards establishing a school in Buffalo were taken in 134 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1801, as shown in Mr. Ellicott's journal. In August of that year Joseph Palmer, brother of the tavernkeeper, acting for the inhab- itants, applied to Mr. Ellicott for a lot on which to build a school house. On the 14th of that month Mr. Ellicott recorded the following in his journal : Went to Buffalo Creek, "alias" New Amsterdam, to lay off a lot for a school house, the inhabitants offering to erect one at their own expense. No deed of this lot was given and probably no school house was built, at least of any permanent character, until several years later, as noticed farther on. During a part of that period the Middaugh house, or a portion of it, was used for a school. Mr. Ellicott's journal supplies also the information that two mission- ary preachers were at New Amsterdam as early as January, 1802, and that one of them, Rev. Elkanah Holmes, preached to the settle- ment at least once, a year earlier. The other missionary was named Palmer, but he probably passed the place merely as a visitor, leaving to Mr. Holmes the honor of being the first preacher to settle there. Dr. Cyrenius Chapin made a journey to Erie county in 1801 and had some negotiations with Mr. Ellicott in relation to purchasing a lot in Buffalo. After his return from the east he wrote Mr. Ellicott from Sangerfield, Oneida county, saying that himself and friends would buy a township at Buffalo Creek, adding: Forty respectable citizens that are men of good property have signed articles of agreement to take a township if it can be purchased, and will pay ten per cent, when we receive the article. . The land not having been surveyed the proposition could not be en- tertained. ' John Crow was probably one of the above named "forty." He moved from Whitestown to Fort Erie and thence to Buffalo in 1801-2. He occupied a house on the west side of Washington street and south side of Crow near the corner.. The house was said to have been built by Johnston, the trader, and was of logs. Crow built a frame addition to it. The street on which the house stood was subsequently given its present name, Exchange. He also kept Crow's tavern, elsewhere men- tioned. Crow removed to Hamburg in 1806, and thence to Pennsyl- vania in 1817. 1 Keteham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 143. FROM 1800 TO 1807. 135 Zerah Phelps was probably another of the associates mentioned by Dr. Chapin; in June, 1804, he purchased inner lot No. 1. Henry Chapin must have been in Buffalo as a resident as early as 1801, for in March of that year he asked the privilege of Mr. Ellicott of cultivating vegetables on a lot on the south side of Seneca street. Mr. Ellicott's appointment as local agent for the sale of the Holland Company's lands dated from October 1, 1800, and in January, 1801, he located his office in part of Asa Ransom's dwelling at what is now Clarence Hollow. 1 He did not well like his situation, but philosoph- ically made the best of it. He wrote in his journal on February 17 as follows : My present situation is gloomy, for the want of society, our nearest neighbors be- ing eighteen miles distant. On the 26th he records: " Last night lodged at this house upwards of forty people, men, women, and children, moving principally, or all, to New Connecticut [Eastern Ohio] and Presque Isle. Under the date of March 24 is found this remarkable entry: Some drunken Indians here ; but this is hardly worth recording, as these people are seldom sober when whiskey can be had in sufficient quantity to make them other- wise. However, there is one circumstance worthy of mention and that is, one of them is on his way from his village to Canandarque to replevin a gun which he had pawned at a still-house in that place for whiskey to the amount of five shillings. His whole journey on account of this five shillings costs him two hundred miles travel. 8 In May of this year (1801) Gen. James Wilkenson arrived on the western frontier of the State, with a commission to open communica- tion by land between Lakes Erie and Ontario, and a party of survey- ors and soldiers to aid him. He sought Mr. Ellicott's counsel in the matter. Anticipating that the work might cause dissatisfaction among the Indians, he wrote that he hoped Mr. Ellicott and General Chapin would "prevent any obstruction from that quarter." The route was located as it afterward existed, and Wilkenson directed Major Porter, then in command at Fort Niagara, to employ the soldiers of the garri- son to open the road. . This was accomplished in the season of 1802 as far as the brow of the mountain at Lewiston and thence to a mile west of Tonawanda Creek, and bridges were built over that stream and Cayuga Creek. The timber was cut down, but not removed, and the road remained in that condition until 1809, when Joseph Lan- 1 Mr. Ellicott dated his letters promiscuously "Pine Grove," "Ransom's Grove," "Ransom- ville," as his fancy dictated at the time. a Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II pp. 146-49. 136 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. don, Peter Vandeventer and Augustus Porter were appointed commis- sioners for its further improvement, under an appropriation by the Legislature of $1,500. While Wilkenson was on the frontier he located the site of a fort at Black Rock, and the general government applied to the State Legislature for a cession of land for that purpose. This was refused and the fort was not built, thus augmenting the defense- less condition of the frontier in the war of 1812. In the summer of 1801 John Thompson, the surveyor, built a saw mill on the site of Williamsville, and a blockhouse for a dwelling. The latter was subsequently covered with clapboards and a large frame upright added to it, in which condition it stood until recent years. The mill, if started at all, was soon abandoned. On the 3d of November, 1801, Asa Chapman made the first contract for land in the town of Newstead (township 12, range 3), which was then just ready for sale. Chapman took lot 10, section 8, the price for which was $2. 75 per acre. He probably did not settle on the land, as he was living in Buffalo a little later. In the same month Peter Van- deventer took four lots in sections 8 and 9 (Newstead), built a log house in 1802, and opened a tavern, which became a popular resort." Timothy Jayne also purchased in that town in this year; Otis Ingalls was already settled there, and Orlando Hopkins and David Cully located either in 1801 or 1802. In the closing month of the year Gov. George Clinton commissioned Asa Ransom a. justice of the peace; this was the first appointment of a white official in Erie county. Genesee county was formed from Ontario in 1802 and included all of the State west of the Genesee River. Northampton was divided into four towns, one of which was Batavia, which included the Holland Purchase and the reservation along Niagara River. Batavia was made the county seat, and Mr. Ellicott removed there the same spring. The fame of the region was gradually extending and settlement began. There was some difficulty at first in disposing of the Holland Com- pany's lands on account of the demand for ten per cent, cash ; the price set was $2.75 per acre. Many who wished to buy had very little or no money; others who could pay this advance were reluctant to do so upon land which would at once demand time and expense to clear. On this subject Mr. Ellicott wrote : If some mode could be devised to grant land to actual settlers, who cannot pay in advance, and at the same time not destroy that part of the plan which requires some advance, I am convinced the most salutary results would follow. FROM 1800 TO 1807. 137 Moreover there was active competition between the Holland Com- pany and the sellers of land on the Western Reserve, at Erie, in Can- ada, and in other parts of New York State, which delayed settlement in Erie county. There is great difficulty, indeed it is practically im- possible, in many cases to give the names of the first settlers in various parts of the county, excepting as they were discovered by earlier writ- ers and placed on record in print, as the books of the Holland Com- pany show only the names of those who agreed to purchase land ; these were not, in many instances, actual settlers. The first record of a pur- chase in the county, made in the regular course of settlement, is under date of March 12, 1801, when Christopher Sadler took a contract, or "article," as it was termed, for 234 acres on lots 1 # and 2, section 6, town 12, range 6 ; the tract was about a mile east of Clarence Hollow. The Holland Company records are unreliable also as to actual set- tlers, from the fact that soon after lands were placed in market the practice began of placing on the books the names of men who paid one dollar with the understanding that at any time within a year they could make a first regular payment and take their article. Under this arrangement speculation began to some extent, men paying the dollar and hoping that during the year they could sell at a profit. In a few instances, also, persons settled in the county without purchasing land. But . from the Holland Company's books, with records in the Erie county clerk's office, and the memory of early settlers who gave infor- mation to Ketcham, Turner and others, a reasonably full account can be made of the progress of settlement. Others besides Mr. Sadler who took land in 1801 were John Hains, Levi Felton and Timothy S. Hopkins before mentioned. 1 Mr. Hop- kins came into the county in 1799 and took charge of Johnston's saw mill, before mentioned, which was then the only one in the county. Mr. Ellicott evidently was anxious and disappointed at the sl'ow sales of land. While he had anticipated that the natural advantages of the region and the favorable terms offered would cause a rapid influx of settlers, he had-not taken into consideration the scarcity of money. On December 4, 1801, he wrote as follows from " Pine Grove" to Mr. Busti: I have made no actual sales this fall where the stipulated advance has been paid. I begin to be strongly of the opinion you always expressed to me (but which I must 1 See sketch of Gen. Timothy S. Hopkins in Vol II. 138 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. confess I rather doubted), that few purchasers will come forward and pay cash for land in a new country. ] However, with the opening of another year the prospects brightened, and Mr. Ellicott informed the agents that many settlers were preparing to establish their homes as soon as the spring opened. This was under date of Ransom's Grove, February 14. The list of the settlers of the year in what is now Clarence includes the names of Gardner Spencer, Abraham Shope, John Warren, Frederick Buck, John Gardner, Re- solved G. Wheeler, William Updegraff, Edward Carney, and Elias Ransom. In the same year land in township 12, range 5 (Newstead) was charged to John Hill, Samuel Hill, William Deshay and possibly a few others. Nearly all of these became settlers and all located on or near the old Buffalo road. The first murder in Buffalo, of which there is record took place in July, 1802. An Indian known to the white people as "Stiff-armed George," assaulted John Palmer, the tavernkeeper, as he sat in front of his house with a man named William Ward and another. Palmer evaded the assault, when the Indian turned upon Ward and stabbed him in the neck. An alarm was raised and during the attempt of the white men to arrest the culprit a man named John Hewitt was as- saulted by the infuriated Indian and stabbed to death ; the Indian was also wounded, and was sent off to Fort Niagara. On the following day a large body, of warriors appeared in Buffalo and freely threatened that if the murderer was executed they would massacre all the whites. Ex- citement and dismay prevailed in the settlement. Benjamin Barton, jr., was sheriff, and he proposed the issue of a criminal warrant and the transfer of the murderer to the Canandaigua jail. This was hotly opposed by the Indians, who claimed that their brother was drunk when the crime was committed, and therefore was not responsible. After much discussion the Indians pledged the appearance of the pris- oner at Canandaigua on the day of trial, and the pledge was kept. The trial took place in the following February, and the Indian was con- victed, despite the eloquence of Red Jacket who pleaded his case. Before the time of execution Governor Clinton pardoned the criminal. * In 1803 the village of New Amsterdam was surveyed by William Peacock, 3 whose description of the place at an earlier date has been 1 Turner's Holland Purchase, p. 451. 2 Various accounts of this incident have been published, but the foregoing is believed to be substantially correct. 3 Mr. Peacock removed to Chautauqua county, where he became a prominent citizen, held the office of judge and lived to be nearly 100 years of age. PROM 1800 TO 1807. 139 quoted ; but the lots were not made ready for market until the follow- ing' year. The accompanying map shows how the village was laid out and what portion of its territory was subdivided into inner lots. These lots were generally about four and a half rods wide and intended for commercial purposes, while the outer lots contained several acres. At the time of the survey Main street as far up as Church was called Will- ink avenue, while above Church it was called Van Staphorst avenue. Niagara street was Schimmelpenninck avenue, Erie street Vollenhoven avenue; Court street Cazenove avenue; Church street Stadnitzki avenue, and Genesee street Busti avenue. The terrace above Erie street was called Busti Terrace, and below it Cazenove Terrace, thus doubly honoring the first and the second agent of t]je Holland Com- pany. The effort to perpetuate the memory of members of the com- pany might have been directed in a more appropriate course than by applying those unpronounceable titles to public streets, and the sub- sequent changes were welcome. Other changes were made, for what is now Ellicott street was originally called Oneida; Washington was Onondaga; Pearl was Cayuga; Franklin was Tuscarora, and Morgan was Missisauga. Delaware, Huron, Mohawk, Eagle, Swan, and Sen- eca streets received their present names, but Exchange was called Crow street, after the pioneer who succeeded John Palmer as tavernkeeper. North Division and South Division streets were not laid out in the original plan. The streets radiating from Niagara Square are believed to have been copied from the survey of Washington city, which Ellicott and his brother surveyed. In the survey Ellicott took for himself outer lot 104, containing 100 acres, including the entire front of Main street between Swan and Eagle streets, and extending eastwardly. Directly in front of this lot a curve was surveyed with several rods, radius. Oneida and Onondaga streets (Washington and Ellicott) were laid out north of this lot, but neither was allowed to cross it, and even what is now Main street was made to deviate from a direct course to accommo- date the lot. There Mr. Ellicott intended to erect a mansion for his future home, from which he would command magnificent views along the various streets and off upon the lake and river. These ambitious plans were to be frustrated — plans which had, perhaps, been develop- ing in his mind since his arrival at Buffalo creek in 1798. 1 1 At that time Mr. Ellicott wrote Mr. Cazenove regarding the site of Buffalo as follows: The building spot is situated about sixty perches from the lake, on a beautiful, elevated bank, about twenty-five feet pependicular height above the surface of the water in the lake; from the foot of 140 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Mr. Ellicott complained of the delay in placing the lots at New Am- sterdam in market. It will not be forgotten that Black Rock was at that time a rival of Buffalo, and in one of his letters Mr. Ellicott speaks ' of it as "equally or more advantageous for a town than Buffalo." He could see no reason for delaying sales of village lots after the ex- tinguishment of the Indian title to the site under the act of the winter of 1801-2, and particularly after the completion of the survey in 1803 ; said he, " If the State shall make the intended purchase this summer [1802] and offer this spot [Black Rock] for sale before New Amsterdam gets in operation, the 'nick of time' will be lost to the future pros- perity of that place." The first town meeting on the Holland Purchase was held at Peter Vandeventer's log tavern on March 1, 1803. This early political inci- dent was for several reasons a notable and interesting one. Its func- tions extended over territory a hundred miles distant from the place of meeting, though the most distant settlements were at Buffalo, twenty- two miles west, and at the East Transit, twenty- four miles east; but regardless of these long distances the voters assembled in such num- bers that the little tavern was soon overflowing, and Enos Kellogg, one of the commissioners for organizing the town of Batavia, opened the polls out of doors. He announced that Peter Vandeventer and Jotham Bemis, of Batavia village, were candidates for supervisor. The voting was conducted by a method at once novel and satisfactory. The com- missioner placed the two candidates side by side in the road and then ordered the voters to "line up" each beside the man of his choice. They did so, those favoring Bemis stretching along the road towards Batavia, while those supporting Vandeventer extended towards Buffalo. The count showed seventy-four on Vandeventer's side and seventy on Bemis's. This method of voting was primitive, but there was no ballot-box stuffing. When a little later the men from east of Van- deventer's, who were considered as Batavians, gathered in one place, and those from west of there in another, they noted their few absent neighbors and found there were only four to the eastward and five to which, with but little labor, may be made the most beautiful meadows, extending to the lake, and up Buffalo creek to the Indian line. From the top of the bank, there are few more beautiful pros- • pects. Here the eye wanders over the inland sea to the southwest, until the sight is lost in the horizon. On the northwest is seen the progressing settlements in Upper Canada; and south westerly, with pruning some trees out of the way, may be seen the Company's lands, for the dis- tance of forty miles; gradually ascending, variegated with valleys and gently rising hills, until the sight passes their summit at the source of the waters of the Mississippi. Map of the Village of New Amsterdam (new the City of Buffalo) Made for the Holland Land Company Jy JOSEPH ELUCOTT, Surveyor. 1804 3HS FROM 1800 TO 1807. 141 the westward who had failed to attend. This makes the whole number of voters on the purchase in 1803, 153, of whom 144 were present at the town meeting. * The list of officers there chosen was as follows, the election being conducted by uplifted hands, except as to the super- visor : Supervisor, Peter Vandeventer; town clerk, David Cully; assessors, Enos Kellogg, Asa Ransom, Alexander Rea, Isaac Sutherland, and Suffrenus (or Sylvanus) Maybee ; overseers of the poor, David Cully and Benjamin Porter; collector, Abel Rowe; constables, John Mudge, Levi Felton, Rufus Hart, Abel Rowe, Seymour Kellogg, and Hugh Howell; overseers of highways, Martin Middaugh, Timothy S. Hopkins, Orlando Hopkins, Benjamin Morgan, Rufus Hart, Lovell Churchill, Jabez Warren, William Blackman, Samuel Clark, Gideon Dunham, Jonathan Willard, Thomas Lay- ton, Hugh Howell, Benjamin Porter, and William Walsworth. The simple regulations for governing the town then customary were voted by the meeting, Among them was the usual bounty of $5 for wolf scalps, " whelps half price," and half a dollar each for foxes and wild cats. The first State election on the purchase was held at the same place in April, 1803, when 189 votes were cast for member of assembly, showing that the number of settlers was rapidly increasing. The highway called the Middle Road by the Holland Company, and the Big Tree Road by the settlers (because it started from the Big Tree Reservation) was surveyed and cut out in the summer of 1803 by Jabez Warren, of Aurora. He received $2.50 per mile for survey- ing and $10 for cutting out the road, which extended from near Gene- seo to Lake Erie, in a nearly west direction and about a mile south of the south line of the reservation. Mr. Warren settled in Middlebury (now in Niagara county) in 1802, and in 1804 removed to the site of Aurora village, where he built a log house and made a small opening in the forest ; he did not bring in his family until 1805 ; with him were Henry Godfrey and Nathaniel Emerson. In the last named year William Warren, son of Jabez, also left Middlebury and settled with his family in Aurora, where he opened the first tavern on the site of the upper village, and became a prominent citizen. An important arrival at Buffalo in 1803 was Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, who, it will be remembered, had made an earlier effort to purchase for himself and friends a large tract of land. Dr. Chapin bought lot 41, township 11, range 8, and received his article October 11, 1803. This 1 Account of Amzi Wright, in archives of the Buffalo Historical Society. 142 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was probably the earliest actual sale in that vicinity, the lot containing 99 acres, for which he agreed to pay $346.50. As Dr. Chapin found no house into which he could place his family, he crossed to Fort Erie, where the family remained nearly two years. Selecting inner lot 40, on Swan street, he built a house and in 1805 brought over his family to the new home. 1 About the same time with Dr. Chapin's purchase of lot 41, William Desha (or Deshay) purchased lots 59 and 60 in the same vicinity, agree- ing to pay $430 for eighty-six acres; Asa Chapman purchased lot 40, 127 acres, for $445.50; Isaac Hurlburt, lot 61, fifty nine acres, for $295; George Burgar, part of lot 61, fifty-nine acres, for $232.80; sub- sequently assigned to Vincent Grant. William Hodge, lot 35, forty- seven and three-tenths acres, for $236.50; Samuel Tupper, lot 27, sixty- five acres, for $294.75, and lot 50, thirty-four acres, for $172.50; Will- iam Hodge, lot 57, sixty-one and four tenths acres, for $307 ; Gideon Dudley, lot 28, sixty acres, for $300, assigned to Joseph Wells in De- cember, 1805; William Liget, lot 51, thirty acres, for $195, assigned to John Crow in 1805. All of these sales were in the same township and range with Dr. Chapin's purchase and all were dated in October, 1803. In the same year, probably, a certain Major Perry had made an open- ing where Main street crosses the Scajaquada Creek (then called Con- jockety, from the Indian family of that name living near its mouth). Erastus Granger took up his residence at Buffalo in 1803. He and his brother Gideon were close friends of Jefferson, who remembered both when he was elected to the presidency. Gideon was made post- master-general, while Erastus was appointed superintendent of Indian affairs, and collector of customs when the district of Buffalo Creek was formed in 1808. He became the leader of the Democratic party in Western New York. He was a young widower when he settled in Buffalo and boarded at John Crow's tavern. In July, 1805, he pur- chased inner lot 31, and later acquired other tracts. He died in 1823. He was father of Rev. James N. Granger and Warren Granger. In township 12, range 7 (Amherst), sales were made in the fall of 1803 to Samuel Kelsy, Henry Lake, Benjamin Gardner, William Lewis, 1 Dr. Chapin was a skillfnl practitioner for that period and soon became widely known, both in tfiis profession and as a public-spirited citizen. For twelve years no person exercised greater in- fluence in the village of Buffalo. His strong will and self-confidence, while enabling him to take a foremost position in the community, at the same time made enemies as well as friends. He was a strong political partisan on the Federal side, and as will be seen, was conspicuous in the war of 1812. He died in 1838. FROM 1800 TO 1807. 143 and perhaps a few others, the prices of their lands ranging from $3.25 to $3.50 an acre; settlement there soon followed. In the same year are recorded the purchases of Samuel Beard, William Chapin, Asahel Powers, Jacob Durham, and Samuel Edsall, in Newstead, and Andrew Dummett, Julius Keyes, Lemuel Harding,Jacob Shope, Zerah Ensign, in Clarence. It will be noticed that all of these settlements were in the towns through which ran the Buffalo road ; but the adventurous pioneer soon found his way into more remote localities. In November, 1803, Alanson Eggleston became the first purchaser in township 11, range 6 (now Lancaster), and Amos Woodward and William Sheldon bought in that town the same month. The price of the land was $2 an acre. All of these were north of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, which divided the whole of Erie county territory into two parts ; but in this year several townships were surveyed south of the reservation and settlers quickly followed. On the 3d of October Didymus C. Kin- ney purchased part of lot 33, township 9, range 7, now the southwest corner lot of the town of East Hamburg; he built a cabin and staid there through the winter with his family, bearing the distinction of being the earliest pioneer in the county south of the reservation. Cot- ton Fletcher, the surveyor of those southern townships, purchased land in the same locality with Kinney, but did not settle there till later; the same is true of John Cummings, who took the mill site a mile and a half below Water Valley. In November, 1803, two brothers, Charles, and Oliver Johnson, pur- chased in the present town of Boston, near the site of Boston Center, while Samuel Eaton bought farther down the creek. Charles Johnson lived with Kinney during the winter and occupied his own place in the spring. Samuel Eaton and Samuel Beebe followed a little later. The year 1804 witnessed still farther progress of settlement in various parts of the county. The Legislature of that session divided the town of Batavia into four towns — Batavia on the east ; next Willink, including the 4th, 5th and 6th ranges; next Erie, containing the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th ranges, the State Reservation and adjacent waters; the remainder of the purchase constituted the town of Chautauqua. For further description of these divisions, the reader is referred to Chapter I. The following lots in the village of Buffalo were sold in 1804 and were probably the first regular transfers of land within the village limits: Nathan W. Sever bought outer lots 55 and 56, sixty-three and 144 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. seven-tenths acres, at $115 (later assigned to Elijah Leech); Zerah Phelps, inner lot 1, fur $112 (assigned to Joseph Ellicott in 1806); Sylvanus Maybee, inner lot 35, at $135 ; Samuel McConnell outer lot 84, at $191.50. In the same year' Rowland Cotton purchased farm lot 67, 143 acres, for $500.50; Aimer Gilbert, lot 34, forty-eight and four- tenths acres, for $242. William Johnston received a deed from the Holland Company of outer lot 93, October 27, 1804. Turner gives the following as a list of land owners in Buffalo in 1804 : William Robbins, Henry Chapin, Sylvanus Maybee, Asa Ransom, Thomas Stewart, Samuel Pratt, William Johnston, John Crow, Joseph Landon, Erastus Granger, Jonas Williams, Robert Keane, Vincent Grant, Louis Le Couteulx. 1 In the county outside of Buffalo settlement now began to make en- couraging advances. John Cummings, before mentioned, became the first settler in the present town of Hamburg, and in the same spring Deacon Ezekiel Smith and his sons Richard and Daniel came from Vermont and purchased land two miles southeast of Didymus Kinney's in what became known as the Newton neighborhood. David Eddy, a young man, came with them and selected land near the site of Potter's Corners. Smith returned to Vermont for his family and in September arrived at his new home with five more sons (Amasa, Ezekiel, Zenas, Amiah, and Almon), several daughters and his wife; four of the seven sons were married and the family formed quite a settlement among themselves. With them came another Vermont family, that of Amos Colvin, with his sons, Jacob, George, Luther, Amos and Isaac. With David Eddy, before mentioned, came his brother Aaron, Nathan Peters (a brother-in-law of Aaron), and Mary Eddy as housekeeper. The latter was a young woman of education and a pioneer school teacher in Hamburg and Aurora. The Eddys settled on the land selected by David near East Hamburg village and were the pioneers in that vicin- ity. John Sumner settled near by in that year or the next, and Obadiah Baker bought land there in that year. In June, 1804, Joel Harvey settled at the mouth of Eighteen-mile 1 Mr. Le Couteulx was born in France in 1756. After extensive travels and a few years' resi- dence in Albany, he settled in Buffalo, where he built a frame house opposite Crow's tavern, on •the site of the building afterwards known as the Le Couteulx block, and lived therein until the burning: of the village. He kept a drug store in part of his dwelling— the first in the place. He acted for a period as agent for the Holland Company in selling their Buffalo lands, and was ap- pointed the first clerk of Niagara county in 1808, holding the office until the war of 1812. He died in Buffalo October 16, 1839. He is remembered as the founder of the St. Louis church. FROM 1800 TO 1807. 145 Creek on the west side, as the first settler in the present town of Evans and the farthest one up the lake in the county. In the mean time im- portant changes were taking place in Aurora. On the same day that Jabez Warren took his contract for four lots, April 17, 1804, which in- cluded the greater part of the site of East Aurora village, and adjoining territory on the north and west, Nathaniel Emerson, Henry Godfrey (Warren's son-in-law), Nathaniel Walker, John Adams and Joel Ad- ams, 1 took contracts covering the whole valley of the creek for three miles above East Aurora, for which they were to pay only $1.50 per acre; this was a lower price than was paid for any other land in the county. In May Rufus and Taber Earl settled in the southeast corner of East Aurora village, and Joseph Sears probably purchased lot 23, afterwards known as "the Square," where he settled, but remained only a short time. A few others probably bought in that vicinity dur- ing the summer, but only one, Joel Adams, remained on his land with his family the ensuing winter. Taber Earl built a house immediately after making his purchase, and his wife was the pioneer woman of the county south of the reservation ; but they wintered in Buffalo. Joel Adams had five sons and the family passed a hard winter in their wilderness home. Their breadstuff becoming exhausted, the two elder boys started for a bag of meal twenty-five miles distant. Obtain- ing the coveted food they returned with it on a handsled, but the jour- ney through the snow was so trying that they were compelled to re- main out on the way over night. The settlers of this year in Newstead were Silas Hill, John Eelton, Thomas Hill, Charles Bennett, Cyrus Hopkins, and possibly a few others; all of these became permanent residents of the town. In Clar- ence David Bailey, Peter Pratt, Isaac Vanorman, Daniel Robinson, Riley Munger, David Hamlin, jr., and perhaps others settled this year, and Asa Ransom about this time built a saw mill on the small stream that took his name. Timothy S. and Orlando Hopkins removed to the present Amherst in 18G4, and Samuel M-cConnell settled near the site of Williamsville ; other newcomers to that town were Caleb Rogers, Stephen Colvin, Jacob Vanatta, and Joel Chamberlain. Am rag the land buyers in Lancaster in 1804 were James Woodward, Warren Hull, Matthew Wing, Joel Parmalee and Lawson Egberton. 1 Three sons of Joel Adams, Enos, Luther, and Erasmus, were well-known citizens of Aurora and lived to very old age. 19 146 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Amos Woodward probably located there in that year, he and James settling at the site of Bowman's Mills. James and Luther Young set- tled east of Bowman's Mills about this period. The prices of land in Buffalo in 1804-07 will astonish the citizen of to-day who is not conversant with the early history of the village. Some of the land now included in the city limits sold as low as any in the county. Two outer lots, containing sixty-four acres in the bend of the creek south of the Ohio basin, were bought by N. W. Sever for $1.81 per acre. Outer lot 84, comprising several acres between Main street and Buffalo Creek, was sold in 1804 to Samuel McConnell, as before stated, for $1.50 per acre. In the same year lot 1 (the site of the Mansion House) was sold for $140. Inner lots near the corner of what is now Main and Exchange streets sold for from $100 to $200 each, with cash payments of $10 to $20. Sylvanus Maybee paid only $135 for lot 35, corner of Main and Seneca streets, running through to Cayuga. Moreover, buyers were, at least in some cases, restricted as to the character of buildings they proposed erecting. Zerah Phelps, who bought the lot just east of the Mansion House corner, had to agree to build a house twenty four feet square and clear half an acre of land. Rowland Cotton paid only $3.50 an acre for his 143 acres at what is now the corner of Main and Amherst streets. Abner Gilbert paid $5 an acre for a tract on the southeast corner of Main and Utica streets. In 1805 Thomas Sidwell paid $35 and $45 for lots 75 and 76 on Pearl street. In 1806 Asa Chapman paid $120 for lot 36; Eleazer Hovey paid $11 and $12 an acre for lots 146 and 147; David Mather paid for lot 38, Main street, $120.25; and in 1807 Abraham Hershey paid for lots 150, 151, 156 and 157 $20 per lot. These were the average prices of those days. We have a more or less distorted picture of Buffalo as depicted in the language of Rev. Timothy Dwight, who made a journey westward in 1804 and wrote voluminously of what he saw. He said: Buffalo Creek, otherwise New Amsterdam, is built on the north-east border of a considerable mill-stream, which bears the same name. A bar at the mouth, pre- vents all vessels larger than boats from ascending its waters. For boats, it is navigable about eight miles. Its appearance is more sprightly than that of some others in this region. The south-western bank is here a peninsula, covered with a handsome grove. Through it several vsitas might be cut with advantage, as they would open fine views of the lake — a beautiful object. The prospect which they would furnish, towards the west and south-west, would be boundless. The village is built half a mile from the mouth of the creek, and consists of about FROM 1800 TO 1807. 147 twenty indifferent houses. The Holland, Company own the soil. Hitherto they have declined to sell it, and until very lately^ to lease it. Most of the settlers have therefore taken up their ground without a title. The terms on which it is leased are that the lessee shall, within nine months, build a house thirty feet front and two stories high, and shall pay (if I mistake not) two dollars annually for each lot of half an acre. 1 The streets are straight and cross each other at right angles, but are only forty feet wide. What could have induced this wretched limitation, in a mere wilderness, I am unable to conceive. The spot is unhealthy* though of sufficient elevation, and, so far as I have been informed, free from the vicinity of stagnant waters; The dis- eases prevailing here are those which are common to all this country. The inhabitants are a casual collection of adventurers, and have the usual charac- ter of such adventurers thus collected, when remote from regular society, retaining but little sense of government or religion. We saw about as many Indians in this village as white people. The superintendent of Indian affairs «f the Six Nations re- sides here. New Amsterdam is at present the thoroughfare for all the commerce and traveling interchangeably going on between the eastern States (including New York and New Jersey) and the countries bordering on the great western lakes. The creek is frequently said to unite with the river Niagara. I should say, as I believe every other man would, who spoke from his own inspection, that it unites with Lake Erie ; and that the river Niagara begins two miles further north at, or rather just below, Black Rock [evidently meaning Bird Island]. Here the first per- ceptible current commences; while at the mouth of the creek, the waters, unless agitated by the wind, are perfectly still, and have exactly the same appearance as other parts of the lake. At Black Rock, a town which is a mile square, is laid out by order of the State in- to house lots. The lots are to be disposed of at public sale, in December of this year, upon terms with which I am unacquainted. Should they be equitable the trade which I mentioned will soon center here. Between this rock and the shore is the only se- cure harbor on the American, and a much better one than on the British side of the lake, within a great distance. A road is already begun from this spot to Fort Niag- ara, at themouth of the river, and will not probably be completed within a year; The period is not far distant when the commerce of this neighborhood will become a great national object, and involve no small part of the interests and happiness of millions. . . . The prospect presented at Buffalo, is most attractive, notwithstanding the inter- ruption named above. Directly opposite at a distance of two miles, but in full view stands Fort Erie, a blockhouse, accompanied by a suit of barracks and a hamlet. This collection of houses is built on a beautiful shore, wears less the appearance of a recent settlement, and exhibits a much greater degree of improvement, than any- thing which we saw west of the Genesee river. Beyond this hamlet a handsome point stretches to the south-west and furnishes an imperfect shelter to the vessels employed in the commerce of the lake. Seven of these vessels (five schooners,' a sloop and a pettiaugre) lay in the harbor at this time, and presented to us an image In this statement the reverend gentleman evidently erred. 148 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of business and activity, which distant as we were from the ocean, was scarcely less impressive than that presented by the harbor of New York, when crowded with al- most as many hundreds. Behind this point another much more remote stretches out in the same direction, exhibiting a form of finished elegance and seeming an ex- actly suitable limit for the sheet of water which fills the fine scope between these arms. Still further southward the lake opens in boundless view and presents in per- fect manner the blending of unlimited waters with the sky. Over these points, assembled as if to feast our eyes at the commencement of the evening after our ar- rival, one of the most beautiful collection of clouds ever seen by the votary of nature. . . . Beneath all this glory the lake, a boundless field of polished glass, glit- tered alternately with the variegated splendor of the clouds and the hues of the sky, softening and improving the brilliancy of both with inimitable delicacy and leaving on the mind the impression of enchantment rather than reality. This reverend traveler, like many others when first visiting a back- woods settlement, fresh from the scenes of older and more improved localities, formed a hasty conclusion as to the character and intelligence of the people who had settled in Buffalo at that time. Doubtless they had the outside appearance of rude adventurers ; this was a necessity in all similar settlements, and the tide of migration always carried with it more or less of the lower elements of population from older centers. But that the few dwellers in Buffalo in 1804 deserved the quoted dis- paragement is certainly not the fact. William Hall, who resided in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1863, when he was eighty-five years old, wrote as follows of Buffalo in 1804, in which year he visited the place on horseback : At Buffalo there were perhaps twenty houses, of which only three or four were frame, one of which was occupied by a Mr. Pratt, who kept a small store. He had his aged parents with him, whom I saw. Some streets were partially laid out, but the whole were full of stumps, and no fences. We rode up the creek some mile or two, and crossed to see a Mr. Leech, who was from Connecticut. Saw no craft, but one or two small boats, in one of which we crossed. Leaving Buffalo, we went to Black Rock, through woods — a small pathway, trod- den mostly by Indians, with some appearance of wagons having passed that way. We crossed the river in a scow, with our horses, to the Canada side, and found a good road, on the bank of the river, all the way to Chippewa. In the winter of 1802-3 a man who became well known to the early inhabitants of Erie county as Capt. Samuel Pratt, made a journey to Detroit from his home in an eastern State to buy furs. Passing through Buffalo, he was pleased with its appearance and advantageous situation and determined to settle there and engage in the fur trade. Returning home in the fall of 1803, he prepared to remove with his m<%C yi<6C FROM 1800 TO 1807. 149 family, in spite of the prophecies of disaster and the ridicule of his neighbors. Placing his belongings in an old fashioned two- horse coach, he started in 1804 and in due time astonished the settlers at Buffalo by driving up in front of Crow's tavern. There he- was met by Erastus Granger, who politely vacated his room, such as it was, for the accom- modation of Mrs. Pratt and her children. Captain Pratt selected the lot designated on the Holland Company's map as inner lot 2, but on later maps as lot 1, it being the one including the Mansion House site. He built a frame house, then the largest in the place, and a store, where he began business, in which he was successful for many years. ' William Hodge settled in Buffalo in 1804, having in the previous year taken up the farm lot that included the premises afterwards occu- pied by his son William, on Hodge avenue. He established an early nursery and in 1811 built a large brick hotel on the corner of what is now Main and Utica streets; this was the first brick building in the county and was long known as "The brick tavern on the hill." After the burning of Buffalo Mr. Hodge was one of the first to return to the ruins and begin the erection of a house. There were no changes in town formation in 1805, but the towns of Willink and Erie were organized in the spring, the first town meeting for Willink being held at Vancfeventer's, where the following officers were elected: Supervisor Peter Vandeventer ; town clerk, Zerah Ensign ; assessors, Asa Ransom, Aaron Beard, John J. Brown; collector, Levi Felton; commissioners of highways, Gad Warner, Charles Wilber, Samuel Hill, jr. ; constables, John Dunn, Julius Keys ; overseers of the poor, Henry Ellsworth and Otis Ingalls. The first town meeting of Erie was held at Crow's tavern, but most of the records of that town were destroyed at the burning of Buffalo. What is known of its organization and final disappearance is detailed in Chapter I. Samuel Tupper settled in Buffalo as early as 1805, in which year he had charge of what was known as the Contractor's store, a business 1 Besides his house and store, Captain Pratt built a large barn on the corner of Seneca and Ellicott streets, the frame of which stood through the fire in 1813 and was afterwards covered and used as a hotel stable. His store became the principal resort of the Indians for trade, with whom he had great influence. They called him " Negurriyu," or honest dealer. He was a man of great energy and activity, and his public spirit and confidence in the future of Buffalo led him to take part in every enterprise that promised to benefit the place. He had a'large family of children, among whom were Samuel Pratt, jr., Pascal P. Pratt, and Hiram Pratt. The latter was twice elected mayor of Buffalo.. Pascal P. Pratt, the present president of the Manufacturer's' and Traders' Bank of Buffalo, is a son of Samuel Pratt, jr. Captain Pratt died August 31, 1812. 150 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. enterprise begun probably in the latter part of 1804 by a company of contractors who supplied the military posts of the west. Mr. Tupper purchased inner lot 7 and in 1808 took up outer lot 17 and built a house on the corner of what is now Tupper and Main streets. In the fall of 1805 he was appointed a judge for Genesee county, the first man in Erie county who was given that honor; in 1812 he was made a judge of Niagara county. Vincent Grant settled in Buffalo in 1805 and was also connected with the Contractor's store. He purchased inner lot 8 in 1808 and built a store which was burned in 1813. He afterwards built a cheap structure over the ruins, corner of Main and Seneca streets, where he was in business till about 1820. Zenas Barker became a resident of Buffalo about 1805-6 and on the 1st of July, 1807, took up outer lots 76 and 77. He soon opened a tav- ern in his house on the terrace, cprner of Main street, which was a rival of John Crow's house. 1 Boljh of these landlords were licensed in 1805 to operate ferries across Buffalo Creek, Crow at its mouth and Barker at what became known as the Pratt ferry. Besides the two tavern licenses granted in 1805 in Buffalo, one was given to Nathaniel Titus, who opeped a public house at the bend of the lake shore in what is now Hamburg. Other settlers of the year in that town were Abner Amsden, who settled on the lake shore four miles above Titus ; Jotham Bemis (who had opposed Vandeventer for super- visor in the town meeting of 1803), purchased land in Hamburg and soon afterwards settled near Abbott's Corners; and Tyler Sackett,- Russell Goodrich, Rufus Belden, Abel Buck, Gideon Dudley, Samuel P. Hibbard, King Root, Winslow Perry, and perhaps others settled in the town in that year. In East Hamburg, Jacob Eddy (father of David) and Asa Sprague settled near Potter's Corners, where the Quaker element soon began to locate and later became very conspicu- ous. Daniel Smith in this year built a rude mill for grinding corn on what was called Hoag's Brook, two miles southwest of Potter's Corners, which was a convenience to the settlers, although it ground only five or six bushels a day. Other settlers in East Hamburg were William Col- 1 Mr. Barker had a large family of children, among whom was Jacob A. Barker, a well known citizen who died in the city in 1859. The father was a respected business man, and was appointed judge of Niagara county in 1813. A daughter married John G. Camp, an officer in the regular •army, who subsequently settled in Buffalo ; another daughter married a son of William Johnston, and another married Captain Hull, who was in the army in 1812. A granddaughter became the wife of the late Oliver G. Steele. Jacob A. Barker, son of Zenas, was prominently connected with lake commerce, held the office of county clerk from 1823 to 1828, and was a member of the Legislature. FROM 1800 TO 1807. 151 trin, Samuel Knapp and Joseph Sheldon, David Eddy built a saw mill for the Indians, under contract with Granger, the superintendent, on Cazenove Creek, near what is now Lower Ebenezer; this mill supplied the first boards for the settlers in the south towns. The machinery- was brought from Albany. Deacon Richard Cary, a Revolutionary soldier, who had seen arduous service, settled in Boston in 1805, with a sick wife and eight children and almost wholly without money. • It need not be stated that they en- countered severe hardships. They and the Johnsons carried their first crops of wheat to Chippewa to be ground, a journey of forty miles and return. Settlement in Aurora was somewhat advanced during 1805. Jabez Warren, as before stated, moved there in March, and was soon followed by his son William, 1 who cleared a part of his father's land and settled down with his young wife. In August he had cleared five acres of the soft wood trees and girdled the hardwood ; there he raised wheat. In the town of Newstead Archibald S. Clark purchased this year and soon settled on the Buffalo road about a mile and a half southwest of Akron; he became one of the most prominent early citizens of the county. He was a member of the Council of Appointment in 1816, and county clerk of Niagara county in the previous year, and was other- wise honored. Aaron Dolph settled in that town about that time, and other immigrants were John B'eamer, Eli Hammond, Salmon and George Sparling and Henry Russell. Settlers in Clarence in 1805 were Thomas Clark, Edmund Thompson, and David Hamlin, sr. A son of the, latter, who was eleven years old at the time of settlement of the family, left record that Asa Ransom had in that year both a saw and a grist mill in operation. In any event Ransom built a grist mill about that time, which was the first in the county for grinding wheat. The names of John Hershey, Alexander Logan and John King ap- pear as purchasers of land in Amherst in that year. At the same time Elias Ransom, brother of Asa, opetied a tavern three miles west of Williamsville. Jonas Williams, also, arrived there in that year. He had been a clerk in the land office and was sent by the company to 1 General William Warren (as he was afterwards known) had a natural taste for military- affairs and was commissioned captain soon after his arrival in Aurora ; his district included all the southern part of Erie county and Wyoming county. His first order to assemble his company, made soon after receipt of his commission, brought together nine men. General Warren passed nearly all of his long life in Aurora, living to nearly a hundred years. 152 OUR. COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Chautauqua county on business. The fine water power on Ellicott's Creek attracted his attention, and he purchased the land and the aban- doned mill of Thompson, before mentioned, and in the spring of 1805 began the rebuilding of the mill. He was the founder of the village of Williamsville, which took his name. During the years 1806-07, with the record of which this chapter will close, settlement in the county was gradual but steady, and pioneers arrived in several new localities outside of Buffalo village. A brief description of this place in 1806 was written by David Mather, and printed in the History of the Holland Purchase, as follows : I settled in Buffalo in 1806. There were were then sixteen dwelling houses, prin- cipally frame ones ; eight of them were scattered along on Main street, three of them were on the terrace, three of them on Seneca street, and two of them on Cayuga street. There were two stores — one of them the "Contractors'" on the corner of Main and Seneca streets, kept by Vincent Grant, on the east side of Main street. The other was the store of Samuel Pratt, adjoining Crow's tavern. Mr. Le Couteulx kept a drug store in part of his house on [the north side of] Crow street. David Reese's Indian blacksmith shop was on Seneca street, and William Robbins had a blacksmith shop on Main street. John Crow kept a tavern where the Mansion House now stands, and Judge Barker kept one on the site of the market. I remem- ber very well the arrival of the first public mail that ever reached Buffalo. It was brought on horseback by Ezra Metcalf. He came to my blacksmith shop and got his horse shod, and told me he could carry the contents of his [mail] bag in his two hands. 1 The David Reese above mentioned settled in Buffalo as the Indian blacksmith, probably in employ of the government, about 1803, and in 1806 purchased outer lot 176, on Seneca street, and built his black- smith shop about where the post-office stands. The shop was a red one-story frame structure and was one of the two buildings not burned in 1813, when it was used as a shelter for some of the wounded. Reese built his dwelling on the opposite corner on part of Johnston's lot. He continued his business until about 1823. * 1 It is probable that Mr. Mather overlooked the store of Sylvanus Maybee in this record, and Joshua Gillett must have had a small store about that time. 2 In 1815 Mr. Reese had an unfortunate collision with Young King, then a principal chief of the Senecas, residing at Buffalo Creek. Reese with others was returning from cutting grass upon the south side of Buffalo Creek, when they met an Indian (probably intoxicated) for whom Reese had promised to do some small job of work in his blacksmith shop; in the dispute which followed, "Reese struck the Indian with- his hand or fist, which felled him to the ground. At this moment Young King rode up on horseback, and sharply remonstrated with Reese for what he had done, which exasperated him to such a degree that he threatened to serve Young King the same way; upon which Young King, having dismounted, struck Reese on the head with a stick or club, upon which Reese seized a scythe in the hands of a bystander and struck Young King a severe blow FROM 1800 TO 1807. 153 Within the present city limits there settled during the two years un- der consideration Major Noble, James Stewart, Gideon Moshier, Loren and Velorous Hodge, Henry Ketcham, and some others. The prices of land had meanwhile slightly advanced. In 1806 Joseph Landon purchased Crow's tavern, improved and refitted it and founded the ex- isting Mansion House. Mr. Landon made his house popular and well known over a wide territory. • Until this time Buffalo had been without a lawyer. Judge Ebenezer Walden arrived in 1806, bearing a letter of introduction to Erastus Granger, and immediately began practice in an office on Main street between Seneca and Exchange. He was a most worthy man and be- came a leading citizen and large real estate owner. t For several years he was the only lawyer in Western New York west of Batavia. A brief sketch of his career will be found in Chapter XXX. Elijah Leech settled in the village in 1806, entered the employ of Samuel Pratt, subsequently married his daughter and engaged in part- nership with Mr. Pratt. He built his house on the south side of Buf- falo Creek at the old ferry. ; He held several offices and finally removed to Clarence Hollow and died there. It was in L807 ' that the first school house of which there is definite knowledge was built in Buffalo, as detailed in the chapter devoted to educational affairs in the county. A school had been kept, however, in the winter of 1806-7, and perhaps earlier, by Hiram Hanchett in the old-Middaugh house. The school house was built on the corner of , Pearl and Swan streets, became a historic building, and was used until 1813. The. money to erect it was raised by subscription, Among the subscribers appear the names of Thomas Fourth; Isaac H. Bennet, Levi Strong, William Hull, Richard Mann, Asahel Adkins, Samuel Andrews, Garret Freeland, and Billa Sherman, who have not before been noticed as settlers. Levi Strong and George Kith built the house. Farther details of the first school house and school will be found in Chapter XXIX. It was probably in 1806 that the pastoral services of Rev. Elkanah across the arm, nearly-severing it from his body. The arm was amputated the following day; -Reese was prosecuted for the maiming, hut through the influence of mutual friends the matter was submitted to arbitration.— Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 186. The arbitrators in this case were Augustus Porter, Joshua Gillett and Jonas Williams. The affair was thus settled. 1 The death of William Johnston took place in 1807, when he was sixty-five years of age. Al- though his early life had been a stormy one and connected with the enemies of the country, he died in the erij oyment of the respect of the community. 20 154 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Holmes were secured. To accomplish this worthy purpose the inhab- itants held a meeting and made a list of those who were willing to aid in paying for a preacher's labors for a certain length of time. Then the amount was estimated necessary to be paid by each in each week, and it was agreed that the amount so fixed should be brought in a paper every Sunday. This novel arrangement succeeded perfectly and no debt was incurred. Other purchasers of land of 1807 were Joseph Wells, farm lots 28 and. 41, township 11, range 8; Frederick Miller, lots 36 and 37; Zachariah Griffin, lot 43; Ebenezer Walden, lot 52; Joshua Gillett, lot 51; Alvin Dodge, lot 54; Elijah Holt, lot 75; Daniel Chapin, lots 66 and 81; Rowland Cotton, lot 75. Capt. Rowland Cotton had seen Revolution- ary service, and had his residence about five miles out of the village on the old Batavia road. He was father of a large family. Henry Ketch- am and his brother Zebulon were early settlers, the former purchasing outer lot 17 and farm lot 70 in 1807; he built a dwelling on the corner of Main and Chippewa streets and lived there until the burning of the place in 1813. These two were brothers also of Jesse Ketcham, who purchased real estate in Buffalo ; he was conspicuous in the work of advancing education and religion. After living for a time in Toronto, he returned to Buffalo and passed the remainder of his life there. As far as relates to settlements in the count)' outside of Buffalo dur- ing 1806-07 the story is briefly told. Among the important improve- ments made was the building of the first grist mill in the southwest part of the county by John Cummings, on Eighteen-mile Creek about a mile below Water Valley in the town of Hamburg. The raising of the frame was a notable incident and long remembered by the pioneers. Jacob Wright settled about this period in Hamburg near Abbott's Cor- ners, which was for many years known as Wright's Corners. In 1806 Joel Harvey, the first settler in Evans, opened a tavern in his house at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. A few purchases were made in that town at this time, but most of the buyers soon became discour- aged and left, and permanent settlement was not made until several years later. By the year 1806 the Friends, or Quakers, in East Hamburg had be- »come so numerous that a Friends Meeting was organized; it was probably the first i - eligious organization in the county. In the next year they built a meeting house near Potter's Corners; this was for more than ten years the only building for religious purposes in the FROM 1800 TO 1807. 155 county. In 1806 also the Quakers built a school house, where Henry Hibbard taught the first school. David Eddy built a saw mill on Smoke's Creek, not far from Potter's Corners, and Seth and Samuel Abbott, brothers, settled a few miles southeast of Potter's Corners in the fall of 1807, and both became leading citizens, the latter giving his name to Abbott's Corners. In Boston during the two years we are considering, the settlers in- cluded Jonathan Bump, Benjamin Whaley, Job Palmer, Calvin Doo- little, Eliab Streeter, Joseph Yaw, William Cook, Ethan Howard and Serrill Alger. In 1806 Phineas Stephens bought the mill site at the lower village, Aurora, and built a saw mill the same year; in that year or the next he added a grist mill, built of hewed logs. In 1806, or 1807, William Warren, before mentioned, began keeping tavern in his log house, the first in the southeast part of the county. In 1807 Mary Eddy taught a school in the cabin he had first built there, and Mr. Warren himself taught there in the following winter. Among new purchasers in this town in 1806 were Solomon Hall, James S. Henshaw, Oliver Patten- gill, Walter Paine, Jonathan Hussey, Ira Paine and Humphrey Smith, all of whom became residents in that year or the next. Mr. Smith subsequently bought the mill site at Griffinshire and erected mills, and also those at West Falls and at the forks of Cazenove Creek. Ephraim Woodruff, the pioneer blacksmith in the southeast part of the county, settled in Aurora in 1807. In 1806, or 1807, the Friends Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia sent a mission to instruct the Indians on the Cattaraugus Reserve, adjoining which they bought 300 acres of land. The mission of several single men and women was under charge of Jacob Taylor, from whom that locality took the name of Taylor's Hollow. They taught the Indians rudimentary book knowledge, housework, farming, etc., and accom- plished much good. With this exception the valley of the Cattaraugus remained a wilderness until the fall of 1807, when Christopher Stone and John Albro made their own road through the forest and located on the site of Springville. There the two families remained through the winter, their nearest neighbors ten miles away on Eighteen-mile Creek. In 1806 William Allen made the first settlement in the present town of Wales and others soon followed; he located about half a mile south of the site of Wales Center. In the same fall Amos Clark and William 156 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Hoyt settled a little east of what became known as Holmes's Hill, which received its name from two brothers, Ebenezer and John M. Holmes; they did not arrive until early in 1808, but preceding the reorganization of the purchase and therefore may be noticed here. Both had large families, Ebenezer eight and John M. nine children, most of whom lived long in that section. Jacob Turner settled in Wales near William Allen in 1807, or 1808. The present town of Holland was first settled in 1807, when Arthur Humphrey, Abner Currier, and Jared Scott made clearings on the creek flats between South Wales and the site of Holland village. In 1806 the first purchase in the present town of Alden was made by Jonas Vanwey, who settled in the northwest corner. There was no other permanent settlement in this town until some years later. In the town of Newstead Elisha Geer, Jonathan Fish and perhaps others settled in 1806, and Charles Knight, Lemuel Osborn and others in 1807. There is a tradition that a Methodist society was formed at the house of Mr. Osborn in the fall of 1807, with twelve members. It was the first Methodist society on the purchase and the second religious organization in this county. Rev. Peter Van Ness, one of the two preachers sent out in 1807, was present. It was in one of these two years that Archibald S. Clarke opened the first store in the county outside of Buffalo, on his farm near Vandeventer's. It was an im- provement most welcome to the inhabitants of that section. Clarence received accessions in 1806 of Jonathan Barrett, John Tyler, Justice Webster, and others, and William Barrett, Thomas Brown, and Asa Harris settled there in 1807. Harris Hill took its name from Asa Harris, who located there. James Hershey and William Maltby settled in Amherst in 1806, and John Drake, Samuel Fackler, Gamaliel St. John, and others in 1807. The latter settled near where Jonas 'Williams was striving to found the village of Williamsville (then called Williams's Mills), and had to pay $3 an acre for his land, while the others named bought for $2. Mrs. St. John was destined to perform a heroic part in connection with the burning of Buffalo. The elections for the town of Willink down to and including 1806 continued to be held at Vandeventer's, -and each year he was chosen supervisor. In 1807 the town meeting was held at Clarence Hollow, when Asa Ransom was elected to that office. In April, 1807, the gen- eral election was held, continuing three days, and the settlers were FROM 1808 TO 1810. 157 privileged for the first time to use a ballot box. The election was held a day and a half north of the reservation, and in the next forenoon the polls were opened on the south side at Warren's tavern in Aurora; in the afternoon in Wales. The excise commissioners of the town of Willink for 1807 certified to ten persons to keep taverns in the town, and there was not yet a single store. CHAPTER XII. 1808-1810. Further Territorial Changes — Erection of Niagara County— The New County- Seat — Beginning of Court House and Jail — The First Courts and Judges — Impetus to Immigration — Lot Buyers in Buffalo in 1808 — Settlements Outside of Buffalo — First Town Meeting for Clarence — Settlements in Northern Part of the County— Glezen Fillmore's Arrival in the County — Letters of Juba Storrs — Attempt to Re- move the Port of Entry — Erastus Granger's Protest — Religious Meetings in Buffalo. Territorial changes of great importance took place on the Holland Purchase in 1808, in which Erie county was directly involved. The reader has learned of these in detail in Chapter I. As far as these changes directly affected this county it should be briefly stated here that Allegany county was erected from Genesee in 1806, the latter remaining with its then existing boundaries until March 11, 1808. On that date a law was passed erecting the county of Niagara from that part of Genesee county lying north of Cattaraugus Creek and west of the line between the 4th and 5th ranges of townships on the purchase. At the same time Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties were erected .with substantially their present boundaries ; but a peculiar clause of the erecting act prohibited their organization until each should have 500 voters. For public purposes they consequently remained for a time attached to Niagara county. There has since been only one im- portant territorial change west of the east line of Cattaraugus and the original Niagara county — the erection of Erie in 1821. The act erecting Niagara county (embracing all of the territory now •constituting Erie county) contained a provision locating the county seat at " Buffalo or New Amsterdam," provided the Holland Company 158 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. should within three years erect a suitable court house and jail on at least half an acre of land which should be deeded to the new county by the company. The act also directed the holding of certain terms of the Court of Common Pleas and the Court of General- Sessions (as de- tailed in Chapter XXX), the first term of which was to be held at the public house of Joseph Landon * (formerly Crow's tavern). The legislative act under consideration also made many and im- portant changes in town and township boundaries. A tier of town- ships from the east side of Willink remained in Genesee county, and all of Niagara county north of Tonawanda Creek was erected into the town of Cambria. At the same time the town of Clarence was erected from Willink and Erie, comprising the territory between Tonawanda Creek on the north and the center of the Buffalo Creek Reservation, and of course including Buffalo village. The first town meeting for Clarence was to be held at the house of Elias Ransom (near Eggerts- ville, now in the town of Amherst). That part of Niagara county south of the center of the reservation remained as the town of Willink. These various changes, as explained in Chapter I, obliterated the old town of Erie from the map. It will be seen that the territory of Erie county constituted by far the larger part of the original Niagara county, and it contained the principal part' of the population. It was at a later date to retain the original county seat and all of the county records that had been preserved. Augustus Porter was appointed by the governor first judge of the Court of Common Pleas of Niagara County. Two of his associates were Erastus Granger and Samuel Tupper, of Buffalo. Asa Ransom was the first sheriff ; Archibald S. Clarke (then the only merchant on Erie county territory outside of Buffalo), surrogate, and Louis Le Cou- teulx, county clerk. Mr. Clarke was, in the same year, elected to the Assembly from the district comprising the three new counties. These appointments made some changes in the offices of the local militia. Asa Ransom was compelled to resign his lieutenant-colonelcy and was succeeded by Timothy S. Hopkins, which was one step of the ladder towards the general's commission which he subsequently held. This, with the cashiering of Sylvanus Maybee, left two major's positions 1 Joseph Landon, as has already been stated, founded the Mansion House in Buffalo. He pur- chased inner lot 81 in July. 1807. He married Mrs. Marvin, mother of Mrs. Ebenezei- Walden, and for his second wife, the widow of Dr. West, who was long stationed at Fort Niagara. Mr, Landon removed later to Lockport, where he kept a public house. MAP OF BUFFALO VILLAGE OUTER LOTS. //■<"" an, ftngrai/ing Ay E. Tt-Jewtu CAMPAIGN OF 1813. 231 their families, and carrying thither appalling reports of defeat and the oncoming of the infuriated British and blood-thirsty Indians. Univer- sal panic seized the whole community. Flight, immediate and swift, was the ruling object of every individual and self-preservation the motive. Every conveyance in the place was at once employed, into which were hastily tumbled household goods as well as living freight, and driven off at top speed. Those who could not obtain a vehicle of any description took their lighter valuables, if they possessed any such, and perforce hastened away on foot. Some were on horseback, fre- quently a man with a child in front and a woman behind on the same horse. In the mad scramble to escape the expected bloody onslaught of the Indians, members of families were separated, to be reunited only after the lapse of weeks. The ever present human selfishness ruled in many instances, causing great suffering to deserted ones; but, on the other hand, there were many noble and unselfish deeds per- formed, the record of which dispels much of the gloom of the story.' Some of the fugitives took the old Batavia road ; some the Cayuga Creek road; a few fled to the Indian village, but a larger number crossed the Buffalo Creek ferry and fled up the lake shore into Ham- burg. When Dr. Chapin left the village in the morning, he told his two daughters, eleven and nine years old respectively, to go to his farm in Hamburg, ten miles distant, with Hiram Pratt, then thirteen years old, as their only escort. Starting out in the snow they came to the Pratt homestead where the lad persuaded his sister Mary, eleven years old, to accompany them. At Smoke's Creek a wagon containing other members of the Pratt family overtook them and Mary was taken into the vehicle. ■ The other three would not accept a ride, and they trudged along the whole distance on foot. All the time the panic was increasing. While a crowd of teams and people were flying up Main street ahead of the oft-repeated cry, " The Indians are coming," suddenly the head of the procession halted and fell back in confusion upon their followers. They had met the same alarming cry in advance — "The Indians were coming up the Guide- 1 It is true there were many examples of self-abnegation and sacrifice for the benefit of others; one well authenticated instance deserves to be recorded. On the morning of the flight of the in- habitants from their burning dwellings, a farmer from one of the south towns, on his way to Buffalo with a load of cheese for market, met the retreating mass of women and children on the beach of the lake, a short distance out of town. He immediately threw his cheese out upon the ground, abandoned it, and loaded his wagon with the most helpless of the women and children, and helped them on their flight.— Ketcham's Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II, p. 303. 232 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. board road" (North street); or, "they were out at Hodge's." Back down Main street rolled the hapless tide, turned into Seneca street, and onward, some to the Indian village or to Willink ; some to Pratt's ferry, where James Johnson carried across nineteen loads and then himself joined the fugitives. It was well that the people turned back down Main street, for the Indians were indeed on the Guide-board road. It was there that Job Hoysington, a Buffalo pioneer of 1810, a celebrated hunter and marks- man, who had already done good service in the war, exclaimed to his fleeing comrades that he would have one more shot at the oncoming redskins. He halted to accomplish his heroic purpose, emptied his rifle at least once, received a bullet in his brain and was scalped. His body was found when the snow disappeared in the spring. In his ab- sence his wife awaited his return in their home, corner of Main and Utica streets, but at last started away on foot with her two children. She was soon overtaken by two cavalrymen, who each took a little one on their horses. Long afterwards she found one of her children in Clarence and the other in Genesee county. Near where North street now crosses Delaware avenue, Alfred Hodge made a narrow escape by hiding behind a log, while a few of the Indians passed by almost with- in reach of his hand. These and other Indians fired several shots at the fugitives on Main street, wounding one or two and causing the sudden change of course before described. William Hodge, sr. , did not believe Buffalo would be attacked, but was finally forced to a change of mind. When, from his " brick tavern on the hill," he saw the militia hurrying past, he told his hired man to yoke his oxen while he made preparations inside of the house for de- parture. No oxen appearing, he made an investigation only to find that the hired man's anxiety to get away was greater than his own and he had fled. Mr. Hodge induced the driver of an army wagon to take aboard his family with some bedding and provisions, and they were carried away. He then yoked his oxen, loaded his cart with other goods and followed. It was at about this time in the rapid sequence of events that Colonel Chapin made a futile attempt at negotiations with the enemy on his retreat towards Buffalo. When Chapin arrived at the junction of Main and Niagara streets he found a squad of men with a small cannon mounted on wagon wheels. After firing it at the enemy a few times, it was disabled and Chapin tied a handkerchief on a stick and advanced CAMPAIGN OF 1813. 233 to meet the enemy, hoping to negotiate a capitulation. Chapin claimed in his report that he only sought to delay the foe, while the people could escape. In any event little attention was paid to his effort and after a brief delay the British swept on to the village. Meanwhile important, occurrences were taking place at other points. About the time Chapin's cannon was dismounted a party of retreating American soldiers reached Poineroy's hotel, corner of Main and Seneca streets. They were hungry and when they begged for food of the landlord, he told them to go into the kitchen and help themselves from his store of bread. The street was soon filled with soldiers bearing a gun in one hand and a loaf of bread in the other. At this juncture they were badly frightened at seeing a long file of Indians running down Washington street ; but the alarm was needless, for the Indians kept straight on to the Little Buffalo, probably acting under orders. Gamaliel St. John, whose sad drowning has been noticed, had built a new hotel on Main street about opposite the site of the present Tifft House. His widow had leased the house, though it was not yet occu- pied by the lessee, and moved into a small dwelling just north of it, which was part of her late husband's estate. Directly opposite was the dwelling of Asaph S. Bern is, who had married one of Mrs. St. John's daughters. Near by was the house of Joshua Lovejoy, who was absent. As the enemy approached, Mrs. Lovejoy sent her little son (the late Henry Lovejoy) into the woods for safety, she remaining in the house. Mrs. St. John, who was one of those who had doubted that the British would attack the village, also remained at home. Mr. Bemis, who had been ill, hitched up his team for the purpose of taking his wife out of danger. Mrs. St. John requested him to take her six younger children with him, while she and two older daughters would remain and pack her goods. Mr. Bemis did so, intending to take his first load a mile or two out, and then return for the other three women and their trunks. Before this arrangement could be effected the ene- my was in the town. The Indians reached Main street first, while the troops were drawn up near the corner of Mohawk and Main streets, where Samuel Edsall had his tannery. A dozen Indians came on yell- ing towards Mrs. St. John's house. Although she held aloft a white flag, they burst in and began plundering the trunks which were packed for removal. One of the Indians took no part in this vandalism, and the women noticed that he spoke English. In reply to their inquiries as to what would be done with them, he said they would not be hurt, 30 234 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. but would be taken by the squaws to the colonel in command. They were pleased with this prospect and were taken down Mohawk street to the corner of Niagara, where troops were stationed. Mrs. St. John explained her circumstances to the officer and begged his protection. He asked her if she wished to be sent to Canada, and she replied in the negative, but implored him to save her house. After momentary hesi- tation he assented and detailed two soldiers to accompany the women home and protect them and the hotel from harm. 1 At the same time Mrs. Lovejoy had become involved in an altercation with an Indian over a shawl. Mrs. St. John besought her to give it to him and come into her cottage for safety, but she declined to do so. Only a little later other Indians came to plunder and burn Mrs. Love- joy's dwelling, but she placed herself in the doorway and resisted them. Suddenly a savage drew a knife and plunged it into her breast. Her body was dragged into the yard- where it lay for hours on the snow. a While these incidents were taking place the torch was applied to the buildings on Main and Seneca streets, and the flames were lurid in the heavens. Among the structures early fired was Dr. Johnson's dwell- ing, from which he was absent. His wife waited until it was in flames before she fled. Hitching their horse to a sled, into which she placed a bed and some other articles, she started away with her infant daugh- ter (who subsequently became the wife of Dr. John C. Lord) for Wil- liamsville. At about this time, and in the middle of the forenoon, Lieutenant Riddle, of the United States army, marched down Main street with forty convalescents from the hospital at Williamsville, and a six- pounder cannon ; his purpose was to drive the British out of Buffalo! He was met by Ebenezer Walden, who soon convinced him of the hopelessness of his undertaking, and he retired. The hungry flames rapidly devoured the wooden buildings of the village and most of them were soon in ashes. The houses of Judge Walden and Dr. Chapin were spared that day, as also was the little home before which lay the corpse of Mrs. Lovejoy. Chapin and Wal- 1 One of the daughters of Mrs. St. John married Samuel Wilkeson ; another Dr. Foote ; another, Jonathan Sidway, and another, Asaph S. Bemis, father of E. S. and A. S. Betnis, of Buffalo. 2 The British officer excused this piece of barbarity on the ground that she resisted those who entered her house, where she remained after her family and friends had fled, and that the responsi- bility for her death rested upon herself, owing to her indiscretion and desperation. Mr. Lovejoy died in New York in 1824. Henry Lovejoy, the well known surveyor of Buffalo, was his son. — J^etchain/s Buffalo and the Senecas, Vol. II. p. 2s!*j. CAMPAIGN OF 1813. 235 den were both taken prisoners and the former was detained more than a year; Judge Walden escaped before leaving the village. By the middle of the afternoon all of Buffalo, save six or eight buildings, was a smouldering ruin. The few houses that had been left at Black Rock, J with the exception of one log cabin, were then burned and the enemy retired across the river, taking with them about ninety prisoners, forty of whom were from Blakeslie's troops. More than forty were killed, stripped of their clothing, and their mutilated bodies left stark upon the snow. Most of them had been scalped. The Ariel, Little Belt, Chippewa and Trippe, vessels lying at Black Rock, were burned. Among the slain Americans the highest officer was Lieutenant-Colonel Boughton, of Avon. Others were Job Hoysington,* John Roop, Sam- uel Holmes, John Trisket, James Nesbit, Robert Franklin (colored), and a Mr. Myers, of Buffalo, were killed ; Robert Hilland, Adam Law- fer, of Black Rock; Jacob Vantine, jr., of Clarence; Moses Fenno, of Alden; Israel Reed, of Aurora; Newman Baker, Parley Moffat and William Cheeseman, of Hamburg and East Hamburg; Maj. William C. Dudley, and probably Peter Hoffman, of Evans, and Calvin Cary, of Boston. This is according to the present division of the towns. Moses Fenno we have already noticed as the first pioneer of Alden. Calvin Cary was the oldest son of Deacon Richard Cary, the pioneer of Boston ; he was a man of gigantic stature and sold his life dearly, after killing two out of three Indians by whom he was attacked. The enemy lost about thirty killed and sixty wounded ; not an officer was among their killed and only two were wounded. The enemy's forces numbered, according to official reports, about 1,000 men and nearly 200 Indians. Had the 2,000 Americans been under good disci- pline and commanded by thoroughly efficient officers in all cases, there is little doubt that the foe might have been driven back across the river and held at bay, at least for a time, and much loss and suffering averted. When General Hall reached Williamsville he rallied a few hundred fugitives and called in reinforcements, but there was no more fighting. No pen can picture the scenes and incidents of that memorable 30th of December along the Williamsville, the Hamburg and the Big Tree roads ; much of the details must.be left to the imagination. On through Clarence and Williamsville hurried and crowded and jostled a motley and indiscriminate mob of militia, citizens, sleighs, ox sleds, wagons, carts, horsemen and horsewomen, children and infants, every one of 236 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the human individuals apparently inspired with but one purpose — to get as far as possible from Buffalo and Black Rock and in the briefest time. 1 The news of the disaster flew faster than the body of the fugitives, though just how no one can tell. Every repetition of the story of the attack increased its picturesque exaggeration. Militia, citizens and Indians all seemed to desire to magnify the tale, possibly that their own flight might seem justifiable. The fleeing fugitives found dwellings as far away as Aurora, Wales and Newstead fully furnished but deserted ; there was no hesitation in entering them and setting up housekeeping until the return of those who had prior rights. Humorous scenes and incidents were intermingled with the tragic and pathetic; it is always thus when panic seizes a body of men and women. One of these incidents is related of a Clarence family in which were several small children. When they were ready for flight all were loaded into a sleigh with goods and provisions. The dis- tracted father then took the reins and drove away at top speed. After going several miles the astonishing discovery was made that one of the- children had been lost out of the rear of the sleigh. It was afterwards found uninjured. Quiet reigned over the ruins of Buffalo and Black Rock on the bleak 31st of December; nothing occurred to disturb the wintry silence of the dreary scene. Eager curiosity took many citizens from surround- ing towns who mingled with the few remaining at Buffalo to gaze upon the dismal ruins and talk of the events of the preceding day and the future prospect. On the 1st of January, when the hearts of the settlers should have been cheered with gladness at the opening of the new year, a body of the enemy suddenly appeared amid the ashes of Buffalo, captured a number of prisoners and fired the remaining build- ings, with the exception of the jail, which withstood their efforts, Reese's blacksmith shop and Mrs. St. John's cottage. That persistent woman made another appeal to the British officer to spare the large 1 On this subject Turner, who personally talked with many who participated in the flight, wrote as follows: "An ox sled would come along bearing wounded soldiers, whose companions had pressed the slow team into their service; another with the family of a settler, a few house- hold goods that had been hustled upon it, and one, two or three wearied females from Buffalo, who had begged the privilege of a ride and the rest that it afforded; then a remnant of some dis- persed corps of militia, hugging as booty, as spoils of the vanquished, the arms they had neg- lected to use; then squads and families of Indians, on foot and on ponies, the squaw with her papoose upon her back, and a bevy of juvenile Senecas in her train; and all this is but a stinted programme of the scene that was presented. Bread, meats and drinks soon vanished from the log taverns on the routes, and fleeing settlers divided their scanty stores with the almost fam- ished that came from the frontiers." ' CAMPAIGN OP 1813. 237 hotel, but he showed her his orders to burn everything except a house "occupied by an old woman and two girls," and the hotel was burned. The torch was also applied to the house in which the body of Mrs. Lovejoy still remained and it was soon in ashes. Among the prisoners taken was Benjamin Hodge, jr., who was kept through the war, and David Eddy, of Hamburg. Learning that valuable stores belonging to merchants and others were secreted in Hodge's tavern, on the hill, the British commander sent a squad of men to burn it. Mr. Hodge and Keep, the Cold Spring blacksmith, were there, but fled as the soldiers approached. When ordered to halt Mr. Hodge obeyed and doubtless thereby saved his life. Keep continued on the run and was shot and killed. The hotel was then ruthlessly burned. At this juncture a detach men c of mounted men was seen crossing Scajaquada Creek, and the British hurriedly mounted and rode away down the hill. The horsemen were Canadian volunteers under Adju- tant Tottman. As the latter galloped up beside the rear of the British he was instantly shot and killed. Following Tottman's troops was William Hodge, who had returned on the previous day and found his hotel untouched. He now beheld it burning to the ground. This was the last building destroyed in the village. A day or two later citizens assembled and gathered the dead and laid them in Reese's shop; they were over forty in number. It was a ghastly sight, most of the bodies having been stripped, tomahawked and scalped. Those not soon taken away by friends were placed in a large grave in the old Franklin Square burial ground and covered tem- porarily with boards, so that they might be examined by relatives and taken away. Quiet again settled down over the village. The remainder of that winter witnessed much distress in Erie county and near by territory, especially along the frontier. In the interior the fugitive farmers and tradesmen soon returned to their homes and generally escaped severe suffering; their homes were left to them and in most cases were provided with life's necessaries. At Buffalo it was not so. A detachment of regulars was stationed there, which gave the returning inhabitants a measure of confidence, and the task of rebuild- ing on the ruins began. William Hodge and his family returned on the 6th of January, and Mr. Pomeroy, the landlord, soon followed him. The latter erected the first building amid the ruins on the site of his former hotel, and Mr. Hodge the second. Holden Allen, father of Capt. Levi Allen, occupied Mrs. St. John's cottage and entertained the 238 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. many who cam-e to see the ruins. Frequent rumors reached the place of another attack by the British, and several times the inhabitants packed their goods for flight. Twice a squad of British crossed the river, but were driven back by soldiers and citizens. Those who were suffering for food were supplied from the army commissary. Harris's Hill was made a sort of meeting place for the merchants and other busi- ness men ; thither the Salisbury brothers had moved the Gazette print- ing office and on the 18th of January a number of their paper was pub- lished there. Root & Boardman opened their law office, according to their advertisement, "next door east of Harris' tavern and fourteen miles from Buffalo ruins." Zenas Barker also established the county clerk's office there, while the nearest post-office was at Williamsville. Prompt measures for relief of the sufferers on the western frontier were adopted by the public authorities and people of less unfortunate districts. The Legislature voted $40,000, besides $5,000 to the Tus- carora Indians, and $5,000 to those residents in Canada who were forced to leave on account of their fealty to the United States. Besides these appropriations, the city of Albany voted $1,000; the city of New York, $3,000; the citizens of Canandaigua appointed a relief committee who raised a considerable sum and sent solicitations for aid to points eastward, from all of which contributions came. With this aid the people on the frontier passed the cheerless winter. CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 239 CHAPTER XVII. CAMPAIGN OF 1814. The Americans under Better Conditions — The Situation — Erie County — Changes in Local Militia — Arrival on the Frontier of Winfield Scott — General Porter's Com- mand — A More Vigorous Military System Inaugurated — Execution of Deserters — Rebuilding of Buffalo — Beginning of Public and Private Business — Military Opera- tions in Progress — Capture of Fort Erie — The Enemy Pursued — The Battle of Chip- pewa — Failure of Co-operation of Chauncey's Fleet — General Brown's Plans to At- tack the British — Battle of Lundy's Lane — Heroism of the American Troops — Im- portant Results of the American Victory — Ripley's Flight to Black Rock — Siege of Fort Erie — A Memorable Sortie — The British Defeated — General Izard Arrives on the Frontier — Close of the Campaign — Treaty of Peace. The campaign of 1814 was conducted with more vigor and judgment by the Americans, and the capture of Canada and supremacy on the ocean continued as the main factors of the war. Troops began to arrive on the frontier, and under the command of new officers rigid discipline and general efficiency were inaugurated. The Canadian frontier was under the immediate command of Major Riall, who had his headquarters on Queenston Heights, and the British 100th Regi- ment was stationed along the river from Chippewa to Fort Erie. The enemy under General Drummond at Kingston was prepared to move against Sackett's Harbor. The pickets had been taken from Fort George, while Fort Niagara was materially strengthened. Williams- ville continued as the rendezvous of American troops, and regulars and volunteers began to arrive at that place and at Buffalo. Many changes were made in the local militia. In Lieutenant- Colonel War- ren's regiment, the 48th, Ezekiel Cook was commissioned first major, and Ezra Knott as second major; Lyman Blackmar, Peter Lewis, Frederick Richmond, Luther Colvin, Benjamin I. Clough, Timothy Fuller and James M. Stevens as captains; Thomas Holmes, Aaron Salisbury, Dennis Riley, Moses Baker, William Austin, Oliver Alger, Micah B. Crook and Elihu Rice as lieutenants ; and John Holmes, Otis Wheelock, Lathrop Francis, Sumner Warren, George Hamilton, Cal- vin Doolittle, Giles Briggs and Asa Warren as ensigns. 240 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. On the 10th of April there arrived at Chippewa a man whose deeds on the frontier were soon to give him military renown and greatly ad- vance, the American cause. This was Winfield Scott, who was then thirty years old and a model soldier in every respect. A few weeks later Major-Gen. Jacob Brown, who had already shown excellent qual- ities at the foot of Lake Ontario, and had been rapidly promoted to the highest rank, arrived on the frontier and assumed the chief command. His forces consisted of two brigades, commanded respectively by Scott and Col. Eleazer W. Ripley, to each of which was attached a small body of artillery. There was also a small troop of cavalry. These commands were under excellent discipline and in high spirits. There were also about 1,100 volunteers gathered from Pennsylvania and New York, and about 600 Indians who bad been inspired to action by the eloquence of Red Jacket. These volunteers and Indians were. under chief command of Gen. Peter B. Porter. Towards the last of May Scott removed his headquarters to Buffalo and his troops went into camp amid the ruins. They were kept under constant drill and disci- pline was enforced to the utmost. Deserters were mercilessly pun- ished, four of them having been shot in Buffalo on the 4th of June. The execution took place at what is the corner of Maryland and Sixth streets, and was long remembered as a strikingly tragic scene. There were five deserters Under sentence of death, but when the fire of the squad was made, only four of the victims fell beside their coffins, while the fifth, a young man of twenty-one years, sprang to his feet, wrenched the cords from his arms and tore the bandage from his eyes. When the soldiers advanced towards him, he supposed his last moments had come, and fell fainting to the ground. He was carried away and his life spared. The muskets of the soldiers who fired at him had been loaded with blank cartridges, the reason for which has never been made public. Buffalo was rising from its ashes. From the early part of the year the more enterprising of the citizens began to study the situation and make preparations to return to their former vocations. The energetic Ralph M. Pomeroy, the popular landlord, whose rebuilding of his hotel is mentioned in the last chapter, made the following announcement in •the Gazette of February 22 : Buffalo Phoenix. — R. M. Pomeroy begs leave to inform the public, and his old customers in particular, that he is again erecting his tavern among the ruins of Buf- falo. He calculates by the first of March to be prepared to receive and wait on ^=* > CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 241 Company. . . . Come on then, men of New York; let not snow or rain deter you; come in companies, half companies, pairs or singly; ride to the place if the distance be too far and pay me dollars, half dollars, shillings, and six-pennys. On the 7th of March sufferers from the burning of the village and the destruction of property were publicly notified to meet at the house of A. P. Harris (this was the Harris tavern) and prove their losses. The local committee of investigation appointed to appraise losses con- sisted of Charles Townsend, Samuel Tupper, Ebenezer Walden, Jonas Harrison, Heman B. Potter, Seth Grosvenor, Joseph Landon, and Ebenezer Johnson. The progress made in the village up to about the 1st of April is in- dicated in the following .paragraph, from the Gazefte of the 5th of that month : Buffalo village which once adorned the shores of Erie and was prostrated by the enemy, is now rising again ; several buildings are already raised and made habitable ; contracts for twenty or thirty more are made and many of them are in considerable forwardness. A brick company has been organized by an association of most en- terprising and public- spirited citizens, with sufficient capital for the purpose of ren- dering the brick so reasonable that the principal streets are built up of that article. All that is required to re-establish Buffalo in its former prosperity are ample remu- neration from government, and peace ; peace, if not obtained by negotiation, must be obtained by a vigorous* prosecution of the war. Buffalo has its charms — the situa- tion, the prospect and the general health of the inhabitants, to which we may add the activity and enterprise of the trade, the public spirit of the citizens and the state of society, all conspire to render it a chosen spot for the man of business or pleasure. The post-office was reopened at first in Judge Granger's house and soon afterward was removed into the village. The Gazette still remained at Harris's Tavern and in it appeared a notice calling for laborers to work in the brickyard above mentioned. The directors of the company were Ebenezer Walden, Charles Townsend, Samuel Tupper, Benjamin Caryl and Seth Grosvenor. Holden Allen, who had leased the St. John dwelling, as noted in the last chapter, and opened it for the entertainment of guests, erected a row of rough shanties some 200 feet long, extending southward from the cottage, without floors and fitted with rude bunks containing straw, to increase his temporary accommodations. On the 25th of April Eli Hart had opened his store near his old stand. Mr. Hart had saved some of his goods from the flames of the 30th of December, and carried them to Williamsville. Seth Grosvenor an- nounced in April that he had " once more established himself in Buf- 31 243 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. falo where the printing office of the Salisburys stood," and offered dry goods for sale. Heman B. Potter came back and located his office in the house of Frederick Miller. Dr. Ebenezer Johnson also returned in April. The Gazette of May 3 stated that the " greatest activity and enter- prise continues in Buffalo in building up and improving the place." The county clerk's office was removed to Mr. Miller's house and the collector's office was brought from Batavia. By the 20th of May twenty-three houses were erected, most of them occupied by families; three taverns were open ; four stores, twelve groceries and other shops, three offices and about thirty shanties. The arrival of Scott and his troops made the trade of these few business places extremely active. The Gazette of June 7 gave notice that the judges of the Court of Common Pleas had opened the house of John Brunson as a temporary court house. That building stood on the site of the old Academy of Music ; it was then a wooden tavern and was afterwards known as the Farmer's Hotel. Before the close of June Juba Storrs opened his store in the house of Mrs. Adkins, where also Andrews & Hopkins began cabinet making. War preparations went rapidly forward and rumors of immediate movements were rife. Fort Erie was then garrisoned by 150 British troops, while the main body of the enemy was' at Chippewa, about eighteen miles farther down the river. By the 1st of July the Ameri- can forces were ready for active operations. On the 2d Brown, Scott and Porter reconnoitered Fort Erie and laid plans for its capture. Rip- ley, with part of his troops, was to embark in boats at Buffalo in the night and land a mile above the fort on the lake shore. Scott, with his brigade was to cross from Black Rock and land a mile below the fort, after which both brigades would co operate. Ripley's force was delayed by fog and his pilot's mistake and did not land until several hours after the appointed time. Scott crossed promptly and invested the fort. The story of what followed in connection with the capture of the work, is told in the following sketch from the Gazette ; it is cor- rect in its statements and possesses peculiar interest from the fact that it was written at the time : In pursuance of orders the army passed the Niagara River on Sunday morning last. The brigade of Gen. Scott, and the artillery corps of Major Hindman, landed nearly a mile below Fort Erie, between two and three o'clock, while Gen. Ripley, with his brigade, made the shore, about the same distance above. CAMPAIGN OP 1814. 243 The enemy was perfectly unapprised of these movements. Gen. Scott led the van, and was on shore before the enemy's pickets, stationed at this point, fired a gun. The guard discharged their guns and retreated. In the morning a small Indian force was crossed over. The fort was approached on the right and left, and the Indians skirted the woods in the rear. Gen. Brown now demanded a surrender of the garrison, and gave the commander two hours for consideration. In the mean time, a battery of long eighteens was planted in a posi- tion to command the fort. The enemy surrendered as prisoners of war — marched out of the fort at six o'clock, stacked their arms — and were immediately sent over the river to the American shore. There were upwards of one hundred and seventy prisoners, of the Eighth and One Hundredth regiments, among which were seven officers. Major Burke commanded the fort. The schooners Tigress and Porcupine assisted in crossing the troops, and lay all day within cannon shot of the fort. Capt. Camp, of the Quartermaster General's Department, volunteered on the expedition, and crossed in the boat with Gen. Scott. During the morning the enemy fired two or three cannon from the fort, which killed one man and wounded two or three others. We learn the enemy had one killed. There were several pieces of ordnance in the garrison and some military stores. This almost bloodless capture of Fort Erie inspirited the Americans and in some measure prepared them for the more sanguinary opera- tions of the next few days. The campaign was now prosecuted with vigor. Scott with his first brigade marched on the 4th from near Fort Erie and proceeded to Black Creek, a few miles above Chippewa. Ripley was also ordered to advance, but did not move until afternoon of the same day. Scott met the enemy's outposts and skirmishing took place nearly all the way down the river. That night Scott's forces went into camp on the south side of Street's Creek and in the morning the two opposing armies were only two miles apart. The British forces were still under immediate command of General Riall. About noon Scott was joined, by Porter with his volunteers and Indians. Meanwhile the British also received considerable reinforcements. Operations began at daybreak on the 5th with petty attacks on the American pickets; the purpose of which was chiefly to divert attention while the British attacked the center. This plan did not succeed. The American commander felt sure of his position and strength, gradually drew in the pickets and the British were thus led on to general action. The Indians behaved with gallantry under Porter, Red Jacket and Captain Pollard,, and the British were soon forced back towards Chip- pewa with considerable loss. Porter's command followed, but on reaching the edge of the forest he encountered the main body of the 244 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. enemy, and his men, most of whom were unaccustomed to the battle- field, became disconcerted and broke in confrision. General Brown, who was quickly apprised of these operations by the rapid firing, now discovered at a distance a cloud of dust which her- alded the oncoming of the British, and rode on to General Scott and ordered him to bring his brigade into the field for action. At the same moment he sent his adjutant-general to Ripley, who was then in the rear, ordering him to march his brigade by the left through the wood and fall on the enemy's right flank, cutting him off from retreat; but the celerity with which Scott brought his troops into action prevented Ripley's force from participating in the ensuing struggle. The Amer- ican commander accompanied Scott's brigade into the field and took his position on the left in front of the British right flank; from there he posted a battery of artillery opposite the center and directed further movements. The enemy came promptly into the field and were in- stantly attacked by Scott's troops, which persistently advanced under a desperate fire. He crossed Street's Creek in face of a heavy can- nonade and the battle raged along the whole line. Several times the British line was broken and again closed. Finally a flank move- ment and a furious charge was made by Major McNeill with the regiment of Colonel Campbell ; this, with a hot fire upon the enemy's center, forced it to give way. The whole British force now broke and fled to the intrenchments below Chippewa Creek, destroying the bridge and thus preventing pursuit by the victorious Americans. The enemy was hard pressed on the retreat and suffered severely. This battle, though an insignificant one in comparison with the great engagements of a later war, was nevertheless an important one at that time and place and exerted a large influence upon the closing scenes of the war. The American loss was 61 killed, 255 wounded, and 19 missing; the British loss was 604, of whom 236 were killed. A gentle shower fell on that hot July evening, mitigating the horrors of the bloody field. The succeeding few days were spent in burying the dead. On his retreat General Riall fled down the borders of the river to Queenston, placed a part of his troops in Fort George and made his •headquarters near the lake twenty miles to the westward. General Drummond was deeply mortified over this defeat of his veterans by what he deemed a raw body of the despised Americans, and resolved to wipe out the disgrace. He drew most of his troops from Burlington Bay, CAMPAIGN OP 1814. 245 Toronto, Kingston and Prescott, for the purpose of organizing an army that would drive the invaders out of Canada. With a force about one- third greater than that of General Brown, Drummond now pressed for- ward to meet the Americans. In the mean time Brown had moved for- ward to Queenston. He anticipated finding Chauncey's fleet on Niagara River, ready for co-operation with the land movements, but at that time the fleet was blockaded at Sackett's Harbor and the commodore was ill in bed. Brown wrote Chauncey on the 13th as follows: All accounts agree that the force of the enemy in Kingston is very light. Meet me on the lake shore north of Fort George with your fleet, and we will be able, I have no doubt, to settle a plan of operations that will break the power of the enemy in Upper Canada, and that in the course of a short time, j* . I doubt not my ability to meet the enemy in the field, and to march in any direction over his country, your fleet carrying for me the necessary supplies. We can threaten Fort George and Niagara, and carry Bnrlington Heights and York, and proceed directly to Kingston and carry that place. For God's sake let me see you. When it became apparent that there was no hope of naval co-opera- tion General Brown fell back to Chippewa for supplies, intending to then march across the country to Burlington Heights and meet the enemy, who had, in the mean time, been strongly reinforced. Riall then turned back and took a position at Fifteen-mile Creek, only thir- teen miles from Brown's camp. The latter now contemplated an ad- vance on Fort George, and called a council of officers to consult on the movement. A majority advised an immediate attack on Riall (not knowing of his having been reinforced) ; the minority favored an in- vestment of St. George. Generals Porter and Ripley were ordered to , reconnoitfcr the enemy's position. On the 20th the military works at Queenston were blown up and the Americans advanced toward Fort George. At this time Brown received intelligence of Riall 's reinforce- ments, and again returned and occupied Queenston, on the 22d. Having now abandoned all hope of co-operation by Chauncey and the fleet, Brown ordered a retreat to Chippewa, hoping to thus draw Riall to the Niagara, or failing in that, to relieve hirriself of baggage and march against Riall by way of Queenston and fight him wherever he could find him. The army camped on the north side of the Chippewa on the 24th. Here Scott was restive and begged the general to permit him to lead the brigade in search of Riall. This request he again made in the morning of the 25th and was vexed at its refusal. He was des- tined to meet the British sooner than he anticipated. 246 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Early that day news came from Lewiston that the British, in con- siderable numbers, were at Queenston and on the Heights, and that five of the enemy's fleet had arrived and their boats were going up the river. A few minutes later a second courier brought information that the enemy, 1,000 strong, was landing at Lewiston. The fact was that General Drummond had. arrived in person with reinforcements from Kingston, and landed at Fort Niagara and disembarked at Queens- ton, while at the same time Riall's troops had been put in motion. Early on the morning of the 25th a large part of' the forces under Lieutenant- Colonel Pearson occupied a commanding position on an eminence in and near Lundy's Lane, a highway leading westward towards the head of the lake from the road along the river. Of this movement Brown probably had not learned, and to defeat the oncom- ing of Drummond, before noted, determined to attack him at Queens- ton. It was late in the afternoon when he ordered the forward move- ment. He was soon informed that a large body of the enemy had been seen at Niagara Falls ; but he failed to realize the significance of this report, still believing it was Drummond and the troops going up the river to capture the stores of supplies at . Schlosser. For the pur- pose of recalling the enemy, he determined to menace the forts at the mouth of the river, and accordingly, about four o'clock ordered Scott to march rapidly upon them with Towson's artillery and all the mounted men at his command. Scott was moving within twenty minutes, crossed the Chippewa between five and six o'clock, fully be- lieving that a large body of the enemy was on the other side of the Niagara instead of directly in his front. Scott's forces numbered about 1,200. He soon learned the truth. The two commands ofRiall and Scott met and fought the memorable battle of Lundy's Lane. The British greatly outnumbered the Americans, but Scott saw that to re- treat would be fatal and he heroically accepted the only alternative. Waiting only to dispatch intelligence to his commander, he began the attack. General Brown, apprised by the report of musketry and can- non of the contest that had commenced, ordered the second brigade under Ripley to follow him, and, accompanied by his personal" staff, hastened to the field of battle. Meeting on the way the messenger •dispatched by. General Scott, he ordered him to continue his route to camp and bring up the whole force. General Brown, perceiving that Scott's brigade was much exhausted by severe action, as soon as Ripley's brigade reached the field, interposed a new line between the CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 247 enemy and Scott's brigade, thereby disengaging the latter and holding it in readiness for a new conflict. The enemy now falling back took a new position and rested his right flank on a height commanding the whole surface of the con- tiguous plains on which his own and the American forces were moving. Colonel McRee and Major Wood had, by order of General Brown, re- connoitered the enemy's position, and reported to him that this height must be carried or the engagement could not be prosecuted with any probability of success. McRee was ordered to detach Col. James Miller with the 21st Regiment for the duty, and to advance the re- mainder of the Second Brigade on the Queenston road to divert the enemy's attention from his right, on which the attack was to be made. General Brown rode in person to Colonel Miller, and ordered him to assail the heights and capture the artillery. 1 It was instantly and gal- lantly done. The enemy retired from the line of the bayonets, leav- ing his cannon and several prisoners in possession of the assailants. General Ripley's brigade had advanced and encountered the enemy on the right of Colonel Miller's operations, and a part of it under his own command was broken by the enemy's fire, but it was soon reformed and brought into action. It was at this moment that Major Jesup, who had been detached from Scott's brigade to act independently on the right of the American army, after capturing and sending to camp General Riall and several other British officers, made his way toward the height as far as Queenston road. Here he encountered a body of the enemy, which fled after receiving a single discharge. General Brown, who had removed to this part of the field, joined Major Jesup, and ordered him to advance up Lundy's Lane, and form on the right of Ripley's brigade, the left of which was resting upon the height de- fended by the captured cannon. General Porter had arrived with his command, and was formed on the left of Ripley. The enemy had now been reinforced by fresh troops from Fort George and Queenston, and advanced in strong force on the new line formed upon the ground 1 Perceiving the key of the British position to be the battery upon the hill, he turned to Col. James Miller, of the 37th Regulars, and asked, " Can you storm that work and take it ? " " I'll try," was the prompt reply. With 300 men he moved up the ascent steadily in the darkness, along a fence lined with thick bushes that hid his troops from the view of the gunners and their pro- tectors who lay near by. When within short musket range of the battery, they could see the gunners with their glowing linstocks, ready to act at the word, fire. Selecting good marksmen, Miller directed each to rest his rifle on the fence, select a gunner and fire at a given signal. Very soon every gunner f elL. when Miller and his men rushed forward and captured the battery.— Lossing. 248 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. from which he had been driven. He was received with a fierce fire at a distance of about five rods, and fled in the utmost confusion. In twenty minutes he made a second attack, which he contested more obstinately, but was again driven down the height after two or three volleys. During the second attack, General Brown rode to the left of the American line and ordered Scott to advance with his brigade, and take a position in the rear of the enemy's right flank in order to attack him in reverse. In executing it, Scott, after passing in front of the Ameri- can line, was attacked by a concealed body of the enemy, and his com- mand severed in two parts, one passing to the rear and the other immediately towards the main force of the American army. Both were again in action in a few minutes and participated in the repulse of the third and last desperate assault of the enemy. General Brown, at the moment of the attack on Scott's command, received a severe wound from a musket ballj but still kept his seat on his horse. The enemy had now closed with the main body of the Americans and a desperate conflict ensued. General Brown, in passing up the left of his own line, received a second wound in his side, but continued to direct the move- ments of the battle, though so enfeebled by loss of blood as to require to be occasionally supported on his horse. The hostile lines were sev- eral minutes at the point of the bayonet, struggling for victory, and the losses were heavy. The enemy at length gave way in great dis- order, leaving many prisoners, and reappearing no more. ' During this last attack from the enemy General Scott, animating his command by his own example, received a wound which utterly dis- abled him and was borne from the field. The British thus repulsed, the Americans fell back to Chippewa, with orders from Brown to Rip- ley (on whom the command devolved) to return after a brief rest and occupy the battlefield. He neglected to do so and remained at Chip- pewa. This so irritated General Brown that he sent a courier to Sackett's Harbor with orders for Gen Edmund P. Gaines to come and take the temporary command on the Niagara frontier. Ripley's delay deprived the Americans of the substantial advantages of victory, for 1 Both parties were reinforced during the struggle ; the British by Colonel Scott's command, and the Americans by a part of Porter's brigade, which took post on Ripley's left, and participated in the closing events of the battle. The enemy was beaten off by sheer hard blows given by the muscle of indomitable perseverance, but at the expense of precious blood. — Field Book of the War, p. 823. CAMPAIGN OP 1814. 249 the enemy at once returned, recaptured the field and almost all the cannon. Thus between 11 and 12 o'clock at night closed a battle memorable for gallant deeds, and decisive in its moral effects. It was fought wholly between sunset, and midnight, under a serene summer sky and a placid moon, its later and most sanguinary incidents taking place amid clouds of smoke that were undisturbed by the slightest breeze, Both armies claimed a victory. The Americans drove the enemy from the field against heavy odds, while the British reoccupied the field and artillery, justifying to some extent the conflicting claims. The losses of the Americans were 171 killed, 571 woundfd and 110 missing. The British lost 84 killed, 559 wounded, 193 missing and 42 prisoners. On the morning of the 26th (the next day after the battle) Generals Brown and Scott, with Major Jesup and other wounded officers were placed in boats for conveyance to Buffalo, leaving Ripley to hold his strong position at Chippewa until he could be reinforced. The wounded officers had scarcely disappeared on their voyage up the river, when Ripley destroyed the military works and stores; demolished the bridge and fled with his army to Black Rock ferry on the Canadian side. ' It was. his intention to cross to Buffalo and abandon Canada; but when he sought the wounded General Brown to obtain orders for such a move, he was treated with scorn, and directed to lead his army to a good position just above Fort Erie on the lake shore and strengthen the old fort and construct new defenses in expectation of a siege. It was for- tunate that at this time General Drummond did not know the weakness of the Americans. On the 29th of July, having been reinforced with 1,100 men, Drum- mond prepared to move up the river. By this time the works at and around the fort had been placed in much better defensive condition, while three armed schooners lay at anchor near by. On the 2d day of August the Americans discovered the approach of the enemy, who drove in the outposts and camped in the woods two miles from the fort. It had been the custom for the commandant of Fort Erie to send over 1 While the wounded were moving by water to Buffalo, the army abandoned its strong posi- tion behind the Chippewa, and, after destroying a part of its stores, fell back, or, rather, fled tothe ferry opposite Black Rock, but a short distance below Fort Erie ; and General Ripley, but for the opposition made by McRee, Wood, Towson, Porter and other officers, would have crossed to the American shore. Had the enemy availed -himself _of this blunder, not a man of our army could have escaped. . The American general could have maintained his position and have held General Drummond in check during the remainder of the campaign,— Tesup's Manuscript Me- moirs of the Niagara Campaign. 33 250 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. every evening a detachment of riflemen to guard the bridge across Scaj- aquada Creek, who returned to the fort in the morning. Drummond saw the importance of capturing the batteries at Black Rock and de- stroying the armed schooners before mentioned, before beginning the siege of Fort Erie. Within a few days after he made his camp in the woods, he sent across before dawn a detachment in nine boats to attack the batteries. They landed half a mile below the Scajaquada and were promptly confronted by the riflemen, 240 in number, under Major Lodowick Morgan. Morgan had already seen the advance of the British on the Canadian side, and'being an officer of resources, and, believing the capture- of Buffalo was the ultimate purpose of the enemy, he hastened to Black Rock, destroyed the bridge over the creek and threw up an intrenchment of logs. A spirited engagement followed in which the Americans lost two privates killed and three officers and five privates wounded. The British were driven back across the river. This is locally known as the " Battle of Conjockety Creek." ' While this event was taking place Drummond opened a cannonade on Fort Erie. This soon ceased and both contending forces labored assiduously several days in strengthening their respective positions. General Gaines arrived at Fort Erie on the 4th of August, assumed chief command and Ripley resumed command of his brigade. Gaines began operations by sending out a reconnoitering party, which found the ene- my and returned with a loss of five killed and four wounded. Early on the morning of the 7th the British began a 'heavy cannonade on the fort, which was gallantly returned. From that day to the 14th the siege progressed steadily, the garrison behaving with bravery. On the 13th Drummond increased his cannonade, renewed it on the morning of the 14th and continued it through the day. It made little impression on the American works; but early in the evening a shell went scream- ing through the air and fell directly into an empty American maga- zine, which caused a tremendous explosion. The enemy believed they had destroyed a principal magazine and sent up a loud cheer. General Drummond now had his preparations complete for a direct assault upon the fort. As the dark night of the 14th wore away an ominous silence prevailed. At 2 a. m. an alarm came from a picket of 100 men under Lieut. William G. Belknap. The picket fired the alarm and fell steadily back. The enemy 1,500 strong dashed on and charged upon Towson's bat- tery and an abatis which had been constructed between that work and CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 26i the lake shore. They were met with such determined resistance from the artillerymen and the 21st Regiment that they abandoned their purpose after a desperate struggle. Meanwhile an assault was made on the right by about 500 infantry and artillery under Lieutenant Colonels Drummond and Scott upon what was called the Douglass battery (a strong stone work with two guns on our extreme right) and the connecting intrenchments. The latter force was soon repulsed, but the troops under Drummond carried scaling ladders and with great gallantry attempted to force an entrance over the walls. He was twice repulsed, after which under cover of the thick clouds of smoke he went around the ditch and in the face of a hot fire and after repeated attempts he scaled the parapet with 100 of the Royal Artillery. Colonel Drummond was now crazed with en- thusiasm, and galled by the former repulses, he ordered no quarter for the Yankees, and posted a band of Indians where they could rush into the works at the first opportunity and aid in a massacre of the garrison. Now in possession of a part of the works he ordered a charge with the bayonet and many American officers were mortally wounded, among them Lieutenant McDonough, who was wantonly killed by Drummond himself, after asking for quarter. The latter soon afterward received a bullet through the heart. General Gaines ordered reinforcements from the left and center, commanded by Ripley and Porter, and a futile attempt was made to drive the enemy from the position. A second attempt with a large force was made and With a like result, and was followed by a third charge. The narrowness of the passage prevented effective assault by the Americans, but these repeated charges greatly lessened the number of the enemy at that point. Suddenly, and just as another desperate attempt was to be made to drive out. the enemy, the earth trembled, a column of flame and smoke and debris shot heavenward, and a roar like thunder filled the air. Earth, timber, stone and mutilated bodies went up in that blast and fell upon a wide area. ' The magazine had been blown up. This was a decisive blow and was instantly followed by a cannonade from the batteries of Captains Biddle and Fanning. The British broke and fled to their ifttrenchments, leaving 2%1 killed, 174 wounded, and 1 The cause of this explosion has never been officially explained. History ascribes it to ac- cident; and perhaps it would not be proper for me to state what I learned at the time. Even if it was design, I think the end justified the means. It was that mysterious explosion which, through Providence, saved our gallant little army from the horrors of a general massacre.— Lossing. 252 OtfR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, 186 prisoners The Americans lost 17 killed, 56 wounded and 11 missing. During the succeeding four weeks to about the middle of September the contending forces strengthened their positions and reinforced their armies. By that time the Americans were behind twenty-seven guns, with over three thousand men. The British had also received reinforce- ments, and almost to the close of August they threw hot shot, shells and rockets into the fort. On the 28th a shell fell directly into General Gaines's quarters and so injured him that he was compelled to retire to Buffalo. Hearing of this, General Brown left Batavia, though wounded and ill, went to Buffalo and crossed over to the fort. He placed Ripley in command and returned to Buffalo and established quarters for the Army of the Niagara; but being informed of Ripley's unpopularity in the army, he again crossed the river and assumed per- sonal command. Fort Erie was now in great danger. Providence interposed with heavy rains; the British encampment was marshy; fever broke out among their troops and for several days no offensive movement had been made. General Brown saw his opportunity and on the 9th called a council of his officers. Everybody was enjoined to secrecy and he proposed a sortie for the morning of the 17th in which he would "storm the batteries, destroy the cannon, and roughly handle the brigade upon duty before those in reserve could be brought into action." 1 While the opinions of many of the American officers were not in harmony with his, when he expressed his determination to haz- ard the bold move, all but General Ripley finally joined in hearty co- operation. Toward noon of the 17th Brown's forces were ready to move in three divisions — one under General Porter, composed of volun- teers and militia, was to move from the extreme left of the American camp by a circuitous route through the woods and attack the British right flank. The second division under Gen. James Miller was to move from the right and attack the center. The remainder of the 21st Regiment under Ripley was posted as a reserve out of sight of the enemy. The gallant Porter and his command reached a position within a few yards of the enemy before their movement was suspected, and an attack was at once begun. The startled British fell back, and two of their batteries were stormed and captured after half an hour of fierce fighting. This was promptly followed by the seizure of a block - 1 General Brown's letter to the secretary of war, September 3a, CAMPAIGN OP 1814. 253 house in the rear of another battery, the garrison were made prison- ers, cannon were destroyed and the magazine blown up. Porter had gained a complete victory, but at great cost; General Davis, Colonel Gibson and Lieutenant-Colonel Wood all fell mortally wounded. In the mean time General Miller carried out his part of the plans. He penetrated between the first and the second of the enemy's bat- teries, carried both, and seized the blockhouses in the rear; within forty minutes after the attack began the whole British works were in possession of the Americans. Ripley's reserve was ordered up near the close of the action and he was severely wounded. The sortie was won, Fort Erie was saved and with it Buffalo, the valuable stores on the frontier and possibly the whole of Westerfi New York. The Americans lost 79 killed and 214 wounded ; very few were captured. Of the enemy 400 were captured, and nearly 500 were killed, wounded and missing. 1 This memorable sortie has gone into history as more skillfully planned and gallantly executed than any other, and as one of the very few instances where a single sortie had compelled the raising of a siege. So completely was the enemy demoralized that on the night of the 21st Drummond broke up his encampment and returned to Riall's old intrenchments behind Chippewa Creek. This victory, with that of Plattsburg, and the expulsion of the British from before Baltimore, dispelled, much of the gloom which had over- spread the country. Brown, Porter and other officers received enthu- siastic commendation and were voted medals by Congress. General Porter in that sortie won undying military fame ; and it is quite com- monly admitted that it was he who really planned and counseled the whole movement. The raising of the siege of Fort Erie was the important closing event of the war on the Niagara frontier. Major-Gen. George Izard, then in command on Lake Champlain, moved to Sackett's Harbor early in September with about 4,000 troops, whence, he could menace Kingston and the St. Lawrence and prevent the intended reinforcement of Drummond, and finally proceed to aid General Brown on the Niagara. Brown wrote Izard on the 10th of that month that the whole effective force on the frontier was not more than 2,000 and urged him to pro- ceed to. Buffalo and join the army of the Niagara. Izard arrived at 1 ''.Thus 1,000 regulars, and an equal portion of militia, in one hour of close action, blasted the hopes of the enemy, destroyed the fruits of 50 days' labor, and diminished his effective force 1,000 men at least."— Brown's letter to the secretary of war. . 254 6UR COtTNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Sackett's Harbor on the day of the Fort Erie sortie, and resolved to proceed westward. He embarked with 2,500 infantry on Chauncey's fleet and sent his dragoons and light artillery overland. They arrived at Lewiston on October 5. After consultation with Generals Brown and Porter he moved up to Black Rock, crossed the ferry on the 10th and 11th and encamped, two miles north of Fort Erie, where he assumed chief command, and General Brown retired to his old post at Sackett's Harbor. Izard was soon in command of 8,000 troops and prepared to march upon Drummond. Leaving a garrison in Fort Erie, he moved down toward Chippewa and vainly endeavored to draw the British into an engagement. After some skirmishing and minor encounters, Drum- mond fell back to Fort George, and Izard to the Black Rock ferry, whence the whole army crossed to the American side, abandoning Canada. General Izard realized that the lateness of the season would prevent further successful operation against the enemy at that time. During the assault on Fort Erie by the British on the 15th of August the most intense anxiety prevailed in Buffalo and throughout the county. It is probable that almost every human being who was in health was out along the river and lake, watching that event in the darkness. It was feared that the fort would be captured and that the enemy would then cross the river and again wreak vengeance on the unprotected settlements. Many packed their goods in preparation for another flight from their homes. With the coming of daylight, however, boats crossed the river from the fort and cheered the anxious community with news of American victory. A few days later the wounded prisoners passed through Buffalo to Williamsville, while those unhurt were taken to Albany. The war of 1812 was now drawing towards its close. During the winter of 1814-1815 negotiations were in progress between commis- sioners of the two powers at Ghent, and there was general hopefulness that they would be successful in bringing peace. Especially was this true of the inhabitants of what are now Erie and Niagara counties, who had so severely felt the terrors and losses of the conflict. A treaty of peace was finally agreed upon on December 24, 1814, and ratifications were exchanged at Washington, February 17, 1815. The news of the victory won by Jackson at New Orleans, 8th January, 1815, was printed in an extra of the Buffalo Gazette of the 15th of January, and a week later came the news of the treaty at Ghent. General rejoicing sue- CAMPAIGN OF 1814. 255 ceeded throughout the county, as well as elsewhere. The good tidings soon penetrated to the most remote districts, giving the anxious, inhab- itants assurance that peace was restored. Away down in Sardinia " Father" Spencer preached a sermon early in January in the house of Gen. Ezra Nott, on which occasion he had a newspaper containing the news of the treaty. The preacher began his services by saying, " I bring you news of peace," and then read the announcement to the large gathering. The Ghent treaty provided for mutual restoration of all conquered territory and for three commissions — one to settle the title to islands in Passamaquoddy Bay; one to lay out the northeastern boundary of the United States as far as the St. Lawrence ; and the other to run the line through that river and the lakes to the Lake of the Woods. The set- tlement of many other minor matters was of course also embraced in the treaty. Amid these exciting times the organization of the First Presbyterian church was effected on the 2d day of February, 1812, with twenty-nine members. For nearly four years after its formation the society bore the title, First Congregational and Presbyterian Church of Buffalo. It was then changed by unanimous vote of the society to its present name. Early meetings were held in the court house, but after the burning of the village they were interrupted for nearly three years. On May 3, 1816, Rev. Miles P. Squier, a young student from Andover, was installed pastor of this church, with a salary of $1,000. Services were held at least during a part of the period up to 1823 in a barn on the northeast corner of Main and Genesee streets. In May of that year a house of worship was finished at a cost of $874, on the site now oc- cupied by the Erie County Savings Bank. 1 A. second Presbyterian church was not organized in Buffalo village until 1835, as described farther on. 1 The history of this mother of all the Presbyterian societies in the city from the time of the erection of its first church may be briefly told. The first edifice was used only until 1828, when it was sold to the Methodist church and was removed to Niagara street; it was again sold to a Ger- man congregation and removed to Genesee street. It finally became an ice house for a brewery and was burned in 1882. The new church of the Presbyterians was completed and dedicated on the 28th of March, 1837; its cost was $17,500. That old church was for sixty years a famffoar object to all Buffalonians. After frequent periods of agitation of the subject of remoVal, the property was sold to the Savings Bank, and a site purchased on the corner of Pennsylvania and Wadsworth streets, and there the present beautiful edifice was completed within the past year, costing $228,000. 256 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER XVIII. 1815—1820. Erie County at the Close of the War — Its Deplorable Condition — Second News- paper in Buffalo — A Public Execution — The Cold Summer — Privation and Suffering • — The First Bank in the County — A New Mail Route — Incorporation of Buffalo Village — Travel in Western New York — Road Improvements — Four New Towns Created — Local Politics — Military Affairs — Church Work in the County — Increasing Commercial Importance of Buffalo and Erie County — The Early Lake Marine — The First Steamboat — Its Loss and Building of the Superior — Strife Between Buffalo and Black Rock — Inception of the Erie Canal — A Struggle for the Western Ter- minus — Beginning of Harbor Improvement— Construction of the Erie Canal — Progress Throughout the County — Grand Island Affairs. Erie county at the close of the war of 1812 was in a deplorable con- dition. It shared with the whole country in all the disastrous condi- tions consequent upon such a conflict — scarcity of money, paralyzed commerce, crippled business enterprise, and cessation of settlement in new districts. In the latter respect it not only suffered in a far greater degree than many other localities, but also in the almost total destruc- tion of its principal villages by the enemy's torch. Two small hamlets, Williamsville and Clarence Hollow, were left, each with its grist mill, saw mill, store, and tavern ; otherwise the county at large Was in a far more unfortunate condition than at the beginning of the conflict. A few troops remained at Buffalo during the winter of 1814-15, but were sent away in the spring. Along the western frontier, although nom- inal peace existed, a feeling of enmity continued for a considerable period. This was one of the natural results of the war in a locality that had suffered se'verely. If Great Britain was taught that the young republic was rapidly gaining in strength and would no longer tolerate injustice or oppression, the public men and the press of the conquered natiou continued at enmity in thought and speech towards the victors, until the beneficent hand of time 1 could work a salutary change. In April, 1815, a second newspaper made its appearance in Buffalo, with the title Niagara Journal. In politics it was Democratic, in oppo- sition to the Gazette. The career of this paper is more fully described PROM 1815 TO 1820. 257 in Chapter XXXII. The local Assembly district, then comprising Niagara, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties, was given two mem- bers, the first ones elected under this, apportionment being Daniel Mc- Cleary, of Buffalo, and Elias Osborn, of Clarence. In August, 1815, Charles Thompson and James Peters, who had been soldiers in the regular army, were publicly executed in Buffalo for the murder of' James Burba, who lived three miles below Scajaquada Creek. Several companies of militia, under Gen. William Warren, were on guard during the proceedings, and Rev. Glezen Fillmore, the young Methodist minister of Clarence, preached a funeral sermon over the unfortunate criminals ; he was assisted by Rev. Miles P. Squier, who had just been called to the pastorate of the First Presbyterian church. The prevailing financial stringency continued during a considerable period after the close of the war, embarrassing business men and greatly delaying material progress. Money was very scarce in this county, as well as elsewhere, and so-called " shinplasters" were issued by many business men and put in circulation. To aggravate the de- pressed conditions the summer of 1816 was one of unprecedented cold j snow fell late into May and freezing weather was experienced in June, causing great loss of crops and adding to the privations of incoming settlers. In August flour sold in Buffalo at fifteen dollars a barrel, and a few days later there was not a barrel for sale at any price. The flour and grain on hand throughout the county was principally held by the well-to-do and more prudent families, who in many honorable instances relieved their more needy neighbors at prices below what might have been obtained. When the new crop was harvested it temporarily re- lieved the situation, but it was so meager in quantity that there was for many months great scarcity and in some instances actual suffering for food. Under these circumstances the hunter's rifle and the fisherman's rod frequently relieved impending destitution. As a measure of financial relief it was believed in Buffalo that a bank would be desirable, and accordingly, in July, 1816, the Bank of Niagara, the first one in the county, was established with an authorized capital of $500,000. This was a large sum for such a purpose, but only $6.25 was required to be paid in on each $100 share. The directors in this institution were Augustus Porter, of Niagara Falls; Joseph Brisbane, of Batavia; A. S. Clarke, of Clarence; Jonas Williams and Benjamin Caryl, of Williamsville ; Isaac Kibbe, of Hamburg ; Martin Prendergast, 33 258 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of Chautauqua county; Ebenezer F. Norton, Jonas Harrison, Ebenezer Walden and John C. Camp, of Buffalo; Samuel Russell and Chauncey Loomis. Isaac Kibbe was the first president, and Isaac Q. Leake the first cashier. 1 A little before the close of the war a mail route was established, pass- ing through Willink and Hamburg east and west and through the present towns of Wales, Aurora and East Hamburg. There was a post-office with the name of Willink at Blakeley's Corners, two miles south of Aurora village, and one at John Green's tavern, before men- tioned, with the name Hamburg. The first named office was moved soon after the war to Aurora village, and Elihu Walker was postmaster there nearly twenty years. It must be noted that in the year 1816 several Seneca Indians were taken to Europe for exhibition purposes by a speculative person known as Captain Hale ; among them were Chief So-onongise (called by the white people Tommy-Jemmy), Little Bear, and a fine-looking fellow called " I-Like-You. " The speculation was a failure and Hale de- camped. While the Indians were in England a woman of excellent standing was deeply enamored with I-Like-You and was with difficulty prevented from marrying him; she sent him her portrait after his arrival home. As early as 1813 preliminary steps were taken for the incorporation of Buffalo as a village, and an. act was passed by the Legislature for that purpose April 2, but the destruction of the place at the close of that year prevented the consummation of the purpose. A similar at- tempt was made in 1814, with a like result; but on the 5th day of April, 1816, an act was passed by the Legislature under which village incorporation was effected. The first Board of Trustees was composed of Oliver Forward, Charles Townsend, Heman B. Potter, Ebenezer Walden, Jonas Harrison and Samuel Wilkeson ; the clerk was Jonathan E.. Chaplin; treasurer, Josiah Trowbridge; collector, Moses Baker. 1 The establishment of this bank was the first public financial enterprise in Buffalo and within the limits of the present Erie county. For two years it had a satisfactory career, but in 1818 it was forced to withstand a "run." Changes in the Board of Directors took place in January, 1819, and if we may judge by the following from the Buffalo Patriot of March 23, 1819, there was gen- *eral demoralization in the institution: "We are happy to learn that the opposition [to the bank], which has so long existed, has ceased, and the directors are adopting measures to resume busi- ness." In 1836 the management of the bank passed to C. Van Antwerp, previously of Albany, who was made president, and William Williams cashier; from that time until the expiration of its charter it had a more prosperous existence.' The banking office was on the corner of Wash- ington and North Division streets, PROM 1815 TO 1820. 250 The usual village ordinances were adopted in regard to streets, of- fenses against the law, protection from fire, etc. Towards the close of that year further protection from fire was provided^ and the trustees were authorized to ascertain the practicability of procuring a supply of water for public use. Twenty-five ladders were ordered made within thirty days and all owners of houses were required to provide ' ' one good leathern bucket for each house, store, or shop;" to cause chim- neys to be swept, and from that time forward to build all chimneys large enough to admit of chimney-sweepers passing through them. It is probable that this action was taken on account of a fire, as the local newspapers of December 17 contained an expression of thanks from George Badger for assistance by the citizens at ftis late fire. There were several changes in the village ordinances previous to 1822, but none of great importance. Travel in Western New York was still slow and difficult and settlers were turning hopefully towards the promised great waterway from the Hudson River to Lake Erie for a solution of the local commercial prob- lems. There was in 1817 only a tri-weekly mail to Buffalo from the east; the stages left the village for the east on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at five o'clock in the morning. The roads in many places and at certain periods were almost impassable, and a journey across the State at such times was a trying experience. Erie county roads were no better, and probably were not as good, as those of other local- ities. This may have been to some extent attributable to the character of the soil and the lack of sufficient drainage. Frequent public com- plaints of the condition of the highways on the reservation, the Cayuga Creek road, the Batavia road, the Big Tree road, and others, are found recorded. A good deal of early State legislation was directed to the improvement of highways and bridges. Among the acts of this nature was one of April 2, 1810, which appointed Parmenio Adams, Alexander Rea and Zenas Barker commissioners to lay out a road, to which allu- sion has been made already in these pages, from the village of Hart- ford, in the town of Avon, to "the village of New Amsterdam in the county of Niagara." On June 19* 1812, James W. Stevens, Frederick Miller and J.oseph Landon were appointed by the Legislature commis- sioners to superintend the improvement of this road, and $5,000 were appropriated for the purpose. On the' 20th of February, 1816, Josiah Churchill, Parmenio Adams and William A. Carpenter were named by the Legislature as commissioners to lay out a road from Moscow, Gen- 260 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, esee county, through Attica to the village of Buffalo. But, with all the -effort that could be brought to bear, and all the time and money that could be expended, the public roads continued in bad condition many years; every town had its numerous road districts, each with its overseer, and the settlers were'called upon to contribute their labor or money in annual attempts to place the highways in such condition that produce and merchandise could be transported over them. The Indians on the reservations suffered with their white neighbors from the effects of the war and of the cold summer, and their condition received attention from benevolent persons, foremost among whom was the schoolmaster, Jabez B. Hyde, who made a public appeal for aid. The annuities due the Indians were, of course, greatly reduced in prac- tical value by the high prices of provisions, while the game upon which they had formerly depended was rapidly driven away by increasing set- tlement. They cut and carried a little wood to Buffalo for sale, and some of them obtained a little credit at the stores, paying their debts punctually. The Presbyterian Synod of Geneva responded with a con- tribution, and in 1817 the Onondagas received about six dollars each and the Senecas, numbering 700, about $2. 50 each, a part of which came from their annuity. The year 1818 saw the erection of four new towns in what is now Erie county, and the extinction of the old town of Willink, described in Chapter I. On April 10, 1818, Amherst was erected from Buffalo and comprised the present Amherst and Cheektowaga. On the 15th of the same month, in response to a petition sent to the Legislature, Willink, the formation of which dated back to 1804, w&s annihilated by law. At the same time Holland was erected, comprising the present Holland and Colden ; and by the same act Wales was formed from township 9, range 5, with the nominal addition of half the reservation land opposite; and, finally, the act erected Aurora from the remainder of old Willink, including township 9, range 9, and the adjoining res- ervation land. The local political field at this time was, of course, occupied by the opposing factions of the Federal and the Democratic (or, as they were soon termed, the Democratic Republican) parties. In 1818 Nathaniel Allen, from the eastern part of the county, was the congressional candidate of the regular Republican convention, with Albert H. Tracy, the rising young Buffalo lawyer. Isaac Phelps, jr., was renominated to the Assembly, with Philo Orton, of Chautauqua county. Now arose PROM 1815 TO 1820 261 a warm political war of factions, a large part of the party opposing the nominees. The cause of this action is now difficult to discover, and neither is it important, but what was called the "Kremlin Junta," consisting of Mr. Tracy, Dr. John E. Marshall, James Sheldon, and a few others of Buffalo, came in for a large share of denunciation. This so-called junta took its name from the Kremlin block, in which its secret deliberations were supposed to be held. Ex Congressman Archi- bald S. Clarke was leader of the opposing faction. Soon an independ- ent convention nominated Judge Elias Osborn, of Clarence, for the Assembly, against Mr. Phelps, but seemed unable to settle upon con- gressional candidates. The old members, John C. Spencer and Ben- jamin Ellicott, declined a renomination, but were supported by many of the anti- Kremlin party. The Patriot (formerly the Gazette) was the organ of the Clarke Osborn faction, while the Journal upheld Tracy and Phelps. This contest, which doubtless had very little in • fluence upon the affairs of the county or district, was conducted with intense activity and the newspaper columns were burdened with vituperation. At the election in April Mr. Tracy was chosen by a large majority and Mr. Phelps by twenty-three. In close relation with the political life of the time were the local militia organizations, around and within which lingered the military spirit that had been aroused by the war. In 1818 Brig. -Gen. William Warren was appointed major-general of the 24th Division, and Col. Ezra Nott was made brigadier in his stead. Elihu Rice was Nott's brigade major; Earl Sawyer, quartermaster; and Edward Paine was quartermaster of another brigade. By the date in question four regi- ments of infantry had been organized within the limits of the present county, and a recent law gave each one a colonel, a lieutenant-colonel, and one major. North of the reservation was the 17th Regiment with- the following field officers: James Cronk, colonel; Calvin Fillmore, lieutenant-colonel; Arunah Hibbard, major. The 170th Regiment, from the towns of Willink (or Aurora, Wales, Holland and Colden), had the following officers: Sumner Warren, colonel; Lyman Blackmar, lieu tenant- colonel: Abner Currier, major. Of the 48th Regiment, located farther west, Charles Johnson was colonel; Asa Warren, lieu- tenant-colonel; Silas Whiting, major. The 181st Regiment, the last of the four, was situated farther south, with Frederick Richmond, colonel: Truman White, lieutenant-colonel; Benjamin Fay, major. Besides these troops there were the 12th Regiment of cavalry and the 262 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 7th Regiment of artillery, both of which had a representation from this county. During the period from about 1815 to the date of the organization of Erie county, the Presbyterians, which denomination included the Congregationalists in most departments of religious work, were in the lead in this county; but the Methodists were the more active and aggressive, and under the enthusiastic labors of Rev. Glezen Fillmore they soon attained prominence in numbers and church property. The name of Father Spencer has been mentioned in preceding pages as conspicuous in religious labor; south of the reservation his influence was large and zeal untiring. During the year 1817, as learned par- tially from the current press of the time, a revival in religious af- fairs spread over the county. A Buffalo paper noticed the admission of eight new members into the Presbyterian church on a certain Sun- day evening, and a correspondent congratulated the public that "through this section of this lately heathen country the spirit of the Lord and the spirit of the gospel are extending far and wide." The same writer dwelt upon similar results of religious work in ' 'the towns of Willink, Hamburg and Eden, where lately the spirits of the evil one enchained the hearts of many. " A Presbyterian church was organized in 1818, on the site of Lancaster village, with the name of Cayuga Creek church ; it began with thirteen members and increased during that year to thirty- one. St. Paul's Episcopal church was organized on the 10th of February, 1817, by Rev. Samuel Johnston, a missionary for the district west of the Genesee River. The first wardens of this, the mother parish of the city and county, were Erastus Granger and Isaac Q. Leake ; vestry- men, Samuel Tupper, Sheldon Thompson, Elias Ransom, John G. Camp, Henry M. Campbell, John S. Lamed, Jonas Harrison and Dr. Josiah Trowbridge. In 1819 a frame church was erected on the lot donated by the Holland Land Company, at the intersection of Erie, Pearl and Church streets.' 1 St. Paul's parish was served by missionaries until September, 1829, when Rev. William Shel- ton, the first rector who received no support from the missionary fund, began a period of minis- try to the church which extended over fifty-one years. In 1820 the Holland Land Company gave the parish 100 acres of land near Lower Black Rock, the proceeds of the sale of which were de- voted to the purchase of the lot on Pearl street on which the rectory was erected in 1846. In 1851 the first church edifice was replaced by the beautiful stone structure, which was dedicated Octo- ber 22 of that year; the building was not wholly finished until 1870. Grace church was organized August 10, 1824, but erected no edifice until 1859-60. St. Mark's church, built in 1876, originated from this parish. Trinity church was organized October 12, 1836, with Capt. Samuel L. Russell, RT. RHV. WILLIAM HEATHCOTE DeLANCEY, D. D., LL.D., D.C.L. RT. REV. A. CLEVELAND COXE. FROM 1815 TO 1820. 263 In 1818, while there was still not a church building within the limits of the county, the energetic Rev. Glezen Fillmore, who had then preached in the vicinity about nine years, was regularly ordained by the Methodists and appointed to a circuit comprising Buffalo and Black Rock with a large surrounding district. When he thereupon proceeded to Buffalo to begin his labor he found only four of his. own brethren to greet him. The Presbyterians were holding services in the court house and the Episcopalians in a school house. Mr. Fillmore occupied the latter building a few "times, when that privilege was denied him and he determined to build a church. A lot was leased on Franklin street and on December 8, 1818, a small frame edifice was begun. Mr. Fill- more's salary was only $75 a year, but he became responsible for every- thing in connection with building the church. A benevolent Methodist of New York city sent $120 which he had collected and Joseph Ellicott gave him $300. On the 27th of January, 1819, the church was ded- icated. From this humble beginning Methodism in Erie county made U. S. A., and Henry Daw, wardens. Rev, Cicero Stevens Hawks, the first rector, was succeeded in 1844 by Rev. Edward Ingersoll, D. D., who remained with the church until his death in 1888. The parish was reorganized July 14, 1884. It absorbed Christ church, an offshoot in 1868 of St. John's. Christ church purchased the site on which Trinity church stands for $40,000, and in 1869- 71 erected the present chapel. It went out of existence, and on April 14, 1879, was reorganized, the first rector being Rev. A. Sidney Dealey. After the consolidation Trinity church erected the present handsome edifice. This is the wealthiest parish in the diocese, its property being valued at $310,000; St. Paul's comes next with a valuation of $374,000. St. John's church was or- ganized February 19, 1845, and built an edifice in 1846-48. St. James church was incorporated April 17, 1854, and in 1883-84 a new edifice was erected on the site of their first structure. The parish was reorganized Easter Monday, 1896. St. Jude's Mission, an offshoot of St. James, was formed and a chapel built in 1896-97. The Church of the Ascension, organized April 9, 1855, owes its greatest prosperity to Rev. John M. Henderson, its rector for many years; under him a new church was built in 1873-73. St. Luke's church was incorporated July 30, 1857. St. Mary's church on the Hill was organized April 1, 1873, and All Saints church on Easter Monday, 1879. Other churches and missions of this denomination in the city are: Church of the Good Shepherd (Inger- soll Memorial), organized in April, 1888; St. Barnabas church, April 33, 1895; St. Thomas's church, reorganized Easter Tuesday, 1896; St. Andrew's church; St. Bartholomew's, St. Matthew's, St. Peter's, St. Stephen's, and St. John's Missions; Holy Innocents Chapel at the Church Home; St. Clement's church; and St. Philip's .church (colored), which was organized about 1863. The Episcopal churches of the county, outside the city, are St. Matthias, East Aurora, organ- ized February 14, 1869; Trinity, Lancaster, formed about 1880; St. Paul's Mission, Springville, or- ganized in September,' 1891; Trinity Mission, Hamburg; St. Mark's Mission, Orchard Park; St. James's Mission, Touaw^ 110 ^- The first convocation of the Archdeaconry of Buffalo, which com- prises the counties of Erie, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Niagara and Wyoming, was held in-Trinity chapel, Buffalo, June 13, 1895, the archdeacon being Rev. Francis Lobdell, D.D., LL.Di, rector of Trinity church. There are twenty-five congregations in Erie county (nineteen being in the city), with a combined membership-of 3,351 families, or 5,940 communicants, of which 3,142 families or 5,633 communicants are in Buffalo. The entire value of church property is $1,133,316, all but $33,116 being in the city. The -twenty-five parishes have 419 Sunday school teachers and 4,052 pupils; the total offerings for parochial, diocesan and general purposes aggre- gate about $103,000 annually. 264 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. rapid advancement and churches multiplied in Buffalo and all of the outer towns. 1 Soon after the close of the war there appeared incipient evidences of the later commercial importance of Lake Erie, which far-seeing men were convinced must involve and influence to a large degree the devel- opment and prosperity of the county lying at the foot of a vast system of uninterrupted navigation. The first commercial intelligence of a public character and local interest is found in the Gazette of August 15, 1815, which stated that during the previous week there entered a boat from Detroit loaded with fish and wool ; the sloop Commodore Perry, with peltries. Cleared, sloop Fiddler, Cuyahoga, with salt and pork. , Salt was the most important product shipped westward in early years, it being brought from Salina by way of Lake Ontario. Other goods sent west in the early years were whisky, dry goods, household goods, naval stores, groceries, hardware, mill -irons, farm tools, etc. Coming down were furs, fish, building stone, household goods, with more or less of miscellaneous articles. About half the vessels came down in ballast. Nearly all were schooners, with a few sloops. The lake marine of 1816 was composed of the schooners Dolphin, Diligence, Erie, Pomfret, Weasel, Widow's Son, Merry Calvin, Firefly, Paulina, Mink, Merchant, Pilot, Rachel, Michigan, Neptune, Hercules, Croghan, Tiger, Aurora, Experiment, Black Snake, Ranger, Fiddler and Cham- pion^ and sloops Venus, American Eagle, Perseverance, Nightingale, and Black River Packet. 2 About the middle of July, 1817, the open 1 Methodism in Buffalo and Erie county is now one of the strongest Protestant religious de- nominations. Erie county constitutes the Buffalo District of the Genesee Conference. In this district there are, as shown by the last minutes of the conference, sixty churches, twenty-five of which are in the city of Buffalo, and thirty-one parsonages. The church property is valued at $750,160 for the whole district/and at $601,400 for Buffalo. The value of the parsonage property is $103,750. The church membership in Buffalo is 5,327, and in the whole county, 7,714. The Sunday schools of the district have a membership of 10,021, of which number 6,552 are in Buffalo. The re- port of the presiding elder of this district makes a comparison of Buffalo in 1883 (which was the year of the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Union), when the population was 185,000, and the city had ten Methodist churches, with the year 1896, when the number of churches has increased to twenty-five, and the membership from 2,356 to the number above stated. In the same period the value of church property increased from $369,640 to the sum above stated. The church main- tains a Deaconess Home in Buffalo, in which were nine deaconesses during 1896, who labored in the care of the sick, ministering to the poor, assisting pastors, and otherwise performing charitable work. 2 The following vessels were enrolled and licensed in the Buffalo district as indicated: Enrolled. Name. Owner's Name. Master's Name. Built. Io. 1, 1817, Sloop Hannah, Townsend & Coit, Oliver Coit, Black Rock, 1816. " 2, 1817, Brig Huron, Jonathan Sidway, James Beard, Grand River, 1814. " 3, 1817, Schooner Aurora, Samuel Wilkeson, Seth Tucker, Huron, O., 1810. " 4, 1817, Seh'r Experiment, James Hale, Orlando Keyes, Black Rock, 1813, pyrighted 1897 by Bliss Bros., Photographers, Buffalo, N. Y. RT. REV. WILLIAM D. WALKER, DD., LL. D., D. C. L. PROM 1815 TO 1830. 265 boat, Troyer, came into port with the pioneer cargo of breadstuff from the West; it was flour from Cuyahoga. That was the beginning of the marvelous eastward tide of grain and flour transportation that flows on as resistless as the tides of the ocean. It was, however, many years before this feature of lake commerce assumed importance. The prin- cipal article of eastward freight down to the organization of Erie county was furs. In the summer of 1817 a vessel brought down the most valuable cargo ever shipped ; it comprised 594 packages of beaver, otter, muskrat, bear and buffalo skins, of which 322 belonged to John Jacob Astor. The whole was worth more than $150, 000. That was only eighty years ago — a period almost within the memory of living men. This fact is difficult of comprehension when one looks out upon the almost count- less fleets of vessels of every description that now trouble the waters of the lakes, or reads the bewildering array of figures that tell us of the immense freightage east and west by water. Moreover, it is only eighty Enrolled. Name. Owner's Name. Master's Name. Built. No. 5, 1817, Schooner Rachel, Robert Eaton, Robert Eaton, Sandusky, 1815. " 1,1818, Brig Union, Jonathan Sidway, Elihu Pease, James Beard, Huron, O., 1814. " 2,1818, Sch'r Experiment, Thomas Warren, Warren Dinglay, Black Rock, 1813. " 3,1818, Schooner Libert, Hawley Reed, Hawley Reed, Two-Mile Creek, 1818. " 4,1818, Schooner Wasp, John Crane, Francis Hibberd, Huron, O., 1817. " 5,1818, Schooner Packet, Gardner Cady, Gardner Cady, Buffalo, 1817. " 7,1818, Schooner Wasp, Francis Hibberd, Francis Hibberd, Huron, O., 1817. " 8,1818, Schooner Rachel, Robert Eaton, Robert Eaton, Erie district, 1815. " 1,1819, Schooner Wolf, Henry T. Guest, Henry T. Guest, Danbury, p., 1817. " 2; 1819, Schooner Aurora, Samuel Wilkeson, Sheldon Chapin. Zephaniah Perkins, Huron, 1816 •' 3, 1819, Sch'r Experiment, William A. L-ynde, John B. Pells, Simeon Fox, Black Rock, 1813. " 4,1819, Nautilus, Charles H. Averill, George J. Adkins, Sandusky, 1818.. - Enrollments of the following vessels are supposed to have been burned: Enrolled. Name. Owner's Name. 1817 1817. Erie 1818. 1818. 1819. 1819. 1819. William Miller, Sheldon Thompson. " Humming Bird H. & E. Thompson. Kingbird Israel Loomis, Seth Stanley. .Steamer Walk-in-the-Water Josephus B. Stewart, Job Fish. . Sloop Independence William Walters. .Dolphin A. Williams. The Buffalo Gazette of March 17, 1818, gives the following list of shipping then owned in Buffalo: Schooner Michigan, 132 tons burden; brig Union, 104 tons; schooner Erie, 77 tons; sloop Hannah, 43 tons; schooner General Scott, 21 tons. Total, 377 tons. 31 266 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. years since a new factor that was to create stupendous changes in com- mercial affairs was introduced on Lake Erie. In November, 1817, a few men of means came from New York to Black Rock and employed workmen to begin the construction of the first steamboat above Niagara Falls. The work progressed rapidly in the following spring and the vessel was launched on the 28th of May, in the presence of a vast crowd of people. The boat was named Walk-in-the- Water and she was ready about the middle of August for her trial trip into the lake ; but her owners were grievously disappointed, after several days of effort, to learn that her engines had not sufficient power to force the vessel up the swift current of the river. It was a repetition of La Salle's experience with the Griffin a hundred and fifty years earlier. But a way was found out of the difficulty. The owners of the boat applied to Sheldon Thompson for a loan of ten or twelve yoke of oxen 1 which were used by him in hauling sailing vessels up the river, and on August 23, with all steam up in the boiler and the oxen pulling at the end of a long cable, the swift current was overcome and the boat entered the smooth water of the lake. This pioneer steamboat" was built by Adam and Noah Brown, of New York ; her boilers were made at Black Rock. John C. Calhoun was her first engineer. She was prudently fitted with two masts and sails, and her first captain was Job Fish, a former North River steamboat officer. The steamboat was destined for only a short existence, as she was wrecked off the lighthouse on Nobember 1, 1821. Her owners immediately began the construction of another vessel at Buffalo, near the foot of Indiana street, which was named the Superior and was launched April 13, 1822. The spirit of rivalry between Buffalo and Black Rock was conspic- uously exhibited in connection with the building of this boat. The agent sent on by the New York men was instructed to build the steam- er at Buffalo, unless he found the harbor facilities insufficient. He first visited Black Rock and the citizens of that village soon convinced him that there was not much of a harbor at Buffalo. He came to the latter village to have the papers drawn for the construction of the vessel at Black Rock. But he encountered men in Buffalo who had faith in her harbor and that here was an opportunity to test its efficiency which they 1 The sailors called these oxen the "horn breeze." 2 The Niagara Patriot of August 18, 1818, contained the following announcement : " The new and elegant steamboat Walk-in-the- Water will be ready for sailing the present week and we learn will take a short excursion previous to her regular trip to Detroit," TERRACE, MARKET AND LIBERTY POLE. The Market House, the building; with the Belfry on the right, was the first Municipal Structure of any importance erected in the city. The Building with verandas, partly shown on the left, is the Mansion Hotel. FROM 1815 TO 1820. 267 could not afford to ignore. Judge Wilkeson called upon the agent at his hotel with authoi-ity from his friends to secure the building of the boat at all hazards. The agent explained that his selection of Black Rock was based chiefly upon fear that the Buffalo harbor would be filled with ice until late in the spring, as he had been informed would be the case. Judge Wilkeson then proposed to supply him with necessary timber at a quarter less than Black Rock prices, and give a bond with ample security for the payment to the owners of $150 for each day that the steamer was detained in the harbor beyond the 1st of May. This proposition was accepted and the bond was signed by most of the re- sponsible men of the village. It may be added here, though out of its chronological order, that the steamboat passed safely out of the harbor before May 1, but only after a large amount of labor had been performed on the pier and in the channel.; this labor was largely paid for by sub- scriptions of the citizens of the village. Meanwhile a project, which was to exert a powerful influence upon the commerce of the lakes and transportation eastward and return from Erie county, had begun to take practical shape. From the early years of the century attention had been drawn to the feasibility of connect- ing the waters of Lake Erie with the Hudson ■ River by a great canal. The subject was introduced in one of its features by Gouverneur Morris as early as 1803, and in 1807 Jesse Hawley wrote a series of articles over the signature, " Hercules," for the Ontario Messenger, published at Canandaigua, in which he described some of the European canals and set forth the advantages which would follow the construction of a water- way from the great lakes to tide water. One of the routes proposed was the old one by way of the Mohawk River, Oneida Lake, the Os- wego River and Lake Ontario. Consideration of this route was ulti- mately abandoned in favor of the one adopted. The Erie Canal had a practical forerunner in the improvements made by the Western Inland Loek Navigation Company, incorporated in 1792. This company, by constructing a canal and locks around Little Falls in the Mohawk, and other improvements, opened water communication westward to Lake Ontario. Its improvements and rights finally passed to the State. In 1808 Joshua Forman, of Onondaga county, was elected to the As- sembly, pledged to advocate the canal project. He introduced a reso- lution in that body providing for the appointment of a joint commission of the Senate and Assembly to consider the subject of " a canal between the Hudson River and Lake Erie," and make a vigorous speech in its 268 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, favor; the resolution was adopted and was the first legislation on the subject. On recommendation of this committee another resolution was adopted directing the surveyor-general to survey the "usual route" (the one above mentioned), and such other routes as he thought ad- visable. It was at that time hoped and believed that the national gov- ernment would undertake or materially aid the work. . Under a small appropriation made by the Legislature James Geddes, of Onondaga, explored the old route. In 1810 Gouverneur Morris, Stephen Van Rensselaer, De Witt Clinton, Simeon De Witt, William North, Thomas Eddy and Peter B. Porter were appointed by the Legislature as com- missioners to further explore the proposed routes. This was done dur- ing the summer of that year and upon their report the next Legislature approved the route finally chosen. After the failure of repeated efforts to obtain aid from the general government, the Legislature, in June, 1812, authorized the borrowing of $5,000,000 with which to construct the canal, but the oncoming war stopped all progress of the work, and in 1814 the act was repealed. The project was revived at the close of the war and in April, 1816, the Legislature appointed a new commis- sion, consisting of De Witt Clinton, Stephen Van Rensselaer, Joseph Ellicott, Samuel Young and Myron Holley, who made further surveys and estimates and reported to the Legislature. The act finally author- izing the work passed the Legislature April 15, 1817, and on July 4 of that year practical work was commenced at Rome, N. Y. By that time the undertaking had become a prominent factor in politics, and in the fall of 1817 De Witt Clinton was elected governor on the issue by a large majority, which was significant of the general feeling through- out the State in favor of the canal. In Erie county Clinton received 737 votes, and Tompkins 310. The middle section of the great water- way from Utica to Montezuma was the first to be constructed and was finished in July, 1820; the eastern section was completed in October, 1823. The western section was not finished until a still later date, as noticed farther on. The construction of the Erie Canal, and especially what point should be made its western terminus, awakened intense interest and caused active agitation throughout Erie county and adjoining territory. In the minds of many men of good judgment, and especially of those living in rural districts, the whole project was visionary and destined to failure; they did not believe such a continuous waterway through' a diversified region could be maintained, and that if it could, it would FROM 1815 TO 1820. 269 not prove profitable as an avenue of transportation. Among the com- mon masses of people it was an object of scorn and ridicule. In Buf- falo and Black Rock the majority of thoughtful persons were in its favor; but each of these villages insisted upon its vast superiority as the canal terminus and the question was long in doubt. Black Rock had a sort of harbor and most of the vessels of the lake landed there. Buffalo had none. The advocates of the former village were led by Peter B. Porter, who possessed powerful influence, and for a con- siderable period it seemed that Black Rock was destined to be the canal terminus and the future commercial emporium. The village re- ceived a decided impetus and its growth was for a time more rapid than that of Buffalo. It was clear to the leading men of the latter place that this condition of affairs should riot be permitted to continue, and measures were adopted for the construction of a harbor. Various plans were discussed for raising money for the work, among them a lottery, the formation of an incorporated company, and a petition for government aid. What was called the Buffalo Harbor Company was organized, as a result of the agitation, in the spring of 1819, which originally comprised nine of the leading men of the place; to these was afterwards added the name of Samuel Wilkeson, 1 to whom more than to any other one person was due the construction of the first harbor. The nine men were Jonas Harrison, Ebenezer Walden, Heman B. Potter, John G. Camp, Oliver Forward, A. H. Tracy, Ebenezer Johnson, E. F. Norton and Charles Townsend. The company applied to the Legislature for aid and on April 17, 1819, an act was passed under which the State agreed to loan the company $12,000, provided its payment was secured by individual bonds and mortgages of mem- bers of the company for twice the amount of the loan If the harbor 1 Samuel Wilkeson was born in Carlisle, Pa., in 1781; and was a son of John Wilkeson, who was a brave lieutenant in the Revolutionary war. The son's boyhood was spent on a farm, and after his father's death he married and removed to Ohio, where he cleared a farm for himself. Disliking the slow progress he was making he engaged in other business— building boats, mer- cantile operations, and transportation business on the lakes. He soon became the master of vessels and during the war of 1812 carried on important operations in connection with the army, which brought him to Black Rock and Buffalo. In the spring of 1814 he settled in the latter vil- lage and opened a store on the corner of Main and Niagara streets. He became an enthusiastic advocate of the canal and finally joined with nine others in constructing the first Buffalo harbor. A large part of the labor devolved upon him and much of the financial responsibility. He in 1822 presented strong arguments before the canal commissioners in favor of making Buffalo the canal terminus and was victorious over Peter B. Porter, who advocated, the claims of Black Rock. He was appointed first judge of Erie county in February, 1821, immediately after the erection of the county; was elected to the State Senate in 1824, and in 1886 was elected mayor of "Buffalo. He was a man of strong character, inflexible will and high integrity. 270 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. when finished proved acceptable to the State authorities, the bonds were to be canceled ; otherwise the company would have to pay the bonds and seek reimbursement through the collection of tolls. The company declined to accept this proposition, with the exception of Charles Townsend"(with whom was associated his partner, George Coit), and Oliver Forward. In this emergency Samuel Wilkeson, towards the last of 1819, joined with these men and they accepted the offer of the State. The money was received from the State and in the spring of 1820 work was begun. William Peacock was employed to survey Buffalo Creek ' with reference to its use as part of the harbor, and a superintendent was employed, who was soon discharged for in- capacity and Mr. Wilkeson was compelled to take immediate charge of the work. The work of harbor construction was pushed ahead with energy, the plan adopted being the building of a pier of hewn timber filled with stone. This pier was made up of cribs, three of which were sunken the first day of the work. Many unforeseen difficulties were met and over- come, caused mainly by storms and rough water. When the piers had reached a point thirty rods into the lake, the bases of the cribs were enlarged, greatly increasing the cost. When work closed the first season, fifty rods of pier had been constructed and filled with stone, and a considerable portion of the fund still remained unexpended; but the more difficult part of the work, and possibly the most expen- sive, still remained undone. At that time Buffalo Creek entered the lake about sixty rods north of its present entrance, the creek running some distance parallel with the lake shore, and about tweny rods from it. Across this point of sand a new channel had to be cut, and this part of the work was begun in the spring. Without going into details which are unnecessary, it may be stated that the channel was formed by the construction of a dam across the creek, raising the water to 1 After William Peacock had completed his survey of the creek he made a favorable report and advised the construction of a stone pier extending into the lake 000 feet, which would give a depth of thirteen feet of water; this, he estimated, would cost $12,787. It is now claimed by men of experience that such a pier would cost half a million dollars. In opposition to Sir. Pea- cock's report and to the Buffalo harbor plans as a whole, a correspondent of the Albany Argus, of February 19, 1819, ridiculed Buffalo Creek as a harbor, stating that "two schooners can barely flass each other there," and proceeding to demonstrate the feasibility of constructing a mile wall With a lock of four feet lift at Black Rock, to overcome the current at the rapids. He would sell ■ State lands to pay the cost of this work, A bridge was to be constructed from Grand Island to the "city of Erie," which he foresaw would spring up on the site of Black Rock. This was only one of the numerous projects advocated by citizens of the rival villages by which they hoped to secure the commercial prize. FROM 1815. TO 1820. 271 nearly the height of the intercepting bank. A break was then made at the end of the dam and the imprisoned water rushed through it, carry- ing away a large portion of the sand and gravel. The dam was then extended farther and the operation repeated. At the same time con- tracts were made for timber, which was prepared in the winter, and pre- parations were made for farther extension of the pier. When the new channel for the creek was open, the dam (which con- sisted of two rows of piles six feet apart, the space between filled with stone and brush) was extended forty-six rods from the east bank of the creek, forming a permanent shore for the north side of the new chan- nel. When the company was about to begin work on the pier it was ascertained that if the line was continued in the direction already taken, it would have to be carried much farther into the lake than had been antici- pated. With funds running low this was an embarrassing fact, and it was resolved to apply to the people of the village for aid 1 The continu- ous line of pier was then abandoned and a second pier line two hundred feet long was constructed several rods south and west of the one already built, but extending in the same general direction. This pier would form the western terminus of the harbor and was to be connected with the other by two lines of piles eight feet apart. In due time the work was completed and the first artificial harbor of that character on the lakes was an accomplished fact. This liberal and enterprising action by a few prominent men of Erie county for the establishment of a harbor is sufficient evidence of the deep interest felt here, both in the canal project as a whole and in the advantages to be secured by having a safe port for the young lake com- merce ; but, on the other hand, it is doubtful if any man in the county at that time foresaw the stupendous future importance to this region of the great waterway with Buffalo as its western terminus and of the harbor then begun. That the canal, if ever completed, would be suc- cessful many persons hoped, but very many more doubted. Certain it is that the student of the local history of that period cannot too strongly 1 For the purpose o£ securing aid, scrip was issued entitling the bearer to a share in the har- bor, and about $1,000 was disposed o£, thus raising a little money and considerable goods. The holders of this scrip were never compensated, as no tolls were ever collected by the company, as was provided in case the State did not accept the completed harbor. In the spring of 1822 an act passed the Legislature providing for the payment to two companies of $12,000 for the con- struction of harbors at Buffalo and at Black Rock. This act limited all appropriation for the Buffalo harbor to the loan already made, and cut off all hope of remuneration by the State for money expended above the amount of the original loan ; while the company could not retain the harbor as private property and impose tolls, without driving business to a rival port. 272 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. magnify the importance of those three events which crowded so closely upon each other — the launching of the first steamboat, the construction of the first harbor, and the preliminary work on the Erie Canal. It has been made clear in the few preceding pages of this chapter that the period between the close of the war and the erection of Erie county in 1821 was, an important one in local history. This fact is ap- parent also in further evidences of progress and development in the various towns of the county, which demand brief notice. Immigra- tion, which had been almost wholly stopped by the war, soon revived when peace was restored and the farmer's cottage, the country store and the rural tavern began to make their appearance on every hand. In the spring of 1820 a new mail route was established from Buffalo to Olean, and three new post-offices were opened in this county — one at Smithville (or Smith's Mills), now Hamburg; one at Boston (then known as Torrey's Corners) ; and one at Springville. In the same year the first daily mail was established between Buffalo and Albany. Agricultural operations throughout the county at the time of its formation had assumed considerable importance. Under encourage- ment of certain appropriations made by the State for the purpose of advancing agricultural interests, the Niagara County Agricultural Society was organized in 1820, with its headquarters in Buffalo. Dr. Cyrenius Chapin was its first president; Joseph M. Mouiton, treasurer; Reuben B. Heacock, secretary; Heman B. Potter, auditor. All of these men were from Buffalo. The vice-presidents were Arthur Humphrey, Asher Saxton, Ebenezer Goodrich, Ebenezer Walden and James Cronk. A board of town managers was appointed consisting of three members from each town. An act of Legislature was passed March 24, 1820, giving this county $135 in addition to its proportion of $10,000 appropriated by the State at an earlier date, " for the promo- tion of agriculture and family domestic manufactures." The payment of this sum was upon condition that the counties of Niagara and Catta- raugus should form an agricultural society. The original society en- joyed considerable success for several years, when, for various reasons, it passed out of existence and its successor was not organized until 1841. • Improvement in the town of Alden began immediately after the close of the war. Seth Estabrooks, in 1816, displayed a small stock of groceries and other household necessaries for sale in a log building on the Mercer road a little south of the main road. Gen. William Warren FROM 1815 TO 1830. 273 built another frame tavern at the east end of Willink (East Aurora) village, while his younger brother, Asa, removed from Aurora to Eden, settling about two miles eastward from Eden Center, where he built a grist mill and saw mill and became a prominent citizen. At about the same time Erastus Torrey and his younger brothers settled at what is now called Boston Corners; the place was long known as Torrey's Cor- ners. Considerable settlement was made in the town of Lancaster be- fore 1821 and a Presbyterian church was organized there in 1818. The town of Hamburg, during the period under consideration, in- creased in population more, perhaps, than any other in the county. Judge Zenas Barker purchased what was early known as the Titus tavern, at the bend of the lake, but did not keep if long; a post-office was, however, established there and on his account was given the name Barkersville. Lewis T. White settled in the town in 1817, and others of that period along the lake were Bird & Foster, successors of Judge Barker at Bay View, Jacob A. Barker, Daniel Bi-ayman, Caleb Pierce, Lansing and Seymour Whittacer, and the Shepard, Amsdell, Barnard, Jackson, Van N-amee, Hicks, Camp, Beach, Abbott, Goodiich and Ingersoll families. Most or all of these lived along the Lake Shore road. This was a very popular thoroughfare from east to west and abounded in road taverns. With the incoming of business men with names differing from those of earlier settlers, the growing villages at Wright's Corners and Smith's Mills gradually became known as Ab- bott's Corners and White's Corners respectively. At the time of the formation of Erie county there were two post-offices in Hamburg: Smithville at White's Corners, and Barkersville, before mentioned. In 1820 or 1821 another was opened in what is now East Hamburg, then in the old town of Hamburg; no other town in Erie county had more than one, excepting Buffalo. For some unknown reason these were all discontinued in the next year and a new one with the name Hamburg opened at Abbott's Corners. In East Hamburg, too, there was mate- rial progress before the formation of the county. Until the close of the war there was little in the Potter's Corners neighborhood to distin- guish it from the surrounding territory but very soon afterward James Reynolds opened the first store near the Friends' meeting house and a few years later removed to Potter's Corners. He was succeeded by William Cromwell, who was in business in 1819. In 1820 David Eddy built a house, in which his sons-in-law, Lewis Arnold and Theodore Hawkins, afterwards kept a tavern. The name of Abbott's Corners 35 274 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was derived from Seth Abbott, brother of Samuel, both of whom were pioneers in this town. Samuel was the second supervisor of Hamburg in 1813, but soon moved into the town of Boston, where he was chosen the first supervisor; he subsequently returned and. occupied the farm afterwards owned by his son, Chauncey Abbott. Soon after the war Deacon Ezekiel Cook and others built a school house, which was used also for a Baptist meeting house. The First Presbyterian church of Orchard Park was organized in January, 1817, by Rev. John Spencer and Rev. Miles P. Squier, afterwards pastor of the church in Buffalo. This society is still in existence. The close of the war in the town of Aurora found a few dwellings, mostly of logs, at each end of what is now the village of East Aurora, while scattered over the town were the log houses of the settlers already named. When peace was restored immigration was rapid. Robert Persons, in the spring of 1815, opened a store in an unfinished building which he purchased of Gideon Lapham; it stood on what became the corner of Main and Olean streets and was the first perma- nent store in the town. The building of General Warren's frame tavern has been mentioned, which was soon sold to Calvin Fillmore. In 1816 Adijah Paul, Jedediah Darby and John C. Darby, all young married men from Vermont, settled on farms in the southwest part of the town near the site of West Falls. William Boies settled about the same time in t-he south part; he had six brothers, all of whom lived in the town. Thomas Thurston, John Hambleton and others settled on the Big Tree road soon after the war, and three brothers, Samuel H., Hawxhurst and Isaac Addington were settlers of that period. Henry P. Van Vliet settled in 1817 east of Griffin's Mills. James Griffin was a man of prominence and held the office of supervisor; he was brother of Robert and both were sons of the pioneer, Obadiah Griffin. About the same time that the Griffins became owners of the Smith mills Adam Paul opened a store near them and was in business nearly thirty years. Besides the mills, the Griffins operated .a distillery and ashery, and Robert Griffin kept a tavern. They moved away about 1825. About the year 1818 Abram Smith built a grist mill at West Falls and Lawrence Read opened a store there about the same date. For a num- ber of years the place was known as Crockershire, from a few families named Crocker who settled in the neighborhood. Among the settlers in the town of Wales after the war were John Cole, father of Niles Cole, who was long a prominent citizen. Isaac FROM 1815 TO 1820. 275 Wightman came into the town in 1817; in the late years of his life he resided in Aurora and lived to a great age. Ira Hall settled in the town in 1818, and established a tannery and shoe shop near the mills of his brother Isaac. Stephen Patch came in the same year and settled about a mile southwest of Wood's Hollow; he was accompanied by his sons, Thompson, Stephen W. and Oliver, who were all well known citi- zens. Jacob Turner built agrist mill at Wood's Hollow before 1818. From that time forward small business interests centered around the mills and tannery of the Hall brothers, which place began to be known as Hall's Hollow ; also around Warner's store and tavern, now called South Wales, and at Wood's Hollow. At the time of the formation of the town in 1818 there were six or seven distilleries on "Buffalo Creek within the town limits. Other prominent citizens of Wales in the early years were Nehemiah Smith, Helim Taber, Elon Virgil, Abner Nutting, Henry B. Stevens, John Carpenter. The first post-office was not established until 1821 ; it bore the name Wales, and was located at Hall's Hollow. About the same time Isaac Hall established a line of four-horse stages through the town on the Big Tree road ; when James Wood was made postmaster, a few years later, he removed the post- office to Wood's Hollow, which ultimately took the name, Wales Center. There David Norton early had a carding mill, and William A. Burt kept the first store ahout 1815. The first hotel was built by Isaac Hall in 1816. Immigration to the town of Evans was brisk after the close of the war and the region was soon quite fully occupied. A saw mill and grist mill were built on the site of Evans Center in 1815-16, around which gathered a small hamlet which took the name of Wright's Mills. About 1818 a post-office was established on the lake shore with the name Eden, in which town Evans was then included. The town of Evans was erected March 16, 1821, comprising the present town of that name, with the exception of a small tract taken from Hamburg in 1826, and a part of the town of Brant. The town was named after David E. Evans, the Holland Company's agent. The name of the post-office above mentioned was soon afterward changed to Evans. One of the first attempts to establish business in the town of Eden was the opening of a tavern by Dr. William Hill, who had been a sur- geon in the Revolutionary army and who came into this town in 1814, making his home near that of his son John. He was too old to engage in his profession and therefore began keeping tavern in a log house on 2*6 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, the .site o£ Eden Center; the place was then called Hill's Corners. In the same year the first school house was built, for which a Mr. Gail agreed to supply the necessary nails. They were a scarce article at that time and as he had little money his neighbers wondered how he would obtain them. When they were wanted he took a sack, walked to Buffalo and soon returned with a supply of nails which he had picked out of the ruins of that village. Almost immediately after peace was declared Simeon Clark set up a small lathe on a brook near the site of East Eden and began making spinning wheels and other household articles. At about the same time other settlers in that vicinity were John Dayton, long a justice of the peace, Joseph H. Beardsley, John Kerr, Hiram Hinman, Nathan Grover, and Joseph Blye. Hinman was the first hatter to locate south of Buffalo. A man named Harris had previously opened a store, and about 1816 he built a frame structure, the first one in the town, and placed his goods therein. Col. Asa Warren moved into the town from Willink in 1816 and built mills two or three miles east of Eden Center, on Eighteen-mile Creek. Obed Warren, Orrin Babcock, Elias Babcock, and David Wood were pioneers of that period. About 1818 a Mr. Ensign built a small grist mill near East Eden. The town of Eden was erected March 16, 1821, six days before the formation of Erie county. Small hamlets soon gathered at Eden Center, Eden Valley and Clarksburg. The town of Boston was set off from Eden in April, 1817, and imme- diately following the close of the war the Torrey family settled on the site of Boston Corners. The oldest son of Captain Torrey, as he was called, was a prominent citizen, as also was Capt. Uriah Torrey, a younger son. Quite a number of Quakers were pioneers in this town, among them Matthew Middleditch, John Kester, Stephen Kester, Will- iam Pound, David Laing, Thomas Twining, jr., Aaron Hampton and James Miller. In 1818 there were 153 taxable inhabitants. In the spring of 1820 anew mail route was established, extending from Buffalo south through Hamburg, Boston and Concord to Olean, and a post- office was opened at Torrey's Corner's with the name Boston. At about the same time Talcott Patchen built a tannery near Boston Center, and Edward Churchill settled a little south of Torrey's Corners; he 4ived to be one hundred years of age. In Colden one of the- earliest pioneers, Richard Buffum, and a Mr. Bloomfield built a grist mill near the saw mill of the former, and the locality was known as Buffum's Mills. There was no settlement in PRoM 1815 TO 1820. 211 the northwest part of the town until about the time of the erection of the county, when Wheeler, James and Joseph Buff um, sons of the pioneer, settled there on land taken up by their father. Samuel B. Love was another pioneer in the town. The first business enterprise in Holland was a grist mill which was built during the war by some person now unknown ; this was purchased by General Warren and Ephraim Woodruff while it was still unfinished in 1814. Warren bought out his partner in the following year and erected a saw mill ; he also built and occupied the first house there. In 1816 Caleb Cutler came in from Vermont, accompanied by his son, William C. Joshua Barron opened the first tavern very soon after the war, probably in 1816. In the next year Leander Cook Opened the first store near Orr's Mills. After the formation of the town in April, 1818, George Burzette came on in 1819, settling on the south part of Vermont Hill, and about the same time Stephen Parker settled on Hunter's Creek, and near by were John and Rufus Sleeper. Samuel Johnson located on West Hill about 1821. The Orr mills were on the site of Holland village and took their name from Robert Orr and his son Alvin. In the town of Concord E. A. Briggs settled on Townsend Hill in 1815; he was father of Erasmus Briggs, who was a prominent citizen of the town. Other settlers who came in directly after the war were the Vaughn, Pike, Frye, Needham, Stanbro and other families. John Battles located at what became Morton's Corners in 1818. Very soon after the war Frederick Richmond opened the second store at Spring- ville, where perhaps a dozen houses were clustered. David Stanley opened the second hotel in a frame building in 1818, and Dr. Daniel Ingalls and his brother, Dr. Varney Ingalls, settled there about 1818 as the first regular physicians in Concord. The post-office at Spring- ville was opened in 1820, with Rufus C. Eaton postmaster. Morton's Corners took its name from three brothers, Alanson, Elijah and Jere- miah Morton, who settled on farms at that point in 1814. Among the settlers after the close of the war in Brant were John Roberts, John West and Major Campbell, who located there in 1818. Ansel Smith and Robert and William Grannis came soon afterward. In the next year Reuben Hussey, a relative of Moses Tucker, the pioneer in the town, settled near Mr. Tucker. Samuel Butts moved from Hamburg to Brant in 1820 and in 1822 built the first saw mill. There was very little business in this town until later years. 278 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Smith Bartlett settled in Collins soon after the war and built the first tannery in the town at what became Collins Center. John Law- ton already had a saw mill there and built a grist mill soon after peace was declared. . Nathan King opened a tavern at the same place in 1816, which was probably the first one in the town, though John Han- ford kept one at about that time at Taylor's Hollow. Many Quakers settled in this town and about 1817 they erected a double log meeting house. Nathaniel Knight, long a prominent citizen, settled in the town in 1818. There was very little business in the town untjl later than 1820. Among the newcomers to the town of North Collins directly after the war was Humphrey Smith, who lived to a great age. John Law- ton came in a little later and became a prominent citizen. Settlement in that region was not active until after the formationx>f the county, as shown in later chapters. The first business enterprise in the town of Sardinia was a store opened in 1810 by George Clark & Co. ; the second was another store opened in the same year by Samuel Hawkins, which he sold to Reuben Nichols in 1818. Andrew Crocker settled in the town in 1817. In 1820 Dr. Bela Colegrove located at the place subsequently known as Colegrove's Corners; he was the first physician in the town. In the next year Chauncey Hasting located in the village (where there were then only three houses) and built a store; about two years later he built a hotel and was in business more than twenty-five years. Soon after his arrival George S. and Thomas Collins began operating a carding mill south of Sardinia village. A Baptist church was organized in the town soon after the close of the war. The fact of the appointment of Gen. Peter B. Porter as a member of the boundary commission has been already noted. In the early part of 1819 this commission came on from the east to establish the boundary between Canada and the United States in this vicinity. The principal surveyor on the part of the Americans was William A. Bird, a promi- nent resident of Black Rock. The sovereignty of Grand Island, though previously claimed by the United States, was definitely settled by this commission. The island was purchased by the State in September, 1815, the price being about $11,000. Very soon after this purchase numerous squatters located there and built cabins along both shores, and began cutting timber for staves for the Canadian markets. Up to FROM 1815 TO 1820. 279 the year 1819 these squatters held undisputed possession of the island. The boundary commission found, through proper investigation, that the main channel of Niagara River was on the Canadian side of the island, which therefore belonged to the United States. In the same year a vigorous and successful attempt was made to drive the squatters from their habitations. Sheriff Cronk, of Niagara county, armed with a requisition from the State authorities calling out a company of the local militia, made a descent on the squatters. The sheriff had al- ready given them a few days' notice to leave the island and a few had obeyed. The militia was commanded by Lieut, (afterwards Colonel) Benjamin Hodge, of Buffalo. With about thirty militiamen, on the 9th of December, he marched to a point opposite the feead of the island to which they crossed in boats late in the afternoon. The mtiskets of the militia were loaded with ball cartridges, pickets were stationed and the militia encamped for the night. Most of the squatters were on the west side of the island, and thither the soldiers marched the following morning. The boats were sent around the head of the island to be ready to transport the families of the squatters to either Canada or the United States, as they might choose ; with one exception they all pre-' ferred Canada. During the succeeding two days the squatters were all removed, without serious resistance, and about seventy of their houses were destroyed. About 100 acres of -the island had been cleared. The later survey and sale of the island is described farther on. 280 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, CHAPTER XIX. 1821—1825. Division of Niagara County and Creation of Erie County — Provisions of the Legisla- tive Act — New Act of Incorporation of Buffalo Village — Boundaries of the Village — Bright Anticipations in Erie County — Further Harbor Improvements at Buffalo and Black Rock — A Memorable Meeting in Buffalo — Continued Rivalry between Black Rock and Buffalo — Subscriptions for a Canal between these Villages — Final Settlement of the Terminus of the Erie Canal — Waning Importance of Black Rock — Dam in Tonawanda Creek — Inception of Tonawanda. Village — Final Work on the Erie Canal — Opening of the Great Waterway — Celebration of the Event in Erie County — New System of Collecting Land Payments by the Holland Company — Joseph Ellicott's Resignation as Agent — New State Constitution — General Progress in the Towns of the County — La Fayette's Visit to Buffalo — Mordecai M. Noah's Operations on Grand Island — Murder of John Love — Comparative Descriptions of Buffalo in 1820 and 1825— Maps and Views. On the 2d day of April, 1821, Niagara county was divided by an act of the Legislature and Erie county erected, comprising all of the territory of the old county lying south of the middle of Tonawanda Creek ; the boundaries of the new county are described in Chapter I. Erie county included much more than half of the area of the old county, about two thirds of the population, the county seat, county records, and most of the county officers. Hence, in all but the name, the new county was merely a continuation of the old one erected in 1808. It was, however, eminently proper that the historic name of Niagara should be retained for the county in which is Situated the great cataract. The act creating Erie county contained, among other provisions, one making it lawful to confine all prisoners in the jail in Niagara county until one could be erected in Erie county. Also, justices of the Supreme Court were directed to not hold a circuit court in Niagara cgunty until the expiration of one year, unless in their judgment it should be necessary. A new act of incorporation for Buffalo was passed April 17, 1822, which gave the village the following boundaries: PROM 1821 TO 1825. 281 Beginning on the shore of Lake Erie at the south-easterly corner of the mile-strip denominated the New York State reservation, adjoining the other lots in the village of Buffalo ; thence along the easterly line of said reservation to the northwesterly corner of lot number 51, including the said lot; thence easterly on the line of said lot 51 to the main street leading from Buffalo village to Batavia ; thence across said street and on the northerly line of lot number 28 one hundred and fifty rods from said main street; thence south fourteen degrees west to the shore of Lake Erie and along the shore of Lake Erie to the place of beginning. The act of incorporation provided for the election of five trustees, who were given the powers usual for such officers; provision was made, also, for the election of not less than three nor more than five asses- sors, one treasurer, one constable, one collector, and not less than three nor more than five fire wardens. The ertsuing election was ordered held on the 1st of the following June. The village officers are given in later pages. In no part of the State of New York in the early years of the third decade of the present century was keener interest felt in public affairs, or more hopeful anticipations entertained of the future, than in Erie county, if we except the uninfluential minority who at that period still doubted the successful completion of the Erie Canal. Through an act of the Legislature of April 17, 1822, both Buffalo and Black Rock were given aid and encouragement for harbor construction, and the citizens of both villages believed that the one which finally provided the safest and most commodious port would be chosen as the terminus of the canal. In that year .and the next the bloodless warfare between the two places was at its height. In Buffalo the Patriot championed the cause for that village, with the aid of the younger Buffalo Journal, while the Black Rock Beacon maintained a sturdy defense of the supe- rior advantages of that point. Both villages had friends in the boards of canal commissioners and in the engineer corps, and no effort was spared to profit by their influence. ' In June, 1822, the canal commis- sioners adopted a resolution to the effect that if Peter B. Porter and his associatesin Black Rock succeeded in constructing ten or more rods of their proposed pier " by the 1st of May or June following," in a satis- factory manner, then the commissioners would either provide for the construction of the canal basin desired, or else recommend that the State refund the money that had been expended. This resulted in the organization of the Black Rock Harbor Company, through whose efforts what was called the Experiment Pier was built. These pro- 36 283 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ceedings inspired the BufEalonians to renewed energy, and they freely asserted and published statements that the first run of ice would destroy the proposed Black Rock pier. In the summer of 1822 a meeting was held in Buffalo, the proceed- ings of which were fraught with influence upon the future" of the village. It was a memorable assemblage that gathered in the old Eagle tavern. De Witt Clinton, then chairman of the Board of Canal Commissioners, presided; his associates were Stephen Van Rensselaer, Henry Seymour, Myron Holley and Samuel Young. Gen. Peter B. Porter was present in the interest of Black Rock, while Buffalo was represented in an able manner by the enthusiastic Samuel Wilkeson. Both of these men were devoted heart and soul to their respective villages, and each advocated to the best of his ability the merits of either place as a canal terminus. Finally, the rugged eloquence of Mr. Wilkeson, and the apparent facts in the case, prevailed, and after a summing up by Mr. Clinton, the commissioners selected Buffalo for the terminus of the great waterway. 1 But the controversy did not end there. In the spring of 1823 the pier at Black Rock withstood the ice, the outgoing being watched by a crowd of citizens from both villages. This fact caused some of the canal commissioners to express themselves farther in favor of improve- ments at that point, and the war of words went on with renewed activity. The question of the canal terminus, it should be stated, was not definitely and officially settled until the issue of the annual report of the canal commissioners for 1823. One interesting feature of the contest between the rival villages, and one that already indicates the extremities to which either place was willing to go for victory, is the fact that at one period, probably early in 1823, it was fully understood and believed in Buffalo that the commissioners had selected Black Rock for the canal terminus. The citizens of Buffalo thereupon issued a subscription paper headed with the following: Whereas, The late decision of the Canal Commissioners, terminating the canal at Black Rock, upon the plan proposed by Peter B. Porter, will be injurious to the commerce of Buffalo and, in a great measure, deprive the inhabitants of the benefits of the canal — in order, therefore, to open an uninterrupted canal navigation upon the 1 The report of the commissioners contained the following : " It is important to have at that end a safe harbor, capable, without much expense, of sufficient enlargement for the accommoda- tion of all boats and vessels, that a very extensive trade may hereafter.require to enter and ex- change their lading there. The waters of Lake Erie are higher at the mouth of the Buffalo creek than they are at Bird Island, or at anypoint further down the Niagara, and every inch gained in the elevation will produce a large saving in the expense of excavating throughout tfye Lake Erie level," ;. 4§MM^'\. i T*i^~ .illNllt Hi 1,11^1 ■111**1 'llil'lllx m iliuii !||i;i ill Ill' 'III ■Ik i|l. Jill i!fl!ii-iiiW\ * ■' ..,(, I .. ■ i i.-iin.j)i|»tJ i. .in 1 fi> i[ I" ' if m. *n. i "'•I, :;a 111 iM in * ii im w p 1 WW'it : '# i'M" lip I' " in 1 ' ,,i uhl | ,,, I,,;; ■ I II J" ill ' .' ! , I il ill i 1 "i \ % J 4 !"!!!'!";'! !*>:>:':■ *w ill « I i mi > ilii r i ft; : ! " 'III Si- ,,r>K ml' FROM 1831 TO 1825. 283 margin of the Niagara river, on the plan proposed by David Thomas, 1 from the point where the line established by him will intersect Porter's basin, to the point where it is proposed to dam the arm of said river to Squaw Island, the undersigned agree to pay to Henry B. Lyman, the sums annexed to their respective names to be for that purpose expended under the direction of the trustees to be appointed by the subscribers. The sums subscribed to be paid in such monthly installments as the said directors shall think it expedient and proper to direct, not exceeding 30 percent, per month on the amount subscribed ; no part, however, of any subscription is to be called for until the expenditure of the whole shall be authorized by the canal com- missioners, upon the plans herein proposed. Dated Buffalo, July 2, 1823. The subscriptions to this paper showed a total of $11,415, and the names of the subscribers are here given, with the amount of each sub- scription, both for its interest in connection with this important sub- ject and as indicative of who were prominent in business in the village at that time : Joseph Dart, jr., $150, E. Hubbard, $150, R. W. Haskins, $100, H. R. Seymour, $250, Abraham Larzalere, N. Darrow, $25, Robert Bush, $50, S. Matthews, $100, Lucius Gould, $100, Townsend & Coit, $1,000, Joseph Stocking, §600, Ebenezer Walden, $500, Joseph D. Hoyt, $500, Henry Kip, $50, Timothy Page, $100, J. A. Lazelle, $150, George Stow, $50, G. & T. Weed, $250, Hiram Pratt, $200, Moses Baker, $200, A. Palmer, $100, Erastus Gilbert, $100, J. E. Marshall, $100, R. B. Heacock, $1,000 Sheldon Chapin & Co. , Jonathan Sidway, $500 Royalton Colton, $200, S. A. Fobes, $100, William Mason, $25. Stephen Clarke, $100, Moses Bristol, $100, Abner Bryant, $250, Joseph Bull & Co., $150, J. Sweeney, $100, B. Fowler, $25, James Miller, $40, B. I. Staats, $50, Johnson &Wilkeson, $1,500, E. C. Hickox, $500, Burt & Goodrich, $500, Oliver Forward, $400, ■ Ruxton & Hamilton, $100, G. B. Webster, $250, In addition to these liberal sums Louis Le Couteulx gave a half acre of land "bounded on the canal and extending to the highway." This land was on outer lot No. 1. With this important matter permanently settled, Buffalo entered upon a period of rapid growth. During a few previous years Black Rock had grown faster than Buffalo, but it reached the zenith of its prosperity with the completion of the harbor improvements described. Its pier was gradually destroyed, a large part of it being carried away in May, 1826, and all hope of the place becoming an important com- mercial port was lost. All lake and river craft now put into Buffalo 1 This plan was substantially the one finally adopted "by the canal authorities. 284 OUR COUNTY AND ITS' PEOPLE. harbor. Local newspapers boasted that on August 5, 1822, fifteen vessels were moored off Buffalo, and on July 12 of the next year the number had increased to twenty nine. The construction of the Erie Canal was now well under way. The first work upon it in Erie county was done at Tonawanda. It having been determined to use a part of Tonawanda Creek for the waterway, the canal commissioners contracted with Judge Samuel Wilkeson and Dr. Ebenezer Johnson early in the winter of 1822-23 to construct a dam across that stream near its mouth, and all through the summer of 1823 the work was vigorously prosecuted by a host of laborers. Judge Wilkeson believed that a considerable settlement would eventually gather at that point and he opened the first store there. Soon after- ward Albert H. Tracy, Charles Townsend and a few other citizens of Buffalo purchased a tract of land and laid it out in village lots and streets. That was the beginning of Tonawanda village. On the 9th of August, 1823, actual excavation on the canal itself in this county was commenced near the site of the Commercial street bridge in Buf- falo, on which occasion there was the customary celebration and speech-making. Behind the plows of the contractors followed a pro- cession with bands of music, while cannon were fired at intervals. "Then," says the published account, "they partook of a beverage furnished by the contractor." The work on the western section of the canal went rapidly forward and before the close of 1824 it was nearly finished within the limits of this county. Little remained to be done excepting the cut through the rocky mountain ridge at Lockport; this was completed in the fall of 1825 and the event was signalized by a grand celebration, in which the people of Erie county took a promi- nent part. In the evening of the 24th of October the filling of the Lake Erie level of the canal was begun and in twenty four hours there- after the whole waterway was open for travel. De Witt Clinton was again in the governor's chair at Albany, though his political opponents had succeeded in securing his removal from thfe office of canal commis- sioner. As it was well known that he had been foremost in creating the canal system of New York, a wave of popular indignation swept over the State, and Mr. Clinton was elected in the fall of 1824 by a large majority. 1 1 The Democratic party was divided and a new political organization, called the People's party, was formed, which carried several counties in the fall of 1828. Its strength was greatly in- creased by the exhibition of enmity towards Clinton by the Legislature. Intense indignation was created throughout the State, with the result above noted. PROM 1821 TO 1825. 285 On the evening of October 25, 1825, Governor Clinton and a large party of distinguished men from New York and Albany arrived in Buffalo. On the following morning a salvo of artillery awakened the echoes of the village and soon the place was alive with joyful enthu- siasm. At 9 o'clock a procession marched down Main street, led by Captain Rathbun's rifle company and bands of music. The rear was brought up by a carriage in which sat Governor Clinton, the hero of the time, and then the foremost man in the Empire State. The pro- cession marched to the canal basin, where the governor and his friends went on board the canal boat, Seneca Chief, which an hour later started on its long voyage to the Hudson River. The moment of its departure was announced by firing a 32 pounder cannon ; other guns were sta- tioned along the canal at convenient intervals, which, one after the other, repeated this shot and thus soon carried the news of the start- ing of the Seneca Chief to Albany. The procession then returned to the court house, where Sheldon Smith delivered an oration, devoted chiefly to an exposition of the probable benefits of the canal to Erie county. Public dinners were given at Rathbun's Eagle Hotel and Lan- don's Mansion House, which were followed by a ball in the evening. A committee of Buffalo citizens accompanied the canal boat to New York, whence they brought a keg of water from the ocean; this was taken on a vessel a short distance out in the lake by a committee of citizens, where, after speeches and congratulations, the ocean brine was mingled with the clear waters of Lake Erie. The State census was taken in June, 1825, and showed the population of Erie county to be 24,316, of which number Buffalo contained 2,412. This census entitled the county to two members of assembly. It was at about this time that the Holland Land Company adopted a new system of collecting payments for land, under which they accepted stock and produce instead of cash. Numerous agents were appointed who gave notice of where they would be at certain dates to receive cattle and farm products and give credit for them on contracts. This change was of great benefit to the settlers, but was a source of large ex- pense to the company in maintaining the agencies and disposing of re- ceipts. There is little more of importance to record in the history of the county from the time of its formation until the close of 1825. Sometime in the year 1821 a new post-office was opened at East Ham- 286 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. burg, with Lewis Arnold postmaster, and one at Wales, with William A. Burt postmaster. The latter had previously opened a small store of goods in his dwelling. In the fall Joseph Ellicott, the founder of Buffalo, resigned the agency of the Holland Company's land, which he had held for twenty-one years. Dissatisfaction had arisen in the latter part of his administration, based chiefly upon the difficulty encountered by many of the settlers in keeping up payments on their farms. This may have influenced Mr. Ellicott in his course. While his mind was clear, he had given evidence of hypochondria which five years later led to insanity and suicide — a pathetic end to such a career as his. He was succeeded in the agency by Jacob S. Otto. The adoption of the new constitution, which went into effect in 1822, changed the time of election from April to November. Judge Oliver Forward had been elected to the State Senate in the spring of 1821, but neither of the assemblymen was from Erie county. Under the new constitution sheriffs and county clerks were made elective by the people, the term of each office being three years. District attorneys and justices of the peace were appointed by the judges of the Court of Common Pleas and the Boards of Supervisors acting conjointly. All other judicial officers were appointed by the governor and Senate. New post-offices were opened in 1822 in this county at Holland, with Lyman Clark postmaster; in Collins (Taylor's Hollow), named Angola, with the veteran Jacob Taylor postmaster; at Eden, with the name Evans, John M. Welch postmaster; the name of this latter office and that of one previously opened in Evans, called Eden, were soon trans- posed, giving each of these towns an office with the name of the town in which it was situated. Sometime in the winter of 1822-23 a post- office was opened in Clarence on the site of the present village of Lan- caster (then included in Clarence), with the name Cayuga Creek, and and with Thomas Gross postmaster. In the same year (1822) the three post-offices then in the town of Hamburg, being doubtless considered too many, with the names East Hamburg, Smithville, and Barkersville, were all discontinued, and a new one opened at Abbott's Corners, called Hamburg; the old office with the latter name was doubtless dis- continued a little earlier. An office was opened also before the close 6*f 1822 at West Clarence, of which Simeon Fillmore was postmaster. On March 27, 1823, two new towns were created from Clarence — Alden and Erie. The former included its present area, with the nom- inal addition of a part of the reservation opposite. The name of Erie PLAN Or THE OF rt* w 130 H u H (3! X H MP m tir f- w $E/£ COMPHEB, SUBVERTED, DHAWJV SC ENGRAVED, ■» THE AUTHOR f i3 not too Jta /to 5/ IBS 20 m PROM 1821 TO 1825. 287 was changed to Newstead April 18, 1831. * This was an important town in early years, especially that part known as the Vandeventer neighborhood, which was a center of considerable political influence. There Judge Archibald S. Clarke was the leader, and James Cronk and William Mills were prominent. At the time of the formation of this town there was a large amount of travel through it, the old stages fre- quently being loaded with passengers on their way to Buffalo, whence they took steamers up the lakes. John S. Ball succeeded Judge Clarke as storekeeper on the Buffalo road and probably kept the largest stock of goods in the county outside of Buffalo ; Mr. Ball was made post- master in the new town of Erie soon after its formation, and opened an office with that name. Indications pointed to the founding of a prosperous village at that place, but there was no water power, and the land purchase of the Ogden Company in 1826, as noted farther on, changed the aspect of the matter. On June 4, 1825, an event took place in Buffalo which had been pleasantly anticipated for several days. Captain Vosburg's cavalry and Capt. Rathbun's Frontier Guard were kept under arms during that time, awaiting the arrival of the steamboat Superior. When the vessel came up to the' dock the venerable figure of the distinguished patriot, General La Fayette, who was then making a tour of the country as the guest of this nation, stepped ashore amid the cheers of the assembled multitude. He was escorted by the military to Rathbun's Hotel, where he was publicly welcomed in an address by Judge Forward, to which La Fayette responded. The village was illuminated in his honor in the evening, and on the following morning he departed for Niagara Falls, escorted as far as Black Rock by the military and citizens. It was in the years 1824-5 that occurred the extraordinary and amus- ing experience of Mordecai M. Noah and his co-operators in an attempt to found a great city on Grand Island, to be peopled mainly by Jews, of which race Noah was a prominent representative. The whole affair resulted in an early and ludicrous failure, the account of which is left for the Gazetteer of Towns in later chapters of this volume. Considerable advancement was made in public improvements in vari- ous parts of the county during the period under consideration. On the 15th of March, 1822, Elijah Leech, Pascal P. Pratt and Benjamin W. Pratt were authorized by act of Legislature to build a toll bridge 1 It will be remembered that the county had another town named Erie, erected in 1804, which became extinct, 288 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. over Buffalo Creek at about the point where they had previously oper- ated a ferry. They were empowered to erect a gate at one end of the bridge and collect a system of tolls of which the following is a part : "18^ cents for all double teams, for every coach, coachee, phaeton, or curricle with two horses; 37 J^ cents for sulkeys, chaises, two- wheeled pleasure carriages, etc.; 18^ cents for one-horse wagons; 9 cents for horses rode or led;" etc. The act provided that no other bridge should be built across the creek between its mouth and a point one mile above the bridge authorized. In the next year (1823) a num- ber of citizens were authorized to build a toll bridge over Eighteen- mile Creek in the town of Hamburg, under similar conditions. On April 33, 1823, Stephen Griswold; Daniel H. Dana and William Mills were appointed by the Legislature as commissioners to lay out a road four rods wide, "beginning at a point in the north bounds of the Great Buffalo road three quarters of a mile west of the division between the counties of Genesee and Erie, and running thence westwardly through the Tonawanta village to intersect the Grand Canal." An act of the Legislature, passed March 17, 1824, authorized Charles Townsend, Elisha C. Hickox, George Coit, Sheldon Thompson and Benjamin Barton to build a toll bridge "over Tonawanta Creek at or near the place where the ferrry is now kept by Peter Taylor." Col- lection of tolls was provided for under regulations similar to those be- fore given. In this immediate connection an act of the Legislature, passed April 16, 1825, authorized William Williams to establish a ferry from the south side of Tonawanda Creek across the Niagara River to Grand Island. The same act gave James Sweeney the right to estab- lish a similar ferry from the north side of the mouth of the creek to the island. The murder of John Love, in the town of Boston, by the so-called Three Thayers, was committed early in 1825. The Thayers consisted of the father and three sons; all three of the sons were convicted of the crime and were hung in public in the presence of 20,000 to 30,000 people on the 7th of June. The population of Buffalo has been stated as 2,412 in 1825. The «rapid increase after the settlement of the canal and harbor matters is shown by the comparative statement that the whole town in 1820, with Black Rock included, of course, contained only 2,095 population. At that time most of the business of Buffalo village was transacted between FROM 1821 TO 1825. 289 Exchange street and the park in front of the court house. Interspersed among the stores and shops of Main street were many dwellings, and others were scattered along Ellicott, Washington, Pearl, and Franklin streets. What is now the great northeastern section of the city was then low ground which had not been even tilled. Not far out Genesee street a log causeway made the road passable and black berries were abundant there. The irregular line of the forest approached within from forty to one hundred rods of Main street as far southward as Cold Spring, and to near the line of Virginia street on Delaware. Compared with this description of the place in 1820 we have a clear picture of the Buffalo of 1825 in a pamphlet published by S. Ball in that year, from which the following is taken : There are at present between 400 and 500 buildings including dwellings, houses, stores and mechanics' shops; and according to the census taken in January. last, there were 2,412 inhabitants, which is 317 more than the whole township of Buffalo, including the village of Black Rock, contained in the year 1820, according to the census then taken. Black Rock now contains 1,039 inhabitants. Among the population there are four clergymen, seventeen attorneys, nine physi- cians, three printers, who give employment to ten hands ; two bookbinders, four do. ; four goldsmiths, ' three do ; three tin and coppersmiths, sixteen do. ; seven black- smiths, seventeen do. ; two cabinet makers, ten do ; three wheelwrights and coach- builders, ten do. ; two chair makers, five do. ; one cooper, three do. ; three hatters, eight do. ; two tanners and curriers, nine do. ; five boot and shoemakers, thirty-five do.; two painters, five do; four tailors, twenty do. ; one manufacturer of tobacco, two do. ; fifty-one carpenters and joiners, nineteen masons and stone cutters, three butchers and one brush maker. . There are twenty-six dry goods stores, thirty-six groceries, three hat stores, seven clothing, do. ; four druggist do. ; one hard- ware do; six shoe do. ; one looking glass do. ; three jew,etry do. ; three printing offices, two book stores and binderies, eleven houses of public entertainment, one rope walk, three tanneries, one brewery, one livery stable, eight store houses, one custom house, one reading room, one post office, one public library, one masonic hall, and one theater situated on lot No. 15, which has been conducted during the past year with a very considerable degree of ability. The public buildings consist of a brick court house, a very handsome designed building, but remains unfinished, situated upon an emi- nence on the east side of North Onondaga [Washington] street, fronting Cazenovia [Court] street and is on the most commanding ground in the village. A stone Gaol, standing on lot No. 185. A market house situated at the head of Stadnitzka avenue. The market is well supplied as most country villages. . . The Niagara Bank is a large brick building, situated on North Onondaga, between Swan and Eagle streets. The Buffalo Insurance office is a large, well-finished, three-story brick building, on lot No. 35, Willink avenue. An Episcopal church, built of wood, a good sized and well-finished edifice, standing on lot 42. A Presbyterian Meeting House, a very commodious building, situated on lot 43. And a convenient Methodist Chapel, on lot No. 83. There is one Young Ladies' school, one Young Gentlemen's Academy, 37 290 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and four common schools. The lots Nos. 108, 109, 111, and 112 are occupied for a burying ground. The space left blank in the plan is lands owned and reserved by Joseph Ellicott, Esq. There are five religious congregations — one Episcopalian, one Presbyterian, one Methodist, one Baptist, and one Universalist. Among the societies and institutions, there are five religious, two masonic, one Library, one Banking and one Insurance. There are four weekly newspapers, to wit : The Buffalo Patriot, established in 1811 ; the Buffalo Journal, established in 1815 ; the Gospel Ad- vocate, established in 1823; the Buffalo Emporium, established in 1824. . . The buildings in the village are principally of wood, ' and not very compact, with the exception of Willink avenue ; this street is filled up, and is the most business part of the town. Van Staphorst avenue is built upon much beyond the extent of the map accompanying this work, and is the principal street that is traveled in passing from east to west. . . . The streets leading along the creeks, (which have not yet been favored even with a Dutch name) may be seen in thesummer season, to exhibit a bustle and hurry of business, not unlike a seaport ; . . these streets are well built, with extensive and commodious warehouses, and capacious docks, where the shipping lies undisturbed and in perfect safety. Mr. Ball's valuable pamphlet then records, among other evidences of growth and advancement, the existence of six different mail routes leading to and from the village, with nine regular lines of stages arriv- ing and leaving every day and ample accommodations for travelers. The view for the accompanying engraving of Buffalo harbor, which is copied from the pamphlet, was taken from the Terrace. The fore- ground shows the Erie Canal, then in a somewhat unfinished condition, from a point near the line of Erie street to near the Little Buffalo Creek, above the Commercial street bridge ; thence is shown the bed of Little Buffalo Creek to the Big Buffalo Creek. At the left is seen the point on which was afterwards erected the warehouse of Joy & Web- ster. The small building on the extreme left was in Prime street. The next one is the "old red warehouse," as it was called, which was occupied by Townsend & Coit; and below it two buildings standing in and near the foot of Commercial street. Farther down the harbor is seen a cluster of small buildings, then standing on the Johnson & Wilkeson lot. Next and near the center of the view is the warehouse then occupied by Hiram Pratt and Asa B. Meech. The next and last building on the right is the smaller warehouse used b3>- Sheldon Thompson & Co. Between the canal and the buildings was then an open field. 1 1 In the year 1876 O. H. Marshall received a letter from Hon. Gideon J. Ball, in which was given a brief description of the production of the plates copied herein. He wrote : " S. Ball was not an engraver — never claimed to be — but with a pencil he sketched well and cleverly. After the completion of his drawings, he corresponded with engravers in the city of New York, and to FROM 1821 TO 1825. 291 The theater alluded to in Mr. Ball's pamphlet was known as the Buffalo Theater and was built in 1821-22; it stood on Main street about opposite the Eagle tavern; it was advertised to rent from January, 1822, with four changes of scenery, by S. H. Salisbury. It was pur- chased not long afterward by Walden & Moseley. In 1 823 Rev. J. Bradley taught a classical school there, while in 1826 we find notice of its use again as a theater and the production of Richard III.' There are many minor places of amusement in the city that do not call for particular notice here. Mr. Ball neglected to notice the formation of a regular fire company, which took place December 16, 1824. An engine had previously been procured, but the chief dependence for fire extinguishment was the buckets, ladders, etc. , which property owners were compelled to pro- vide. The fire company of 1824 was made up of the following mem- bers: George B. Webster, Hiram Johnson, George B. Gleason, Ebene- zer Johnson, Henry Fales, Guy H. Goodrich, Barent I. Staats, Na- his surprise found their charges so high and the difficulties of distance so great, that for a time he was disposed to give up his hobby. After reflection, he resolved to do the work himself. Cop- per was procured ; the plates were hammered to firmness, and by infinite rubbing, their surfaces were finished so that they presented polished planes. Mr. Ball then set .himself to the work and by persevering effort, succeeded in transferring to the copper the pictures he had drawn." After the plates were engraved Mr. Ball was astonished to learn in the office of the Patriot that they could not be printed on an ordinary printing press. After investigation of the subject of copper plate printing, he constructed a roller press mainly of wood, made his own ink, and succeeded in making very good impressions of his work. 1 There was no regular theater in the city after the one here described until the building of the old Eagle Street Theater, which was erected in 1835 by Albert Brisbane, for Dean & McKin- ney. This was long a noted place of amusement and for nearly twenty years all traveling com- panies, of any pretensions, occupied it. This theater was opened on the night of July 20, 1835, with "The Hunchback," and "Katherine and Petruchio." The Eagle Street Theater was burned in June, 1852. Lola Montez appeared on the stage on the previous night before a small audience and was hissed. She was greatly incensed at her cold reception and before morning the theater was in ruins. This led to a suspicion that she was responsible for the burning of the building ; but such was probably not the case, as the theater had twice been on fire previous to that. What was called the Buffalo Theater was in use by a Mr. Duffy, who came from Albany in 1835, on the corner of Washington and Mouth Division streets. A new Eagle Street Theater was built on the site of the first one by the Brisbanes, corner of Washington and Eagle streets ; it was opened Sep- tember 1, 1852. In the same year the Metropolitan Theater was completed by H. T. Meech, and opened October 15 of that year, under lease to C. T. Smith, when Anna Cora Mowatt appeared in "The Honeymoon." This theater became the well-known Academy of Music, situated on the east side of Main street, and was long managed by -John H. and Henry L. Meech, sons of the origi- nal owners. The so-called Buffalo Opera House was built by the Brisbanes in 1861-2, and subse- quently was called the Adelphi ; it acquired considerable popularity under management of Dan. Shelby. Wahle's Opera House, on Court street, between Pearl and Franklin, was erected in 1882 and was opened on the 12th of October of that year ; this is now the Court Street Theater. The Lyceum Theater, Washington street, near Lafayette Square, was erected and opened in 1886, as the Grand Opera House, by Joseph.Bork. The Star Theater is now the leading place of amuse- ment in Buffalo ; it is situated on the corner of Pearl and Mohawk streets and was built in 1888 by E. Levi, and opened on December 24 of that year. 2§2 Ottft COUNTY AND ITS i>fiot>LE. thaniel Wilgus, Richard Wadsworth, Elisha E. Hickox, Thaddeus Weed, Joseph Bart, jr., Elijah D. Efner, George Coit, Silas Athearn, John Scott, Henry Hamilton, William Hollister, Joseph Anable, Au- gustin Eaton, Abner Bryant, Theodore Coburn, Martin Daley, Robert Bush and John A. Lazelle. In this list are found the names of many leading citizens. The first engine house was built two years later at a cost of $100. The Baptist church noticed by Mr. Ball was the Washington street society's, which was organized April 2, 1822, chiefly through the efforts of John A. Lazelle, who secured the pastoral services of Rev. Elon Galusha, then of Whitesboro, N. Y. ; he began his services here in February of the year named. The name taken at first by the society was the Baptist Church of Christ in Buffalo. 1 The Universalist services spoken of in the pamphlet were merely conducted before a congregation which had no organization until 1831. The same may be said of the Methodist services of that date ; the other denominations had organized churches, as before described. The library alluded to in the pamphlet was incorporated December 10, 1816, under the title, The Buffalo Library; the organization took place at the house of Gaius Kibbe, which was the old Eagle tavern. 1 This subsequently became the First Baptist Church of Buffalo. Their first edifice, which was erected on the corner of Seneca and Washington streets in 1828 was afterwards used for a post- office. In 1832 the name was changed to the Washington Street Baptist Church, and in 1836 a new edifice was built. The Dearborn Street church at Black Rock was formed from this society in 1839, the nucleus of the Niagara Square Baptist church in 1840, the First German Baptist church on February 14, 1849, the Cedar Street Baptist church on March 25, 1859, the Prospect Avenue Baptist church on May 15, 1807, and the Delaware Avenue Baptist church on December 8, 1882. The first Baptist church organized in Erie county was the First Baptist church of East Au- rora, which was formed October 17, 1810, with ten members, by Rev. David Irish, a missionary, and constituted in November following. Their first pastor was Rev. Elias Harmon, from 1816 to 1826; in- 1827-28, in conjunction with the Congregationalists, they erected ahouseof worship, which in 1883 gave place to another frame edifice. The Baptist churches in Hamburg and Boston were constituted in 1812, the one in Eden on October 16, 1816, in Sardinia on March 1, 1820, in Williams- ville on June 10, 1826, in Springville on January 11, 1H27, in Holland on December 8, 1829, in Evans on September 4, 1830, in Wales Center on October 28, 1830, in Alden on September 5, 1833, in Holland (German) on June 30, 1861, at Pleasant Valley on the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation in 1866, in Tonawanda (German) on October 19, 1879, and in Lancaster June 25, 1896. The Baptist denomination grew slowly in Buffalo. The present societies, with the dates on which they were constituted, are as follows: Michigan Street (colored), 1839; First German, 1849; Sec- ond German, 1859; Prospect Avenue, June 10, 1H6H; Third German, March 2, 1875; Emmanuel, October 19, 1877; Delaware Avenue, December 1, 1K82; Dearborn street, December 13, 1882; Fillmore Ave- nue, April 19, 1888; Parkside, October 29, 1891; Glenwood, January 5 t 1892; Ebenezer German, 1893; tafayette Avenue, May 16, 1893; First Polish, October 31, 1894; Walden Avenue, July 11, 1895; Reid Memorial, October 4, 1X95. There are also in the city the Delevan Avenue church and Trenton Avenue, Maple Street, and South Side chapels, and the First and Second Free Baptist churches. The total valuation of church property in the county is over §500,000 and the membership numbers about 6,000. In the variotis Sunday schools there are about 7,800 scholars enrolled. FROM l82f> TO 1832. 293 The first board of trustees were Charles Townsend, Charles G. Olm- stead, Jonas Harrison, Isaac Q. Leake, Miles P. Squier, Smith H. Salisbury, and Josiah Trowbridge. Most of the leading citizens of the village were members of the organization and supported it by contri- butions. The library lived on and at one time had about 700 volumes for circulation. It ultimately passed to the Young Men's Association and formed the germ of the present great Buffalo Library. The intelligent reader will not ask for a clearer or more detailed de- scription of the Buffalo of seventy years ago than is given in the few preceding pages; the extracts from Mr. Ball's pamphlet and the accom- panying engravings bring before the eye with almost photographic faithfulness the ambitious, struggling village of thai time, and clearly show how firmly laid were the foundations for future greatness by the sturdy business heroes of the' early years. CHAPTER XX. 1825—1832. Early Success of the Erie Canal— Its Influence on Erie County — Buffalo Charter Amendments — The Morgan Affair — Anti-Masonry in Erie County Politics — Another Newspaper — Rising Opposition to the Holland Land Company — The Jubilee Water Works Company — The Buffalo Hydraulic Association — First Insurance Companies — The County Alms House — Preparations for City Incorporation — Conditions of the County at Large — Advancement in Outer Towns — Arrival of the First German Im- migrants — Progress at Tonawanda — Preparation of City Charter — Passage of the Act— Important Provisions of Lhe Charter — Ward Boundaries — Reorganization of Buffalo Fire Department — The First City Directory — A Description of the Young City — List of Buyers of Lots in New Amsterdam. The period between 1825 and the incorporation of Buffalo as a city in 1832 was an uneventful one in Erie county, if we leave out of con- sideration the fact of its rapid advancement in all the varied features of -prosperity and material growth. While the Erie Canal in the early years of its existence became an avenue of a great transportation busi- ness, 1 its success in this county was not so immediate or its influence 1 As an evidence of the rapidity with which the canal was brought into nse, particularly as regards freight, it may be stated that the number of boats arriving in Albany during the season 294 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. so large as in localities farther east. A spirited rivalry sprang up be- tween the old stage coaches and the new packet boats, but the ad- vantages offered by each were so nearly equal that for some time travel was about equally divided between the two. In freight transportation it was different, and the products of the farmer reached eastern mar- kets with far greater expedition and economy ; but western trade was still in its infancy and grain came down the lakes in only compara- tively small quantities. Some amendments of considerable importance were made to the Buffalo village charter in 1826, the principal ones being a provision for raising by tax a sum not exceeding $2,000 to pay for lighting the streets, supporting a night watch, and for all local improvements and the contingent expenses of the village; a provision for the erection of a pier and wharves on the north side of Buffalo Creek; another making the village a road district, and still another designed to control the sale of liquors. It was in the early autumn of the year 1826 that an event took place in Western New York which was destined to create a powerful in- fluence, particularly in the political field, for a number of years. Will- iam Morgan was a resident of Batavia, a Mason, and it became known that he had written and was threatening to publish a book revealing the secrets of that order. After numerous attempts had been made to induce him to abandon his purpose and surrender the manuscript of his work, he was arrested on a trifling charge and confined in the jail at Canandaigua. On the following day he was released, but on reaching the street was seized and forced into a closed carriage, which was rapidly driven westward. He was accompanied by three Masons and was taken on through Rochester and b) 7 way of the Ridge road to Lewiston, and thence down the river to Fort Niagara, which was reached near midnight of the 13th of September. There he was con- fined until the 19th, when he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared; Arrests and trials for his abduction followed. Eli Bruce, then sheriff of Niagara county, the commandant at Niagara, and several other prominent Masons were tried and a few were convicted. Bruce was • of 1823 was 1,389; in the season of 1824 it was 2,68?; in that of 1825, it was 3,836, while in 1820 it was about 7,000. Passenger traffic was also large, for while the fare on the turnpike roads was about one and one-half cents per mile, by canal it was only half a cent; to persons who could spare the time, therefore, and all who sought the comforts of passage by packet boat, the new method of travel was irresistibly attractive. PROM 1825 TO 1832. 295 fined and imprisoned and deposed from office. The trials extended over a period of four or five years. It came to be generally believed that Morgan was drowned in Niagara River, which was dragged for his body, but without finding it, and it is not even to this day positively known what was his fate. This event treated intense excitement throughout this State and later on spread over the entire country ; it soon crept into politics and gave birth to the Anti- Masonic party, which was for some years a powerful political factor. It drew large numbers of adherents from the other parties, and in the election of 1829 its candidate, Albert H. Tracy, of Buffalo, for State senator in the Eighth District, was elected by the unprecedented majority of 8,000. Many of the Masonic lodges of the State surrendered their charters, but the lodges at Buffalo and Black Rock retained theirs until 1829. The Buffalo Patriot espoused the Anti-Masonic cause, but so strong was the tide setting in that direction that another newspaper, called the Western 'Advertiser, was started in the winter of 1827-8 by Charles Sentell and Billings Hay- wood; this paper was not- needed under* the circumstances, and al- though its columns contained well written articles from the pens of Oliver Forward, James Sheldon and others, it closed its career in three months by merging with the Patriot. ""The Journal supported the opposing party, but in a very conservative manner. Leading politicians saw their opportunity for intrigue and a possible rise to power and in- fluence, and political lines between the Jacksonian Democrats and the Anti-Masons became closely drawn. In the fall of Jackson's first election (1828) the contest in Erie county was exceedingly spirited, with the Anti-Masons largely in the majority. In the Thirtieth Dis- trict Ebenezer F. Norton was elected to Congress over John G. Camp, while the Anti-Masons elected also David Burt and the young lawyer, Millard Fillmore, to the Assembly. Mr. Fillmore was re-elected in the following year, with Edmund Hull, of Clarence. The new party con- tinued to hold sway in this county, as, well as elsewhere, for several years ; but notwithstanding the weakness of the local Democratic or- ganization, or possibly because of it, a weekly Democratic paper was started in Buffalo in April, 1828, with the title Buffalo Republican; this was the ancestor of the Buffalo Courier. It may be noted here, as illustrating the enormous strength which was developed upon a foundation so weak and from sources so apparently unimportant as those of the Anti-Masonic party, that in 1830, in a poll of 250,000 votes 296 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in this State, its candidate for governor was defeated by barely 8,000, while in 1832, when the poll was 320,000, the candidate for the same office failed of election by only about 10,000. The party also attained great strength in other States. In its relations to Erie county in 1827 the Anti-Masonic movement was to some extent complicated with a rising opposition to the Holland Land Company. The settlers' farms in the county were still largely burdened with debt to the company, and notwithstanding the latter had shown a liberal spirit in the acceptance of produce in lieu of cash, as before noticed, many settlers found it almost impossible to meet their obligations. To render their situation still more unsatisfactory, rumors were circulated that the company was preparing to advance the prices of all lands on which the original time of payment had lapsed. David E. Evans was now appointed agent of the company in place of Mr. Otto, and under his administration land contracts were somewhat modified in favor of purchasers. Increasing dissatisfaction, however, prevailed in many parts of the purchase, which was expressed in ques- tioning the validity of the company's titles, in recommending heavier taxation of the property of the company, and otherwise. This rising spirit of opposition among the settlers was destined in later years to lead to serious trouble. In 1827 the editor and proprietor of the Black Rock Gazette, Smith H. Salisbury, comprehended the rapidly growing importance of Buf- falo as the* commercial and business center of Western New York, and removed his newspaper to the latter village. The waning importance of Black Rock is indicated also by the fact that the Black Rock Advo- cate, which had struggled for existence about a year, died a natural death. The Buffalo and Black Rock Jubilee Water Works Company was in- corporated in 1827 with a capital stock of $20,000. Up to the year 1832 this company had laid about sixteen miles of wooden water conduits. The supply was drawn from the Jubilee springs, situated near Dela- ware avenue about one hundred rods north of Ferry street, from which high ground the water flowed through the pipes by gravity. Black Rock and the northern part of the city were first supplied and subse- quently the pipes were laid down Main street to the southern part of the city. The officers of this company for 1832 (the first year in which they are recorded) were as follows : Peter B. Porter, president ; Donald Fraser, S. C. Brewster, Peter B. Porter, directors; Absalom Bull, sec- Buffalo as seen from top of old Buffalo Bank in 1829. Buffalo as seen' from the Lake in 1829. PROM 1825 TO 1832. 297 retary and treasurer ; Donald Fraser, superintendent. At the present time the works are under control of commissioners, and the company still supplies a few families in the northern part of the city. A company called the Buffalo Hydraulic Association was incorporated in 1827 by John G. Camp, Reuben B. Heacock, Frederick B. Merrill, and several associates; the capital of the company was $25,000 and it was hoped and believed that important business and manufacturing operations would be established through its influence. In the month of October of that year the company had partially completed and opened a canal from a branch of Big Buffalo Creek into Little Buffalo Creek, at a point where the necessary length of the canal was about four miles. Sixteen feet head of water power was thus obtained. A saw and grist mill, a woolen factory, a hat body factory, a last factory, and a brewery were built in that vicinity and a considerable settlement gathered there. The early spread of the city in that direction necessi- tated the subsequent filling up of the canal. The incorporation of these companies constitutes one of the indica- tions of the general business activity of that time in Buffalo, which is more particularly noticed a little farther on. Merchants and manu- facturers were making money and their prosperity was reflected to the people of the outer towns. These conditions led to the need of further banking facilities, and during the latter half of the year 1826 the sub- ject of establishing a second bank in Buffalo was earnestly discussed. At a meeting, held December 16, a report was made by a previously appointed committee upon the details of the enterprise. There was a general desire on the part of the citizens for the establishment of a branch of the United States Bank in the village and the committee re- ported in favor of such a measure. This report was confirmed and the following Board of Directors appointed : William B. Rochester, Charles Townsend, R. B. Heacock, Joseph Stocking, Albert H. Tracy, Sheldon Thompson, David Burt, Augustus Porter, David E. Evans, William Peacock, James Wadsworth and Lyman A. Spalding. But the insti- tution did not, for some reason, begin business at that time, and the scarcity of circulating currency continued. Frequent allusions to this subject are found in the newspapers' of the period, and it is an unques- tioned fact that business was considerably hampered for some time from this cause; while there was no general financial stringency, the lack of means of effecting exchanges, except by actual cash in hand or barter, was severely felt. On the 29th of August, 1829, the Buffalo 38 398 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Republican made an especially emphatic assertion that the population of Buffalo was about 7,000 and yet they had no bank. 1 Finally, the first meeting of the bank directors was held on October 26, 1829, and John R. Carpenter was appointed cashier; Joseph Salter, teller; Charles Taintor, clerk. Heman B. Potter was soon afterward added to the Board of Directors. This bank began business on the northeast corner of South Division and Main streets. The accommodations offered by this bank, even, did not seem to meet the needs and expectations of the community, for on the 16th of May, 1830, subscription books were opened for three days at the Eagle tavern for the sale of stock in the proposed Bank of Buffalo. James McKnight, David E. Evans, I. T. Hatch, Benjamin Rathbun, Guy H. Goodrich, S. G. Austin and Pierre A. Barker were named as the bank commissioners. The capital of this institution was fixed at $200,000, while the subscriptions amounted to $1,654,250. The distribution of the shares under these circumstances created some dissatisfaction and opposition, which resulted in the granting of an injunction by the vice- chancellor stopping further proceedings in the matter; the injunction was, however, removed by mutual consent before it was argued and the following Board of Directors elected: Guy H. Goodrich, Hiram Pratt, Benjamin Rathbun, Major A. Andrews, Joseph Stocking, George Burt, William Ketchum, Henry Hamilton, Henry Root, George B. Webster, Noah P. Sprague, Stephen G. Austin and Russell Haywood. Guy H. Goodrich was elected president; Hiram Pratt, cashier; and S. G. Austin, teller. The bank began business September 6, 1831. Another branch of business which was destined to become of large importance came into existence at this time. A charter had been granted by the Legislature, in 1819, for the Western Insurance Com- pany of Buffalo, but owing to the general financial stringency of that period it lay dormant until 1825, when Jacob A. Barker, of New York city, purchased the charter and opened the first insurance office in Buf- falo. Isaac S. Smith was the first secretary of the company, and Capt. William P. Miller the first president. In April, 1827, Mr. Smith re- signed his office and Lewis F. Allen s came on from New York and 1 A little later the same newspaper insisted that notwithstanding all causes for discourage-. • ment, the community was prosperous. Said the editor: "Still our village rises, whilst others at the east are either folding their arms or are on the retrograde march; village lots and village property have gradually risen ; merchants are paying their debts, and farmers are coming in with cash. The corporation has made ample side and cross walks, Main street has been graduated and the pure water of the cold springs flows into any house on Main street." s kewis Falley Allen was born in Westfield, Mass., January 1, 18U0, He attended the Westfield FMOM 1825 TO 1832. 290 accepted the secretaryship. In 1828 Captain Miller also resigned and Charles Townsend was elected to the office. This company continued in successful operation until 1830, when its charter expired. In the winter of 1829-30 a charter was obtained, chiefly through the efforts of Mr. Allen, for the Buffalo Fire and Marine Insurance Company, with capital stock of $100,000; the incorporation of this company was ef- fected April 1, 1830; the stock was principally taken by Buffalo citi- zens. This company was also successfully managed, and closed its business in April, 1849. While these developments were in progress incipient wholesale trade was being established in the village, and although it did not assume large proportions until several years later, it was -still an important factor of the prevailing business activity and thrift. In commenting upon the bright prospects of Buffalo a local paper of December, 1828, stated editorially, that "notwithstanding the scarcity of the circulating medium at the present time, and the general sickness which has pervaded all parts of our vicinity, during the last summer, including our village, still Buffalo steadily progresses in beauty and improvements; still pushes on to fulfill its destiny— to become that which it is pre-eminently calculated to be, the commercial emporium of the west." The editor then noted various improvements that were in progress at the time, among them a "county poor house, built of stone on a site between Black Rock and Buffalo, and nearly finished;" the erection. of "an edifice for the High School about a half mile east Academy until he was twelve years old, when he went to New York to begin work in a wholesale dry goods house in which his father was interested. In 1813 he returned to the employ of his father, who had left his mercantile business in New York and begun manufacturing woolen goods in Connecticut. From that time until April. 1827, Mr. Allen was variously employed, » part of the time near Sandusky, O. In 1826 he married Margaret Cleveland ; her brother, Rev. Richard F. Cleveland, was father of President Grover Cleveland. From the time of his arrival in Buffalo (1827) Mr. Allen was for many years prominent in the insurance business and in real estate operations. Some of his purchases of land about that time and the prices paid have his- torical significance. In 1827 he purchased an outer lot of five acres, a short distance above Chippewa street and extending from Main to Delaware streets, for $750 ; he also purchased a five acre tract on Virginia street, opposite the orphan asylum, for $150. In 1820 he purchased the farm lot of twenty-nine acres, extending from Main street to the State Reservation line of Black Rock, for $2,500. In 1830 Mr. Allen and Ira A. Blossom leased from the Holland Land Company for sixty-three years the entire block bounded by Main, Swan, Washington and South Division streets ; the rental was $700 per annum for twenty one years ; $850 for the next twenty-one years, and $1,000 for the last twenty-one years. On the Main street front of this tract they built fourteen three-story brick stores- In 1833 Mr. Allen and others purchased about 16,000 acres of forest land on Grand Island, for about six dollars an acre. Two or three years later he and other Buffalo men pur- chased the extensive real estate of Gen. Peter B. Porter and others at Black Rock, and Mr. Allen lived many years in the old Porter residence on Niagara street. He gave much attention to agri- cultural matters, particularly the breeding of blooded stock, and was in every way an enterpris- ing and respected citizen. 3o0 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of the village — a large and commodious stone building " ; a "massive pier constructed by the United States government," then about half completed; a grist mill, tannery and other buildings erected "at the termination of the Buffalo and Seneca canal"; the building in the previous year of the warehouses of S. Thompson & Co. and E. F. Norton, two breweries, etc. After deploring the lack of water power, the editor noticed the arrival in the preceding season of about two hundred German and Swiss settlers; in the light of subsequent history in this connection, it is surprising to read the editor's characterization of this immigration as an unmixed evil. During the period under consideration the village suffered severely from fires. The fire extinguishing apparatus of those days was in- efficient and meager and when the destructive agent broke forth among the wooden buildings, which were in a large majority in the place, the loss was usually heavy. Early on the morning of November 14, 1829, eleven stores were burned on the west side of Main street. On December 15, 1831, the Kremlin corner was burned, with a loss of more than $20,000. On November 14, 1832, a few months after the city was incorporated, one of the most destructive conflagrations in the history of the place, considering its size at that time, occurred, destroying several squares of buildings in the heart of the young city, on Main, East and West Seneca, Pearl and Washington streets, and causing a loss of nearly $200,000. The first steps taken toward providing Erie county with an alms house were under an act passed by the Legislature March 20, 1828, which directed the commissioners of the land office to cause the sale of certain lots of land in the village of Black Rock to the supervisors of the county for a site for the institution. iThe certificate of sale was directed to be given to John G. Camp, Elijah Leech, and Josiah Trow- bridge, who were appointed commissioners to build the alms house. The numbers of the lots on which the institution was erected were 118 to 125 inclusive, and 135 to 143 inclusive. This institution was com- pleted in January, 1829, and Dr. Josiah Trowbridge, Reuben B. Hea- cock, D. P. White, Abraham Miller, Robert Person, O. R. Hopkins and Joseph Clary were superintendents; Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, physi- •cian, and John D. Harty, keeper. For the year 1830 the total expense of conductiug the institution was $3,653.54, an average cost of eighty- three cents per week for each inmate. 1 1 This provision for the care of the indigent poor of the county sufficed until 1861, when the PROM 1825 TO 1882. 301 Between 1825 and 1832 the arrival in Buffalo of a number of German immigrants, with a few French and Swedes, constituted the first phase of change in respect to the nationality of the population as a whole, which in later years rendered it more cosmopolitan in character than that of any other inland city in the country. The reader will learn in another chapter of the later rapid accession of German immigrants, not only to Buffalo city, but to many of the towns of Erie county. In the year 1829 Bishop Dubois visited Buffalo and preached to these Catholic believers and administered the church sacraments. He stated that he found at that time 700 or 800 Roman Catholics, instead of the seventy or eighty he had expected to find. He noted the fact, also, that he heard the confessions of about 200 Swedes, and there were, doubtless, a few Irish. In the same year he sent to Buffalo the first settled Roman Catholic priest, Father Nicholas Merz. A few German Catholics had settled at Lancaster at that time, but none elsewhere in the county, excepting scattered individuals. The pioneer, Louis Le Couteulx, was prominent among the French Catholics and early en- deavored to found a church. To carry out this purpose he donated the now very valuable land on which St. Louis church ' stands, corner of Main and Edward streets; the deed of transfer was made in 1829, soon after which the first house of worship of that society was erected. The second Presbyterian church organized within the limits of the present city was called the First Presbyterian Church of Black Rock (afterwards the Breckenridge Street and now the West Avenue Pres- byterian church). It was organized on September 18, 1831. The first buildings became inadequate and measures were adopted to secure more commodious accommo- dations. A tract of land comprising 153 acres, then situated in-the town of Black Rock, but now partly within the city limits, on Main street, was purchased and a new structure erected thereon at a cost of about $20,000. The main building was burned in 1855, and rebuilt in the same year. Since that time extensive improvements have been made in the institution. An insane asylum was built in 1865-66, at a cost of $43,000, which was enlarged in 1874 and again in 1878. A consump- tive hospital building was erected in 1895, and a new boiler house at about the same time. When the care of insane persons passed to the State in 1893 and they were removed to State institutions, the asylum became the Erie County Hospital. This institution is supplied with a large medical staff and is in every respect efficiently and successfully conducted. The total value of the alms house and property is about $230,000 for the land and about $550,000 for buildings and improve- ments. 1 The St. Louis church was organized by a union of French and Germans and the society still retains that character. The first church edifice was succeeded by a more commodious structure which was subsequently burned, and the present beautiful example of church architecture was erected in 1886. St. Peter's French Catholic society was an outgrowth of St. Louis church and was separately incorporated January 8, 1857, and their house of worship erected on the corner of Washington and Clinton streets. A parochial school is connected with this church. 302 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. elders were Joseph Sill, James German and William Davis. 1 The present edifice on the corner of West avenue and Ferry street was built in 1889. 1 Since the organization of this church there has been a large extension of this denomination in Buffalo. .In 1835 what is now the First United Presbyterian church was formed as a part of the Associate Reformed Church of America. This society expired in 1840, and was reorganized in 1848, with thirty-six charter members. The first regular pastor was Rev. Clark Kendall, who was installed in 1850. In that year the church property was purchased for $5,000. In 1857 the church united with the Associate Church of America and was afterwards considered a part of the United Presbyterian Church of North America. The North Presbyterian church was organized March 25, 1847, with forty-three members from the First church, and Rev. Charles Rich was the first pastor, beginning October 3, 1847. The eiders were George B. Walbridge, Benjamin Hodge and Chauncey D. Cowles. The church edifice was built and dedicated December 29, 1847. The Central Presbyterian church was organized under the title, Pearl Street Presbyterian church, November 14, 1835. The first officers were James I. Baldwin, Reuben B. Heacock, Alden S. Sprague, George Stowe, Daniel R. Hamlin, James Cooper, H. H. Reynolds and W. G. Miller. Rev. John C. Lord was called to the pastorate. A church edifice, corner of Pearl and Genesee streets, was finished in 1836. A reorganization under the present title was effected in 1848, and in that year was built a second edifice on the northeast corner of the streets named, opposite the first one. What is now Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian church was organized July 13, 1845, with the title, Park Church Society, with the following trustees : Reuben B. Heacock, George Kibbe, N. B. Palmer, C. A. Van Slyke, Orrin Edgarton, Lovel Kimball, George Howard and T. J. Winslow. The organization was then Congregational, but in 1845 the title was changed and union effected with the Presbyterian denomination. A house of worship was erected, which was burned in 1850, and the second one erected in 1862, on Washington street. This was superseded by the pres- ent edifice on Lafayette avenue, corner of Elmwood, in 1889. Rev. Grosvenor W. Heacock was in- stalled pastor in 1845 and served the church thirty-one years. Westminster Presbyterian church was organized September 3, 1854 ; the first Board of Trus- tees was composed of Jesse Ketchum, Noyes Darrow, Isaac F. Bryant, James M. Ganson, Moses Bristol, Alanson Robinson. William S. Vanduzee, Benjamin Hodge and Horace Parmelee. Mainly through the efforts of Mr. Ketchum the lot on which the church stands was purchased and a chapel erected. A new church edifice was built in 1858-59 at a cost of about $20,000. Rev. John Germain Porter was the first pastor. t Calvary Presbyterian church was organized February 22, 1860, with forty-one members, the first elders being Gustavus A. Rogers, M. S. Allen and William R. Allen ; deacons, William E. Lyman and Lorenzo Sweet. The present stone edifice on Delaware avenue was dedicated July 8, 1H62 ; with the parsonage it was a gift by George Palmer. The East Presbyterian church, an offshoot of the North church, was organized July 21, 1869, with sixty-five members, Rev. Henry Ward being the first pastor ; he had been a city missionary under the North church in 1864. A chapel was completed on Seneca street in February, 1865, and was used by the society until 1H75, when it was sold, a new church edifice, begun in September, 1872, having been completed on South Division street. The Wells Street chapel, organized as a Sunday school in August, 1865, and as a church with forty-five members in March, 1874, and the West Side Presbyterian church, organized May 9, 1875, have both gone out of existence or merged with other societies. Other and more recently formed bodies of this denomination are Bethany church, the Church of the Covenant, Bethlehem church, Bethesda church, Park church, South church, Walden Avenue church, and Lebanon chapel. The J?irst Presbyterian church, organized February 2, 1812, with twenty nine members, dedicated an edifice March 28, 1827 ; in 1891-2 the present structure was built at a cost of about $200,000. This church has about (J90 members, more than any other society in the Presbytery of Buffalo. The Presbyterian churches in the county, outside the city, with the dates of their organiza- tion, are as follows: Orchard Park, 1817; Alden, 1817; Lancaster, 1818; Clarence, 1821 ; Gowanda, 1826 ; Akron, 1835; Springville (organized as Congregational, 1816), 1840; South Wales (organized I u OS I u z < £ UJ H >- CQ 1/5 UJ 0£ a. i- u-i OS o _J o FROM 1825 TO 1832. 308 Agitation of the subject of city incorporation began in 1830-31. A village census made in 1830 showed a population of 8,653, and local newspapers congratulated the community upon the fact that the num- ber of inhabitants had quadrupled in the preceding ten years. The State census of that year showed the population of the whole county to be 35,719, an increase of 11,413, or 47 per cent, in five years. ' The canal was now rapidly demonstrating the wisdom of its pro- jectors and becoming a factor in the advancement of Erie county. The canal business at Buffalo was about 16,000 tons for 1829, more than half of which was salt coming westward. There were then twenty-seven post-offices in the sixteen towns of the county ; the dates of establishment of many ofi these have been given ; all of the remainder were opened between 1825 and 1830. Nine of the towns had one office each, viz : Alden, Amherst, Boston, Eden, Erie, Colden, Concord, Holland and Sardinia. Each office bore the name of the town, with the exception of those in Amherst and Con- cord, where the offices were respectively Williamsville and Springville. Four towns had two offices each : Aurora, with Willink and Griffin's Mills; Clarence, with Clarence and Cayuga Creek; Evans, with Evans and East Evans; Wales, with Wales and South Wales. Two towns had each three offices : Buffalo, with Buffalo, Black Rock and Tona- wanda; and Hamburg, with Hamburg, East Hamburg and Hamburg- on the Lake (formerly Barkers ville). Collins had four offices in 1830 — Collins, Angola, Collins Center and Zoar. It was at this period that were heard in Western New York the first faint suggestions of the oncoming of a young giant that was before the lapse of many years to create a far greater revolution in methods of transportation and travel than had been accomplished by the canal, to build up villages in favored localities to the utter obliteration of those in less fortunate sections, and contribute in an enormous degree to the upbuilding of Buffalo. In April, 1831, David Long, Otis Turner, William R. Gwinn, William Mills and C. Vandeventer addressed a letter to Governor Throop on the subject of a contemplated railroad from Buffalo to the Hudson River, and urging the propriety of its being built by the State. A charter had already been granted by the Legis- as Congregational), 1841 ; East Aurora, 1843 ; Tonawanda, 1852 ; Glenwood (organized as Congre- gational, 1829), 1875 ; Hamburg, Kenmore, and Tonawanda (mission). The Presbyterian churches in Buffalo now have about 5,500 members and 7.425 Sunday school scholars ; other bodies in the county have 1,800 members and 1,565 scholars ; total in the county, 6,700 members, 8,980 Sunday school scholars . 304 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. lature for the construction of the Mohawk and Hudson River Railroad, between Albany and Schenectady. Work on this road was not com- menced until about twenty months before the expiration of the charter, or in August, 1830; but so vigorously was it prosecuted that in October, 1831, the line was in operation and carrying about 400 passengers daily. This was the first railroad completed in this State. On the 6th of September, 1831, a railroad meeting was held in Buffalo, of which the following notice appeared in the newspapers: Railroad. — At a numerous and respectable meeting of the citizens of Buffalo, held at the Eagle Tavern on the 6th of September, for the "purpose of taking into con- sideration the subject of railroad communication between this place and the Hudson river, Bete D. Coe was called to the chair, and James Stryker was appointed sec- retary. The proceedings consisted principally of the adoption of resolutions testifying to the expediency of cooperation with others in the central and eastern parts of the State for the construction of such a road, and the appointment of a committee to carry out the purpose. The follow- ing were named as the committee: Samuel Wilkeson, James Stryker, Reuben B. Heacock, J. R. Carpenter, Lewis F. Allen, Bela D. Coe, Samuel Russell, S. Thompson, Heman B. Potter, Isaac S. Smith, James McKnight and Horatio Shumway. It was several years from this date, however, that the first steam railroad crossed Erie county, but this meeting has, nevertheless, important historical significance. The first definite step towards city incorporation was taken at a meet- ing held about the middle of December, 1831, at which a committee was appointed who were charged with the preparation of a city charter; this committee consisted of Charles Townsend, B. D. Coe, Ebenezer Walden, Henry White, Millard Fillmore, J. Clary, Horatio Shumway, R. W. Haskins, Pierre A. Barker, Benjamin Caryl, George B. Webster, Samuel Wilkeson, Dyre Tillinghast, J. Stryker, William Hollister, J. W. Clark, William Ketchum and Moses Baker. Their work accom- plished, the committee recommended application to the Legislature for an act of incorporation. As there was almost no opposition to the measure, the required act was passed April 20, 1832. The charter divided the new city into five wards, the boundaries of which are shown *>n the accompanying map, and are described as follows: First Ward— All that part of the city which lies south and east of the following lines, viz. : beginning at a point in said reservation where a line drawn through the center of Exchange street, would strike said reservation; thence along said line to PROM 1825 TO 1888. 305 the center of Exchange street ; thence proceeding westerly along the center of said street to Cazenovia Terrace ; thence to the center of Cazenovia Terrace ; thence westerly and northerly along the center of said Terrace to the center of Erie street ; thence along the center of Erie street to the center of Erie canal ; thence along the center of the canal to the west bounds of York street ; thence down the west bounds of York street to Lake Erie ; thence due west to the State line. Second Ward — All that part which lies east of the center of Main street, and north of the center of Exchange street, and north of a line drawn through the center of Exchange street to the said reservation, and south of the center of Eagle street, and south of a line to be drawn in continuation of the north line of Eagle street, to the Buffalo creek reservation. Third Ward. — All that part of the city lying westerly of the center of Main street and northeasterly of the bounds of the First. Ward, and southeasterly of the north- westerly bounds of said York street, and southwesterly of 1itoe center of Niagara street. Fourth Ward — All the residue of said city lying east of the center of Main street, and north of the center of Eagle street. Fifth Ward — All the residue of said city lying west of the center of Main street, and northeasterly of the center of Niagara street. The first city election was held on the 28th of May, when the follow- ing officers were elected : Mayor, Ebenezer Johnson ; clerk, Dyre Tillinghast ; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; attorney, George P. Barker; surveyor, J. J Baldwin; street commissioner, Edward Baldwin; aldermen— First ward, Isaac S. Smith, Joseph W. Brown; Second ward, John G. Camp, Henry Root; Third ward, David M. Day, Ira A. Blossom; Fourth ward, Henry White, Major A. Andrews; Fifth Ward, Ebenezer Walden, Thomas C. Love. City officers for succeeding years are given in a later chapter. One of the first important measures of the new city administration was to increase the fire department. The village within a few previous years had suffered severely from fires, and the act of village incorpora- tion was amended April 23, 1829, authorizing the trustees to appoint not exceeding thirty firemen and ten hook and laddermen for each en- gine in the village. This language would indicate that there were then at least two companies in existence; there certainly were no more. Fulton Fire Company No. 3 was organized in November, 1831. On June 4, 1832, the first board of city aldermen appointed their fellow aldermen from the First ward, Isaac S. Smith, the first chief engineer of the Buffalo Fire Department ; a little later John W. Beals and Sam- uel Jordan were appointed his assistants. On August 5, 1832, Live Oak Engine Company No. 2 was organized; November 24, 1832, Buf- falo Engine Company No. 4 was added to the department, and on De, 39 306 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. cember 21, 1832, Washington Engine Company No. 5. The depart- ment remained thus for about four years, and from it has grown the existing large and efficient organization. 1 The first city directory was published July 1, 1832, from which the number of inhabitants was estimated to be about 10,000. The entire book contains less than sixty pages, only thirty of which are filled with names; the colored residents are under a separate heading. The directory was published by L. P. Crary, auctioneer, and printed by Day, Fpllet & Haskins. Among other statistics the first directory gives the young city about forty manufacturing establishments, most of which have been mentioned. There were then sixteen public and private schools, most of them of the latter character. Sixty mails a week during the winter and eighty-eight during the navigation season, were, according to the directory, "received, made up and dispatched at the post office." There were already ten storehouses for the trans- action of lake and canal business, but the directory states that no cer- tain information could be obtained of the volume of that business. In closing this chapter, which brings the reader up to the creation of Buffalo city, the foundation of nearly or quite every village that now exists, and the full settlement of most of the outer territory of the county, we quote the following from an address delivered by E. C. 1 In August, 1852, the Fire Department was reorganized, owing to its then demoralized condition. Several companies took their apparatus to the Terrace and there left it. A resolution was adopted by the Common Council accepting the resignation of every member of the department excepting those of Taylor Hose No. 1, Eagle Hose No. 2, and Jefferson Engine No. 12. The new organization followed. The first Board of Fire Commissioners was appointed April 27, 1857, and consisted of Oliver G. Steele, Francis H. Root. George Jones, and Jarvis Davis. On February 3, 1859, the first steam fire engine in Buffalo was purchased and placed in thejiouse formerly occupied by old Cat- aract Engine Company on Washington street, below Seneca. In the same year the city was first divided into fire districts. The first fire alarm system was introduced in 1865. After prolonged effort the entire department was placed on a paid basis in the spring of 1880, ■ and three commis- sioners were appointed with the usual powers of those officers; they were George R. Potter, chair- man; John M. Hutchinson, and Nelson K. Hopkins. The chief engineers of the old department were Isaac S. Smith, Samuel Jordan, Thomas Kip, George Jones, Lyman Knapp, William Taylor, George Jones, Edwin Hurlburt, William Taylor, T. T. Bloomer, John Lorenz, William Taylor, Thomas B. French. In 1866 the office of chief engineer was abolished and that of superintendent of the fire department created; to this office Edwin Hurlburt was appointed. His successors have been as follows: Peter C. Doyle, Thomas B. French, Joseph R. Williams, Thomas B. French, Peter C.Doyle, James L. Rodgers, Thomas B. French, Frederick Hornung. Under a charter change of 1880 the office of chief was substituted for that of superintendent, the position being held by Mr. *Iornung" ; until 1892, when the present incumbent, Bernard J. McConnell, was appointed. The de- partment is now controlled by a board of three commissioners who are endowed with broad powers in its management. The apparatus consists principally of twenty-eight steam fire engines, nine hook and ladder trucks, and five chemical engines. The annual cost of maintenance of the de- partment has gradually increased until it now reaches nearly $500,000. The total number of men in the department is nearly 400. The property o£ the department has a value of about $475,000. PROM 1825 TO 1832. 30? Sprague, of Buffalo, at the semi-centennial celebration of the city incor- poration in 1882: It was a little city erected upon the Substance of things hoped for rather than of things seen. It contained a few scattered brick buildings and perhaps twenty hand- some dwellings, mostly of wood ; but the bulk of the city consisted of frame houses, generally from one to two stories high, even on Main street. The ridgeof land run- ning from Exchange, then known as Crow street, northerly, lifted Main, Franklin and Ellicott and the intermediate streets out of the bottomless mud east of Ellicott street, and the miry clay which, west of Franklin street, absorbed in its adhesive depths the wheels of wagons and the boot of pedestrians. Niagara street, crossed and hollowed by running streams, was sometimes impassable to man or beast. Ex- tending from the corner of Main street and the Terrace westerly around to Court street was a high bluff, down which the boys coasted through JIain and Commercial streets. The streets were unpaved 1 and the darkness of Main street was made visi- ble by a few oil lamps. , But all the people knew each other, even in the' dark, and congregated at the Eagle Tavern, the Mansion House, the Buffalo Hotel and Perry's Coffee House, and, on pleasant days, in Main street on the various corners from Court to Seneca streets, cracking jokes and discussing politics. . . . The daily street costumes of some of our leading citizens, in 1832, was a black or blue dress coat, with costly gilt buttons, a voluminous white cravat, a ruffled shirt, accompanied by the "pice conduct " of a gold-headed cane. Main street presented a picturesque variety, including elegantly dressed gentlemen and ladies, blanketedand moccasmed Indians, and emigrants in the strange costumes of foreign lands. Most of the busi- ness was done upon the west side of Main street, between Mohawk and Exchange. Mayor Johnson's stone cottage, now occupied by the Female Academy, stood in soli- tary state on Delaware avenue, which was devoted for the most part to lumber yards and soap factories. The dwellings north of Mohawk street were few and far be- tween. It was considered a long walk to Chippewa street, and a hardship to walk as far as Tupper street. And this was Buffalo sixty-five years ago. The following list gives the number and date of sale by deed of all the lots in the original survey of New Amsterdam, by the Holland Land Company, with the name of the purchaser of each lot. Nearly all of these dates are prior to the city incorporation and the list is in- corporated at this stage of the work where it will be valuable for refer- ence and not especially out of chronological order: INNER LOTS. No. 1, Zerah Phelps, Sept. 11, 1806. 3, William Johnston, Oct. 27, 1804. 2, Samuel Pratt, April 20, 1807. 4, Jane Eliza Le Couteulx, July 28, 1815. 1 While it is probable that Mr. Sprague was right as to there being no paving at that time, the act amending the village charter, passed April 23, 1829, gave the trustees authority to direct the paving of streets and flagging of sidewalks, as well as to open streets and alleys. 308 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 9 10. ii 12 14 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24. 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36. 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44 46, 47, 48, 49, Richard M. Green, Feb. 1, 1805. Vincent Grant, July 8, 1808. Samuel Tupper, Aug. 28, 1805. Oliver Forward, May 24, 1813. Asahel Adkins, Sept. 5, 1806. John Mullett, Nov. 16, 1812. John Landis, Oct. 10, 1811. and 13, Ebenezer Walden, Sept. 1, 1810. and 15, James W. Stevens, Sept. 10, 1810. David E. Evans, April 2, 1810. Oziel Smith, Dec. 18, 1809. William Wood, May 23, 1815. John Gilbert, Feb. 21, 1816. Joseph Stocking, Aug. 28, 1826. Aaron Brink, Jan. 10, 1811. Asa Coltrin, May 25, 1814. Oliver and Susan White, May 7, 1829. Moses Baker, May 8, 1826. Elias Ransom, April 23, 1813. Moses Baker, Aug. 23, 1833. Jonathan Sidway, Jan. 3, 1826. Charles Davis, April 8, 1830. Silas A. Forbes, April 16, 1831. William Johnston, Aug. 15, 1804. Erastus Granger, July 31, 1805. William Johnston, Oct. 27, 1804. Birdsey Norton, Oct. 7, 1807. Nathaniel Norton, July 15, 1806. James McMahan, May 17, 1823. Samuel McConnell, May 19, 1813. John Ellicott, May 6, 1811. Abel M. Grosvenor, May 30, 1812. Samuel Pratt, jr., Nov. 17, 1810. Cyrenius Chapin, Jan. 17, 1810. Eli Hart, Sept. 1, 1810. St. Paul's church, June 14, 1820. First Presbyterian Society, Dec. 12, 1820. and 45. William Peacock, June 2, 1810. Elijah Leech, Nov. 10, 1812. John Haddock. April 29, 1814. Letitia Ellicott, May 6, 1811. Juba Storrs, Jan. 10, 1811. 50, Bennett Stillman, J^n. 16, 1811. 51, Benjamin Ellicott, May 6, 1811. 52, Joseph Ellicott, May 6, 1811. 53, Gamaliel St. John, Jan. 24, 1810. 54, Otis R. Hopkins, April 22, 1814. 55, James Miller, Oct. 25, 1824. 56, (part of) William Wood, June 20, 1816. Elihu Pease, May 7, 1818. Lester Brace, May 8, 1818. 'J " Seth Grosvenor, April 24, 1818. Gilman Folsom, May 28, 1817. 57, David Burt, Nov. 20, 1830, etc., etc. 58, Moses Baker, Jan. 1, 1822. 59, William J. Wood, May 22, 1823. 58 and 59, James Chapin, Aug. 5, 1811. 60, Elias Ransom, June 14, 1811. 61, Asa Fox, Dec. 18, 1813. 62, Reuben B. Heacock, Nov. 13, 1813. 63, Ebenezer Johnson, April 25, 1814. 64, Henry Roop, Aug. 29, 1831. 65, 66, 67 and 68, Benjamin Ellicott, April 2, 1810. 69, Smith H. Salisbury, Sept. 16, 1812. 70, R. B. Heacock, Dec. 27, 1821. 71, Seth Grosvenor,* April 21, 1818. 72, Oliver Forward, Dec. 18, 1813. 73, Benjamin Haines, Aug. 19, 1815. 74, Nathan Dudley. March 29, 1815. 75, Gilman Folsom, April 2, 1814. 76, Cyrenius Chapin, March 8, 1811. 77, Walter P. Groesbeck, May 20, 1813. 78, David Burt and G. H. Goodrich, June 24, 1823. 79, Levi Strong, April 16, 1810. 80, George Keith, April 17, 1810. 81, William Baird, May 16, 1814. 82, Nathaniel Vosburgh, Oct. 16, 1824. 83, Trustees M. E. church, Oct. 15,1821. 84, Sylvester Matthews, Jan. 20, 1830. 85, and part of 86, S. H. Salisbury, March 20, 1820. 85 and 86, (part of) P. Bennett, Feb. 6, 1826. 85 and 86, part of, Erastus Gilbert, Feb. 5, 1826. FROM 1825 TO 1833. 509 85 and 86, part of, Miles P. Squier, July 13, 1835. 87 and 88, A. H. Tracy and John Lay, jr., Dec. 38, 1839. 89 (part of), George R. Babcock, Nov. 16, 1830. 89 (part of), Archibald S. Clarke, Sept. 30, 1819. 90 (part of), Barent I. Staats, Jan. 5, 1830. 90 (part of), Piatt & Clary, Sept. 37, 1839. 91 (part of), Sylvester Chamberlin, April 36, 1836. 91 (part of), Moses Baker, Nov. 17, 1835, and June 10, 1835. 93, Thomas C. Love, Jan. 20, 1823. 93, First Baptist Society, Jan. 17, 1823. 94 (part of), Denison Lathrop, July 3, 1833. 94 (part of), Walter M. Seymour, Jan. 5, 1827. 95 and 96, Ebenezer Johnson, Dec. 30, . 1835. 97, 98 and 99, G. H. Goodrich, June 6, 1839. 100 and 101, Ebenezer Johnson, Aug. 9, .1824. 102 and 103, David E. Evans, April 5, 1811. 104, Jesse Bivens, Sept. 25, 1813. 105, Gilman Folsom, April 24, 1818. 106, Oliver Newbury, Dec 13, 1825. 107, Sally Groesbeck, Aug. 37, 1839. 107 (part of), Charles T. Hicks, Jan. 7, 1825. 108 and 109, Quit claim to trustees of Buffalo village, Sept. 30, 1831, and to city Jan. 3, 1833. 110, Amos Calender, Dec. 19, 1816. Ill and 113, Trustees Buffalo village, ' -/»'"Sept. 20, 1821, city of Buffalo, Jan. 2, 1833. 113 (part of), Stephen K. Grosvenor, April 21, 1818. 113 (part of), George W. Fox, Jan. 20, 1817. 114, E. Johnson and S. Wilkeson, Jan. 18, 1835. 115 (part of), William Keane, June 8, 1836. 115 (part of), S. G. Austin, Jan. 3, 1828, 116, Henry Lake, Dec. 36, 1809. 117, R. B.Heacock, May 14, 1814. 118, John B. Stone, Aug. 8, 1827. 119, E. Johnson and S. Wilkeson, Dec. 20, 1825. 120 (part of), Albert H. Tracy, Sept. 9, 1828. 130 (part of), Daniel Bristol, Sept. 9, 1838. , 121, Joseph Clary, Sept. 28, 1825. 122, George Stow-, April 26, 1826. 133, James Demarest, April 33, 1830. 134, John Lay, jr., Sept. 1, 1835. 135 and 126, Ezekiel Folsom, Sept. 12, 1829. 137, Ebenezer Johnson, July 28, 1826. 128, Ebenezer Johnson, Nov. 5, 1829. 129, Jonathan Sidway, Nov. 11, 1828. 130, 131 and 132, Thomas C. Love and Henry H. Sizer, July 1, 1838. 133 (part of), William Williams, Sept. 10, 1831. 133 (part of), Roswell Chapin, Oct. 30, 1830. 134, 135, 136, 137 and 138, Ebenezer John- son and Samuel Wilkeson, Jan. 18, 1835. 139, Samuel Wilkeson, Dec. 17, 1825. 140 (part of), Moses Ferrin, Sept. 14, 1825. 140 (part of), Samuel Wilkeson, Sept. 14, 1825. 141 and 142, Jonathan Sidway, Jan. 3, 1836. 143, Guy H. Goodrich, Feb. 22, 1830. 144 and 145, Belinda Lathrop, April 16, 1825. 146, Elizabeth A. Barnes, Aug. 30, 1830. 147 and 148, Christopher and John D. Woolf, March 36, 1836. 149, 150 and 151, Emanuel Winter, June 12, 1812. 310 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 152, 153 and 154, Jeremiah Staats, Feb. 4, 1833. 155, Barent I. Staats, March 12, 1829. 156 and 157, Myndert M. Dox, Jan. 5, 1825. 158, Ontario Insurance Company, June 12, 1825. 159, William Keane, Sept. 14, 1827. 160 and 161, Jonathan Sidway, Nov. 11, 1828. 162, Stephen G. Austin, Sept. 13, 1830. 163, Walter M. Seymour, Jan. 5, 1827. 164 and 165, John C. Lord and Hiram Pratt, Oct. 12, 1829. 166, 167, 168, 169, 170, 171, 172, 173, 174 and 175, Peter Huydekoper, Aug. 8, 1825. 176, David Reese, June 21, 1808. 177, Joseph D. Hoyt, June 21, 1815. 178, Moses Bristol, Jan. 14, 1825. 179, part of, Theodore Coburn, Jan. 13, 1832. 179 (part of), J. & J. Townsend, Jan. 13, 1830. 180, Samuel Bell, Dec. 23, 1819. 181, William Keane, July 8, 1815. 182, Nathaniel Wilgus, Sept. 1, 1831. 183, Ebenezer Walden, Dec. 9, 1830. 184 and 185, Supervisors of Niagara county, Nov. 21, 1810. 186, Horace Griffin, Feb. 27, 1826. 187, Noyes Darrow, Jan. 26, 1832. 188, H. J. Redfield, March 31, 1843. 189 and 190, Jonas Harrison, March 16, 1814. 191 and 192, Jonas Harrison, May 11, 1819. 193 and 194, Townsend & Coit, Dec. 11, 1816. 195 and 196, John E. Marshall, April 12, .1816. 197, Seth Grosvenor, Nov. 10, 1818. 198, Gilman Folsom, jr., July 22, 1830. 199, Caleb Gillett, Aug. 31, 1825. 200 (part of), Gilman Folsom, jr., Jan. 22, 1828. 200 (part of), Richard E. Sill, Jan. 22, 1828. 201, Denison Lathrop. Nov. 3, 1825. 202 and 203, M. A. Andrews, July 26, 1828. 204, Elon Galusha, June 21, 1824. 205, Henry M. Sizer, July 16, 1833. 206 (part of), Elijah D. Efner, Nov. 2, 1822. 206 (part of), Elias Hubbard, Nov. 2, 1822. 207, E. Johnson and S. Wilkeson, Jan. 18, 1825. 208, E. Johnson and S. Wilkeson, July 1, 1824. 209, John A. Lazelle, Jan. 27, 1826. 210 and 211, E. Johnson and S. Wilkeson, Jan. 18, 1825. 212, Abner Bryant, Jan. 27, 1826. 213, Jonathan Sidway, Jan. 31, 1822. 214, Elias Hubbard, Aug. 19, 1825. 215, Thomas Coatsworth, June 30, 1823. 216, Ira A Blossom, May 26, 1827. WATER LOTS. 5, Abraham Larzelere, Nov. 18, 1823. 6, Samuel Barber, Oct. 13, 1823. 7, 8 and 9 (part of), Charles Townsend and George Coit, Sept. 26, 1823. ') (part of), Charles Townsend, George Coit, S. Wilkeson and E. Johnson, Nov. 11, 1823. 10, S. Wilkeson and E. Johnson, Nov, 11, 1823. 11, Jonathan Sidway, April 23, 1824. 13, Hiram Pratt, Sept. 24, 1823. 14, Elisha C. Hickox, Sept. 24, 1823. 15 and 16, S. Thompson, H. Thompson and J. L. Barton, Dec. 2, 18—. 17, G. B. Webster, Feb. 18, 1824. 18, 19 and 20, Samuel Wilkeson, May 8, 1828. PROM 1825 TO 1833. 311 OUTER LOTS. 1, Louis, Le Coutelux, Dec. 6, 1821. 2 and 3, Benjamin Ellicott, April 2, 1810. 4, Joshua Gillett, Sept. 1, 1810. 7, 8, 9 and 10, William Peacock, April 2, 1810. David E. Evans and J. Ellicott, jr., Sept. 21, 1821. Asa Coltrin, May 25, 1814. David E. Evans and J. Ellicott, jr., Sept. 21, 1821. Asa Coltrin, May 25, 1814. and 16, David E. Evans and J. Elli- cott, jr., Sept. 21, 1831. Henry Ketchum, June 18, 1812. Stephen Stillman, Feb! 15, 1811. E. Ensign, July 8, 1813. C. R. Sharp, May 10. 1816. Samuel Tupper, May 5, 1812. Samuel Tupper, June 21, 1815. and 24, Juba Storrs, Jan. 30, 1811. Louis Le Couteulx, Nov. 22, 1815. John White, April 7, 1810. John B. Ellicott, jr. , and David E. Evans, Sept. 21, 1821.* Sylvester Matthews, Oct. 5, 1825. Ebenezer Johnson, Aug. 9, 1824. Ebenezer Johnson, Nov. 14, 1814. John Desparr, April 20, 1807. Gilman Folsom, Sept. 28, 1829. Jabez Goodell, April 23, 1830. Thomas Day, April 23, 1830. Louis Le Couteulx, May 11, 1816. (pari of), Joseph and Benjamin Elli- cott, Feb. 2Q, 1812. (part of), United States, Sept, 29, 1819. (part of), Joseph and Benjamin Elli- cott, Feb. 19, 1812. (part of), Horatio J. Stow, July 16, 1844. 39, 40, and part of 41, Joseph and Benjamin Ellicott, Feb. 29, 1812, and 42 (part of), Letitia M. Bliss, June 14, 1837. 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36 36 37 37 41 42 (part of), 43, 44, 45, and 46, Joseph and Benjamin Ellicott, Feb. 29, 1812. 47, 48, 49 and 50, Elijah Leech, June 19, 1815. 52, Jonathan Sidway, Nov. 11, 1828. 53, Hiram Pratt, Dec. 1, 1830. 54, Hiram Pratt, April 11, 1833. 55 and 56, Joseph Ellicott, Feb. 28, 1811. 57 (part of), Jonathan Sidway, Nov. 11, 1828. 57 (part of), Sherwood & White, Sept. 29, 1829. 58, Theodore Coburn, Nov. 27, 1826. 59 (part of), George Stow, Dec. 29, 1825. 59 (part of), Heman B. Potter, Sept. 27, 1827. 60, 61, 62 and 63, Joseph D. Hoyt, Dec. 26, 1825. 64, Elijah D. Efner, Dec. 21, 1821. 65, Stephen Clark, March 9, 1832. 66 and 67, Thomas Coatsworth, Aug. 25, 1830. 68, Martin Daley, Nov. 29, 1830. 69, C. Tappan and J. Mansfield, Nov. 27, 1829. 70, Stephen Champlin, May 23, 1825. 71 and 72, Robert Pomeroy, April 6, 1820. 73, Hiram Hanchett, June 9, 1810. 74,.Elijah Leech, Dec. 23, 1808. 75, Ebenezer Walden, Nov. 26, 1817. 76 and 77, Zenas Barker, Aug. 1, 1814. 78, Vincent Grant, July 21, 1807. 79 and 80, William Grant, July 8, 1808. 81 and 82, J. M. Landon, July 28, 1825. 83, Jane E. Le Couteulx, July 28, 1825. 84, Isaac Davis, Jan. 29, 1814. 85, William Johnston, Feb. 5, 1804. 86, Hydraulic Association, Nov. 21, 1827. 87, Amasa Ransom, Nov. 20, 1824. 88 and 89, Apollos Hitchcock, Dec 6, 1809. 90, 91 and 92, Erastus Granger, Dec. 31, 1809. 312 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 93, William Johnston, Oct. 27, 1804. 94 and 95, R. B. Heacock, Dec. 5, 1826. 96, Townsend & Coit, May 81, 1813, 97 and 98, Noah Folsom, Jan. 12, 1825. 99, 100, 101, 102 and 103, Samuel Pratt, June 7, 1813. 104, Joseph Ellicott, Oct. 2, 1810. 105, Hiram Pratt. July 21, 1829. 106, Silas A. Fobes, April 16, 1831. 107, Noyes Darrow, Jan. 13, 1830. 108 (part of), Nathaniel Vosburgh, Dec. 11, 1829. 108 and 109 (part of), John Lay, jr., July 27, 1827: 109 (part of), Ebenezer Walden, April 4, 1828. 110, David E. Evans, Sept. 10, 1821. 111, David E. Evans, April 5, 1811. 112, Joseph Stocking and John Dart, Sept. 8; 1829. 113 and 114, G. H. Goodrich, Oct. 19, 1830. 115,. E. A. Bigelow, Nov. 30, 1827. 116," James W. Stevens, April 2, 1810. 117, Heman B. Potter, May 18, 1815. 118, David E. Evans, April 5, 1811. 119, Isaac Davis, Oct. 9, 1812. 120 and 121, M. A. Andrews, July 28, 1831. 122 (part of), Walter M. Seymour, Jan. 5, 1827. 122 (part of), Jonas Harrison, May 17, 1814. 123 (part of), Ira A. Blossom, June 30, 1828. 123 (part of), Oziel Smith, June 26, 1815. 124, Oziel Smith, Feb. 26, 1813. , 125 (part of) William Williams, April 13, 1830. 125 (part of), Ira A. Blossom, June 30, 1828. 126, Isaac Davis, Oct. 9, 1812. 127, 128, 129 and 130, M. A. Andrews, July 28, 1831. 131 and 132, M. A. Andrews, March 19, 1828. 133 and 134, James Rough, Oct. 9, 1812. 135, Jabez Goodell, Nov. 11, 1834. 136, Jabez Goodell, June 14 1817. 137, Jabez Goodell, July 22, 1825. 138, James and Henry Campbell,. June 22, 1815, 139, Eli Hart, April 1, 1815. 140, Amos Tefft, Oct. 23, 1815. 141, Matilda Sharp, July 26, 1814. 142, Philo Andrews, April 16, 1810. 143, Henry Lake, March 16, 1810. 144, Samuel Helm, Dec. 22, 1809. 145, Jabez Goodell, April 8, 1816. 146, Jabez Goodell, July 22, 182\ 147, Jabez Goodell, Dec. 1, 1823. 148, Silas A. Fobes, Nov. 8, 1834. 149, James Sweeney, Aug. 23, 1825. 150 and 151, Walter M. Seymour, Dec. 1, 1827. By comparison with the accompanying maps the reader may locate the situation of all of these lots. FROM 1833 TO 1840. 313 CHAPTER XXI. 1832—1840. An Unwelcome Visitor— The Asiatic Cholera— Measures to Combat the Pestilence — Cases and Deaths — Recovery from Effects of the Scourge— Increasing Commercial Operations— The First Railroad in Erie County— Beginning of a Speculative Era- Plenty of Money — Extensive Real Estate Sales— Prices Grea% Inflated— Benjamin Rathbun and His Ruin — A Financial Crash — Slow Recovery from Its Effects — Presi- dential Election— Comparative Pictures of Buffalo — TheFirst Steam Railroad- Found- ing of the Young Men's Association— Its Later History — Buffalo Library — Plan to Build up Black Rock— Harbor Maps— The Patriot War— Farther Opposition to the Holland Land Company — Promotion of New Towns. It was in the year 1832, when the young city of Buffalo was just en- tering upon a brief period of exciting municipal history and the outer towns were sharing in the general business activity of the time, that a most unwelcome visitor came across the Atlantic, entered the seaboard cities, crept along the Hudson and St. Lawrence Rivers, followed the Erie Canal westward, and fell like a scourge upon the inhabitants of Erie county, particularly upon those of the city and villages along the river and lake shores. It was the advent of the Asiatic cholera — then, as it is now, a mysterious and deadly malady, baffling to physicians and terrorizing to every community in which it gains a foothold. The modern sanitary measures of a preventive character, which are to some extent effectual in warding off such a pestilence, were then unknown, and the disease swept across the country leaving a trail of death. The first public mention of the cholera made in Buffalo was the fol- lowing which appeared in the Patriot of July 19, 1832: Cholera. — This dread disease has crossed the Atlantic and is now raging at Que- bec and Montreal. At Albany and the villages in the northern part of the State bordering on Canada, measures have been taken to prevent the spreading of this desolating pestilence. The Common Councill of this city have appointed a Board of Health ; and regula- tions will be immediately adopted, not only to preserve the general health of the city, but to guard against the entrance of the cholera. The Board of Health here referred to consisted of Ebenezer Johnson 40 314 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. (the mayor), R. W. Haskins, Lewis F. Allen and William 'Ketchum. Joseph Clary was substituted for Mr. Ketchum a little later. The first bulletin of the board was issued June 16, in whidh was set forth the approaching danger, with instructions of a sanitary and hygienic na- ture. During the week ending July 7 the malady made its appearance in New York and Albany, and it soon started westward along the canal, and came across the frontier from Canada. The disease made its first appearance in Buffalo on the 16th of July, attacking a person who was reported by the Board of Health as " an Irish laborer, an habitual drunkard;" he died in eight hours after the attack. On the following day there were two cases, the first of which was another laborer who died in eleven hours. On the 24th six new cases were reported and one death; on the 25th there were six cases and two deaths. By this time the previous anxiety of a large part of the community was changed to actual terror; many fled from the city to the country and business affairs were neglected. The Board of Health established a temporary hospital in a brick building then known as the M'Hose house, on Niagara street, to which were taken many cases where there was hope of recovery. Dr. John E. Marshall was city physician, and Loren Pierce undertaker ; both of these men labored fearlessly to mitigate suf- fering. For the week ending July 30 the number of cases was sixty-two, with thirteen deaths. In the mean time there were three cases in Hamburg, one of them resulting in the death of Alanson Whittaker, who was then postmaster at Hamburg-on-the-Lake. For the week ending August 6 the number of new cases was twenty-eight, with four- teen deaths. The increasing rate of mortality of this week over the previous one was a new source of terror, which was still farther aug- mented in the next week, ending August 13, in which the number of new cases was twenty-six and of deaths sixteen. In the following week, ending August 20, there were only thirteen new cases, but there were ten fatalities; in the next week, ending August 27, there were twenty- eight new cases and eighteen deaths ; in the week ending September 3, thirty- six new cases and fifteen deaths; in the week ending September 10, there were only eleven new cases and eleven deaths. Up to this time the total of cases was 232 and of deaths 106. From that date the disease rapidly declined to an average of one a day and soon wholly disappeared. The total number of cases was about 250 and of deaths about 120. The disease spread to a limited extent into towns adjacent to the city, but did not penetrate beyond. Dr. Jared Parker is recorded FROM 1832 TO 1840. 815 as having had forty cases at Clarence Hollow, of which only one was fatal. To the arduous, unselfish, and in many instances heroic labor of the Board of Health, the city physician, and the undertaker, must be ascribed the small number of cases of the disease in proportion to the population and in comparison with other cities of similar size, and comparative early extinction of the pestilence. Mr. Haskins was the well known printer and publisher, a man of great activity and energy. In this trying time he exhibited undoubted heroism ; traveled in haste about the city, attended to the removel of many cases to the hospital, and in some instances carried stricken persons on his own shoulders down the stairs of squalid tenements. Mr. Allen was a man of sound judgment, excellent executive ability and tindoubted courage, and served through the epidemic with unflagging zeal. Mr. Pierce, the undertaker, was the direct opposite of Mr. Haskins in everything but courage ; while no less faithful and unselfish in the performance of his arduous tasks, he went about them with the calm deliberation for which he was noted. The counsel of Dr. Johnson was of the greatest value to the board, and all of these officials labored harmoniously and effectively together. In the latter part of July it was decided to close what was then called the public burying ground, which included the site of the present City and County Building; 1 this was accordingly done, and nine acres were purchased of William Hodge, on farm lot 30, a portion of which was set apart for Catholics. This burial ground was given the name of the potter's field. In 1833-34 Sylvester Matthews and Birdseye Wilcox acquired twelve acres adjoining this potter's field and established a cemetery which was in use under their management until 1853, when the lot owners formed the Buffalo Cemetery Association and purchased the ground, and greatly improved it. 2 1 The burial ground here alluded to included lots 108, 109, 110 and 111, and was obtained on a contract from the Holland Company in the year 1804. The first burial there was of the body of John Cochrane, a traveler from Connecticut, who died at Barker's tavern. There in March, 1815, Farmer's Brother was also buried. The actual title to the ground wasnot secured until 1831, when it became the property of the village, and lots were assigned to the inhabitants by the trustees. After the cholera had disappeared burials almost ceased here, the last one being under a special permit for the interment of the body of the wife of Samuel Wilkeson. 2 Besides these early burial grounds, numerous others were established before a beginning was made at what is now Forest Lawn. For example, when the survey was made of the original vil- lage of South Black Rock in 1804-6, lots 41 and 42 were appropriated by the State for burial pur- poses; this tract was not much used. When the village of Black Rock was incorporated these two lots, which were somewhat low and wet, were exchanged for lot 88 on higher ground. This be- came known as the Black Rock burying ground; it was bounded by Jersey, Pennsylvania and 316 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. With the disappearance of the cholera the people of Erie county again turned their faces forward and in the absorbing activities of life the epidemic with its daily burden of death soon became a memory Fourteenth streets and the " mile-strip. " When North street was opened through the tract a small triangle was left on the south side and within the limits of the old Buffalo city; this triangle was used as a potter's-field for the paupers who died at the poor house. Burials were finally discon- tinued on this ground and it was donated to the Charity Foundation of the Episcopal church. When Forest Lawn was established many of the dead were removed thither. Some years prior to the war of 1812 there was a small burial ground on farm lot 59, now the soiithwest corner, of Delaware and Ferry streets. Several of the victims of the war, among them brave Job Hoysington, were buried there. What was known as the Bid well farm was situated on the Gulf road, now Delavan avenue. Interments were made in a small tract on that farm from 1811 to about 1825. About 1830 Lewis F. Allen bought of Judge Ebenezer Walden five acres of land on the south- west corner of Delaware avenue and North street, and a cemetery association was formed by the following persons: Lewis F. Allen, George B. Webster, Russell H. Heywood, Heman B. Potter and Hiram Pratt as trustees. Burials were made here for a time, but the ground ultimately passed to the Forest Lawn Association and the bodies were removed. 'The following burial grounds are associated with churches and most of them are now in use: Cemetery of St. John's church, Pine Hill and Pine Ridge roads, opened in 1859. Holy Rest Cem- etery, Pine Hill, opened in 1859. Zion Church Cemetery, opened about 1859. Concordia Cemetery, opened in 1859. St. Matthew's Church Cemetery, Clinton street, opened in 1875. Black Rock Ger- man Methodist Cemetery, Bird street, opened in 1870. St. Louis Cemetery, Edward street, opened in 1830, discontinued in 1832. New St. Louis Cemetery, opened in 1832 and closed in 1859. St. Mary's Cemetery, corner of Johnson and North streets, opened in 1845 and closed in 1860. St. Francis Xavier Cemetery (Black Rock), opened in 1850. St. Joseph's Cemetery, near the alms house, opened in 1850. Holy Cross Cemetery, Limestone Hill, opened in 1855. United German and French Catholic Cemetery, opened in 1859. Buffalo Private Cemetery, junction of North, Best and Masten streets, with a branch at Pine Hill. Evangelical Association Cemetery, Walden avenue. Holy Mother of the Rosary Cemetery, Walden Avenue. Reed's Cemetery, Limestone Hill, and Reser- vation Cemetery, near old Indian church, both closed. St. Adelbert's Cemetery, Pine Hill. St. John's Cemetery, Military Road. St. Stanislaus Cemetery, Pine Hill. There are also five Jewish cemeteries, all at Pine Hill, viz.: Beth Jacob, Beth El, Beth Zion, Mount Hope, and Howard Free Cemetery. The original Forest Lawn Cemetery consisted of about eighty acres, which was a part of the Granger farm, and was purchased by Charles E. Clark for $150 an acre. Improvements were be- gun in 1850 and the ground was dedicated August 18 of that year. As a result of growing senti- ment that the city should have a cemetery founded upon the broad basis of public good, and which should not be a source of private profit, a meeting was held November 19, 1864, which was attend- ed by about twenty leading citizens of the city. An organization was there effected with the title, Buffalo City Cemetery, and twelve trustees were elected as foflows: Dexter P. Rumsey, DeWitt C. Weed, George Truscott, Sidney Shepard, Lewis F. Allen, Oliver G. Steele, Everard Palmer, Henry Martin, O. H. Marshall, Francis H. Root, Russell H. Heywood and George How- ard. At a later meeting Everard Palmer was chosen president; Oliver G. Steele, vice-president; De Witt C. Reed, secretary and treasurer. Within a short time there was purchased by the asso- ciation the Swartz farm, sixty-seven and one-half acres; Moffat Grove, twenty-two and one-half acres; Watson tract, eleven acres; part of Granger farm, twenty-seven acres; Forest Lawn prop- erty, seventy-five acres; total 203 acres. Bonds were issued and money thus raised to pay for these lands. The dedication ceremonies of this now beautiful burial place were held September 28, 1866. Since that time improvement has gone forward in the cemetery in all directions, until at the present time there are few more attractive burial places in the country. Additional purchases have been made until the cemetery comprises over 240 acres; this is without incumbrance, is the absolute property of the association, in which every lot owner and his heirs has an inalienable title and an assurance that his lot will be perpetually cared for by the association. Lakeside Cemetery, comprising about 250 acres, is situated near Athol Springs in the town of Hamburg, and was opened in 1895. FROM 1832 TO 1840. 317 only. The Anti-Masonic movement had now passed its zenith. In the fall of 1832 (the year of Jackson's second election as president) Millard Fillmore was elected to Congress from the Thirtieth District, and William Mills and Horace Clark, the two Erie county members of assembly, were re-elected. Mr. Fillmore was then only thirty-two years old and had rapidly risen to an honorable official station within the nine years since he began the practice of law. Erie county was beginning to profit to an annually increasing ex- tent from the tide of immigration that was rolling westward, the ship- ment by canal of the large quantities of goods and merchandise of all kinds that accompanied the influx of population, and the constantly gaining shipments of grain from the West that found its way into the boats of the canal at Buffalo. Crowds of immigrants, Yankees, Ger- mans and Irish, pressed on westward, most of them at that time pass- ing on beyond the bounds of Erie county, but a considerable number, particularly of the Germans, stopping here to join their countrymen who had preceded them. Canal commerce which, from the opening of the waterway to about 1830, was in its primitive stage, 1 was rapidly extended during the five or six years after the disappearance of the cholera. In 1832-3 the for- warding and commission merchants of Buffalo and the lines they, rep- resented were as follows: Townsend, Coit & Co., and Thompson & Co., Troy and Erie line; Joy & Webster, Pilot line; Pratt, Taylor & Co., Washington line ; Richard Sears, James L. Barton, Western line; Smith & Macy, New York and Ohio line ; Baker & Holt, Merchants' line ; Norton & Carlisle, Hudson and Erie line ; Augustus Eaton, Clin- ton line. In ] 835 all the wheat, corn and flour received at this port was equivalent to 543,815 bushels. The rapid increase in succeeding years will be found in tables of statistics in a later chapter. It was at about the time under consideration that President Jackson began his historical warfare on the United States Bank. In the fall of 1833 he withdrew from that institution the deposit of national funds, amounting to about $10,000,000, and the bank was finally closed with far-reaching consequences, both financial and political. The New York Legislature, then strongly Democratic, passed a resolution early 1 James L. Barton, who formed a partnership in the forwarding business with Samuel Wilke- son in 1837, which continued about two years, read a paper before the Historical Society in 1866, in which he stated that, while the firm had a large line of boats on the canal and vessels on the lake, yet freight was so scarce that it was frequently difficult to secure a full boat load, although the boats were small. A few tons would be shipped for Albany, and at Rochester, then the cen- ter of a prolific grain-growing district, the boats would be further laden. 318 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in 1834 endorsing the president's course. Numerous State banks were chartered, frequently under insufficient guarantees, and the national funds were deposited with them. It was argued that the placing of a vast sum of money in widely separated State banks would be of great benefit to all business interests, through the facility with which loans would be granted. While this was doubtless true, there was at the same. time founded an immense credit system and an era of speculation opened which was soon to bring disaster to the whole country. Money soon became plenty and business of every kind was abnor- mally active. No new enterprise could be brought forward that did not find men ready to put their means and their credit into it. Local works of a public character were inaugurated which gave employment to many persons and contributed to the general feeling of hopefulness. For example, the Buffalo Patriot of February 7, 1832, made the an- nouncement that a "ship canal 80 feet wide and 13 feet deep, across from the harbor, near the outlet of Buffalo creek, to the canal, a dis- tance of 700 yards, was commenced last week, under the superin- tendence of Maj. John G. Camp, and to be completed during the en- suing season. Also, a boat canal, commencing at the Big Buffalo creek, extending to the Little Buffalo creek, a distance of 1,600 feet." Another local newspaper made the following statement early in 1833: No former year since the destruction of Buffalo by the British troops has witnessed so many and such permanent and valuable improvements, as the present. Our com- merce on the lakes is increasing beyond all former example, and the enterprise from merchants finds increased activity and zeal in these new stimulants to exertion. The first railroad of any kind in Erie county was built in 1833. As an avenue of transportation and travel it was not of great importance, for it extended only from Buffalo to Black Rock and the cars were drawn by horses ; but its construction was significant of the rising tide of investment and speculation. The road was completed in December; its cost was about $15,000.' The county clerk's office also was erected in the same year, as more fully described in another place. Prices of all commodities and of real estate began to advance in 1833, and during the succeeding two years a speculative fever seized upon the people, ^unexampled in its intensity and its universality before or since. Ex- 1 The old and spirited rivalry thai formerly existed between Buffalo and Black Rock had by this time almost wholly disappeared. At the launching of a new steamer, the General Porter, on November 28, 1833, the following toast was given by Dr. Chapin : " Buffalo and Black Rock— one and indivisible ; may their citizens continue to be united in enterprise and deeds of benevolence as long as Lake Erie bears a wave." PROM 1832 TO 1840. 319 travagance and luxury took the place of prudence and economy, and everybody was blind to the oncoming consequences. Erie county, and especially the city of Buffalo, offered a bountiful field to the sanguine speculator; indeed, all along the lakes lands were acquired, villages laid out and cities projected where common business sanity should have shown they could never have the slightest foundation, except upon paper. In no other city in the country, perhaps, did the real estate speculative mania attain such wide-spread strength as in Buffalo. The causes for this are not difficult to determine. Outside of the busi- ness growth of a legitimate character before mentioned, the popula- tion of the city increased between 1830 and 1835 from 8,653 to 15,661, or 81 per cent., while in the county at large the grdwth was from 35,- 719 to 57,594, or 61 per cent. Moreover, far-seeing men were already foretelling the future greatness of the city — a greatness that was to be almost thrust upon her by virtue of her situation and other material advantages. Land sales became active in and around Buffalo in 1834-35 and the transactions soon represented an enormous sum. In an editorial the Daily Star of December 30, 1835, stated that "there is very little abate- ment of this business in the city, in consequence of the temporary pressure in the money market. In fact real estate seems to be the only article which commands money." The editorial continued upon the subject of recent sales and gradually rising values, and mentioned large investments that had been made in the few previous weeks by men from New York. A few days later the fact was published of the sale by Col. O. H. Dibble of one undivided one-half of his land " ad- joining the South Channel," for $200,000, of which sum he was paid f 14,000 in cash. That was the largest sale of land that had then been made in the city. On the 11th of February notice was published of the purchase by Samuel Johnson of thirty-four acres " near the upper end of Main street," at $6,000 an acre advance over what it was sold for in the preceding summer. These are only examples of hundreds of similar operations involving smaller amounts, but all of the same gen- eral character. It has been estimated that during this speculative period more than 25,000 conveyances of land were made here, a large portion of which were for city property; and that the entire amount in- volved in the transactions was nearly or quite $25,000,000. Building operations advanced in sympathy with the general business tone of the community, and during the years 1835 and 1836 it is estimated that the new- structures erected cost nearly $3,000,000. At that time Buffalo 320 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was either blessed or cursed by the citizenship of Benjamin Rathbun, a man whose type has been frequently reproduced in this country in later years. He had successfully conducted the Eagle tavern a number of years, and when the era of flush times dawned he stepped into the front ranks of the most daring speculators, and there he remained until the final crash. He built the American Hotel ; he erected a large store building on the east side of Main street, where he carried on a large business ; he made contracts of every description involving large sums and soon had thousands of men directly or indirectly in his employ. He laid the foundation of an immense hotel and exchange which was to occupy the square bounded by Main, North Division, South Divi- sion and Washington streets, which was to have a rotunda 260 feet high ; and he bought and sold land not alone in Buffalo, but through- out a wide section of territory. It may readily be imagined what an influence for good or evil such a man might exert at such a time. Early in 1836 the beginning of the end was felt in more or less pressure in the money market. Higher rates of interest began to pre- vail, and soon those who could actually command funds and were so in- clined reaped a harvest of usury. From three to five per cent, a month was paid, and even at those figures there was an unusual demand. This condition is explained by the fact that hundreds of otherwise sane people were led into borrowing money at enormous rates of interest, in the hope that by its use they could realize a share of the great profits that were being made by their neighbors; and thus almost the whole community — capitalists, merchants, manufacturers, lawyers,, doctors, and even ministers, were led into the whirpool. But the ominous pressure of 1836 did not deter Benjamin Rathbun in the slightest degree from carrying on his ambitious schemes. He bought land and laid out a grand city at. Niagara Falls, announcing an auction sale of lots for August 2. A crowd of bidders assembled and in the forenoon numerous sales were made. Rathbun was on hand, enthusiastic, beaming and confident as ever; yet at that very day he knew that his forgeries for large sums had been discovered and that he would soon be placed under arrest. David E. Evans discovered in Philadelphia that Rathbun had used his name as endorser on notes for *a large amount. Returning to Buffalo Mr. Evans confronted the specu- lator, who thereupon confessed his crime and acknowledged that the paper bearing Mr. Evans's name was only a fraction of what had been forged. An assignment of Rathbun's estate was made for the benefit FROM 1832 TO 1840. 321 of creditors, but in the mean time he permitted the sale at Niagara Falls to progress to the last. 1 The issue of President Jackson's specie circular precipitated the financial crash, and the catastrophe in and around Erie county was hastened and magnified by Rathbun's downfall. Work stopped on all of his contracts and the workmen clamored in mobs for their pay. The assignees made the best of the situation and paid off most of the work- men, though it required nearly the whole of the assets of the estate to do it. The forgeries of the speculator reached nearly a millon dollars. The community was paralyzed. Business men began to fear the finan- cial soundness of their neighbors. Dismal forebodings began to be whispered from one to another. Soon panic reined. The whole stupendous fabric, based upon credit, built up of speculation, and held together only by dazzling expectation, collapsed and came to the ground, burying hundreds in the ruin. Banks withdrew their accommodations, a general suspension of specie payments followed and bankruptcy pre- vailed everywhere. Prices of land and merchandise that had advanced at rapid strides, came down with even greater speed. The reaction in Buffalo was most severe; fortunes disappeared more rapidly than they had been acquired; mortgages were foreclosed on all sides and land that had been sold at $30 or $1:0 per foot would not bring as much per acre. Land is known in the city of Buffalo which sold early in 1835 at $2 per foot, or about $500 an acre. It was sold and resold in parcels during the speculative period until within twelve months it brought at . the rate of $10,000 an acre; the same land sold in 1865 at $18 a foot. 2 Recovery from this financial crisis was everywhere slow. Although the blow had been a heavy one in Erie county, it cannot be claimed that its effects were not shaken off sooner than in many localities. The comparatively few strong men of the community, whose foresight had enabled them to escape from the general ruin, now put forth their best efforts to restore confidence and start the wheels of progress. What the local newspapers called a " panic meeting" was held on the evening of May 3, 1837, at which John Lay presided. The assemblage was 1 The arrest and trial of Rathbun followed. His brother, Col. Lyman Rathbun, and his nephew, Rathbiin Allen, were implicated with him in the crimes ; the latter turned State's evidence. Rathbun's trial began in Batavia March 29, 1837, and he was found guilty and sentenced to State prison for five years. He served his term and subsequently engaged in his old business of hotel keeping in various places, finishing in a boarding house in New York, where he died at the age of about eighty years. 2 In 1862 Guy H. Salisbury compared the prices of fifty unimproved lots on thirty-seven differ- ent streets, as they were sold in 1836, with their estimated value in the year first named, and found that the selling price of 1836 was more than double the value in 1862, 41 323 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. addressed by Millard Fillmore and others, and resolutions were adopted to the effect that it was the duty of the citizens to unite with those of other distressed localities to " remove forever the causes and effects so disastrous to the whole community." It does not appear that these wholesome sentiments thus expressed wielded perceptible influence on the existing "hard times"; it is more probable that the meeting had some local political significance. Throughout the whole of the specula- lative period the local Democratic paper had designated the opposing party as " panic Whigs," and denounced all opposition to the adminis- tration then in power. On the 6th of May, 1837, the banks of Buffalo were served with in- junctions by the chancellor, at the instance of the bank commissioners. While those banks had undoubtedly been, to some extent, embarrassed by the financial disaster, they were well understood to be solvent, and the action of the commissioners was denounced by the citizens of the city as unjust and calculated to still further impair local credit. To dispel this feeling the commissioners announced publicly that the banks were not proceeded against through fears of their insolvency, but that complaints had been made that they had violated their charters in their business methods, and that the notes of the Buffalo banks would be received at par at the offices of all collectors of State revenues. With the resumption of specie payments in New York city about the middle of May, and similar action by the Buffalo banks soon afterward, with the removal of the injunctions just mentioned in June, confidence was partially restored. A general banking law was passed in 1838, under the influence of which business throughout the State gradually resumed its former activity. The interest and excitement usually attendant upon a presidential election were almost overshadowed by the universal gloom of the finan- cial and business outlook in 1836. Anti-Masonry had almost ceased to exist as a political factor, and most lodges temporarily disappeared in this region. Van Buren was elected president and Marcy governor of this State, but Erie county, as usual, went strongly for the opposition, which party had now assumed the title of Whig throughout the coun- try. Millard Fillmore, after two years' retirement, was again elected *to Congress, and the increase of population gave this county three members of assembly. In the fall of 1837 William A. Mosely, of Buffalo, was elected State senator in place of Albert H. Tracy, who retired from public life at the early age of forty-four years, after a brilliant career of twenty years, EAGLE TAVERN AND ITS SURROUNDINGS IN 1830. Southwest corner of Main and Court Streets. Original in Buffalo Historical Society. AMERICAN HOTEL, ON THE SITE OF AMERICAN BLOCK. Built by Col. Alanson Palmer about 1836 ; burned March 10, 1850. FROM 1832 TO 1840. 323 Although it involves considerable descriptive reference to the city of Buffalo in 1862, we quote the following from the writings of the late Guy H. Salisbury, which draws an interesting comparison between the city on the date mentioned and in 1836: In 1836 we had less than 16,000 inhabitants. Now we may in round numbers have 100,000. We had then but a single street payed, for one-fifth of a mile in length — now we have 52 miles of superior pavement in one hundred and thirty-seven streets or two hundred and fifty-nine times as much as in 1836. Then we had but one mile of imperfectly constructed sewers, in three streets — now we have an"extensive and connected system of sewerage, of which fifty-two miles have already been built in the most substantial manner, in one hundred and twenty-four streets, the benefits of which to the public health, cleanliness and comfort will be incalculable. We had then but the dim lamps of 'the oyster sellers to light the steps %{ the benighted alder- men and drowsy watchmen — now we have one of the best gas works in the Union, whose castellated edifice is a model of graceful architecture, and which has laid down fifty-five miles of street mains, furnishing a beautiful light to over twenty-one hundred street lamps, elevated on a tasteful iron column, whose long lines of flaming cressets are in brilliant contrast with the somber gloom through which we used to grope our way. Then we obtained the indispensable element of water from public and private wells, often at inconvenient distances, while, for the extinguishment of fires, we had to depend mainly upon reservoirs under the streets in only the central parts of the city, that were filled by a "Water Jack" affair, drawn to and from the canal by a pair of horses. Now, we have the current of the Niagara river flowing in large iron pipes through every section of the city, supplying numerous hydrants, whence our principal steam fire engines have always an exhaustless supply for arresting con- flagration ; while in our residences the touch of a child's finger can summon the gush- ing waters as easily as could the nymphs of Undine, midst their native streams. Our harbor was in 1836 of such limited capacity as to present a seeming barrier to the increase of our commercial business. Now by an enlarged and liberal system of improvement we have in all, some thirteen miles of water front, for lake and canal craft — enough to answer all the wants of our commerce for an indefinite period. This, too, is exclusive of Black Rock harbor, and the new commercial emporium of Tonawanda, which, some years since, neglecting her mullet fisheries, had ambitious aspirings to become an infant rival of Buffalo and a colony of Cleveland. It has been understood that the experiment was not a success. In 1836 we had but a single railroad running into Buffalo — that from Niagara Falls — of not less than twenty miles in length, with no connection whatever with any other road. Now we have the great New York Central, with its vast freight and passenger depots and enor- mous business — the New York and Erie, the terminus of whose line, is practically here — the Buffalo and State line, with its interminable western connections — the Buffalo, New York and Erie, and the Buffalo and Lake Huron, connecting with the Great Western and Grand Trunk railways, and altogether with over two thousand miles of Canadian roads. And in the convenience of local travel within the city limits the change is great indeed. In 1836 we had but four omnibuses, making hourly trips through a part of Main street, and literally a one-horse railroad that made occa- sional trips between the terrace market and Black Rock ferry. Now we have eleven 324 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. miles of well-built double track street railways through our most important avenues, running sixty elegant passenger cars, not surpassed in any city, that make regular trips every five and ten minutes, greatly facilitating the travel and intercourse be- tween the distant sect-ions of the city, rendering a suburban residence a cheap, ac- cessible and desirable home, and adding more to the permanent value of the prop- erty thus benefited, than all the cost of the roads and their ample equipment. Out of the wreckage of the period of disaster, described in foregoing pages, came the first steam railroad in Erie county. Besides the Buf- falo and Black Rock road before mentioned", two railroad companies were incorporated as early as April, 1832, neither of which, however, constructed its proposed line. One of these was the Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company, whose proposed road was, to run from Buffalo through Chautauqua county to the State line. The other was the Aurora and Buffalo Railroad Company, which proposed to build a road- from Buffalo seventeen miles long to East Aurora. The incorporators were Joseph Howard, jr., Edward Paine, Joseph Riley, Robert Persons, Calvin Fillmore, Deloss Warren and Aaron Riley, all of whom were residents of Aurora. Considerable stock was subscribed and the line was surveyed by William Wallace. In the midst of their hopeful an- ticipations that this road would speedily be built came the crisis of 1836-7 and the project was abandoned. The Buffalo and Niagara Railroad Company was another product of the inflated period, and when the first ominous signs of the coming crisis were seen in 1836, the road was in process of construction. On the 26th of August of that year the first steam locomotive in the county was placed on this road at Black Rock and ran from there to Tona- wanda at a speed of fifteen to twenty miles an hour. On the 6th of the following month its trips were extended to Buffalo and on the 5th of November trains ran regularly to the Falls. While the people of Erie county were suffering from the effects of the financial crisis that has been described, an institution was founded in Buffalo which has only recently reached the height of its long career of usefulness. In the year 1834 there was in existence in this city the old Buffalo Library, incorporated in 1816, containing 500 or 600. vol- umes; this institution had long lain almost dormant. There was also J.he Buffalo Lyceum, organized in 1832, mainly for the maintenance of lecture courses and the gathering of a library. In 1834 a first attempt was made to found a new literary institution, with the name of the Young Men's Association. In furtherance of this undertaking Rev. Dr. William Shelton delivered an address and was made president of PROM 1833 TO 1840. 325 the incipient organization. For several reasons this project was aban- doned upon the organization of the succeeding association. The Com- mercial Advertiser of February 20, 1836, then edited by Thomas Y. Foote, contained the following: Young Men's Association. — The young men of Buffalo, friendly to the foundation of a Young Men's Association, for mutual improvement in literature and science, are requested to meet at the Court House on Monday, the 22d of February, at the hour of 7 p. m. This announcement bore the signatures of nearly 400 citizens of the city, embracing all classes. At a succeeding meeting, over which Hiram Pratl presided, and R. L. Allen and Isaac W. Skinner were secretaries, a constitution for the proposed association was presented which had been prepared by Seth C. Hawley. After considerable dis- cussion the constitution was adopted and the meeting adjourned to the 29th of the same month. An election was there held, resulting as follows: Seth C. Hawley, president; Dr. Charles Winne, Samuel N. Callender and George Brown, vice-presidents; Frederick P. Stevens, corresponding secretary ; A. G. C. Cochrane, recording secretary; John ' R. Lee, treasurer; Oliver Q. Steele, Henry K. Smith, William H. Lacy, George W. Allen, Charles H. Raymond, Henry R. Williams, George E. Hayes, Halsey R., Wing, Rushmore Poole, Hunting S. Chamberlain, board of managers. The association was incorporated by the Legislature March 3, 1837. To raise funds for this association a subscription was started in the spring of 1836, before the beginning of the financial panic, which was numerously and liberally signed ; the lowest sum on the list was $25, and the highest $500, the total being- $6,700. At about the same time the books of both the old library and the Buffalo Lyceum were acquired and placed in the association rooms. The coming of the financial crisis reduced the collections on the sub- scription list and a debt was created through the too liberal purchase of books and furniture of the reading room, which was not extinguished in many years. A library of 2.700 volumes was rapidly accumulated, from which were drawn the first year 5,500 books, and the reading room was also extensively patronized. 1 1 The Young Men's Association thus entered upon its life of beneficence. In the first five years of its existence the library increased 257 volumes; in the second five years, 925 volumes; in the third five years, 1,092 volumes; in the fourth five years, 4,319 volumes. The number of volumes now in the library is nearly 90,000, besides 10,000 pamphlets. The first librarian was B. W. Jenks, who was succeeded by Charles H. Raymond, and he by Phineas Sergeant. Lewis Jenkins was the next incumbent and was succeeded in 1852 by William Ives, who has successfully occupied the 326 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. PAST HISTORY OF THE ASSO- Yeak. 1836 1837 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1853 1853 1854 1855 185(1 1857 1858 18511 I860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 187(1 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 187(1 188U 1881 1882 1883 18K4 1885 18811 1887 1888 ,.1889 "1890 1881 1892 1893 J 894 1895 1891) ■gM op $8,102 87 653 13 140 51 36 00 148 40 103 56 84 30 73 48 427 60 159 82 574 99 231 97 320 04 245 00 382 43 796 67 1,845 14 1,618 00 730 88 2,068 41 1,666 55 435 52 465 « 487 69 241 80 756 59 697 87 1,672 41 2,672 18 2,540 75 3,397 43 2,795 81 1,337 67 7,897 94 12,001 64 3,448 14 1,878 44 3,403 05 2,557 27 3,303 20 2,519 24 3,355 60 5,164 78 5,435 49 5,842 65 4,51(1 Kl 4,260 71 4,8011 20 4,(157 34 4,337 97 3,724 35 3,365 21 3,115 56 3,425 86 3,829 49 3,659 15 4,164 12 6,731 64 7,048 97 6,375 21 :■»"" $730 00 341 00 378 00 250 00 323 00 284 90 289 00 158 00 204 33 140 00 208 95 209 54 233 96 190 07 196 82 198 76 196 87 202 49 245 51 233 21 238 45 302 (14 423 30 349 28' 186 44 279 53 265 20 278 26 254 42 633 81 526 44 504 05 586 86 601 31 656 08 905 54 844 17 728 62 767 91 815 83 651 96 660 24 744 17 726 11 643 00 690 12 682 21 (146 71 (125 68 800 51 (137 17 678 68 494 28 731 03 794 52 506 41 551 80 5115 90 5(15 12 a ■a '■3 o a, 2,700 86 no ace. none. 128 81 122 248 20 385 155 420 170 199 228 75 918 57(5 857 679 1,289 1,021 375 342 543 277 635 671 561 989 1,493 2,002 1,509 775 3,767 6,004 1,771 894 1,711 1,196 1,177 1,160 2,254 3,310 3,291 3,167 2,794 3,085 3,114 3,672 3,522 3,191 2,807 2,680 2,a35 2,220 2,776 3,047 3,978 4,878 4,554 « Oh U o a 102 45 I 45 j 27 28 33 I 36 ! 42 no ac 21 no ac 43 j 41 31 30 34 48 52 55 55 55 57 55 52 50 55 52 47 47 63 65 11(1 68 75 89 116 122 123 121 122 127 12(1 84 112 116 121 111 108 116 133 154 173 191 182 183 200 203 208 20(1 240 241 400 82 53 35 28 281 (1(1 57 40 64 63 183 134 132 72 276 266 254 184 344 324 105 65 113 183 116 490 117 111)5 717 1,091 487 457 537 831 212 237 228 244 257 244 300 354 422 ;«; 334 327 337 600 (101 437 5411 591 586 504 588 655 1157 22 1 7 1 1 3 1 1 3 2 54 11 19 18 6 27 17 45 14 21 6 6 4 4 2 1 6 5 6 371 406 95 '1 2 S 400 304 303 195 124 407 401 271 278 458 400 475 398 445 397 797 814 ass 853 1,070 1,046 721 8(1(1 784 800 1,240 1,191 1,522 1,910 2,805 2,103 1,7'55 1,950 1,974 2,356 2,100 1,800 1,973 1,841 1,507 1,493 1,770 1,77'7' 1,776 1.814 1,369 1,5(19 1,614 2,178 1,881 1,729 1,778 1,774 1,588 1,619 1,672 1,592 a $2 00 2 00 2 00 2 00 2 00 2 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00. 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 (JO 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 1 00 m $2 00 5 00 5 00 5 00 5 00 5 00 3 00 3 00 8 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 8 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 00 «00 3 00 3 00 3 00 3 0(1 3 00 8 00 "9, $300 00 2,484 00 2,075 00 1,976 00 803 00 408 62 370 04 481 53 545 78 50,000 00 50,000 00 50,000 00 45,000 00 39,000 00 28,000 00 41,000 00 34,050 00 26,250 00 18,950 00 15,250 00 12,550 00 8,350 00 8,250 00 I 8,200 00 I 7,900 00 10,500 (Kl 225,000 00 955,000 00 910,000 00 910,000 00 906,500 00 902,500 00 902,500 00 901,000 00 899,500 00 PROM 1832 TO 1840. 327 CIATION IN TABULAR FORM. 15 S $5,500 7,500 0,800 6,600 0,400 10,400 11,100 9,000 8,000 8,200 0,250 10,600 14,200 12,000 9,477 11,600 14,440 19,220 22,995 22,793 27,830 26,883 21,215 21,495 20,716 18,689 18,454 24,706 23,281 37,130 43,385 38,988 41,746 35,767 60,982 73,138 75,983 84,412 72,529 74,127 76,591 72,832 77,826 90,222 91,429 98,363 99,108 96,113 84,918 59,943 89,035 100,136 102,600 102,749 104,244 114,719 118,931 128,222 140,651 142,659 ■a s a $1,234 00 1,010 74 1,121 00 1.047 00 675 75 1,352 00 1.292 00 868 75 878 87 1,444 44 1,263 75 1,556 56 1,327 62 1,467 12 1,26218 2,664 60 2,708 36 2,769 25 2,743 63 3,524 74 3,461 15 3,340 75 2,647 18 2,350 50 2,153 52 2,304 00 3,212 25 1,871 75 5,237 00 5.048 00 5,956 55 4,379 00 3,900 00 3,823 00 4,735 00 4,826 75 4,; 80 72 6,081 00 4,228 00 4,009 75 3,959 25 3,780 25 4,107 25 3,431 00 4,767 75 4,513 75 4,322 13 4,071 60 3,873 00 3,144 00 2,917 09 3,667 75 4,406 49 3.293 25 4,116 08 4,027 10 4,271 62 4,283 40 3,99.0 00 4,405 75 3,579 25 .3 . E a «> OS . ■s u.tr a~ £ eg o o '$3,787 00 1,425 00 484 00 297 75 1,253 00 418 00 35 50 53 00 52 00 248 28 5125 378 75 227 46 260 42 60 00 1,494 00 85 00 160 50 50 00 150 00 1,000 00 50 00 61 23 1,302 00 300 00 350 00 100 00 84,465 00 551 00 950 00 900 00 300 00 1,300 00 550 00 2,250 00 700 00- 6,050 00 300 00 300 00 200 00 200 00 100 00 50 00 300 00 250 00 2,550 00 124,879 25 9,700 00 5,700 00 1,300 00 5,950 00 50 00 20 000 on Free. Free. Free. $4 50 10 00 35 69 2 00 7 00 No Lee. 162 90 144 47 3120 20 77 18 41 392 29 152 34 69193 380 37 271 69 827 43 1,120 48 336 22 628 47 1,492 07 1,272 75 928 80 1,252 50 278 35 285 44 1,343 23 956 40 9100 2,268 44 2,571 16 1,144 74 1,176 40 $189 15 19819 7816 69 47 3 84 63 64 273 23 164 74 16 75 367 93 571 39 603 38 460 12 546 75 ' 349 36 1,900 44 2,038 98 2,954 77 2,214 11 3,040 53 3.651 94 1,081 61 1,603 31 1,682 76 1.736 93 2,564 75 4,470 17 4,326 24 6,910 11 5,206 43 5,650 00 5.652 54 4,506 88 9,212 05 6,499 11 2,820 19 3,702 62 4,493 34 2,717 23 2,107 42 3,541 23 1.737 02 1.738 02' 2,086 96 -3,122 04 1,098 76 23194 1,077 63 1,202 86 1,009 86 599 38 15,772 00 17,397 05 10,833 50 10,473 62 11,935 77 10,585 06 14,759 27 14,943 30 ■a § $1,150 00 1,200 00 1,200 00 2,500 00 2,800 00 2,850 00 3,200 00 3,300 00 6,122 23 6,628 57 8,288 65 8,500 00 8,800 00 10,100 00 11,100 00 13,300 00 13,950 00 19,750 00 20,050 00 20,350 00 20,735 04 20,935 04 21,035 04 21,085 04 21,385 04 21,835 04 22,085 04 22,033 74 22,038 74 22,033 74 22,033 74 22,033 74 22,183 74 22,183 74 31,883 74 39,228 99 ' 62,541 03 67,991 03 67,856 03 72,856 03 72,856 03 92,906 03 Presidents. Seth C. Hawley Seth C. Hawley George E. Hayes Edward Norton Walter Joy Warren Bryant W. L. G. Smith W. H. Greene Jabez B. Bull Gibson T. Williams Samuel T. Atwater Thomas C. Welch James Sheldon Isaac Sherman Charles D. Norton J. M. Hutchinson James L. Butler Bronson C. Rumsey Wells D. Walbridge Alex. W. Harvey John G. Guenther Everard Palmer Wm. T. Wardwell Wm. Fleming David F. Day Joseph Warren R. L. Howard ' S. V. R. Watson S. V. R. Watson Sherman S. Jewett Albert Sherwood George Truscott Edwin T. Evans Henry A. Richmond Chas. F. Wadsworth Geo. S. Wardwell Oscar Folsom David Bell Howard H Baker Franklin D. Locke E. Carlton Sprague Robert P. Wilson William H. Gurney Richard K. Noye Wilson H. Bissell Charles A. Sweet Henry Bull Edward B. Smith Edward B. Smith Jewett M. Richmond Jewett M. Richmond Jewett M Richmond George Gorham Daniel H. McMillan Philo D. Beard Ralph H. Plumb Frank M. Hollister George B. Hayes Henry C. French Joseph P. Dudley |T. Guilford Smith 328 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. During the speculative period before described a project was .inaugu- rated by a number of citizens of both Black Rock and Buffalo which they anticipated would result in building up a city at the former place, and in consequent large profits through the sale of land. One feature of this project was the construction of a pier or dam extending from Bird Island to a point near the outer end of the Buffalo breakwater. It was expected that this extension would make it possible for vessels to run down there at all times, would improve the Black Rock water power and prevent the then existing basin from filling up with sand and ice. position itntil the present time. In 1857 a library fund was founded, based upon receipts for life membership; the fund now amounts to $92,906.03. In 1864-65 began a movement which inaugurat- ed an era of greater prosperity for the association. Nine leading men of the city headed a sub- scription with $3,000 each to raise funds for the purchase of the property on the corner of Main, Eagle and Washington streets; the names of the nine were Sherman S. Jewett, Dean Richmond, Charles Ensign, S. V. R. Watson, Thomas Clark, Gibson T. Williams, Myron P. Bush, Rufus L. Howard, and James Brayley. By generous gifts from many other persons the fund was raised to something more than $83,000, and the property was bought in 1865, and occupied by the association in 1866; its cost was $112,500. At the date last named the association was in debt about $50,000; but by prudent and successful management the indebtedness was cleared away in 1876. In April, 1877, J. N. Lamed was made superintendent of the library, a responsible position which he filled in the most satisfactory manner until 1897, when he resigned, and Henry L. Elmendorf was ap- pointed to the position. Under his administration the practical working of the library itself reached the highest possible success. In the latter part of 1883 a subscription fund was founded with the ultimate object of purchasing a new site and erecting a building more commodious and better adapted for the ptirposes of the association. The sum of $1 17,000 was raised which was used towords erecting the splendid building now in use; it was completed in 1887 and cost about $328,- 000 exclusive of the site. The Association retained its property on Main and Eagle streets and re- stored it to its original hotel purposes, calling it the Richmond. Six months later both it and the adjoining St. James Hall were burned and were replaced by the present Iroquois Hotel. The an- nual receipts of the library are now nearly $60 000. Preliminary steps were taken in 1896 to make this library free, through co-operation by the city authorities, and to transfer it to the city in trust. After thorough discussion and necessary action by various committees, a law was passed on the 4th of February, 1897, under which the transfer was made, the city pledging itself to raise annually by general tax a sum not less than 3-100 of 1 per cent, nor more than 5-100 of 1 per cent, of the tax- able assessed valuation of city property, four-fifths of which sum should be paid to the trustees of the institution, which was given the title, Buffalo Library. The same act made a similar trans- fer of the Grosvenor Library (noticed in another chapter), and the remaining one-fifth of the sum raised by tax was thereby made payable to the trustees of that institution. The library report for 1896 gives details of these proceedings, to which the reader is referred. The Buffalo Library was formally opened to the public as a free institution September 1, 1897. It contains over 90,000 volumes and about 10,000 pamphlets. Other libraries in Buffalo are as follows; German Young Men's Association Library, founded in 1841, 7,000 volumes; the Young Men's Christian Association, formed in 1852, 7,000 volumes, with numerous branches; Buffalo Historical Society Library, founded in 1862, 9,000 volumes and 7.000 pamphlets; Grosvenor Library, founded by Seth Grosvenor in 1857, opened in 1870, 41, 000 volumes; Law Library, Eighth Judicial District, founded in 1863, 10,000 volumes; Catholic Institute Library, lounded in 1866, 7,000 volumes and 300 pamphlets; Lutheran Young Men's Association Library, founded in 1873, 4,000 volumes; the Polish Library, organized in 1889, 1,500 volumes; the Buffalo Medical and Erie County Medical Society Libraries, 5,000 volumes; Erie Railway Library Asso- ciation, 4,000 volumes; Harugari Library, 1,400 volumes; the Lord Library, 5,000 volumes; North Buffalo Catholic Association Library, incorporated in 1888, 2,500 volumes; St. Michael's Young Men's Sodality Library, 1,000 volumes; Women's Educational and Industrial Union Library or- ganized in 1884, 1,200 volumes. PROM 1832 TO 1840. 329 Congress having already granted large appropriations for Black Rock harbor improvements, was to be petitioned for further aid in this work. The matter went so far that surveys and soundings were made in the summer of 1835. Against this scheme Buffalo at large opened a deter- mined opposition, in which Samuel Wilkeson took an active part; a memorial was drawn by him, addressed to Congress, contending that the existing dam at Black Rock had greatly injured the Buffalo harbor, chiefly by causing a rise in the water level, and that the proposed work would cause still greater injury, besides being a scheme intended, to some extent, to enrich its authors. This dam was never built as pro- prosed. At the same time (January, 1836) Mr. Wilkeson and his friends procured the drawing of a map showing the proposed improvements in Buffalo harbor; this map and accompanying address to the citizens of Buffalo was published as an extra to the Whig and Journal. The fol- lowing is quoted from the address: Since much has been said for the past few weeks of the necessity of extending Buffalo harbor, it may be interesting to some of you to examine the accompanying plan by which our harbor room can be increased to any desirable extent by excavat- ing slips and basins on ground now unproductive to the owners, but which, by the earth excavated from the slips may be raised above the floods and made to furnish valuable sites for docks and warehouses. Should this plan be adopted it will put at rest forever all apprehensions of want of room. . . . Those on the south side of Buffalo creek will be 'particularly adapted to the great western and canal business and perhaps exclusively used for such. The proposed increase of room by enlarging Clark & Skinner's canal, and converting the basin on Little Buffalo creek, intended for canal boats, into one for large vessels, will still leave this plan subject to enlarge- ments to any extent which may comport with the interests of the eastern portion of this city. The address then reviews the great benefits to be derived from the proposed improvements and urged the execution of the work upon the people and thB Common Council. A comparison of this map, as here shown, with Mr. Ball's map of 1825, and of both with the present city maps, gives a clear idea of the condition of the harbor at the respective dates, and also indicates how nearly the proposed improvements were finally made. Much of the harbor improvement indicated on the map of 1836 was made about the year 1840. With the approach of the winter of 1837-8, when the inhabitants of Erie county had partially recovered from the shock of financial ruin, an ominous cloud arose on the horizon bringing new cause for anxiety. During several previous, years a spirit of discontent with the home gov- 42 330 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. eminent had been growing in the Canadian provinces, and particularly among the French population in Lower Canada, which finally developed into armed rebellion. It will be correctly inferred that a movement of this character, when it reached the upper provinces and came near the American boundary, would find ready sympathizers among certain classes on this side of the lakes and rivers. The two struggles in which Americans had been engaged with England, although crowned with success to the former, were not forgotten by them, and a slumbering feeling of enmity towards everything British still existed. This so- called Patriot War awakened it. The sympathizers with the patriots formed secret lodges of. " Hunters," so called, and a few armed men crossed the line into Canada. William Lyon Mackenzie, an ex member of the provincial parliament, was the leader of the rebellion in Upper Canada, and after an unsuccessful outbreak north of Toronto, fled to Buffalo early in December, 1837. Public meetings were held in the city, at which Mackenzie, a certain Gen. T. J. Sutherland, and a few Buffalonians spoke in favor of the patriot cause. In the same month excitement rose to a high pitch when it was learned that the main force of patriots had established themselves on Navy Island, to the number of between 300 and 400 men, many of whom were Americans. On this side of the border eagerness and enthusiasm increased with the passing days to aid the patriots. In this emergency the United States marshal appointed thirty deputies from the prominent citizens of Buf- falo, to aid, in preventing violations of neutrality, should the occasion arise. The body of Americans on the island were under nominal com- mand of Gen. Rensselaer Van Rensselaer, a son of the gallant old soldier, Col. Solomon Van Rensselaer, who was wounded at the battle of Queenston Heights. The winter was unusually mild and vessels were navigated until midwinter. On the 29th of December a little steamboat called the Caroline, the property of William Wells, of Buffalo, went down to Navy Island for the purpose of running back and forth between the camp and Schlosser with supplies and men. After making two or three trips on that day she tied up at the Schlosser wharf. Early on the fol- lowing morning the exciting news reached Buffalo that a body of Brit- ish soldiers had crossed the river, cut out the steamer, killed fifteen or twenty men, set the boat on fire and sent her over the falls. The main part of this story proved true. A man named Durfee was found dead on the wharf on the morning after the attack; he was shot through the FROM 1833 TO 1840 831 head. His body was brought to Buffalo, where his funeral was at- tended by a large and excited crowd, after which Henry K. Smith de- livered a speech of brilliant eloquence. After several days and upon thorough investigation, it was found that Durfee was the only person killed, while three or four were wounded. It was learned presently that the expedition was sent over by Sir Allan McNab, commanding the British forces on the frontier, with full endorsement of the gov- ernor general of Canada, and it was, therefore, an unwarrented inva- sion of American territory ; its only palliation was the fact that many of the insurgents were Americans. A long diplomatic contest followed, but no redress was ever obtained. The two Buffalo daily newspapers filled their columns with editorials on the subject, the Star accusing the Commercial of acting in the interest of the British, and the latter in- sisting that the Star was endeavoring to stir up discord that might lead to war. In the mean time the American authorities adopted prompt measures to prevent armed expeditions from leaving these shores and to repel possible invasion from the other side. The 47th Brigade of militia, wholly constituted of Erie county men, under command of Col. Orange T. Brown, was called out,- under orders of Governor Marcy, by Gen. David Burt and made its headquarters in Buffalo. Randall's Brigade of artillery, the companies of which were drawn from a larger district, was also ordered out and made its rendezvous in the city. On the 5th of January the president issued a proclamation and sent General Scott to the frontier, accompanied by Col. William J. Worth, chief of staff. Soon after their arrival the regulars and militia were ordered out to re- pel a rumored attack on Schlosser; but the invasion was not attempted and the troops returned. At that time the steamer Barcelona was running between Buffalo and Navy Island, and report was made that three armed English schooners lying opposite Black Rock were about to fire on her. The troops were marched to Lower Black Rock, where the schooners were seen, one of them in American waters. Scott formed his infantrynear the river and posted the artillery on the high ground in rear; he then rode down to the water's edge, hailed the nearest schooner, ordered her out of American waters and to not molest the Barcelona, which was then coming up close in to the American shore. The schooner reluctantly withdrew. The patriot cause was now approaching its hopeless con- clusion. British regulars and Canadian militia early in January con- 333 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. centrated opposite Navy Island, cannonaded the forest which covered it and made preparations to cross the channel. Van Rensselaer saw that resistance would be useless ; his command was ^mall, his finances low and Scott's arrival had cut off hope of reinforcements. On Janu- ary 15 his little army fled to the American shore and scattered in every direction. A few cannon that had been stolen by them were aban- doned to the State authorities; five of them were placed in charge of Col. Harry B. Ransom and a body of militia at Tonawanda. A squad of men came to him and presented an order for the delivery of the guns, the order bearing the signature of General Scott. Ransom hesi- tated, but when a prominent citizen stepped up and declared that he knew Scott's writing and that the signature was genuine, the guns were given up, and on a forged order. But these remaining patriots, who were thus endeavoring to obtain artillery, were forced to abandon their operations for fear of the United States marshal and the guns went into possession of the State. In the mean time the incipient war was carried westward. Brig.- Gen. T. J, Sutherland, before mentioned, proceeded to the western end of Lake Erie, gathered a few volunteers, issued proclamations, and made preparations to invade Canada across the Detroit River. To put a stop to these operations, a body of regulars and volunteers was sent up the lake ; with them went twenty volunteers from the Aurora militia company, under command of Capt. Almou N. Clapp, then publisher of the Aurora Standard, who were to stop at Erie and preserve the peace in that section. Stopping at Dunkirk, these troops proceeded to Fre- donia, whence they carried 200 or more stand of arms and embarked by steamer for Erie. It will be borne in mind that it was past the middle of January, a fact indicating that it was the mildest winter ever known on the lake ; but when the boat reached Erie ice was rapidly forming, rendering it difficult to enter the harbor. The Aurora vol- unteers remained there eleven days and returned by land. By that time it was thought there would be little further trouble in this vicin- ity and the infantry and artillery were discharged. There, was, how- ever, some further demonstrations in this foolhardy enterprise that deserves notice. The lake was soon ice-covered and a band of the in- vaders determined to make it an avenue of passage across to Canada at a point where discovery would be improbable. Information of this movement reached the frontier and a company of the Buffalo City Guard and Clapp's volunteers were sent on a cold night in sleighs on FROM 1832 TO 1840. 333 the turnpike to the lake shore, and thence three or four miles on the ice to a point where they found thirty or forty men camped in shanties, sleeping on hemlock boughs, and awaiting reinforcements from Can- ada. These patriots promptly surrendered, their shanties were de- molished and their arms captured. A little later another body of patriots numbering between 300 and 400, who had obtained possession of a cannon, assembled near Comstock's tavern in Hamburg. On the 24th of February a detachment of regulars and volunteers and the crew of a revenue cutter, all under command of Colonel Worth, who had returned from the West, marched out of Buf- falo, surprised the camp, captured their cannon and dispersed the men. This was the last attempt to invade Canada from within the borders of Erie county until the Fenian excitement of 1866. Considerable polit- ical capital was made of this event, the administration receiving a large share of blame, and the Whig party profiting by it in a proportionate degree. The latter organization in this county was not, however, in need of such aid, as its majority was already overwhelming. The general discontent and discouragement caused by the financial stringency served to augment and intensify the opposition to the Hol- land Land Company, to which reference has already been made in these pages. Long arrears of interest as well as principal were due on many farms, the payment of which was rendered more difficult than ever be- fore by the scarcity of money. Public expression of dissatisfaction and opposition was made at meetings which were held in various towns of the county, at which the company was denounced, a modification of its terms demanded, interference by the Legislature requested and the attorney- general called upon to contest the company's title. In the month of February, 1837, what was boldly called an Agrarian Conven- tion assembled at Aurora, where the counties of Erie, Genesee, Niag- ara and Chautauqua were represented. Dyre Tillinghast, of Buffalo, was president; Charles Richardson, of Java, Genesee county (now Wy- oming),and Hawxhurst Addington, of Aurora, vice-presidents; A. M. Clapp, of Aurora, and H. N-. A 'Holmes, of Wales; 'secretaries/' Speech- es were made and resolutions adopted expressive of : the sense of' the meeting as above indicated, and the " Judases" who favored the com- pany were bitterly censured. Action more decisive even than this was taken in some sections of the county. If actual violence was not offered to the agents of the company, they were made to feel that their pres- ence was most unwelcome and their persons liable to assault. If one 334 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of them made an attempt to take possession of a farm, the holder of which was in arrears, he was bombarded with threatening notices; armed men gathered on the hillsides and indulged in ominous move- ments until the hapless agent's anxiety and fear drove him away be- fore his purpose was accomplished. There was, of course, no ground for contesting the title of the company and the Legislature refused to interfere. In most of the towns the large majority of the settlers, by persistent effort extending over many years and aided by the gradual further improvement of their farms and the resulting increase of prod- ucts, succeeded in paying their indebtedness and securing deeds to their lands. In a few localities so stubborn and long-continued was the resistance that the company put off 'forcible collections until the holders of farms acquired title by adverse possession, in which they were sustained by the courts. It is unquestioned that this state of af- fairs in the rural districts tended to cripple the energies of settlers, hinder progress and delay improvements. The town of Tonawanda was set off from the town of Buffalo on the 16th of April, 1836* and included the present town of that name and Grand Island. The little village of Tonawanda, which then embraced what is now the city of North Tonawanda, had by that time begun to attain a small business importance. Three other towns were erected prior to 1840. On the 14th of Feb- ruary, 1839, all that part of the town of Buffalo outside of the city was formed into the town of Black Rock. The new town extended around the city from Black Rock village to the lake shore At the first town meeting held William A. Bird was elected supervisor. This town had an existence of only about thirteen years. On the 25th of March the town of Brant was formed, and Cheektowaga was erected on the 22d of the same month. The former was taken from Evans and Collins, and the first town meeting was held on the 16th of the following month at the house of Ansel Smith. Milton Morse had already in 1835 es- tablished the first store in the town, at the Center, which was for some time called Morse's Corners. Mr. Morse was also the first postmaster in the office established after the formation of the town. The new town of Cheektowaga was formed from Amherst, its name Iseing derived from an Indian term signifying " the place of the crab- apple tree," this fruit abounding in that section in a wild state. The territory of this town was quite well settled at the date of its formation. Alexander Hitchcock, long a respected citizen, was chosen the first PROM 1832 TO 1840. 335 supervisor, and, is said to have suggested the name of the town. Israel Ely settled in the town in 1833 ; he had been sent out by the New York Missionary Society in 1818 to ascertain the condition of the Indians on the Holland Purchase. He was father of Judah, Israel N., E. Sterling, and E. Selden Ely. Israel N. Ely was member of assembly in 1833, and E. Selden Ely was eleven years supervisor of Cheektowaga. As to progress in other parts of the county during the period under consideration, it can only be described as inconsiderable and unimpor- tant. The epidemic of cholera and the great financial panic were suf- ficient to account for this fact. The village of Williamsville made a little advancement and in 1837 a company was chartered to build a macadam road from Buffalo to the village ; the roa5 was finished with- in two years, and was the first attempt to thus improve one of the old highways. On the 27th of April, 1837, the supervisors of the county were author- ized by an act of the Legislature to raise by taxation $5,000 in the towns of Lancaster, Alden and part of Amherst and Buffalo, with which " to make, repair and improve the road from the easterly termination of Genesee street in Buffalo, through the villages of Lancaster and Alden to the westerly line of Genesee county." Again, on May 9 of that year, the supervisors were similarly empowered to raise a like sum to improve the roads on the Indian Reservation in the towns of Ham- burg, Aurora, Wales, Holland, Golden, Sardinia, Concord, Boston, Collins, Eden and Evans. These improvements were much needed, as the roads of the county were in most cases and for many years in very poor condition. 336 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER XXII. TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. Features of Town and Village Growth— Condition of the County at the Date of Its Formation — Effects of the Land Sale to the Ogden Company — Development in Aurora between 1821 and 1840— Growth in Holland and Newstead — Beginning of the Village of Akron — Alden and West Seneca — Advancement in Hamburg and East Hamburg — -The Celebrated Hamburg Cheese — Growth and Advancement in the Various Other Towns and Villages. During' the nearly twenty years that elapsed between the date of the formation of Erie county (1821) and 1840, the history of which as far as relates to Buffalo and to subjects of general county interest has been told in the two immediately preceding chapters, considerable material advancement was made in all parts of the county, the historical aspects of which are of especial interest in connection with the various towns. Seven new towns were formed during that period, besides three that were created in the month of March succeeding the erection of the county in April, 1821. In the county at large many hamlets were developed, some of which in later years grew to thriving villages, where the shops of the early shoemaker, tinsmith, wagonmaker, black- smith, and the store of the merchant were established; where mills were built, if there was the least available water power, to which the farmer of those days carried his grain to obtain flour and meal for his family use, or drew the saw logs to be cut into lumber for his own buildings ; where the pioneer physicians, unselfish and frequently over- taxed in covering the wide extent of territory to see their scattered patients, settled and dwelt; and where here and there a lawyer found, or hoped to find, a living in his profession. When Erie county was formed a large portion of its territory was yet covered with forest and many wild animals still stealthily visited the remote settlers to deplete their accumulations of live stock. Many thousands of acres of this forest were cleared during that period and put under tillage, to be covered in the autumn months with fields of ripening grain, in which wheat was most conspicuous. The nationality TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT, 337 of the inhabitants was in the mean time materially modified, the influx of Germans being very large. At the date of the formation of the county the population was almost wholly American—Yankees from the Eastern States, with a few Irish and a very few Swedes and Germans. But the Germans soon constituted a prominent element and brought to the agricultural communities, as well as to the city, a conservative, methodical, rather slow-moving, and yet industrious, prudent and every way useful class of citizens. The village and agricultural dis- tricts profited more or less by the new canal, which, if it did not actu- ally increase prices of farm products during that period, made a more active market in Buffalo to which the farmers could go with confi- dence that they would receive for grain, vegetables,*etc, rates as high as those paid in other localities; while merchants and shopkeepers paid far less for freighting their .goods and supplies in from eastern markets than before the canal was opened. In the years of reckless speculation country merchants and many farmers, particularly in towns near to Buffalo, became to some extent infected with the prevailing heresy ; but instances of speculation and subsequent disaster were not numerous among them. They suffered severely, however, in the general depression and stagnation that fol- lowed, although they had contributed little to the causes. The purchase of lands from the Indians by the Ogden Company in 1826, which is fully described in Chapter I, opened to settlement a vast area in some of the towns, which was speedily sold and occupied. The towns most affected by this sale were Marilla, Al den, Lancaster, Cheek - towaga, Elma, West Seneca, Wales, Hamburg and East Hamburg, Aurora and Concord. During the period from the formation of the town of Aurora (1818) to 1830 and a little later it was one of the most thriving regions in Erie county. Settlement was rapid, and numerous mills of various kinds, but generally of modest pretensions, were built. Besides the mill erected by Abram Smith at West Falls, another was built called the lower mill, where the Big Tree road crosses Cazenove Creek, and when the old mill built by Phineas Stephens was burned, it was succeeded by another erected by John C. Pratt. About 1820 Lemuel Spooner built still another grist mill in the southeast corner of the town, which was subsequently owned by Lyman Cornwall. At about the same time David Nichols built a carding mill on the west branch of Cazenove Creek a mile and a half above its mouth, and about 1822 Sylvester Mc- 43 338 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Kay established an oil mill on the same dam, and near by Benjamin Enos built a tannery. At Griffin's Mills in 1820 there were in opera- tion a grist mill, a- saw mill, a distillery and an ashery, while Robert Griffin kept a tavern and Adam Paul a store. In 1822 a brick hotel was erected. Ledyard R. Phelps established a tannery there in 1828 and James Ives opened a store in 1825. Joseph S. Bartlett built a carding and fulling mill on the east branch of Buffalo Creek a little above the site of the Stephens grist mill before mentioned ; this was burned in 1865. Most of the owners of these various early industries carried on farming also. In the mean time the early Upper and Lower Villages which now constitute the one village of East Aurora assumed considerable business importance. Nathaniel Fillmore settled in the town about 1820, and in the fall of 1821 his son, Millard Fillmore, the future president of the United States, arrived at his father's house. He had already devoted some time to the study of law and soon found a little business in that profession, at the same time teaching school in the winter of 1821-22. In the spring of 1822 he went to Buffalo and studied and taught school until he was admitted to practice, when he returned to Aurora and opened an office. In 1830 he settled perma- nently in Buffalo. Nathaniel Fillmore was a brother of £alvin, who also settled about the same time in Aurora. Dr. Erastus Wallis settled at the Lower Village, as it was then called, about 1825 and acquired a large practice, while Dr. Jonathan Hoyt continued at the Upper Vil- lage; a little later Dr. Jabez Allen and Dr. George H. L^pham located in the village. Stephen Holmes, who established his store in East Aurora in 1828, continued in business nearly thirty years, and in 1831 Samuel W. Bowen purchased the mercantile business which had been conducted some years by N. G. Reynolds ; both of these stores were at the Lower Village. At the Upper Village Joseph Howard, jr., eon- ducted a store and hotel from about 1820, and in 1828 built a brick block, in part of which he kept a store ; he continued in active business until his death in 1836. Joseph Riley, also an active business man, settled in the place in 1830. Nathan K. Hall studied in Mr. Fillmore's office and followed him to the city a little later. The well known Aurora Academy was opened in 1833 and added to the prosperity of *the place; and in 1835 Almon N. Clapp began the publication of the Aurora Standard. Peter M. Vosburgh settled in the village some time between 1830 and 1835 as a lawyer and remained in practice about ten years, until he was appointed surrogate of the county, when he re- TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 339 moved to Buffalo. Isaac V. Vanderpoel was in company with him nearly ten years. At the Upper Village Lafayette Carver settled soon after Mr. Fillmore's removal and practiced there about twenty years. Albert Sawin began practice there before 1837 and remained till 1850, when he removed to Buffalo. James M. Humphrey was admitted to the bar in 1847, and practiced at the Upper Village ten years, when he was elected district attorney and he, too, removed to Buffalo. The Globe Hotel was established in 1824 by C. P. Persons, and in 1826 the Congregational society (later the Presbyterian) united with the Baptists in building of a house of worship which was completed in 1828. The rivalry between the two sections of what is now the village of East Aurora and the belief on the part of many citizens tftat the place would eventually become the seat of large business interests, led to consider- able specufation during the inflated period before described, and the village was long in recovering from the effects of the crash that fol- lowed. Some time prior to 1825 the Congregational church was organized as one of the results of the labors of "Father Spencer," and in 1827-28 united with the earlier organized Baptist society in building a house of worship in the Upper Village; both congregations occupied it nearly twenty years on alternate Sundays. The Methodist society erected their first church in 1827 in the Lower Village. In 1843 the Congrega- tional society adopted the Presbyterian faith. Following the settlements in the town of Holland described in Chap- ter XVIII, made prior to the formation of Erie county, many families located and improved excellent farms in various parts of the town. Among these may be mentioned the Crooks, Rogers, Davis, Whaley, Hawks, Colby, Sleeper -and Dustin families. Vermont Hill and West Hill, as well as the lower parts, received accessions to their population. Moses McCarthy, who was supervisor of the town of Wales fourteen years, settled on Vermont Hill. Isaac Dickerman settled in 1829 ad- joining Humphrey's so-called Fort farm, before mentioned, and built one of the few brick houses in the town. Colden was taken from Hol- land in 1827, leaving the latter with its present area. Amos Hall built a sa,w mill in Holland village in 1820, which long ago disappeared. Hoyt & Flinn were the second merchants in the place, in a building that was moved back in 1829, to make room for a hotel erected by one of the partners, William Hoyt. Hoyt & Adams was also an early firm of merchants. The first hotel, opened by Joshua Barron in 1816, was con- 340 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tinned until 1829, when it was succeeded by the one just mentioned. A Dr. Parker, whose first name cannot be learned, was the first physician in the village, where he settled about 1825. Dr. Zoroaster Paul located there about 1833. The first post-office in the town was established in 1822, Lyman Clark postmaster; he was succeeded by Elam Clark. About 1840 Israel Rich built a saw mill on the dam that formerly sup- plied water to the mill of Amos Hall, and also operated a carding mill near by. In later years mill stones were put in the saw mill for grain grinding. A Baptist church was organized in 1829, but a church edifice was not erected until 1844. At'the point where a little settlement gath- ered called Protection, John Dake was making spinning wheels, etc., as early as 1830, and a small business interest sprang up there. Mr. Dake built a saw mill in 1840. The hamlet is on the Sardinia line and partly in that town. During the twenty years under consideration the town of Newstead made more rapid progress, perhaps, than any other in the county, its most marked advancement taking place between 1830 and 1840 in the village of Akron. Dr. Isaac Parcell settled at the site of Akron in 1831, ■ as the first physician there. In 1831, or earlier, a tavern was built and in that year passed to Spencer S. Harrington who kept the house sev- eral years. In the same year Mitchell Osborne opened a grocery and continued in business in the village more than fifty years. Elisha Adams opened a general store about the same time, and two or three years later John Wainwright and Harrison Osborne began mercantile business. About the year 1832 "Squire " Huntley built a dam across Murder Creek and erected a carding and fulling mill. Hezekiah Cum- mings purchased the business a little later and a large custom was secured for many years. In 1835 there was a mail route from Medina to the Newstead post-office, over which Lorenzo D. Covey carried the mail. At this time there was a very large travel from east to west over the Buffalo road. At the post-office, then called Erie (the town bore that name in early years) there was a large store, a hotel or two, and a constant stream of travel, and it seemed that the place would become the largest village in the town ; but such was not to be the result. With the sale to the Ogden Company of about 7,000 acres within the •limits of the town from the south side of the Tonawanda Reservation, as described in an earlier chapter, only about 2,000 acres of the res- ervation were left in the town. This large tract was speedily divided by the Ogden Company and put in market, and new settlers went into TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 341 that region, among them Nathan L. Barney, James McMullen, Robert Benedict and others. Gradually the business interests of the town left the old point on the Buffalo road and drifted to the new location on Murder Creek — the site of Akron. In April, 1831, the name of the town was changed from Erie to Newstead, and soon afterward the post- office also received the new name; but it still remained at the old lo- cation for several years. As late as 1837 there was a post-office called Newstead on the Buffalo road, with John S. Ball postmaster. A little earlier than this, however, the settlement on the site of Akron, which had so far been known as " The Corporation," was given its present name. A horse railroad was built in 1835 from Medina, Orleans county, to Akron, and thence to Richville, Genesee county; the bulk of the stock was owned in Medina, the citizens of that thriving village be- lieving their place would be greatly benefited by opening such a line of communication southward. The rails of this pioneer railway were white oak timbers six inches square, laid on cross ties, and one passen- ger car and one freight car made daily trips ; the fare was sixty-four cents from Akron to Medina. The road never paid and it was soon abandoned. In 1839 occurred the discovery by Jonathan Delano of the celebrated hydraulic limestone cropping out on Murder Creek at the point which became known as Fallkirk, now in the eastern part of Akron village. He obtained a lease of the land for a few years and in 1840 built a small kiln and began the manufacture of water lime. Not long after the discovery the State caused an exhaustive examination of the cement to be made, and finding it of superior quality, the canal com- missioners contracted for a large quantity to be used in the construction of the Genesee Canal and the feeder dam at Tonawanda. This busi- ness gave a spirited impetus to the growth of the village, as described in the later Gazetteer of Towns. A Presbyterian church was organized here in 1835, and a Baptist church in 1837; the latter erected a house of worship in 1838. About 1840 or a little earlier Julius Swift settled on 500 acres of land on Murder Creek, built a saw mill and grist mill and opened a store. This center became known as Swift's Mills and much of the business of Northern Newstead was for some years transacted there. Mr. Swift's sons carried on those business industries in later years. In the town of Alden considerable further improvement was made from 1820 to 1840. The tavern opened by Amos Bliss, on the site of Alden village in 1815, was closed in 1820, in which year A. C. Burdick 343 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. settled in the region afterwards known as the West Woods, and Stephen Church in 1821. In 1822 Thomas Farnsworth bought a farm on lot 17 of Aaron Botts, built a large frame house on the site of Alden village and erected a tannery on a branch of Eleven-mile Creek north of the village. In June, 1825, travel increased somewhat and the crowds going to see the execution of the Three Thayers made such de- mands upon him that he took out a tavern license. About the same time Dr. John Harrington located in the town as the first physician, and John Bryant opened a store about half a mile east of the village. Calvin Bishop was his clerk about two years and then established a store on the village site. When the sale of lands was made to the Og- den Company, in 1826, it opened a large tract of territory in this town (between twelve and thirteen square miles), which was promptly sub- divided and placed in market and was soon taken by settlers. The post-office at Alden village was established in 1823, with Joseph Free- man postmaster. Among early merchants in the village were Horace Stanley, Litchfield & Barstow, Samuel M. Butler, and others. A Methodist society was ■organized in September, 1833. Many Germans settled in the town of Alden between 1830 and 1840, particularly in the northern and eastern parts. At the time of the Ogden purchase the whole of the territory of West Seneca still remained in nominal possession of the Indians, except as they had permitted a few white families to reside on their reservation. Two roads ran through the reservation from the earliest settlements; one along the lake shore, and the other by a somewhat devious course from Buffalo to the site of East Aurora village. This became in late years the Buffalo and Aurora plank road. An early highway was also opened from East Hamburg, which extended across West Seneca territory south of Cazenove Creek, and one also from Abbott's Corners, which intersected the other within the present city limits. All of these roads were for many years in wretched condition. Among the families whom the Indians had allowed to live on the reservation were those of Isaac Earl, George Hopper, John Wells, Joel Decker, Peter Beal, Arte- mas Baker, and possibly a few others. At about the time of the sale •to the Ogden Company Reuben Sackett built a frame tavern on the East Hamburg road, which was long and popularly known as "the old Sackett stand." In 1829 a missionary society built a church on the reservation north of Cazenove Creek, near the line between West TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 343 Seneca and Buffalo; this church was maintained until the removal of the Indians. During the period under consideration in this chapter there was noticeable improvement in the' towns of Hamburg and East Hamburg, both of which were at that period included in the original Hamburg. The town was largely settled before 1821. Among the later comers were many Germans who have become owners of highly cultivated farms. In the latter part of the decade closing with 1840 this town be- gan to gain its later high reputation for the excellence of its dairy products, and particularly of the celebrated Hamburg cheese, which commanded a high price in the market. Village growth in the town was slow until later than 1840. Hamburg village \fore the old name of Smith's Mills until 1820 or later. Thomas T. White was an early settler on the site of the village; he was father of Lewis T. White, long a leading citizen and businessman. Ralph Shepard kept one of the earliest hotels in the place. In 1830 a post-office was opened with the name Smithville, and Mr. Shepard was made postmaster; it was dis- continued about 1822. After Thomas T. White engaged in business, about 1820, the place gradually took the name of White's Corners, and retained that appellation for fifty years. St. Peter's and St. Paul's Catholic church was organized at Hamburg village in 1831; there was _ already a Free Will Baptist society in existence, organized about 1826, and a Methodist society formed in the early years of the existence of the place. The first school was opened in the village in 1820. The second grist mill in the place was carried away by a freshet in 1822, but it was rebuilt by the father of John T. Mills; the latter became its owner and sold it to Abram Long about 1827, who superseded it with a fine brick mill in 1856. Thomas T. White became owner of the first tannery (built in 1808) about 1820, and it Was sold in 1840 to John Sigel by Lewis T. White. In 1825 Willard Berry built a woolen and cloth factory near the grist mill, but it burned within a few years and was not rebuilt. Later settlement at Water Valley and other points in this town is left for the Gazetteer in later chapters. The post-office with the name Hamburg, which was established at Green's tavern, in what is now East Hamburg, as related in earlier pages of this work, was superseded in 1820 by one located at Potter's Corners with the name East Hamburg ; this, with two others in the western part of the old town of Hamburg, was discontinued in 1822, and a central one established at Abbott's Corners, with the name Ham- 344 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, burg restored. At some date prior to 1830 the East Hamburg post- office was again established and in that year Samuel S. Hawkins was postmaster. About the year 1825 William T. Smith became the first merchant at East Hamburg (formerly' Potter's Corners), and a few years later Allen Potter bought the store and for nearly twenty years was the only tradesman in the slowly-growing place. By 1830 most of the log houses of the town had given place to modest frame structures and more than half of the area of the town was under cultivation. To this period is ascribed the origin of the celebrated Hamburg cheese. Hardwin Arnold, an early settler and a Quaker, kept a few cows and made excellent' cheese, which he sold in Buffalo. His business in- creased and in 1830 he had a large dairy for that time and his product had acquired a high reputation. One or two other farmers took up the business and for a long time they had the monopoly; co-operation on the part of the dealer who handled the cheese in Buffalo and the really superior quality of the article soon created a demand which has never ceased. The cheese from this town took the premium over all others at the State fair in Buffalo in 1848. Continuing notice of settlement and improvement in Wales from the date of the formation of the county, it should be stated that the sale to the Ogden Company in 1826 carried with it about three-fourths of the Indian lands in the town, a large part of which, however, went into the town of Marilla at a later date. A second post-office was established in this town at South Wales in 1826, the previous one being at Wood's Hollow. . Several saw mills were built in this period in different parts of the town, but they disappeared with the clearing of the land. The building of the first hotel at what is now Wales Center, in 1816, gave the place the name of Hall's Hollow. Jonathan Hall kept a store there in 1830, and Hiram Cole built a store about that time which was long in use for trade purposes. The opening of the first store at Wales Hol- low by Orsamus Warren took place in 1823 ; James Wood was afterwards associated with him in the business, and Mr. Warren withdrew in 1827. This business, after other changes, passed to Stephen and Oliver Patch in 1832. Jesse Westcott built the first hotel in 1826 and kept it several years, and his brother, Reuben Westcott, built another in 1831. The first postmaster at South Wales was Nathan M. Mann, who was ap- pointed in 1826 and was succeeded in 1832 by David S. Warner. Gideon Barker established a tannery in 1819. Dr. Ira G. Watson was the first physician. TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 345 In the year of the formation of the town of Evans, Dr. George Sweetland settled on the site of East Evans as the first physician in the town; he practiced his profession there more than half a century and was a prominent citizen. The settlement of Wright's Mills became known as Evans Center and there the principal part of the business of the town was transacted. A still smaller hamlet gathered farther north- east which was given the name of East Evans; here there was a post- office before 1830. Evans Center was on the main route from the east to the west; the turnpike in that vicinity was the only good road and travel over it was heavy ; this condition was" changed after the construe-, tion of the railroad, as noticed farther on. A store was opened at East Evans in 1820 by R. Rowell, and there were small business interests there until the railroad changed the route of travel. In the town at large there is little worthy of attention during the period under con- sideration. It is an excellent agricultural region and in that respect made considerable progress, but not otherwise. The Baptist church at Evans Center was organized in 1830, and the Congregational church at North Evans in 1834. There were small business interests at these points. Angola, as a village, was not yet known. The formation of the town of Evans March 16, 1821, sixteen days before the erection of Erie county, left the town of Eden with the area it has ever since had. This change took the post-office of the town with the new town, in consequence of which an office was opened in J. M. Welch's house at Eden Valley in 1822 ; this office was named Evans, the former office having the name Eden, but the names were soon af- terwards transposed, giving each town an office with the town title. Within a few years after 1820 'small hamlets gathered in this town at Eden Center, Eden Valley and Clarksburg. Eden Center bore the name Hill's Corners until about 1822, in which year Col. Asa Warren settled there and built a large hotel, which he kept several years and then gave up the business on account of his temperance proclivities. Fillmore & Johnson opened a store thereabout 1824; several frame houses were built and the place began to be called Eden Corners ; this title soon gave place to Eden Center. Lyman Pratt began mercantile trade there about this time and continued more than forty years, and was succeeded by his son-in-law, Homer Parker. William Paxon and James H. Caskey were also early merchants. Dr. William Hill, who settled at Eden Center in 1814, died in 1828 at an advanced age. Pre- vious to his death Dr. William H. Pratt located there and remained a 346 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. nearly forty years. Godfrey Metz, a cooper, was the first German settler in the village. The Congregational society erected a church in the village in 1828, and the Methodists in 1830. There was little change in the other hamlets in the town during this period, excepting at Clarksburg (formerly called the Hollow), where Simeon Clark built a grist mill, a saw mill, and a shop for manufacturing spinning wheels; these passed to his son Allen, who also kept a small store. Many settlers located in the town of Boston between 1820 and 1840. The hamlet now known as Boston Corners had its first post-office in 1820, with Erastus Torrey postmaster, under the name Torrey's Cor- ners ; but in late years the business importance of the place has greatly decreased on account of the influence of railroads not reaching it. A Baptist church was erected in 1834, and in the same year a German Evangelical church was organized from the rapidly increasing settlers of that nationality. On the 15th of December, 1824, occurred the notorious tragedy of the murder of John Love in this town by the Thayers, which has already been described in these pages. Among the prominent settlers in the town of Boston not elsewhere mentioned were John Anthony and Henry Keller, Orrin and Jesse Lockwood, and others. Martin Keller, son of Henry, was a merchant and hotel keeper more than thirty-five years, and held the office of supervisor. Orrin Lockwood held the office of sheriff and Jesse was a magistrate and jus- tice of the sessions. This family has been prominent in the county, Dr. T. T. Lockwood, Hon. Stephen Lockwood and Hon. Daniel N. Lockwood being connected with it. On the hills in the east and west parts of the town many Germans settled at about the time under con- sideration and have become a useful part of the community. As late as 1835 a large portion of the central, eastern and southern parts of the town of Colden were still unsold, settlements prior to that date having mostly been made in the Cazenove Creek valley. About the year named Samuel B. Love and Benjamin Maltby, of Colden, and Stephen ' Osborn, of Newstead, formed a partnership and purchased 15,000 acres of land from the Holland Company, covering the site of Glenwood and extending over the table land to the. east. In 1838 the lands were subdivided and placed in market ; during the ensuing twenty years most of the tract was sold and settled. Colden village (Buffum's Mills in early years), was made the location of the post-office in 1833. Richard Buffum was postmaster, and he kept a hotel from 1828 to 1836, when he was succeeded by S. B. Love; Albert G. Buffum kept the TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 347 house later. E. P. Hatch opened the first small store about 1831 and Henry Smith and Albert G. Buffum established one in 1837. A tan- nery was built in Colden in 1833 by Arnold Holt and was sold in 1845 to George Balding. Dr. Philo P. Barber settled in Colden village in 1838 as the first resident physician, after having practiced two years in Glenwood. Benjamin Maltby built a saw mill at Glenwood in 1838 and in 1840 Samuel B. Love and Jonas Bridge built a tannery there, around which a small hamlet gathered. What is now the Presbyterian church at Glenwood was organized in 1829 as a Congregational society. Samuel Butts, a native of Dartmouth, who has been mentioned as a settler in the town of Brant in 1820 and the builder of the first saw mill in 1822, was long a respected citizen of the town and fiather of five sons and five daughters. His mill was about the only one in the town, as there was a scarcity of water power. The formation of the town of Evans in March, 1821, took with it that part of the territory of Brant north of the original north line of the reservation, leaving the town with its present area. In 1825 Joseph Hubbard opened the first tavern in the town in the Shepherd neighborhood, east of the Center. Milton Morse was the first merchant, opening his small store at the Center in 1835. After the usual custom the name of the hamlet was for some time Morse's Corners. Mr. Morse was also the first postmaster. Prominent settlers of early years not yet mentioned were Jonathan Hascall, Nathaniel K. Smith, Otis Burgess, Stphen West, Moses White, Asa Wetherbee, John B. Steadwell, and others. The town of Brant was formed March 25, 1849, with its present boundaries. Dr. Luther Buxton settled in the town in 1836, previous to which time early physicians in Collins and Evans ministered to the sick. He was suc- ceeded by Dr. Joseph Andrus. During the period under consideration a Baptist society was organized and an attempt was made to build a church ; but sufficient funds could not be raised and the uncompleted structure passed to the Methodists, who occupied it a few years, and then built a church of their own. By the date of the formation of the town of Concord, March 16, 1821, the town was quite fully settled, as related in earlier chapters. It soon became one of the foremost towns of the county in point of character and quantity of agricultural products. Originally. covered with heavy forest, entailing arduous labor to clear the land, the soil is excellent and well repays the industrious farmer. The business interests of the town nearly all center in Springville, but even this now thriving village 348 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was of small importance until later than 1840. Samuel Cochran kept a ho- tel there for twenty-five years, having erected a building in 1822. Elisha Mack, admitted to the bar in 1827, was postmaster at Springville from 1830 to about 1840. Charles C. Severance settled in the village about 1830 and became a prominent citizen and a successful attorney; he served as supervisor eight years, was two years in the Legislature and surro- gate of the county from 1860 to 1864. B. S. Wendover and Wells Brooks settled in the place about "the same time with Mr. Severance and practiced law together. Mr. Brooks was elected to the Legislature in 1836 and served also as county clerk. Dr. Carlos Emmons settled at Springville in 1823 and practiced his profession more than half a cent- ury ; he also occupied many public positions of honor. In early years there was a carding and fulling mill in the village, and about 1835 the mill, owned in recent years by B. Chafee, was built by Manly Colton. A foundry was erected about 1830 by a Mr. Barnett, and as early as 1840 Sherrill & Sears established a factory on the site of the Borden tannery; this was abandoned and another built by P. G. Eaton, which was transformed into a tannery. Springville was incorporated in 1834 and the first village election held May 6 of that year. The Presby- terian church was built in 1832 and subsequently sold to the Catholics. The Baptists built their church in 1834. The first town meeting for the town of Collins was held on June 9, 1821, a few weeks after the formation of the county. There was then no post-office in the town, but in 1822 one was established at Taylor's Hollow, and a mail route opened through Eden to that point. The office was named Angola and Jacob Taylor was appointed postmaster, a position which he held until as late as 1840. This office was subse- quently abandoned and the name given to one in the town of Evans. The mail route ended there until 1824, when it was extended to Aid- rich's Mills (site of Gowanda), where a new post-office was opened with the name West Lodi; it was located on the south side of the creek. The hamlet that soon gathered here on both sides of the creek began to be known as Lodi. Within eight years after the establishment of the first post-office in the town, four others were opened in the old town of Collins : Collins, at Kerr's Corners (now North Collins) ; An- gola, at Taylor's Hollow; Collins Center, and Zoar. The last men- tioned office was in the southeast part of the town on Cattaraugus Creek, where a bridge and a mill had been built. Jehial Hill was postmaster between 1830 and 1840; the office was long ago abandoned. TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 348 The old tavern at Collins Center, opened in 1816 by Nathan King, and subsequently closed, was reopened in 1830 by John Adams, who conducted it a few years and then transformed it into a store. An earlier store had been opened there by Samuel Lake, about 1827, and the next merchant was John C. Adams and another was Chauncey Bigelow. Dr. Israel Condon was the first physician, settling there about 1830 ; others were Dr. Alexander Bruce and Dr. W. A. Sibley. The post-office was established in 1826, with John C. Adams post- master; he was succeeded by Chauncey Bigelow, and he by Dr. Bruce. The Aldrich families, who built the mills on the site of Gowanda, and from whoiri the place was called Aldrich's Mills, became embar- rassed in business and about 1823 Ralph Plumb bought their property and soon afterwards built and occupied a store on the north side of the creek, which was the first one in the village; it was Mr. Plumb, without doubt, who selected the name Lodi for the hamlet, and it was so called more than twenty years. About 1824 the post-office was opened, as before mentioned, with the name Lodi, but it was soon changed to West Lodi. When the village was incorporated, in 1847, the name Gowanda was given to it. H. N. Hooker opened a store on the north side about 1836 and continued it nearly twenty years. Mr. Plumb built a carding and fulling mill above the old grist mill before 1840, and in 1835 James Lock established a foundry which he called the Lodi furnace; it passed to Ashbel R. Sellew in 1841, who en- larged it and manufactured stoves and plows. The first hotel in the village within this town was the Eagle tavern, built in 1824 by a Mr. Vosburg. Later business interests of the town are properly noticed in the Gazetteer. The Presbyterian society in Gowanda was organized and its edifice built as early as 1826; the building was burned in 1843 and the present one erected. Methodists were early laboring in this field and in 1834 a church was built about three-fourths of a mile west of the Center; in 1840 it was moved to the Center and has since been enlarged and improved. The town of North Collins was not formed until 1852, at which time it was quite fully settled, but business interests, outside of agriculture, were then and still are unimportant. In about 1822, or 1823, a mail route was opened from Hamburg southward and a post-office with the name, Collins was established at what is now the village of North Col- lins. There was a tavern at that point and soon afterward Chester Rose opened a small store in the bar-room of the hotel. The hamlet 350 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. that gathered there was long known as Rose's Corners and was the only business center in the town. With a change of merchants the name of the place became Kerr's Corners; the firm of storekeepers was now John and Alexander Kerr. In 1829 John Sherman and his brother opened a store and remained in company until 1833, when the latter withdrew. Most of the early settlers in the western part of the town belonged to the Society of Friends, and they built a meeting house about 1825. In 1828 a faction called the Hicksites withdrew from the society and built their own church. Between 1835 and 1840 a con- siderable number of German families settled on the high lands of the town and constitute a useful citizenship. This town is one that be- came noted in early years for the excellence of its dairy products and in later times has produced large quantities of excellent cheese. In the winter of 1823-4 the first post office was established in the town of Lancaster, before mentioned as bearing the name Cayuga Creek ; it was located a little south of the site of the village of Lancas- ter, and Thomas Gross was the first postmaster. Population now in- creased more rapidly in the town. A line of stages was established about 1827, with the name of the Pioneer Line, which passed through this town from Buffalo, and James Clark, who had been keeping a small tavern a little west of the Johnson school house, enlarged it and gave it the name of the stage line — Pioneer House. After the Ogden Com- pany's purchase the southern part of Lancaster, which was included in it, was rapidly settled, and about 1830 a large accession of Germans came in and they soon built a Lutheran church. Upon the formation of the town in 1833, the name of the post-office of Ca)niga Creek was changed to Lancaster and has so remained. The town of Cheektowaga is almost wholly settled by Germans, who principally came in after the Ogden Company's purchase, and few of the original pioneers of American birth remain. Among them, be- sides Alexander Hitchcock, the first supervisor, were Jesse Vaughan, Israel N. Ely, James N. Green, Elnathan Bennett, Amos Robinson, John B. Campbell,' John A. Dole, John Hitchcock, Matthew Campbell, Nelson Warner, Samuel Warner, Caleb Goatsworth, Amos Richardson, James Hitchcock, Joseph Rowley, and many others. Among the Ger- man names found in early years were Matthew Vandusen, John Moyer, Jacob Kraise, Henry Deckhart, Jacob Kolo, Michael Escherich, Will- iam Schunerman, Philip Greiner, and others. In common with the other towns of the county, which were directly TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 351 affected by the sale to the Ogden Company, Marilla received accessions soon after the company placed the land in the market. The purchase in this town included all of the present town east of what is called the Two-rod road and a tract a mile wide at the south end of the remain- ing portion. Soon after the land sale mentioned, two roads were laid out, running north and south through the newly-opened region. One extended north from the site of Porter ville, across the site of Marilla village and northward into Alden. It was on the border of the Indian lands and it was expected that they would give half the land necessary for a road of the usual width, or that more land would soon be purchased by the authorities, and the road was therefore laid out two rods in width ; it remained so for several years and was given* its peculiar name on that account. The second highway ran parallel to this one and about a mile farther east. In the spring of 1827 Jesse Bartoo bought and settled on the farm owned in later years by Isaac M. Watson, in the south part of the town. This he soon sold and located on another farm near the hamlet of Porterville. In the same year George W. and Jeremiah Carpenter bought a tract of land on the Four- rod road, east of the site of Marilla village, and Jeremiah built a log house and occu- pied it in January, 1828. Prominent settlers in the town of Marilla between 1830 and 1840 were Joseph Carpenter, and Ira and Justus B. Gates, who located on the site of Marilla village about 1830; the'Gates brothers built a saw mill, which was probably the first one in the town. In 1830 Rodney Day, Cyrus Finney, John L. Chesbro and' Horace Clark settled in the town. In 1832 Jesse Bartoo built a saw mill at what is now Porterville, and a little later erected a grist mill there ; the place was long known as Bartoo's Mills. In the spring of 1833 Thomas Kelsey settled on the farm occupied in later years by his sister, and there soon afterward built a saw mill. In the same year there came into the town Joseph Flood, Archibald Porter, Samuel Stewart, Nathan White, John Brewer, Simeon Thomas and Ephraim Kelsey. To the west and southwest of, Bartoo's Mills, Willard Hatch, Elias Hatch, Leonard Hatch, Fordyce Ball and others were early settlers, while on the Two rod road, south of Marilla village, there were Elias Mason, Daniel Nettleton, Ezra Clark, Dudley Dennison, John M. Bauder, Walter Markham, Zerah Parker and others. At the village the saw mill built by the Gates brothers passed to James Clark and later to Copeland Carpenter, and was afterwards made into a cheese factory. Joseph and, Jeremiah 352 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Carpenter built the second mill in 1838, which they soon sold to James Chadderden. Progress in the town of Amherst and village of Williamsville was slow for many years after the formation of Erie county. There was no change in the original area of the town until 1839, when the southern part was set off to Cheektowaga, leaving Amherst as at the present time. After the building of the dam across Tonawanda Creek near its mouth, about 1825, that stream overflowed its banks, rendering much of the adjacent land worthless for cultivation. In later years these tracts were greatly improved by drainage. The northern section of the town is largely settled by Germans, who have labored industriously to make that region return compensating crops. In Williamsville the old mill property, which had been idle for some time, was purchased in 1826 or 1827 by Oziel Smith, who improved it ; he also built the Eagle House in 1832. The tannery was in operation in 1825 and long afterwards by John Hutchinson, and previous to 1825 water lime works were established, the first in Western New York, and lime was sup- plied for building the canal locks at Lockport; this business soon passed to Mr. Smith's possession. Henry Lehn kept a store there from 1825 to 1856, and his son John was a later merchant. John Reist built a grist mill about 1840, and in the same year the old stone school house was erected. About the year 1837 John Schenck opened a store at Snyderville and took Michael Snyder as partner. Several churches were organized in the town during the period under consideration. Among them was the Reformed Mennonites, organized in 1834, and who built a stone church the same year. The Catholics built a church in 1836 and the Baptist society was formed in 1840. At Eggertsville a small hamlet gathered and an Evangelical Lutheran society was formed in 1838 and a church built the same year. The territory of the town of Elma was wholly included in the Buffalo Creek Reservation and consequently was not settled until compara- tively recent years; there was scarcely an indication of village growth until after 1850. The land sale of 1826, which has called for stich fre- quent mention, brought the region into market and settlement soon followed. The sale included a strip in the south part of the town one mile wide by six miles long, which took the name of the Mile Strip, and there all the first settlements were made. Among them were Ly- man Chandler and Willard Fairbanks (1829-30), and Wilder Hatch, Hiram Pettingill, Taber Earl, Martin Taber and Luther Adams a little TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT, 353 later. In 1828 Taber Earl built and opened a frame hotel on the road from Aurora to Buffalo, which soon passed to possession of Samuel Harris. Martin Taber built another frame hotel about 1830 opposite the one just mentioned, which was conducted many years. About 1832 a Mr. Estabrook. built a saw mill, the first in the town, on the site of the later Bullis mill. In 1835 or 1836 Leonard Hatch, before men- tioned as a resident in the town of Marilla, and Robert McKean, of Aurora, secured from Seneca White, an Indian chief, authority to build a saw mill on Buffalo Creek on the site of East Elma village. McKean transferred his interest to Joseph Riley and the mill was built in 1836. Nearly all of the business interests and the several hamlets in this town came into existence later than 1840. In 1840. Zebina Lee, with the consent of the Indians, took up his residence in a log cabin on a farm near the site of Spring Brook. In May, 1842, when the Indians gave up the remainder of the reservation to the Ogden Company, other parts of the town attracted settlers and were soon fully occupied, as de- scribed in the Gazetteer of Towns herein. The most important feature of change in the town of Clarence be- tween the date of the formation of the county and 1840, as far as related to the agricultural districts, was the influx of German farmers into the northern part of the town. So numerous was this immigration that almost the entire section was soon occupied by families of this nation- ality, whose judicious methods and persistent industry have made it famous for large and excellent crops. Wheat has always been exten- sively raised. The hamlets of Clarence Hollow, Clarence Center and Harris Hill received some accessions during the period under consid- eration. Orsamus Warren, father of the late James D. Warren, of Buffalo, was long a prominent business man in Clarence Hollow; he had a partner at one period and the firm of O. Warren & Co. was well and favorably known. They were succeeded in 1850 by Henry K. Van Tine. The hamlet of Clarence Center, where Robert McKillip owned most of the land in early years, had its inception in the settle- ment of David Van Tine about 1829; he opened the first store and for some years the place was called Van Tine's Corners. When the post- office was opened in 1847 the name was changed to Clarence Center and Mr. Van Tine was the first postmaster. He was succeeded by Robert Pnrcell and later John Eshleman held the office. William Riegle was a merchant as early as 1835. Harris Hill, which received its name from the pioneer, Asa Harris, has always been an unimportant hamlet, 45 354 - OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. excepting for a brief period just after the close of the war of 1812, as before related. The post-office there was not opened until 1847. A German Evangelical church was built there in 1833, and the Presbyte- rians built their first church at Clarence Hollow in 1836 and rebuilt it in 1879. A Mennonite church was built in 1829 two miles north of Harris Hill under direction of John Lapp. The Methodist society at Clarence Hollow was organized in 1833, and built a stone church in the next year; it was burned in 1872 and the present church erected. The most prominent settler in the town of Sardinia in the early years covered by this chapter was Dr. Bela H. Colegrove. He was then a young man and located in 1820 at what became known as Colegrove's Corners and later as Sardinia village. Dr. Colegrove was a thoroughly educated physician, the first one in this town, and attained a very high reputation as a surgeon. He was supervisor of the town several years and in 1822 was a member of assembly. In the following year Chauncey Hastings settled near by and soon built a store which made the nucleus of the hamlet. About two years later he erected a hotel and was mer- 'chant and tavern-keeper for twenty-five years or more. Soon after the settlement of these two men George S. and Thomas Collins built a carding and fulling mill south of the village and in later years estab- lished a woolen factory there. A grist mill and a tannery were built about 1835 by W. W. Cornwell ; the mill passed to Bolander Brothers and the tannery to George Martin. Horace Clark had a saw mill in early years which was later owned by J. S. Symonds. The first house of worship in Sardinia village was built in 1825 by a Baptist society. A Methodist society was probably organized before 1840, and built a church in 1842. Beyond the first settlements before described there was little marked change in the town of Tonawanda until the building of the Erie Canal. In the year 1823 Samuel Wilkeson and Dr. Ebenezer Johnson, of Buf- falo, began the construction of a dam near the mouth of Tonawanda Creek, for the purpose of raising the water and using the creek for the canal from its mouth along the northern border of the present town of Tonawanda and the greater part of Amherst. At that time, or a little earlier, Peter Taylor was keeping a tavern in a log house near the creek crossing. Wilkeson and Johnson also built a toll bridge across the creek and opened a store on the north side in Niagara county. During the year 1823 a Buffalo company was formed, in which Albert H. Tracy, Charles Townsend and others were interested, a large tract TOWN AND VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT. 855 of land was purchased and. the village of Tonawanda was laid out. While the canal was in progress, during the succeeding two years, there was much business activity there; but after its completion in 1825 the temporary excitement subsided and progress was slow for many years. Urial Driggs opened the first store of much account in 1827 and continued in business more than half a century. Joseph Bush was an early merchant, after having served as clerk in the store of Wilkeson & Johnson. . Roswell Driggs kept one of the first hotels. A post-office was opened soon after 1823 and Joseph Bush wae the first postmaster. Henry P. Smith was the pioneer lumber dealer, and as early as 1840 John Simpson had established saw mills and planing mills. John T. Bush, who had studied law in Buffalo under Henry*K. Smith, began practice in Tonawanda in 1836, and in the following year his brother, William T. Bush, opened an office there. Both became prominent in their profession and in politics. Dr. Jesse F. Locke was the first resi- dent physician in Tonawanda, locating in the village about 1838 and continuing until his death in 1860. The later development of business interests is noticed farther on. A Methodist church had been organized but no church edifice had been erected ; indeed church building through- out Erie county down to this time had been very backward, and it is quite certain there was none in the county prior to 1827, excepting the Friends' meeting house at East Hamburg. In 1827 the Baptists and Presbyterians of Aurora joined in erecting a frame church, and the Methodists built one there at about the same time. 1 In the State legislation of this period is found an act passed April 23, 1829, incorporating the Ellicott's Creek Slack Water Navigation Com- pany, with $5,000 capital stock. The. incorporators were Samuel Bud- long, Ebenezer Mix, Oziel Smith, and associates. The company was authorized to maintain slack water navigation in the creek named, by means of locks or dams, from Williamsville to its junction with Tona- wanda Creek. 1 The history of the towns in the county succeeding the period considered in this chapter is resumed and concluded in the Gazetteer of Towns in a later chapter. 356 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER XXIII. 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. Slow Increase in Population as a Consequence of the Financial Crisis — Receipts of Grain— Railroad Communication Eastward— Completion of the Ogden Purchase — Bank of Attica Removed to Buffalo — Beginning and Development of the Elevator System— The First Propeller — Era of Prosperity— Buffalo Board of Trade — Disas- trous Gale — University of Buffalo — Erie County'Workhouse — Plank Roads — Growth of Roman Catholic Churches— First Gaslight Company— Buffalo City Water Works Company — Buffalo Police Department — Census of 1850 — General Prosperity Through- out the County — The German Element — The Ebenezer Society — Changes in Towns — Railroads — Lumber and .Coal Trade — Shipbuilding — Banks — Increase in Area of Buffalo — Financial Crisis of 1857. The year 1840 found Erie county with a population of 62,465, and the city of Buffalo with 18,213. One of the consequences of the finan- cial crisis through which the country had just passed is discernible in the relatively small increase in the number of inhabitants in the county from 1835 to 1840 as indicated by these figures. The increase in the city was a little less than ten per cent., and in the county at large only ten and one-fifth per cent. This is the only instance where the census shows a greater increase in the country districts than in the city in any similar period. While another five years were to pass before Erie county fully recovered from the prevailing hard times and entered upon a decade of remarkable prosperity, still there were conspicuous evidences of growth and advancement before that era was reached. For example, the receipts of grain at this port, in bushels, in 1840 were 1,075,988 — almost double the quantity received in 1836, while in 1845 the quantity was 1,848,040 bushels, or approximating double that of 1840. At the same time there were received in 1840, by lake, 597,- 642 barrels of flour, against 139,178 barrels in 1836; in 1845 the quan- tity had increased to 746,750 barrels. These figures are significant and although they indicate the growth of only one commercial factor, it will be correctly inferred that other branches of business felt the beneficial influence of rapidly increasing lake commerce. The first railroad communication eastward from Buffalo was pro- FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 357 vided by the Buffalo and Attica line, which was constructed in 1842 and opened for traffic January 8, 1843. This company was organized prior to 1836, but its operations were postponed by the financial panic pf that time. Auburn and Syracuse had been connected by rail since 1838, and Utica with Syracuse since 1839, while in August, 1841, a road was opened from Auburn to Rochester. These were the early- formed links in the great New York Central consolidation of 1853, and greatly facilitated travel and freight transportation to and from the east. Westward travel was still by boat in summer and by stage in winter. This fact inured to the benefit of Buffalo, for passengers were usually detained in the city for a meal or a day, and sometimes, when the roads were bad and weather severe in fall or spring, for several days. In 1842 was made the final agreement by the Ogden company, per- mitting the Seneca Indians to retain the Cattaraugus and Allegany Reservations, subject to the company's pre-emption right, while the Indians gave up the Buffalo Creek and Tonawanda tracts, upon receipt of their proportionate value, as fully detailed in Chapter I of this volume. The lands thus thrown into possession of the company were promptly surveyed, divided among the members and placed in market. It will be remembered that the old towns still extended to the center of the reservation, so that this newly-opened territory belonged to Black Rock, Cheektowaga, Lancaster and Alden on the north, and to Hamburg, Aurora and Wales on the south. Settlers now began to occupy the territory of Elma and that part of Marilla not included in the previous sales of land by the Indians; but in most of the territory under consideration settlement was slow until after the return of gen- eral prosperity about 1845. The Bank of Attica, established in that village in 1836, was removed to Buffalo in 1842, mainly through the efforts of Elbridge G. Spaulding, 1 1 Elbridge Gerry Spaulding was born in Cayuga county, N. Y., February 34, 1809, and after ob- taining a good English education began studying law at the age of twenty years in Batavia. He settled in Buffalo in 1834 and two years later was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court and in 1839 as counselor of the Supreme Court and Court of Chancery. In partnership with George R. Babcock, and later with Heman B. Potter, he attained a high position at the bar. In 1846 he in- duced the late John B. Ganson to leave Canandaigua and settle in Buffalo, and the firm of Spauld- ing & Ganson was formed, which existed four years, when Mr. Spaulding retired from his profes- sion. In 1852, under a special act of the Legislature, Mr. Spaulding secured the removal of the Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank from Batavia to Buffalo and was elected its president, a position which he filled until his death. He was chosen to fill many high official positions; he was city clerk of Buffalo in 1836; was alderman in 1841 and elected mayor in 1847 by the-local Whig party. In 1848 he was elected to the Assembly and in the following year was chosen toTepresent his dis-, 358 " OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. who was son-in-law of Gams B. Rich, the owner of the bank. Mr. Spaulding's action was based wholly upon his faith in the future great- ness of Buffalo, a faith which grew stronger throughout his life. The bank was first located in Spaulding's Exchange (still standing), where it remained until 1861. It was reorganized and incorporated under the State laws in 1850, with capital of $160,000, which sum was increased on June 1, 1856, to $200,000 and again on October 24, 1856, to $250,000. When in 1840 the receipts of grain by lake at this port had reached the figures before given, it became a serious question with commercial men in the city how to provide adequate facilities for handling and storing the vast quantities that it was foreseen would in future years find their way hither by water or rail. It was quite clear at that compara- tively early date, though many were slow in recognizing the fact, that Buffalo was the key to the commercial situation as far as concerned grain transportation from the west. How much of the wealth and im- portance of the Buffalo of to-day are due to that fact is well, known. The 2, 000, 000 bushels, approximately, received and shipped eastward in 1841 were not handled in Buffalo harbor without much delay and arduous labor. The grain was lifted from the holds of vessels in bar- rels with a tackle, weighed in a hopper with scales swung over the hatchways and then carried into storehouses on the backs of laborers. A day's work with a complement of hands was the transfer of 1,800 to 2,000 bushels, and even this was accomplished only in fair weather. It was this state of affairs that gave to Buffalo the honor of being the birthplace of the first steam grain elevator in the world. The elevator and conveyor principle was invented by Oliver Evans before the be- ginning of the present century, and in 1841 1 Joseph Dart, who was then in business in Buffalo, conceived the idea of applying the principle, through the aid of steam power, to the transfer of grain from vessels. trict in Congress. In 1853 he was elected State treasurer. In 1858 he was again elected to Con- gress and re-elected in 1860, serving four years on the Committee of Ways and Means. He was prominent in the organization of the Republican party and foremost in the campaign which elected Abraham Lincoln to the presidency. During the trying period of the war, when it became neces- sary to change the entire currency system and provide enormous resources for the government, Mr*. Spaulding drew the legal tender act and the national currency bank bill, which became laws and gave him the title of " father of the greenback." For many years he was eminent as author- ity on financial affairs. In promoting the public institutions of Buffalo and advancing its general welfare, Mr. Spaulding was always among the foremost. His death took place May 5, 1897. 1 Mahlon Kingman, then a forwarding merchant in Buffalo, made an attempt, a few years earlier, to operate a crude elevator by horse-power, but it resulted in failure. Lewis F. Allen and a Mr. Lord constructed an elevator to be operated by water power in 1840 at Black Rock; it had two marine legs, one of which was on the river side and the other in the harbor. The eleva- tor was comparatively successful. PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 359 In the face of many obstacles and discouraged by the usual predictions of failure vouchsafed to the inventor, Mr. Dart began in the fall of 1842 the erection of an elevator building on the bank of Buffalo Creek at its junction with the Evans Canal, on the site of the great Bennett eleva- tor. In comparison with the immense structures of the present day this pioneer elevator was most insignificant; its capacity was only 55,- 000 bushels, but this was doubled three years later and a second marine leg added. The machinery was designed by Robert Dunbar, who per- formed similar service in many of the later Buffalo elevators. The first vessel unloaded by the new method was the schooner Philadelphia, Capt. Charles Rogers; she was laden with 4,515 bushels of wheat, con- signed to H. M. Kinne and George Davis. The first cargo of corn un- loaded was from the South American, Capt. A. Bradley, 3,145 bushels, June 22, 1843. During its first season this first elevator unloaded 229,- 260 bushels of grain. The elevator system, on Mr. Dart's plan, was successful from the beginning. Within a month from the completion of the first elevator one of the leading forwarders, who had previously insisted that he and his neighbors would not pay the high rates demanded for steam elevat- ing, offered Mr. Dart 1 double his regular rates for accommodation in an emergency. In the early days of the steam elevator it was believed that not more than about 8,000 bushels per day could be raised from a vessel and correctly weighed. The first Dart elevator had buckets holding about two quarts each, set twenty eight inches apart; with this arrangement about 1,000 bushels an hour could be elevated. A little later he placed the buckets twenty-two inches apart and still later six- teen inches, until he thus reached a capacity of 1,800 to 2,000 bushels an hour. But that encouraging degree of success appears insignificant to the observer of to-day, who may stand beside a vessel loaded with more than 300,000 bushels of grain, and within twelve hours see it all safely stored in the bins of an elevator with a capacity of 300,000 bushels. 3 1 Joseph Dart died September 27, 1879, aged eighty years. * The second elevator was not built until 1847, when the Evans was erected; it, was burned in 1863, rebuilt at once, and again burned in 1864 and rebuilt. The elevator interest continued to in- crease with the growth of the grain trade and soon competition became active and rates were re- duced. This ruinous policy was substantially stopped by the organization in 1859 of the Western Elevator Company (now the Western Elevating Association), which is still in existence, controll- ing and directing the vast system of elevators in the port. William Wells ' was the first presi- 1 William Wells was born in Buffalo in 1806 and was a son of Joseph Wells, who settled in the 360 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, In this connection it is worthy of notice that the first propeller en- tered Buffalo harbor in 1842. She was the Vandalia, built in the previous year at Oswego, and was the first vessel of the kind on the dent of the company and held the office three years, to be succeeded by P. B. Sternberg, and he by James C. Harrison. In 1866 William H. Abell 1 took the position, and with the exception of two years, during which A. G. Williams held it, was president until the year 1884, when he "was succeeded by Charles A. Bloomer, and he by George F. Sowerby in 1890. P. G. Cook has been secretary of the association since 1880. While the Western Elevating Association is in one sense a monopoly with the power and the inclination to enforce uniform and reasonably remunerative rates, it is probable that the entire grain shipping interest has, as a whole, been benefited by its general policy. It has been freely criticised in other parts of the State and attempts have been made, particularly in the winter of 1882-83, to secure legislation for the control and regulation of the business through other means; these attempts have thus far failed. At the present time 3,500,000 bushels of grain can be received and transferred in one day by the combined elevators of Buffalo. Following is a list of all elevators ever built in this harbor : Dart, built 1843, enlarged 1846, burned about 1863. Evans, built 1847, burned in 1863 and rebuilt; burned 1864 and rebuilt; capacity, 400,000 bushels. Watson, built 1863, capacity 600,000 bushels; in use. Merchants' (tower), built 1862; capacity 30,000 bushels. Reed, built 1847, burned and rebuilt 1869-62, and again burned 1874. Wilkeson, built 1861, burned September 9, 1862, and rebuilt; capacity 350,000 bushels; in use. Bennett, built 1864, capacity 800,000 bushels; in use. Coburn, built 1861; burned September 9, 1868, rebuilt as C. J. Wells in 1863; capacity, 550,000 bushels; in use. Richmond, built 1863; capacity 250,000 bushels; in use. Hatch, built 1848; burned and rebuilt as the Marine; capacity, 650,000 bushels. Lyon, built 1881 on site of Main Street elevator, which was burned in 1865; and rebuilt as the Hazard in 1867; nowuuused. Excelsior, built 1862, and burned in 1876. Sturges, built 1862; burned July 30, 1866, and rebuilt in 1867; capacity, 300,000 bushels; in use. City A, originally built in 1846; burned November 8, 1859, and rebuilt; capacity, 600,000. City B, capacity, 800,000 bushels; both in use. S wif tsure, built about 1840; became Sterling's in 1847 and rebuilt in 1862; unused . Sternberg A, built before 1847; burned and rebuilt 1862; unused. Sternberg B, built 1861 and burned 1883. Commercial, built 1879; burned February 3, 1883. Wheeler (formerly Wells), built 1861; capacity, 350,000 bushels; in use. Niagara A, built 1867; capacity, 800,000 bushels . Niagara B, built 1881, on site of the New York and Erie, which was built in 1862; capacity, 1,200,000 bushels. Niagara C, capacity, 200,000 bushels; in use. Tifft (formerly Plympton), built 1868; capacity, 350,000 bushels. Hollister, built 1847; burned May 22, 1853. village in 1802. As a young man William Wells was in the employ of Joseph Dart and later as- sisted in building the first elevator. From that time until his death he was prominently identified with the elevator business. The late Chandler J. Wells and Aldrich Wells were brothers of Will- iam; the former was long interested in building and operating elevators. 1 William Hawks Abell was born in Bennington. Vt., January 29, 1814, in which year his parents removed to Fredonia, N. Y. After spending about four years" in Texas he settled perma- nently in Buffalo, where he was employed temporarily in the bank of Oliver Lee & Co., and as freight clerk for the Buffalo and Attica Railroad Company. After two years in the latter capacity he engaged for himself in the storage business, in which in connection with commission, trans- portation and elevator business, he continued until near his death. He was a man of excellent character and highly respected. FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 361 lakes. She was built under an arrangement made by Josiah T. Mar- shall, 1 of Oswego, and Capt. James Van Cleve with John Ericsson, the inventor, who patented this method of propelling vessels. When the Vandalia arrived in Buffalo, Captain Van Cleve (who had acquired some kind of an interest in Ericsson's patent) made a contract with Robert Hollister," under which the latter built two propellers in 1842-3; these were the Hercules and the Samson. From this time onward the build- ing of this style of vessel increased rapidly, while the construction of side-wheel craft as rapidly declined. 3 In the political field Erie county still had a large Whig majority and the Anti-Masonic movement was almost extinct. In 1842 Millard Fill- more declined re-election to Congress and William i¥. Mosely, of Buf- falo, succeeded him. In 1844 Mr. Fillmore received the nomination for governor, but was defeated. In 1845 the population of Erie county was 78,635, an increase of about 16,000 since 1840. In the city there were 29,773 against 18,213 in 1840. The era of prosperity had begun. Money was in circulation amply sufficient for public needs. Most farmers had nearly or quite Exchange, built 1863; capacity, 500,000 bushels; in use. Erie, built 1879; burned August 23, 1883, and rebuilt 1883; capacity, 720,000 bushels; in use. Empire, built 1861, and burned. Ohio Basin, built 1863-4; burned about 1866. Buffalo, built 1846, burned about 1870. Connecting Terminal, built 1882; capacity, 950,000 bushels; in use. Union, built and now in use with capacity of 130,000 bushels. Coatsworth, built 1863; capacity, 650,000 bushels; in use . Besides the foregoing elevators there are now in use the following: The Brown, capacity, 250,000 bushels; Buffalo Lake Shore Transfer, cap'acity, 90,000 bushels; Coatsworth, capacity, 650,- 000 bushels; Dakota, capacity, 850,000 bushels; Eastern, capacity, 1,500,000 bushels; Erie Canal, burned early in 1897 and rebuilt with capacity of 140,000 bushels; Frontier, capacity 650,000 bushels; Husted, capacity, 75,000 bushels; International (at Black Rock), capacity, 650,000 bushels; Kellogg, capacity, 600,000 bushels; National, capacity, 65,000 bushels; National and Globe Mills, capacity, 100,- 000 bushels; Ontario, capacity, 450,000 bushels; Queen City A, B and C, capacity, 450,000 bushels; Union, capacity, 130,000 bushels; Export, capacity, 300,000 bushels; Great Northern, built of steel, capacity, 2,500,000 bushels; Electric, capacity not yet estimated; all of the last three mentioned will be completed in 1897. Not mentioned in the foregoing list are the Schreck, the William Wells and the Erie Basin, unused; and the following that have been burned: Corn Dock, September 17, 1865; Grain Dock, in 1861; Wadsworth, June 14, 1878; Excelsior, Hazard, Kinne & Wadham, and Rust & Co. The total storage capacity of all the Buffalo elevators, exclusive of eight floating elevators and six transfer towers, is upwards of 20,000,000 bushels. 1 Josiah T. Marshall died in Buffalo November 23, 1875, aged seventy-two years. s Robert Hollister was one of the Hollister brothers, well known shipbuilders ; he died in Buffalo September 23, 1877. • 8 In 1847 there were in-commission on the lakes sixty-four steamboats and only twenty-one propellers. In 1861 there were seventy-one of the former vessels and one hundred and eighty- two of the latter. 46 362 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. paid for their land, had greatly improved their buildings, and were gradually producing a greater variety of crops and increasing their stock. Improvement in the villages of the county Was not so marked, for Buffalo continued to absorb the greater part of the business of the county. In the winter of 1844 the Buffalo Board of Trade was organ- ized for the purpose of promoting all local business interests, aiding shippers and other commericial operators, and advancing the public in- terests of the city. R. H. Heywood, who was prominent in the project, offered to provide a suitable room for meetings of the board and the transaction of its business, and a meeting was held on January 16 in the office of Joy & Webster (then in the Webster block) ; at that meeting the desirability of such an organization was advocated by various persons and a committee was appointed consisting of J. L. Kimberly, 1 S. Purdy, Philo Durfee, R. C. Palmer, and William Will- iams to prepare a constitution and by-laws. These were reported and adopted at the second meeting, held January 30, 1844. At a later meet- ing,- March 11, R. H. Heywood was chosen president of the board; George B. Webster, first vice-president; William Williams, second vice president ; Philo Durfee, A. H. Caryl, James Hollister, H. M. Kinne, J. C. Evans, Sidney Shepard, N. Hayden, J. L. Kimberly and George Palmer, directors; John R. Lee, treasurer; Giles K Coats, secretary. In fulfillment of his pledge, Mr. Heywood, in the fall of that year and spring of 1845, erected a building corner of Hanover and Prime streets and called it the Merchants' Exchange. On the 10th of March, 1845, the above named officers were re-elected. The new build- ing was occupied by the board June 5, 1845. This institution accom- plished a vast amount of good in the city in various directions. Re- forms have been inaugurated through its influence .which have resulted in great benefit to commercial affairs; in the equalization and regula- tion of freight rates from the West; in securing a reduction of canal tolls in 1870; in obtaining legislation making the canal free in 1882; in aiding the government during the war of the Rebellion, and in sup- porting all measures for the establishment of public improvements in the city, the Board of Trade, during its active career, was zealous and influential." John L. Kimberly was born in Derby, Conn., January 30, 1799; he settled in Black Rock in 1817 and in Buffalo in 1837. He was a pioneer in boat building andforwarding, was a founder of the Buffalo City Bank, and many years trustee of the Buffalo Savings Bank. He died December 21, 1884. a At a meeting held April 17, 1880, resolutions were adopted in favor of the erection of a new PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 363 From its exposed situation at the eastern foot of Lake Erie and with a level area extending around its southern and eastern sides, Buffalo is building: by the board for its own use. The matter was further advanced by various committees during the next two years and in May, 1882, a call was issued for competitive plans for the new structure to be erected on the corner of Seneca and Pearl streets. In competition with fifteen others, Milton E. Beebe, of Buffalo, furnished plans that were acceptable and work on the build- ing was at once commenced ; it was completed and ready for occupancy in the fall of 1883. The Board of Trade still continues its organization, but since the institution of the Merchants' Ex- change, has confined itself to such matters as come within its province as owner of the land and building in which the Exchange has its quarters, which are valued at $295,000. The Board of Trade stock amounts to $185,000, more than one-half of which is owned by the Merchants' Ex- change. In short, since 1882 the Board of Trade has ceased to be an institution devoted to the commercial interests of the city. The presidents of the board have been as follows : March 10, 1846, R. H. Heywood; March 13, 1847, Henry Daw; March 13, 1848, Philo Durfee; March 13, 1849, George B. Walbridge; March 13, 1850, H. E. Howard; March 8, 1852, S. H. Fish; March 13, 1853, Samuel J. Holley; March 13. 1854, H. Niles; March 12, 1855, G. S. Hazard (again elected in March, 1857, in April, 1862, 1863, 1864); May 6, 1856, M. S. Hawley; April 12, 1858, J. R. Bentley; April 12, 1859, A. Sherwood; April 12, 1860, C. J. Mann; April 16, 1861, J. Parker; April 11, 1865, S. H. Fish; April 11, 1866, P.-S. Marsh; April 9, 1867, P. S. Marsh; April 15, 1868, J. H. Vought; April 13, 1869, S. S. Guthrie; 1 April 13, 1870, Charles G. Curtis; April 13, 1871, James G. Sawyer; April 13, 1872, Alfred P. Wright; April 13, 1873, Charles G. Sweet; April 13, 1874, E. P. Dorr; April 13, 1875, Cyrus Clarke; April 13, 1877, Alonzo Richmond; April 13, 1878, William H. Abell; April 13, 1879, Jewett M. Richmond; 2 April 13, 1880, George Sandroek; April 13, 1881, John B. Manning; s 1882-84, Jacob F. Sehoellkopf ; « 1885-86, Jewett M. Richmond; 1887, Albert J. Wright; 1888, William Meadows; 1889, 1 S. S. Guthrie was long a prominent business man of Buffalo, and a native of Putnam, Ohio. He acquired a knowledge of mercantile business in his father's store and later was in business with him and his brother, Waldo, in Putnam. He settled in Buffalo, in 1851 as a member of the commission firm of Buckinghams & Guthrie and continued in that business either with partners or alone until 1874, when he was appointed general agent of the Erie Railroad. He was also a director of that company and president of the Union Steamboat Company and the Union Dry Dock Company. 3 Jewett M. Richmond was born in Onondaga county, N. Y., December 9, 1830. His young manhood was passed in serving as clerk for various persons near his home and as a partner with two brothers and two other men in the salt and flour business. This firm was a strong one and had branches in Syracuse, Salina, Oswego, Buffalo and Chicago. In 1860 he formed a partnership with H. A. Richmond, son of Dean Richmond, under the style of J. M. Richmond & Co., and be- gan a grain, commission, storage and elevating business in Buffalo. In 1863-64 he built the Rich- mond elevator. In 1867 he was elected president of the Marine Bank of Buffalo, and in 1871 was chosen president of the Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad. He retired from active business in 1881 and thereafter devoted his time to his large real estate interests. He built the Richmond block, corner of Seneca and Ellieott streets, in 1884. 3 John B. Mannning was of Irish descent and born in Albany July 13, 1833. He served as page in the Assembly and the Senate from 1845 to about 1850, gaining a thorough knowledge of State politics. In 1860-61 he acted as Albany correspondent of the Brooklyn Eagle. Abandoning the political career that was clearly open to him, he settled in Buffalo and soon was largely engaged in the malting and commission business. He was elected mayor of Buffalo when Grover Cleve- land was elected governor and was defeated for the same office in the fall of 1883. He was prom- inently identified with the building of the Merchants' Exchange. 4 Jacob F. Sehoellkopf has for many years been numbered among the leading German busi- ness men of Buffalo. He was born in 1819 and after serving as clerk in his father's store two years he came to America in 1841 and to Buffalo in 1844, where he began the leather business in a small way. Within the next ten years he was a leader in this industry, owning alone or in company with others several large tanneries. In 1871 he first became interested in the milling business, in. which he still continues both at Buffalo and Niagara Falls. He has held prominent offices in sev- eral banks and has amassed a large fortune. 364 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. swept by high winds during many months of the year. While these are in some respects an evil, there is no doubt that they contribute to the healthfulness of the locality. On the 8th of October, 1844, the city was visited by a remarkable and destructive gale accompanied by an unprecedented overflow of the lake. A strong northeast wind prevailed through the day and to about 11 o'clock in the evening, when it shifted to the southwest and west, soon rising to a terrific gale, which contin- ued through the night. The waters of the lake, which had been driven back by the northeast wind, were blown down upon the city, causing a rise of two feet higher than ever known before or since. The damage to shipping and buildings was immense and, what is far more deplor- able, from thirty to forty lives were lost, mostly by drowning. About one-third of the stone pier was washed out, wharves were wrecked and the flats east of Main and south of Seneca streets were covered with stranded scows and canal boats, lumber and other dehris; the brig Ashland was thrown upon the south pier; the steamer G. Dole was tossed high and dry into" Ohio street, while a little farther up lay the Bunker Hill; the Columbus lay near Michigan street above high water mark, and the United States steamer Albert was stranded below the pier. Numerous buildings in the city were demolished or badly dam- aged, and cellars were filled with water, while the small houses and shanties of poor people near the lake were washed away. The total damage was estimated at about $200,000. Two girls were drowned in the basement of a tavern at 95 Main street, and eight persons were drowned near the Wilkeson foundry. The disaster spread gloom throughout the city, which was only partially relieved by generous aid that was bestowed upon the sufferers.' Edward Eames; 1890, William M. Sloan; 1891-92, John N. Scatoherd; 1893, George Clinton; 1894-96, Robert R. Hefford; 1897, Alonzo R. James. William Thurstone has been secretary of the board since 1863. The Merchants' Exchange was chartered in the spring of 1882, with somewhat broader powers and purposes than the Board of Trade. James N. Scatcherd was elected president of the Ex- change; Eric L. Hedstrom, vice-president; Charles A. Sweet, treasurer; William Thurstone, secretary; the latter still serves in the same capacity. The presidents have been as follows: 1883, James N. Scatcherd; 1 1884-85, Eric L. Hedstrom; 1886, Albert J. Wright; 1887, James R. Smith; 1888, Robert B. Adam; 1889, John C. Graves; 1800, Peter C. Doyle; 1891-92, John N. Scatcherd; 1893, George Clinton; 1894-96, Robert R. Hefford; 1897, Alonzo R. James. # 1 James N. Scatcherd was born in Wyton, Ont., December 4, 1824, and died January 18, 1895. He settled in Buffalo in 1852, representing a large lumber business, and became its successor; about 1880 he took his son John into partnership. He was president of the Water Board, and vice-president of the Third National Bank. 1 Contrary to widely-prevalent belief, Buffalo does not suffer frequently from destructive winds or storms, while its climate is more equable and several degrees milder than in most other PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 365 In April, 1846, the Buffalo Literary and Scientific Academy, founded in April, 1832, and later merged in the institution that became the University of Buffalo, closed its existence as a corporation under authority of the Legislature. Heman B. Potter was appointed receiver. On May 11 of the same year the University of Buffalo was incorpo- ated by act of the Legislature, with capital stock of $100, 000. The in- corporators named in the act were Albert H. Tracy, Millard Fillmore, Joseph G. Masten, Thomas M. Foote, Isaac Sherman, Nathan K. Hall, Gaius B. Rich, Ira A. Blossom, James S. Wadsworth, William A. Bird, George W. Clinton, George R. Babcock, George C. White, Aaron D. Patchen and James Hollister. This institution is further described in Chapter XXIX. « An act of April 21, 1840, authorized the supervisors of Erie county to erect a workhouse " for the safe keeping and employment of vagrants, disorderly persons, and all persons under sentence or conviction, ex- cepting those to be punished by death or imprisonment in State prison, who shall be sentenced to hard labor or solitary imprisonment by the courts of Erie county." This workhouse was erected in 1847, of stone, and situated on Fifth street, corner of Pennsylvania. ' Between 1845 and 1850 a movement for securing improved highways through agricultural districts was inaugurated and soon attained great magnitude. In 1844 the first plank road in the United States was laid large cities of the country. It is, of course, true that higher winds prevail in this city than in some localities far removed from large bodies of water; hut this is not by any means an unmixed evil, and without doubt contributes to the healthfulness of the place. The accompanying brief table shows clearly the temperature, humidity, and wind measurement in Buffalo during the heated term of 1896, in comparison with several other cities which have long received credit for superior climatic conditions: Mean of highest Mean o£ mean Mean relative Mean daily measurement temperature. temperature. humidity. of wind. Buffalo 79.7 73 69 ,.... 296 Rochester, 84.6 75.4 Brie, 81.5 74.6 Cleveland, 84 75.1 ..' Detroit :83.8 75.8 Chicago 85.1 78.1 In point of the heathfulness of Buffalo, it may be stated that in no city in the Union are health regulations more strictly enforced, or the death rate lower. During the six years since 1891 (in- clusive} the death rate has been reduced from 23.48 to 12.72. 1 Various improvements have been made to the original workhouse, now known as the Erie County Penitentiary ; among them are the following ~ A new male prison, 200 cells, erected of brick in 1866-67 at a cost of $67,560 ; a hospital building, cost about $43 000, built in 1865-66, and a new sewerage system finished in 1867; the old stone prison rebuilt in 1871-72 at a cost of about $20,000 ; an addition to the workshop and the female prison rebuilt in 1873 ; and a new prison with 299 cells erected in 1895. • ' 72 161 78.5 210 78.3 189 68.1 328 366 ' OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in Onondaga "county from Salina to Central Square. At that time, more even than at the present, when the same subject is agitating the public, the need of better roadways over which the farmer could more easily transport his products, and the country merchant his goods, was universally admitted. The construction of the first plank road seemed to fully meet the requirements of the public; they were economical in first cost and travel upon them was a luxury when compared with pre- vious conditions. Hundreds of plank road companies were organized and incorporated in all parts of the State within a few years and most of them constructed roads of greater or less length. Erie county at that time was better prepared, perhaps, than almost any other of the the thickly settled localities, to welcome the new highway, for the roads in this vicinity were notoriously bad. The first plank road company incorporated in Erie county was the Buffalo and Lancaster, under date of May 12, 1846; its capital stock was $25,000. The act of incorpora- tion described the road as extending from ' ' the new Buffalo road at the intersection of the Genesee street road, at or near Douglass's tavern in the town of Black Rock, in the county of Erie," a distance of ten miles to Lancaster. The commissioners were Grosvenor Clark, John Cameron, Moses Baker, of Buffalo; Robert Win spear, Elisha P. Adams, and Will- iam Haskell, of Cheektowaga; John Moulton, William R. Conly and Peleg Stranahan, of Lancaster. The Aurora and Buffalo Plank Road Company was incorporated May 11, 1846, with capital of $50,000 and the following commissioners: Robert Person, Adam Riley, Erastus Wallace, Joseph G. Masten, and Horace Clark. Other plank roads constructed in this county were the so-called Res- ervation plank road, which was in existence later than 1852, in which year an act was passed by the Legislature providing for its improve- ment; and the Buffalo and White's Corners plank road. There was less plank road constructed in Erie county than in many others of even less area, the reason for which may be difficult to de- termine. Indeed, during the whole of the first half of the century, there was less legislation affecting roads, and apparently less effort to improve the highways in this county, than in most others; while at the •same time there was more need of such effort here than in many other localities. This has been credited, to a great extent, to a lack of en- terprise and progressiveness in some of the rural districts. In any .event, while the plank roads admirably served their purpose for a time RT. REV. JOHN TIMON, D.D. FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 367 leading their projectors to believe that they would remain in use per- manently and pay a profit on the investment, it finally became evident that one important feature of the calculations had been omitted ; this was the element of durability. A few years of travel and the effects of weather on the plank, made it necessary to relay the roadways, in- volving expense that the receipts would not meet, excepting on some of the most frequently traveled roads. On this account many were abandoned, and nearly all were finally given up. Another legislative act for the improvement of roads in this county was passed April- 16, 1852, which provided that any three or more per- sons ' ' may construct and keep in repair, for the space of seven years or less, any public highway within the county of Erie not included in the bounds of any incorporated village," by complying with certain re- quirements of notice to the commissioners of highways, who would set off. a separate road district for this purpose. A new State constitution went into effect in 1846 which made impor- tant changes in the election of various officers and affecting all coun- ties in the State alike. At the special election held on that account in June, 1847, Erie county went strongly Democratic, for the first time since the organization of the Whig party. The presidential campaign of 1848 bore especial local interest on account of the selection of Mil- lard Fillmore for the vice-presidency. It was in that year that the his- toric Free Soil convention was held in Buffalo. These political sub- jects are more fully treated in Chapter XXVI. The period to which consideration is given in this chapter was very prolific in the founding of Roman Catholic churches, parochial schools, charitable institutions, etc., under the banner of that faith. Before the middle of the century was reached the number of adherents of that faith in Erie county had become very large. At that time they were almost wholly of Irish, German or French descent ; to these were added in later years Poles, Italians, Swedes, and a few of other na- tionalities. The formation of the first Roman Catholic churches in Buffalo has been noticed in Chapter XX, and little further progress was made in that direction until 1847. In that year, on April 23, the Diocese of Buffalo 1 was established, comprising the counties of Erie, Niagara, Genesee, Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus, Stetr- 1 The Diocese o£ Buffalo has since been reduced to the counties of Erie, Niagara, Genesee', Orleans, Chautauqua, Wyoming, Cattaraugus and Allegany, which contain ninety-six churches with resident priests, sixty-eight parochial schools, and a Catholic population of about 160,000, 368 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ben, Chemung, Tioga, Allegany and Schuyler. Right Rev. John Timon, D. D. , was the first bishop of the diocese. Three years after the founding of the diocese, and on February 6, 1851, the corner stone of St. Joseph's cathedral was laid by Bishop Timon, and its altars were consecrated on the 6th of July, 1855. The cathedral is a beautiful ex- ample of ecclesiastical architecture, and in its south tower is the finest chime of forty-three bells in this country. A heavy debt was* incurred in the erection of the cathedral, but through strenuous efforts on the part of the bishop large sums of money were raised in all parts of the Country, and on August 30, 1863, he once -more called around him his brother prelates for a renewed consecration of the cathedral. On No- vember 8, 1868, the Right Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, CM., was consecrated and installed as successor to Bishop Timon. .- On Febru- ary 24, 1897, Right Rev. James E. Quigley, D.D., 1 was consecrated bishop of the diocese, with impressive ceremonies. Very soon after the establishment of the diocese the Church of the Immaculate Conception was organized (1849), under the title of St. Mary's of the Lake; the church edifice was erected in 1856. The ac- tivity of the Roman Catholics in Buffalo at the time under considera- tion, largely inspired, doubtless, by the founding of the diocese, is indicated in the prompt organization of two or three other churches. In October, 1852, was formed the Church of the Holy Angels, in the old house on what is now Porter avenue, formerly used as an asylum for insane. Eighteen acres of land, on which stood the asylum and the old almshouse, were purchased by the church for $13,000; the asylum was used temporarily for a school. The present church was com- pleted in 1857, and the parochial school, connected with the church, in 1881 ; it is conducted by the gray nuns. St. Patrick's church (Franciscan Friars) was organized in January, 1854, and the church edifice, on Seymour street, was erected in 1858. 1 Dr. Quigley was born in Oshawa, Ont., October 15, 1855. Three years later the family re- moved to Lima, Livingston county, N. Y., where the boy attended public and parochial schools, and in July, 1868, entered St. Joseph's College, Buffalo, graduating in 1878. Having already de- cided upon entering the priesthood,, he attended the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels, at Suspen- sion Bridge, and pursued his theological studies. There he made such rapid progress that he was sent by the bishop to the great university of Innspruch, Austria. After one year of philo- sophical study he entered the theological college of the Propaganda at Rome, from which he graduated in the spring of 1879, with the degree of doctor of philosophy. On April 18. 1879, he was ordained for the priesthood. Returning to Buffalo Father Quigley was assigned by Bishop Ryan to the parish of Attica, Wyoming county, where he raised funds and built a new church and parish house. He left Attica in 1884 to become rector of the cathedral in Buffalo, where he continued until January 17, 1897, when he was transferred to the irremovable rectorship of St. Bridget's parish. RT. REV. STEPHEN VINCENT RYAN. PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR, 369 A parochial school building and convent was completed in 1862, and in 1883-4 an additional school structure was built. St. Bridget's church (Louisiana street) was organized in 1852, and the existing house of worship was built in 1859. A parochial school is connected with the church.' The first gas light company in Buffalo was organized May 8, 1848, and began the manufacture of gas on the 7th of November following. Previous to that time the streets of the city were poorly illuminated with a few oil lamps. The first officers of the Buffalo Gaslight Com- pany were Samuel F. Pratt, president; Oliver Gl Steele, secretary; William Bucknell, jr., treasurer. The works were constructed on Gen- esee street, where they are still situated. 2 1 Besides the early Catholic churches mentioned above, a large number have been organized in later years, of which only brief statistics can be given. St . John the Baptist church was or- ganized in 1867, and a church edifice was soon erected; a parochial school was built in 1883. With the coming to Buffalo of many Poles (which has been alluded to) a church for that nationality was organized in 1873, under the pastorate of Rev. John Pitass, who is still the religious leader of the congregation and the most conspicuous Polish citizen of the city. The name given to the church is St. Stanislaus. The first house of worship was immediately erected, corner of Townsend and Peckham streets. This was replaced in 1883-4 with the present stone edifice. A large parochial school is connected with the church. Besides this original Polish church there have since been organized by people of this nationality the Church of the Assumption (1887-88); St. Casmir's, or- ganized 1889-90; Church of the Transfiguration, organized 1892-3; St. John Kanty's church, organ- ized about 1892; and St. Adelbert's church. The Church of Our Lady of Mercy was organized in 1874 and a church building was completed in the next year, and a parochial school established. St. Stephen's* church was organized in De- cember, 1875, and the house of worship on Elk street was built immediately thereafter; a parochial school is connected with the church. Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Delaware avenue, brick and stone edifice, opened in May, 1889. Church of the Annunciation, organized 1888. St. Columb- kill's, organized 1887; St. Agnes church (English and German), Benzinger street. Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Alabama street, organized and built 1897. St. Theresa's church, Caze- novia street, organized and built 1897. Church of the Holy Name of Jesus, and St. Nicholas church. St. Anthony of Padua chnrch was organized in 1890 by a congregation of Italians. In addition to these there is the Polish Church of the Assumption at Depew, built in 1897, and a mis- sion at Kenmore established in 1897. There are ten German Catholic churches in the city, which are noticed in the chapter on the Germans of Buffalo. Chapels are connected with many of the Catholic institutions, and nearly all of the church societies have parochial schools under their charge. Scores of benevolent and charitable institutions, hospitals, asylums, and other institu- tions are maintained inactive usefulness by the Roman Catholics of Buffalo, to which detailed reference in these pages is impossible. '' As the demand for gas increased other companies were organized for its manufacture. The Buffalo Mutual Gaslight Company was organized in December, 1870, but did not begin manufac- - turing gas until February, 1873. The first officers were A. Reynolds, president; David Ransom, vice-president; Albert G. Stevens, secretary. Succeeding to the Buffalo Oxygen and Hydrogen Gas Company was the Citizens' Gas Company; the former was organized in the early part of 1671, with John B. Griffin, president. In 1873 the property of the company was sold under a mortgage and the Citizens' Company was established in December of that year, with Jacob F. Schoellkopf, president; John H. Vought, vice-president; E. S. Wheeler, secretary; C. Rodenbach, treasurer. In September, 1897, these three companies sold out to a New York syndicate for $5,000,000. Electric 47 370 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The act incorporating- the Buffalo City Water Works Company was passed by the Legislature March 15, 1849, the incorporators being George Coit, Walter Joy, William A. Bird, Orlando Allen, Horatio Shumway, George R. Babcock, Isaac Sherman, Cyrenius Bristol, Oliver G. Steele, Thomas M. Foote, William Bucknell, jr., Henry W. Rogers, William Coffin, and Aaron D. Patchen. The capital stock of the com- pany was $200,000, with authority to increase it to $500,000. The meeting for formal organization was held February 7, 1850. On the 11th of March of that year the Common Council adopted a resolution by the terms of which the city was to become a subscriber to the com- pany's stock to the amount of $100,000; no action was taken under this resolution. During the year 1850 the relative desirability of different sources of supply was discussed; the contract for erecting the works was let to Battin, ,Dungan & Co., of Philadelphia and Newark, N. J., who became large subscribers to the stock, and William J. McAlpine, a distinguished engineer, was employed to investigate sources of sup- ply, etc. There appears to have been a general belief that water should be taken from the bay southwest of the city; this source was objection- able to the engineer, chiefly on account of exposure of the works to ice and storms and increased cost. He favored the plan finally adopted of pumping from the river, with a reservoir situated on Prospect Hill. Lots 29 and 30 were purchased for a site for the works and lot 145 for the reservoir. The contract price was $375,000. Work on the shaft and tunnel was commenced July 29, 1850, on the reservoir August 12, and on the pumping works September 12. During that fall and the fol- lowing year pipes were laid in Main street and many other streets of the city. The reservoir was completed in November, 1851, and on December 3 the last pipe was laid on Niagara street connecting the res- ervoir with the distributing mains. River connection was soon estab- lished and pumping began December 19. On January 2, 1852, water was let into the pipes through the city, and on the 5th A. R. Ketcham was appointed superintendent, an office he held many years. 1 lighting was commenced in Buffalo in July, 1881, by the Brush Electric Light Company, which or- ganized on the 1st of May of that year, with John F. Moulton, president; James Adams, vice- president; H. G. Nolton, secretary and treasurer. Incandescent lighting was introduced in 1883-83. The electric lighting of the city is now done by theBuffalo General Electric Company. Four power stations are maintained, supplying 3,000 arc and 25,000 incandescent lights. 1 A legislative act of May 7, 1868, authorized the city to issue bonds to the amount of $1,500,000 for the purchase by the city of the property of the Buffalo Water Works Company (the presidents of which have been Henry W. Rogers, 1850-'54; Albert H. Tracy, 1855-59; Henry W. Rogers, 1860- 68). On August 15, 1808, the purchase of the entire plant of the company was consummated for FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 871 The police force of Buffalo was also placed upon a more efficient foundation during the period under consideration. As late as 1845 $705,000, the first Board of Water Commissioners being Henry W. Rogers, C. J. Wells, and James Ryan. Mr. Ketoham was superintendent until 1874, when George Holsey was appointed; he was succeeded in 1880 by A. R. Ketcham, who was followed on March 1, 1882, by Louis H. Knapp. The present superintendent is Francis G. Ward. The water works is now a part of the Department of Public Works. The following statistics show the growth and condition of the system under mu- nicipal ownership to January 1, 1897. Pipe laid each year Revenue. Maint'nance and repairs. Extensions Years. Miles. Feet. improve- ments. 33 1 21 11 9 4 4 4 1 4,758 ' 2,946 899 1,310 3,557 1,961 5,273 1,966 3,340 2,980 745 2,530 247 3,276 1,655 5,135 2,402 1,474 388 2,780 1,250 4,889 3,190 861 588 1,508 1,657 3,069 Prom 1868 to July 1, 1869 $111,123 42 159,665 88 124,865 00 138,531 47 168,267 20 176,219 01 184,516 48 191,335 84 189,296 90 200,183 28 205,415 75 215,558 44 210,031 46 362,762 07 426,533 93 382,581 64 444,424 70 477,309 57 476,411 87 494,777 52 542,952 35 595,456 94 555,910 73 590,750 73 813,493 00 712,728 21 642,023 40 641,807 56 1870. From July 1, 1869, to Dec. 31. 1870 1871 1872 $69,228 74 77,447 TO 66,218 50 64,862 37 61,474 22 57,553 27 55,230 50 54,497 22 60,983 67 76,629 09 79,105 90 87,193 53 81,078 88 92,438 30 95,031 04 137,065 25 143,185 76 145,823 98 143,091 79 136,941 62 170,032 80 203,357 99 218,830 64 391,339 75 495,139 07 $355,492 46 308,600 46 307,355 64 • 159,098 75 106,900 21 17,014 05 48,555 32 11,457 50 161,883 89 201,487 10 160,617 81 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1 2 5 12 16 18 14 27 22 21 21 26 26 26 22 35 34 85 1879..... 1880 1881 1882 1883 200,029 90 186,623 92 1884 1885 327,918 82 342,493 57 209,542 10 438,505 68 1886 1887 1888 1889 595,642 29 1890 : 320;063 73 1891 413,094 78 1892 428,731 73 1893 393,694 30 1894 494,440 96 1895 ' 321,387 99 1896 10 4,093 456,548 32 WATER BONDS OUTSTANDING. Date of Issue. Rate of Interest. When Due. Amount. Sept. 1, 1873 7 per cent 7 " 7 " 7 " 7 " 6 " 5 " 5 " 5 ' "' 4 " 4 4 " 4 " Sept. 1, 1903 April 1, 1905 July 1, 1906 Aug. 1, 1908 Oct. 1, 1908 Aug. 1, 1909 July 1, 1896 Sept. 2, 1898 April 25, 1898 April 26, 1899 July 1, 1904 Sept. 1, 1904 Nov. 26. 1897 April 35, 1900 $200,000 00 April 1, 1874 100,000 00 July 1, 1874 100,000 00 Aug. 1, 1874 100,000 00 Oct. 1, 1874 • 79,328 00 Aug. 1, 1875 100,000 00 July 1, 1876 100,000 00 Sept. 2, 1878 50,000 00 April 25, 1879 100,000 00 100,000 00 July 1, 1880 50,000 00 Sept. ■ 1, 1880 100,000 00 Nov.^ 26, 1880. 64,000 00 100,000 00 i From this date all water has been furnished city buildings and city service free. 372 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the city had only a captain and eight watchmen, as they were then designated, to preserve public peace. At that time the mayor called WATER BONDS OUTSTANDING— CONTINUED. Date of Issue. April 1, 1884. July 1, 1885. Oct. 1, 1886. Mar. 1, 1887. April 1, 1887. June 1, 1888. June IS, 1888. June 16, 1888. Dec. 1, 1888. May 1, 1889. Aug. 1, 1889. Oet. 1, 1889. Jan. 1, 1890. July- 1. 1890. Jan. 1, 1891. Aug. 1, 1891. Nov. 1, 1891. Oct. 1, 1892. Dec. 1, 1892. July 1, 1894. Jan. 1, 1896. Sept. 25, 1897. Total Rate of Interest. per cent. When Due. 1, 1901 1, 1905 1, 1903 1, 1906 1, 1906 1, 1902 15, 1908 15, 1914 1, 1909 1, 1919 1, 1909 1, 1909 2, 1910 1, 1910 1, 1911 1, 1911 1, 1911 1, 1912 1, 1912 1, 1914 1, 1916 25, 1917 Amount. $90,000 00 100,000 00 100,000 00 100,000 00 50,000 00 100,000 00 57,500 00 275,000 00 100,000 00 225,000 00 100,000 00 145,000 00 50,000 00 100,000 00 100,000 00 50,000 00 100,000 00 100,000 00 100,000 00 180,000 00 50,000 00 400,000 00 $4,015,882 00 PRESENT STANDING OP THE PRINCIPAL WATER WORKS AC- COUNTS, JANUARY 1, 1897. Items. Jan. 1, 1895. Added two years, 1895 and 1896. Standing Jan. 1, 1897. Original purchase Real estate, including taxes Engines Holly pumping house. .-. Holly pumping machinery New engine house. , Gas well Bird Island inlet pier and tunnel Main pipes, branches, hydrants, etc. Coal and boiler house and chimney. Coal tunnel New valve house Overhead crossing New boiler house Electric light plant Repairs, boilers, and moving same.. New boilers New buildings Ice elevators New reservoir Electric light and telephone cable . . R. R. tracks, lower pumping station Tunnel No. 2, conduits and wells Coal trestle and switch New horses Ventilators Conduits and wells New furnaces $705,000 00 110,826 14 611,992 67 12,092 25 41,307 41 86,478 34 12,646 08 613,480 04 4,812,495 07 26,711 53 4,524 53 910 70 1,447 87 8,497 19 3,687 24 5,417 65 21,658 00 105,817 86 1,737 98 559,273 51 1,830 30 2,220 59 32,481 05 2,120 58 1,495 00 860 99 13,930 12 21,000 00 $58,574 75 429,465 51 26,621 00 795 00 125 00 "l8,576'80 $705,000 00 110,826 14 670,567 42 12,092 25 41,307 41 86,478 34 12,646 08 613,480 04 5,250,960 58 26,711 53 4,524 53 910 70 1,447 87 8,497 19 3,687 24 5,417 65 48,279 00 105,817 86 1,787 98 559,273 51 2,125 30 2,220 59 32,481 05 2,120 58 1,620 00 860 99 32,506 92 21,000 00 PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 373 attention to the fact that the city, with about 20,000 population, was unprotected by efficient police. Two years later the force was in- creased to a total of fourteen officers. From 1840 to 1845 the watch- men received seven shillings a night for their services; the captain, one dollar. Such was the crude method of preserving the peace down to 1855. In that year Samuel Bagnall was elected chief of police, but the records of his term of office, if any were kept, have disappeared, with the exception of notes of sundry arrests. An important change was made in 1857 by which the mayor, with consent of the council, was authorized to appoint a chief of police, captains, policemen and police constables; such officers to hold for a term of three years, unless sooner removed for cause or by resignation. Robert H. Best succeeded Chief Bagnall and entered upon his duties in 1858, with eleven policemen under him. Chief Best resigned after three years of service, and was suc- ceeded by George Drullard; he resigned April 1, 1863, and Charles Darcy was appointed and was the last of the chiefs under the old dis- pensation, which went out of existence in 1866, as noticed farther on. The census of 1850 gave the population of Erie county as 100,- 993, an increase of 22,358 in the preceding five years; Buffalo was given 42,261, an increase during that period of 12,488. The city had PRESENT STANDING OP THE PRINCIPAL WATER WORKS AC- COUNTS, JANUARY 1, 1897— CONTINUED. Items. Lower suction pipe Tunnel No. 3 New plant Rebuilding Worthington engines. Coal house and retaining wall Iron house, boiler, etc Raising roof s. boiler house.. Total..: $7.831,304 31 Jan. 1, ] Added two years, 1895 and 1896. $863 52 $51,646 87 2,349 98 50,000 00 345 67 1,654 00 385 00 Standing Jan. 1, 1897. $863 53 51,646 87 2,349 98 50,000 00 345 67 1,654 00 785 00 $640,939 58 $8,472,343 79 The pumping plant consists of eight engines with a total capacity of 145,000,000 gallons every twenty-f bur hours, as follows : Engine No. 1, Worthington 10,000,000 gallons. " 2, " 15,000,000 " " 3, " 15,000,000 " "• " 4, Gaskill 15,000,000 '> " 5, " 30,000,000 " " 6, " 20,000,000 " » " 7, « 20,000,000 " " 8, Hammond 30,000,000 Total. 145,000,000 374 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. just recovered from its second severe visitation of the cholera, which came in May, 1849, and during the summer months filled the streets with mourning and the people with fear and anxiety. Up to the last day of May 134 cases were reported, with fifty-one deaths. From that date to September 10 the daily number of cases ranged from fifteen to nearly one hundred, and the deaths from qne to twenty-five. The total number of cases in the city was a little more than 3,000 and the deaths nearly 900. The Board of Health fought the pestilence with vigor, but was unable to master it until it had thus wrought its will. Many of the inhabitants of the city fled to the country, where they were not always warmly welcomed. The disease found its way to some of the towns near by the city, but in a less fatal form. The decade from 1850 to the breaking out of the Civil war was one of remarkable prosperity in Erie county, with the exception of the year 1857, during which a financial crisis was reached and a panic and strin- gency followed similar in character and consequences to that of twenty years before. The population of the county increased during the decade to 132,331 in 1855 and to 141,971 in 1860; in the city the gain was from 42,261 in 1850, to 74,214 in 1855, and to 81,129 in 1860— almost doubling in the ten years. The great West sent down its im- mense and rapidly increasing grain product to swell the commercial importance of Buffalo and inspire her business men with hopeful en- thusiasm. In 1850 3,681,347 bushels of wheat were received by lake, and ten years later the quantity had reached the enormous total of 18,502,649 bushels. During the same period the receipts of corn in- creased from 2,593,378 bushels in 1850 to 11,386,217 in 1860. Other lines of trade and manufacture, even to the modest store of the country merchant in the distant village, felt the .impulse of this lake business. 1 1 Capt. A. Walker, in a paper deposited with the Historical Society, gives the following list of men and firms who were in business on the Buffalo docks in 1848-50, many of whom had been engaged in commercial business from its infancy : Israel T. Hatch, Joel Thayer, Seymour & Wells, James G. Gibson. H. W. Millard & Co., Joseph Dart, Jason Parker, S. W. Howell, Russell H. Heywood, J. T. Noye, John R. Evans, Joseph B. Gardner, Evans & Dunbar, B. Spencer, Waldo & Mann, J. Myers & Co., Niles & Whalen, Abell & Gardner, Ressel & Eldridge, William Andrews, Mack & Hall, James D. Sawyer, Holt & Palmer, J. & C. Hitchcock, H. S. Beecher, A. W. Johnson, A. Chester, I. H. Bostwick, H. Williams, William B. Harmon, R. Haskill, A. Morrison & Co., P. R. Townsend, George W. Tifft, R. Farnsworth. Morris Hazard, Monteath & ^Sherman, William Stimpson, Dean Richmond, W. H. Bement & Co., Hayes & Johnson, William Buckley, O. W. Ranney, H. B. Walbridge & Co., Bement & Ruden, William A. Brown, Ward & Co., M. S. Hawley, Hamilton Rainey, William Poote, Kent & Carley, Richard P. Wilkins, James Murray, Philo Durfee & Co., E. Root, Cobb & Co., Isaac S. Smith, Charles Holland, John G. Brown & Co., S. Purdy & Co., H. O. Corwin & Co., Coats & Folger, S. H. Pish, G. S. Hazard, Joseph B. Follett, A. W. Cutler, George W. Allen, Simon Spearman, Henry Daw, Fleeharty & FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 375 Railroad facilities were improved and extended, many of the lines point- ing to Buffalo as a central point for termini and connections. Exten- sive public improvements were inaugurated in the city and many insti- tutions founded to contribute to the general advancement. As Buff alo prospered, so did the farmers in the outlying towns. Their crops were uniformly good and their market always open and compara- tively easy of access. Before 1855 most of the old pine stumps, which had long resisted the decaying effects of time, and around which the farmer had for many years reluctantly driven his plow, were pulled from their beds and laid in the now seldom seen stump fences. Even on the back roads the farms now showed noticeable improvement in buildings, stock and care in tillage. Agricultural methods began to crfange at this time. Notwithstanding the general improvement mentioned, the quantity of grain raised in the county did not increase. This was owing to the fact that the farmers were beginning to appreciate the importance of dairy- ing, which has ih recent years become so large a factor in their busi- ness ; they also found it more and more profitable to produce hay, pota- toes and other vegetables for the Buffalo market. Meanwhile the German element was rapidly .increasing both in city and country. The European disturbances of 1848 gave a powerful impulse to German emigration, and many of the sturdy wanderers found their way to this county. Some of these brought money and almost none were at all destitute. All were endowed with habits of frugality and industry, which could not fail to bring to them a good measure of success. Many of these German settlers located near their countrymen who had already made homes in Collins, Eden, Hamburg, Cheektowaga, and Lancaster, while large numbers settled in Batavia and Genesee streets in Buffalo and soon spread over the whole northeastern part of Warren, Robert Allen, Allen W. Norton, J. Nottingham, S. Strong, William Chard, S. Brown, J. M. Smith, Joseph Plumb, Maxwell & Co., Bemis & Brothers, I. H. Hooker, Joy & Chapin, William Howard & Co., D. N. Barney & Co., H. H. Sizer, Edwin Thomas, Charles C. Hall, and H. M. Kinne. The following quotation is from a paper prepared by Sanford B. Hunt, descriptive of com- mercial affairs of that time : " Passenger steamboats were in their glory, numerous lines leav- ing daily, crowded with passengers, advertised with wonderful pertinacity by the class of 'runners,' very remarkable men in their way, and adding to the seductions of this persuasive system, the charms of music discoursed at all hours from the guards of the steamboats. Eleva- tors were only an experiment then, and a vast number of 'longshoremen were supported by the labor of handling freight by inconvenient processes. . . Canal boats were small but numerous, and the result was a business which advertised itself by its own bustle and by the crowd which was constantly maintained in the narrow quarters where it was transacted and through which every stranger passed on his way east or west." 376 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, the city and became an important element in the business life of the community. One of the most interesting features of this German immigration was that known as the Ebenezer Society. This association of Germans, mostly emigrants from Rhenish Prussia and Hesse, purchased of the Ogden Company about 8,000 acres of land situated in the present town of West Seneca, including the old Indian village. The colony came over in 1844-45 and occupied their lands, which covered a large portion of the central and northern parts of the town. The whole number of the emigrants was about 2,000. They took the name Ebenezer, thdugh among themselves they were known as the Community of Inspiration. They established two villages of considerable importance and one ham- let, which were designated as Lower Ebenezer, Middle Ebenezer, and Upper Ebenezer, the latter the smaller of the three and situated in what is now the town of Elma. They built a saw and grist mill, a tannery and a few houses on Cazenove Creek a short distance "south of Lower Ebenezer, and later erected a woolen factory and mill on Buffalo Creek, above Middle Ebenezer, calling that place New Ebenezer. This pecul- iar society held their property in common and was incorporated by an act of the Legislature. The entire control of the property and the management of affairs was vested in a board of managers, the leading member of which was for a number of years Charles Meyer, who had been a merchant in Brazil and was a competent business man ; their legal adviser was George R. Babcock, of Buffalo. Their villages were composed of large frame houses, each of which held several families. In these houses the cooking was done in a large kitchen, the meals were served at a common table, but each family had a separate bed- room. Their discipline and morals were severe and strict, and they never had trouble with their neighbors or the authorities. Pauperism and crime were unknown among them. Their products were always the best to be had and their prosperity was marked. Their religious beliefs were peculiar and little known to their American neighbors. This social and business experiment was successful financially, but not in other respects. While their land under careful tillage quadrupled in value, many of their young men and women became uneasy and dissatisfied under the strict discipline. Buffalo was near at hand, where thousands of other Germans were living under very different circum- stances, which appealed forcibly to the young people of the Ebenezer district. Public opinion, too, looked with disfavor upon a community FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 377 living in a manner so at variance with American customs. Their char- ter was for sixteen years and it seemed doubtful if it would be renewed. These conditions, with the desire for more land, led the society in 1856 to purchase a large tract in Iowa, and to sell their property in West Seneca. In this business Mr. Babcock continued to act as their agent and in the early part of 1857 made some sales; but the financial strin- gency of that year closed all similar sales. With the coming of better times the sales continued at reduced prices, and the society conscien- tiously reimbursed the purchasers who had paid the higher prices at the beginning. The managers soon began transferring their people to Iowa and between that time and 1863 all were removed. Their lands, mills, etc., were mostly purchased by other Germans*—the mills at Caz- enove Creek, with 60 acres of land, were sold to John Saxe for $10,000. The woolen factory at Middle Ebenezer passed into possession of J. Schoeflin & Son, who removed the machinery and engaged in the man • ufacture of cider mills, horse powers, etc The factory at New Ebene- zer was burned. The Ebenezer post-office was retained at Lower Ebenezer, and a new one opened at Middle Ebenezer with the name of Gardenville. On the 15th of October, 1850, thetown of Hamburg, which had remained unchanged since its formation in 1812, was divided and the new town of Ellicott erected, comprising all but the two western tiers of lots in township 9, range 7. The first election was held in the following spring. The name of the town was not satisfactory and it was changed to East Hamburg, February 20, 1852. On the 16th of October, 1851, the new town of Seneca was formed, the territory being wholly within the boundaries of the Buffalo Creek Reservation and comprising that part of the reservation formerly em- braced in the towns of Black Rock, Cheektowaga, Hamburg and East Hamburg. The Ebenezer colony comprised the greater part of its inhabitants. On March 25, 1852, the name of this town was changed to West Seneca. Three other new towns were formed in the next two years, which may as well be noticed here. On October 19, 1852, Grand Island was set off from Tonawanda, and on November 24 following the town of North Collins was formed from Collins, with the name Shirley ; the name was changed on June 24, 1853. On December 2, 1853, the town of Marilla was formed, which comprised all of the Buffalo Creek 48 378 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Reservation within the limits of Wales and Alden, excepting the mile- and-a-half strip on the north side. Marilla was the last town but one erected in Erie county. In 1850 the Buffalo and Rochester Railroad Company was formed by the consolidation of the Buffalo and Attica company (before described) and a company which had constructed a road from Attica to Rochester, and in 1852 opened a new direct line from Buffalo to Batavia and sold its line from Buffalo to Attica to the New York City Railroad Com- pany. The latter leased this line to the New York and Erie Company, which built a branch from Attica to Hornellsville, thus forming a con- tinuous line from Buffalo to New York ; this whole line was ready for traffic in 1852. In the same year the Buffalo and New York City Com- pany ' opened a line of road from Buffalo to Batavia, near the line of the Central track, thence eastward to Avon, and thence southeastward to Corning. In a short time, however, the track between Buffalo and Batavia was taken up, while the line beyond Batavia went under con- trol of the Erie company. What was then called the Buffalo and State Line railroad (now a part of the Lake Shore line) was opened for travel between Buffalo and Dunkirk on February 22, 1852, having already been opened from Dun- kirk to the State line on the first of the previous month. This was an era of railroad building and improvement. The Buffalo and Brantford Railroad was begun about 1852 and was completed to Brantford, Ont., in 1854. The line was extended to Goderich in 1858. The name was subsequently changed to Buffalo and Lake Huron Rail- way, and in July, 1868, it was leased in perpetuity to the Grand Trunk Railway Company. In 1853 efforts were made to build a railroad from Buffalo through Aurora and the southeastern part of the county. Early in that year the Buffalo and Pittsburg Railroad Company was chartered under the presidency of the late Orlando Allen. 3 The line was projected to run 1 The name, Buffalo and New York City Company was changed in 1857 to Buffalo, New York and Erie. Its road was subsequently leased to the Erie Company. 2 Orlando Allen was born in New Hartford, N. Y., February 10, 1803. In 1819 he came to Buf- falo and entered the office of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin as a student. This profession did not appeal to the tastes of young Allen and when, in the fall of 1821, Dr. Chapin and Hiram Pratt opened a store, he was employed by them as clerk.' In 1824 he was made manager for Mr. Pratt and Horace Meech, who were then partners in mercantile business ; two years later he became partner with Mr. Pratt, Mr. Meech having retired. Upon the death of Mr. Pratt in 1840 Mr. Allen succeeded him as president of the old Bank of Buffalo. He was identified with various business undertak- FROM 1840 TO THfi CIVIL WAR. 379 near the west end of the village of East Aurora, thence up the valley of Cazenove Creek, and on to the coal fields of Pennsylvania and to Pittsburg. Owing to dissatisfaction with the proposed route, the Buf- falo and Allegany Railroad Company was organized and began work on a line of road designed to extend from the city through the east end of the village of East Aurora, thence up the Cazenove valley to a point near Arcade, where it was to connect with the line running southward from Attica to the Pennsylvania line. Both of these companies did considerable work in 1853 in the vicinity of Aurora, but from lack of financial soundness the last described company first ceased operations but did not abandon its organization ; the other company also stopped work and its organization was given up. Further operations were dis- continued until after the war of the Rebellion. The Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad Company was organ- ized in 1851 and its road completed in 1854, extending from Suspension Bridge to Tonawanda and thence eastward through the northern towns of Erie county and on to Canandaigua ; this line passed to the control of the New York Central in 1858. In May, 1853, the various companies and roads between Buffalo and Albany were consolidated under the name of the New York Central Railroad, making Buffalo the western terminus of one of the greatest railroads in the country. Its importance was still further increased in 1869 by absorption of the Hudson River road. In 1855 the Buffalo and Niagara Falls road was purchased by the Central. Between 1850 and 1860 the lumber trade in Buffalo became an im- portant factor in business. At that date the wholesale trade was con- fined to three or four firms. Previous to that the lumber supply was near at hand in Canada and was shipped across in small schooners, while the hemlock supply came, even down to later years, from the surrounding country on this side. Between 1855 and 1860 the Canada supply began to decline and the superior quality of Michigan pine be- gan to be better known. From that time onward shipments of lumber down the lakes rapidly increased, and a large trade was carried on at Buffalo and Tonawanda. About 1859, when the local supply of hem- iags and was called to several positions of responsibility ; was alderman, in 1835, 1846, and 1847, mayor in 1848, member of assembly in 1850-51 and in 1860. He was also connected with many of the prominent institutions and societies of Buffalo, and was in every way an active and useful citizen. He died September 4, 1874. 380 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. lock declined, the Pennsylvania forests were drawn upon for this market and a large part of the supply still comes from that State. The coal trade, too, which was insignificant prior to 1850, assumed great importance before 1860; In 1852 only 60,000 tons of soft coal was brought to the city, for the supply of foundries and shops. An- thracite coal was first brought into use in Buffalo in any considerable quantity in 1860, and in 1861 it was found difficult to dispose of 25,000 tons. 1 Shipbuilding, which had from the first been carried on at Black Rock, now began to assume importance. There Capt. Asa Stanard and Ben- jamin Bidwell, as the firm of Stanard & Bidwell, built many vessels before 1838. Jacob Banta was another prominent shipbuilder of early days, and built the steamers, Western Metropolis and City of Buffalo. Capt. Frederick N. Jones settled in Buffalo in 1845 and built the pro- peller Pocahontas, the schooner Watts Sherman, and other vessels; he afterwards removed to Tonawanda and continued the same business. During the year ending June 30, 1853, there were built at Buffalo one brig, twelve steamers, and nine schooners, with a gross tonnage of 65,184.25." The growth of these various branches of trade and the rapidly ex- tending commerce of the port demanded greatly increased banking facilities in the city, and several banks were founded between 1850 and 1860 which have ever since possessed the confidence and patronage of the business public. The Marine Bank was organized on the 8th of July, 1850, by George Palmer and James M. Ganson, of Buffalo; James S. Wadsworth, of Geneseo; J. P. Beekman, of Kinderhook; John Arnot, of Elmira; John Mayer and Constant Cook, of Bath, and Will- 1 From the insignificant receipts of coal in 1852, there was an increase in 1868 to 299,914 tons. It is estimated that at the present time the coal imports to Buffalo are nearly 10,000,000 tons. Coal trestles have "been constructed here that are the largest in the world and more than $16,000,000 are invested in shipping docks and stocking plants. 2 Shipbuilding continued to increase and in 1867 there were built here three ships or barks, sixty-nine sloops and canal boats, seven brigs, and fourteen steamers. In 1870 there were built fourteen propellers, one side-wheel steamer, one barge, two sail vessels and twenty-six canal boats. In 1862 David Bell, of Buffalo, built for E. T. Evans the first iron propeller constructed west of New York; she was 850 tons; the iron was rolled in the Pratt mills and almost the entire work was done in Buffalo. In 1851 Sherman Petrie made an effort to get a tug built in Buffalo, •but was unsuccessful, chiefly for the reason that no one had any confidence in the success of the craft financially. The first tug was put afloat in Buffalo harbor in 1855; she was the Franklin and was purchased in Albany by William Farrell. She found plenty of business and others rapidly followed. Among those who have been conspicuous in the shipbuilding interest are David Bell, Samuel Gibson, R. Mills & Co., Baker & Sons, Carroll Bros., William Hingston & Son, Riley Bros., Union Dry Dock Company, C L. Dimmers, and others. FROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 381 iam P. Grimm, of Medina; these were the only stockholders and were all made directors. George Palmer was elected president and James M. Ganson, cashier. In 1853 the capital was increased from $170,000 to $355,000, and again in 1854 to $300,000; in 1859 it was reduced to $200,000. On April 4, 1853, George C White and William Williams, who had for many years conducted a private banking house under the firm name of White & Williams, organized White's Bank, with capital stock of $100,000, which was increased on March 1, 1854, to $200,000. Mr. White was president of the bank and Mr. Williams cashier. The Farmers' and Mechanics' Bank was established in Batavia about 1840 and removed to Buffalo in 1852 through the influence of the late E. G. Spaulding, at which time he was elected president. The first board of trustees were E. G. Spaulding, Rufus L. King, John S. Ganson, William R. Gwinn and H. Pompelly. The capital was $100,000, which was subsequently increased to $200,000. The institution was made a National bank in May, 1864, and on May 1, 1889, was changed to a State bank. The Manufacturers' and Traders' Bank was incorporated under State laws on March 24, 1856, and still remains a State bank. It be- gan business August 29, 1856, with a capital of $200,000. This bank was founded for the especial purpose, of giving the business men of the community more extensive and liberal accommodations than they had previously enjoyed, and its success was marked from the first. In 1859 its capital was increased to $500,000 and in 1870 to^ $900,000. The first officers were Henry Martin, 1 president; Pascal P. Pratt/ vice- president; D. F. Frazell, cashier; G. R. Wilson, Sidney Shepard, M. P. Bush, S. V. R. Watson, 3 Pascal P. Pratt, Bronson C. Rumsey, F. 1 Henry Martin was born in Woodbury, Conn., and at the time of his death, in 1897, was in his ninety-fifth year. He removed to near Lockport when a young man, where he engaged in mer- cantile business and continued it fourteen years. He settled in Buffalo in 1848, took active inter- est in railroads, and was elected president of the Buffalo and Attica road, and others In 1853 he was elected president of the Cleveland and Toledo road. He was president of the Manufacturers' and Traders' fiank of Buffalo for thirty years. 2 A biography of Pascal P. Pratt may be found in Vol. II of this work. - 3 Stephen V. R. Watson was born in Rensselaerville, N. Y., June 13, 1817, and located in Buf- falo in 1844, where he purchased large tracts of real estate which he laid out in lots and sold prin- cipally to Germans. In the early history of the street railroads in Buffalo he took an active interest in their promotion and from that time until his death he labored unceasingly and with success to build up the system and place it on a paying basis. He held the office of assemblyman in 1861, and was at one period president of the Young Men's Association. His death took place June 15, 1880. 382 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. H. Root, Alexander H. Anderson, William H. Glenny,' Wells D. Wal- bridge, George Truscott and John Wilkeson. The first savings bank in Buffalo was chartered May 9, 1846, with the name Buffalo Savings Bank, with the following named officers and trustees: Charles Townsend, president; Francis J. Handel, vice-presi- dent; Nathan K. Hall, attorney; Robert Pomeroy, secretary; Albert H. Tracy, Millard Fillmore, John L. Kimberly, Noah H. Gardner, Francis J. Handel, Frederick Dellenbaugh, Jacob Siebold, Elijah D. Efner, Russell H. Heywood, Warren Bryant, Daniel Bowen, Isaac Sherman, William Tweedy, Hiram P. Thayer, Benjamin Caryl, Charles Townsend, Francis C. Brunck and Ernest G. Gray, trustees. A build- ing was erected for this institution in 1851-52 on Main street, a little south of Court, and was burned in 1865, when a lot was purchased and a building erected on the corner of Washington and Lafayette streets, which is still occupied. The Western Savings Bank was incorporated July 9, 1851, with the following officers: Dean Richmond, president; George W. Tifft, 3 first vice-president; James Hollister, second vice-president; Heman B. Pot- ter, attorney; George Palmer," Seth C. Hawley, Elijah Ford, Henry 1 William H. Glenny was born in the north of Ireland, September 23, 1818. He settled in Buf- falo in 1836 and worked as clerk until 1840, when he opened a small crockery store. His increas- ing business led him to build the block, 27-57 Main street, in 1877, where he built up one of the largest establishments of the kind in the country. He was connected as a director or trustee with several banking institutions. a George W. Tifft was for more than forty years closely identified with the business interests of Buffalo. He was born January 31, 1805. His boyhood and young manhood were passed in the eastern part of this State. From 1826 to 1841 he resided in Orleans county, and in the latter year went to Indiana and began buying grain and shipping it east. After a tour of the Northwest Mr. Tifft settled in Buffalo in 1842 and formed a partnership with Dean Richmond in the milling busi- ness. In the next year he formed the firm of George W. Tifft & Co., which opened a branch of the Troy and Michigan Six-day Line transportation business. This he sold out in 1844 and dur- ing the next ten years he was largely interested in the milling business in Buffalo, in which he was very successful. He had by this time accumulated a considerable fortune. In 1854 he was instrumental in organizing the International Bank, of which he was president, and which failed in the crisis of 1857. About 1858 Mr. Tifft became largely interested in Buffalo real estate. In the year 1863 he built seventy-four dwellings, besides the Tifft House and an elevator; the latter he sold and subsequently erected the Tifft elevator at a cost of $700,000. He became owner of the celebrated Tifft farm, adjoining the city, and other valuable real estate. During the last twenty years of his life he gave most of his attention to the management of the Buffalo Engine Works, which carried on business under the style of George W. Tifft, Sons & Co. While a staunch Re- publican, Mr. Tifft never accepted political office; he was essentially a business man and one of the most active and prominent in Western New York. He died June 22, 1882. 3 George Palmer was born in Tiverton, R. I., April 24, 1792, and settled in Buffalo in 1828, form- ing a partnership with Noah H. Gardner in the leather business. Foreseeing the future pro- gressive city, he purchased and improved much valuable real estate In 1849 he became actively interested in the construction of the State Line Railroad and was chosen president of the com- pany. In 1851 he was elected president of the Marine Bank and held the position until his death. GEORGE W. TIFFT. PROM 1840 TO THE CIVIL WAR. 383 K. Smith, Rufus C. Palmer, John R. Lee, Lucius H. Pratt, Israel T. Hatch, George C. White, William O. Brown, Philip Byer, F. H. Tows, L. L. Hodges, Henry Martin, Gaius B. Rich, George W. Tifft, Nelson K. Hopkins, trustees; James L. Barton, secretary and treasurer. The building occupied by this bank, corner of Main and Court streets, was erected in 1872. The Erie County Savings Bank was incorporated April 10, 1854, and began business on September 1, of the same year. It first occupied a small store owned by William C. White, corner of Main and North Division streets. The first officers were William A. Bird, 1 president; Gibson T. Williams," first vice-president; S. V. R. Watson, second vice-president; Cyrus T. Lee, secretary and treasurer. In June, 1857, the bank was removed to the corner of Main and Erie streets; in 1867 a new building was completed on the corner of Court and Main streets, which was occupied until the splendid edifice on the corner of Niagara, Pearl and Church streets was finished and occupied. By the year 1850 the rapid growth of the preceding five years and the very promising prospects for the future led to discussion of the sub- ject of increasing the area of the city. There was little opposition to the measure, but it did not assume definite shape until April, 1853, when a new charter was granted under the provisions of which the en- tire town of Black Rock, which had theretofore hemmed in the city on He became interested in iron manufacture and established a large furnace, which was merged with a similar business projected by Warren & Thompson, to be known as the Union Iron Works. Mr. Palmer took a deep interest in every undertaking that promised to benefit Buffalo. He died September 19, 1864. 1 William A. Bird was born in Salisbury, Conn., March 33, 1796. The family removed to Troy, N. Y., and lived there a number of years and there his father died in 1806. After spending one year in Yale College he was employed in the boundary commission of which his uncle, Gen. Peter B. Porter, was the chief. In 1818 he took up his permanent home at Black Rock and was during the remainder of his life a foremost citizen of that place. With General Porter and Robert Mc- Pherson he built the first flouring mill at Lower Black Rock, and became a large landholder. He was also prominent in early railroad interests and altogether lived a busy and useful life. ' Gibson T. Williams was born in Charlestown, N. H., January 15, 1813. After obtaining an academic education he began at the age of seventeen years clerking in a store in St. Albans, Vt. At the age of twenty he settled in Buffalo, where he served as clerk. In 1837, in company with Henry C. Atwater, he purchased the business of his employers, Kimberly & Waters, grocers and ship-ehandlers. He continued in this business as a member of, two or three firms until 1850, when he sold out. He subsequently became associated with Henry Roop in building and establishing the Niagara White Lead Company's factory, corner of Delaware and Virginia streets, and with Rufus Howard, built what became the Howard Iron Works. He was called to various positions of trust, among them president of the Young Men's Association, president of the Clinton Bank, vice-president of the Western Insurance Company, etc. He ultimately succeeded to the presi- dency of the Erie County Savings Bank. 384 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the landward side, was absorbed and the enlarged city divided into thirteen wards. This change gave the city an extent of about nine miles in length, north and south, and from three to five miles width. The city boundaries have not since been materially changed. Under the new charter the mayor, comptroller, treasurer, attorney, surveyor, street commissioner, superintendent of schools, and overseer of the poor were elected for two years; the mayor ceased to be a member of the Common Council and a presiding officer of that body was thereafter seleeted from the members. Eli Cook 1 was elected mayor in 1854, and assumed the duties of the office with far greater responsibilities than had fallen upon his predecessors. On December 4, 1857, the last subdivision of Erie county was made in the formation of the town of Elma, which included a tract of about six miles square taken from Lancaster and Aurora. The first town meeting was held March 19, 1858. The unprecedented prosperity of the country, in which Erie county had shared to a conspicuous degree, as outlined in foregoing pages, was brought to a sudden and disastrous termination in 1857. The tide of prosperity brought its own destruction ; business of all kinds, public and private, had been greatly overdone; railroads and other great undertakings had been recklessly projected in all parts of the country; banks had multiplied and inflated the currency beyond necessity and prudence, and another financial crash ensued. The climax was reached when in the fall of 1857 the New York banks suspended specie pay- ment. The money market in Buffalo had been growing more and more stringent for several months, and it is believed that if the New York banks had postponed suspension a little longer, failures in this city would have been much _more numerous than they were. As it was, many business men were forced to the wall and several banks failed, while real estate operations ceased and prices went down to a fraction of what they had been ; general business was paralyzed, and in the lan- guage of one of the oldest bankers of Buffalo, "It seemed as if the whole town was not worth a dollar." But serious as was this crisis, it wrought far lessinjury in Erie county than the panic of 1836-7, and recovery was much more rapid. The 1 Eli Cook was a native of Montgomery county, N. Y. , and settled in Buffalo in 1888. Previous to that date he had practiced law in Utica and had an excellent reputation as a criminal lawyer. Besides the office of mayor, he was elected district attorney of Erie county. His death took place February 25, 1865. FROM 1860 TO 1870. 385 same causes which, to a great extent, have always rendered Buffalo self-dependent, and to which reference has been made in these pages, — her advantageous situation in a commercial sense; her position as an important railroad center and the terminus of the Erie Canal; her enormous elevator interests.; her accessibility as a market for surround- ing towns, and the fact that many of her business men had accumulated large means — all contributed to her ability to pass with comparative safety through such a crisis. CHAPTER XXIV. THE WAR PERIOD— 1860 to 1870. The Election of 1860— Bombardment of Fort Sumter— First and Second Calls for Troops— First War Meeting— The 21st Regiment— The 44th Regiment— The 10th Cavalry— The 11th Cavalry— The 12th Cavalry— The 14th Cavalry— The 16th Cav- alry—The 24th Cavalry— Wiedrich's Battery— The 27th Light Battery— The 23d Light Battery — The 2d Mounted Rifles — Committee on the Defense of the Union — The 49th Regiment— The 100th Regiment— The 116th Regiment— Draft and Boun- ties—The 155th Regiment— The 164th Regiment— Bounties— Draft of 1864— Issue of Bonds — Great Central Fair — Rumored Rebel Invasion from Canada— Lincoln's Re-election — The 187th Regiment — Bounties — Draft of 1865— Summary of En- listments — Close of the War — First Street Railway — Change in Basis of Repre- sentation in Board of Supervisors — The Buffalo Historical Society — The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy — Seeming Prosperity After the War — Railroad Building— Introduc- tion of Manufacturing Interests — Wholesale Mercantile Trade — Banks — The Grosvenor Library — The Young Men's Christian Association — Burning of the American Hotel — The Fenian Episode — Reorganization of the Buffalo Police De- partment — Buffalo Builders' Exchange — Political. In the year 1860 the country passed through the most important presidential campaign since the formation of the Union. There were four national tickets in the field, headed respectively by Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and. Stephen A. Douglas. Of the 303 electoral votes, Lincoln received 180; Breckinridge, 72; Bell, 39 ; Douglas, 12. Breckinridge and Bell received very few votes in Erie county, and although Lincoln received a majority it was not a large one. Elbridge G. Spaulding was re-elected to Congress, and the 49 386 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. other successful candidates from this county are named in the civil list in later pages of this volume. There was great rejoicing in the triumphant Republican party throughout the Northern States, but with it was mingled a swelling volume of dissatisfaction and rage which rolled up from the South and finally culminated in open rebellion and secession of the States. These demonstrations were looked upon at the North for some months as idle boasts and intimidating threats of the slave-holding people and, while suppressed excitement was apparent in every community, few yet believed that the misguided Southerners would resort to open warfare. The Buffalo morning newspapers of April 15, 1861, were burdened with tidings of the bombardment of Fort Sumter on the 12th and 13th. Many are now living in Erie county who passed through the exciting scenes of the days that immediately followed. Business of all kinds, public and private, was largely neglected for the discussion of the por- tentous event. War was the sole topic of conversation ; but even yet it was thought by most men of intelligence and judgment that the moment the strong arm of the government was uplifted against the offenders they would abandon their treasonable outbreak and submit to national authority. Many months elapsed, blood was shed in the border States, and millions of treasure were expended before even the highest government officials realized that a long and desolating war had begun. On the 15th of April, the day of the evacuation of Fort Sumter, President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 militia for three months' service. This call was in itself sufficient evidence of the general belief in Washington that the war would prove to be only a summer-long conflict. The quota of New York State under this call was 13,280, and it was more than filled. On the 3d of May another call for troops was issued, under which and acts approved July 22 and 25, 500,000 men were required 1 . No sooner was the first call for troops made public than Erie county, and particularly Buffalo city, was in a fever of martial enthusiasm. Flags leaped from a thousand windows and the stirring music of fife and drum was abroad in the streets. A meeting was called at the old court house for the evening of the 15th to organize what was then termed a body of minute men for immediate service. At an early hour a crowd assembled, and Eli Cook was chosen chairman of the meeting. He made an impassioned speech, before the close of which such a crowd had gathered that an PROM 1860 TO 1870. 387 adjournment was made to Kremlin Hall, where the gathering soon overflowed into the street in front of the American Hotel. After a number of fiery speeches had there been made it was announced that a roll was waiting for signatures in the court house, whereupon hundreds hurried away in that direction, and 102 names were signed to the roll that evening. Similar scenes were enacted on succeeding days and on the 18th Gen. Gustavus A. Scroggs called a meeting of those who had volunteered, at which the first company from Erie county was organ- ized; its officers were William H. Drew, captain; R. P. Gardner, first lieutenant ; E. R. P. Shurley, second lieutenant. In the meantime the militia regiments prepared for whatever service might be demanded. Col. Chauncey Abbott, replying to an inquiry from the governor of the State, stated that he had 250 men ready for duty, and recruiting offices for the 74th and 65th Regiments were opened in the city. A company calling themselves the Union Continentals was organized within a few days after the call for troops, for local duty ; it was com- posed of about one hundred elderly men of the city, adopted the old Continental uniform, and elected Millard Fillmore captain. Relief societies were promptly formed, in which patriotic women were most active, and within a short time subscriptions for the relief of families of volunteers were made to the amount of $30,000, to which sum $50,- 000 was added by the Common Council. While volunteering during the early months was almost wholly done in the city, war excitement and enthusiasm rapidly extended into the outer towns and young men began to hurry to the recruiting offices. By the 3d of May three com- panies, in addition to the one above mentioned, were raised and the four prepared to leave for Elmira. Then ensued one of those memo- rable scenes, so frequently witnessed during the next four years in every large community. The Union Continentals turned out as escort to the departing soldiers, who assembled in Niagara Square and were greeted by an immense assemblage. They were presented with a flag by Miss Julia Paddock, in behalf of Central School, and then, amid cheers of encouragement, marched to the station and left for their destination. The six other companies needed to constitute a regiment were quickly enlisted, and on the 11th of May they also departed for Elmira, where the ten were organized into the 21st Regiment of New York Volunteer Infantry — the first regiment raised in the county for that war. Its field and staff officers were as follows : Colonel, William E. Rogers ; 388 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. lieutenant-colonel, Adrian R, Root; major, William H. Drew; adju- tant, C. W. Sternberg; surgeon, H. P. Clinton; assistant-surgeon, J. A. Peters; chaplain, John E. Robie. The unnecessary and wholly impracticable task of giving a detailed account of the experiences of each military organization that went to the war from this county will not be attempted for this work. For such details the reader must be referred to the many excellent histories of the war as a whole which are found in all libraries. For these pages it must suffice to present such facts connected with the great conflict as possess paramount local interest. The 21st Regiment left Elmira for Washington on the 18th of June and was stationed near Washington during the fall and winter. In the ensuing summer and fall it participated in the second battle of Bull Run, in which it suffered heavy losses ; the battles of South Mountain, Antietam and Fredericksburg. During the latter part of its two years' term it was acting as provost guard, and was sent home at the last of April, 1863. A grand reception was tendered the regiment in Buffalo. Many of the rank and file of this organization re- enlisted and served through the war. While the 21st Regiment was being enlisted, and very soon after the fall of Sumter, Theodore B. Hamilton, of Buffalo, raised a company of infantry, which was at first known as the Richmond Guards, in honor of Dean Richmond. The company proceeded to Elmira under Captain Hamilton ; First Lieutenant Alexis E. Eustaphieve, and Second Lieuten- ant Ira V. Germain. It became a part of the 33d New York Infantry, organized May 21, 1861, for two years of service. The career of that regiment was an honorable one. During the summer of 1861, also, what was known as the Ellsworth Regiment was raised in various parts of the State and mustered into the service between August 30 and October 15, under the number 44. Company A of this regiment was enlisted in Erie county and went out with Edward P. Chapin, captain; George M. Love, first lieutenant; Benjamin K. Kimberly, second lieutenant. The regiment formed a part of the Army of the Potomac during the war and participated in all of the principal engagements. It was mustered out October 11, 1864. 'Captain Chapin was promoted to major in January, 1862, and in August following resigned to accept the colonelcy of the 116th New York Regi- ment, as noticed farther on. While these infantry organizations were hastening to the front, steps FROM 1860 TO 1870. 389 were taken for the organization of the 10th Cavalry, known also as the Porter Guard. Maj. John C. Lemmon raised the regiment and went out as its colonel. Four companies of this regiment were almost wholly from Erie county ; the first under Capt. Albert H. Jarvis and Lieuts. Henry Field and John C. Hart; the second under Capt. John Ordner and Lieuts. Barney L. Luther and John Werick; the fourth under Capt. Norris Morey and Lieuts. Layton T. Baldwin and William A. Snyder; the fifth under Capt. Wilkinson W. Paige and First Lieut. William H. Whitney. The regiment was mustered into service between Septem- ber 27 and December 23, 1861, and was consolidated June 17, I860, with the 24th Cavalry, forming the 1st Provisional Cavalry, and was soon afterWard mustered out. The list of engagenfents in which the regiment participated includes Leesburg, Brandy Station, Middleburg, Gettysburg, Shepherdstown, Stoneman's Raid, Sulphur Springs, Todd's Tavern, Trevillian Station, St. Mary's Church, Hatcher's Run, Charles City, Reams Station, Vaughn Road, and Boyd ton Road. Captains Ordner and Paige, from Erie county, were killed in action. Company M of the 11th New York Cavalry was raised in Buffalo; its first officers were John Norris, captain ; first lieutenant, Ira W. Allen ; - second lieutenant, James S. Bennett. The regiment was mustered into service in the winter of 1861-62, and was on duty principally in Louisiana. Samuel H. Wilkeson was appointed lieutenant- colonel, and later received a colonel's commission. Captain Norris resigned in February, 1863, and Lieutenant Bennett in January, 1865. Two companies of the 12th Cavalry were raised in Erie county ; they were lettered K and M, the former under command at the time of mus- ter of Second Lieut. Andrew T. Pierson; the latter of First Lieut. William H. Ashfo.rd, with Edward M. Ketchum second lieutenant. The regiment was mustered in detachments between November 10, 1862, and September 25, 1863. Its service was principally in North Carolina. The regiment was mustered out July 9, 1865. The 14th Cavalry was mustered into service between November, 1862, and July, 1863, and contained one company from this county, commanded by Capt. Albert W. Metcalf. In August, 1863, the regi- ment was consolidated with the 18th New York Cavalry, and was mus- tered out in that condition in May, 1866. Captain Metcalf was dis- charged in May, 1863, but again commissioned in June, 1864. Dyer D. Lum, who was mustered as first sergeant of the Erie county com- pany, was commissioned adjutant in February, 1864, and as captain in October. 390 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Although a little out of chronological order, the cavalry enlistments from Erie county in two other regiments may be properly noticed here. In the 16th Regiment were four companies from this county, as follows: Co. B, Capt. John Nicholson; First Lieut. William J. Keays. Co. C, Capt. Joseph Schneider; First Lieut. Francis M. Baker; Second Lieut. Julius Winsperger. Co. D, Capt. A. L. Washburn ; First Lieut. G. H. Grosvenor. Co. E, Capt. Charles E. Morse ; First Lieut. W. H. Wells. The regiment was mustered into service between June and October, 1863, and served chiefly in North Carolina. It was con- solidated with the 13th New York Cavalry June 23, 1865, becoming the 3d Provisional Cavalry, and was mustered out September 21, 1865. Captain Nicholson was promoted to major February 4, 1865; and Lieutenants Baker, Keays and Winsperger were promoted to captains. Three companies of the 24th Cavalry were principally enlisted in Erie county and mustered in with the regiment in January, 1864. At the time of the muster the officers of the three companies were as fol- lows: Of the first, Leland Doolittle, captain; Willard S. Silliman, first lieutenant. Of the second, Charles B. Coventry, captain; Benjamin F. Street, first lieutenant. Of the third, Morris H. Alberger, captain; H. J. Tucker, first lieutenant; William W. Cook, second lieutenant. The regiment joined the Army of the Potomac and performed an active part in the great campaign of 1864-65. Captain Alberger was appoint- ed quartermaster with rank of captain in December, 1864, and subse- quently was brevetted lieutenant-colonel. Captain Doolittle was ap- pointed surgeon in February, 1864. First Lieut. Abram Tucker was promoted to captain in December, 1864. The regiment was con- solidated with the 10th Cavalry and made the 1st Provisional Cavalry in June, 1865, and was thus mustered out. 1 1 No adequate history of the operations of our cavalry in the Civil war has yet been written. When this task is accomplished, if it ever is, the fact will be made clear that the men who rode horses did their full share in putting down the Rebellion and are, therefore, entitled upon equal terms with their comrades in other branches of the service to the gratitude and admiration of the nation. From the beginning of the struggle until well along in 1862 the government not only systematically and persistently discouraged the formation of cavalry organizations, but in many cases refused to muster them into the service after they had been raised and offered by the various States. General Scott was in command of all of our forces until November, 1861. A let- ter from him to President Lincoln under date of March 3, 1861. shows that he realized quite 'clearly the seriousness of the oncoming conflict. He had used mounted troops and had testified to their usefulness. From the breaking out of hostilities our armies were everywhere confronted by Confederate cavalry, from three to five thousand of which were operating in Virginia alone. All of the ablest commanding officers of the Northern armies in the field constantly urged the necessity for mounted troops and asked for them. When that arm of the service was ultimately given its well known strength, the reader of the history of the war is inevitably impressed with FROM 1860 TO 1870. 391 An organization that acquired considerable fame in the history of the war and helped to swell the long roll of enlistments in Erie county in 1861, was known as Wiedrich's Battery, which was organized in Au- gust, 1861, as Battery I, of the 1st New York Artillery; it served as a sepa- rate battery during the greater part of the war. When organized it was composed of 140 men and the following principal officers: Cap- tain, Michael Wiedrich; first lieutenants, Nicholas Sahm and Diedrich Erdmann; second lieutenants, Christopher Schmidt and Jacob Schenk- elberger. Its membership was wholly of German birth or parent- age and bravely upheld on many fields the reputation of that national- ity for heroism. The battery left Buffalo October 16, 1861, and during the ensuing winter was most of the time in camp\ During the re- mainder of its term it was actively engaged, participating in battles at Cross Keys, Freeman's Ford, Second Bull Run (where Lieutenant Schenkelberger and thirteen men were wounded out of about 100), Chan- cellorsville (four killed and fourteen wounded), Gettysburg (three killed and seventeen wounded), Lookout Mountain, Missionary Ridge, Lost Mountain, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, siege of At- lanta, and marched northward with Sherman's troops. In February, 1863, Captain Wiedrich was promoted to lieutenant-colonel of the 15th Cavalry. Lieutenant Sahm was promoted to captain, but soon died, and Captain Winegar took command. Sixty of the men re-enlisted as veterans. It was mustered out with a most enviable record early in 1865. The 27th Light Battery was raised in Erie county and mustered into service for three years December 17, 1862. Its captain was John B. Eaton, promoted to lieutenant colonel and mustered out with the bat- tery; first lieutenant, William A. Bird; second lieutenant, Charles A. Clark, promoted to first lieutenant in February, 1863, and to captain of the 12th Battery in January, 1865. This battery joined the Army of the Potomac and gained distinguished honor for bravery in the battle of the Wilderness, at Cold Harbor, and before Petersburg. It was mustered out June 22, 1865. The 23d Light Battery was raised in Erie, Niagara and Chautauqua counties, with Alger M. Wheeler, captain; J. D. Woods and Orville S. Dewey, first lieutenants ; Otis S. Drake and William G. Burt, second the story of its effective deeds on many fields. ' It is difficult to account for the attitude assumed by the government toward this branch of the service in the early months of the war; but what is still more remarkable is the fact that, under the circumstances, the mistaken policy was adhered to so long. 392 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. lieutenants. The battery served principally in the defenses of Wash- ington and was mustered into service August 31, 1863. Three companies of the 2d Mounted Rifles were raised principally in Erie county; they were lettered D, H, and K. The regiment was organized in the summer andautumn of 1862 at Buffalo and served to the close of the war. At the time of muster the principal officers of the three Erie county companies were as follows: Co. D, Henry Wells, captain; Augustus Budd and Franklin Rogers, lieutenants. Co. H, Jams T. Hall, captain; Harlan J. Swift, second lieutenant. Co. K, Samuel D. Stevenson, captain; John V. Bedell and John F. Numan, lieutenants. The regiment became a part of the Army of the Potomac and fought at Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Bethesda Church, Weldon Railroad, Hatcher's Run and Poplar Spring Church. Early in the progress of the war there was appointed in Buffalo a Committee on the Defense of the Union, which was active and efficient in promoting enlistments. Under the midsummer call for volunteers before mentioned the State quota was more than filled. The Buffalo committee held a meeting at which were present Major F. A. Alberger, H. W. Rogers and Jason Sexton, from the citizen's branch of the com- mittee, and Aldermen A. S. Bemis, E. P. Dorr, James Adams,, Ed- ward Storck, A. A. Howard and C. E. Felton, of the Common Council. The committee adopted a resolution that they would provide subsistence and other material aid toward the formation of a second regiment, and requested Major Daniel D. Bidwell to begin taking en- listments. On the 30th of July Major Bidwell' sent out his first re- cruiting papers and enlistments went rapidly forward. Early in Sep- tember the companies and parts of companies assembled in Buffalo and on the 16th, though not entirely filled, the regiment departed for New York, where a Westchester company was added and the regiment took the number 49. Following were the field and staff officers : Colonel, Daniel D. Bidwell; lieutenant- colonel, William C. Alberger; major, George W. Johnson; adjutant, William D. Bullymore; quartermaster, Henry D. Tillinghast; surgeon, James A. Hall; assistant-surgeon, William W. Potter; chaplain, Rev. John Baldwin. On the 21st of September the 49th proceeded to Washington, was assigned to the 3d Brigade in the division commanded by Gen. W. F. 1 Major Bidwell was a son of the early shipbuilder. Benjamin Bidwell, and had long been an active militia officer. His company had acquired a State reputation for its high grade of drill and discipline. FROM 1860 TO 1870, 393 Smith, where it remained during its term of service. In March, 1862, the 49th accompanied a portion of the Army of the Potomac to Fortress Monroe, and after that date participated in the following principal en- gagements : Siege of Yorktown, Mechanicsville, Gaines's Mill, Antie- tam, Chancellorsville, the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Fort Stevens, Opequan Creek, and many other engagements. During two weeks in May, 1864J the 49th lost in killed or mortally, wounded its major and five captains, while the rank and file suffered in proportion. Two days after the engagement at Opequan Creek, eighty-nine men, all that were left of the original regiment who had not re-enlisted, were sent to Buffalo and discharged. An examination of the rolls on the field at that time showed that they had contained in all 1,550 names and that there were 410 men in the field; these were formed into a battalion of five companies under Lieutenant- Colonel Holt; Capt. George H. Sel- kirk, of Buffalo, was commissioned major, and the old number 49 was retained. From that time until the last shot of the war was fired this organization was engaged in the most arduous service and shared in many notable engagements. Lieutenant Colonel Holt was mortally wounded as late as the 2d of April, 1865. The battalion was mustered out on June 27 and arrived in Buffalo July 3. Out of more than 1,500 men whose names had been on the rolls, eighteen officers and 274 were mustered out. Sixteen officers had been killed or mortally wounded. On the 22d day of August, 1861, less than a month after enlistments began for the 49th Regiment, Gen. Gustavus A. Scroggs received authority from the War Department to raise and organize a brigade of four regiments of three years men. He immediately set about the task, but owing to the constant demand for troops and the necessity for hastening every regiment to the front as soon as it was filled, the full purpose of forming the proposed brigade was not effected. During the first half of September recruiting orders were issued to various captains and enlistments proceeded, the first company from Concord being filled by October 1. When this company appeared in Buffalo Gen- eral Scroggs established a camp at Fort Porter, named it Camp Mor- gan, in honor of the patriotic governor of New York, erected barracks and provided rations for the men. Other companies succeeded and in January, 1862, the regiment was given the number 100. On the 7th of February the regiment was so nearly filled that the officers received their commissions, the field and staff being as follows: Colonel, James M. Brown; lieutenant-colonel, Phineas Staunton; major, Calvin N. 50 394 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Otis; adjutant, Peter R. Chadwick; quartermaster, Samuel M. Cham- berlain; surgeon, Martin S. Kittenger; assistant surgeon, William D. Murray. Many of the volunteers of this regiment were from towns in Erie county outside of, Buffalo; for example, Co. A was from Concord; Co. D principally from Tonawanda and Grand Island; while nearly every other town in the county had ten or more representatives in the ranks of the 100th. The regiment left Buffalo on the 7th of March, 1862, and arrived at Washington on the 12th, where they were placed in the First Brigade of Casey's Division. Leaving Washington on the 29th, they arrived at Newport News on the 1st of April. The prin- cipal engagements in which this regiment participated were Yorktown, Fair Oaks (in which the regiment suffered severely), Malvern Hill, Charleston, Fort Wagner, Drufy's Bluff, Deep Bottom, and in the ope- rations around Petersburg and Richmond and the pursuit of Lee after his evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. By the last of July, 1862, battle and disease had reduced the number of men fit for duty in this regiment to about 440 When this fact reached Buffalo'and fears were expressed that the regiment might be consolidated with another and its identity lost, the Buffalo Board of Trade took the organization under its especial charge, and by its prompt and efficient action sent forward before the 1st of October, 345 recruits. Among the notable losses of the regiment was Colonel Brown, who disappeared in the heat of battle at Fair Oaks and his particular fate was never known ; Lieutenant Kel- logg and Lieutenant Wilkeson, both killed in the same engagement; Adjutant Haddock and Lieutenant Runckle killed and Lieutenant Brown mortally wounded at the siege of Fort Wagner. During its period of service ten of its officers were killed in action or mortally wounded ; these were Col. James M. Brown, Maj. James H. Dandy, Capt. William Richardson, Lieuts. Samuel S. Kellogg, John Wilkeson, jr., Herbert H. Haddock, Charles H. Runckle, James H. French, Azor H. Hoyt and Cyrus Brown. In July, 1865, the remnant of the 100th was con- solidated with what was left of the 148th and 158th Regiments, and this organization was mustered out at Richmond on the 28th of August. The fall election of 1861 was an unimportant one as far as related to the character of the offices to be filled, and scarcely attracted attention * from the exciting events of the war. Although the Republicans swept the State by more than 100,000 majority, the Democrats were partially successful in Erie county, and elected John Ganson State senator. On the 7th day of July, 1862, Governor Morgan issued an order FROM 1860 TO 1870. 395 directing the raising of a new regiment in each of the thirty-two Sena- torial Districts of the State, to aid in filling the quota under the call of the president of July 2 for 300,000 volunteers for three year's service. By this time it had become far more difficult to procure enlistments than it was in the spring of 1861 ; the gravity of the war and its hardships and fatalities were beginning to be appreciated, and and this State had already sent nearly 150,000 men into the field. But there remained in Erie county sufficient patriotic energy and liberality to successfully meet the emergency. A long series of war meetings was inaugurated in Buffalo and spread into all the towns, at which elo- quent speakers inspired the assembled people with military enthusiasm ; liberal bounties were provided by the State and nati6*nal governments, and generous subscriptions by individuals, and in Buffalo a general aid society was formed in the summer of 1862, which gave volunteers assurance that the wants of themselves and their families would not be neglected. Among other means adopted for raising money for boun- ties and other purposes was the inauguration of a great festival at Moffitt's grove on July 25. Erie county constituted the 31st Regimental District, and the follow- ing men were appointed a committee to supervise enlistments for the new organization: Henry M. Lansing (brigadier-general of State militia), George W. Clinton, Nathan K. Hall, William G. Fargo, John Ganson, Jacob Beyer, Henry M. Kinne, John D. Deshler, Philip Dor- sheimer, Asaph S. Bemis, E. S. Warren, S. G. Austin and Alexander Harvey. The colonelcy of the regiment was tendered to John Wilke- son, Henry W. Rogers, and finally to Maj. Edward P. Chapin, 1 who accepted, and at once took command at Camp Morgan and sent throughout the county the proper authority for beginning enlistments. The work was pressed forward with such energy that, notwithstanding the fact that three regiments had been raised in the county within about a year, by the 3d of September, 929 men had enlisted and the regi- ment was mustered into the service as the 116th, with the following field and staff officers : Colonel, Edward P. Chapin ; lieutenant-colonel, Robert Cottier; major, George M. Love; adjutant, John B. Weber; surgeon, C. B. Hutehins ; first assistant-surgeon, Uri C. Lynde ; second 1 Major Chapin was a lawyer and had practiced about nine years in Buffalo. Soon after the ■beginning of the war he raised a company for the 44th Regiment, and was promoted to the post of major. His presence in Buffalo at the time when the 116th was being raised was owing to a wound received by him at Hanover Court House in May of that year. 396 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. assistant-surgeon, Carey W. Howe; quartermaster, James Adams; chaplain, Welton M. Moddesit. The new regiment left Buffalo on the oth of September, halted at Baltimore until November 7, and pro- ceeded by boat to Fortress Monroe. Thence it went early in December to join the celebrated Banks expedition and was stationed in the vicinity of New Orleans. Early in February, 1863, the 116th was transferred to Baton Rouge and assigned to the 1st Brigade of the 3d Division. There Colonel Chapin was placed in command of the new brigade, in which all the regiments excepting his own were nine months men. The principal engagements in which the 116th partici- pated were the following: Plane Store (thirteen killed, forty -four wounded); Port Hudson (106 killed and wounded, the killed including Colonel Chapin and Lieut. David Jones) ; Cox's Plantation (Capt. David W. Tuttle and four privates killed, and twenty-two wounded); the Red River expedition; Sabine Cross Roads and Pleasant Hill (thirty- three killed and wounded) ; Opequan Creek (nine killed, forty wounded) ; in Shenandoah Valley on the day of Sheridan's celebrated ride (fifty-one killed and wounded). After this date the 116th was employed on pro- vost guard duty near Washington until June 8, 1865, when it was mustered out, and arrived in Buffalo June 13, where they were publicly welcomed. Although the regiment did not suffer in battle so severely as many in the Army of the Potomac, yet eighty-nine of its officers and men were killed or mortally wounded, and eighty-four died of disease during its term of service; 203 officers and men were wounded in action. 1 In the work of procuring volunteers to fill the various quotas of Erie county, the supervisors were supported by their constituents in a policy so liberal that the gross sum expended for the payment of bounties was approximately $2,000,000. A considerable part of this sum was, how- ever, returned by the State. The first action taken by Erie county towards providing money to pay bounties was the adoption of a resolu- tion on October 25, 1862, by the Common Council of the city, that a committee of one from each ward be appointed to appear before the Board of Supervisors and urge the appropriation of a sufficient sum of money to pay bounties to the number of volunteers required to fill the quota under the call before mentioned for 300,000 volunteers. Under 1 A call was issued by the President on August 4, 1862, for 300,000 militia for nine months' service, under which the quota for New York was 59,705; but less than 2,000 were furnished, and only about 87,000 of the whole number were enlisted in all of the States. FROM 1860 TO 1870. 397 that call a draft had been originally ordered to fill all deficiencies on August 15; but a postponement was subsequently ordered to September 1, and a draft was finally not necessary. A committee of the Board of Supervisors had previously been appointed, consisting of James S. Lyon, Francis Fisher, Harrison F. Foster, Seth Fenner and William King, to take charge of the bounty business; this committee, with some changes in its membership, was continued through the war and was designated as the Bounty Committee. On the 9th of October, 1862, the committee reported to the board in favor of paying $100 to ' ' each and every volunteer enlisting in this county from and after the 28th day of October, 1862, to November 10," to which last named date the draft had been again postponed. If the quota was not filled by November 10, the committee advocated the continuation of the bounty. A fund of $150,000 was authorized to be raised by tax to meet the payment of these bounties. This action stimulated enlist- ments and on the 1st of December the Bounty Committee reported that they had paid bounty to 441 volunteers between October 31 and November 30, 204 of whom were credited to the city and the remainder to the towns of the county. Under the pressure of enlistments during the fall of 1862 companies and parts of companies were raised in Erie county, with the expecta- tion that another full regiment could be organized. As this proved to be impracticable at that time, these men were assigned to various regiments. Two companies were assigned to the 155th Regiment, raised mostly in New York city, and were lettered I and K. The regi- ment was mustered in on November 18, 1862, and mustered out July 15, 1865. Co. I was commanded by Capt. John Byrne, who rose to the rank of colonel ; Co. K, by Capt. James McConvey, who was pro- moted to major. On the 19th of November, 1862, the day after the muster of the foregoing regiment, the 164th Regiment was mustered in with two companies of Erie county men; these were Co. C, Capt. Timothy W. Kelly, and Co. D, Capt. Christopher Graham. The colonel was John E. McMahon, of Buffalo; the quartermaster, Maurice Courtney; the surgeon, Matthew F. Regan; assistant-surgeon, John C. Wall; quartermaster- sergeant, Stephen A. Callanan; commissary- sergeant, William Bryan, were also Erie county men. This regiment had an honorable career and suffered heavy losses. Enlistments progressed slowly in the fall of 1862 and the early months of 1863. Dissatisfaction with the war was increasing in the 398 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. North ; losses on the battlefields had been heavy and many patriotic people were becoming discouraged. These conditions were aggravated in this State by the result of the fall election of 1862, in which Horatio Seymour, whose opposition to war measures was well understood, was elected governor over James S. Wadsworth ; Seymour's vote in Erie county was 11,783, and Wadsworth's 9,642. Seymour's majority in the State was only about 10,000. The next calls for troops were not made until October 17, 1863, and February 1, 1864, which were for 500,000 men (in the aggregate) for three years. Under these calls the quota for this State was 81,000; about 16,000 paid the commutation fee permitted by the regulations. Within the next six weeks and on March 14, another call came for 200,000 volunteers, under which the quota of New York was 32,794. Down to the time of these calls Erie county had met with no very great difficulty in securing enlistments as demanded, and now strenuous efforts were inaugurated to meet the existing emergency and escape a draft. The Board of Supervisors held repeated special sessions, and after the presentation of various resolutions in favor of raising money for bounties, which were tabled, a regularly appointed committee re- ported to the board in favor of authorizing the bounty committee to issue bonds to an amount not exceeding $500, 000, none of which should be payable later than February 1, 1874, and to pay such bounties for volunteers as they should think best, but no more than $330 to each man ; of such bounties the city was to be charged with 60 per cent, and the towns 40 per cent. This report was adopted. The bounty committee up to November 30, 1863, consisted of five members; on that date these were H. F. Foster, J. W. Smith, C. E. Young, James S. Lyon and Charles C. Grove. On the date just named the number was increased to seven. On the 1 st of December the committee re- ported that they were paying a bounty of $300 and that bonds had been issued as above authorized. On the 23d of March, a week after the call for 200,000 men, above noticed, the Board of Supervisors met in special session to further con- sider the bounty question. The bounty committee reported that up to date they had paid to 1,337 men $416,100 15 " 320 (premium) 4,800 10 " 925 " _ 9,250 150 " 291 (bounty) 43,650 FROM 1860 TO 1870. 399 $20 to 115 (premium) $3,300 25 " ^176 " 4,400 100 " 190(bounty) 19,000 5 " 777(premium) 775 Total $500,275 There was at this time a deficiency in the county's quota of 1,700 men. Under the call for 200,000 the quota was about 1,261. On the second day of the session the bounty committee reported in favor of authorizing the treasurer to borrow $200, 000, for which bonds were to be issued payable in 1865, 1866, and 1867, on the basis before stated — 60 per cent, by the city and remainder by the towns. Under this call a draft was ordered for all deficiencies found on April 15, but it did not take place in this county until June 9. On that date deficiencies were reported of 292 men. There was much suppressed excitement in the city, but the majority of the people philosophically accepted the situation and peacefully prepared to take their chances with their neighbors. The draft took place in the main hall of the Arcade building, under supervision of a committee consisting of Alden Fitzgerald, Edward Slater and Jeremiah Mahoney. On the first day the draft was made for the First, Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth wards — 21 men from the First; 19 from the Second; 14 from the Third; 15 from the Fourth, and 23 from the Fifth. Continuing the next day there were drafted from the Sixth ward, 20 ; Seventh, 18 ; Eighth, 15 ; Ninth, 9; Tenth, 10; Eleventh, 9; Twelfth, 8; Thirteenth 3. The draft from the towns was as follows: Alden, 5; Amherst, 7; Aurora 4; Boston, 2; Brant, 2; Cheektowaga, 4; Clarence, 6; Colden, 3; Col lins, 4; Concord, 5; East Hamburg, 4; Eden, 4; Elma, 6; Evans, 4 Grand Island, 4; Hamburg, 5; Holland, 3 ; Lancaster, 8 ; Marilla, 3 Newstead, 6; North Collins, 3; Sardinia, 4; Tonawanda, 6; Wales, 2 West Seneca, 5. By this time it was well known that another call for troops was im- minent, while the county was still somewhat in arrears on its former quotas. Another special session was, therefore, called on June 22. A resolution was promptly adopted directing the issue of bonds to the amount of $600,000, under supervision of a committee of nine, to be used by such committee in payment of bounties sufficient to secure en- listments to meet all deficiencies. The committee consisted of Joseph H. Plumb, Philip D. Riley, William Ring, Henry Moshel, H. F. Fos- ter, Benjamin Miller, Hugh Webster and P. A. Matteson. The call 400 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. came on July 18 for 500,000 men, the quota for Erie county being 3,004. This quota was filled by energetic work and the payment of further large bounties. The average cost of about 1,000 of the recruits was $565 each; the remainder somewhat less; the total paid out for the quota was $652,477.19. On this quota was credited 150 substitutes pro- cured by the committee for men liable to draft, at an average cost of $158 each. Other expenditures raised the amount paid out at that time to about $800,000. Little farther action on the part of the authorities was necessary during the year 1864. In the mean time, and as one method of raising funds for volunteer purposes, a great Central Fair, as it was termed, was opened in Buffalo February 22, 1864, under the presidency of Mrs. William G. Fargo, and directed by a committee of one hundred persons. It continued about nine days and produced about $30,000 for the cause. About the middle of August, 1864, exciting rumors of a rebel inva- sion from Canada caused much excitement in this county, as well as elsewhere along the frontier. A messenger was sent from Buffalo to confer with General Dix on the subject, and it was there learned that there was an undoubted plot in progress in Canada for the destruction of cities and villages near the northern boundary of the State. A guard was placed over the arsenal in Buffalo and other protective measures were adopted, but happily the plans of the enemy were abandoned. With the successful filling of the last quota in this county, as before described, enlistments languished and war topics as subjects of dis- cussion gave way to some extent for the engrossing scenes of presi- dential election, upon the issue of which it was felt depended the most important consequences. Gen. George B. McClellan was the candidate for the presidency against the sorely- tried Lincoln, while Horatio Sey- mour was re-nominated by the Democrats against Reuben E. Fenton for governor of New York. Lincoln, as is well remembered, was triumphantly elected, while Fenton received a small majority over Sey- mour. For the fourth time the Democrats carried Erie county by small majorities. When in the fall of 1864 it became known that another call for troops would soon be made, the county Bounty Committee announced on No- vember 3 that they would begin paying $150 bounty and $25 premium for one-year volunteers, and $200 and $50 premium for three-year men. To escape a draft under this call recruiting had been prosecuted during the preceding month, but with indifferent success; it was be- FROM 1860 TO 1870. 401 coming more and more difficult, as the war progressed, to obtain vol- unteers. j£ persistent effort was made at this time to raise another full regiment in Erie county, to be composed chiefly of Germans; many were enlisted in it who had been members of the 65th Militia. It was found impossible to complete a full regimental organization, and in October six companies Were mustered into the service for two years, under the number 187. The field and staff officers were as follows: Lieutenant colonel, Daniel Meyers; major, Conrad Sieber; adjutant, Carl Zeny; surgeon, Peter L. Sonnick; assistant-surgeon, E. William Wachter. The organization was sent directly to the front, and became a part of the Army of the Potomac, in front of Petersburg. It par- ticipated in the operations which resulted in driving Lee out of Petersburg and Richmond, and in the battle of Hatcher's Run lost about sixty men killed and wounded. It was mustered out on the 1st of July, 1865. To fill the quota under a call of December 19 for 30<0,000 men, which was announced as about 2,000 for the county, the supervisors were again called upon to take decisive action. The Bounty Committee were charged early in 1865 with negligently letting recruits go to other counties, where stronger inducements were offered. On the 3d of January a special session was called and the Bounty Committee re- ported that they had been in session two months (November and Der cember) during which period they had paid to 391 volunteers the sum of $104,464.32. The committee further reported on the following day, that up to that time there had been paid out for the promotion of en- listments an aggregate sum of about $1,750,000, and the number of men called for from the county, exclusive of the call then pending, was 11,910. The committee claimed, and probably justly, that the county had accomplished more in filling its quotas, at less expense, than most others in the State; that since the adjournment of the previous session the committee had been engaged in securing volunteers and had a credit of 391 men. After prolonged proceedings a resolution was adopted by the board on the 19th of January that the sum of $450,000 be raised, and that county orders be issued in anticipation thereof for the pay- ment of bounties. Enlistments now proceeded more rapidly. On the 21st of March the committee reported that up to that date they had paid bounties to and received credit for 529 men; the county deficiency was reported at about 1,000, and a draft imminent. A meeting was called at the court house March 14 to consider ways and means to avoid 51 402 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the conscription; it was largely attended and the fact was made known that there was great difficulty in disposing of bonds and county orders. The chairman of the Bounty Committee expressed the belief that $500,- 000 more would be needed. It was found impossible to fill the quota and the draft, which had been postponed from a previous date, began on the 17th of March. Only the First ward was drawn the first day; the second day the Second ward was drawn, but meanwhile meetings were held in some of the wards and towns and the most energetic ef- forts made to fill up their deficiencies. Some of the wards were suc- cessful and a number of the towns nearly filled their quotas. The draft was now stopped, with assurance that it would be resumed March 31, unless all deficiencies were made up. On the 4th of April the draft again began, and sixty-two men were drawn in the Twelfth ward ; oh the 6th the towns of Alden, Brant and Cheektowaga were drawn. At this juncture Lee's surrender put an end to the proceedings and not a man drafted was called upon to perform any military duty. Besides the infantry, cavalry and artillery regiments and companies noticed in the preceding pages of this chapter, Erie county Sent to the war hundreds of volunteers who enlisted individually in these and other organizations which drew their membership. in many instances from widely separated localities; of these it is manifestly impossible to give any detailed record ; it can only be stated that they constituted an important part of the patriotic contribution of this county to the historic struggle for the preservation of the Union. 1 The total number pf enlistments in the county in the cavalry was 4,837; in mounted rifles, 908; in artillery, 2,276; in engineers, 93; in sharpshooters, 125; and in infantry, 7,010. Total, 15,249. In addi- tion to these were the enlistments in the national guard, naval vet- erans, regular army, and colored troops, to the number of about 7,000. The losses in dead, wounded and captured were, in the cav- alry, 778; mounted rifles, 325; artillery. 350; engineers, 3; sharp- shooters, 50; infantry, 3,195; national guard, 3. "Total, 4,704. With the close of the war a wave of rejoicing swept over the entire North, mingled with mourning for the martyred Lincoln, in which the 1 Such detailed information as has bean gathered and placed in print regarding the various military organizations sent out from this State, may be found in most county clerk's offices; this is, however, almost wholly of a statistical character and lacks information applying specifically to distinct counties. It is to be regretted that county authorities have been so negligent in pre- serving records of their military organizations, which would aid in preparing history the value of which will increase with passing years, PROM 1860 TO 1870. 403 people of Erie- county participated. Within a few months, under the revolutionary change from war to peace through which the country passed — a change which was effected with such marvelous facility as to astonish the world — the inhabitants of Erie county, in common with those of other localities, turned their energies to the prosecution of the ordinary affairs of life. So rapidly did the great armies dissolve and retire to civil life that at the beginning of 1866 only seven regi- ments of infantry and two of cavalry of New York remained in United States service. During the war period the population of this State de- creased nearly 50,000. In Erie county the number of inhabitants in- creased from 141,971 in 1860 to 155,773 in 1865; in the succeeding five years the population of the county increased to 178,1599. In the city the gain from 1860 to 1865 was from 81,129 to 94,210, while during the next .five years the remarkable gain was made to 117,714, or more than 23,000. In gleaning the records of Erie county during the war period, little is found of importance to add to the military story. The first street railway company was organized in Buffalo in 1860, although a primitive horse road had been operated some years between the city and Black Rock. On the 19th of May, of that year, ground was broken on Main street for car tracks and a few days later the Niagara street line was commenced. The first car was run over the Main street line on June 11 and on the 33d of the same month cars began running on the Ni- agara street line. The Main street line was extended to Cold Spring in July. 1 1 It was many years before the street railway system of Buffalo was put upon a satisfactory basis, in respect to either good service or remunerative returns. Several companies came into existence and all found it difficult to maintain their lines. By an act of the Legislature, passed April 4, 1866, the grant made in 1862 to Orville C. Scoville and Franklin Sidway, to construct a line of railway in Seneca street, was confirmed. On the 23d of April, 1867, by an act of the Legis- lature, the Buffalo City Railway Company was incorporated, with authority to construct lines of road from the Terrace to Erie street and thence in that street, and in Swan, Jefferson, Exchange, across Main, in Ohio, Prime, Water, Joy, and other streets. On the 24th of April, 1868, this com- pany was given authority by the Legislature to buy the Niagara street line, and about that time the company came into possession' of the Main street franchise. In July, 1873, a line was opened to East Buffalo by the East Side Street Railway Company, which was organized chiefly through the efforts of S. V. R. Watson. In 1874 the Exchange street line was built, and in 1879 the Main street line was extended to the park. Prior to this the affairs of the Buffalo City Railway Com- pany became involved; it was found difficult to raise money to keep the roads in operation and extend the lines as demanded by the public. The situation was relieved by Mr. Watson, who as- sumed direction of >the whole system, effected consolidations, built new lines, and within a few years placed the affairs of the company on -a satisfactory basis. Prom that time to the present the system has been rapidly extended and in every department has kept pace with the growth of 404 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In the year 1862 a new basis of representation was instituted in the Board of Supervisors, as a result of complaint that the city of Buffalo was placed at a disadvantage in the board in comparison with the towns. A law was passed in that year under the provisions of which the First, Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Seventh wards were given three supervisors each; the Third, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth wards, two each, and one in the Thirteenth ward. This gave Buff alo thirty- one members of the board, against twenty-five for the towns, and created immediate and energetic opposition outside of the city. Such an arrangement could not continue, and in the following year another law was passed which gave each ward of the city two members, excepting the Thirteenth, which had one, making twenty-five in all, or a number exactly equal to the town representation. This condition was maintained until 1892, when the number of wards in the city was increased, as described in the next chapter. By an act of the Legisla- ture, March 3, 1865, the office of supervisor was made a salaried office, the salary being $200, with $2 for each day of service and mileage in special sessions. In March, 1862, the following call was published in the city press : A meeting of those of our citizens disposed to establish a Historical Society for the county of Erie, is requested at the law office of Messrs. Marshall & Harvey, No. 336 Main street, up stairs, on Tuesday next, 25th inst, at 7 o'clock, p. m. George R. Babcock, Henry W. Rogers, O. H. Marshall, William Dorsheimer, Dr. John C. Lord, Dr. Walter Clarke, L. F. Allen. Most of these men, and a number of others, were present at the meeting, and after discussing the subject fully, they adopted the fol- lowing resolution : Resolved, That it is expedient to organize a Historical Society for the City of the city. There are now twenty-five lines in the city, besides those running to Tonawanda and Niagara Falls, to Depew and Lancaster, to Gardenville and Ebenezer, to Williamsville, and to Blasdell and Woodlawn Beach. The Buffalo Railway Company carried in 1896 53,303,789 passen- gers, showing an increase of almost 10,000 over the previous year. In 1896 the company paid to the city a percentage of its receipts amounting to $45,613.74. In the same year a new organization with the title of Buffalo Traction Company obtained franchises for the building of street rail- ways in the city, under which operations are now in progress for laying thirty miles of track during the year 1897. Electricity is used as motive power on all. the lines. FROM 1860 TO 1870. 405 Buffalo and County of Erie ; and that the chairman appoint a committee of seven to to report a plan of organization. The committee appointed consisted of O. H. Marshall, Rev. Dr. Hosmer, Rev. Dr. Clarke, William Dorsheimer, James P. White, George R. Babcock and George W. Clinton. The committee met on the 8th of April and approved of a constitution and by-laws, which were submitted to a public meeting held on the 15th of April. This meeting was numerously attended- Millard Fillmore was appointed chairman, and O. H. Marshall, secretary. The constitution and by- laws submitted were adopted, ,with few minor changes. A meeting for the election of officers was held on the first Tuesday in May and the following were chosen : President, Millard FillmoVe ; vice-president, Lewis F. Allen ; councilors, George R. Babcock, George W. Clinton, Walter Clarke, Nathan K. Hall, Henry W. Rogers, William Dor- sheimer. At a meeting of the Board of Managers, held May 13, Charles D. Norton was appointed recording secretary and treasurer, and Guy H. Salisbury corresponding secretary and librarian. On the 10th of January, 1863, the society was incorporated by an act of the Legislature. " 1 The law office of Mr. Dorsheimer was occupied by the society for the deposit of the books and other collections until a more permanent place could be secured. In the fall of 1862 arrange- ments were made for a series of lectures on local topics by members of the society, which resulted in the accumulation of a large quantity of valuable material. When the need of farther funds began to be felt, Mr. Fillmore suggested that an effort be made to provide sufficient revenue for five years; to effect this purpose fifty men bound themselves to pay $20 a year for that period; this plan was subsequently modified so that each subscriber was allowed to pay $50 at one time, thus becoming a life member of the society, and to pay the remainder of his sub- scription in installments of $10 annually. In 1873 the society occupied quarters in the Young Men's Association building, corner of Main and Eagle streets. Before the expiration of its lease, and in January, 1873, its accumulations had become so extensive and valuable that it was deemed necessary to find more commodious accommodations that would be fire proof. A removal was accordingly made to the upper part of the Western Savings Bank building. The society remained there until the completion of the new building of the Young Men's Association (now Buffalo Library) in 1887, when it removed thither and now occupies the entire third floor. The Historical Society has accomplished a vast amount of good in the collection and preservation of local history and relics. Its library now contains about 9,000 volumes and 7,000 pamphlets. In the fall of 1884 it assumed charge of the reinterment of the remains of Red Jacket and other Indian chiefs in a lot in Forest Lawn set apart for that purpose. In June. 1892, a statue was erected by the society in the memory of the great Seneca orator; it stands" near the entrance to Forest Lawn on Delaware avenue, and cost about $10,000. The presidents of the Historical Society have been as follows, those marked with a star (*) being deceased: *Millard Fillmore, from 1862 to 1867; *Henry W. Rogers, 1868; *Rev. Albert T. Chester, D. D., 1869; *Orsamus H. Marshall, 1870; *Hon. Nathan K. Hall, 1871; *William H. Greene, 1872; *Orlando Allen, 1873; ♦Oliver G. Steele, 1874; *Hon. James Sheldon, 1875 and 1886; William C. Bryant, 1876; *Capt. E. P. Dorr, 1877; Hon. William P. Letchworth, 1878; William H. H. Newman, 1879 and 1885; Hon. Elias S. Hawley, 1880; Hon. James M. Smith, 1881; *William Hodge, 1882; *William Dana Fobes, 1883 and 1884; *Emmor Haines, 1887; James Tillinghast, 1888; *William K. Allen, 1889; George S. Hazard, 406 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The Buffalo Fine Arts Academy was organized November 11, 1862, and was incorporated on December 4 of that year. The objects of the institution were to establish and maintain a permanent gallery for the exhibition of painting and sculpture and the promotion of the arts in the city and county. These purposes have been adequately subserved, and local artists and art-lovers have been materially aided through the efforts of the academy. ' The Buffalo Catholic Institute was organized October 1, 1866, under the name, German Catholic Young Men's Association. It was reor- ganized with broader scope on the 15th of December, 1870, as the Buffalo Catholic Institute, and incorporated May 23, 1872. 2 Notwithstanding the enormous cost of the war — a financial drain that extended to every hamlet in the land — there was seeming prosperity throughout the North during several years after the close of the con- flict. The great demands of the government for war materials, which had for five years promoted many industries and afforded various ave- nues for speculation and wealth gaining, and the abundance of money which had poured from the national treasury in payment for supplies and to the vast armies whose rank and file seldom hoarded it, with the high prices ruling for all products incident to the inflated currency, were all influential causes in inaugurating a brief era of prosperity such as the country had not before experienced. Erie county advanced with the general tide. The five years between the surrender at Appomattox and 1870 were prolific in new private business projects and the inaugu- ration of public improvements. Lake commerce, while it fluctuated 1890 and 1892; Joseph C. Greene, M. D., 1891; Julius H. Dawes, 1893; Andrew Langdon, 1894 to present time. 1 The Art Students' League was founded in 1885 under the name o£ the Students' Art Club. The success of this organization led to its acceptance, by request, of the full control of the art school connected with the Fine Arts Academy, and organization under the title, Art Students' League of Buffalo, January 1, 1893. Rooms were occupied in the Buffalo Library building until the fall of 1895; it is hoped that ere long the League may have a home in a building devoted wholly to art. It is now under a board of control, with an advisory committee from the Fine Arts Academy. 2 The first officers of the organization were Charles V. Fornes, president ; Joseph Krumholz, vice-president ; Peter Paul, financial secretary ; J. Louis Jacobs, jr., recording secretary ; Jacob A. Gittere, treasurer : these with Joseph A. Dingens, Frank Weppner, Ferdinand J. Reisler, Mat- •thew Byrne, Christian Krause, William H. Bork, Jacob Korzelius, John Devlin and Peter Young, constituted the bnard o£ managers. The principal objects of the Institute were the establishment of a library and reading rooms and the procuring of lectures and other entertainments. The library contains about 7,000 volumes. For many years the Institute has occupied quarters on the corner of Main and Chippewa streets. In October, 1897, work was commenced on its new build- ing, to cost about $65,000, on Main street corner of Virginia. FROM 1860 TO 1870. 407 without showing decided increase during the five years under considera- tion, advanced with rapid stride before the stringency of 1873-4, which is noticed in the next chapter. For example, the receipts of wheat by lake in 1860 were 18,502,649 bushels; in each of the three succeeding years there was a large increase, while the year 1865 showed a con- siderable falling off; but in 1870 the receipts were 20,136,166 bushels, and in 1873, 26,653,243. Local commerce was proportionately active in other branches, as shown by statistics in the next chapter. No less than thirteen new elevators were built between 1860 and 1865; two or three others were added before 1870 and several of the former ones were rebuilt with greater capacity. A marked change, however, in business and industrial efforts was at hand. In connection- with the prosperity of this period, railroad building on lines in which Buffalo and Erie county were directly interested, was prosecuted with unprecedented vigor. Even before peace was estab- lished preparations were made for a renewal of railroad construction, which the war had substantially interrupted. On the 10th of Decem- ber the engineer, William Wallace, projected a railroad line from Buf- falo to Olean and thence to the Allegany River, and obtained a sub- scription from six leading citizens of Olean to the stock of the Buffalo and Washington Railroad Company. On the 4th of February, 1865, the company was organized and on the 14th of April it was consoli- dated with the Buffalo and Allegany Railroad Company (noticed in the preceding chapter), and with the Sinnemahoning and Portage Company, the whole talking the name of the Buffalo and Washington; this name was soon changed to the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia. By an act of the Legislature of April 4, 1866, the city of Buffalo was author- ized to borrow $200,000 and loan it to this company. The company selected substantially the line of the old Buffalo and Allegany line through Erie county and slowly carried forward the work of construc- tion ; it was not until December, 1867, that the road was completed to East Aurora, where it made a long halt. The next stage of construc- tion was to South Wales, five miles farther, where there was another stop until the latter part of 1870. In July, 1872, the road was opened to* Olean and on the 1st of January, 1873, to its terminus at Empo- rium, Pa. The Canada Southern Railroad Company, chartered February 28, 1868, began construction soon afterward and the line was opened for 408 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. traffic November 15, 1873. It extended from the Niagara River to Amherstburg, Ont, near the mouth of the Detroit River. 1 A railroad company was organized under the auspices of the Erie Company in October, 1868, for the construction of a line from Buffalo to Suspension Bridge. The road was finished in December, 1870, under the name of the Suspension Bridge and Erie Junction Railroad, but was immediately leased to the Erie and is now known as the Niagara Falls branch of that road. a These various lines of railroad communication all contributed to the prosperity of Buffalo and indirectly, at least, to other parts of the county, by providing farmers and country merchants and mechanics with means of easier and more rapid transportation to market. At the same time the railroads that were rapidly reaching out to the far west diverted lake passenger traffic to a considerable extent and began making serious inroads upon freight business. Buffalo was particularly sensitive to these changes. During the years prior to about 1855 Buffalo was essentially a maritime city; she sat at the foot of the lakes, secure in her commercial position, and placid in the belief that energy and enterprise in other directions, and particu- larly in manufactures, were almost unnecessary to her future growth and permanent prosperity. The financial revulsion of 1857 and gradual changes brought about by the lapse of time dispelled this illusion and awakened the citizens of the city to the situation, and men of means and foresight soon began to study the advantages of their locality for manufacturing; while not losing faith in the commercial supremacy of the city, they began to realize that permanent industrial interests were needed to tide over trade fluctuations and the regular intermissions of winter in lake and canal operations. It was these conditions that led, just before the war broke out, to the organization of the Association for the Encouragement of Manufactures in the- City of Buffalo. While this association did not have a long existence, it did accomplish some- thing by a system of extensive advertising of Buffalo and its numerous advantages; thousands of circulars were sent out containing statements that real estate in the city was cheap, living economical, rents low ; 1 In 1878 this road passed to the ownership of a new organization in the interest of the New # York Central Company, which guarantied the interest on its bonds. In 1882 it was leased to the Michigan Central Company. "The New York and Erie Railroad Company was reorganized as the Erie Railroad Company in June, 1861, after the line had been two years in the hands of a receiver. In May, 1865, the road again went into the hands of a receiver, and in June, 18T8, passed to control of a new organization with the title, New York, Lake Erie and Western. FROM 1860 TO 1870, 409 that there were then fifty-two miles of pavement, forty-eight miles of sewerage, 260 miles of street, an ample supply of pure water, and that the -city was surrounded by an extensive tract that was admirably adapted to market gardening. All of this sentiment and agitation led to the gradual introduction of a large manufacturing interest in Buffalo, which has ever since been on the increase. The establishment of such industries as the Buffalo Steam Engine Works, the Howard Iron Works, the King Iron Works (founded as the Shepard' Iron Works), the Eagle Iron Works, the De Laney Forge and Iron Company, the Buffalo Car Wheel Works, the establishment of Farrar & Trefts, the Union Iron Company, the Harris Iron Works, and others of less note in this lfne ; the founding of a large furniture industry and a considerable business in tanning and leather manufacture, all within the period under consideration and prior to 1870, is an indication of the tendency at that time among men of means and energy. -The wholesale mercantile trade, also, gained considerable impetus from about the close of the war to 1870. Previous to the war the city had made little progress in this direction. The old dry goods firm of Barnes, Bancroft & Co., from which is descended the present house of the William Hengerer Co. ; the large house of Adam, Meldrum & Anderson, founded in 1867, and the large house of J. N. Adam & Co., soon became prominent in wholesale trade. Charles E. Walbridge began a business in 1869 in hardware, stoves and house furnishing goods, which soon branched into wholesale trade. Philip Becker began wholesaling groceries in 1854; and Miller, Greiner & Co. and Powell & Plimpton were early in the same line of wholesale trade. In crock- ery, boots and shoes, liquors,' hats and caps, as well as other branches of trade that need not be mentioned, beginning was made at the time under consideration. The Third National Bank was. organized February 14, 1865, with capital of $250,000, and began business in the following month. The first president was A. T. Blackmar, who was succeeded in 1869 by Abraham Altman. The first board of directors was composed of A. T. Blackmar, Robert G. Stewart, Thomas Chester, Abraham Altman, Henry Cone, Horace Utley, D. H. Winans, Nathan C. Simons and Edson G. Shoemaker. The first cashier was Elisha T. Smith. The capital of this bank was subsequently increased to $500,000. The National Savings Bank was organized in 1867 with the following 52 410 x OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. officials: President, Stephen G. Austin; vice-president, Daniel C. Beard; secretary and treasurer, Edward S. Dann; attorney, A. L. Baker; trustees, Stephen G. Austin, Myron P. Bush, Seth Clark, Erastus Scoville, Peter Rechtenwalt, Laurens Enos, Frederick W. Breed, Peter J. Ferris, Jacob Weppner, Charles E. Young, Joseph Churchyard, John S. Fosdick, William H. H. Newman, George Zim- merman, George W. Tifft, Clifford A. Baker, Daniel C. Beard, George Pugeot, Hugh Webster, Peter Emslie, George Jones, Reuben G. Show, James E. Ford, James D. Sawyer, James Miller, James A. Chase, Michael Lettau and Philo A. Balcom. This bank passed out of ex- istence by failure through the criminal action of the secretary and treasurer in the summer of 1892. Two institutions that have been the source of untold benefit were founded in Buffalo between 1850 and 1860, one of them due wholly to the generosity' and kind remembrance of a former citizen for the city in which he long resided. This is the Grosvenor Library. In 1857 Seth Grosvenor, then living in New York, made a bequest of which the following is a transcript : I give to the Mayor, Aldermen and Commonalty of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie, to be paid in assets in the same way at the risk of collection by said city, and to be paid in two years after my decease, with interest, $40,000; $10,000 of which to be appropriated to the purchase of a lot and building thereon (unless the city of Buffalo shall give a lot for that purpose) in which case the whole $10,000 are to be expended on the building, which is intended for a public library, and the remainder, $30,000, to be invested forever and its income to be used in the purchase of books, to be always kept open for the use of the public; the books' not to be lent out nor rented, and only used for reading in the building, etc. One provision of the bequest was that the city should appropriate a sufficient sum annually to pay the current expenses of the library; and under these conditions the city accepted the bequest and the fund was paid over in 1865. Suitable rooms were secured for the library in the Buffalo Savings Bank building, and the library was gathered and opened to the public in 1870. The first Board of Trustees were O. H. Marshall, George R. Babcock and Joseph G. Masten. The city ap- propriated $4,000 a year for expenses. In the course of time a consid- erable building fund was accumulated and in 1891 the trustees took steps to erect the present beautiful and convenient library building, on the corner of Franklin and Edward streets. The library contains over 40,000 volumes, and has within the present year (1897) passed under control of the city, as explained in another chapter. PROM 18C0 TO 1S70. 4li The other institution alluded to is the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation, which, while it had its inception as early as 1852, did not attain much success until 1868. It was organized under the name Young Men's Christian Union and was incorporated on the 10th of March, 1853. It first occupied quarters in the building of the Young Men's Association and in 1853 moved into Odeon Hall, in which was held in June, 1854, the^first annual convention of the Young Men's Christian Association of the United States and British provinces. Kremlin Hall was taken in June, 1855, but between that date and 1859 the Union became involved in financial embarrassment, and was forced to sell much of its furniture and move into less expensive quarters; these were found in the Arcade building. Then the Union labored under discouraging circumstances until 1868, when new life was infused into it, the membership was largely increased, and in the next year a removal was made to rooms over 302 Main street and the name of the organization changed to its present title. In 1875 the association meved again to more commodious rooms over 345 Main street. . During this period and the few succeeding years a large build- ing fund was accumulated. In 1878 the eighth removal was made to the old court house. On the 8th of September, 1882, the corner stone was laid of the large and handsome building now occupied by the association and owned by it, at the junction of Genesee, Pearl and Mohawk streets, and it was finished in 1884 at a cost of about $80,000; the lot cost $20,000. On the 25th of January, 1865, amid the snow and ice of midwinter, the American Hotel was burned to the ground, causing not only a large financial loss, but also the. death of three prominent young men of the city, who belonged to the fire department and were bravely discharging their duty. These were James H. Sidway, George H. Tifft, and Will- iam H. Gillett. Their death was deeply mourned by the city at large. At about the time of this sad event the organization of so-called Fenians had. assumed importance throughout the State, and in the sub- sequent attempt to invade Canada, Buffalo was the theater of exciting warlike scenes. Fenian soldiers began to arrive in the city during the last days of May and the early part of June, and soon there were about 1,000 quartered in the place. This movement, particularly in its early operations, received only ridicule from the public ; but the presence in Buffalo of so many strangers and the circulation of various sanguinary rumors, created considerable excitement. About midnight of the 31st 4i2 otrR cotfNTV Alsrt) its People. of May, 1866, squads of the invaders marched through the streets towards Black Rock and on northward to a convenient point whence they crossed to Canada on canal boats towed by tugs. The United States authorities adopted prompt measures to prevent transportation of men and arms across the river. At 6 o'clock a. m., June 1, the steamer Michigan passed down the river and took a position opposite • the Clinton Mills; but she was too late to prevent the. crossing above mentioned. Two armed tugs were now placed in the harbor as a pa- trol. During the day of the 1st a steady tide of travel turned towards Black Rock and hundreds of people gathered on the river bank. In the evening a Fenian meeting was held in the Opera House. On the 2d General Grant arrived in the city and placed Gen. William F. Barry in command of the frontier, with authority to call out the National Guard if necessary to keep the peace. A detachment of the Regular Army was ordered to Fort Porter from Sackett's Harbor. Of the ex- periences of the force of Fenians that crossed from this point the de- tails are well known. An engagement was fought at Ridgway on June 2, which resulted in the defeat of the invaders. In the mean time large numbers of Fenians continued to arrive in the city, and attempts were made during the night after the battle to reinforce General O'Neil, in command of the invaders; but the boats were met by orders to re- turn with the reinforcements and then proceed to Fort Erie for the purpose of transporting the defeated Fenians to Buffalo. This was at- tempted, but when the boats were midway in the river they encoun- tered the propellor Harrison and were ordered to surrender; the order was obeyed and the boats were taken under the guns of the Michigan. Something more than 500 were captured. This substantially ended the invasion, but it did not quell the excitement in Buffalo. Train loads of Fenians continued to arrive and threats of further operations were freely made. On the 4th a detachment of artillery arrived from Fort Hamilton and was quartered at Fort Porter. On the 5th the militia captured several wagons loaded with arms, which had arrived by ex- press. On the 6th orders were made public, bearing the signature of the attorney-general of the United States, for the arrest of all persons supposed to be connected with the Fenians. But notwithstanding these depressing circumstances, the chief Fenian officers gave bail on the 7th before Judge Clinton, and on the 12th orders were given for all Fenians to return to their homes. The war was over. A reorganization of the police force of the city of Buffalo was effected FROM 1860 TO 18tt>. 413 under a law passed by the Legislature April 10, 1866. This law au- thorized the creation of what was known as the Niagara Frontier Police District, which included Buffalo, Tonawanda, and also Wheatfield, in Niagara county. The new organization was under control of a board of commissioners, and consisted of a superintendent, captains, detect- ives, etc., and 105 patrolmen ; the latter number was increased a little later to 120; of these the .quota of Buffalo was limited to not more than 115. The new force went on duty May 7, 1866. The first Board of Commissioners consisted of James Adams, Obadiah J. Green and Jonathan S. Buell. David S. Reynolds was chosen superintendent. Four captains were appointed, one for each of the four precincts then in existence. The first Board of Commissioners werfe all Republicans, but in 1870 there was a change and a new board was appointed con- sisting of three Democrats — Robert H. Best, Harmon S. Cutting and Ralph Courter. 1 An organization, which in recent years has exerted considerable in- fluence in Buffalo in certain directions, had its inception in 1867. In February of that year twenty-two firms responded to a call issued by< Joseph Churchyard and formed a Builders' Exchange. Its chief pur- poses were to bring builders into closer relations, modify the bitterness 1 After an existence of about five years this police system showed signs of weakness and a change was demanded. A new law was accordingly passed, April 26, 1871, cutting off the out- lying district and creating the Buffalo City Police Department. The act was amended in 1872, 1873, and 1874. It made the mayor police commissioner ex officio, and gave him the power, with approval of the Council, to appoint two commissioners of police. Alexander Brush was then mayor, and he appointed John Pierce and Jacob Beyer commissioners. Col. John Byrne was ap- pointed chief of police in 1872, and his successors have been W . A. Phillips, from May, 1879, to January, 1880; William J. Wolfe, appointed January 14, 1880. In this year the police department was reorganized, its control being vested in the mayor, president ex officio, a police commissioner, and the superintendent. The commissioner was appointed by the mayor with consent of the Council, and the mayor and this commissioner appointed the superintendent; the commissioner was ap- pointed for four years and the superintendent for five years. At that time there were eight pre- .cincts. In May, 1883, the act reorganizing the department was amended, the superintendent being thereby deprived of his previous official capacity as both commissioner and superintend- ent, and the mayor being given power to appoint two commissioners of police, one from each political party. The board, as thus constituted, had the power to appoint a superintendent, and the law divided the city into ten precincts. Mr. Wolfe, whose appointment as superintendent has been mentioned, resigned in 1882 and James M. Shepard was appointed; in 1883 he was suc- ceeded by Thomas Curtin, who was given an assistant, William A. Phillips, the first to hold that office. In 1884 Mr. Phillips was appointed superintendent, and was succeeded by Martin Moran; the latter was succeeded in 1890 by Daniel Morganstern; June 1, 1893, George Chambers was ap- pointed, and was succeeded March 5, 1894, by the present incumbent, William S. Bull. The police department of Buffalo at the present time comprises thirteen precincts, with a station house and captain in each, thirty- nine sergeants, thirty -nine doormen, fifteen detective sergeants, 509 pa- trolmen, with various other officials connected with the department in the capacity of clerks, telegraph operators, engineers, electricians, etc. The police headquarters building was erected in 1884. 414 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of business rivalry, and communicate trade knowledge alike to all mem- bers. The Exchange had a precarious existence for many years, but is now a recognized force in the community. 1 In the fall of 1865, the closing year of the war, the Republicans at last gained the ascendency in Erie county, David S. Bennett being elected State senator. This change was effected largely by the influ- ences attending the triumph of the Union arms. In the next year, however, while the Republicans carried the State, re-electing Reuben E. Fenton governor by nearly 15,000 majority, the Democrats re-elected their congressman in this district and carried the county. At this time Erie county became entitled to five assemblymen. A constitutional convention was held in this State in 1867, which made a few changes materially affecting each county. The term of the senatorial office was extended to four years; the Assembly was increased to 139 members, Erie county having five, as shown in the civil list herein ; the Court of Appeals was organized with a chief jus- tice and six associate and Supreme Court judges were to be elected by the people for fourteen years. Excepting the portion relating to the judiciary, this constitution was rejected by the people to whom it was submitted in 1869. At the election of 1868 the Democrats of the State elected their can- didate for governor, John T. Hoffman, and re-elected him in 1870. But Erie county again in 1868 went over to the Republicans, the Grant electoral ticket having a majority of about 2,000 ; David S. Bennett was elected to Congress. In 1870 the Democrats rallied and captured all the prizes. William Williams was elected to Congress and Grover Cleveland began his long and triumphant political career by election as sheriff. For several years at about this period Erie county was very evenly balanced in the political scale. 1 After twenty years of rather spiritless existence, the Exchange in 1887 joined the National Association of Builders, and after learning wherein its own weakness lay, reorganized and be- gan a new and far more prosperous life. New membership rules were made and provisions for daily meetings for the accommodation of architects and other purposes were adopted. As greater success was attained the Exchange determined to have a home of its own, and in 1891 purchased the lot on the corner of Pearl and Court streets and erected thereon a handsome seven-story structure which it occupied in September, 1892. FROM 1870 TO 1897. 415 CHAPTER XXV. MODERN HISTORY— 1870-1897. The Financial Panic of 1873 — Statistics of Lake Commerce — Changes in City Charter — The City and County Building — The Park System — Railroad Extension — Increase in Population — Growth of Transportation Facilities — The Coal Interest — Railroads — Manufactures — Harbor Improvements — Real Estate and Building — Speculation in Real Estate — The Real Estate Exchange — Tfie German Element — The Poles — The Hebrews — The Irish and Italians — Railroad Strikes — Charter Amendments — The New Charter of 189: — Departments of City Government— Rail- road Grade Crossings — Natural Gas — Street Paving — Banking — The G. A. R. En- campment — G. A. R. Posts — Statistical Tables. The reign of prosperity that succeeded the close of the war met with a reverse soon after 1870, which culminated in the well-remembered financial panic of 1873, and during the succeeding four or five years the city of Buffalo felt the discouraging effects of the business depres- sion that prevailed throughout the country. The steady, conservative growth that has been a marked characteristic of the city during the greater part of its existence was interrupted, and business and com- mercial interests at large suffered severely. There even were to be found here and there timorous and easily disheartened men who pre- dicted that Buffalo would not again push forward on the highway of progress with its former vigor. Lake and canal commerce, which had for many years been the sheet anchor of the Buffalo business man, felt the paralyzing influence of multiplying railroads, which had not then made the important connections of later days. Capitalists were for a time reluctant in making home investments. It must, however, be admitted that Buffalo suffered far less from the general effects of the brief period of severe depression than most other northern cities, and made a much more rapid recovery. This fortunate circumstance was due to the innate condition surrounding the city itself, as well as to the efforts of her citizens. There was some apparent cause for despondency, and it is not, per- haps, remarkable that there were men whose faith in Buffalo was shaken. This condition is best shown by a few figures on local com- 416 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. merce. The number of vessels arriving and clearing from this port in 1871 was 10,625, the total tonnage of whiph was 4,157,793; this num- ber was reduced in the following year by about 500 vessels; in 1873 it was 9,959; in 1874, 7,477; in 1875, 6,277; and in 1876, 4,624. It should be stated in this connection, however, that the vessel tonnage did not decline in this proportion, owing to the general increase of the size of the vessels during that period. Between 1871 and 1876, inclu- sive, the number of bushels of oats received at Baffalo decreased from 6,210,980 to 2,445,023; of barley from 1,777,472 to 962,607; of corn from 26,329,151 to 21,344,114; and of wheat from 22,873,485 to 18,341,- 614 To even the complacent optimist of the present day these figures are significant. But the pioneers, undei the beneficence of Providence, had laid the foundation of a city more wisely, and in a situation of greater possibilities, than many men comprehended during the brief period under consideration. On the 28th day of April, 1870, the Legislature passed an act revis- ing and amending the charter of Buffalo, which made some changes of importance. It left the number of wards thirteen, as before, and provided for the election by the people of a mayor, a comptroller, an attorney, a treasurer, an engineer, a water commissioner, a superin- tendent of education, a police justice, an overseer of the poor, three assessors, and four justices of the peace, all for terms of two years excepting the assessors, who were to be elected for three years, and the police justice and justices of the peace, to be elected for four years. It provided also for the election of two aldermen and one constable in each ward, and two supervisors in each ward, excepting the Thirteenth, which was given only one. The office of receiver of taxes was abol- lished ; the title of the office of surveyor was changed to engineer, and that of superintendent of schools was changed to superintendent of education. 1 During the winter of 1870-71 the Common Council and many promi- 1 For other details of changes made by that charter and minor amendments made down to the date of the existing charter, the reader must be referred to the session laws. It will be remembered that the charter of 1853 (chapter 230, laws of that year) created the thirteen wards of the city, and provided for election by the people of two aldermen and two supervisors in each •ward (excepting that the Thirteenth ward had only one supervisor), and * mayor, a recorder, a comptroller, an attorney, a street commissioner, a treasurer, a receiver of taxes, a surveyor, «. superintendent of schools, a police justice, a chief of police, an overseer of the poor, and three assessors, all for terms of two years, excepting the assessors, who were elected for three years, and the recorder and the police justice, who were elected for four years. At the same time the boundaries of the city were extended to substantially their present limits, taking in Black Rock. FROM 1870 TO 1897. 417 nent citizens took the preliminary steps for providing a public building in Buffalo adequate for the needs of both the city and county. On the 21st of April, 1871, the Legislature passed an act providing for the erection of the proposed building and the following commissioners were appointed by the governor: James M. Smith, Daniel Bowen and Albert P. Laning, of Buffalo; Jasper B. Youngs, of Williamsville ; and Allen Potter,- of Hamburg. An act of the Legislature passed in May, 1872, added the following: James Adams, Philip Becker and George S. Wardwell, of Buffalo; and John Nice, of Tonawanda. James M. Smith was chosen chairman of the commission, but soon resigned as commissioner, to accept a judgeship of the Superior Court. George W. Hay ward was appointed in his stead, and Mr. Wardwell was chosen president." After much discussion and an examination of several sites by the com- missioners, Franklin Square was selected. The original estimate of the commissioners of the cost of the proposed building was $772,000. Samuel H. Fields was selected as superintendent in 1871 and was suc- ceeded in October, 1873, by Cooley S. Chapin. In April, 1872, A. J. Warren was employed as architect and his plans were accepted. The cor- ner stone of the building was laid June 24, 1872, with imposing Masonic ceremonies. In October, 1873, a revised estimate was adopted pro- viding for the use of granite in the structure in place of a softer stone, hard woods in place of pine, and other changes, making the total cost $1,207,234. W6rk on the building progressed through 1874-75 and on the 13th of March, 1876, it was formally taken possession of by the judges, the bar, and various county officers. These officials met in the old court house and marched in procession to the new, where addresses were delivered by Sherman S. Rogers, A. P. Nichols and E. Carlton Sprague. The common council chamber was formally occupied in the_ afternoon of the same day, when addresses were delivered by Philip Becker (then mayor), A. S. Bemis, George W. Clinton, and others. On the 14th of April, 1869, the law was passed under which, with its various amendments, the present grand park system of Buffalo has been created. Many meetings, however, had been held prior to that date, and the subject had been exhaustively discussed by leading citizens. Among these were William Dorsheimer, Pascal P. Pratt, Daniel Bowen, William F. Rogers (mayor in 1868), Joseph Warren, Sherman S. Jewett, Richard Flach, and others. After due delibera- 53 418 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tion these men requested the services of the distinguished landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmstead, in the necessary investigation to de- termine upon the most feasible plans for establishing a park system for the city. Mr. Olmstead visited Buffalo in the summer of 1868, and upon his report, made in October, action was taken which led to the passage of the law before mentioned. The Board of Park Commis- sioners consisted of William F. Rogers (mayor) ex officio, Pascal P. Pratt, Dexter P. Rumsey, John Greiner, jr., Lewis P. Dayton, Joseph Warren, Edwin T. Evans, Sherman S. Jewett, Richard Flach, James Mooney, John Cronyn, Daniel Bowen and William Dorsheimer. The act of April 14, 1869, conferred on the board the necessary powers for taking lands, provided for the issue of bonds to the amount of $500,000, and other kindred matters. The first board selected lands for parks and approaches and reported their action to the Common Council. In January, 1870, William A. Bird, Gibson T. Williams and Albert H. Tracy were appointed by the Superior Court of Buffalo as commissioners to appraise the value of the lands to be taken. Their report, filed June 30, 1870, was confirmed by the council and made the following awards : For lands $247,785.66 For buildings 46.381.00 Total $294,166.66 Expenses of acquiring title 10,991.19 Gross total $305,157.85 Plans were made by the firm of Olmstead & Vaux, and George Kent Radford, engineer, was employed to make the topographical surveys. William McMillan, 1 a competent landscape gardener, was appointed superintendent of parks, and practical improvements were begun. During the year 1871 there was expended nearly $170,000, principally on the stonework of the bridge, in excavating for the lake, erection of dam, driveway foundations, grading, and laying tile in Delaware Park. From that time to the present the work of improvement and extension of the park system has gone forward uninterruptedly, until at the 1 Mr. McMillan continued as superintendent of all the parks, parkways, etc., until June 1, 1897, when, under an act of the commissioners of May 18, the park system was divided, leaving him in charge of all north of Seneca street, and placing John P. Cowell, formerly botanical di- rector, in charge as superintendent of the remainder. PROM 1870 TO 1897. 4U9 present time few cities in this country are more fortunate in this respect than Buffalo. ' Notwithstanding the financial depression before alluded to there was considerable railroad extension between 1870 and 1880, in which Erie county was directly interested. The Buffalo and Jamestown Railroad Company was organized in March, 1872, and on the 25th of that month an act was passed by the Legislature authorizing the city of Buffalo to subscribe for $1,000, 000 a of the stock of this company. The road was completed from Buffalo to Jamestown in 1875, extending southward through the towns of West Seneca, Hamburg, Eden, North Collins and Collins, crossing Cattaraugus Creek at Gowanda. The road was sold under foreclosure and in 1877, an organization was Effected under the name Buffalo and Southwestern, and on August, 1881, the road was leased to What was then the New York, Lake Erie and Western, and has operated since as the Buffalo and Southwestern division of that line. Another and still more important road which opened the gates of the great coalmine region began operations in 1873. This was the Buffalo, New York and Pittsburg road, over which coal was brought direct from the mines. The opening of this line was of paramount importance to this section and it soon became an influential factor in the present im- mense coal traffic of the city and county. Mammoth coal trestles soon arose at various points and the trade in the indispensable fuel rapidly increased. Other railroads that were destined to wield a vast influence soon came into the city and are noticed a little further on. The population of Erie county in 1870 was 178,699; it was increased during the next five years to 197,902. In 1880 it reached 219,884, showing an increase of about 20,000 in each of the two semi-decades. The population of the city in 1870 was 117,714; in 1875 it was 134,557, and in 1880 it was 155,134. A comparison of the increase in the city with the total increase in the county shows that in the first five years in question about 17,000 of the 20,000 gross increase was in the city; while in the second five years there was even a larger percentage of in- crease to be credited to the city. During a few years prior to 1880 a 1 The total cost of land for the parks tip to October, 1897, is $863,857.24; total issue of bonds, $2,106,946.31; appropriations, $3,317,046.84; construction and maintenance, $3,309,058.01. The six parks and the park approaches contain an area of about 930 acres. Besides the park and park- ways proper there are twenty-two small triangles under control of the park commissioners. a Between August 85, 1879, and June 2, 1893, bonds to the amount of $752,000 were issued by the city to redeem the bonds originally issued for this stock ; these bonds remain unpaid. 420 OtTR COUlSfTV AND ITS PEOPLE. greater degree of public spirit was noticeable in Buffalo, and the fore- most citizens awakened to the possibilities of their city. A spirit of local pride soon pervaded the whole community, and croakers and proph- ets of evil were no longer heard on the street corners. From that time to the present no city in the United States has advanced with more rapid strides than Buffalo. With a population of 155,134 in 1880 it sprung upward to 255,664 in 1890, and to 278,727 in 1892. The five years since the last named date show a farther in- crease, as indicated by conservative estimates based upon the annual directory canvass, sufficient to bring the number up to nearly 400,000. In the county at large the increase between 1880 and 1890 was from 219,884 to 322,981, while the canvass of 1892 gives the population as 347,328. No words could speak more eloquently of prosperity than these figures relating to the city, and as far as statistics are accessible, every department of business life — manufacturing, mercantile, real estate operations, building, lake and railroad commerce — advanced pro- portionately and through the same influences that so rapidly swelled the population. The tonnage of the vessels arriving and clearing from the port of Buffalo increased from 5,935,746 in 1880 to 7,566,415 in 1890, while in 1896 the figures reach 11,304,607. The number of vessels in 1880 was 10,308; in 1896, 11,332. Every one is familiar with the enterprise ex- hibited by the great transportation companies in recent years in the construction of fleets of large iron and steel vessels which now ply the lakes to empty the storehouses of the West into the elevators of Buf- falo, making it the greatest grain depot in the world. 1 In 1880 there were received in the port 1,056,346 barrels of flour; in 1890, 6,214,982 barrels, and in 1896, 10,396,431 barrels. In the same years the num- ber of bushels of wheat received was respectively 39,611,132, 24,876,- 147 (increased to 75,584,443 in 1891), and 54,158,729. The amount of grain and flax seed handled by the Western Elevat- ing Association was 161,470,745 bushels in 1896, as compared with 121,- 225,497 bushels in 1895; 96,956,551 bushels in 1894; 135,604,634 bush- els in 1893; 123,397,718 bushels in 1892; 130,253,138 bushels in 1891, 90,063,533 bushels in 1890; 91,791,318 bushels in 1889; 73,234,562 bushels in 1888; 85,015,957 bushels in 1887; 72,678,096 bushels in 1886; 51,717,551 bushels in 1885; 57,123,601 bushels in 1884; 64,436,804 1 The tonnage of iron and steel vessels built on the lakes increased in the ten years from 1887 to 1896, inclusive, from 6,077.09 to 81,423.69. PROM 18?0 TO 1897. 421 bushels in 1883; 50,954,815 bushels in 1882; about 50,000,000 in 1881, and 99,000,000 bushels in 1880. Increase in 1896 over 1895 of 40,245,- 248 bushels. Railroad extension kept fully abreast of other material growth. In 1880 the already powerful Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Company received a charter authorizing the construction of a road from Bing- hamton to Buffalo, to provide another outlet for its coal product. The company secured a contract with the New York Central Company under which the latter was to accept coal shipped over the freight lines west of Syracuse, the objective depot being Buffalo. That was the real foundation of the now enormous hard coal traffic of the" city. The line of road was completed in 1883. To accommodate its shipments arriving in Buffalo a branch line was constructed from the old Niagara Falls station down to the foot of Erie street, where land was acquired for the erection of the then largest coal trestle in the world, with storage capacity of 100,000 tons. Outside the city limits at Cheek - towaga is the stocking coal trestle, of the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, with a capacity of over 100,000 tons storage. At the same place the Lehigh has its trestles and stocking plant of 175,000 tons storage capacity, and a transfer trestle for loading box-cars, with a capacity of 1Q0 cars daily. At the same point the Erie has a stocking plant, with storage capacity of 100,000 tons. The Reading has at the foot of Georgia street, in the city, a large trestle and pocket for the convenience of the retail trade, and in connection with their docks, with a capacity of 2,000 tons. The Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg has terminals on Ganson and Michigan streets, fronting on the Blackwell Canal, with a water frontage of 1,100 feet; also a town delivery yard, with a hoisting plant for loading and coaling vessels. Fifty- four years have passed since the first record was made of the receipts of anthracite coal at Buffalo. In 1842 only 900 net tons were reported; in 1852, 23,000 net tons; in 1862, 132,500 net tons; in 1872, 521,000 net tons; in 1892, 4,804,700 net tons. Before 1882 statistics of the bituminous receipts are missing, but in that year only 65,000 net tons were received by railroads and lake ; ten years after, viz. , 1892, 2,680,470 net tons were reported. In 1875 there were shipped from Buffalo, by lake, 541,812 tons of coal; in 1890, 2,079,702, and in 1896, 2,400,148 tons. The coal stocking plants and shipping docks in Buffalo represent a total valuation of about $16,000,000. The following table shows the coal imports, in tons, since 1890: 422 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Year. Anthracite. Bituminous. 1890... - 4,349,690 1,344,467 1891 - ..4,507,804 2,405,084 1892 ....4,804,700 2,680,470 1893 - - 4,770,546 2,896,614 1894 4,272,1301 2,280,470 1895.. 4,764,038 2,727,584 1896 - 4,588,061 2,661,840 In 1882 the New York, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad was com- pleted. In the same year the New York Central laid its tracks along the terrace and down the river shore to unite with the old main tracks beyond the city limits, giving that road direct western connections. The Buffalo, Pittsburg & Western Railroad Company was formed in January, 1881, by a consolidation of the Buffalo & Pittsburg Company (organized in September, 1880, for the purpose of building a road from Buffalo to near Brocton, Chautauqua county) with several other lines principally in Pennsylvania. In February, 1883, the road in question and the Oil City and Chicago, and .the Olean and Salamanca roads were consolidated with the Buffalo, New York & Philadelphia. Again, in 1882-83 the Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad Company (successor of the Rochester & State Line Company) built a line of road from Buffalo to Ashford, Cattaraugus county, by way of East Ham- burg, West Falls, Colden, and Springville. This became later an im- portant feeder from the coal regions and was a great convenience to the inhabitants of a part of Erie county that had not previously had railroad communication with other localities. Meanwhile the Lehigh Valley road (as then known) began extensive operations, sending its coal at that time over the tracks of other companies, and all contribut- ing to make Buffalo the greatest railroad center in the United States. The New York, West Shore & Buffalo Railroad was opened through for traffic in January, 1884, but being a rival of the New York Central, which became its purchaser, it has had no marked influence. Twenty- seven great railroad corporations 1 now operate roads entering Buffalo and more than 250 passenger trains enter and leave the city daily, while the yard facilities are the greatest in the world. 1 The following is a list of the railroads centering in Buffalo : 1. The New York Centra] & Hudson River; the main line, four tracks. 2. Niagara Falls & Lewiston branch. 3. Buffalo & Lockport. 4. Belt Line, Buffalo City. 5. Niagara Falls & Canan- daigua branch. 6. Rome, Watertown & Ogdensburg. 7. Erie; main line, two tracks. 8. Niagara Falls & Suspension Bridge branch. 9. International Bridge branch. 10. Lockport branch. 11. Buffalo & Southwestern and New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio Division. 12. West Shore, two PROM 1870 TO 1897. 423 Several of the large railroad corporations have established their own steamship lines, and although it is a seeming paradox, the enormous development of the railroad interest was one of the principal causes of the revival of lake commerce. Vessels that formerly brought down grain and frequently returned in ballast were laden both ways, carry- ing westward cargoes of iron and coal. The same influence that caused the rapid development of the coal business had a similar effect upon the iron industry. Ore docks were constructed by the Lehigh Valley Company, the New York, Lake Erie & Western Company, the New York Central, and the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Com- pany, and the ore receipts in the port by lake increased from 197,000 tons in 1892 to 545,101 tons in 1896. By virtue of its. situation, the early establishment of adequate stock yards, and the great railroad facilities described, Buffalo has become one of the largest cattle markets in the world. While changes in the volume of this business during the last decade have not been especially marked, there has been an enormous development during the past forty years. For example, the live stock trade of 1857 included 108,203 head of cattle, 117,068 hogs, and 307,549 sheep. Ten years later the number of cattle was 257,872; of hogs, 239,943; of sheep, '697,440. In 1877 the figures are, cattle, 569,915; hogs, 1,128,770; sheep, 763,600. In 1896 the figures are, cattle, 945,274; hogs, 3,900,- 450; sheep,. 2,664,200. While Buffalo has never been in a paramount degree a manufac- turing city, it was inevitable that with this vast inflowing tide of prosperity, hundreds of industries should spring into existence, many of which are of great importance. From the comparatively limited number of manufacturing establishments of 1870 they have increased until there are now about 3,500, employing about 100,000 operatives. With the installation of unlimited electric power from Niagara Falls, to be supplied at a price lower than can be obtained in any other city tracks. 13. Reading & Lehigh Valley system. 14. Delaware, Lackawanna & Western; main line, two tracks and branches. 15. Western New York & Pennsylvania, Buffalo Division; Emporium and other branches. 16. Pittsburg Division, Pittsburgh branch. 17. Connecting Terminal. 18. Lake Shore & Michigan Southern; main line, two tracks and branches. 19. New York, Chicago & St. Louis, " Nickel Plate." 20. Grand Trunk of Cananda; main line, via Niagara Falls, Sus- pension Bridge and branches. 21. Chicago & Grand Trunk, and Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwau- kee. 22. Buffalo & Goderich, and other branches, via International Bridge. S3. Michigan Central and branches; main line enters Buffalo via Canada over the International and Cantilever bridges. 24. Toronto, Hamilton & Buffalo. 25. Niargara City branch. 26. Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg, and branches. 27. Northern Central, via N. Y. C & H. R., at Canandaigua, N. Y., and Erie at Elmira, N. Y. 424 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in the country outside of Niagara Falls, it is clear that the future in this respect is bright. \To protect and facilitate the vast lake commerce of the port, im- pOrtant and COSt- BUFFALO HARBOR.N.Y. Showing ExteTiBOn. ■iREAJTWATEn AND SAND-CATCH Pi EB ly improve- ments have been made and are now in process of construction in the harbor. In 1868 a de- tached break- water was pro- vided for, to be situated beyond the lighthouse, to extend south 4,000 feet; in 1874 it was de- termined to fur- ther extend this breakwater to a length of 7,600 feet ; the final extension of this distance was constructed in 1893. A shore arm to this breakwater was built in 1874-75. In 1886 plans were approved for replacing the superstruc- ture, as fast as it became decayed, with concrete; nearly 4,000 feet have been thus replaced up to the present time. In 1895 a new and very important harbor improvement was projected. This, in brief, consists of the FROM 1870 TO 1897, 425 abandonment of the shore arm before mentioned, and the extension of the breakwater from its present southern end to Stony Point. " The estimated cost of this work is about $4,200,000, the appropriation for which has been made by the Federal government and the work is under way. The accompanying map shows the harbor as it wili appear after the new breakwater is completed. The total sum expended by the United States in improvements in the harbor up to July 1, 1897, is $2,722,733.15?^ It will be correctly inferred that renewed activity in real estate and building operations accompanied the revival of material growth and prosperity in. other directions just described. In fact, in almost no other respect were indications of the beginning of ^ new era in the industrial life of Buffalo more clearly apparent. Prices of real estate advanced and property in many sections of the city was sold and im- proved. Especially was this true in respect to outlying districts where __ many large tracts were bought by enterprising men or companies, laid out in lots and streets, and covered with high class residences, which fouhd ready buyers at greatly advanced prices. Business blocks of great cost were erected with surprising frequency and filled with the multiplying stores and offices. Previous to the period under considera^ tion modern architecture in the city was little understood and found few builders who were ready to adopt it ; but within the past fifteen years a striking change has taken place in this respect, both in dwellings and business buildings. In evidence of this change, attention need be called only to such splendid structures as the Erie County Savings Bank building, the Guaranty building, Ellicott Square, the Real Estate Exchange, the Merchants' Exchange, the Mooney-Brisbane building, the building of the German Insurance Company, the Buffalo Library building, the D. S. Morgan building, the Iroquois Hotel, the new building of the Evening News, and others of less note. The outcome of this abnormal activity in real estate operations was, however, disastrous. A speculative project was inaugurated and energetically pursued during the period from about 1888 to 1893, not alone in Buffalo, but in many other large cities, the unfortunate con- sequences of which were similar, in almost every instance. Under the spur of ambitious enterprise a fever of speculation in real estate was induced, prices were forced far beyond actual values, and the city of Buffalo is still suffering from the inevitable reaction. It should not be inferred that this class of speculation was confined to the city of 51 426 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Buffalo, or to Erie county, or 'to any other limited region. It grew upon the proceeds of its own operation and it was a foregone conclu- sion that it would spread, as it certainly did, throughout the north, east and west, and involved not alone suburban property, but farm lands of all kinds. The general plan of these operations under which the existing conr dition in the real estate market was reached may be briefly outlined. A speculative purchaser would buy a suburban farrn, or other large tract of land, without intention of materially improving it, but wholly for speculative purposes. If he paid say $100 an acre for the land he would, through the medium of extravagant and frequently insincere advertising and personal argument, set forth the various desirable features of his property — its elgible situation for homes, or for manu- facturing purposes, its healthfulness, etc.— and thus find a purchaser, or purchasers, at, perhaps, $200 an acre. These new buyers wotxld, by similar and still more energetic methods, extol and magnify the prospective value of the property before the public, until another syn- dicate could be found who would take over the purchase at another large advance. In many instances such tracts of land were surveyed into lots and streets and the beginning of improvements made ; these lots could be offered singly at apparently very low prices and yet at such figures that the gross sum received for an acre would be, perhaps, ten times the amount of the original purchase price. Many of these tracts and lots were sold to people who were lacking in business experi- ence, and who were as a rule without means to make improvements; the inducements to such people to buy were long-time payments, sometimes without interest on the balance unpaid, and eloquent repre- sentations that they could thus soon own homes of their own. The result of such transactions could be foreseen by prudent men. The real estate operations in and around Buffalo, of which the fore- going presents an unprejudiced example, were numerous — far too numerous for the public welfare. While the forced inflation of prices continued in any particular case, the speculators themselves reaped profits, but they were the onty persons who did; the disastrous conclu- sion was inevitable and the final buyers found themselves, when the the bubble burst, just where their predecessors were in 1836-37. When the tide turned people began to awaken to the fact that they had acquired lands at prices far above actual value, everybody directly interested attempted to sell out, with the natural consequence that FROM 1870 TO 1891 42? prices went down with far greater rapidity than they had risen ; buyers were frightened and the entire business came to a standstill. While real estate centrally located in the city, and improved with residence or business buildings, was not to a very great extent involved in these mushroom transactions, it was unavoidable that the downfall, when it came in ] 893, should reflect to some degree upon all other real estate of whatever stable value, as well as upon many other lines of business. Recovery from these depressing conditions may be said to have begun, but such recovery will necessarily be slow and there will be ample time in which men may study the lessons taught by such un- warranted operations, and learn that the steady, conservative progress which Buffalo has made during by far the greater paVt of its municipal existence, is the only safe, permanent and, in the end, profitable one. In this connection may properly be noticed the organization of the Buffalo Real Estate Exchange on January 23, 1885, as the Real Estate and Brokers' Board, limited, and was incorporated January 18, 1887. It was reincorporated April 12, 1892, with its present title and with Henry Hill, president; Walter G. Hopkins, vice-president; George H. Sickels, secretary; Timothy J. Mahoney, treasurer. The splendid building occupied by the Exchange and by hundreds of offices, on Pear street, was erected in 1895-96, at a cost of about $460,000. The Ex- change is accomplishing much good in the real estate business of the city. The immigration into the city and county necessary to create the great increase in population to which reference has been made in pre- vious pages, has been of a widely diverse character. While at the present time a majority of the inhabitants are, of course, of English nationality, the reader has already learned that, mingled with this ma- jority is a very large German element of citizenship, which enters prominently into all business activities and exerts a marked influence in the political field and the municipal government. Another con- spicuous element of the community is the Polish. The advent in Buffalo of people of this nationality began shortly be- fore 1870, and by the year 1874 there were about 150 families in the city. , Constant employment and good wages, compared to what they had received in. their native land, induced them to stay and to send for their relatives and friends, and by_1885a conspicuous colony had firmly engrafted itself on the east side. (This colony now numbers about 55,- 000 persons. Unlike their brethren in other cities in the United States, 428 Oak COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the Poles of Buffalo have kept largely together, forming a settlement of their own, with churches, schools, and other institutions conducive to their welfare and preservative of their national characteristics. So thorough have they been in this respect that. they are almost distinct- ively a people by themselves, having little in common, except in busi- ness connections, with the vast interests of the city at large. This Polish element came from the Polands in Prussia and Russia and from Austria, and in their new home cling tenaciously to the religion, habits, and mode of life which prevail in the old country, |They are mainly laborers; few of them have engaged in business, ex- cept as the demands of their own people have created the oppor- tunity. They are fairly industrious, law-abiding, and charitable; many of them own property, especially their own homes, which are generally modest in character and largely built in one style^ Nearly all business in their settlement is carried on by them ; their merchants (kupiecs), dealers, etc., are enterprising, and some of them have valu- able properties. Most of the Polish population are immigrants, and a large number of them can speak nothing but their native language, in which their religious services, school exercises, and dealings with one another are chiefly conducted. In religion they are principally Roman Catholics. It is important to note that in point of Polish population Buffalo is second among the cities of this country, Chicago coming first, Detroit third, Milwaukee fourth, Cleveland fifth, and Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York next. Among the prominent early Poles in Buffalo were Michael Szanichrowicz and John Odojewski, two of the organizers of the first Polish society, St. Stanislaus; Theodore Berent, one of the first appointed to read the gospel in Polish in St. Michael's chapel; and Jacob Johnson, the first teacher of English in their schools. St. Stanislaus church (Polish Roman Catholic) was incorporated in June, 1873, with about fifty members, and the same year a frame edifice was built on the corner of Peckham and Townsend streets. The first pastor was Rev. John Pitass, 1 who is still in charge; the leading lay members were John Hordich and Joseph I. Kaujwski. On May 27, 1 Very Rev. John Pitass is the dean of the Polish colony in Buffalo, and the leader of his peo- ple in Western New York. For more than a quarter of a century he has labored with untiring zeal to advance the moral and spiritual welfare of not only his own congregation, but of his race, and no man is regarded by his followers with more veneration. He stands pre-eminently at the head of a distinctive element in the city's population, and represents all that is noble among his people in matters of religion and education: PROM lSl'O TO 189?. 429 1883, the corner stone of the present stone church was laid on an ad- joining lot on Peckham street; the structure was completed in 1886. The old wooden church was converted into a parochial school, and later another large school house was built of brick on Peckham street. This is the largest Polish church in the city, having over 6,000 com- municants, and about 2,000 scholars in its parochial school. St. Adel- bert's church (Polish Roman Catholic) comes next in date of organiza- tion and in size, having about 525 parochial scholars and between 600 and 700 families. Its first edifice was a wooden building ; later a brick church was built; that burned, and in 1890 the present structure on the corner of Stanislaus street and Rother avenue was erected. Each of these churches has a cemetery at Pine Hill. *The other Polish Roman Catholic churches in Buffalo are St. Casimir's, at the corner of Clinton and Beer streets; the Church of the Assumption, at Black Rock; St. John Kanty's church, at Broadway and Swinburne street, built about 1892; and Church of the Transfiguration, built of brick in 1896-97. Each of these churches maintains a parochial, school. There is also the Holy Mother of Rosary church, an independent body, on Sobieski street, near Sycamore, which has a cemetery on Walden avenue. j^JThe first Polish newspaper in Buffalo was the Ojezyznay (My Coun- try), which was started by a stock company, of which George Bork was president; Stanislaus Slisz was the editor. In 1886 it became a semi- weekly with the title, Polak w Ameryce, which it still retains. Rev. John Pitass conducted it for several years, and on April 6, 1895, made it a daily. In June, 1897, Stanislaus Slisz became proprietor and chief editor. The Polak w Ameryce is the only Polish daily newspaper in the Eastern and Central States; it is printed entirely in Polish, is a large four-page folio, and has an extensive circulation. The Echo, a weekly, was started by M. J. Sadowski, now secretary of the Polish National Alliance; the present proprietor is Vincent Wagonis and the editor is Thomas Lobarzewski. The Slonce (Sun) was established by Jerzy Mirski, the present editor and proprietor. The independent Poles are represented by the Reforma, a weekly, of which Apolinary Karwowski is the founder and editor; while the socialistic element has a recently established journal, The Sila (Strength)/) The Polish Li- brary Association was organized in 1889, and has about 200 members. The library, located in a hall on Broadway and Sweet avenue, has more than 1,500 volumes of Polish, English, German, French, Lithuanian 430 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and Russian authors, and connected with it is a Literary and Dramatic Circle of about forty members. There is also a large representation of the Jewish nationality in Buf- falo, though it does not attain the relative proportions found in many other Northern cities. The first Israelite to become a resident of the city, as far as now known, was a Mr. Flersheim, an instructor in Ger- man, who came from Frankfort-on-the Main. He was in the city as early as 1835. Barnard Lichtenstein, the second Jew to arrive, was here from 1838 to 1870. By the year 1850 the number of resident Israelites in the city had greatly increased. Their first public worship was held in the Townsend block, and the Jacobsohn Society was organ- ized October 3, 1847, with eleven charter members. This society bought and consecrated for burial purposes a lot on what is now Fill- more avenue; this was abandoned in 1861 for a lot on Pine Hill. The old congregation of Beth Zion was organized by the German Israelites in 1850. In September, 1863, in obedience to a desire to conform their mode of worship more with the spirit of modern times and new asso- ciations, a number of members of Beth Zion requested Rev. Dr. Wise, of Cincinnati, to send them a minister to preach for them at the high feasts of New Year's day and the day of Atonement. Kremlin Hall was leased for the ceremonies. This was the beginning of the reform movement in the mode of worship. Soon afterward a fusion of these members with old Beth Zion was effected and the new society named Temple Beth Zion. The society at once purchased the old Methodist church on Niagara street and fitted it for their place of worship. ' Since the beginning there have been formed the Beth El Synagogue, in June, 1848; Brith Sholem, about 1865; Beth Jacob, in October, 1881; and Brith Israel, Akavas Sholem, Ahavath Achim, the Hickory Street Synagogue, and Anshe Lebawiz. Various Jewish benevolent institu- tions have also been founded. An orphan asylum was opened in De- cember, 1877, which is connected with the Jewish Orphan Asylum Association of Western New York. The Hebrew Benevolent Society was organized in 1862. The Irish element in Buffalo also is large, though not proportion- ately more so, probably, than in most other American cities; as most of 'them, as well as very many of the Germans and Poles, profess the 1 The new Temple Beth Zion, on Delaware avenue, was dedicated September 12, 1890. It is one o£ the finest specimens of Jewish architecture in the State. Rev. Israel Aaron, D. D., is the rabbi. FROM 1870 TO 1897. 431 Roman Catholic faith, it follows that this sect is numerously repre- sented in the city in the schools, the churches, and the charitable institutions. In recent years the character of the city population has been further diversified by the advent of a large Italian element, which is gradually becoming identified with some lines of business and labor. These representative elements of varied nationalities, with others of less number and importance, give to the population of Buffalo a cosmopolitan character more distinctive and marked than that of any other similar city in the country. This fact has been a subject of public comment on many occasions. As to its general influence upon the welfare of the community, opinions differ, as they always do upon kindred subjects. This large and varied foreign population, and the fact that Buffalo is a great railroad center undoubtedly contributed to swell the magni- tude of the great strike among railroad men in 1877. Although this memorable labor movement did not originate here, it found one of its most active centers in this city, where there was extensive destruction of property, riot and bloodshed. It is, however, due to the laboring class of Buffalo, outside of railroad employees, to state that they did not sympathize with nor take part in that demonstration. The troubles at that time had their inception at Martinsburg, West Va. , where, on July 17 of the year named, a large number of employees of the Balti- more & Ohio Railroad struck* against reduction of their pay. The movement spread to the West and before night of the 19th every employee in Chicago had quit work. In Pittsburg a mob took posses- sion of railroad property and there and in Baltimore men were shot down in the streets. On the 20th the strike reached Hornellsville on the Erie road and destruction of property began. The first indication of trouble in Buffalo was a notification from a gang of about seventy-five men to Yardmaster Peck that he must quit work or take the consequences; this was on July 21. The strik- ers began pulling coupling pins, putting out lights and spiking switches, and on the following day the employees of the New York Central and Lake Shore roads joined in the movement, and began similar oper- ations to obstruct traffic. The 74th and 65th Regiments were placed on guard at depots, freight houses and coal trestles. Tramps and vagabonds flocked to the city and to them was due very much of the ensuing vandalism. When on the afternoon of the 22d Superintendent Taylor, of the Lake Shore road, called for assistance at the round 432 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. house, General Rogers with a detachment of troops proceeded to that point. As the soldiers left the cars they were greeted with jeers and a shower of stones. The general drew up his men in line and ordered them to take aim, upon which there was a stampede of the mob. The troops then occupied the round house. During that night the strikers v put out the lights at East Buffalo and took possession of the tracks. On the 23d the mob made an attack on the Erie road shops at Exchange and Louisiana streets and forced the employees to stop work. Every attempt to move a train was thwarted by uncoupling the engine and cars. On the same evening a Westfield company which had been ordered to Buffalo had an encounter with the mob a short distance out of the city, in which several men were wounded. Battery A of artil- lery was sent to the relief of this company, but was stopped at the round house. A public meeting was held on the evening of the 23d, the mayor (Becker) presiding. A committee was appointed to confer with the mayor upon plans for preserving peace and protecting property. A resolution was adopted calling on the Common Council to increase the number of patrolmen to not more than 1,000 for a period of not more than ten days. At police headquarters the committee reported advis- ing the mayor to enroll 2,000 citizens to volunteer for general duty and to hold themselves in readiness to act at a moment's warning. At the same time Co. D of the City Guard tendered its services to the authori- ties. On the 24th the augmented police force was ready for duty and supplied with ammunition. Outside of the body of strikers, who claimed they were not responsible for any of the destruction of property, the mob of vandals visited many of the leading, manufactories of the city, which in several instances were closed under compulsion. At the factory of John T. Noye & Son the mob broke in the doors, and when assistance was called Police Superintendent Byrne and thirty men appeared on the scene, charged the vandals and by the free use of their clubs drove them away and substantially ended interference with business places. During the day the strikers signified their willing- ness to let mail trains pass and they were soon running. The rioters had loudly proclaimed their intention of destroying the railroad prop- erty at East Buffalo and toward night of the 24th they gathered in great numbers at that point ; but the presence of the militia and a large police force Under Capt. Philip Wurtz, was sufficient to prevent exten- sive operations by the mob, although the latter officer and his men PROM 1870 TO 1897. 483 were called upon to charge the rioters with their clubs with such results that, many fell with damaged heads. To the effective action of the police was due in a large measure the early extinction of the strike, which was substantially ended on the 25th. Another important railroad strike took place in Buffalo in 1892, which may as well be disposed off at this point. In this case the cause was a disagreement over wages and the length of a day's labor. The movement began on the Western New York & Pennsylvania Road on August 13, and during that day eighteen freight cars, two passenger cars and two flagmen's shanties were burned in the Lehigh Valley yards. Ten loaded cars were uncoupled on the Lehigh trestle and sent thundering down the incline to collide with and wreck a locomo- tive and destroy the water tank. The damage thus far amounted to $75,000 in value. On the 14th mob law was in full force and the sheriff was called upon for protection. A large force of deputies were sworn in, while on the 15th the 74th and 65th Regiments was encamped in the vicinity of East Buffalo. The governor was called upon for aid and the arrival of troops from the east began and continued until nearly the whole force of State militia was in Buffalo. H. Walter Webb and other prominent railroad officials were quartered at the Iro- quois Hotel and directed operations against the strikers to such good purpose that it was soon seen that their defeat would not be long post- poned. On the 25th the Switchmen's Union, having been refused co-operation by the trainmen's and firemen's organizations, gave up the fight, and as that body had constituted the head and front of the strike, the whole movement ceased. As before intimated, it would be unjust to the laboring classes of Buf- falo to charge them with active participation in these outbreaks, or sympathy with them, except so far as they might seem to represent a general desire to resist oppression by corporations and advance the in- terests of workingmen at large. Buffalo is peculiarly liable to be the scene of similar labor movements on the part of railroad employees, but advancing intelligence among the masses and the growing belief that all such important differences between labor and capital can be settled by peaceful methods, lead to the conviction that a repetition of the scenes of 1877 and 1892 is improbable. The city charter of 1870 was variously amended previous to the adop- m of the present one, and particularly in the year 1886. The ten- 55 434 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. dency of all amendments was towards giving high officers broader powers and charging them with more direct responsibility for acts of their appointees. An amendment of February 17 of that year was in this direction, in respect to the mayor, and authorized him to appoint a secretary for his office at a salary of $2,500 annually; another amend- ment of that year gave the Water Commissioners broader powers in respect to the removal of other officers of the department, the fixing of rates, subject to the approval of the Common Council, etc. A similar amendment was made at about the same time, applying to the Fire Department. On May 27, 1886, an amendment was made which, among other things, created a Department of Law, under supervision of a corporation counsel to hold office for a term of three years and giving him two assistants. An amendment of June 8, 1887, provided for the election of five assessors and making their term of office five years. It also enlarged the powers of the police justice. But with all these changes the city charter still remained imperfect and in many ways inadequate to the needs of the growing city. It was believed by leading officials and citizens that radical alterations striking at the very root of municipal government would be necessary before the results would prove satisfactory. This general feeling led to the preparation and adoption of the present charter in 1891. It was enacted as a law by the Legislature on March 27 of that year and may be found in full in the published session laws, Chapter 105. This charter made sweeping changes in various features of the municipal government and, with the several amendments made since, constitutes an admirable document. Its most important provisions gave the city its present boundaries and divided it into twenty-five wards (as at present), and made radical changes in the legislative department. The Com- mon Council was separated into two distinct bodies — the Board of Councilmen consisting of nine members, who are elected by the people and hold office for a term of three years, three new members being elected each year ; and the Board of Aldermen consisting of twenty-five members, one from each ward, holding office for a term of two years. While the Board of Alderman is invested with broad powers, no act of theirs isin force until it is approved by the Board of Councilmen; the latter may amend any measure of the former and return it for further consideration. If agreed to, it then stands as an act of the whole Common Council ; if not, and is further amended, it may be again re- turned to the councilmen for renewed consideration and approval or FROM lStO TA 18&t. 4SS rejection. Measures passing both boards and reaching the mayor may be vetoed by him. The veto may, however, be overridden by eighteen votes of the Board of Aldermen, and seven votes of the Board of Councilmen. The new State Constitution of 1894 separated national, State and local politics in certain respects ; municipal officers must now be chosen at separate elections; under this arrangement it became necessary in 1894 to elect all aldermen for a term of three years; the aldermen elected in 1895 served two years, and the board elected in 1897, to take office until January 1, 1898, will serve two years. The charter was further amended so as to provide for the election of three councilmen in 1895, to serve four years; and for the election of six councilmen in 1897, who should determine by lot two of their number to hold office for two years. At the annual election held in odd num- bered years thereafter it was provided that there shall be elected alter- nately five and four councilmen for a four years' term, while the terms of other city officers also expire at the close of odd numbered years, their successors to be elected in the preceding fall. The executive and administrative powers of the city are vested by the new charter in the mayor and the heads of departments — finance, assessment, law, police and excise, fire, public works (with four bureaus noticed further on), parks, public instruction, and poor. The follow- ing officers are elected by the people : Mayor, comptroller, corporation counsel, treasurer, assessors, commissioner of public works, judges of municipal court, superintendent of education, police justice, justices of the peace, and overseer of the poor. The mayor, comptroller, corpora- tion counsel, treasurer, superintendent of education, commissioner of public works, and oversee'r of the poor were given a term of three years ; police justice and justices of the peace, four years; assessors five years, and judge of the municipal court, six years. The Board of Police, under this charter, consists of the mayor, ex officio, and two commissioners of police; the two police commissioners act also as commissioners of excise. Authority was given for the division of the city into not less than eleven nor more than fourteen precincts, with one captain, two sergeants, and three doormen in each precinct. The Board of Health consists of the mayor, the president of the Board of Public Works, and a health commissioner appointed by the mayor. The Fire Department is under control of a non-partisan board ap- pointed by the mayor for six years. 436 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The Board of Public Works consists of three members, elected for a term of -three years. In this important department are four bureaus — Bureau of Water (the chief of which is the water superintendent), Bureau of Streets (under the superintendent of streets), Bureau of Buildings (under the superintendent of buildings), and Bureau of En- gineering. The Department of Parks under this charter consists of fifteen members, appointed by the mayor, who serve without compensation. The Department of Public Instruction has the superintendent of education at its head, and he is invested with broad powers. All the expenses are paid from the general fund. An important change in this department was made by the charter in the creation of a Board of School Examiners, consisting of five members, who are designated by the mayor. One new member is appointed each year. Applicants for teachers' positions in the city are divided into three grades — high school grade, grammar school grade, and primary grade, and all must appear before the Board of Examiners to establish their fitness for the position applied for. The Department of Poor is under direction of the overseer of the poor, who appoints such subordinates as are directed by the council. A supervisor and a constable are elected in each city ward. The Municipal Court is continued as under the previous charter, and two judges are chosen for terms of six years. Aldermen and councilmen are paid a salary of $1,000 each annually. A feature of modern progress that is already of great importance to the whole of Erie county, and will when completed confer still greater advantages upon the city, is the abolition of railroad grade crossings. The Grade Crossing Commission was created in 1888 by an act of the Legislature, and consisted of the following named persons: Robert B. Adam, William J. Morgan, George Sandrock, Charles A. Sweet, Ed- ward H. Butler, John B. Weber, Frederick Kendall, Solomon Scheu and James E. Nunan. Chapter 345 of the laws of 1892 added the fol- lowing persons to the commission: Augustus F. Scheu, James Ryan and Henry D. Kirkover. After long and discouraging negotiations with attorneys and representatives of railroads, the commission was finally successful, and during the year 1896 contracts were signed by all the important railroads entering the city and work is now progress- ing that will soon effect the much desired improvement. The Michi- FROM 1870 TO 1897. 437 gan street viaduct, the lowering of tracks below the level of Washing- ton street, and crossing the Terrace by subway is already accom- plished. The entire work will involve an expenditure of about $5,000,000. Natural gas for fuel was introduced in Buffalo in 1886. In January of that year the Buffalo Natural Gas Fuel Company was incorporated with a capital stock of $250,000, which has since been increased to $350,000. The first and present principal officers of the company are as follows: Daniel O'Day, president; John McManus, secretary and treasurer. Franchises were granted to the company in April, 1886, for the laying of pipes in the streets, and on November 30 the gas was turned on. The plant has been greatly extended and the company has now about 150 miles of mains laid. About 13,000 consumers are now supplied with the gas. The company acts as a distributor only, and not as a. producer. The gas is obtained from McKean county, Pa., and Welland, Ont., with Cattaraugus and Erie county wells as a reserve. Soon after the organization of this company experimental wells were sunk in West Seneca, Erie county, and a supply of gas was found. A little later Gerhard Lang and George Rochevot discovered gas in the vicinity of Jefferson and Best streets, in the city, and organized the Erie County Natural Gas Fuel Company, which established a small plant on the east side of the city. This plant is now operated under lease by the older company. The paving of Buffalo streets with asphalt composition was intro- duced in 1882. Since that time this class of smooth street surface has been extensively laid by several companies, until at the present time about 200 miles are thus paved. This renders Buffalo the best paved city in the world. In no other one respect is the enormous material growth and aston- ishing business activity of the city during the period of five years from 1888 so clearly shown as in the extension of banking interests. From 1889 to 1893 inclusive there were no less than ten new banking and financial institutions established. It is doubtful if such a statement can be truthfully made regarding any other city in the country of simi- lar population. With others previously founded, all of which have been noticed, this gives the city at the present time eighteen banks of deposit and discount, five savings banks, and two trust companies, all named below. ' The total capital represented is about $5, 550, 000 ; with 1 The People's Bank was organized May 20, 1889, with capital stock of $300,000 and the follow- 438 OUR COUNTY AND If S P EOPLfi. total surplus and undivided profits of $4,250,000. A clearing house was established in Buffalo on April 1, 1889, which is still ill existence and facilitates the transaction of banking business in all of its features. On account of its large hotel facilities, its accessible situation, and the public spirit and liberality shown by its citizens, Buffalo has been the scene of many notable public gatherings of civil, political and mili- tary character. While these need not be here referred to in detail, it is proper in these closing pages of general history to allude briefly to ing officers, who still hold their positions: Daniel O'Day, president; Arthur D. Bissell, vice- president; Clarence W. Hammond, second vice-president and cashier. The Citizens' Bank of Buffalo was organized October 1, 1890, with capital stock of $100,000, and the following principal officers, who still hold their respective positions: Joseph Block, president; G. Fred Zeller, vice president; Irving E. Waters, cashier. The Metropolitan Bank was organized in 1891, and opened for business on July 5 of that year. The capital stock was the same as now, $300,000. The first officers were William Meadows, presi- dent; Charles Groben, vice-president; Jacob Dilcher, cashier. In May, 1893, Henry Weill suc- ceeded to the presidency. The Union Bank was organized in 1891, and opened for business June 8 of that year, with capi- tal stock of $200,000, which remains the same. Following were the first officers: Joshua S. Bliss, president; John Q. McDonnell, vice president; Louis Stern, cashier; Jerome P. Owen, assistant cashier. H. A. Menker succeeded Mr. Bliss as president in October, 1893. Alex. McMaster, vice- president; James Kerr, cashier. The Niagara Bank was organized and opened for business September 15, 1891, in Black Rock; it removed to the city in 1894, and in April, 1896, made the first lease in the new Ellicott Square building. The capital stock was and is $100,000. The first officers were P. Henry G-riffin, presi- dent; Marcus M. Drake, vice-president; both still in office; Harvey S. Champlin, cashier; Oliver S. Laycock second vice-president. In 1893 John A. Kennedy succeeded Mr. Champlin as cashier, and William J. Hayes was made assistant cashier. In' June, 1897, Mr. Kennedy succeeded Mr. Lay- cock as second vice-president and Mr. Hayes was made cashier, with Frank T. Hartman, assist- ant cashier. Ellicott Square Bank is the successor of the Queen City Bank, organized in 1892, with capital stock of $600,000. , In 1896 a reorganization was effected and the name changed to its present title, and the capital made $300,000. The first officers of the latter bank were Fred C M. Lautz, presi- dent; James N. Adam, vice-president; D. Clark Rice, cashier. On May 4, 1896, Walter G. Robbins succeeded Mr. Adam as vice-president. The other officers still hold their positions. The Columbia National Bank of Buffalo began business June, 1892, with capital stock of $200,000, and the following officers: Josiah Jewett, president; Henry C. Howard, vice-president; Joseph S. Bryant, second vice-president; Clifford Hubbell, cashier. Sherman S. Jewett died February 28, 1897, and was succeeded as president by Edgar B. Jewett; George Wadsworth was elected vice-president. The City Bank was organized March 20, 1893, with capital stock of $300,000, and the following as the first and present officers: William C. Cornwell, president, P. H. Griffin, vice-president; Charles Daniels, second vice-president; Alfred J. Barnes, cashier; John R. Boag, assistant cashier; James G. Berry, second assistant cashier. The Empire State Savings Bank was organized September 1, 1892, with the following as the first principal officers: Charles Daniels, president; John S. Voltz, first vice-president; P. J. Ferris, secretary and treasurer. The latter was succeeded October 1, 1892, by George W. Townsend, "and ^ie on April 7, 1897, by Edward D. Wheeler. Andrew Langdon is the present president; George A. Stringer, first vice-president; Robert Denton, second vice-president. Another strong financial institution is the Fidelity Trust and Guaranty Company, which began business May 11, 1893, with a paid in capital of $500,000; this remains unchanged. The first officers were George V. Forman, president; George S. Field, vice-president; John Satterfield, second vice- president; T. S. McFarland, secretary, and twenty-four trustees. The resources of this institu- tion are now more than five and a half million dollars. PROM 1870 TO 1897. 439 the Thirty-first National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic, held in the city from Monday to Saturday, August 23-28, 1897, the striking scenes of which are still fresh in the public mind. Extensive preparations were made in the city, through the energetic labor of various committees, for the coming of the expected hosts ; two beautiful and symbolic arches were erected in Main street, one in Chippewa street and two at the Front ; a military camp, which was a model in every respect, was established at the Front and given the name of Camp Jewett, and formally opened on Monday afternoon by Commander Thaddeus Clarkson, and its use presented to the G. A. R. by Mayor Edgar B. Jewett. Visitors began to arrive on the previous Saturday and Sunday, and the city was soon overflowing with a vast tide of humanity from all over the United States. In the evening of Monday there was a civic parade in which various organizations took part. On the same day a reception was given to Commander Clark- son at Music Hall. President McKinley arrived in the city on Tuesday afternoon, mak- ing his headquarters at the Niagara Hotel. In the evening he was given a banquet in the Ellicott Square dining hall by Columbia Post, G.A. R. , of Chicago. About 400 persons sat at the tables, and re- sponses to toasts were made by the president, Governor Black, Arch- bishop Ireland, Commander Clarkson, Russell A. Alger, Mayor Jewett, and others. The grand parade of the G. A. R. took place on Wednesday. This was one of the most imposing and impressive spectacles of the kind ever witnessed. Marching up Main street, the vast throng turned down Chippewa street to Delaware avenue, and thence up the avenue to the Circle and thence to the Front. At the junction of the avenue and Chippewa street, and facing eastward towards the head of the marching veterans, was displayed the living shield, a symbol the novelty and beauty of which were almost beyond description. The great shield was composed of about 2,000 children dressed in red, white, and blue, who were seated upon a raised and inclined platform, and greeted the marching columns with songs, cheers and waving handkerchiefs. The parade lasted about six hours. A reviewing stand was erected at the Circle from which the presi- dent, Governor Black, Commander Clarkson, and other distinguished men reviewed the parade. The business meeting of the convention was held on Thursday. It was opened by Commander Clarkson, who 440 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was followed by addresses of welcome. These were followed by the commander's annual message, election of officers, and other regular pfoceedings. Speeches were made by Archbishop Ireland, Gen. Lew Wallace, and other distinguished persons. It was estimated that there were 200,000 or more strangers in the city during this memorable event. Many of these left on Thursday, while others remained through the week. This vast gathering was comfortably provided for, and there was not a complaint of any im- portance from any one, nor an untoward occurrence to mar the occasion. At the Thursday meeting the following resolution was offered by Gen. Lew Wallace and adopted : Resolved, That this Encampment cannot adjourn without expressing its great appreciation of the liberality of the municipal authorities and all of the citizens of Buffalo for this labor of love and patriotism they have performed in preparing for and entertaining the members of the Encampment and its visiting friends. Buffalo enjoys the distinction of being the birthplace of the second Grand Army post in the United States, the first one being organized in Illinois. The Buffalo post — Chapin, No. 2 — was mustered in the fall of 1866, and has had an uninterrupted existence. It was the first to apply for a charter in this State. In 1869 it had 592 members, or twenty-five more than any other post in New York ; now it has 319. It was named in honor of Gen. Edward Payson Chapin, who fell at the battle of Port Hudson, May 27, 1863, and from its ranks were organ- ized the Bidwell and Wilkeson posts, the former on April 1, 1870, and the latter on May 15, 1871. These two posts were consolidated May 28, 1880, under the name of Bidwell Wilkeson Post, No. 9, which now has 351 members and is the largest and foremost Grand Army organi- zation in Erie county, numbering among its officers and men some of the leading citizens of Buffalo. To Chapin Post and Post Commander John D. Leib is due the credit of erecting in Forest Lawn a beautiful soldiers' monument and the setting apart of a burial plot for friendless and indigent veterans. At the present time there are seven Grand Army posts in Buffalo, having a total membership of about 1,225. In the county, outside of the city, there are perhaps another thousand or fifteen hundred veter- *ans belonging to the Grand Army of the Republic. It is impossible to estimate the number of soldiers and sailors in Erie county who served in the late Rebellion, but an idea may be gained from the fact that there are upwards of 3,000 pensioners within our limits. No other FROM 1870 TO 1897, 441 organization has inspired such patriotism ; no body of men has a higher claim to the honor of a grateful public. The valuation of real and personal property in the city of Buffalo from* 1855, when the boundaries were enlarged, and the amount of tax levied in each year, to the present time, are shown in the following table : Year. Valuation real estate. 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 56 Valuation per- sonal prop- erty. $28,128,039 29,356,291 29,446,280 27,743,945 24,997,300 24.358,905 24,232,955 24,677,175 25,210,815 25,491,900 25,868,210 26,438,325 28,807,940 29,359,788 30,289,215 30,838,530 31,990,095 32,755,730 33,587,040 33,943,735 34,974,065 102,540,095 91,130,870 80,929,165 80,521,930 81,713,740 84,394,920 88,473,285 93,167,090 96,341,455 99,912,470 113,963,945 119,876,145 123,793,900 147,168,115 151,356,265 168,181,770 183,254,870 208,665,620 215,400,430 220,290,690 225,485,795 230,698,810 Total of real and personal property. $7,360,436 8,130,770 6,065,720 5,485,080 4,743,080 5,893,470 6,472,175 6,944,180 6,528,045 6,517,510 7,730,030 8,519,375 10,755,175 7,156,475 7,350,835 6,547,575 6,247,775 5,719,405 6,129,550 6,024,370 6,105,000 9,455,860 8,844,705 7,947,380 7.634,380 7,523,850 7,850,545 9,623,750 8,796,675 8,459,735 8,461,675 8,405,225 8,755,150 9,383,405 10,344,455 11,003,125 11,775,580 13,829,910 13,907,265 14,725,975 14,360,710 13,486,550 16,689,465 $35,488,475 37,487,061 35,512,000 33,229,025 29,740,380 30,252,375 30,705,130 31,621,355 31,738,860 32 009,410 33,598,240 34,957,700 39,563,115 36,516,263 37,640,050 37,386,105 38,237,870 38,475,135 39,716,590 39,968,105 41,079,065 111,995,955 99,975,575 88,876,545 88,156,310 89,237,320 92,254,465 98,097,035 101,963,765 104,801,190 108,364,145 122,369,170 128,631,295 133,076,805 157,512,570 162,359,450 179,957,350 197,084,780 222,572,885 230,126,405 234,651,400 238,972,345 247,388,275 Tax. $301,213 32 317,478.56 345,834.47 S64.904.48 304,783.33 302,443.18 283.644.49 284,196.19 334,504.83 403,857.33 504,218.86 485,444.16 640,713.45 648,778.11 657,954.75 865,350.56 867,644.25 1,042,612.62 1,334,075.88 1,442,290.39 1,487,672.19 1,420,778.87 1,545 392.80 1,243,582.89 1,036,501.27 1,264,064.90 1,505,445.11 1,582,665.15 1,659,634.99 1,723,656.75 1,993,195.81 2,113,686.56 2,012,251.78 1,911,365.27 2,228,122.05 2,383,789.53 2,845,997.78 2,989,614.81 3,526,249.14 3,528,310.59 3,612,616.40 3,588,423.01 3,507,668.67 442 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In this connection the following statement of property that is exempt from taxation for support of the municipal government for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1895, and June 30, 1896 (the latest available) is of significant interest : June 30, 1895. June 30, 1896. United States... $883,400 $882,400 State of New York - 2,181,145 2,331,145 Erie county - 0884,785 959,735 City and county - 1,607,400 1,607,400 City - 8,310,467 8.004,194 RELIGIOUS. Protestant $3,496,420 $3,758,915 Roman Catholic 4,470,085 4,076,170 Hebrew... - — 157,040 161,290 Clergymen 146,000 161,000 Miscellaneous 3,047,780 3,761,375 Totals $24,877,189 $25,909,887 Statement showing the receipts of flour and grain at Buffalo by lake during the past sixty-one years : Year. Flour, bbls. Wheat, bu. Corn, bu. Oats, bu. Barley, bu. Rye, bu. 1836.... 1837 1838 1839.... 1840 1841 139,178 126,805 277,630 394,135 597,642 730,040 734,408 917,517 915,030 746,750 1,347,520 1,873,000 1,249,000 1,207,435 1,103,039 1,258,224 1,299,213 975,557 739,756 936,761 1,120 048 845,953 1,536,109 1,420,333 1,133,335 3,159,501 394,090 450,350 933,117 1,117,163 1,004,561 1,635,000 1,555,410 1,837,341 2 177,500 1,770,740 4,744,184 6,489,100 4,530,717 3,943,978 3,681,347 4,167,131 5,549,778 5,420,043 8,510,782 8,021,126 8,456,671 8,334,179 10,671,550 9,234,652 18,502,649 37,105,210 204,335 94,490 34,148 71,326 201,031 454,530 233,966 137,978 54,200 1,455,258 2,862,800 2,298,030 3,321,651 2,593,378 5,998,774 5,136,746 8,065,793 10,183,983 9,711,433 19,633,377 5,713,611 6,631,660 3,113,658 11,386,317 31,024,657 28,640 2,553 6,557 14~i44 3~589 18,017 23,000 288,300 446,000 560,000 368,384 357,580 1,140,340 2,596,231 1,580,653 1,401,739 2,093,223 1,733,783 1,744,760 3,375,231 304,502 1.369,594 1,707,905 4,876 4~7l6 1^617 47^530 "~"e 3~600 343,773 497,613 401,089 313,885 62,304 46,327 37,344 308,371 361,560 2162,159 313,757 1,506 3,367 900 2~iS6 1842 1,268 1843 1,332 1844 456 1845 --.. 1846 .- 3'8J350 1847 1848 70,787 17,889 1849 1850 1851 _ 1852 _.._ 1853. 1854 10,650 112,251 107,152 177,066 1855 390,591 •1856.... 1857 1858 245,810 45,536 125,214 1859 124,693 1860 1861 80,822 377,764 PfeOM 1870 TO 1897. 443 Year. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. 1866. 1867. 1868. 1869 1870. 1871. 1872. 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 Flour, bbls. Wheat, bu. 1 1 1, 1 2, 4, 3 5, 5, 6 7, 9 10, 11 9 10 846,222 978,089 023,520 788,393 313,548 417,769 524,818 606,629 453,613 241,969 769,368 092,713 371,991 026,965 795,383 646,623 943,668 888,425 056,346 761,744 395,315 772,309 823,143 223,602 390,210 777,187 383,196 508,970 214 982 260,092 476,122 662,046 168,564 279,352 396,731 30,435,831 21,248,348 17,677,549 13,347,888 19,515,673 12,228,141 12,647,784 19,335,646 20,136,166 22,873,485 14,038,080 26,653,243 28,529,890 30,489,460 18,341,614 23,350,607 35,562,185 37,845,501 39,611,132 17,764,065 26,404,535 23,948,452 33,671,756 27,226,275 40,921,205 48,077,512 28,528,131 26,437,716 24,874,147 75,584,443 78,240,791 68,355,358 49,225,387 46,808,753 54,158,729 Corn, bu. 24.288,637 20,086,852 10,478,681 19,940,609 27,908,548 17,376,272 16,889,555 41,937,131 8,885,337 26, 329,151 35,077,203 27,930,206 22,394,856 17,408,475 21,344,114 31,344,610 35,558,409 32,999,364 62,916,584 33,004,144 20,738,355 33,915,262 16,651,163 20,245,770 25,494,838 39.656,220 35,960,245 46,679,875 44,097,522 29,539,901 32,377,878 41,532,839 27,187,875 36,819,879 47,537,228 Oats, bu. 2,624,933 8,323,127 11,682,637 8,494,799 10,298,751 10,535,159 11,310,053 5,312,874 6,620,306 6,210,980 6,085,558 5,858,374 4,166,934 4.511,005 2,445,023 4,289,662 4,912,380 1,144,838 1,672,961 3,350,070 ' 1,667,437 3,275,695 3,113,781 690,099 864,356 6,610,889 7,913,689 14,274,689 13,852,924 12,450,514 16,479,253 20.876,984 15,370,380 21,651,869 39,925,933 Barley, bu. 423,194 641.499 464,057 820,563 1,072,757 1,798,596 679,241 696,497 1,857,424 1,777,472 3,148,282 1,168,332 489,933 239,219 962,607 1,608,596 1.680,593 647,484 310,108 243,097 574,011 473,618 437,937 569,017 755,184 1,393,855 338,945 1,477,852 5,355,656 4,499,928 4,600,963 5,818,287 8,536,010 10,558,805 16,891,188 Rye, bu. 791,564 422,408 633,727 877,676 1,103,519 918,458 984,458 125,203 669,551 1,071,918 301,856 823,240 77,576 138,582 100,395 1,205,030 2,064,412 1,642,382 642,586 22,222 637,503 2,651,201 2,376,186 237,904 151,025 290,359 684,019 1,872,468 1,256,689 5,831,367 1,316,536 621,533 475,494 874,606 4,440,951 Statement showing the aggregate receipts of grain and the total receipts of flour reduced to its equivalent in wheat at Buffalo for the past 61 years: YEAR. Grain, bush. Grain, in- cluding flour, bushels. YEAR. Grain, bush. Grain, in- cluding flour, bushels. 1836 1837 543,461 550,660 947,751 1,117,062 1,075,988 1,852.325 2,015,928 2,015,025 2,365,5(38 1,239,351 1,184,685 2,362,851 2,579,387 4,061,598 5,592,525 5,687,463 6,642,610 6,910,718 1845 -. 1846.. _. 1,848,040 6,493,522 9,868,187 7,396,912 '8,628,013 6,618,003 11,078,741 13,392,937 11,078,741 5,581,700 13,386,167 1838.... 1839 1847.- 1848 19,153,187 14,641,012 1840 1849 . 14,665,183 12,059,556 17,740,781 20,390,504 1841 1842 1843 1850 1851 1852. .__ 1844... 1853 15,956,526 444 OtfR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. YEAR. Grain, bush. Grain, in- cluding flour, bushels. YEAR. Grain, bush. Grain, in- cluding flour, bushels. 1854 - - - 18,553,455 19,788,473 20,123,667 15,348,930 20,202,244 14,429,069 31,441,440 50,682,646 58,642,314 49,845,062 41,014,096 42,473,228 51,830,342 43,079,079 42,573,125 37,456,131 38,208,039 61,319,313 58,703,606 65,489,955 55,665,198 52,883,451 33,253,235 24,472,378 25,763,907 10,578,690 26,812,890 21,530,632 37,053,115 61,640,601 72,873,454 64,735,520 51,177,146 51,415,183 58,388,087 50,168,064 50,197,315 45,489,376 45,477,094 67,359,158 63,550,566 70,962,530 63,525,153 57,935,661 1876 44,207,121 61,822,282 74,105,455 74,105,455 105,184,136 54,288,351 50,321,841 64,264,483 55,750,823 48,969,065 68,186,608 84,029,040 73,925,029 90,742,600 89,436,958 127,906,153 133,015,421 137,305,001 102,004,514 116,714,001 162,945,009 48,184,036 1855 _.. 1877 ■.... 1878- -- 1879.. 65,147,407 1856 --- 84,540,863 1857 -- -- 78,547.578 1858 -- - 1880 110,465,866 1859 -- -- 1881 58,088,071 1860 1882 57,298,316 1861 1883 73,126,028 1862. -- 1884 64,866,538 1863 1885.... 1886 1887 1888 64,012,955 1864 -- 89,137,658 1865 -.- 102,914,755 1866 .. --- .-- 100,841,000 1867 1889 118,287,450 1868 1869 . - 1890 1891 118,958,103 162,391,590 1870 1892 179,309,500 1871 1893 1894 1895.. 190,515,231 1872 1873 157,847,334 163,111,061 1874 1896 214 957,553 1875 Total vessels arrived and cleared; tonnage. Totals for 39 years: YEAR. 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 •1874 1875 1876 No. ■ Vessels. 8,126 7,581 8,838 10,521 11,517 13,866 16,890 15,376 14,205 13,746 13,782 12,826 11,812 10,221 10,625 10,894 10,393 9,959 7,477 6,377 4,634 Tonnage. 3,018,580 3,336,803 3,330.436 5,902,636 4,710,175 5,963,866 6,089,194 6,757,904 6,891,348 5,033,593 6,951,950 5,806,960 4,356,330 4,007,196 4,157,793 4,863,644 4,688,058 4,886,763 3,641,049 3,259,839 3,757,986 YEAR. 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1883. 1883 1884 1885. 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1893 1893 1894 1895 1896 No. Vessels. 6,848 8.743 8,436 10,308 6,745 7,333 7,674 7,539 6,938 7,773 9,950 8,647 9,018 9,763 10,866 11,479 10,053 9,664 10,005 11,333 Tonnage. 3,543,363 4,663,688 4,442,797 5,935,746 5,535,223 4,405,003 4,405,543 4,386,575 5,096,710 4,753,467 5,302,659 6,036,814 6,900,798 6,566,415 8,928,763 9,560,942 9,494,599 8,789,903 9,562,414 11,304,607 PROM 1870 TO 1897. 445 Aggregate shipments of grain and flour via Erie canal for the years noted: Year. Grain, bu. Flour, bbls. Year. Grain, bu. Flour, bbls. 1863 53,376,500 45.336,283 38,078,575 37,428,889 33,750,090 26,387,161 36,458,150 38,361,361 28,966,780 47,954,340 48,346,960 50,930,447 40,986,834 35,318.130 27 558,744 48,425,968 59,514,779 53,822,546 428,268 486,856 146,745 440,867 16,560 5,638 51,446 74,384 45,068 5,143 13,570 49,182 54,251 2,137 4,160 2,421 4,652 1880 1881 71,699,365 30,758,912 29,439,688 43,353,225 37, 846; 067 31,467,768 45,017,163 48,972,550 38,070,930 41,742,000 38,218,960 34,491,140 31,531,490 48,042,715 48,428,251 20,327,971 35.773,808 19,710 1863 1864 1882. 6,913 4,349 1865 1883 1866 1884 1885 1886. 4 849 1867 2,692 4,518 1868 1869 1887 . 3,096 1870 1888 . 4,945 1871 1889 1890 1891 8,454 1872 1,805 9,020 1873 1874 1893. . 29,565 1875 1893 1894 3,927 1876 3,028 1877 1895 700 1878 1896 64,550 1879 Comparative statement showing the shipment of a few leading arti- cles from Buffalo by lake for twenty-two years : Year. Coal, tons. Cement,bbl. Salt, bbl. Sugar, bbl. 1875 '--- 541,812 356,970 439,399 325,676 513,580 246,050 841,312 964,326 1,177,074 1,350,980 1,446,547 1,473,924 1,819,337 2,421,874 2,150,657 2,079,703 3,365,895 3,853,330 3,703,673 3,485,355 2,620,768 2.400,148 165,426 156,410 114,402 85,093 114,802 156.733 164,521 184,327 214,724 195,640 £69,271 368,914 426,047 371,217 528,475 619,597 583,956 635,261 500,968 510,096 582,618 670,513 355.410 261,641 852,038 243,343 153,647 234,826 112,812 96,053 11,422 64,540 137,032 191,890 77,246 130,416 281,249 173,564 164,844 144,589 203,506 698,964 669,078 621,287 1876 - 1877 • - 1878 - 1879 1880 1881 -- 1882 - 1883 1884 1885 -- 1886 1887 - - ' 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 --- 1893 613,144 1894 . 1,014,778 1895 - 1,097,164 1,205,081 446 OtTfe COUNTY AfoD ITS PEOPLE. The following table gives the population of Buffalo by the census of the State and the United States from 1810 to the present time: Census. Year. Pop. United States 1810 1,508 State 1814 1,060 United States 1820 2,095 State 1825 5,141 United States _ 1830 8,623 State 1835 15,661 United States 1840 18,213 State.. 1845 29,773 United States 1850 42, 262 Census. State United States. State Year. Pop. 1855 75,214 1860 81,126 1865 94,210 United States.... 1870 117,714 State 1875 134,557 United States _ 1880 155,134 United States 1890 255,664 State 1892 278,737 Police 1895 335,704 The City Directory of 1897 contains 112,000 names; with multiple of three and one-half, which is the usual factor, the population would reach 392,000. At the close of the year 1897 the number is nearly 400,000. The following table gives the population of Erie county in the years named according to the census returns: Year. Pop. 1825.. 2,412 1830. - -. 8,668 1835 -. 15,661 1840 .. 18,213 1845 - 29,773 1850.. 42,261 Year. Pop. 1860 _ 81,129 1870 117,714 1880 _ 155,134 1885 202,803 1890 255,664 The preceding pages of this chapter tell the story of the greatness of Buffalo in all material respects and foreshadow a future of the bright- est promise. Nothing seems wanting to substantiate the often reite- rated claim of the city to commercial and manufacturing importance. Proofs of this have been published broadcast in recent years, until there has been danger at times of trespassing upon the well-trodden ground of unwarranted boasting. Our eyes and ears have been assailed with emphatic statements through the trumpet voice of the press and other- wise, that the Queen City must be acknowledged " sovereign of the in- land seas by right of location and commercial supremacy; " that " Buf- 'falo is the fourth commercial city of the world;" that it is "the health- iest city in the world; " that it "is the best paved city in the world;" and that the introduction of Niagara Falls electric power at low cost to consumers is soon to make it the leading manufacturing center of the FROM 1870 TO 1897. 447 country. Enough has been written in these pages to convince the reader of the falsity or truth of these claims. They are true in the main and, therefore, let us here insist upon their acceptance as facts before considering certain other aspects of the history of Buffalo and its standing among the greater cities of the country. Is the Queen City among the foremost with respect to the average intelligence of the community as a whole? Is the city at large con- spicuous as a literary and art center? Are her religious and educational institutions liberally and efficiently supported ? Are her charities gen- erously and wisely administered? Are the working masses of the great community reasonably prosperous and contented? A part of these pertinent inquiries must assuredly *be answered in the affirmative; while those to which a negative reply would seem neces- sary are surrounded by ameliorating circumstances and changing con- ditions that give us ample encouragement for the near future. The organization of charitable institutions and the dispensation of aid to the unfortunate, for example, did not, until comparatively recent years, exist upon the high and comprehensive plane described in Chapter XXXIII. Such a system could only be of slow growth to meet new conditions, and that the requirements in this direction have been so effectually fulfilled is thoroughly creditable to the city. This represents only one of the many and varied influences under which the community is unceasingly moulded and advanced along the paths of high aspiration for improvement in the conditions of the social organism. Efforts will, of course, be most marked and of. highest efficiency in a community where the average intelligence is high, where the ambition of the people as a whole rises above mere material affairs and inspires them to labor for better social conditions. These statements may ap- pear so self-evident as to be a waste of words to repeat them ; but they are frequently lost to sight in the great strife and struggle of building a city the fame of which for prosperity and wealth is world-wide. The population of Buffalo and Erie county towns comprises various nationalities, giving it a cosmopolitan character not found in many other counties. People of foreign nations have found homes here in such numbers that they distinctly leaven the whole community and materially affect its average character in all directions. Moreover, like all lakeports and active industrial centers, Buffalo has attracted classes of persons who, in the main, are worthy and useful, and yet whose presence tends inevitably to lower the general intellectual stand- 448 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ard and the social tone of the community. As far as existing conditions are concerned it can, happily, be truthfully said that all classes of workers in the county of Erie are reasonably prosperous and happy, and it is a cause for still further congratulation that, aside from the beneficent influences of religious and educational institutions, the pres- ent favorable conditions among the masses are largely due to themselves ; they have grown wiser and calmer in judgment arid action in recent years in all important matters affecting their own interests. It is not many years ago that in Buffalo there were a score or more of warring trades unions, over which two or three larger federations exer- cised uncertain authority. Effective concentration upon any definite purpose was impossible ; important measures for their own improve- ment failed for want of unanimity; strikes took place and general progress seemed to be for the moment obstructed. Three years ago all the divided interests were amalgamated in the United Trades and Labor Council, in which almost every industry in the city is now repre- sented by a union or other trade association, creating a membership of more than 26,000 men. This great body of workers is led by men of integrity and more than average intelligence ; their deliberations are conducted with dignity and their action is usually characterized by discretion and good judgment. They are a power for good in the community. It is a fact that is clearly demonstrated in Chapter XXX that prior to about the middle of the present century the schools of Buffalo, as well as of other parts of Erie county, were not what they should have been at that period ; the cause of education had suffered from apathy and neglect on the part of the people. Whether this was caused chiefly by the eager absorption of the leading spirits of the community in the struggle to selfishly advance their own and the material interests of the growing commercial center, or other causes, it is now difficult to determine ; but the consequences, however, of such conditions were far reaching. The striking contrast between that period and the present one in this respect affords a subject for gratifying contemplation by all workers for the public good. These statements apply with equal force to early religious development. From the standpoint of the pres- ent day, the great advance in enlightenment and good citizenship could not be more forcibly demonstrated than by the stupendous changes that have been effected in recent years in these important fields of human progress. PROM 1870 TO 1897. 449 The leaven of intellectual and humanitarian effort in every large com- munity works unceasingly, perhaps slowly, but like the gradually swelling root of a tree which slowly but surely lifts a giant rock from its bed, spreads its beneficent influence through numberless channels to cottage and palace, inspiring thoughtful men and women to strive for higher ideals. Buffalo is not and never has been conspicuous as a lit- erary or art center. While there is, of course, a large class of men and women in the community who are possessed of high literary attain- ments and cultivated literary and artistic tastes, the standard of the city at large in this respect is not the highest. The fact may be, and no doubt is, in part attributable to the varied foreign elements in our pop- ulation, while contributing causes may have been the* absence of great colleges or universities, and the extraordinary demands made upon pub- lic spirit by the rapid strides of the city in all departments of business life. It is true, however, that there are clear indications of welcome changes in this respect through both the action of constituted public authorities and the work of various organizations. The recent measures for the establishment of a great free library, the higher intellectual en- dowment assured by marked improvement in educational facilities, and the influences of social, literary, scientific, musical, art and other clubs and societies, all contribute to these favorable changes. Among these beneficent institutions may be mentioned the Historical Society, the several branches of the Society of Natural Sciences, the Women's Edu- cational and Industrial Union (which is described in the concluding chapter), the Audubon Club (organized in 1866), the Liberal Club, Independent Club, the Twentieth Century Club, the Orpheus, Sanger- bund and Liedertafal Singing Clubs, the Y. M. C. A., all of which have been potent influences for good. The Liberal Club was organ- ized October 29, 1891, its object being "the consideration at monthly dinners of subjects having to do with religion, morals, education, and .public affairs." The dinners are given from November to April in each year, and on each occasion, as a rule, some distinguished man from abroad addresses the club. . These addresses and other papers by members of the club are printed annually: The club has a member- ship of 250 and its influence is widespread and salutary. The Independent Club, though similar in organization and object, is' more democratic, and is made up of younger men. It was formed early in the winter of 1895-96, with Andrew J. Robertson as president, and now has 135 members. Its object is " the discussion of topics bearing 57 450 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. •upon the social, ethical, or public life of the day, seeking thereby only the truth irrespective of creed, nationality, or partisanship. " At its monthly dinners, which are given from November to March, an address is made by some man of national authority, who is followed by eminent local speakers. The Twentieth Century Club, composed entirely of women, owns a large, handsome club house at 597 Delaware avenue, near Allen street. Many of the so-called social clubs exert more or less influence upon the higher tastes of their members. In the field of art there is also considerable cause for congratulation. Buffalo is the home of a large circle of enthusiastic artists, whose ambi- tion is stimulated and their efforts rendered more successful through the medium of membership in the Fine Arts Academy, the Art Stu- dents' League, and the Buffalo Society of Artists. In the divine art of music there is a still more notable representation of players and singers of ability and renown. The numerous musical organizations, prom- inent among which are the Buffalo Vocal Society, the Mendelssohn Club, the German Singing Society, the Buffalo Musical Association, the Orpheus, Sangerbund, Liedertafel and other German musical societies, are successfully conducted and aid in stimulating ambition to study the art that permeates every part of the community. Free Masonry and Odd Fellowship are both largely represented in this county. 1 While their purposes are not of a distinctively intellec- tual character, it is quite safe to assume that a vast majority of their active members derive therefrom a mental and moral stimulus which 1 The Masonic order in Buffalo comprises eleven lodges with 3,434 members; four Royal Arch Chapters with 1,054 members; two Royal and Select Councils with 327 members; two Commanderies with 501 members; one Lodge of Perfection, Scottish Rite, with 425 members; one Scottish Rite Council with 405 members; one Rose Croix Chapter with 392 members; one Consistory with 384 members; one Eastern Star Chapter with 169 members; one Temple of the Mystic Shrine with 860 members; one Grotto of the Veiled Prophets with 200 members. Besides these there are lodges in Tonawanda, Colden, Evans, Springville, Akron, Orchard Park, Alden, Hamburg, East Aurora, North Collins and Depew, with total membership of 928. The Masonic Temple, on Niagara street, Buffalo, was erected in 1890-91 at a cost of $165,000. It is an eight-story brick and stone structure, and was dedicated in January, 1892. Succeeding the organization of the first Lodge of Odd Fellows in Buffalo in 1839, the follow- ing have been organized: Buffalo Lodge No. 37, May 6, 1840; Mount Vernon Encampment No. K, July 6', 1841; Walhalla Lodge No. 91, November 17, 1846; and Odin Lodge No. 178, March 7, 1849. Besides these there are lodges in Collins Center. Akron, Angola, Clarence, Depew, East Aurora, Hamburg, Holland, Lancaster, Spring Brook, Springville, Tonawanda and Williamsville. Down to 1889 there were only about 1,700 members of this order in Buffalo, and in the county there were twenty-three subordinate lodges, two Rebekah lodges, two Cantons and two Encampments. Since then the order has steadily increased until there are in the county forty-eight subordinate lodges with * total membership of between 12,000 and 15,000. ' The National Odd Fellow is a weekly newspaper devoted to the order, which was started in February, 1889, by John C. V. Kraft, PROM 1870 TO 1897. 451 leads them to seek higher and better ways of living and advance them in the scale of enlightened citizenship. A brief review of these aspects of progress in Buffalo may be closed with a reference to the increased attention given in recent years to to what is understood by the broad term of athletics. The people of Erie county, in common with all Americans, have been learning valu- able lessons in this regard and within the past decade or two there has been a wonderful development of popularity in every department of athletic sport. Active brain-workers everywhere have discovored that to devote a share of their time to out-door and in-door athletics is from every point of view a good investment. In this field, also, the Germans are conspicuous. Organizations almost without number have been created for the promotion of recreation, exercise and sport, and contribute in no small degree to elevate the people as a whole out of the routine of unceasing labor and bring them into closer communion with nature. Buffalo and its vicinity offer a field that is admirably adapted to this end. The waters of lake, harbor and river are well adapted for yachting and canoeing; 1 the 200 miles of asphalt paving and the level country surrounding the city afford unparalleled oppor- tunity for travel on the people's modern steed, the bicycle, which has come into use to a greater extent than in any other city in the country, and is bringing in its train the so-called horseless carriage which has just made its appearance in the streets. In short there is no depart- ment of modern athletics that is not fully represented by organized bodies or individuals in Buffalo. Nothing more, it is presumed, need be written to convince the im- partial observer that, whatever may have been the position occupied by our people in years past with respect to the subjects here consid- ered, the religious, educational, literary, artistic and social development in recent times has been most satisfactory, and promise more excellent results for the future. 1 The Buffalo Canoe Club was organized in 1883 and has reached its limit of 100 members; it has a club house at the foot of Hamilton street, and another at Abino Bay, Ontario. The Buffalo Yacht Club was organized in 1860 and incorporated in 1880. The membership is about 225, and its three story club house at the foot of Porter avenue cost about $12,000. Many of the members own private yachts and have taken part in many regattas. The Country Club (a wealthy and aristocratic organization), incorporated in February, 1889, is devoted to the encouragement of athletic exercises by families; it has a club house on a tract of twenty acres of land, with polo grounds, golf links and other facilities for out-door enjoyment. Besides these there are the Caledonian Curling and Quoiting Club, the Island Club, the West End and other rowing clubs, the various 'athletic organizations of the Germans, all contributing to the increasing popularity of active recreation. 452 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE CHAPTER XXVI. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. Changes in Political Parties — Officers in the National Government: President — Vice- President — Postmaster-General — Secretary of War — Ministers to Foreign Countries — Superintendent of the Government Printing Office — Members of Congress — Generals in the Regular Army. State Officers : Governor — Lieutenant-Governors — Secretary of State — Attorneys-General — Comptrollers — State Treasurers — Canal Commissioners — Inspector of State Prisons — Superintendents of Public Instruction — Regents of the University — Canal Appraisers — Council of Appointment — State Senators — Assembly- men. County Officers: County Treasurers. Politics before and Including 1815 — Politics and Elections From 1816 to 1896. Principal Village and City Officials of Buffalo : Village Trustees and Other Officers — Mayors — City Clerks — City Treasurers — Surveyors and Engineers — City Attorneys— Street Commissioners— City Physicians — Comptrollers — Aldermen — Common Council — Boards of Aldermen and Counciltnen. Citizens of Erie county have been honored in the past by election to the highest offices under the National government, and in the higher State offices have been many men from this county who have left most enviable records of public service. In the broad field of National and State politics the county has always occupied a commanding position and many of her citizens have risen to political eminence. Political changes in respect to parties and factions have been less frequent and important in this county, perhaps, than in many other localities. Of the great parties that have been in existence since the county was formed, the Whig and Republican have been dominant the greater part of the time, as indicated further on. Following is a list of officers under the National government who re- sided in Erie county : President of the United States, Grover Cleveland, 1884-87 and 1893- 96, both inclusive. Vice-President of the United States, Millard Fillmore, from March 4, 1849, to July 9, 1850. The death of General Taylor on the 9th day of July, 1850, placed Mr. Fillmore in the presidential chair; he was then fifty years of age. His administration of the high office was in the main creditable and satisfactory to the people. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 453 Postmaster-General, Nathan K. Hall, from July 23, 1850, to Septem- ber 14, 1852, When Mr. Fillmore made up his cabinet he selected Daniel Webster for secretary of state; Thomas Corwin, secretary of the treasury; John J. Crittenden, attorney-general, and his former student and law partner, Nathan K. Hall, for postmaster-general. Mr. Hall had then been member of congress only one term, and his selection was criticised as favoritism in some quarters; but his high character and conceded ability well fitted him for the post. Secretary of War, Peter B. Porter, from May 26, 1828, to March 9, 1829. Mr. Porter was the first cabinet officer from Western New York, and was appointed by President Adams to fill a vacancy that had oc- curred. General Porter discharged the duties of the position with ability during the remainder of Mr Adams's term and then retired to private life ; still later he removed to Niagara Falls, where he died in 1844. Ministers in Foreign Countries. — Thomas M. Foote, charge d'affaires in New Granada, from the spring of 1849 to the summer of 1852; Thomas M. Foote, charge d'affaires in Austria, from the summer of 1852 to the spring of 1853; James O. Putnam, minister resident in Belgium, from May 19, 1880, to July 1, 1882. During his term in the latter position Mr. Putnam was appointed by the government and served as delegate to the International Industrial Congress held in Paris in November, 1881. Superintendent of the Government Printing Office, Almon M. Clapp, from June 4, 1869, to April 6, 1877. Members of Congress. — Changes in the division of this State into Con- gressional districts were made in 1789, 1792, 1797, 1802, 1804 and 1808, in which year Niagara county, including what is now Erie county, was erected. That division created fifteen districts, Niagara, Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee and Ontario constituting the Fif- teenth District. By the act of April 17, 1822 (the year after the erec- tion of Erie county), that county with Niagara and Chautauqua was constituted the Thirteenth District. The act of June 29, 1832, constituted Erie county alone the Thirty-second District. It so remained until 1862, when it was made the Thirtieth District. In 1873 it was again made the Thirty-second. In 1883 the First, Second and Third Assembly Districts of the county, as then constituted, were made the Thirty- second Con- gressional District and the county of Niagara and the Fourth and Fifth Assembly Districts were constituted the Thirty-third Congressional 454 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. District, which condition existed until 1894. At the present time the Thirty-second District comprises the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, Eleventh, Twelfth, Thir- teenth, Fourteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth wards of Buffalo ; the Thirty-third District comprises the Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Seventeenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-first, Twenty-second, Twenty-third, Twenty- fourth and Twenty-fifth wards of Buffalo and the Fourth and Fifth As- sembly Districts of the county. Following is a list of members of the House of Representatives from Niagara county (1808 to 1821), and Erie county since its formation: Peter B. Porter. Eleventh Congress and re-elected to the Twelfth, holding office from March 4, 1809, to March 4, 1813. Mr. Porter when first elected was a resident of Canandaigua, but removed to Black Rock in the spring of 1810. There was no representative from Niagara county in the Thirteenth Congress, and in 1812, when the State was divided into Twenty-one districts, with Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chau- tauqua, Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara and Ontario constituting the Twenty- first District, that district was entitled to two members ; Mr. Porter was again elected, holding from March 4, 1815, until his resignation in February, 1816; and Archibald S. Clarke, from June, 1816, to March 3, 1817. , Benjamin Ellicott, Fifteenth Congress, March 4, 1817, to March 3, 1819 ; Albert H. Tracy, Sixteenth Congress, re-elected to the Seventeenth and Eighteenth, holding from March 4, 1819, to March 3, 1825; Ebenezer F. Norton, Twenty-first Congress, March 4, 1829, to March 3, 1831; Millard Fillmore, Twenty-third Congress, March 4, 1833, to March 3, 1835; in the Twenty-second Congress this district was represented by Bates Cook of Ni- agara county. Thomas C. Love, Twenty-fourth Congress, March 4, 1835, to March 3, 1837; Millard Fillmore, Twenty-fifth Congress, re-elected to the Twenty-sixth and. Twenty-seventh, holding from March 4, 1837, to March 3, 1843 ; William A. Moseley, Twenty-eighth Congress, re-elected to the Twenty-ninth, holding from March 4, 1842, to March 3, 1847 ; Nathan K. Hall, Thirtieth Congress, March 4, 1847, to March 3, ". 849 ; Elbridge G. Spaulding, Thirty-first Congress, March 4, 1849, to March 3, 1851; Solomon G. Haven, Thirty-second Congress, re-elected to the Thirty- third and Thirty-fourth, holding from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1857; Israel T, Hatch, Thirty-fifth Congress, March 4, 1857, to March 3, 1859 ; Elbridge G. Spauld- ing, Thirty-sixth Congress, re-elected to the Thirty-seventh, holding from March 4, 1859, to March 3, 1863; John Ganson, Thirty-eighth Congress, March 4, 1863, to March 3, 1865 ; James M. Humphrey, Thirty-ninth Congress, re-elected to the For- tieth, holding from March 4, 1865, to March 3, 1871 ; William Williams, Forty-sec- ond Congress, March 4, 1871 to March 3, 1873; Lyman K. Bass, Forty-third Con- gress, re-elected to the Forty-fourth, holding from March 4, 1873, to March 3, 1877; JDaniel N. Lockwood, Forty-fifth Congress, March 4, 1877, to March 3, 1879 ; Ray V.' Pierce, Forty-sixth Congress, from March 4, 1879, to his resignation in the summer of 1880, when Jonathan Scoville was elected to the vacancy, holding from his election in November of that year to March 3, 1883; William Findlay Rogers, Forty-eighth Congress, March 4, 1883, to March 3, 1885; John B. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 455 "Weber and JohnM. Farquhar, Forty-ninth and Fiftieth' Congresses, March 4, 1885, to March 3, 1889; JohnM. Farquhar and John M. Wiley, Fifty-first Congress, March 4, 1889, to March 3, 1891; Daniel N. Lockwood and Thomas L. Bunting, Fifty-sec- ond Congress, March 4, 1891, to March 3, 1893; Daniel N. Lockwood and Charles Daniels, Fifty-third Congress, March 4, 1893, to March 3, 1895; Charles Daniels and Rowland B. Mahany, Fifty-fourth Congress, March 4, 1895, to March 3, 1897, Rowland B. Mahany and De Alva S. Alexander, Fifty-fifth Congress, March 4, 1897, to , incumbents. Generals in the Regular Army. — It may be valuable for reference to add here a list of high military officers of this county, as follows: Bennett Riley, appointed ensign January 19, 1813 ; third lieutenant, March 12, 1813; second lieutenant, April 15, 1814; first lieutenant, March 31, 1817; captain, August 6, 1818; major, September 26, 1837; lieutenant-colonel, December 1, 1839; colonel, January 31, 1850; brevet brigadier-general, April 18, 1847; brevet major- general, August 20, 1847 ; died in June, 1853. Albert J. Myer, appointed major and chief signal officer June 27, 1860; brevet colonel, July 2, 1862 ; brevet brigadier-general, March 13, 1865 ; colonel and chief signal officer, July 28, 1866 ; and brigadier-general and chief signal officer, June 16, 1880. STATE GOVERNMENT. The following residents of Niagara and Erie counties have held offices under the State government, as indicated: Governor of New York, Grover Cleveland, elected in November, 1882, term of office expired December 31, 1885, resigned January 6, 1885, having been elected president of the United States. Lieutenant-Governors.— William Dorsheimer, elected for two years in 1874, re- elected for three years in 1876, term expired December 31, 1879; William F. Shee- - han, elected November, 1891, term expired November, 1894. Secretary of State. — Peter B. Porter, appointed February 16, 1815; resigned February 12, 1816. General Porter was then at the height of his fame ; he resigned his seat in Congress to accept this appointment made by Governor Tompkins. This new office and the one he subsequently accepted of United States Commissioner to settle the northern boundary were nearly the last public stations filled by him and he soon retired largely from the public eye. Attorneys-General. — George P. Barker, appointed February 7, 1842, term ex- pired February 3, 1845 ; Charles F. Tabor, elected November, 1887, re-elected 1889. Comptrollers. — Millard Fillmore, from January 1, 1848, until his resignation Feb- ruary 20, 1849 ; Asher P. Nichols, appointed vice William F. Allen, June, 1870, and elected the following November; Nelson K. Hopkins, elected in November, 1871, re-elected in 1873, term expired December 31, 1875; James A. Roberts, elected 1893, and re-elected 1895. State Treasurers. — Benjamin Welch, jr., elected in November, 1851, election contested and office awarded him by the court November 20, 1852, held until Decern- 456 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ber 31, 1853; Elbridge G. Spaulding, from January 1,. 1854, to December 31, 1855; Isaac Vanderpoel, from January 1, 1858, to December 31, 1859; Philip Dorsheimer, from January 1, 1860, to December 31, 1861. Canal Commissioners. — Peter B. Porter, appointed March 11, 1810, serving until the repeal of the first canal law, April 15, 1814; John T. Hudson, appointed Decem- ber 5, 1846, holding until December 31, 1847; Franklin A. Alberger, elected in November, 1861, re-elected in 1864, term expired December 31, 1867. This office was abolished under the constitution upon the appointment of a superintendent of public works, February 8, 1878. Inspector of State Prisons. — Solomon Scheu, elected in November, 1867, term expired December 31, 1870. This office was abolished February 16, 1877, and the new office of superintendent of state prisons took its place. Superintendents of Public Instructioti. — Victor M. Rice, elected for three years, from April 4, 1854, to April 3, 1857, again elected in 1862, re-elected in 1865, held the office until January 1, 1868 ; James F. Crpoker, elected 1891. Regents of the University of the State of New York. — George W. Clinton, elect- ed March 6, 1856 ; T. Guilford Smith, elected in 1890 ; the tenure of this office is for life. Canal Appraisers. — Thaddeus Davis, appointed for three years in 1877 ; William J. Morgan, appointed for three years January 28, 1880; he held the office until the Court of Claims was established, May, 1883. Council of Appointment. — This important body appointed nearly all the execu- tive and judicial officers of the State, until it was abolished by the constitution of 1821. Archibald S. Clarke was elected a member by the Assembly from among the senators of the Western District, February 5, 1816, and served one year. Mr. Clarke at that time resided in what is now the town of Newstead. Many years later he removed to Cattaraugus county, where he held several official positions. Commissioners of the State Board of Charities. — William P. Letchworth, of Buffalo, was appointed a commissioner of the State Board of Charities in 1873, and Harvey W. Putnam succeeded him November 18, 1896. State Commissioner of Prisons. — Under the laws of 1895, George B. Hayes was appointed State Commissioner of Prisons in July, 1895, for a term of eight years. Members of the State Constitutional Conventions. — 1821, Augustus Porter and Samuel Russell, representing the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara. 1846, Erie county constituting a single district, Absalom Bull, Aaron Salisbury, Horatio J. Stow and Amos Wright. 1867, Erie county constituting the Thirty-first senatorial district, George W. Clinton, Israel T. Hatch, Allen Potter and Isaac A. Verplanck. 1894, Erie county constituting two senatorial districts: Thirtieth district, James S. Porter, Harvey W. Putnam, Philip W. Springweiler, Thomas A. Sullivan and William Turner; Thirty-first district, Tracy C. Becker, Jonathan W. Carter, John Coleman, George A. Davis and Henry W. Hill; Daniel H. McMillan, delegate at large. State Senators.— -Under the first constitution this State was divided into four senatorial districts — Southern, Middle, Eastern, and Western. After its erection in 1808 Niagara county was placed in the Western POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 457 District, which was entitled to nine of the twenty-four members. An additional senator was to be added to each district whenever, by a sep- tennial census, it was shown that the number of electors in the district had increased one twenty- fourth; this increase was to be allowed until the number reached 100. The census of 1795 made the number forty- three. In 1801, the rule being found unequal in its operation, the con- stitution was amended fixing the number permanently at thirty- two. The second constitution divided the State into eight districts, Erie county being placed in the Eighth District. By the act of 1892 Erie county was constituted the Thirtieth and Thirty-first districts, and so remains. Under the first and the second constitutions senators were elected for four years, and several were elected froth each senatorial district, so that there was not always a senator from Erie county. The following list names those elected from this county : Archibald S. Clarke, from July, 1812, to July, 1816 ; Oliver Forward, from July, 1820, to December 31, 1822, when his term expired under the new constitution; Samuel Wilkeson, elected in November, 1825, serving from January 1, 1826, to De- cember 31, 1829; Albert H. Tracy, elected November, 1829, reelected 1833, serving from January 28, 1830, to December 31, 1837; William A. Moseley, elected Novem- ber, 1837, serving from January 1, 1838, to December 31, 1841; Carlos Emmons, elected November, 1844, holding from January 1, 1845, to December 31, 1847. (Dr. Emmons's term was shortened one year by the operation of the constitution which divided the State into thirty-two districts, each electing one senator for two years, in 1847, 1849, and each succeeding odd numbered year.) John T. Bush, elected No- vember, 1847, holding through the years 1848 and 1849 ; George R. Babcock, elected November, 1849, re-elected 1851, holding from January 1, 1850, to December 31, 1853; James O. Putnam, elected November, 1853, holding from January 1, 1854, to December 31, 1855 ; James Wadsworth, elected November, 1855, re-elected in 1857, holding from January 1, 1856, to his resignation August 18, 1858; Erastus S. Prosser, elected vice Wadsworth in November, 1858, re-elected in 1859, holding from his election until December 31, 1861; John Ganson, elected November, 1861, holding from January 1, 1862, until he took his seat in Congress the first Monday in Decem- ber, 1863; James M. Humphrey, elected November, 1863, holding from January 1, 1864, until he took his seat in Congress on the first Monday in December, 1865; David S. Bennett, elected November, 1865, holding through 1866 and 1867 ; Asher P. Nichols, elected November, 1867, holding through 1868 and 1869; Loren L. Lewis, elected November, 1869, re-elected 1870, holding from January 1, 1870, to December 31, 1873; John Ganson, elected November, 1873, holding from January 1, 1874, until his death September 28, 1874; Albert P. Laning, elected November, 1874, in place of Ganson, deceased, holding from his election until December 31, 1875; Sherman S. Rogers, elected November, 1875, holding from January 1, 1876, until his resignation September 5, 1876 ; E. Carlton Sprague, elected in November, 1876, in place of Rogers, resigned, holding until December 31, 1877; Ray V. Pierce, elected 58 458 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. November, 1877, holding from January, 1878, until he took his seat in Congress on the first Monday in December, 1879; Benjamin H. Williams, elected November, 1879, holding from January 1, 1880, to December 31, 1881 ; Robert C. Titus, elected November, 1881, re-elected November, 1883, holding from January 1, 1883, to De- cember 31, 1885; Daniel H. McMillan, elected November, 1885, holding to December 31, 1887; John Laughlin, elected November, 1887, holding until December 31, 1891; Charles Lamy and Henry H. Persons, elected November, 1893, holding to December 31, 1895; Charles Lamy, re-elected and now in office; Simon Seibert and George A. Davis, elected November, 1896, and now in office. Apportionments of Assembly Districts were made in 1777, 1791, 1796, 1802, and 1808, with minor intermediate changes. In the last named year Niagara county was erected, including what is now Erie county, and was placed in a district with Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties, with one assemblyman. In the sixth apportionment, made in 1815, the condition remained the same as regards Niagara county. In the seventh apportionment, made in 1822 (the year after the erection of Erie county), this county was constituted one district with one assemblyman. In the eighth apportionment, 1826,. the county was given two assemblymen, which was increased to three in the ap- portionment of 1836. In March, 1846, the number was increased to four, and so remained until 1866, from which year the county had five members to 1893, when it was given six. The apportionment of 1896 gives the county eight members. Archibald S. Clarke, elected in the spring of 1808, re-elected in 1809 and 1810, term expired in 1811; Ebenezer Walden, held from July, 1811, to July, 1812; Jonas Williams, elected in spring of 1812, re-elected in 1813, held from July, 1812, to July, 1814; Joseph McClure, July, 1814, to July, 1815; Daniel McCleary and Elias Osborn, July, 1815, to July, 1816; Richard Smith, July, 1816, to July, 1817; Isaac Phelps, elected in spring of 1817, re-elected in 1818, held to July, 1819 ; Oliver Forward, July, 1819, to July, 1820; Thomas B. Campbell, elected in spring of 1820, re-elected in 1821, held the office to December 31, 1822. The constitution of 1821-22 extended the terms of the members of the Legislature then in office to the last day of December, 1822, and from that time their terms corresponded with the years, as follows: Ebenezer F. Norton, 1823; Samuel Wilkeson, 1824; Calvin Fillmore, 1825; Reuben B. Heacock, 1826; David Burt, Oziel Smith, 1827; David Burt, Peter B. Porter, 1828; David Burt, Millard Fillmore, 1829; Millard Fillmore, Edmund Hull, 1830'; •Millard Fillmore, Nathaniel Knight, 1831 ; Horace Clark, William Mills, 1832-33 ; Joseph Clary, Carlos Emmons, 1834; William A. Mosely, Ralph Plumb, 1835; George P. Barker, Wells Brooks, 1836; Squire S. Case, Benjamin O. Bivins, Elisha Smith, 1837; Lewis F. Allen, Cyrenius Wilber, Asa Warren, 1838; Jacob A. Barker, Henry Johnson, Truman Cary, 1839; Seth C. Hawley, Stephen Osborn, Aaron Salisbury, POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 459 1840; Seth C. Hawley, Stephen Osborn, Carlos Williams, 1841; William A. Bird, Squire S. Case, Bela H. Colegrove, 1842 ; George R. Babcock, Milton McNeal, Wells Brooks, 1843; Daniel Lee, Amos Wright, Elisha Smith, 1844; Daniel Lee, John T. Bush, Truman Dewey, 1845 ; Nathan K. Hall, John T. Bush, James Wood, 1846. After this year four members were elected in this county and the county was divided into four districts. The succeeding names appear in the order of the respective districts : Horatio Shumway, John D. Howe, William H. Pratt, Obadiah J. Green, 1847; Elbridge G. Spaulding, Harry Slade, Ira E. Irish, Charles C. Severance, 1848 ; Benoni Thompson, Augustus Raynor, Marcus McNeal, Luther Buxton, 1849; Or- lando Allen, Elijah Ford, Ira E. Irish, Joseph Cahdee, 1850; Orlando Allen, William A. Bird, Henry Atwood, Charles C. Severance, 1851 ; Israel»T. Hatch, Jasper B. Youngs, Aaron Riley, Joseph Bennett, 1852; Almon M. Clapp, William T. Bush, Israel N. Ely, Nelson Welch, 1853 ; William W. Weed, Rollin Germain, Charles A. Still, Edward N. Hatch, 1854; William W. Weed, Daniel Devening, jr., Lorenzo D. Covey, iCeth W. Goddard, 1855; John G. Deshler, Daniel Devening, jr., John Clark, Benjamin Maltby, 1856; Augustus J. Tiffany, George De Witt Clinton, Horace Boies, S. Cary Adams, 1857 ; Albert P. Laning, Andrew J. McNett, John T. Wheel- ock, Amos Avery, 1858; Daniel Bowen, Henry B. Miller, John S. King, Wilson Rogers, 1859; Orlando Allen, Henry Miller, Hiram Newell, Joseph H. Plumb, 1860; Stephen V. R. Watson, Victor M. Rice, Benjamin H. Long, Zebulon Ferris, 1861 ; John W. Murphy, Horatio Seymour, Ezra P. Goslin, John A. Case, 1862 ; John W. Murphy, Horatio Seymour, Timothy A. Hopkins, Anson G. Conger, 1863 ; Walter W. Stanard, Frederick P. Stevens, Timothy A. Hopkins, Seth Fenner, 1864; Walter W. Stanard, Harmon S. Cutting, John G. Langner, Edwin W. Godfrey, 1865. After this year the county had five members: William Williams, J. L. C. Jewett, John G. Langner, Levi Potter, 1866 ; Charles W. Hinson, William Williams, Rqswell L. Burrows, Alpheus Prince, Joseph H. Plumb, 1867 ; George J. Bamler, Richard Flach, Lewis P. Dayton, Alpheus Prince, James Rider, 1868 ; George J. Bamler, Philip H. Bender, J. A. Chase, C. B. Rich, Abbott C. Calkins, 1869; George J. Bamler, James Franklin, A. H. Blossom, Harry B. Ransom, Lyman Oatman, 1870; George Chambers, John Howell, Franklin , A. Alberger, Harry B. Ransom, John M. Wiley, 1871; George Chambers, George Baltz, F. A. Alberger, John Nice, John M. Wiley, 1872; John O Brian, George Baltz, F. A. Alberger, John Nice, Robert B. Foote, 1873 ; Patrick Hanrahan, Joseph W. Smith, F. A. Alberger, John Nice, Robert B. Foote, 1874; Patrick Hanrahan, William W. Lawson, Edward Gallagher, Harry B. Ransom, William A. Johnson, 1875; Daniel Cruice, William W. Lawson, Edward Gallagher, Charles F. Tabor, Bertrand Chaffee, 1876; John L. Crowley, John G. Langner, Edward Gallagher, Charles F. Tabor, Charles A. Orr, 1877 ; John L. Crowley, John 0- Langner, David F. Day, Harvey J. Hurd, Henry F. Allen, 1878 ; Bernard F. Gentsch, Simon P. Swift, James A. Roberts, Harvey J. Hurd, William A. Johnson, 1879; Jules O'Brien, Frank Sipp, James Ash, James A. Roberts, Harvey J. Hurd, 1880 ; Jeremiah Hig- gins, Frank Sipp, Arthur W. Hickman, George Bingham, Harvey J. Hurd, 1881; 460 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Jeremiah Higgins, Frank Sipp, Arthur W. Hickman, Timothy W. Jackson, Job Southwick, 1882; Cornelius Donohue, Godfrey Ernst, Elias S. Hawley, Timothy W. Jackson, David J. Wilcox, 1883; Cornelius Donohue, Frank Sipp, George Clinton, Timothy W. Jackson, David J. Wilcox, 1884; William F. Sheehan, Frank M. Giese, William M. Hawkins, Timothy W. Jackson, Amos H. Baker, 1885 ; William F. Sheehan, Frank M. Giese, Edward Gallagher, John Kraus, Amos H. Baker, 1886 ; William F. Sheehan, Frank M. Giese, Edward Gallagher, Henry H. Guenther, Ed- ward K. Emery, 1887 ; William F. Sheehan, Matthias Endres, Edward Gallagher, Henry H. Guenther, Edward K. Emery, 1888 ; William F. Sheehan, Matthias En- dres, Leroy Andrus, Henry H. Guenther, Amos H. Baker, 1889 ; William F. Sheehan, Matthias Endres, Leroy Andrus, Henry H. Guenther, William B. Currier, 1890; William F. Sheehan, Matthias Endres, Edward Gallagher, Henry H. Guenther, Frank D. Smith, 1891 ; John J. Clahan, Jacob Goldberg, Edward Gallagher, Henry H. Guenther, Myron H. Clark, 1892. Beginning with 1893 the county had six members: John J. Clahan, Jacob Goldberg, Joseph Lenhard, Edward Gallagher, Henry H. Guenther, Frank D. Smith, 1893; Cornelius Coughlin, Simon Seibert, Charles Braun, Joseph L. Whittet, Philip Gerst, Charles F. Schoepflin, 1894-95. From 1896 inclusive, the county had eight members: Cornelius Coughlin, Henry W. Hill, Benjamin A. Peevers, Philip W. Springweiler, Charles Braun, Christopher Smith, Henry L. Steiner, Heman M. Blasdell, 1896; Cornelius Coughlin, Henry W. Hill, William Maloney, William Schneider, Charles Braun, Nicholas J. Miller, Henry L. Steiner, Heman M. Blasdell, 1897; 1898, An- thony J. Boland, Henry W. Hill, William Maloney, John C. Mohring Henry Streif- ler, Nicholas J. Miller, John K. Patton, F. Freeman Baker. County Treasurers. — This office was made elective by the people under legislative act December 16, 1847, pursuant to authority of the new constitution. Treasurers were formerly appointed by the Boards of Supervisors in the various counties. Christian Metz, jr., elected 1848, served by re-election until 1854, inclusive; James D. Warren, 1855, 1856 and 1857; Lyman B. Smith, 1858, 1859 and 1860; Norman B. McNeal, 1861, 1862 and 1863; Francis C. Brunck, 1864, 1865 and 1866; Charles R. Durkee, 1867, 1868 and 1869; William B. Sirret, 1870 to 1881 inclusive; Henry R. Jones, 1882, 1883 and 1884, and re-elected for 1885, 1886 and 1887 ; Philip Steingoet- ter, 1888, 1889 and 1890; John B. Sackett, 1891, 1892 and 1893; George Baltz, 1894, 1895, 1896 and 1897 : Wadsworth J. Zittel, 1898. Political affairs in Niagara and Erie counties did not receive much attention from the general public until about the close of the war of 1812-15, except with reference to that struggle itself. It has been noted that Gen. Peter B. Porter was elected to Congress in the spring of 1809 and re elected in the spring of 1810, when he removed from POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 461 Canandaigua, where he had been engaged in law practice, to Black Rock. He was then thirty-seven years old, unmarried, and a polished gentleman of the old school. He was the first citizen of Erie county to exercise a wide political influence. An election was held in the middle of December, 1812, for members of congress, and General Por- ter was renominated by the Republicans (Democrats), but declined the honor. The Federalists nominated and supported Samuel M. Hopkins and Nathaniel Howell, 'who were elected for this district. The latter received 61 votes in the town of Buffalo, 36 in Hamburg, 41 in Clar- ence and 37 in Eden. The other candidates received 34 in Buffalo, 81 in Hamburg, 92 in Clarence and 14 in Eden. The Buffalo Gazette, soon after election, made a statement that "we understand " that no election was held in Willink and Concord. This was a fact, and a re- markable one that we are now unable to account for; it is less difficult to understand why a newspaper published at a county seat in those primitive days should be in any doubt whether or not an election was held. Daniel D. Tompkins, who had been governor since 1808 and was personally popular, was again elected by the Democrats, but the fail- ures of the preceding summer under an administration of the same political faith so strengthened the Federals that they elected nineteen out of the twenty-seven congressmen of the State, and a majority of the assemblymen. The State Senate was, however, largely Democratic Madison, as is well known, was re-elected president by a decided ma- jority over De Witt Clinton, then an independent opposition candidate. Clinton received the Federal vote and had declared himself in favor of a more vigorous prosecution of the war. No one will doubt that, if he had been elected, the war would have had a different history. The local political field had assumed sufficient importance and inter- est to command the support of two newspapers in 1815, when the Ni- agara Journal was established in Buffalo by David F. Day. Mr. Day continued its editor many years and gained a strong influence in the county. His paper was Democratic, while the Gazette had leaned toward Federalism. Senator Archibald S. Clarke was elected to fill out General Porter's congressional term, probably at a special election in June, 1815; two members of assembly were chosen for the first time in that year. Men were then settling in Buffalo who were destined to attain eminence in politics. Albert H. Tracy opened a law office in the spring of that year, and later became a skillful political leader. Dr. John E. Marshall settled there in the same spring and became somewhat prominent in politics, as well as in his profession. 463 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In 1816 Benjamin Ellicott, a younger brother of Joseph, was elected to Congress from this district. Like his brother he was a surveyor by profession, and resided at that time in William sville. He was not con- spicuous in public life after the expiration of his term. He was the last congressman from Erie county who resided outside of the village or city of Buffalo. The Indian's having seen Ellicott draw maps from notes brought him by assistants, laying down streams familiar to them and which they knew he had never seen, gave him a name signifying The Man who Knows all the World. Of the two assemblymen elected that year, Jedediah Prendergast was from Chautauqua county, and Richard Smith lived in Hamburg. It was also in that year that Archi- bald S. Clarke was made a member of the Council of Appointment, Frederick B. Merrill taking his place as county clerk. Mr. Clarke was also commissioned a judge of the Court of Common Pleas; he, probably, during his life held as many or more offices than any other Erie county citizen. The election of 1818 was of more than ordinary interest. The Buffalo Gazette changed hands, going from S. H. Salisbury to H. A. Salisbury, who changed its name to the Niagara Patriot, and announced that thenceforth it would be a Republican sheet, the name Republican still being applied to the party which was at that time just becoming known as the Democratic party. This organization was jubilant. The Fed- eral party had almost disappeared and no organization had been effected to take its place. It was the historical "era of good feeling," which, however, did not always extend to local political affairs, where the dominant party was frequently divided in factious wrangles. The Re- publican party nominated Nathaniel Allen from the eastern part of this district, and the bright young lawyer, Albert H. Tracy, of Buffalo. Isaac Phelps, jr., of Aurora, was renominated for the Assembly, with Philo Orton of Chautauqua county. It was at this period that loud denunciation appears in the newspapers of the Kremlin Junta, which took its name from the Kremlin block in Buffalo ; that building evi- dently received its foreign title from its having been erected amid the ruins of Buffalo, as the more famous Kremlin of Moscow was erected on the ruins of that city after the fire that drove Napoleon to destruc- tion amid the snows of Russia. The Kremlin Junta consisted of Mr. Tracy, Dr. John H. Marshall, James Sheldon, and a few other active politicians, who were credited with holding meetings and devising schemes of more or less terrible import in the local political field. Ex- POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 468 Congressman Archibald S. Clarke was the leader of the opposing fac- tion. An independent convention was soon held and nominated Judge Elias Osborne, of Clarence, for Assembly, against Phelps, but for some unexplained reason did not bring forward candidates for Congress. The old members, John C. Spencer and Benjamin Ellicott, declined to serve, but they received the votes of many of the Anti-Kremlin party. The Patriot was the organ of the Clarke-Osborne faction, while the Journal supported Tracy and Phelps. The ensuing campaign was made memorable, by the bitterness of the opposing factions and the extravagant vigor of the epithets hurled back and forth. In the April election Tracy was successful, coming out with a large majority; Phelps's majority was only twenty-three. Mr. Tracy was then only twenty-five years old, just eligible to the office, and by far the youngest member ever elected in this county. By the beginning of 1820 the Clinton and the Bucktail parties, as they were termed, had come into life and were in the full tide of activity throughout this State. Governor Clinton was, of course, the leader of the former, which had as its principal foundation the canal scheme. The latter received more or less benefit from the regular Re- publican (Democratic) organization and nominated Vice-President Tompkins for governor. Clinton was elected by a large majority, though his opponent only a few years earlier had been one of the most popular men in. the State. This shows what a hold upon the leading men of the State had been acquired by the project of the "grand canal, " though it was ridiculed and opposed in the rural districts. In Erie county Clinton received 737 votes, to 310 for Tompkins; Boston gave 35 votes for Clinton, and only one for Tompkins; Wales 126 for Clin- ton, and 27 for Tompkins ; Concord 128 for Clinton and 20 for Tomp- kins. These figures indicate the popularity of the canal policy in Western New York. Albert H. Tracy was again elected to Congress as the Clintonian candidate. Judge Oliver Forward was elected to the State Senate and was very active in favor of the canal and making Buffalo its terminus. The story of the contest between Buffalo and Black Rock over this question has already been told in an earlier chap- ter ; it was at last decided in favor of the former place, and work began in Erie county on the 9th of August, 1823. From that time forward the canal was a less important political factor. The new constitution of 1821-22 made important changes in elec- tions and changed the date of holding them from April to November ; 464 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. sheriffs and county clerks were elected by the people, and Erie, Niag- ara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties became the Thirtieth Con- gressional District, entitled to one member. Albert H. Tracy was elected to Congress for the third time, and before he had reached thirty years of age. Ebenezer F. Norton, a Buffalo lawyer, was elected to the Assembly. It was in the spring of 1822 that Millard Fillmore made his early advent in Buffalo, entering the law office of Joseph Clary, to lay the foundations of his later political eminence. In 1824 Mr. Tracy declined a renomination for Congress, and Daniel G. Garn- sey, of Chautauqua, was elected, Mr. Tracy receiving the nomination for United States Senator that winter, but failing of confirmation. A virulent political quarrel, based chiefly on personal grounds, took place in 1826 between Garnsey, member of congress, and Mr. Tracy, who had been again nominated for congress and failed of election by a small minority. Mr. Tracy had only a few months previous been appointed judge of the Eighth Circuit, but had declined the office. But the quarrel, as far as these two men were affected, ended as many such do, in forgetfulness. The census of 1825 gave Erie county two assem- blymen, and David Burt of Buffalo, and Oziel Smith, of Williamsville, were the first elected under this condition. The Anti-Masonic political crusade was now approaching and began to develop its strength in town elections of 1827. The story of that important episode has already been told. The veteran officer and statesman, Peter B. Porter, again appeared in politics and was unanimously elected to the Assem- bly, representing a mingled sentiment of opposition to Masonry and to the Holland Land Company. The political situation led to the estab- lishment of an Anti-Masonic newspaper in Buffalo called the Western Advertiser; as Anti- Masonry was ably and vigorously supported by the Buffalo Patriot, the new organ was not needed and closed its career in three months. The fall election in 1828 was unusually exciting, not only on account of the strength of the Anti-Masonic party, but it was also the first election of Jackson to the presidency. His supporters were now generally recognized as Democrats, leaving "their old title to be as- sumed by a new party thirty years later. In Western New York the lines were closely drawn between the Jackson Democrats on one side and Anti-Masons on the other, with the latter in the majority. In this district Ebenezer F. Norton was elected to Congress over John G. Camp, and the Anti- Masons elected David Burt and Millard Fillmore to the POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 465 Assembly ; other officials of that time are to be found in the preceding lists. A new paper was started to support the Democrats against their more powerful adversaries, which after several changes became the Buffalo Courier, now thriving under its age of seventy years ; it was at first called the Buffalo Republican. The Anti-Masons held sway through 1829, many lodges in this county gave up their charters, and in the fall of that year Albert H. Tracy again entered political life and was elected State senator by that party, Mr. Fillmore and Edmund Hull, of Clarence, going to the Assembly. By 1830 the opponents of Jackson's administration had to a large extent taken the name of National Republicans, big; the Anti-Masons in Western New York were still the chief element of local opposition. Bates Cook, of Niagara county, was elected to Congress and Mr. Fill- more for the third time to the Assembly, with Nathaniel Knight, of Collins; Mr. Knight was the first assemblyman from any town in the county south of Aurora and Hamburg. The same conditions pre- vailed through 1831-32. That was the year of Jackson's second elec- tion; Buffalo had just been made a city, and the election was one of unusual interest. Millard Fillmore, then only thirty-two years old, was chosen to represent the Thirtieth District in Congress, and entirely without aid from extraneous sources. It was a high honor to thus step into the national legislature only nine years from the time when he was practicing law in the Common Pleas in a small interior town. This preferment was the more remarkable from the fact that Mr. Fillmore did not appear to possess the qualifications that most commonly win success in politics ; he was not a great orator, nor did he render himself popular in a social way with his constituents. His rapid advancement could be attributed only to his industry, perseverance, sound judgment and sterling ability, which gained for him the entire confidence of the community. It should be understood that the only difficulty for him was in regard to the nomination, for the election of an anti-administra- tion candidate was certain. This is shown by the fact that in this county. William L. Marcy, the Democratic candidate for governor, received only 1,743 votes, while 4,356 were cast for Francis Granger, his opponent. The two Erie county members of the assembly were both reelected. Albert H. Tracy had by this time taken a very prominent position in the State Senate, and in 1833 was re-elected. The Senate was then sitting as the Court for the Correction of Errors, then the highest tri- 59 466 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. bunal in the State, and Mr. Tracy wrote and delivered a large number of opinions in which were displayed legal knowledge of the highest order. Nothing of especial importance took place in the local field of poli- tics during the next few years, if we except the formation of the first Anti-Slavery society in this county, which was organized at Griffin's Mills. Judge Mills, of Clarence, Judge Freeman, of Alden, Judge Phelps, of Aurora, George W. Johnson, Abner Bryant and Daniel Bowen, of Buffalo, and Asa Warren, of Eden, were among the leading members, and the society continued active and a part of the local ma- chinery which was kept in operation until slavery was abolished. The memorable era of "hard times " was now at hand, and in the general speculative scramble and subsequent failure and ruin, little at- tention was given to other affairs. In the presidential election of 1836, when'a governor was also chosen, Van Buren and Marcy were elected to the two offices respectively. Erie county, as usual, went strongly for the opposition, which had by that time assumed the name of Whig throughout the country. Anti-Masonry as a political factor had ceased to exist, but its consequences were still seen in the large Whig majori- ties of Western and Central New York. Millard Fillmore, after two years' retirement, was again elected to Congress. A perusal of the preceding lists of county officials will convey some idea of the increase of the German element in the local population. Beginning soon after 1820, and increasing more rapidly with passing years, this nationality had sent over its hosts of representatives until it became at the period under consideration a conspicuous feature of the growing cosmopolitanism to which further reference has been made in an earlier chapter, and a power in local politics which has never since been ignored. From this time onward lists of officials are liberally in- fused with names unmistakably German or Prussian. In the fall of 1837 William A. Moseley was elected to the State Senate in place of Mr. Tracy, who then finally retired from public life at the early age of forty-four years, after twenty-one years of a brilliant career. The county now had three assemblymen, as indicated in the preceding list. The general depression in business continued to a considerable ex- tent down to 1840. General discontent prevailed and manifested itself in many State elections in 1838. In this State William H. Seward defeated Governor Marcy and became the first Whig governor. Erie county became more and more a Whig stronghold, and when the ex- POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 467 citing Harrison campaign of 1840 opened, local political enthusiasm was at flood tide. No where else were more log cabins built, more hard cider drank, or louder shouting for ' ' Tippecanoe and Tyler too. " The Harrison ticket received here a majority of nearly two to one. Henry W. Seymour was presidential elector from this district. Millard Fillmore was elected to Congress for the fourth time, and in 1842 declined a re-election to that office, and William A. Moseley was elected. In 1844, when Henry Clay was nominated for president by the Whigs, Mr. Fillmore's name was presented by the New York delegates for the second place on the ticket. He was not selected, however, but was chosen with scarcely a division as the candidate for governor ; but the State as well as the nation went for Polk and Silas Wright was elected governor. Dr. Carlos Emmons, of Springville, was then chosen State senator. A new State constitution was prepared and ratified by the people in 1846, which wrought important changes in every county in the State. Under its provisions most of the county offices were made elective; the term of State senator was made two years and each senator was made to represent a senatorial district, and each assemblyman an assembly district. Erie county became the Thirty-first Senatorial District, and was now entitled to four assemblymen. The old court of Common Pleas was abolished and the County Court instituted, to be presided over by a county judge, excepting in certain criminal cases in Courts of Sessions, when he was to be assisted by two justices of sessions. The State was divided into eight judicial districts, each of which was to elect four justices of the Supreme Court. Erie county was made a .part of the Eighth District and has so continued to the present time. At a special election held in June, 1847, judicial officers and district attorneys were elected, as directed by the constitution. The Whigs having a large majority in the Eighth District, four justices of the Supreme Court of that political faith were elected; among them were Seth E. Sill, of Buffalo, and James Mullett, of Chautauqua county, who kept an office in Buffalo. Other Whig candidates in Erie county were all defeated for the first time since the organization of the party, through the influence of local differences. In the following fall the first State officers were elected under the new constitution. Millard Fillmore was nominated by the Whigs for comptroller. The Demo- crats were torn asunder into the so-called Hunker and Barnburner factions, which were then at the height of their antagonism, and Mr. Fillmore and his Whig associates were elected by a large majority. 468 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE The political campaign of 1848 was an important one and possesses local historical interest. In June, after General Taylor had been nom- inated for the presidency by the Whig National Convention at Phila delphia, Mr. Fillmore was chosen for second place on the ticket. The Democrats in national convention nominated Cass and Butler for president and vice-president respectively, while the Barnburners, who constituted the radical wing of that party, and had espoused the Wil- mot Proviso, for the exclusion of slavery from territory then recently acquired from Mexico, met in Utica and nominated Martin Van Buren for the presidency, with a western nominee for second place ; the latter declined the honor. ' For the purpose of uniting all the forces possible against the extension of slavery, another convention was called for August 9 to meet in Buffalo. The proceedings of this assemblage of distinguished men are memorable in history. Representatives were present from every Northern State as well as from Delaware, Mary- land and Virginia. At noon of the day named above the convention was called to order in a great tent which had been placed in the court house park. Nathaniel Sawyer, of Ohio, was chosen temporary chair- man, and a committee on permanent organization was appointed, consisting of one from each State represented. At the beginning of the afternoon session an immense throng gathered about the tent and in adjoining streets. Preston King was chosen chairman of the committee on organization and reported the name of Charles Francis Adams, of Massachusetts, for president of the convention, and he was elected. Thereupon the man who for the first time occupied a prominent position before the nation was escorted to the chair by a broad-shouldered, fine appearing man of thirty-eight years, Salmon P. Chase, of Ohio. A committee on resolutions was appointed, of which Benjamin F. Butler was made chairman; not Gen. Benjamin F. Butler of military fame, but the first lieutenant of Martin Van Buren in his political schemes, and later attorney-general of the United States in Van Buren's cabinet. During the delay incident upon the consultation of a committee of conference over the nomination of candidates, the convention was ad- dressed by several men whose names ere long became familiar through- out the country in the An ti- Slavery cause: among them was Joshua R. Giddings, of Ohio. Salmon P. Chase was chairman of the com- mittee of conference; this committee declined to make nominations until the convention prepared its platform. On the following morning MILLARD FILLMORE. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 469 there was reported to the convention a series of resolutions embodying the creed of the Free Soil party, which was subsequently the same as that afterwards adopted by the Republican party ; its key note was "no more slave States and no slave Territories." The resolutions were enthusiastically adopted. Meanwhile the committee of confer- ence met in the Universalist church and when it received notice of the action of the convention, proceeded to make nominations. Mr. Van Buren had already been nominated for the presidency by a New York convention of Free Soilers, but there was a strong feeling in the con- vention in favor of John P. Hale, of New Hampshire, a well known radical opponent of slavery. However, after Mr. Butler had eloquently portrayed the position of his friend and explained* the principles by which he was guided, a vote was taken in which Van Buren received 244; John P. Hale 181, and 41 scattering. Van Buren had a majority over all others of only 22. Charles Francis Adams was then unani- mously nominated for vice president. In the evening of that day these nominations were reported to the mass convention, which filled, the great tent to the utmost, and they were received with tumultuous cheers. After the reading of a letter from Van Buren by David Dudley Field, and several short speeches, the convention closed. The results of this memorable convention were at least twofold ; it gave New York to the Whigs, caused the election of Taylor and Fill- more, and exerted a powerful influence in strengthening the growing opposition to the extension of slavery and hastening the approach of most momentous events. In the election of that year Elbridge G. Spaulding, of Buffalo, was chosen to represent this district in Congress. Upon the death of Gen- eral Taylor, July 9, 1850, Millard Fillmore became president of the United States. He was then fifty years of age; twenty-one years earlier he entered public life as member of assembly, and only twenty- seven years had passed since he began law practice in Aurora. In forming his cabinet Mr. Fillmore gave his former student and partner, Nathan K. Hall, the office of postmaster-general, and was promptly accused of favoritism by his opponents ; but the thoroughly successful administration of Mr. Hall justified the action of the presi- dent. Daniel Webster was made secretary of State and John J. Crit- tenden attorney-general. Through the remaining hot months of that summer, Congress, which was in session at the time of General Tay- lor's death, wrestled with the problems growing out of the slavery 470 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. question and finally passed the celebrated compromise measures which provided for the admission of California, the organization of the terri- tories of New Mexico and Utah without prohibition of slavery, the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia, and the sum-, mary return of fugitive slaves escaping from one State to another. While the last named act (the Fugitive Slave Law) was strongly de- nounced by many prominent Whigs and some Northern Democrats, the president signed all of the five acts constituting the compromise meas- ures. He was upheld in this action by a majority of both political parties. Solomon G. Haven, the third member of the law firm of Fill- more, Hall & Haven, was brought forward that fall as a candidate for Congress and was elected, thus assuring the president of unqualified support from his own county. Mr. Fillmore's policy, after the passage of the compromise acts, was in harmony with his party and his ad- ministration was a creditable one in every respect. But he had ac- quired a reputation for conservatism, and when the Whig convention of 1852 assembled he was opposed by the radical members of the party who were in fierce opposition to slavery. The nomination of General Scott followed, and was considered a defeat for the conservatives, but the platform was sufficiently conservative and as decidedly in favor of the compromise measures as Mr. Fillmore himself could have desired. The Whig party, as is well remembered, was overwhelmingly de- feated. Up to 1853 the Whig party had maintained complete control of Erie county, electing every congressman, every State senator, nearly every assemblyman, and all the county officers, excepting in 1847, when there was a temporary defection. But in 1854 came the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, causing intense indignation throughout the North, and leading toward the organization of a new Anti- Slavery party. At about the same time the Know Nothing, or American, party came into existence to complicate the political situation for several years; its creed of opposition to foreign and papal influence found many sup- porters, and especially from among the Whig conservatives, who, ready to abandon their former allegiance, were unwilling to join the Demo- crats or the pronounced Anti-Slavery element. The new party made fnll State nominations, among them being Gen. Gustavus A. Scroggs, of Buffalo, for lieutenant-governor. The Whigs, however, sufficiently maintained their organization until the fall election and carried the State. Mr. Haven, who had voted against the Nebraska bill, was elected member of congress. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 471 In 1855 the Republican party was organized, the policy and operation of which were soon to control the destiny of the country. In Erie county it received into its ranks a large part of the voters, but not by any means a majority. Three tickets were nominated in that year and for the first time in a quarter of a century the Democrats carried the county at a regular election, making James Wadsworth, of Buffalo, State senator. In the succeeding year (1856) came the triangular con- test between the Democrats, the Republicans and the Know- Nothings; these three parties were nearer equal in strength in this county than in almost any other in the Union. In February the National American (Know-Nothing) convention nominated Millard Fillmore for the presi- dency; but that ephemeral party was already beginning its rapid de- cline. Mr. Fillmore's strength in his own county helped to keep it alive here and doubtless contributed largely to equalizing the three parties, as just noticed. Solomon G. Haven was for the fourth time a candidate for Congress on the same ticket, but notwithstanding the great strength of these two men, that party was third in the local field. The Democrats carried the county as well as the nation. Israel T. Hatch was elected to Congress, but the Republicans carried this State and Rufus Wheeler, of Buffalo, was chosen presidential elector. That was the last year in which Mr. Fillmore appeared in the political arena ; the remainder of his life was passed in dignified retirement, mostly at his Buffalo home, which now bears his name as a family hotel. The next political campaign of historical importance was that of 1860. By 1858 the Know-Nothing party had substantially disappeared. In this county its members had joined the other two dominant organ- izations. In that year a combination was formed between the Repub- licans and a faction of the Americans, by whom Elbridge G. Spaulding was elected to Congress. In the following year the Republicans car- ried this county, the political lines being quite closely drawn. Of the four presidential tickets in the field in the well-remembered campaign of 1860, that headed by Mr. Breckinridge received almost no votes in Erie county, while that headed by Mr. Bell was given only a very few ; the county vote was substantially divided between Lincoln and Douglas, the former receiving a majority. Mr. Spaulding was re-elected to Con- gress, where he was soon to obtain lasting fame through his connection with the establishment of a currency system with which to carry on a gigantic war. He still lives to enjoy his well-earned honors. The more important phases of the political situation in Erie county 472 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. since the close of the war are quite fresh in the memory of most grown persons. While the war policy of President Lincoln found a large ma- jority of supporters in the county throughout that strife, the Democrats erelong gained the ascendency. In spite of the fact that Reuben E. Fen- ton, Republican, was elected governor in 1864 and 1866, it was by only small majorities, and in Erie county by that time the Democrats were in the majority and elected James M. Humphrey to Congress. After the census of 1865 this county was given five assemblymen. But political affairs experienced a revolution with the successful close of the great conflict, and in 1868 Erie county went over to the Grant electoral ticket with a majority of about 2,000. This condition contin- tinued throughout 1869 ; but in 1870 the tables were turned and the Democrats triumphed. It was that year that Grover Cleveland, who was destined to soon occupy so conspicuous a position on the political horizon, first came before the public as a candidate and was elected sheriff of Erie county. The Republicans were victorious in 1871, and in the next year, when Horace Greeley made his unfortunate appearance as a presidential can- didate against General Grant, it seemed that probably the Republicans were to remain permanently in the ascendent in this county. All the candidates of that party were elected by majorities of from 5,000 to 6,000. Lyman K. Bass was elected to Congress, and the victorious party even elected all of their members of assembly, a feat that had not before been accomplished, nor has it since. In 1874, however, the Democrats had a majority, and William Dorsheimer, of Buffalo, was elected lieutenant-governor, with a majority of about 600. The fol- lowing vote statistics in Erie county during the past twenty years give a fair indication of the changes in the political situation : In 1876 Edwin D. Morgan, Republican candidate for governor, was elected against Lucius Robinson, with a majority in the county of a little less than 1,000; for lieutenant-governor, William Dorsheimer received 19,425 votes, and Sherman S. Rogers, 20,355. In 1879 the Republican and Democratic candidates for governor were respectively Alonzo B. Cornell and Lucius Robinson ; Cornell's vote in this county was 20,150, and Robinson's, 17,095. In the presidential election of 1«80 the county went- Republican by a vote of 24,199 against 20,848. The Republicans still retained the ascendency in 1881 with a vote of 19,858 against 18,039 for secretary of State. In 1882 Grover Cleveland, then holding the office of mayor of Buffalo, GROVER CLEVELAND. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 473 received the nomination for governor of the State, thus taking the third step in a public official career that was to lead him twice to the highest office in the gift of the American people. The State went Democratic by the largest majority ever given to a candidate — some- thing over 190,000. In Erie county the Democratic vote was ^3,748; the Repulican, 16,408; in the city the Republican vote was 11,404; Democratic, 17,156. In the presidential campaign of 1884, Grover Cleveland (Dem.) re- ceived the nomination for the presidency against James G. Blaine and was triumphantly elected ; the vote in Erie county was Republican, 26, 249 ; Democratic, 24, 759 ; in the city the Republican vote was 1 8, 530, and Democratic, 17,477. These proportions were only slightly changed in the vote of 1885, when David B. Hill was nominated for governor, having already served the remainder of Cleveland's term ; the figures were, Hill, 21,681; Davenport, 22,906 in the county; city, Hill, 15,973; Davenport, 17,932. The year 1888 was again presidential year, and Benjamin Harrison was elected president over Grover Cleveland. In this State David B. Hill triumphed over Warner Miller in the gubernatorial race, the vote in this county being 33,050 for Hill, and 28,001 for Miller; the city gave Hill 25,211, and Miller 19,839. ,From that time to the present the county and city vote has been as follows : 1889, for secretary of state, Gilbert, 27,634; Frank Rice, 25,627, in the county; in the city, 21,698 and 20,263 respectively. 1891, for ^governor, Roswell P. Flower, Democrat, received 28,876 votes, and J. Sloat Fassett 27,596 in the county. 1892, Grover Cleveland was again elected to the presidency, and re- ceived in Erie county 32,431 votes, against 32,240 for Benjamin Har- rison; the city gave Cleveland 25,428, and Harrison 24,611. 1893, for secretary of state, the county gave a Democratic vote of 25,449, and Republican 35,561. 1893, David B. Hill received in the county 27,656 votes for governor, and Levi P. Morton, 38,479. 1894, for secretary of state the county gave John Palmer 35,929 votes and Horatio C. King, 23,130. 1896, for governor, Frank S. Black (Rep.) received 9,581 in the county and 32,004 in the city, and Wilbur F. Porter 26,621 in the city and 6,778 in the county. The county and city gave William McKinley 45,621 votes and William J. Bryan 30,172 for president. 60 474 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. PRINCIPAL VILLAGE AND CITY OFFICIALS. Following is a list in chronological order of the principal village and city officials from the incorporation of the village in 1816 to the pres ent time : VILLAGE. 1816— Trustees, Oliver Forward, Charles Townsend, Heman B. Potter, Ebenezer Walden, Jonas Harrison, Samuel Wilkeson; clerk, Jonathan E. Chaplin; treasurer, Josiah Trowbridge ; collector, Moses Baker. 1817 — Trustees, Ebenezer Walden, Jonas Harrison, John G. Camp, Samuel Wilke- son, Elias Ransom; clerk, Jonathan E. Chaplin; treasurer, Josiah Trowbridge; col- lector, Moses Baker. 1818 — Trustees, Joseph Stocking, Charles Townsend, Heman B. Potter, Oliver Forward, Abraham Larzalere; clerk, Stephen K. Grosvenor; treasurer - , Elijah D. Efner ; collector Moses Baker. 1819 — Trustees, Charles Townsend, Samuel Wilkeson, Joseph Stocking, Heman B. Potter, Joseph Landon; clerk, Stephen K. Grosvenor; treasurer, Elijah D. Efner, collector, Leonard P. Crary. 1820 — Trustees, Charles Townsend, Cyrenius Chapin, Samuel Wilkeson,' Joseph Stocking, William T. Miller; clerk, Stephen K. Grosvenor; treasurer, Elijah D. Efner; collector, Moses Baker. 1821 — Trustees, Charles Townsend, Samuel Wilkeson, Joseph Stocking, Cyrenius Chapin, Heman B. Potter; clerk, Stephen K. Grosvenor; treasurer, Elijah D. Efner; collector, E. F. Gilbert. 1822 — Trustees, Ebenezer Johnson, Oliver Forward, John B. Hicks, John Scott, Henry M. Campbell; clerk, Gorham Chapin; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; attor- ney, Heman B. Potter; collector, Moses Baker. 1828 — Trustees, Oliver Forward, Charles Townsend, David Burt, Abner Bryant, Benjamin Caryl; clerk, Joseph Clary; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; collector, James Higgins. 1824 — Trustees, Heman B. Potter, David Burt, Joseph Stocking, Nathaniel Vos- burgh, Oliver Forward; clerk, Joseph Clary; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; col- lector, Loring Pierce. 1825 — Trustees, Oliver Forward, David Burt, Heman B. Potter, Ebenezer Johnson, Nathaniel Vosburgh; clerk, Joseph Clary; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; collector, James Higgins. 1826 — Trustees, Oliver Forward, Benjamin Rathbun, William Hollister, Joseph D. Hoyt, Major A. Andrews ; clerk, Henry E. Davies ; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour ; collector, James Higgins. 1827 — Trustees, Benjamin Rathbun, Joseph D. Hoyt, William Hollister, Oliver Forward, Major A. Andrews; clerk, Henry E. Davies; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; . collector, Leonard P. Crary. 1828 — Trustees, Bela D. Coe, Anthony Beers, Joseph Clary. Hiram Pratt, Moses Baker; clerk, George P. Barker; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; collector, James Higgins. 1829— Trustees, Joseph Clary, Hiram Pratt, Bela D. Coe, Moses Baker, Anthony POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 476 Beers ; clerk, George P. Barker ; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour ; collector, David E. Merrill. 1830— Trustees, Moses Baker, Theodore Coburn, John W. Clark, Joseph Clary, William Ketchum; clerk, George P. Barker; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; collector, David E. Merrill. 1831— Trustees, Bela D. Coe, Moses Baker, John W. Clark, James Sheldon, Theo- dore Coburn ; clerk, Elijah Ford; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour; collector, David E. Merrill. 1833— Trustees, John W. Clark, William S. Waters, Cyrus Athearn, John D. Hearty, James Sheldon ; clerk, Elijah Ford ; treasurer, Henry R. Seymour ; collector, Gilman Smith. These officials held office only until the organization of the city government in May. CITY. Mayors. — 1832, Ebenezer Johnson; 1833, Major A. Andrews ;*1834, Ebenezer John- son; 1835, Hiram Pratt; 1836, Samuel Wilkeson; 1837, Dr. Josiah Trowbridge (resigned December 22, 1837, and Pierre A. Barker, elected) ; 1838, Ebenezer Walden ; 1839, Hiram Pratt ; 1840, Sheldon Thompson (the first mayor elected by the people) ; 1841/ Isaac R. Harrington; 1842, George W. Clinton; 1843, Joseph G. Masten; 1844, William Ketchum ; 1845, Joseph G. Masten ; 1846, Solomon G. Haven ; 1847, Elbridge G. Spaulding; 1848, Orlando Allen ; 1849, Hiram Barton; 1850, Henry K. Smith; 1851, James Wadsworth ; 1852, Hiram Barton ; 1853-55, Eli Cook ; 1856-57, Frederick P. Stevens; 1858-59, Timothy T. Lockwood; 1860-61, Franklin A. Alberger; 1862-65, William G. Fargo; 1866-67, Chandler J. Wells; 1868-69, William F. Rogers; 1870-73, Alexander Brush; 1874-75, Louis P. Dayton; 1876-77, Philip Becker; 1878-79, Solo- mon Scheu; 1880-81, Alexander Brush; 1882, Grover Cleveland (resigned November 20, 1882, having been elected governor of the State, and Marcus M. Drake was appointed to the vacancy by the council ; a special election was ordered January 9, 1883. Mr. Drake in the mean time, resigned December 29, 1882, and Harmon S. Cutting was appointed to the vacancy ; at the special election, John B. Manning was chosen for Mayor Cleveland's unexpired term) ; 1884-85, Jonathan Scoville ; 1886-89, Philip Becker; 1890-94, Charles F. Bishop; 1895-97, Edgar B. Jewett; 1898, incum- bent, Dr. Conrad Diehl. City Clerks.— -1832, Dyre Tillinghast; 1833-34, Elijah J. Roberts; 1835, Theodotus Burwell ; 1836. Elbridge G. Spaulding ; 1837-39, Theodore C. Peters ; 1840, Squire S. Case; 1841-44, John T. Lacy; 1845, Joseph Stringham; 1846, M. Cadwallader; 1847-49, Jesse Walker; 1850, Horatio Seymour, jr. ; 1851, William L. G. Smith; 1852-55, Roswell L. Burrows; 1856-58, William H. Albro; 1859-60, Charles S. Macomber ; 1861, Otis F. Presbry ; 1862-66, Charles S. Macomber ; 1867, J. D. Hoyt Chamberlain; 1868, Charles S. Macomber; 1869-70, George S. Wardwell; 1871, Thomas R. Clinton; 1872-74, Walter C. Winship; 1875-76, Rensselaer D. Ford; 1877, Francis F. Fargo ; 1878-80, William P. Burns ; 1881, Francis F. Fargo ; 1882-85, William P. Burns; 1886-89, William E. Delaney; 1890-93, Charles R. Marshall; 1894-97, Mark S. Hubbell. Treasurers.— 1832-33, Henry R. Seymour; 1834-35, Henry Root; 1836, A. J. Douglass ; 1837-38, Hamlet D. Scranton ; 1839, William Moore ; 1840, John R. Lee ; 1841, William Williams; 1842, John R. Lee; 1843, George C. White; 1844, Robert 476 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Pomeroy; 1845, William Lovering; 1846, James Crobker; 1847-49, John R. Lee; 1850, Daniel G. Marcy; 1851, Cyrenius C. Bristol; 1852-53, George R. Kibbe; 1854-55, John R. Evans; 1856-57, William L. G. Smith; 1858-59, C. A. W. Sherman; 1860-61, JohnS. Trowbridge; 1863-63, Joseph C. Tyler; 1864-65, John Hanavan; 1866-67, Joseph Churchyard; 1868-71, Joseph L. Haberstro; 1872-75, Joseph Bork; 1876-77, Henry D. Keller; 1878-79, Eugene Bertrand, jr.; 1880-83, Joseph Ball; 1884-87, James H. Carmichael; 1888-89, Alphonse J. Meyer; 1890-95, Robert Oehmig; 1896- 97, Philip Gerst. Surveyors and Engineers. — 1832-34, James J. Baldwin- 1835-36, William B. Gilbert; 1837-40, William K. Scott; 1841-53, Henry Lovejoy; 1854-55, George Cole; 1856-59, Gustavus G. Bliss; 1860-61, Peter Emslie; 1862-65, Francis F. Curry; 1866- 67, John A. Ditto; 1868-69, George Vom Berge; 1870-73, John A. Ditto; 1874-77, George E. Mann; 1878-79, George Vom Berge; 1880-81, Jasper T. Youngs; 1882-83, Thomas J. Rogers ; 1884-87, Albert Krause ; 1888-92, George E. Mann. Under the charter of 1892 the office was entitled chief engineer, and Samuel J. Fields was appointed to the position in 1892 ; Edward E. Guthrie, appointed May 5, 1896, re- signed October 11, 1897. City Attorneys.— Appointed: 1832, George P. Barker; 1833-34, William A. Mose- ley; 1835, Nathan K. Hall; 1836, John L. Talcott; 1837, Theodore C. Peters; 1838, Theodotus Burwell; 1839-40, Harlow S. Love; 1841, George W. Houghton ; 1842, Samuel Wilkeson, jr.; 1843, Asher P. Nichols; 1844, Seth E. Sill; 1845, Eli Cook; 1846, James Mullett; 1847, James Sheldon, jr.; 1848, J. F. Brown; 1849, Charles D. Norton; 1850, James Wadsworth; 1851, Eli Cook; 1852-53, Cyrus O. Poole. Begin- ning with 1854, city attorneys were elected for terms of two years. — 1854-55, John Hubbell; 1856-57, Andrew J. McNett; 1858-59, Edwin Thayer; 1860-61, George Wadsworth; 1862-63, Harmon S. Cutting; 1864-65, Charles Beckwith; 1866-67, George S. Wardwell; 1868-69, David F. Day; 1870-71, Benjamin H. Williams; 1872- 75, Frank R. Perkins ; 1876-77, John B. Greene ; 1878-79, Price E. Matteson ; 1880-81, Edward C. Hawks ; 1882-83, Giles E. Stillwell ; 1884-85, Herman Hennig. In 1886 the title of the office was changed to corporation counsel and the term made three years.— 1886-90, William F. Worthington (died November 15, 1890, and George M. Browne was elected by the Common Council to fill vacancy) ; 1891-93. George M. Browne ; 1894-95, Frank C. Laughlin (resigned November 30, 1895, and Charles L. Feldman appointed) ; 1896-97, Charles L. Feldman ; 1898, William H. Cuddeback. Street Commissioners. — 1832-34, Edwin Baldwin ; 1835, Sylvester Matthews; 1836, Alanson Webster ; (from 1837 to 1846, the offices of street commissioner and surveyor were consolidated;) 1846-49, Samuel G. Walker; 1850, Albert S. Merrill; 1851, Abram Hemstreet; 1852-53, James Howells; 1854-55, Jacob L. Barnes; 1856-57, Patrick Smith; 1858-61, Levi J. Waters; 1862-65, James O'Brian; 1866-67, Jeremiah Ma- honey; 1868-69, Alexander Brush; 1870-71, George W; Gillespie; 1872-73, James Franklin; 1874-75, A. Stettenbena; 1876-77, Charles Jessemin; 1878-79, James V. Hayes; 1880-81, Michael Magher ; 1882-83, John Mahoney; 1884-87, John Martin; 1888-91, Henry Quinn; 1892-94 (under new charter, commissioners of public works), George S. Field (elected), James Mooney, George S. Gatchell, (appointed); 1895, Charles G. Pankow superseded Field; 1896, Marcus M. Drake superseded Gatchell; 1897, Michael J. Healey superseded Mooney. In 1897 Martin Maher was elected successor to Charles G. Pankow. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 477 City Physicians. — The first health commissioner in the city was Dr. John H. Mar- shall, who was appointed and served during the cholera scourge of 1832-33 ; 1834, Henry R. Stagg ; 1835, Alvin S. Sprague ; 1836, Charles Winne ; 1837, Charles H. Raymond; 1838, Francis L. Harris; 1839, Charles Winne; 1840, Charles H. Ray- mond; 1841-43, Austin Flint; 1844, John S. Trowbridge; 1845-46, S. F. Mixer; 1847-49, John S. Trowbridge; 1850, S. F. Mixer; 1851, Timothy T. Lockwood; 1852, John D. Hill; 1853, E. P. Gray; 1854, James M. Newman; 1855, John Root; 1856-57, Charles L. Dayton; 1858, H. D. Garvin; 1859, P. H. Strong; 1860, C. C. Wyckoff; 1861, J. Whittaker; 1861-66, Sanford Eastman; 1867, C. C. F. Gay; 1868, G. C. Mac- kay; 1869-70, Byron H. Daggett; 1871, Lewis P. Dayton; 1872-74, E. C. W. O'Brien; 1875, David E. Chace; 1876-77, E. C. W. O'Brien; 1878, G. C. Mackay, Edward Table; 1879, Edward Tabie; 1880-81, A. H. Briggs; 1882-83, William C. Phelps; 1884-87, A. H. Briggs; 1888-89, Edward Clark; 1890, Walter D. Greene; 189L-97, Ernest Wende. * Comptrollers. — The first comptroller of Buffalo was chosen in 1848, in the person of M. Cadwallader, who held the office until and including 1853 ; 1854, William Chard; 1856, William Ketchum; 1856-59, Charles S. Pierce; 1860-61, Alonzo Tanner; 1862-63, Peter M. Vosburgh; 1864-65, Ralph Courter; 1866-67, William F. Rogers; 1868-71, R. D. Ford; 1872-73, Lewis Evans; 1874-75, Thomas R. Clinton; 1876-77, Lewis M. Evans ; 1878-81, John C. Sheehan ; 1882, Timothy J. Mahoney ; 1884-89, Joseph E. Barnard; 1890-91, Edward C. Shafer; 1892-94, Joseph E. Gavin; 1895-97, Erastus C. Knight, incumbent, elected November, 1897. Aldermen. — 1832 — First ward, Isaac S. Smith, Joseph W. Brown; 2d ward, John G. Camp, Henry Root ; 3d ward. David M. Day, Ira A. Blossom ; 4th ward, Henry White, Major A. Andrews; 5th ward, Ebenezer Walden, Thomas C. Love. 1833 — First ward, Stephen Clark, Joseph W. Brown ; 2d ward, John G. Camp, James Durick ; 3d ward, George B. Webster, Darius Burton ; 4th ward, Philander Bennett, Moses Baker; 5th ward, Sheldon Smith, Sylvester Matthews. 1834 — First ward, Isaac S. Smith, Stephen Clark ; 2d ward, Squire S. Case, Henry Root; 3d ward, Birdseye Wilcox, John T. Hudson; 4th ward, Moses Baker, Elijah Ford; 5th ward, Sylvester Matthews, James Miller. 1835 — First ward, John Prince, John W. Clark ; 2d ward, Squire S. Case, Orlando Allen; 3d ward, Ira Blossom, William* E. P. Taylor; 4th ward, Elijah Ford, Noyes Darrow; 5th ward, Manly Colton, Nathaniel Vosburgh. 1836 — First ward, Aaron Goodrich, John W. Prince ; 2d ward, James Durick, Mor- gan L. Faulkner ; 3d ward, Stephen N. Grosvenor, Silas Sawin ; 4th ward, Nathaniel Wilgus, Harlow French ; 5th ward, Daniel F. Kimball, Jeremiah Staats. 1837 — First ward, William Valleau, William J, Black; 2d ward, Jacob A. Barker, George E. Hayes ; 3d ward, Walter Joy, Edward L. Stephenson ; 4th ward, Nathan- iel Wilgus, Moses Baker; 5th ward, Nathan K. Hall, Pierre A. Barker. 1838 First ward, Daniel F. Kimball, Charles S. Pierce; 2d ward, Squire S. Case, Lucius Storrs; 3d ward, William F. P. Taylor, James Mackay; 4th ward, Nathaniel Wilgus, Moses Baker ; 5th ward, Charles Wing, Alonzo Raynor. 1839— First ward, Fordyce W. Atkins, Henry Lamb; 2d ward, Lucius Storrs, Thomas R. Stocking ; 3d ward, William Hollister, jr. , Edward L. Stephenson ; 4th ward, Morgan L. Faulkner, Frederick Dellenbaugh ; 5th ward, Peter Curtiss, Au- gustine Kimball. 478 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1840 — First ward, Henry Lamb, Charles A. Comstock; 2d ward, Aaron Rumsey, Noah H. Gardner; 3d ward, George B. Gleason, William Williams; 4th ward, Fred- erick Dellenbaugh, Philander Bennett; 5th ward, Isaac R. Harrington, Peter Curtiss. 1841 — (This year the mayor was elected by the people for a term of one year;. First ward, Henry Lamb; Ephraim S. Havens; 2d ward, Edward Root, Noah H. Gardner; 3d ward, Richard Sears, Elbridge G. Spaulding; 4th ward, Philander Ben- nett, Oliver G. Steele ; 5th ward, John R. Lee, Henry Roop. 1842 — Fifth ward, Epraim S. Havens, Erasmus D. Robinson ; 2d ward, Noah H. Gardner, Lucius H. Pratt; 3d ward, Orsamus H. Marshall, John Wilkeson ; 4th ward, Oliver G. Steele, Nelson Randall ; 5th ward, Ashel Camp, H. W. Pierce. 1843 — First ward, John Cummings. Patrick Smith; 2d ward, Samuel F. Pratt, Francis Ellas; 3d ward, Daniel Bowen 1 Hiram Barton; 4th ward, James Delong, Thompson Hersee ; '' 5th ward, Lewis L. Hodges, Samuel G. Walker. 1844 — First ward, John Cummings, Patrick Smith; 2d ward, Francis S. Ellas, Samuel F. Pratt; 3d ward, Daniel Bowen, Hiram Barton; 4th ward, James Delong, Thompson Hersee ; 5th ward, Lewis L. Hodges, Samuel G. Walker. 1845 — First ward, Walter S. Stanard, Patrick Smith; 2d ward, Orlando Allen, Sherman S. Jewett; 3 3d ward, Daniel Bowen, C. A. Van Slyck ; 4th ward, Thomp- son Hersee, Charles Esslinger; 5th ward, William Williams, Robert Russell, 1846 — First ward, Patrick Smith, Jacob W. Banta; 2d ward, Sherman S. Jewett, Samuel T. Atwater ; 3d ward, George R. Babcock, Lester Brace ; 4th ward, Nelson Randall, Harlow French; 5th ward, Benoni Thompson, Samuel Haines. 1847— First ward, Patrick Smith, Jacob W. Banta; 2d ward, Orlando Allen, Latham A. Burrows; 3d ward, Hiram Barton, Calvin Bishop; 4th ward, Oliver G. Steele, Albert S. Merrill ; 5th ward, Luman K. Plimpton, Watkins Williams. 1848— First ward, Walter W. Stanard, John M. Smith ; 2d ward, Daniel Bowen, David M. Vanderpoel; 3d ward, Levi Allen, Paul Roberts; 4th ward, Albert S. Merrill, Harry H. Matteson ; 5th ward, Luman K. Plimpton, Watkins Williams. 1849 — First ward, Warren Lampman, Horace Thomas; 2d ward, Sherman, S. Jewett, Myron P. Bush ; 3d ward, Charles F. Miller, Samuel F. Bigelow ; 4th ward, Albert S. Merrill, Harrison Park ; 5th ward, William K. Scott, Lucius F. Tiffany. > 1850— First ward, Jacob W. Banta, John Walsh; 2d ward, Milo W. Hill, Myron P. 1 Daniel Bowen was born in Marblehead, Mass., March 30, 1797, and settled in Buffalo in 1827 as a wagon maker. He was appointed superintendent of public schools in 1840, 1846, and 1849, and was elected to the Assembly in 1859. He was one of the original trustees of the Buffalo Savings Bank. He died November 18, 1884. 2 Thompson Hersee was born in England May 13, 1814, and settled in Buffalo in 1834, in the fur- niture business. In 1849 he was nominated for the mayoralty by the Free Soilers, but was de- feated. He died December 1, 1884. 3 Sherman S. Jewett was born in Moravia, N. Y., January 17, 1817. Hecarne to Buffalo in May, 1834, and was engaged in the foundry of his mother's brother, Isaac Watts Skinner. In 1836 he began business for himself as a member of the firm of Day, Root & Co. (Franklin Day and •Francis H. Root). After various firm changes the firm of Jewett & Root was formed in 1843 and continued until 1875, when Josiah Jewett was admitted. Mr. Root sold out to his partners in 1878 and the firm o£ Sherman S. Jewett & Co. (Henry C. and Josiah Jewett) was formed. Mr. Jewett was a Whig and Republican and identified himself with the leading interests of the city. He was one of the founders of the Bank of Buffalo, and a director in several other local banks. He was also conspicuous in railroad and steamboat interests. He died February 28, 1897. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 479 Bush; 3d ward, Paul Roberts, Miles Perry; 4th ward, Harrison Park, Abram S. Swartz ; 5th ward, Lucius F. Tiffany, George L. Hubbard. 1851— First ward, John Walsh, Charles S. Pierce, 2d ward, Myron P. Bush, Milo W. Hill; 3d ward, Paul Roberts, Alexander McKay; 4th ward, Harrison Park, Abram S. Swartz ; 5th ward, Lucius F. Tiffany, George L. Hubbard. 1852— First ward. John Walsh, Charles S. Pierce ; 2d ward, Milo W. Hill, John R. Evans ; 3d ward, Alexander McKay, Asaph S. Bemis ; 4th ward, Abram S. Swartz, James C. Harrison; 5th ward, Albert L. Baker, H. S. Chamberlain. 1853— First ward, John Walsh, Charles S. Pierce ; 2d ward, John R. Evans, Chandler J. Wells; 3d ward, Alexander McKay, Asaph S. Bemis; 4th ward, James C. Harrison, Daniel Devening; 5th ward, Albert S. Baker, H. S. Chamberlain. 1854 — First ward, Charles S. Pierce, John H. Bidwell; 2d ward, Chandler J. Wells, Daniel D. Bidwell ; 3d ward, Samuel Slade, G. W. Barker ; 4th ward, Hiram Chambers, John J. Weber; 5th ward, Henry Lamb, Edwar^ Bennett; 6th ward, Henry B. Miller, Solomon Scheu; 7th ward, Edwin Thayer, A. S. Plumley; 8th ward, Zoroaster Bonney, Bartley Logan ; 9th ward, Charles F. Miller, Asaph S. Bemis; 10th ward, Watkins Williams, Michael Clor; 11th ward, James Haggart, Franklin A. Alberger ; 12th ward, Stephen W. Howell, Fayette Rumsey ; 13th ward, Joseph A. Bridge, Samuel Twichell, jr. It was in the last mentioned year that the new charter went into effect, enlarging the boundaries of the city, making the term of the mayoralty two years, and taking from him the presidency of the Com- mon Council, that officer being chosen by the council itself. For 1854 Stephen W. Howell was chosen; he was a Republican, and in the fol- lowing lists for each year; the politics of the president of the council given each year, denotes the political complexion of the council. 1855 — President of the Council, Charles S. Pierce (Dem.); 1st ward, Charles S. Pierce, JohnH. Bidwell; 2d ward, Chandler J.Wells, Levi J. Waters; 3d ward, Samuel Slade, G. W. Barker; 4th ward, Hiram Chambers, John J. Weber; 5th ward, Fred- erick Dellenbaugh, Edward Bennett; 6th ward, Henry B. Miller, Solomon Scheu; 7th ward, Andrew J. McNett, J. S. Plumley; 8th ward, Z. Bonney, George J. Rehm; 9th ward, Charles F. Miller, John F. Lockwood; 10th ward, Watkins Williams, Daniel Bowen; 11th ward, James Haggart, Frederick P. Stevens; 12th ward, Lewis P. Dayton, Fayette Rumsey; 13th ward, Joseph A. Bridge, William C. Prescott. 1856— President of the Council, Lewis P. Dayton (Dem.) ; 1st ward, Jarvis Davis, John H. Bidwell; 2d ward, Chandler J. Wells, Levi J. Waters; 3d ward, James O'Brian, Norman Hagerman; 4th ward Hiram Chambers, Hiram P. Thayer; 5th ward, Frederick Dellenbaugh, Edward Bennett; 6th ward, Lorenz Gillig, Peter Recktenwalt; 7th ward, William Hellriegel, A. S. Plumley; 8th ward, Thomas Mer- rigan^ George J. Rehm; 9th ward, Hunting S. Chamberlain, John F. Lockwood; 10th ward, Miles Jones, Daniel Bowen ; 11th ward, Henry P. Clinton, Edwin S. Dann; 12th ward, Lewis P. Dayton, John Ambrose; 13th ward, Joseph A. Bridge, William C. Prescott. 1857— President of the Council, Lewis P. Dayton (Dem.); 1st ward, Michael Hagan, John H. Bidwell; 2d ward, Chandler J. Wells, James B. Dubois; 3d ward, James 480 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. O'Brian, Joshuah Barnes; 4th ward, H. P. Thayer, Stephen Bettinger; 5th ward, Edward Bennett, Edwin Thayer; 6th ward, .Peter Rech ten wait, Christ. Rodenbach; 7th ward, William Hellriegel, Henry A. Goodrich ; 8th ward, Thomas Merrigan, Thomas O' Grady; 9th ward, Hunting S. Chamberlain, S. W. Carpenter; 10th ward, Miles Jones, Henry Martin; 11th ward, Henry P. Clinton, Edward S. Dann ; 12th ward, Joseph Ambrose, Lewis P. Dayton; 13th ward, Joseph A. Bridge, Benjamin Dole. 1858 — President of the Council, Daniel Devening, jr. (Dem.); 1st ward, Michael Hagan, John H. Bidwell; 2d ward, Chandler J. Wells, James B. Dubois; 3d ward, James O'Brian, Joshua Barnes; 4th ward, Stephen Bettinger, Harry Hersee; 5th ward, Daniel Devening, jr., Bela H. Colegrove; 6th ward, Christopher Rodenbach, Henry B. Miller; 7th ward, George F. Pfeifer, A. S. Plumley; 8th ward, Thomas O'Grady, Thomas Truman; 9th ward, H. S. Chamberlain, S. W. Carpenter; 10th ward, Henry Martin, Alonzo Tanner; 11th ward, Henry P. Clinton, Edward S. Dann ; 12th ward, John Ambrose, Lewis P. Dayton ; 13th ward, Benjamin Dole. 1859 — President of the Council, Alonzo Tanner (Rep.); 1st ward, Michael Hagan, Peter Walsh; 2d ward, Chandler J. Wells, James B. Dubois; 3d ward, James O'Brian, James G. Turner; 4th ward, Harry Hersee, Jacob Beyer; 5th ward, Daniel Devening, J. A. M. Meyer; 6th ward, Henry B. Miller, William Messing; 7th ward, George F. Pfeifer, F. M. Pratt; 8th ward, Thomas Truman, Pliny F. Barton; 9th ward, H. S. Chamberlain, F. A. Alberger ; 10th ward, Alonzo Tanner, Asaph S. Bemis; 11th ward, Henry P. Clinton, A. A. Howard; 12th ward, John Ambrose, Stephen W. Howell ; 13th ward, Thomas Savage, Lewis L. Wilgus. 1860 — President of the Council, Asaph S. Bemis (Rep.); 1st ward, John Hanavan, Peter Walsh; 2d ward, Nathaniel Jones, James B. Dubois: 3d ward, Zadock G. Allen, James G. Turner; 4th ward, Everard Palmer, Jacob Beyer; 5th ward, Charles Beckwith, J. A. M. Meyer; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, William Messing; 7th ward, J. F. Schwartz, F. M. Pratt ; 8th ward, Robert Mills, Pliny F. Barton ; 9th ward, James Adams, Jacob L. Barnes; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, Asaph S. Bemis; 11th ward, Jacob Crowder, Austin A. Howard ; 12th ward, Washington Russell, Stephen W. Howell; 13th ward, Thomas Savage, Lewis L. Wilgus. 1861 — President of the Council, Asaph S. Bemis (Rep.); 1st ward, John Hanavan, Peter Walsh; 2d ward, Nathaniel Jones, Joel Wheeler; 3d ward, Zadock G. Allen, Alexander Brush ; 4th ward, Everard Palmer, Edward Storck ; 5th ward, Charles Beckwith, Andrew Grass ; 6th ward, Paul Goemble, Jacob Scheu ; 7th ward, J. F. Schwartz, F. M. Pratt; 8th ward, Robert Mills, Charles E. Felton; 9th ward, James Adams, Eben P. Dorr; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, Asaph S. Bemis; 11th ward, Jacob Crowder, Austin A. Howard; 12th ward, Washington Russell, Stephen W. Howell ; 13th ward, Thomas Savage, Thomas Rutter. 1862 — President of the Council, Charles Beckwith (Dem.); 1st ward, John Hanavan, Patrick Walsh ; 2d ward, James B. Dubois, Joel Wheeler; 3d ward, Samuel D. Colie, Alexander Brush; 4th ward, Orson C. Hoyt, Edward Storck; 5th ward, Charles Beckwith, Andrew Grass; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, Jacob Scheu; 7th ward, Fred Bangasser, William A. Sutton ; 8th ward, Robert Mills, Charles E. Felton ; 9th ward, Edward S. Warren, Eben P. Dorr; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, Asaph S. Bemis; 11th ward, Jacob Crowder, Nelson K. Hopkins; 12th ward, Lewis P. Dayton, Peter Burg- ard; 13th ward, Rodney M. Taylor, Thomas Rutter. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 481 1863— President of the Council, Charles Beckwith (Dem.) ; 1st ward, John Hanavan, Patrick Walsh; 2d ward, James B. Dubois, George B. Gates; 3d ward, Samuel D. Colie, William P. Moores; 4th ward, Orson C. Hoyt, Richard Flach; 1 5th ward, Charles Beckwith, Elijah Ambrose ; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, Jacob Scheu; 7th ward, Frederick Bangasser, William A. Sutton ; 8th ward, Robert Mills, Henry C. Persch ; 9th ward, Edward S. Warren, William I. Mills ; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, Seth Clark; 11th ward, Jacob Crowder, Nelson K. Hopkins; 12th ward, Lewis P. Dayton, Peter Burgard; 13th ward, Rodney M. Taylor, Christian Klinck. 1864 — President of the Council, Lewis P. Dayton (Dem.) ; 1st ward, Daniel Fitz- gerald, Patrick Walsh ; 2d ward, Phineas S. Marsh, George B. Gates ; 3d ward, Alex- ander Brush, William P. Moores; 4th ward, George Fischer, Richard Flach; 5th ward, Henry Nauert, Elijah Ambrose ; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, Jacob Scheu ; 7th ward, Thomas Clark, J. L. Haberstro; 8th ward, George J. Bamler, Henry C. Persch; 9th ward, James D. Sawyer, William I. Mills; 10th ward, (Beorge R. Yaw, Seth Clark; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, Nelson K. Hopkins; 12th ward, Lewis P. Day- ton, Peter Burgard ; 13th ward, Angus McPherson, Christian Klinck. 1865 — President of the Council, Nelson K. Hopkins (Rep.) ; 1st ward, Daniel Fitz- gerald, James Ryan; 2d ward, Phineas S. Marsh, Jonathan S. Fischer; 3d ward, Alexander Brush, William P. Moores; 4th ward, George Fischer, Richard Flach; 5th ward, Henry Nauert, Elijah Ambrose; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, Jacob H. Pfohl; 7th ward, Thomas Clark, J. L. Haberstro; 8th ward, George J. Bamler, John P. O'Brien; 9th ward, James D. Sawyer, William I. Mills; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, William C. Bryant; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, Nelson K. Hopkins; 12th ward, Henry A. Swartz, Peter Burgard; 13th ward, Angus McPherson, John Kelly, jr. 1866 — President of the Council, Joseph L. Haberstro (Dem.); 1st ward, James Ryan, Thomas Whalen ; 2d ward, Phineas S. Marsh, Jonathans. Buell; 3d ward, Alexander Brush, William P. Moores; 4th ward, Jacob Beyer, Richard Flach; 5th ward, August Hagar, John H. Shepard; 6th ward, Solomon Scheu, Jabob Pfohl; 7th ward, J. L. Haberstro, G. J. Buchheit; 8th ward, George J. Bamler, John P. O'Brien; 9th ward, Henry Morse, S. S. Guthrie; 10th ward, George R. Yaw, William C. Bryant; 11th ward, Nelson K. Hopkins, John Auchinvole; 12th ward, John Glasser, Henry A. Swartz; 13th ward, Angus McPherson, John Kelly, jr. 1867 — President of the Council, William C. Bryant (Rep.); 1st ward, James Ryan, Thomas Whalen ; 2d ward, Joel Wheeler, John Pierce; 3d ward, Alexander Brush, John A. B. Campbell; 4th ward, Jacob Beyer, Anthony Stettenbenz; 5th ward, August Hagar, J. H. Shepard; 6th ward, Solomon Scheu, Felix Biegler; 7th ward, J. L. Haberstro, G. J. Buchheit ; 8th ward, George J. Bamler, Edward Madden ; 9th ward, Henry Morse, S. S. Guthrie; 10th ward, John Walls, William C. Bryant; 11th ward, Nathaniel B. Hoyt, John Auchinvole ; 12th ward, John Glasser, James W. Parsons; 13th ward, Angus McPherson, John Kelly, jr. 1868— President of the Council, Paul Goembel (Dem.); 1st ward, Edward Byrns, 1 Col. Richard Flach was one of the leading German- American citizens. He was a native of Saxony, born in 1832, and settled in Buffalo in 1849, in the grocery business. He made an honorable war record as quartermaster of the 65th N. Y. Regiment, and after the war was colonel in the militia. He held the office of supervisor, alderman, assemblyman (1868), and canal collector in 1874-75. He died October 13, 1884. 61 482 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. George Chambers; 2d ward, John Pierce, W. B. Sirret; 3d ward, Z. G. Allen, J. A. B. Campbell; 4th ward, Frank Collignon, Anthony Stettenbenz; 5th ward, Peter Rechtenwalt, J. H. Shepard; 6th ward, Felix Biegler, Paul Goembel; 7th ward, G. J. Buchheit, John Gisel; 8th ward, Edward Madden, John Sheehan; 9th ward, S. S. Guthrie, Henry Morse; 10th ward, D. C. Beard, W. C. Bryant; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, N. B. Hoyt; 12th ward, John Ambrose, J. W. Parsons; 13th ward, John Kelly, jr., Angus McPherson. 1869 — President of the Council, John Sheehan (Dem.) ; 1st ward, Edward Byrns, George Chambers; 2d ward, John Pierce, W. B. Sirret; 3d ward, Zadock G. Allen, George G. Newman; 4th ward, F. Collignon, Peter P. Miller; 5th ward, Charles Sauer, John Dietzer; 6th ward, Paul Goembel, Henry Dilcher; 7th ward, John Gisel, Donald Bain ; 8th ward, John Sheehan, Michael Keenan ; 9th ward, Henry Morse, James Van Buren ; 10th ward, D. C. Beard, Robert Carmichael ; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, E. S. Hawley; 12th ward, John Ambrose, Elisha Safford; 13th ward, Angus McPherson, George Orr. 1870 — President of the Council, John Pierce (Rep.); 1st ward, William B. Smith, George Chambers; 2d ward, John Pierce, John Booth; 3d ward, Samuel G. Peters, George G. Newman ; 4th ward, Edward Storck, Peter B. Miller ; 5th ward, Charles Groben, John Dietzer; 6th ward, Michael Lang, Henry Dilcher; 7th ward, John Werrick, Donald Bain; 8th ward, John Sheehan, M. Keenan; 9th ward, Frank A. Sears, James Van Buren; 10th ward, Lewis M. Evans, Robert Carmichael; 11th ward, Jacob Scheu, Elias S. Hawley ; 12th ward, Isaac I. Van Allen, Elisha Safford ; 13th ward, Almus T. Patchen, George Orr. 1871 — President of the Council, John Sheehan (Dem.); 1st ward, W. B. Smith, Patrick Walsh ; 2d ward, John Booth, John Pierce; 3d ward, S. G. Peters, John Kelly, jr.; 4th ward, Edward Storck, W. S. Ovens; 5th ward, Charles Groben, Jo- seph Bork; 6th ward, Michael Lang, J. H. Fischer; 7th ward, John Werrick, George Rochevot; 8th ward, John Sheehan, Daniel Cruice; 9th ward, Frank A. Sears, James Van Buren; 10th ward, Lewis M. Evans, Robert Carmichael; 11th ward, Jacob Scheu, George W. Zink ; 12th ward, Isaac I. Van Allen, C. L. Dayton ; 13th ward, Almus T. Patchen, William. Daws. 1872 — President of the Council, Edward Storck (Rep.); 1st ward, John Doyle, Patrick Walsh ; 2d ward, Benjamin Dickey, John Pierce ; 3d ward, J. A. Seymour, John Kelly, jr. ; 4th ward, Edward Storck, L. P. Reichert ; 5th ward, Frank Sipp, Joseph Bork; 6th ward, Jacob Bott, J. H. Fischer; 7th ward, J. P. Eirisfeld, George Rochevot; 8th ward, Michael Keenan, Daniel Cruice; 9th ward, F. A. Sears, James Van Buren; 10th ward, Joseph Churchyard, Robert Carmichael ; 11th ward, William Baynes, George W. Zink ; 12th ward, John Frank, C. L. Dayton ; 13th ward, A. B. Angus, A. Prenatt. 1873 — President of the Council, Frank A. Sears (Rep.) 1st ward, John Doyle, Timothy Cotter ; 2d ward, Benjamin Dickey, Ellis Webster ; 3d ward, J. A. Sey- mour, J. W. Dennis; 4th ward, Louis Hermann, L. P. Reichert; 5th ward, Crank Sipp, William Henrich, 6th ward, Jacob Bott, J. H. Fischer; 7th ward, J. P. Einsfeld, George Reinheimer; 7th ward, Michael Keenan, Charles Jessemin; 9th ward, F. A. Sears, James Van Buren ; 10th ward, Joseph Churchyard, Robert Car- michael; 11th ward, William Baynes, Archibald McLeish; 12th ward, John Frank, Christopher Laible ; 13th ward, J. J. Weber, A. Prenatt. POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 483 1874 — President of the Council, Benjamin Dickey, (Rep.); 1st ward, Timbthy Cot- ter, John Doyle; 2d ward, Ellis Webster, Benjamin Dickey; 3d ward^J. W. Den- nis, J. N. Mileham; 4th ward, Louis Hermann, G. F. Zeller; 5th ward, William Hen- rich, C. P. Drescher; 6th ward, J. H. Fischer, Joseph Jerge; 7th ward, George Reinheimer, J. P. Einsfeld; 8th ward, Charles Jessemin, Joseph Galley; 9th ward, James Van Buren, N. C. Simons ; 10th ward, Robert Carmichael, Peter J. Ferris; 11th ward, Archibald McLeish, George W. Zink; 12th ward, Christian Laible. Isaac I. Van Allen: 13th ward, A. Prenatt, N. H. Lee. 1875 — President of the Council, Elijah Ambrose (Dem.); 1st ward, John Doyle, John Hanavau; 2d ward, Benjamin Dickey, William V. Woods; 3d ward, J. N. Mileham, Michael Danahy; 4th ward, G. F. Zeller, Charles Persons; 5th ward, C. P. Drescher, Elijah Ambrose; 6th ward, Joseph Jerge, Jacob Hiemenz; 7th ward, J. P. Einsfeld, J. C. Weber; 8th ward, Joseph Galley, Michael Keenan; 9th ward. N. C. Simons, C. D. Simpson; 10th ward, Peter J. Ferris, Merritt Nichols ; 11th ward, George W. Zink, John Auchinvole; 12th ward, I. I. Van Allen, William Farmer; 13th ward, N. H. Lee, Charles Dickman. 1876 — President of the Council, Asaph S. Bemis (Rep.); 1st ward, John Hanavan, John White; 2d ward, William V. Woods, A. L. Lothridge; 3d ward, Michael Danahy, Alfred H. Neal; 4th ward, Charles Persons, Asaph S. Bemis; 5th ward, Elijah Ambrose, Jacob Benzinger ; 6th ward, Jacob Hiemenz, Henry J. Baker ; 7th , ward, John C. Weber, Donald Bain ; 8th ward, Michael Keenan, John Pfeil ; 9th ward, Clarence D. Simpson, N. C. Simons; 10th ward, Merritt Nichols, Peter J. Ferris; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, Christopher Smith; 12th ward, William Farmer, I. I. Van Allen ; 13th ward, Charles Dickman, M. Shannon. 1877 — President of the Council, John Auchinvole (Rep.); 1st ward, John White, James Ryan ; 2d ward, Alfred L. Lothridge, Elijah R. Saxton ; 3d ward, Alfred H. Neal, Michael Danahy; 4th ward, Asaph S. Bemis, Melchoir Lotz; 5th ward, Jacob Benzinger, Henry J. Kreinheder ; 6th ward, He.nry J. Baker, August Baetzhold ; 7th ward, Donald Bain, George Baer; 8th ward, John Pfeil, Thomas Collins; 9th ward, Nathan C. Simons, Earl D. Berry; 10th ward, Peter J. Ferrjs, Merritt Nichols; 11th ward, Christopher Smith, John Auchinvole; 12th ward, Isaac I. Van Allen, John Esser ; 19th ward, Michael Shannon, William F. Wheeler. 1878 — President of the Council, John B. Sackett (Dem.) ; 1st ward, James Ryan, John White; 2d ward, John B. Sackett, Elijah R. Saxton; 3d ward, Michael Dana- hy, George B. Miller; 4th ward, Francis Collignon, Melchoir Lotz; 5th ward, Henry Quinn, Henry J. Kreinheder ; 6th ward, August Baetzhold, Gerhard Lang ; 7th ward, Harmon M. Lockrow, George Baer; 8th ward, Thomas Collins, John Quinn; 9th ward, John C. Burns, Earl D. Berry; 10th ward, Merritt Nichols, David R. Morse ; 11th ward, John Auchinvole, Robert Montgomery ; 12th ward, Charles H. Hewitt, John Esser ; 13th ward, William F. Wheeler, Henry H. Twichell. 1879— President of the Council, Merritt Nichols (Rep.); 1st ward, John White, William Walsh; 2d ward, John B. Sackett, Robert R. Hefford; 3d ward, George B. Miller, John Higham; 4th ward, Francis Collignon, August Beck; 5th ward, Henry Quinn, Lyman A. Daniels; 6th ward, Gerhard Lang, Louis Knell; 7th ward, Har- mon M. Lockrow, George F. Christ; 8th ward, John Quinn, Thomas Collins; 9th ward. John C. Burns, George E. Matteson; 10th ward, David R. Morse, Merritt Nichols; 11th ward, Robert Montgomery, Marcus M. Drake; 12th ward, Charles H. ' Hewitt, John Esser; 13th ward, Henry H. Twichell, William H. Little. 484 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1880— President of the Council, Milton E. Beebe (Rep.); 1st ward, William Walsh, John Whitd; 2d ward, Robert R. Hefford, Milton E. Beebe ; 3d ward, John Higham, George W. Patridge ; 4th ward, August Beck, John A. Miller ; 5th ward, Lyman A. Daniels, Jacob Benzinger; 6th ward, Louis Knell, Gerhard Lang; 7th ward, George F. Christ, August M. Witte ; 8th ward, Thomas Collins, John Quinn ; 9th ward, George E. Matteson, Frank Williams ; 10th ward, Merritt Nichols, Thomas S. Ray ; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, R. Porter Lee; 12th ward, John Esser, John C. Han- bach; 13th ward, William Little, Henry H. Twichell. 1881— President of the Council, Milton E. Beebe (Rep.); 1st ward, John White, Dennis Hanrahan; 2d ward, Milton E. Beebe, Robert R. Hefford; 3d ward, George W. Patridge, Joseph Maycock; 4th ward, John A. Miller, August Beck; 5th ward, Jacob Benzinger, Louis Fritz; 6th ward, Gerhard Lang, Louis Knell; 7th ward, August M. Witte, John C. Weber; 8th ward, John Quinn, James Rogers; 9th ward, Frank Williams, George E. Matteson; 10th ward, Thomas S. Ray, Hairy H. Koch; 11th ward, R. Porter Lee, Marcus M. Drake; 12th ward, John C. Hanbach, Peter Glor, jr. ; 13th ward, Henry H. Twichell, William Little. 1882 — President of the Council, George W. Patridge (Dem.). ; 1st ward, Dennis Hanrahan, John White ; 2d ward, R. R. Hefford, Charles B. Doty ; 3d ward, Joseph Maycock, George W. Patridge; 4th ward, August Beck, John A. Miller; 5th ward, Louis Fritz, William C. Brainard; 6th ward, Louis Knell, William Schier; 7th ward, Henry Rochevot, George Baer; 8th ward, James Rogers, John Elliott; 9th ward, George E. Matteson, Alexander McMaster; 10th ward, H. H. Koch, Henry Mont- gomery ; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, Charles A. Rupp; 12th ward, Peter Glor, jr., John C. Hanbach; 13th ward, William H. Little, Henry H. Twichell. 1883— President of the Council, Robert R. Hefford (Rep.) ; 1st ward John White, Andrew Beasley ; 2d ward, Charles B. Doty, R. R. Hefford ; 3d ward, George W. Patridge, Michael Callahan ; 4th ward, John A. Miller, August Beck ; 5th ward, William C. Brainard, Louis Fritz; 6th ward, William Schier, Jacob Hasselbeck; 7th ward, George Baer, Alfred Lyth ; 8th ward, John Elliott, John Davy ; 9th ward, Alexander, McMaster, William Franklin; 10th ward, Henry Montgomery, Samuel V. Parsons; 11th ward, Charles A. Rupp, Marcus M. Drake; 12th ward, John C. Hanbach, George Denner; 13th ward, Henry H. Twichell, William Summers. 1884— President of the Council, Robert R. Hefford (Rep.); 1st ward, John White, Andrew Beasley ; 2d ward, Robert R. Hefford, Bradley D. Rogers ; 3d ward, M. Callahan, George W. Patridge; 4th ward, August Beck, Jacob Ginther; 5th ward, Louis Fritz, Charles G. Pankow ; 6th ward, Jacob Hasselbeck, Charles M. Lederer ; 7th ward, Alfred Lyth, Harmon M. Lockrow; 8th ward, John Davy, Michael Gor- man; 9th ward, William Franklin, Alexander McMaster ; 10th ward, Samuel V. Par- sons, Walter T. Wilson; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, William Richardson; 12th ward, George Denner, John C. Hanbach; 13th ward, William Summers, Henry H. Twichell. 1885— President of the Council, William Franklin (Rep.); 1st ward, John White, •Andrew Beasley; 2d ward, Bradley D. Rogers, Joseph C. Greene; 3d ward, George W. Patridge, M. Callahan; 4th ward, Jacob Ginther, Solomon Scheu, jr. ; 5th ward, Charles G. Pankow, Jacob Benzinger; 6th ward, Charles M. Lederer, John R. Walter; 7th ward, Harmon M. Lockrow, Alfred Lyth; 8th ward, Michael Gorman, John J. Kennedy ; 9th ward, Alexander McMaster, William Franklin ; 10th ward POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 485 Walter T. Wilson, Thomas S. Ray; 11th ward, William Richardson, Marcus M. Drake; 12th ward, John C. Hanbach, Louis Roesch, 13th ward, Henry H. Twichell, William Summers. 1886 — President of the Council, George W. Partridge (Dem.); 1st ward, Andrew Beasley, John White; 2d ward, Joseph C. Greene, John H. Cannon; 3d ward, Mi- chael Callahan, George W. Patridge; 4th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr., Henry H. Little; 5th ward, Jacob Benzinger, Louis Rodenbach, sr. ; 6th ward, John R. Walter, G. Richard Kuehn; 7th ward, Alfred Lyth, John H. Knepper; 8th ward, John J. Ken- nedy, John M. Laughlin; 9th ward, William Franklin, Alexander McMaster; 10th ward, Thomas S. Ray, James Jamison; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, William Rich- ardson ; 12th ward, Louis Roesch, Charles O. Rano ; 13th ward, William Summers, William Adams. 1887 — President of the Council, George W. Patridge (Dem.); 1st ward, John White, Dennis M. Doyle; 2d ward, John H. Cannon, Frederick Kendall; 3d ward, George W. Patridge, Michael Callahan ; 4th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr. , Henry H. Little ; 5th ward, Louis Rodenbach, sr., S. J. Ramsperger; 6th ward, G. Richard Kuehn, John Kreitner; 7th ward, John H. Knepper, Philip Wiirtz; 8th ward, John J. Kennedy, John M. Laughlin ; 9th ward, Alexander McMaster, James Ash ; 10th ward, James Jamison, Thomas S. Ray; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, William Richardson; 12th ward, Louis Roesch, Charles O. Rano ; 13th ward, William Adams, William Sum- mers. 1888 — President of the Council, William Summers (Dem.); 1st ward, John White, Dennis M. Doyle ; 2d ward, John H. Cannon, Frederick Kendall ; 3d ward, Michael Callahan, James L. Baldwin; 4th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr., August Beck; 5th ward, S. J. Ramsperger, Adam Spang; 6th ward, Anthony Young, John Kreitner; 7th ward, John H. Knepper, Philip Wurtz; "8th ward, John J. Kennedy, John Davy; 9th ward, Alexander McMaster, James Ash ; 10th ward, Edward H. Hutchinson, Thomas S. Ray; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, Frank M. Fisher; 12th ward, Louis Roesch, George Denner ; 13th ward, William Summers, William Adams. 1889 — President of the Council, William Summers (Dem.); 1st ward, John H. Bradley, John White; 2d ward, John H. Cannon, F. J. Trautmann ; 3d ward, Theo- dore Williamson, James L. Baldwin; 4th ward, August Beck, Solomon Scheu, jr. ; 5th ward, Samuel J. Ramsperger, Adam Spang; 6th ward, Anthony Young, John Kreitner ; 7th ward, John H. Knepper, Philip Wurtz ; 8th ward, John Davy, John J. Kennedy ; 9th ward, Alexander McMaster, James Franklin ; 10th ward, Edward H. Hutchinson, Alexander M. Barnum; 11th ward, Marcus M. Drake, .Frank M. Fisher; 12th ward, George Denner, John Busch; 13th ward, William Adams r William Sum- mers. 1890 — President of the Council, William Summers (Dem.); 1st ward, John H. Bradley, John White; 2d ward, John H. Cannon, F. J. Trautmann; 3d ward, Theo- dore Williamson, Andrew Kilgallon; 4th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr., August Beck; 5th ward, S. J. Ramsperger, Edward F. Stettenbenz ; 6th ward, Anthony Young; John Kreitner; 7th ward, Philip Wurtz, Jacob Kissinger; 8th ward, John Davy, John J. Kennedy; 9th ward, James Franklin, John A. Donaldson; 10th ward, Alex- ander M. Barnum, Edgar A. Forsyth; 11th ward, William D. Collingwood, Marcus M. Drake-; 12th ward, John Busch, John Mang ; 13th ward, William Summers, Will- iam J. Hillery. 486 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1891 — President of the Council, William Summers (Dem.); 1st ward, John White, John P. Sullivan; 2d ward, John H. Cannon, Frank J. Trautman ; 3d ward, Andrew Kilgallon, Theodore Williamson ; 4th ward, August Beck, Solomon Scheu, jr. ; 5th ward, Edward F. Stettenbenz, Samuel J. Ramsperger ; 6th ward, Anthony Young, John Kick; 7th ward, Jacob Kissinger, Frederick A. Menge; 8th ward, John Davy, John J. Kennedy; 9th ward, John A. Donaldson, James Franklin; 10th ward, Ed- gar A. Forsyth, Alexander M. Barnum; 11th ward, William D. Collingwood, Job King; 12th ward, Philip G. Meyers, John Mang; 13th ward, William J. Hillery, Will- iam Summers. The charter of 1892 created a Board of Aldermen, with one member elected from each ward ; a Board of Councilmen, consisting of nine members elected from the city at large; and a Common Council, com- posed jointly of the two bodies. The new State constitution of 1894 provided for a two-year term of service of aldermen ; under this law the aldermen elected in 1894 served for three years and those elected in 1895 for two years, and in 1897 an entirely new two-year board was elected to take office January 1, 1898. A Legislative amendment of 1895 provided for the election in that year of three councilmen to serve four years; the same act provided for the election in 1897 of six coun- cilmen, two of whom shall serve for two years, and thereafter ' ' there shall be elected alternately five and four councilmen for the term of four years." 1892 — President of the Board of Aldermen, Solomon Scheu, jr. (Dem.); 1st ward, John White; 2d ward, John P. Sullivan; 3d ward, Frank J. Trautman ; 4th ward, Theodore Williamson ; 5th ward, William Summers ; 6th ward, Solomon, Scheu, jr. ; 7th ward, Frank J. Bissing; 8th ward, Adam Durr; 9th ward, Jacob Johnson; 10th ward, Samuel J. Ramsperger; 11th ward, Frederick Kelner; 12th ward, Anthony Young ; 13th ward, John Kick ; 14th ward, John Leible ; 15th ward, Jacob Kissinger ; 16th ward, Frederick A. Menge; 17th ward, Richard Bullymore, jr. ; 18th ward, Henry P. Burgard ; 19th ward, John J. Kennedy ; 20th ward, James Franklin ; 21st ward, Frank Maischoss; 22d ward, C. S. A. Coe; 23d ward, Alexander M. Barnum; 24th ward, Robert K. Smither ; 25th ward, Philip G. Myers. Board of Councilmen. — President, James Hanrahan ; Jewett M. Richmond, Martin Maher, George W. Hayward, Andrew Kilgallon, George Sandrock, Mathias Strauss, George Baldus, Henry J. Kreinheder. Common Council. — James Hanrahan, president. 1893 — President of the Board of Aldermen, James Franklin (Rep.); 1st ward, John White; 2d ward, John P. Sullivan; 3d ward, Joseph Butler; 4th ward, John Carev; 5th ward, William Summers; 6th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr; 7th ward, Frank J. Bissing ; 8th ward, Abram Durr ; 9th ward, Jacob Johnson ; 10th ward, Adam Boeckel ; 11th ward, Frederick Kelver; 12th ward, Anthony Young; 13th ward, John Kick; 14th ward, John Leible ; 15th ward, Jacob Kissinger; 16th ward, Frederick A. Menge ; 17th ward, Richard Bullymore, jr. ; 18th ward, Henry P. Burgard ; 19th ward, John J. Kennedy; 20th ward, James Franklin; 21st ward, Frank Maischoss; 22d ward, Clifford POLITICAL CHANGES AND CIVIL LIST. 487 S. A. Coe; 23d ward, William K. Williams; 24th ward, R. K. Smither; 25th ward, William H. Bradish. Board of Councihnen. — Jewett M. Richmond, president; George Baldus, Henry J. Kreinheder (died in August, 1893), James Hanrahan, Martin Maher, George W. Hayward (died in March, 1893, and John B. Coakley elected to the vacancy), George Sandrock, Andrew Kilgallon, Mathias Strauss. Common Council. — James Hanrahan, president. 1894 — President of the Board of Alderman, James Franklin (Rep.); 1st ward, John Sheehan; 2d ward, John P. Sullivan; 3d ward, Joseph Butler; 4th ward, John Carey; 5th ward, William Summers ; 6th ward, Solomon Scheu, jr. ; 7th ward, Louis W. Faude; 8th ward, Abram Durr; 9th ward, John O. G. Robert; 10th ward, Adam Boeckel; 11th ward, Louis Fechter; 12th ward, Samuel Caldwell; 13th ward, John Kick; 14th ward, Charles P. Woltz; 15th ward, Jacob Kissinger; 16th ward, Freder- ick A. Menge; 17th ward, Richard Bullymore, jr. ; 18th ward* George Zoeller; 19th ward, John J. Kennedy; 20th ward, James Franklin; '21st ward, Frank Maischoss; 22d ward, Clifford S. A. Coe ; 23d ward, William K. Williams ; 24th ward, Robert K. Smither ; 25th ward, William H. Bradish. Board of Councilmen. — Jewett M. Richmond, president; James Ash, George Bal- dus, James Hanrahan, Andrew Kilgallon, Christian Klinck, Martin Maher, Mathias Strauss, Michael J. Byrne. Common Council. — Robert K. Smither, president. 1895 — President of the Board of Aldermen, Robert K. Smither (Rep.); 1st ward, John Sheehan; 2d, John P. Sullivan; 3d, Joseph Butler ; 4th, John Walsh; 5th, William Summers; 6th, Charles Kief er; 7th, Louis W. Faude; 8th, Abram Durr; 9th, John O. G. Robert; 10th, Adam Boeckel; 11th, Louis Fechter; 12th, Samuel Caldwell; 13th John Kick; 14th, Charles P. Woltz; 15th, Jacob Kissinger; 16th, Frederick A. Menge; 17th, Richard Bullymore, jr. ; 18th, George Zoeller; 19th, John J. Kennedy; 20th, James Franklin; 21st. Frank Maischoss; 22d, Clifford S. A. Coe; 23d, Joseph C. Veling; 24th, Robert K. Smither; 25th, William H. Bradish. Board of Councilmen. — James Ash, president; M. J. Byrne, A. Frank Gorski, Christian Klinck, Henry J. Steul, Andrew J. Keller, James Hanrahan, Martin Maher, Mathias Strauss. Common Council. — Frederick A. Menge, president. 1896— President of the Board of Aldermen, William H. Brad ITS PEOPLE. ducted a tract in the southern part containing about nine square miles which is a part of the Cattaraugus Reservation, and over which town jurisdiction is nominal. , The territory of the town north of the reserva- tion tract is the south part of township 8, range 9 of the Holland Com- pany's survey. The surface is generally level, except in the eastern part, where it is somewhat broken. Big Sister Creek flows northward through the eastern part ; Delaware Creek flows northwesterly through the central part ; Muddy Creek follows a similar course in the western part. Cattaraugus Creek forms the southern boundary for three miles. The first settler in the territory of Brant was Moses Tucker, who, in 1816, located on the farm now occupied by Amos Stickney; he was a Quaker. In 1818 John Roberts, John West and Major Campbell settled in- the town, and Ansel Smith and Robert and William Grannis came soon after. In 1819 Reuben Hussey settled near Mr. Tucker. Samuel Butts moved from Hamburg into this town in 1820 and in 1822 built the first saw mill. This mill was almost the only one in town, as the streams are sluggish, supplying little power; S. M. Butts now occupies the old homestead. In 1825 Joseph Hubbard opened the first tavern, east of the Center. Milton Morse built the first store at the Center in 1835, and the place was known for quite a period as Morse's Corners; he was also the first postmaster, the office being opened after the formation of the town. Jonathan Haseall, jr., who was supervisor of Evans before Brant was set off, and supervisor of Brant fourteen years, was a prominent citizen many years. Nathaniel K. Smith settled in the town in 1835, and was father of seven sons. By 1850 the town was quite well occupied by a prosperous class of farmers. The principal products of the town are produce for canning factories and the Buffalo market, and considerable cheese is made. In February, 1852, the Buffalo and State Line Railroad (now part of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern) was completed across the town. It was of great benefit to the community and led to the found- ing of Farnham village. A second railroad was completed through the town in 1882, but it had no marked influence. Brant Center. — This is a pleasant village situated near the center of the town, but the active business of past years has much of it been transferred to Farnham, through the influence of the railroad. John Winters was a former merchant and was succeeded by Abram Dia- mond and he by George W. Koehler. Richard Sherman and Horatio P. Muffitt ,were still earlier merchants. J. H. Mclntyre carried on GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 511 business in a store which was burned. Alson S. Tracy was another former merchant. George Lehley started a wagonmaking business in 1877, and later went into hardware business. John Trapp was an early blacksmith. A hotel was formerly kept by John L. Flint, who was succeeded by Julius Lehley, and he by Sylvester Haberer, who was burned out and on the site a store was built by A. S. Tracy, who was succeeded by Peter Krebs ; he converted the building into a hotel, and was succeeded by Horace Swetland. Another hotel was built by Julius Lehley. The Erie Preserving Company has a canning factory near the village, where a large business has been done for many years. A former vinegar factory and fruit dryer, conducted by Darius Odell, was discontinued. Lewis Flint established a cider mill land wine press in 1896, and Abram Diamond has a cider mill. In the village at the pres- ent time are 3 general stores, the canning factory, a hardware store, 2 saw and feed mills, 2 hotels, 2 cider mills, a cheese factory and several shops. Farnham. — This village is situated in the western part of the town on the Lake Shore Railroad. Leroy Farnham was the first merchant there and was followed by Charles F. Goodman, W. W. Hammond (later county judge of Erie county), and Henry Slender. The second store was built in 1880 by George H. Walker. The first hotel was built in 1869 by Pius Schwert, and later passed to Frederick Paul. The sec- ond hotel was built in 1880 and has had different proprietors. The Erie Preserving Company has a large and very successful canning fac- tory there, which was built in 1876. Henry C. Kuenze has been in the shoemaking btisiness since 1883. The village now has 2 general stores, 1 hardware store, 1 shoe store, 3 hotels, and the canning factory. The Sprague corn sheller manufactory was of considerable impor- tance, and was established to manufacture a machine under patents of Welcome Sprague, for taking green corn from the cob. Mr. Sprague began the business which afterwards passed to C. Clements and Daniel G. French. The buildings were burned in the spring of 1896 and not rebuilt, the machine being made elsewhere. There is a prosperous graded school in the village, the building for which was erected in 1892. The school has two departments and two teachers. The old school building is now a dwelling. Farnham village was incorporated January 11, the first officers being: A. H. Lytle, president; Henry C. Kuenze, Daniel Greaney and George Blend, trustees; John C. Mclntyre succeeded Mr. Lytle as president. The boundaries of the village include one square mile. 512 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. During the past few years many Italians settled in this town, prima- rily as laborers for the Erie Preserving Company. Of these a good many have bought small farms and are making fair progress. Their number is constantly increasing. This is the only town in the county where a similar rural condition exists. A Methodist class was formed at Brant Center about 1841, and not long after aided in completing a house of worship which had been com- menced by the Baptists. The Methodists have no settled pastor. The Baptist society was organized a little earlier and began the church al- luded to in 1838 ; after its completion it was used alternately for a time by the two congregations, after which the Methodists built their own church. St. Cross church (Evangelical Lutheran) at Farnham was organized in 1864. In 1870 a number of the members became dissatisfied and withdrew to organize a second congregation. The old one continued and in 1882 built a house of worship. The new organization was called the Second Evangelical Lutheran church and a small edifice was soon erected. Both are still in existence. The town of Brant was formed from Evans and Collins on the 25th of March, 1839. The first town meeting was held at the house of Ansel Smith April 16, 1839, and the following officers elected: Jonathan Hascall, jr., supervisor; Moses White, town clerk; Asa Wetherbee and John B. Stead well, assessors; Patterson Kerr, collector; Reuben Fisk and Francis Pierce, commissioners of schools; Webster Balcom, overseer of the poor; A. D. Winslow and Lewis VarftBy, inspectors of schools ; Patterson Kerr, William Stetson, Stubel Cross and B. Carpenter, constables ; Kester Tracy, Salmon Hawley and Har- rison Maybee, justices of the peace. The supervisors of Brant, with their years of service have been as follows : Jonathan Hascall, jr. , 1839-44 ; Job Southwick, 1845 ; Jonathan Hascall, jr. , 1846-47 ; Horace Goodrich, 1848; Jonathan Hascall, jr., 1849-52; Kester Tracey, 1853; Na- thaniel Smith, 1854; Jonathan Hascall, jr., 1855-56; David Gail, 1857; Nathaniel Smith, 1858-59; Thomas Judson, 1860-62; Nathaniel Smith, 1863-65; William W. Hammond, 1866-67; D. H. Odell, 1868-69; William W. Hammond, 1870-73; Horatio P. Muffitt, 1874; William W. Hammond, 1875-77; W. H. Estes, 1878; John Wether- bee, 1879-83; Harrison B. Christy, 1884-85; James H. Mclntyre, 1886-87; Benjamin Judson, 1888-89; George Lehley, 1890-97. TOWN OF CHEEKTOWAQA. Cheektowaga 1 was formed from Amherst on the 20th of March, 1829, 1 This name was suggested by Alexander Hitchcock, the first supervisor, and was intended to GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 513 and on the formation of West Seneca on October 16, 1851, was re- duced to its present limits — about thirty-three square miles, or 18,710 acres. It is bounded on the east by Lancaster, on the south by West Seneca, on the west by the city of Buffalo, and on the north by Am- herst; and embraces all of township 11, range 7, of the Holland Com- pany's survey, except the western two tiers of lots, and also includes an irregular strip averaging one and one-half miles in width taken from the Buffalo Creek Reservation. The principal Streams are Scajaquada Creek, flowing westerly through the center of the town ; Cayuga Creek, in the southern part ; and Ellicott or Eleven-mile Creek, in the north- east corner. The surface is almost perfectly level, broken only by the valleys of these creeks; the soil is largely composed 11 of clay and is fer- tile. The northeastern and southeastern parts of the town are devoted largely to farming or truck gardening, while the central portion is given up to railroads and allied enterprises. The western part is densely populated and in some respects closely identified with the city. The railroads which traverse the town are the West Shore, the New York Central & Hudson River, the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western, the Lehigh Valley, and the Erie. The first town meeting was held at the house of Elnathan Bennett on April 16, 1829, and the following officers were elected: Alexander Hitchcock, supervisor; Jesse Vaughan, town clerk; John A. Dole, Israel N. Ely, and Abraham Hausen, justices of the peace ; Elnathan Bennett, John A. Dole, and Apollos Hitchcock, assessors ; Christopher Beam, Samuel Jenkins, and Amos Robinson, commissioners of highways; John B. Campbell, John A. Dole, and James N. Green, commissioners of schools; Matthew Campbell and John Hitchcock, overseers of the poor ; Nelson Warner, collector; Jesse Vaughan, town sealer; El- nathan Bennett, Caleb Coatsworth, G. Beach, John A. Dole, Henry Deckhart, Michael Escherich, Asa Green, Philip Greiner, Samuel Jenkins, Jacob Kraise, Peter Light, Michael Keeble, John Moyer, Amos Richardson, Joseph Rowley, John Sand, Joseph Small, Jacob Kolo, William Schunerman, Samuel Warner, Matthew Van Dusen, and Jesse Vaughan, pathmasters. The following is a list of the supervisors of Cheektowaga, with their years of service : Alexander Hitchcock, 1839-41; Darius Kingley, 1842; Alexander Hitchcock, 1843- 44; James Warner, 1845; Manly Brown, 1846;, Alexander Hitchcock, 1847; Manly Brown, 1848-49 ; E. P. Adams, 1850 ; Manly Brown, 1851 ; Israel N. Ely, 1852 ; Mar- vin Seamans, 1853-54; Gardner J. Kip, 1855; Frederick Loosen, 1856-57; Eldridge Farwell, 1858-63; Simeon H. Joslyn, 1863; E. Selden Ely, 1864-73; Joseph Duringer, represent its Indian appellation, sometimes rendered "Ji-ik-do-wah-gah," which signifies "the place of the crab-apple tree." 65 514 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1874; E. Seidell Ely, 1875; Pennock Winspear, 1876: Joseph Duringer, 1877-82; Frederick Stephan, 1883-88 ; John H. Stock, 1889--97. Settlement was commenced in Cheektowaga in February, 1808, by Apollos Hitchcock, who came from Schenectady, N. Y. , and located on lot 72. In 1829 he purchased fifty-nine acres at Cheektowaga Sta- tion, including a saw mill on Cayuga Creek; he built a woolen factory and in 1844 both establishments were burned. The saw mill was re- built and now remains partly dismantled. Among other settlers prior to the war of 1812 were Alexander Hitchcock, Eliphalet Densmore, Jason and Roswell Hatch, Samuel Le Suer, and Major Noble. The first birth of a white child was that of a child of Roswell Hatch in 1810. In the same year Samuel Le Suer built the first mill, which soon passed to Mr. Hitchcock. Jesse Munson opened the first tavern in 1815 ; in 1816 Elnathan Bennett built and opened another. The first death of a white person was that of Franklin Hitchcock in 1818. A large Ger- man immigration began soon after 1830, and it has continued ever since until now the town is largely occupied by people of German birth or parentage. In the list of the first officers and supervisors of Cheektowaga will be found the names of many early prominent settlers. Among other citizens were: Israel Ely, father of Calvin, E. Selden, E. Sterling, Israel N. and Judah Ely, Mat- thew Campbell and son John B., Elisha P. Adams, David C. Bennett. George Booth- roy, Frederick Brennison, Solon Bruce, Jerome M. Campbell, Apollos Duringer and son Joseph, Alois Gerber, Blasius Groell, John Hinchy, James H. Hitchcock, Joseph Long, sr., and son Joseph, Martin Lux and son Peter, Alexander G. Nagel, Philip Pittz, Samuel Rapen, Peter Reisch and son John, Philip Stephan and son Frederick, Joseph Voegele, Joseph Werick and son Henry P., John Willyoung, James Winspear and son Pennock, JohnWurst, Grdfrey Zimmerman, John Zurbrick and Philip Zurbrick. The latter built a flouring mill on Cayuga creek in 1874; it was remodeled into a roller mill in 1882, and on his death in 1888 passed to his sons, Albert and Frank Zurbrick. The proximity of the town to Buffalo, Lancaster and William sville, and more recently to Depew, has prevented the growth of any consid- erable village within its limits. For many years the chief occupation of a large number of the inhabitants has been the raising of vegetables and other produce for the -Buffalo market. A post-office was estab- lished at an early date with Alexander Hitchcock as postmaster, and in 1868-69 R. H. Haywood made an attempt to build up a village be- tween the Central and Erie railroad tracks ; streets and lots were laid out and the erection of an Episcopal church was commenced in 1869, GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 515 but the enterprise found few supporters and soon proved a complete failure. About 1894 the name of the post-office was changed from Cheektowaga to Forks. Since about 1887 large tracts of land in the east half of the town have been laid out into building lots, many of which are occupied by residences or business places. In 1890 the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad shops were established in Cheektowaga, just east of the city line, and around them has sprung up a village, which was in- corporated under the name of Sloan in the spring of 1896. The first village officers were Edward C. Green, president; William Brennan, Charles Wright and Andrew Killgallon, trustees; Patrick J. Leahy, clerk; George Faber, treasurer. The post-office Was established in 1890 with Edward C. Green as postmaster; he was succeeded by L. M. Sadler and he by Alfred W. Ackley. The same year a two-story frame school house was erected, and in 1891 a Congregational church was built, a chapel having been erected several years before. There are but two stores in the village. In the north part of the town, on the corner of Genesee street and Union road, is the Pilgrimage Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians (Roman Catholic), which was founded by Joseph Bait, who donated six acres of land for the church and cemetery April 1, 1851: The chapel was built in 1853. Depew lies partly in this town, and owes its existence to various railroad and other shops established there since 1893. It is sufficiently noticed in the sketch devoted to Lancaster. Bellevue is a small hamlet of about thirty houses on Cayuga Creek, in the south part of the town. It also contains the power house of the Buffalo, Bellevue and Lancaster Electric Railroad, which was con- structed between these points in 1893; a loop was built through Depew soon afterward. A post-office was established at Bellevue in January, 1894. Near Bellevue is the plant of the International Radiator Company and also the coal trestles of the Lehigh Valley and the Delaware, Lack- awanna and Western Railroad Companies, the latter -being the largest in the world. TOWN OF CLARENCE. Clarence lies on the northern boundary of Erie county, with Niagara county on the north, Newstead on the east, Lancaster on the south, 516 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and Amherst on the west. The town was formed March' 11, 1808, and originally included all of the northern part' of what is now Erie county; at present it includes township 12, range 6, of the Holland Company's survey and has an area of 33,637 acres'.- The surface is generally level, but there is a limestone terrace about fifty feet high, facing the north, extending across the town from east to west a little south of the center. The town is drained by Tonawanda Creek', forming its north boundary, and Ransom's Creek, which flows northwest through the central part. The soil is clayey loam in the north part and sandy and gravelly loam in the south. The early settlement in Clarence territory by Asa Ransom, at what is known as Clarence Hollow (1799), and incidents connected therewith, have been fully described in earlier chapters of this work ; that was the first permanent settlement in Erie county. Aside from the Ransom family there was probably no other arrival in the town until 1801, when Joseph Ellicott opened a land office for the Holland Land Company at Clarence Hollow; from that time during a number of years the locality had several names, but gradually became known as Clarence Hollow. Asa Ransom kept a tavern in his house and Ellicott probably boarded with him. Christopher Sadler purchased land in the town in March, 1801, situated about a mile west of the Hollow, and settled on it in the next spring. In the same year Timothy S. Hopkins and Levi Felton took contracts for land, and the former became a prominent citizen. In June, 1801, Asa Ransom, jr., was born — the first child born in the town. Settlers of 1802 were Gardner Spooner, John Warren, Frederick Buck, Resolved G. Wheeler, Edward Carney, Elias Ransom, Abraham Shope, sr. , and William Updegraff. In 1803 Zerah Ensign, Jacob Shope, George Sherman, Andrew Durnet, Julius Keyes and Lemuel Harding pur- chased land ; in 1804 David Bailey, Peter Pratt, Daniel Robinson, Isaac Van Orman, Riley Munger and David Hamlin, jr. Julius Keyes died in that year, which was the first death in the town. In 1804, or 1805, Asa Ransom built a saw mill on the stream at the Hollow (Ransom's Creek), and in 1805 Thomas Clark, Edmund Thomp- son and David Hamlin, sr., were added to the inhabitants. In 1806 Justus Webster, John Taylor, Jonathan Barrett and probably others settled in the town, and in 1807 William Barrett, Thomas Brown and Asa Harris located there. Harris settled on the road to Buffalo, four miles west of Clarence Hollow, on a rise of land which became known GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 517 as Harris Hill and was a noted rendezvous during the war of 1812. These pioneers found an attractive region for their new homes; the land was very productive, and the forest was broken by small prairies or oak openings, which were ready for the plow and brought the settler excellent returns. The names of other settlers are Anthony Rhodes, Bishop Lapp, Simeon Fillmore, Rev. Glezen Fillmore, Orange Mansfield, John Eshleman, Samuel Beman, Matthias Van Tine, David Van Tine, Christian Metz, Robert McKillip and others. Other residents of the town in later years were John C. Root, who came with his father Jacob in 1810 ; Rev. John Stickler, 1816 ; William Leopard, 1815 ; Daniel Rhodes and Rev. Peter Rhodes, 1825-6; G. G. Hunt, 1825; Jonas Hershey, an early settler; George Gallup, born in town 1820, father came in that year; Francis Carr, settled 1810, son James born 1817; Almon Eldred, 1821, son H. B. Eklred, born 1823; Jacob Eshleman, 1826 ; Peter Lenman, born in town 1828 ; Philip Schrader, settled 1833 ; William Henry Lusk, 1835; David Martin, 1832; George K. Van Tine, born in town 1831; C. G. Van Tine, born in town 1846; Jacob Wagner came 1848; Alexander Burns, 1844; Paul Waller, 1849; George Winborn, 1850. When immigrants of German nationality began to arrive in Erie county many sought this town for settlement and there is a large Ger- man element in the population at the present time. All of the territory of Clarence was taken up, settled and improved comparatively early, and the town is one of the most prosperous in the county. Grain raising and general farming are still pursued to some extent, but in late years dairying has been the "principal industry; there are two creameries in the town. The first town meeting in Clarence was held in April, 1808, at Elias Ransom's tavern, which was in what is now Amherst. There Jonas Williams was elected supervisor; Samuel Hill, jr., town clerk; Tim- othy S. Hopkins, Aaron Beard and Levi Fenton, assessors; Otis R. Hopkins, col- lector; Otis R. Hopkins, Francis B. Drake and Henry B. Annabill, constables; Samuel Hill, jr., Asa Harris and Asa Chapman, commissioners of highways; James ■ Cronk, poormaster. Many of these resided outside of the bounds of the town. The following is a list of the supervisors of the town of Clarence since its organization, although some of those selected previous to 1833 resided outside its present limits : John Williams, 1808; Samuel Hill, jr., 1809-11; James Cronk, .1812-13 ; Simeon- Fillmore, 1814; Otis R. Hopkins, 1815-22; Simeon Fillmore, 1823-25; Otis R. Hop- kins, 1826-28; Benjamin O. Bivins, 1829; John Brown, 1830-32; Benjamin O. Biv- ins, 1833-35 ; Levi H. Goodrich, 1836 ; Amos Wright, 1837 ; Thomas Dmrboraw, 1838- 41; Archibald Thompson, 1842; Orsamus Warren, 1843; Archibald Thompson, 1844; Orsamus Warren, 1845; Thomas Durboraw, 1846; Archibald Thompson, 1847; Or- samus Warren, 1848-49 ; Thomas Durboraw, 1850; James D. Warren, 1851-54; 518 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Thomas Durboraw, 1855 ; Henry S. Cunningham, 1856-59 ; David Woodward, 1860- 64; Livingston G. Wiltse, 1865; Jacob Eshleman, 1866-72; Livingston G. Wiltse, 1873; J. O. Magoffin, 1874; John Kraus, 1875-78; Lyman Parker, 1879-80; Living- ston G. Wiltse, 1881-85 ; Jacob F. Humbert, 1886-90 ; Theodore Krehbiel, 1891-97. Clarence Village (or Clarence Hollow). — This village is situated in the southeast part of the town, and bore the name of Ransomville for several of the early years. The first business in the place was a store kept by Otis K. Ingalls about 1811. A post-office was established with the name Clarence, and Archibald S. Clarke postmaster, sometime be- tween 1808 and 1811 ; it was in the present town of Newstead and was removed to Clarence Hollow about 1816. The building of Asa Ran- som's grist mill and saw mill was an important event and they were a boon to the pioneers. When they went to decay Abraham Shope bought the property (about 1842) and built the present grist mill ; it had several owners and finally passed to J. H. Ebersole, who rebuilt it in 1895-97. Dr. Orlando Wakelee was an early and prominent physician in the village. Dr. Jared Parker settled there in 1830 and practiced until 1877. Dr. Henry Lapp (son of the late Bishop Lapp) studied with Dr. Orlando K. Parker, and began practice here in 1864. Dr. Carey W. Howe was a later physician. The Sadler House was built of stone by William Spoor, probably in 1812, as it had a tavern license in 1813. He and his son kept it many years. James B. Sadler became its owner in 1850; it passed through the later ownership of several different persons to Richard W. Larkin, and is now kept by his son, Burt Larkin. The Bernhard House was built in 1872 by Charles Bicker and was sold to Peter Bern- hard; it is unoccupied. The Hoffman House was built by John Fidin- ger in 1878. Philip Heath kept a hotel in the Felton building for forty years. Prominent early merchants in the village were O. Warren & Co. who were succeeded by Henry K. Van Tine; J. B. Bailey; J. F. Hum- bert, who began business in 1877; A. J. Miller, John Fidinger, Peter Burns and others. Charles Jewett and a Mr. Shaffer were cabinet- makers. Charles Sein, shoemaker; Daniel Stickler was in the grist mill at one time; John Guise, a Mr. Wennockle and Mr. Goddard were blacksmiths. In the hardware trade a Mr. Sumeriski was engaged who was succeeded by John H. Rothenmeyer and Charles G. Parker. The village now has 2 general stores, 1 hardware store, 1 grist mill GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 519 2 hotels, a basket factory, built by Jacob F. Hoffman, who was suc- ceeded by Jacob G. Schurr and H. Fidinger, and another by Humbert & Kibler; 1 saw mill, 1 creamery, a Union school and 5 churches. Clarence Center.— This village is centrally situated in the town, where a large tract of land was owned in early years by Robert Mc- Kellip. David Van Tine setted there about 1829, kept the first store, and the place was called for some years Van Tine's Corners. When the post-office was established in 1847 it was given the name Clarence Center. Mr. Van Tine was the first postmaster and was succeeded by Robert Purcell. John Eshleman was postmaster for a time and John C. Root four terms. Andrew Metz took the office in 1861 and after- wards Dr. R. S. Myers and others. William Riegle kept a store where John Eshleman was afterwards located. Andrew Metz began business in 1849 and John Eshleman in 1851. George Winborn was a wagon- maker of past years. The first hotel was kept by Alonzo Crawford, who began in 1853. Several different proprietors kept the Clarence Center House in later years and it is still open. The Farmers' Hotel was first kept by Charles Pickard, and later by Peter V. Mehl, John Schuetler opened the Travelers' Home in 1882, but it was subsequently discontinued. The' village has now 2 general stores, 1 drug and gro- cery store, 2 hotels, 1 creamery, 1 feed and cider mill, 1 blacksmith and 2 churches. Harris Hill (Shimer-ville P. 0.) — This is a hamlet in the south- western part of the town, It acquired local fame through being the resort of many Buffalo citizens in 1813, when driven out of Buffalo by the British. Early in the spring of 1814, when Buffalo began to be rebuilt, the refugees returned thither and Harris Hill relapsed into its former condition. A post-office was established there in 1843, with William Criqui postmaster; he also kept a store. His successors were John Clicker, Augustus Fiegel and Henry Scrase. A second store was opened by R. K. Kelly. John Shimer established a lime kiln in 1875, which is now owned by his son; from him the post-office takes its name. Swormville is a hamlet and post-office on the line between this town and Amherst, and took its name from Adam Sworm, who was post- master and kept a store. His successor in business is Samuel E. Lapp ; there is also one grocery there. Wolcottsburg (locally called West Prussia, from the fact that many Prussians settled in that vicinity) is a settlement in the northern part 520 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of the town. Two stores are kept there and a hotel. East Clarence is a station on a branch of the New York Central Railroad. There are no business interests there. Sturnerville is a settlement east of Harris Hill, without business interests. Gunville is a station on the West Shore Railroad in the south part of the town, where lime works were formerly carried on. Millersport is a hamlet in the northwest corner of the town and partly in the town of Amherst. A small mercantile business has been conducted there for many years; al the present time there are two stores by George Emerdofer and George Diethorn. A German Lutheran church is situated near the place. The Methodist church at Clarence Hollow was organized in 1833 and in the following year a stone house of worship was built. This was burned in 1872 and the present edifice built in 1873. The Presbyte- rian church at that village held a meeting in July, 1821, and claimed the gospel lot from the Holland Land Company. An organization was effected April 30, 1822. The first house of worship was not built until 1836, and was rebuilt in 1879 ; it was sold to the West Shore Railroad Company in July, 1833, but was subsequently repurchased' by the society and is still in use. TheGerman Reformed church was organized in 1859 and Rev. Henry Bentz was in charge until 1882. The house of worship was previously built by the Seventh Day Baptists ; it was re- built about 1887. The Christian church of Clarence Hollow was organ- ized in early years and built its edifice in 1877. A German Methodist society was organized and built a house of worship about 1879. A German Lutheran church was organized at Clarence Center in 1857, a house of worship having been erected a few years earlier. A German Reformed society was organized there in 1855 and built a brick church in 1877; the society subsequently disbanded. The United Brethren church at Harris Hill was formed in 1858 as a class, and services were held in the old stone church until 1862, when the society occupied its new edifice. The church has had an active existence since. A German Evangelical church was organized there and built the old stone edifice in 1833. The society subsequently de- clined and became extinct. The First Baptist church at Hunt's Corners was organized in 1837 with thirty-seven members. A wooden church edifice was erected in 1844, which was occupied until the present brick structure was completed in 1877. Two miles north of Harris Hill there is a Mennonite church. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 521 TOWN OP COLDEN. The town of Colden was formed from Holland on April 2, 1827, with its present boundaries. It lies southeast of the center of the county, comprises township 8, range 6, of the Holland Purchase, and contains thirty-six square miles. The surface is comparatively level upland, excepting the narrow valley of Cazenove Creek, which flows a little west of north along the western border of the town. In this valley the soil is gravelly loam, while on the hills the gravel has a large clay ele- ment. Settlement in the territory of Colden began in 1810, when Richard Buffum, from Rhode Island, located with his family on the site of Colden village. He had at that time eleven childre*n, and was accom- panied also by James Sweet, John Brown, Jesse Southwick, Stephen Southwick, Thomas Pope and Nathaniel Bowen. Mr. Buffum built a large log house and a saw mill during his first season, and in that year James Sweet married Charlotte Buffum; this was the first wedding in the town. John D. Gould settled in that vicinity in 1810, and in 1811 Richard Sweet came in and married Maria Buffum. Richard Buffum took up 2,000 acres of land and soon after his arrival transferred 100 acres to each of the settlers before named who came in with him. In 1813 Silas Lewis settled on the hill in the northeast part, and soon afterward Erastus Bingham and Leander J. Roberts located in that section. The first school in the town was taught in 1814 by Mary Eddy, of Hamburg. Richard Buffum and James Bloomfield built a grist mill in 1814 near the saw mill, and the place became known as Buffum's Mills. About 1822 Wheeler, James and Joseph Buffum, sons of Richard, settled in the northwest part of the town. Other prominent pioneers were Sam- uel B. Love, Joel Gillett, Benjamin Crump, Amos W. Gould and Will- iam Lewis, a Methodist preacher. The growth of the town was slow, owing chiefly to the forbidding character of the soil. W. H. Hayes settled in Hayes Hollow in 1828, and a little later Daniel Deeter opened a store there. The first post- office was not established until 1830, three years after the town was formed ; it was named Colden, but was located at the extreme northern " part of the town, in the house of Leander J. Roberts, the first post- master. Three years later it was removed to Buffum's Mills, which settlement soon took the name of Colden, and there it has remained ever since. 66 522 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The early settlements were made mostly along the valley and in the northern part of the town, and as late as 1835 much of the central, eastern and southern parts were still unsold. About that time Samuel B. Love and Benjamin Maltby, of Colden, and Stephen Osborn, of Newstead, formed a partnership and purchased 15,000 acres of the Holland Company, covering the site of Glenwood and extending east- ward. Mr. Maltby, as agent of the firm, built a saw mill at Glenwood in 1838. It required twenty years more to dispose of all those lands. For many years the principal business of the town was sawing lumber, many mills being located along Cazenove Creek. The original Buffum mill long ago disappeared and was succeeded by two or three others at Colden village, Glenwood and elsewhere. Colden Village took its name when the post-office was moved there in 1833. Richard Buffum was the first postmaster there. His successors have been Albert G. Buffum, Benjamin Maltby, Richard Shelley, John W. Butts, D. Henshaw, Amos W. Gould, Leroy D. Warren, John W. Sutts, Michael H. Snyder, Thomas J. Buffum, William B. Currier. The Buffum and Bloomfield grist mill passed through several hands and was burned in 1868. C. J. Shuttleworth built the existing mill in 1879, and soon sold it to Amos W. Gould. Mr. Buffum built the first tavern in 1828 and conducted it; it was closed in 1860 and is now a residence. John Hedges built the present hotel in 1850. E. P. Hatch opened the first store in 1831. Henry Smith and Albert G. Buffum began trade in 1837, and in 1858 Richard Shelley built and occupied the brick store. His brother, William W. Shelley, succeeded him, and he was followed by Smith Gould, who soon removed the goods to Glen- wood. Other past merchants have been John Churchill, Amos W. Gould, Warren & French, John M. Wiley, L. S. Bailey, Currier & Bolender, Whitney Bros., John Lang, Albert Price and others. There are now in the village three general stores, one hardware store, a saw mill, a large bottling establishment, a planing mill, a box factory and a cheese factory, a wagon shop, two blacksmith shops and an un- dertaking establishment. A tavern was built in 1833 by Arnold Holt, who was succeeded by George Balding in 1845. It was rebuilt by him in 1873 and passed to John J. Strauss, and again was rebuilt in 1896. Joslyn M. Corbin built a shingle mill in 1857 which was changed to a cheese box factory in 1861 ; it was burned and rebuilt, the last time in 1869. Dr. Philo P. Barker, after living two years in Glenwood, settled in GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 523 Colden about 1838 as the first physician. He practiced there about twenty years. Other transient physicians were Dr. Charles P. Baker and Dr. S. N. Poole. Dr. Orvel C. Strong has been in practice since 1868. C. J. Colburn is the only lawyer in the town. The small hamlet that gathered around the saw mill of Benjamin Maltby, built in 1838, took the name of Glenwood. In 1840 S. B. Love and Jonas Briggs built a tannery there, and in 1849 a store was opened by Mr. Maltby, which he conducted about fifteen years. The post- office was opened about the same time and Mr. Maltby was the first postmaster. Charles Crocker built a store in 1868, and Allen W. Blakely carried on a grocery business, which he purchased from George Maltby in 1875. A cheese factory was built here m 1867 by Reynolds & Caldwell, but the business was soon abandoned. A box factory was built in 1874 by John R. Hedges; it was burned in 1876 and rebuilt, afterwards passing through several hands. There are now in the ham- let a store, a shingle mill, a saw mill and barrel factory. In recent years the farmers of this town have followed the prevailing tide of change and engaged quite extensively in dairying. There are at the present time five cheese factories in the town, and fruit and garden products are also grown to a considerable extent. The acreage of the town is 22,704. The Methodist church at Colden village was formed in 1849, and George Balding was the first class leader. The legal organization took place in 1858 with George Balding, Alfred Morse and William Kincaid, trustees. In 1859 a frame church was built; this is the only church in the village. There is a Free Methodist church at Colden Center, or- ganized in 1871. The Presbyterian church at Glenwood was formed as a Congrega- tional society in 1829, before the hamlet came into existence. Services were first held in a log school house on the Concord town line. The first house of worship at Glenwood was built in 1847, was burned in 1859, and a new one built the next summer. The Presbyterian faith was adopted in 1878. Colden village has a graded school, conducted in a two-story frame building erected about 1885. The early town records of Colden are lost, but the following is a list of the supervisors as far as they can be obtained : Silas Lewis, 1828-29; William Lewis, 1880; Erastus Bingham, 1831-32; Leander J. Roberts, 1833-35; William Lewis, 1836-37; Leander J. Roberts, 1838-40; Philo P. 524 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Barber, 1841^43; Samuel B. Love, 1844; Benjamin Maltby, 1845-46; Cyrus Cornell, 1847-48; Charles H. Baker, 1849-50; William A. Calkins, 1851-52; Oliver P. Buffum, 1853-54; Benjamin Maltby, 1855; Albert C. Buffum, 1856; Benjamin Maltby, 1857- 58 ; Moses Calkins, 1859 ; Nathan C. Francis, 1860-63 ; Richard E. Bowen, 1864-65 ; George W. Nichols, 1866-69; Stephen Churchill, 1870; George W. Nichols, 1871-72; Charles Day, 1873; Daniel T. Francis, 1874-75; R. E. Bowen, 1876; George W. Nichols, 1877-85; William B. Currier. 1886-89; Robert G. Crump, 1890-91; Orlin J Colburn, 1892-94; John P. Underhill, 1895-97. TOWN OF COLLINS. Collins* was formed from Concord on the 16th of March, 1821; North Collins was taken off in November, 1852, leaving this town with its present area of about sixty-two square miles. It includes a large part of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation, which extends north- westerly from Gowanda along Cattaraugus Creek, and over which it has a nominal jurisdiction. The portion occupied by white settlers comprises all of township 6, range 8, and the western three tiers of lots in township 6, range 7, lying north of Cattaraugus Creek, and the southern tier of lots in township 7, range 8, and three lots in the south- west corner of township 7, range 7, of the Holland Company's survey, being in all about 29,496 acres. The reservation in Collins occupies about twelve square miles. The town is bounded on the east by North Collins and Concord, on the south and west by Cattaraugus county, and on the north by Brant and North Collins, the reservation occupying the western point. This is the southernmost town in Erie county, Cattaraugus Creek being the southern boundary line. The south branch of Clear Creek waters the central part of the township, while the north branch cuts across the northwest corner; the two unite and flow westerly nearly through the reservation. The surface is undulating and broken into numerous ravines, and in the northeast part is rather high. The soil is clayey loam on the uplands and gravelly loam along the streams, and altogether is very productive. General farming and dairying are the chief industries; there are nine cheese factories and one butter factory in operation. At the first town meeting, held at the house of George Southwick, jr., June 9, 1821, the fallowing officers were elected: John Lawton, supervisor; Stephen White, town clerk; Luke Crandall, John Grif- fith and Lemuel M. White, assessors; Arnold King, John Lawton and Levi Wood 1 So named by Turner Aldrich, jr., who had married Miss Nancy Collins. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 535 ward, commissioners of highways; Jacob Taylor and Stephen Wilber, overseers of the poor; Luke Crandall, jr., collector; Luke Crandall, jr., and Asa Jennings, con- stables; John Griffith, Stephen White and Levi Woodward, commissioners of com- mon schools; Jonathan O. Irish, Nathaniel Knight and John Stanclift, jr., inspectors of common schools. The supervisors of Collins, with their years of service, have been as follows : John Lawton, 1821 ; Henry Joslin, 1822 ; Stephen White, 1823 ; Nathaniel Knight, 1824-32; Ralph Plumb, 1833-43; John L. Henry, 1844-45; Thomas Russell, 1846-48; Ralph Plumb, 1849-50 ; Thomas Russell, 1851 ; Samuel C. Adams, 1852-53 ; James H. McMillen, 1854-55; Benjamin W. Sherman, 1856; Joseph H. Plumb, 1857-58; Anson G. Conger, 1859-60 ; E. W. Henry, 1861 ; Marcus Bartlett, 1862 ; Joseph H. Plumb, 1863-67; Stephen T. White, 1868-70; Stephen E. Sisson, 1821-73; John H. White, 1874-75; William A. Johnson, 1876; Anson G. Conger, 1877; William A. Johnson, 1878; CyreniusC. Torrance, 1879-81 ; William H. Parkinson, 1882; John H. Johnson, 1883-86; Fred J. Blackmon, 1887-90; S. Lewis Soule, 1891-94; L. Lewis Hathaway, 1895-97. The first white settlement in Collins was made by a colony of Friends, consisting of several single men and women under Jacob Taylor, who had been sent out by the Friends Yearly Meeting of Phil- adelphia, to teach the Indians the arts of peace. They called them- selves a "family," and settled at what has since been known as Taylor's Hollow, where they purchased &00 acres of land adjoining the reserva- tion. This colony flourished for several years, devoting themselves to farming, milling, and teaching the Indians. About 1809 they erected a grist mill and saw mill — the first in the town. The first white family in Collins was that of Turner Aldrich, who located on the Erie county side of the site of Gowanda village in the spring of 1810. Other settlers of that year were Stephen Lapham on lot 45, at what is called Bagdad; Stephen Wilber on lot 49; Joshua Palmerton on lot 50; Stephen Peters on lot 48; and Augustus Smith. In 1811 Luke Crandall, Allen King, Arnold arid John King, John Williams, Jehial Abbee, Henry Palmerton, and others moved into the town. The first white birth was that of a son of Aaron Lindsay in 1810 ; the first marriage was that of Stephen Peterson to Sarah Palmer- ton in 1811 ; and the first death was that of a Mr. Strait, father-in-law of Turner Aldrich, in 1812. About 1811 Stephen Lapham and John Lawton each erected a saw mill, the latter having located on lot 41. Turner Aldrich very early put up a saw mill on Cattaraugus Creek and after the war of 1812 built a grist mill, and for many years the locality was known as Aldrich's 526 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Mills. Among the settlers in 1811 and 1812 were Abraham and Ira Lapham, Seth Blossom, Silas Howard, and George Morris. In 1813 John Hanford opened the first store in town at Taylor's Hollow, and also kept tavern there. The first school was taught by John King in the winter of 1814-15. Soon after the war Smith Bartlett erected a tannery at Collins Center and John Lawton built a grist mill. In 1816 Nathan King opened the first tavern in Collins Center. The first post-office in town was established at Taylor's Hollow in 1822, and was named Angola, the postmaster being Jacob Taylor, who served until as late as 1840 ; the office was afterward discontinued. In 1824 the mail route was extended to Aldrich's Mills and a new office established there, on the south side of the creek, called West Lodi. Another post-office was established at Zoar, in the southeast corner of the town, about 1830; Jehial Hill was the postmaster until 1840. This office was subsequently abandoned. Among the later settlers of the town the following may be men- tioned : Nathaniel and O. J. Knight, John Millis, Avery Knight, Leman Howe, Leman H. Pitcher, B. W. Sherman, Edwin W. Godfrey, George H. Hodges, Paul H. White, William W. Russell, Joshua Allen, Sylvanus Bates and son Frank, John Beverly, Isaac C. Brown and son Francis M., Peter Cook and son Norman, Joseph Gifford, Joshua and J. H. Johnson, Joseph A. Palmerton, Thomas Russell, Humphrey Rus- sell, Edgar A. Shaw, Stephen W. Smith, Isaac W. Tanner, Enoch Taylor, George W. Taylor, Elisha and Smith B. Washburn, John Wilber, David Beverly, Moses L. Conger, John C. Adams, Nehemiah Heath. The first cheese factory in town was built in 1865, and soon after- ward William A. Johnson founded the celebrated " Marshfield Com- bination," which at one time controlled about twenty-five factories in Erie and Cattaraugus counties. This combination flourished for sev- eral years. The Indians on the Cattaraugus Reservation are almost all farmers. The title of the land is held in common, but each man cultivates as much as he will, and the right to his field is respected. They have three churches — Baptist, Methodist and Presbyterian — and several dis- trict schools. The Thomas Asylum for Orphan and Destitute Indian Children was founded in 1855, with B. F. Hall as superintendent. The Proquois Agricultural Society was organized in 1857 and an industrial school was established by the Department of the Interior in 1876. A few years ago the .Board of Supervisors purchased 500 acres of land in Collins, just east of the reservation and north of Gowanda, for GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 527 the purpose of erecting upon it an insane asylum. The land, however, was afterward conveyed to the State, and in 1897 a large brick building was erected and a sewer two and one-half miles long constructed. The Legislature appropriated $175,000 for this purpose. Natural gas was discovered on the Monroe Kelley farm in April, 1888, and afterwards on the Kerr, Elmer White, and Fry farms. The gas is' piped to Buffalo and also to Springville. Gowanda is a thriving village on either side of Cattaraugus Creek, lying partly in Cattaraugus and partly in Erie county. Its principal business enterprises, churches and schools, and the greater portion of its residences, are in the county of Cattaraugus. The Erie county side has a population of about 1,000. About 1823 Ralph Plumb purchased the Aldrich mill property and soon afterward opened the first store in the whole village, which for over twenty years thereafter was known as Lodi, the post-office being called West Lodi. Later the village and post-office were named Persia, and on its incoporation on December 7, 1847, took the name of Gowan- da. In this account only the part lying in Collins is noticed. Ralph Plumb was the principal merchant on the north side for many years. About 1840 he erected a cloth and carding mill, which was afterward occupied by Slaght & Kellogg as a hardware store. In 1835 James Lock erected the Lodi furnace, which was sold in 1841 to Ashbel R. Sellew, who began the manufacture of plows and stoves; in 1851 it passed to Sellew, Tucker & Stope, and in 1856 it was burned. It was rebuilt and is still carried on. The grist mill of Charles J. Howard was built about 1857. Joseph Straub established a large wagon and car- riage factory in 1862, and in 1876 N. & J. P. Romer built an axe foundry, which was the leading manufactory in the village until 1895, when it was removed to Dunkirk. The building is now used by the electric light plant, which was started at that time by Keyes & Sons. The Eagle Tavern was erected by Joseph McMillan in 1824 and is still standing; in 1866 a brewery was added, and later was burned down. The Farmers' Hotel was built by Conrad Fiegle in 1865 and rebuilt by Louis Fiegle in 1878; the Grand Central Hotel was erected in 1879 by A. F. Conger. Among the merchants, past and present, on the north side are Chauncey Bigelow, H. N. Hooker, Gideon Webster, William Spencer, Elisha Henry, James H. McMillan, Robert P. McMillan, Theodore N. Kingsley, Rooker & White, J. A. Bestrip, Michael Moll. Hon. Cyrenius 528 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. C. Torrance was for many years the only lawyer in Gowanda living on the north side. A water system and a fire department were inaugurated about 1883, Sidney Torrance" being the chief promoter of the former enterprise. The fire apparatus on the Collins side consists of a steamer, a hook and ladder and two hose companies. About six miles of sewers were con- structed during 1896, the village being bonded for $20,000 for the pur- pose. The Presbyterian church was first built in 1826 ; it was burned in February, 1843, and rebuilt the same year, and again rebuilt in 1886. A Roman Catholic church and an Evangelical Lutheran church were erected in 1888. Gowanda village, on the Collins side, contains 1 dry goods store, 2 groceries, 1 grist mill, a saw mill, an iron foundry, a cutlery works (started about 1894), 2 carriage shops, 4 hotels, 3 churches and a few shops, offices, etc. Collins Center is situated near the center of that part of the town occupied by the white settlers, and had its nucleus in the tavern which Nathan King opened in 1816. In 1830 it was reopened by John C. Adams, who soon changed it into a store. Messrs. Hathaway, Wood and others afterward kept hotel, and finally the Sons of Temperance erected a building, the upper part of which was a hall and the lower part a hotel kept by Job Wilber; it was sold to Smith Bartlett and was burned about 1894, and on the site Sylvester Haberer built the Com- mercial House. The first store was opened by Samuel Lake about 1827; later merchants were JohnC. Adams, Chauncey Bigelow, Thomas Bigelow, Adam White, Curtis I. Bates, Elmer E. Hudson, Joseph Mug- ridge, James Matthews, Herbert F. Clark and Milton B. Sherman. A furniture and agricultural implement factory was built about 1850 by H. B. Wood, who was succeeded by Wilber & Palmerton, O. J. Knight, M. J. & R. G. King, King & Letson, A. A. King and others. Joseph Mugridge, in 1880, erected a planing mill and blind factory. The feed mill of Augustus Bolender was successively owned by William Popple and N. Bolender & Brother. A large lithographic board manufactory was established by Antone J., Alonzo G. and Joseph A. Setter several years ago, and about 1895 Charles C. White erected a large creamery, fn 1895 Setter Brothers & Co. established a water system in the vil- lage. The post-office was established in 1826 with John C. Adams as post- master; he was followed by Chauncey Bigelow, Dr. Alexander Bruce, GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 529 Stephen J. White, Curtis I. Bates, George H. Hodges, Herbert A. Reynolds, Edward C. Mugridge and Edward E. White. The first physician was Dr. Israel Condon, who came about 1830; later ones were Dr. Alexander Bruce, Dr. Young, Dr. W. A. Sibley, Dr. Erastus Letson and Dr. Harlow Atwood. The Union Free School was organ- ized in 1883, the first Board of Education being William A. John- son, H. A. Reynolds and Matthew Beverley. Among the principals were Wesley Lake, Leroy S. Greenwood, Ira W. Livermore, Edwin S. Kerr and John Garret Smith. The Methodist Episcopal church was built originally three fourths of a mile west of the village, in 1834, and in 1840 was removed to its present site; it was rebuilt in 1863. The Free Methodist church was erected in 1869. Collins Center now contains 3 general stores, 1 hotel, a grist mill, 2 cider mills, a lithographic board manufactory, a saw and planing mill, 2 churches, a union free school (built in 1892), and several shops, etc. One and one-half miles southwest of the village is an old saw mill owned at different times by James Matthews, Edward R. Harris, Erastus Harris and others. Collins is a station and post office on the Erie Railroad about three miles north of Gowanda, and has sprung up since the completion of that road in 1874. The post-office was established January 24, 1874, with L. L. Hathaway as postmaster; he was followed by John J. Quigley, B. W. Hathaway, and Timothy T. Clare. Among the merchants there have been L. L. Hathaway, Ambrose Sisson and Timothy T. Clark. About 1890 George H. Krebs erected a hotel, which was burned and rebuilt in 1897. A copper ware factory, established by the Johnson Manufactur- ing Company, was also burned in 1897. In 1885 Durand A. Palmerton built a large steam feed mill, which was sold to P. A. Willet in 1893 ; it was burned that year and rebuilt in 1894, and soon passed to John J. Quigley. The saw and planing mill and box factory of G. L. Soule and Charles H. Russell was started by them about 1891. In 1881 William A. Johnson erected a large" cheese warehouse here. A new school building replaced the old school house in 1889, and about that time the Friends built a meeting house, the only one in the place. The village contains two general stores, a hotel, a saw and planing mill and box factory, a feed mill, one church, and a few shops, etc. Bagdad is a small hamlet on the south branch of Clear Creek, about a'mile south of Collins Station. For many years it had a saw mill and grist mill ; the latter was rebuilt in 1896 by Burt W. Hathaway. 67 530 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. TOWN OF CONCORD. The town of Concord was formed from Willink on the 20th of March, 1812, and comprised the present towns of Sardinia, Concord, Collins and North Collins, with a nominal jurisdiction over that part of the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation located in Erie county. On March 16, 1821, the town of Collins, including North Collins and the reser- vation, was set off; the same act set off Sardinia, which comprised " all those parts of township No. 6, in the fifth range, and township No. 6, in the sixth range, of the Holland Company's land lying within the county of Niagara. " This was doubtless a mistake for it placed Spring- ville and the south part of Concord in Sardinia; on March 22, 1822, a law was enacted to take effect May 1, annexing all this tract to Concord, thus giving each town its present limits. Concord lies in the south part of Erie county, and is bounded on the east by Sardinia, on the south by Cattaraugus county, on the west by Collins and North Collins, and on the north by Boston and Colden. It comprises the five western tiers of lots of township 7, range 6, the six eastern tiers of lots of township 7, range 7, and all that part of the five western tiers of lots in township 6, range 6, and the six western tiers in township 6, range 7, lying north of Cattaraugus Creek, of the Hol- land Company's survey. It is the largest town in Erie county, its area being about seventy square miles, or 44, 734 acres. The surface is undulating in the eastern and southern parts, with steep declivities along Cattaraugus Creek, which forms the southern boundary of the town ; this stream receives the waters of various small tributaries. The northern and central parts are hilly, Townsend Hill, 1,500 feet above Lake Erie, being the highest elevation. The west branch of Cazenove Creek and the east and west branches of Eighteen- mile Creek, all flowing northwardly, drain this section. The soil is a clayey loam, with a substratum of hard sand, in the north part and a gravelly loam in the south, and is generally very productive. Outside of Springville the principal industry is dairying. Settlement was begun on the site of Springville in the fall of 1807 by Christopher Stone and John Albro. In December of that year Mr. .Stone "articled" 796 acres and George Richmond 257 acres of the Hol- land Land Company. The next summer Mrs. Albro died, which was the first death of a white, person in town; the first birth of a white child was that of Lucius, son of Christopher Stone. Mr. Albro re- moved after the death of his wife, leaving the Stone family alone in the GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 531 wilderness. In October, 1808, Samuel Cochran and Joseph Yaw came in from Tioga county, N. Y. ; Mr. Cochran, who was born in Vermont in 1785 and had married Catherine Gallup in 1805, was the first perma- nent resident of the present Concord; he located on lot 3, and next spring brought his wife and six months old child. Early in 1809 Deacon John Russell and family arrived and settled on lot 1. During the years 1809 and 1810 James Vaughn, Samuel Cooper, Amaziah Ashman, William Smith, Jedediah Cleveland, Elijah Dunham, Jacob Drake, Josiah Fay, Seneca Baker, Benjamin C. Foster, Luther Curtis, Philip Van Horn, and others arrived. Among the settlers of 1811 were Rufus and Sylvester Eaton, Samuel Burgess, Harry Sears, Benjamin Fay and David Stickney; the latter opened the first tavern in town on the site of the Springville opera house. The first marriage was that of Obadiah Brown and Content Curtis, in 1811 ; it was performed by Christopher Douglass, the first justice of the peace. About 1812 Rufus Eaton built the first saw mill in Concord. Before 1815 the following had become settlers : David Leroy, Isaac Knox, David Stannard, J. L. Jenks, Moses and Truman White, Henry Hackett, Elijah Perigo, Benjamin Gardner, David and George Shultus, Francis White, William Shultus, Abner and Enoch Chase, Arad and Comfort Knapp, Asa Cary, Lewis Trevitt, Sylvanus Kingsley, Isaiah and James Pike, Thomas M. Barrett, William Wright, John Ures, Noah Culver, Reuben Metcalf, Jesse Putnam, James Henman, Benjamin Douglass, Almon Fuller, James Bascom, Hale and Joshua Matthewson, Nathan King, Dr. Rumsey, Deacon Jennings, John Drake, Jonathan and Uzial Townsend, Thomas McGee, Luther Hibbard, Elihu and Julius Bement, Samuel Stewart, Giles Churchill, James Stratton, Solomon Field, Cary and John Clemens, Lyman Drake, George Killom, Smith Russell,' Hira and Isaac Lush, Chauncey Trevitt, James Armstead, James Thurber, Daniel and Ezra Lush, James Brown, John Russell, Capt. J. Hanchett, Sylvanus Cook, Gideon Parsons, Luther Pratt, Nehemiah Paine, Elijah Parmenter and Rufus C. Eaton. In 1815 E. A. Briggs settled on Townsend Hill; his son, Erasmus Briggs, born in 1818, is the author of a valuable history of the original town of Concord, published in 1883. The first school in town was taught in the Cochran neighborhood in 1811, the teacher being Miss Anna Richmond; there were fourteen scholars. In the same locality Rufus C. Eaton taught a school of seventy scholars in the winter of 1813-14, and in 1814 J. P. Jenks opened the first store in Concord, and Jonathan Townsend built the first frame house on Townsend Hill. John Battles settled at Morton's Corners in 1818. Among other citizens of the town were Elmore Bement, Uriah D. 532 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Pike, Henry M. Blackman, Harry Foote, Theodore Potter and son H. Evans, Charles C. Severance, Stephen R. Smith and the Stanbro, Frye and Needham families. The early town records were destroyed by fire, and a complete list of the first town officers cannot be given; Thomas M. Barrett is sup- posed to have been the first supervisor. Amaziah Ashman was the first town clerk in 1812 and held the office for sixteen years. The following is a list of the supervisors from 1821 to the present time, with their years of service : Thomas M. Barrett, 1821-27; Joshua Agard, 1828-29; Oliver Needham, 1830; Thomas M. Barrett, 1831; Carlos Emmons, 1832-33; Oliver Needham, 1834-37; Enoch N. Frye, 1838-45; Charles C. Severance, 1846-50; Seth W. Godard, 1851-54; L. B. Townsley, 1855; James M. Richmond, 1856; Morris Fosdick, 1857; Seth W. Godard, 1858-63; Philetus Allen, 1864-65; Charles C. Severance, 1866; Almon W. Stanbro, 1867; Charles C. Severance, 1868; Almon M. Stanbro, 1869; Bertrand Chaffee, 1870- 71; Frank Chase, 1872; Charles C. Severance, 1873; Erasmus Briggs, 1874-75; Henry M. Blackmar, 1876-78; William H. Warner, 1879-80; Erasmus Briggs, 1881-83; W. H. Ticknor, 1884-86; Charles C. Stanbro, 1887; Henry M. Blackmar, 1888; Frank D. Smith, 1889-91; George E. Reynolds, 1892; Willis G. Clark, 1893-94; Lucius I. Clark, 1895-97. Springville. — This village is situated in the southwest part of the town and had its nucleus in the saw mill of Rufus Eaton, the tavern of David Stickney, and the store of J. P. Jenks. Later merchants were Frederick Richmond, Eaton & Butterworth, Eaton & Blake, Butter- worth & Fox, Samuel Lake, Colton & Badgely, Jewett & Cochran, P. G. Eaton, James M. Richmond, Cyrus Griswold, John O. Churchill, Beebe & Meyers, S. B. & N. K. Thompson. John G. Blake opened a hardware store in 1845, and was succeeded by John Hedges, D. C. Bloomfield, Bertrand Chaffee, D. W. Bensley and Allen & Wilber. The first druggist was Dr. Samuel Nash, in 1841 ; since then there have been Chester J. Lowe, Eaton & Hall, Frank Prior, E. C. Smith, L. B. Nichols, Mills & Anderson, L. B. Nichols and Walter J. Allen. A clothing store was opened in 1868 by Peter Hein. About 1859 John D. Blakeley, Oliver' Smith and R. W. & C. J. Tanner opened grocery stores; later grocers are Cyrus Griswold, Richard W. Tanner, Charles Albro, Mrs. A. F. Rust, George H. Dabolt and Bert R. Spaulding. Among other merchants in various lines may be mentioned: J. W. Reid, A. P. Holman, Mrs. Oliver Smith, Miss Jane Graves, Abbott Frye, David Stannard, Rufus C. Eaton, Varney Ingalls, August G. Elliott, William Smith, jr., Otis Butterworth, Moses and Asa Sanders, John Van Pelt, Manly Colton, IJenry Bigelow, M. L. Badgely, Philetus Allen, S. & E. C. Pool, Elisha Mack, O. C. Mor- GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 533 ton, G. W. Spaulding, Horace and Thomas Spencer, Thomas Fowler, Frederick Clark, William Weber, Walter Fox, M. L. Hall, W. H. Freeman, Joseph Capron, John Reed, Frank Holman, J. H. Ashman, Levi Wells, Gardner Brand, E. N. Brooks, George Drullard, Asahel Field, John F. Sibley, Edwin Wright, Edward Godard, Chester Spencer, Charles House, Joseph Tanner, Clinton Hammond, Dan- iel Nash, Taber Brothers, G. W. Canfield, James F. Crandall, Frank Thurber, George E. Bensley, Jacob Widing, Stanbro Brothers, Walter W. Blakeley, W. A. Stanbro, Niles & Crandall, Frederick Schweizer, J. S. Wheeler, P. J. Cady, J. E. Shuttleworth, Alfred Richardson, J. L. Cohen, Elmer B. Bixby, A. K. Johnson, Charles T. Winner, H. D. Smith, B. J. Bury, George Engel, Charles Babcock. Among furniture dealers and cabinetmakers are Wales Emmons, Joseph Gaylord, Philip Herbold, James Prior, L. D. Chandler, Elbert Pingrey. The second hotel was opened by David Stanley in 1818; a third was built in 1822 by Samuel Cochran, and a fourth by»Rufus C. Eaton in 1824. The American House was erected by Philip Hatch in 1843 and the Leland House in 1878 by the Leland Brothers. Wales Emmons was the first acting lawyer as well as the first cabinet- maker. Other lawyers were Elisha Mack in 1827, Thomas Sherwood, Hon. Charles C. Severance, B. S. Wendover, Hon. Wells Brooks, Morris Fosdick, A. W. Stanbro, Frank Chase, Lowell M. Cummings, William H. Tichnor, Edwin A. Scott, David J. Wilcox and Scott Cummings. , The first physicians in the town were Drs. Daniel and Varney Ingalls, brothers, in 1818; Dr. Carlos Emmons came in 1823 and practiced nearly fifty years, dying in 1875. Other physicians were Drs. John House, Lynde, Jackson and Stanbro. The Springville Express, the first newspaper, was started in 1844 by E. H. Hough and continued four years; the Herald was established in 1850 by Hough & Webster, was published by Erastus D. Webster and later by J. B. Saxe, and was discontinued in 1863. The American Citizen was started in 1856 by L. D. Saunders and the Penny Paper in August, 1859; both were short lived. The Herald was published from January, 1864, to April, 1865, by A. W. Ferrin, and the Tribune from March, 1865, to January, 1867, by N. H. Thurber. The Student's Re- pository was commenced in 1867 by W. R. De Puy and J. H. Melvin, and soon discontinued. The Springville Journal, now the Journal and Herald, was started March 16, 1867, by Walter W. Blakeley, who has owned it most of the time. The Local News was established in 1879 by Fred.G. Meyers and John H. Melvin; its name was changed to the Springville News, and it is now published by N. H. Thurber & Son, Leland & Co. opened a private bank in 1866 ; on April 2, 1883, it was 534 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. reorganized as the First National Bank of Springville with William O. Leland president; H. G. Leland, vice-president; E. O. Leland, cashier. It suspended in September, 1896, W. A. Douglass, of Buffalo, being appointed receiver. The Farmers' Bank was organized January 3, 1883, with S. R. Smith, president; Bertrand Chaffee, vice-president; F. O. Smith, cashier; the capital is $25,000. In 1814 a grist mill was built by Rufus Eaton and Benjamin Gard- ner and a woolen factory and a carding machine by John Russell and Samuel Bradley; these mills were later owned by Bradley & Russell, Rushmore & Bradley, Roswell Alcott, Col. E. W. Cook (from 1833 to 1876), and Warren G. Ransom; they were burned about 1886. About 1835 Manly Colton erected a grist mill which has been owned by Mor- gan L. Badgeley, Rufus C. Eaton, D. B. Joslyn, William Barkley, C. J. Shuttleworth, Madison Scoby and others,, and since 1874 by Bertrand Chaffee. A Mr. Barnett built a foundry about 1830 and Shuttleworth & Bloomfield another in 1861; the later was burned in 1874. Charles J. Shuttleworth established a foundry, planing mill, machine shop and saw mill in 1875. Sherill & Sears built a factory about 1840 which was rebuilt by P. G. Eaton ; it was converted into a tannery, was sold to Jay Borden in 1873, burned in 1879, and rebuilt by Mr. Borden, who still conducts it. A cheese factory was started by S. R. Smith in 1865, passed to Smith & Clair in 1883, and is now operated by John Clair. The Western New York Preserving and Manufacturing Company es- tablished a plant here in 1879, but finally went out of existence. There are also in the village a shoe factory owned by D. W. Blood, the saw mill and sash factory of Philip Herbold, the saw mill of Frank M. Fox, the feed mill of George Chesbro, and the cheese box factory of Harvey L. Huyck. The post office at Springville was established in 1820 with Rufus C, Eaton as postmaster; among his successors have been Elisha Mack, Dr. Hubbard, Mr. Blaisdell, Morgan L. Badgely, Camden C. Lake, Perrin Lampson, Luther Killom, Carlos Emmons, Theodore B. Norris, Carl Chaffee, George Barker and George Richmond. In 1829, $2,000 having been raised by subscription, the Springville Academy was organized and a building erected ; school was opened in 1*830 with Hiram H. Barney as principal. It flourished until 1865, when Archibald Griffith gave $10,000 as a fund the interest of which was to be used for the education of orphans and indigent children ; the name of the academy was then changed to the Griffith Institute, which • GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 535 it still bears, notwithstanding that it was reorganized as a Union high school in 1875 by the consolidation of common school districts Nos. 7 and 8 into Union School district No. 1. The principals have been: Hiram H. Barney, 1830-31; Lorenzo Parsons, 1831-34; Edwin E. Williams, 1834- 38; Alexander Hurst, 1842-44; Ephraim C. Hall, 1844-45; William Mosher, 1845-46; J. W. Earle, 1846-51; Mose Lane, 1851-53; Ezekiel Cutler, 1853-54; Eden Sprout, 1854-55; William S. Aumock, 1856; Rev. David Copeland, 1857-59; Rev. C. R. Pomeroy, 1859-65; Rev. William H. Rogers, 1865-66; A. R. Wrightman, 1866-70; Rev. W. W. Rogers, 1870-72; Rev. Mr. Mclntyre; J. W. O'Brien; S. W. Eddy, 1875-79; George W. Ellis, 1879-82; Elbert W. Griffith, 1882-88; Robert W. Hughes, 1888-98 ; with fourteen assistants. The attendance is about 500. In 1885 a new brick building was erected and in 1894 the old Utrich hotel was converted into an annex. The village was incorporated in 1834, and at the first election held on May 6 the following officers were elected ; Carlos Emmons, Ebenezer Dibble, Jacob Richmond, Joseph McMillen, and Sam-, uel Cochran, trustees; John Bensley, Richard Wordsworth, and Theodore Smith, assessors; Peter V. S. Wendover, clerk; Pliny Smith, jr., treasurer; Mortimer L. Arnold, collector; Abial Gardenier, poundmaster. A fire department, consisting of Fountain Hose Co. No. 1, was or- ganized in February, 1881, with fifteen members; for several years a hand engine was used. The department now consists of a hose and a hook and ladder company. The Springville Water Works Company, organized in 1886, established a water system in 1887, supplying water from springs and later from three artesian wells. On March 5, 1897, the village purchased the plant and began extended improvements. Two trunk sewers were laid about ten years ago. In the fall of 1895 natural gas was introduced; the supply is taken from wells at Zoar. An electric light plant, owned by the village, was established in 1894. The churches of Springville are as follows: The Presbyterian, organized as Congregational November 2, 1816, by Rev. John Spencer, first church erected in 1832, changed to Presbyterian in December, 1840, new brick church built in 1847; Baptist, organized November 19, 1824, church built in 1834, enlarged in 1871; Methodist Episcopal, built in 1827, new church erected in 1863 ; St. Aloysius Roman Catholic, parsonage built in 1869, church erected in 1878-79 ; Lutheran Salem con- gregation, organized and church built in 1896; Universalist, revived and reorganized in 1897 and a church erected; Episcopal, built in 1896; Free Methodist, using an old school house; Free Baptist, organ- ized in 1867, church built in 1869. A public library was founded 536 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. about 1880 and has some 2,000 volumes; this was largely effected through the munificence of the late Gen. John B. Wadsworth. A Y. M. C. A. was organized in 1895. ' The village of Springville now contains 4 general stores, 5 groceries, 4 hardware stores, 3 drug stores, 2 furniture establishments, 2 shoe stores, 2 jewelry stores, 1 plumbing establishment, 2 clothing stores, 1 merchant tailor, a book and crockery store, a bakery, a fruit store, a bank, 2 weekly newspapers and printing offices, 2 harness shops, a roller flour mill, 1 cheese factory, a tinsmith, a paint shop, an opera house, 1 saw mill, 2 planing mills, a foundry and machine shop, a shoe factory, 1 tannery, a feed mill, a cheese box factory, 5 hotels, a free library, 9 churches and a union high school. East Concord is a post-office and station on the Buffalo, Rochester & Pittsburg Railroad, in the east part of the town. The post-office was established about 1863, and in 1864 Frank Peabody_opened a store; he was followed by Charles C. Stanbro, Irving M. Horton, F. W. Horton, B. A. Walters, Frederick Lumley, Samuel D. Vance, Chauncey Gar- field and others. A Free Baptist church was built about 1852. The place now contains three stores, a saw mill, church, and the usual shops, etc. Morton's Corners, west of Springville near the town line, was set- tled by Alanson, Elijah and Jeremiah Richardson, brothers, in 1814. John Battles built a tavern in 1818 which was afterward kept by Wendall Morton. Otis Morton was an early merchant, and his son, A. P. Mor- ton, was the first postmaster; later postmasters were M. Shroeder and L. M. Goodell. Other merchants are James L. Tarbox and John Sucher. The churches are the Methodist Episcopal, built in 1867 ; the Freewill Baptist and the Lutheran, erected in 1880. The hamlet con- tains one store, three churches, etc. Woodward 's Hollow (Wyandale post-office) was so named from Isaac Woodward, the first postmaster, about 1850. Philo Woodward built a steam saw mill in 1867. The place lies in the west part of the town. Concord post-office, locally known as Wheeler Hollow, contains the saw mill of A. T. Wheeler and the store of John C. Colburn, who is also postmaster. *Hakes Bridge, in the southeast part of the town, has a saw, shingle and planing mill owned by Philip Goodemote. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 537 TOWN OF EAST HAMBURG. This town is situated in the western -central part of the. county, with West Seneca on the north, Aurora on the east, Boston on the south, and Hamburg on the west. It includes all of township 9, range 7 of the Holland Company's survey, excepting the two western tiers of lots; it also includes a tract from the Buffalo Creek Reservation five miles long east and west and averaging about two miles wide. The area of the town is about forty square miles, the surface is a broken upland, the highest point of which is Chestnut Ridge, about 500 above Lake Erie. The soil is loam, gravelly in the north part and clayey in the south. The town is drained by Smokes Creek and its tributaries. The first settler in the territory of East Hambug was Didymus Kin- ney, who purchased his land in 1803, on the southwest corner lot of the town. Deacon Ezekiel Smith purchased land in the Newton neighbor- hood in the southwest part in 1804; he came in accompanied by his sons, Richard and Daniel, and David Eddy. The latter selected 100 acres including the site of the present village of Orchard Park. In the same year a colony came on from Vermont comprising five more sons of Deacon Smith, Amos Colvin and five sons, David Eddy's brother Aaron, his brother-in law, Nathan Peters and perhaps a few others. In 1805 Jacob Eddy, father of David, became a settler; Asa Sprague joined the colony before mentioned, and William Coltrin, Samuel Knapp and Joseph Sheldon settled not far away. In 1805 Daniel Smith built a large log structure and in it placed some rude gearing and two stones for a rriill where he could grind a few bushels a day. A few years later he moved his mill to Eighteen mile Creek near the site of White's Corners. About the same time David Eddy built a saw mill for the Indians near the site of Lower Ebenezer and another on Smokes Creek on the site of Orchard Park. Many of the early settlers were Quakers and in 1801 they built a meeting house, having built a log school house in the previous year. Among the early settlers of that persuasion were Elias Freeman, Samuel and Joseph Webster, James Paxon, Jonas Hambleton, Nathaniel and Jacob Potter and others. Samuel and Seth Abbott, two brothers, settled southeast of the Eddy neighborhood in 1806-07; Seth moved a few years later to Wright's Corners and the settlement there took the name of Abbott's Corners. Among other prominent settlers and residents may be mentioned the following : 68 538 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Ezekiel Cook, Obadiah and Reuben Newton (in 1808) ; William Austin (1810) ; Par- don Pierce, Joseph Hawkjns, Obadiah Baker (about 1811); Richard Putnam, (1816); Benjamin Baker (1817) ; Joshua Potter (1806, father of Gilbert who was born in the town in 1809) ; Charles B. Utley (1810) ; Absalom Chandler (1816) ; William Hambleton (1809); Ransom Jones (1808); Col. Chauncey Abbott (son of Samuel, was born here in 1816); Oliver Griffin (1809) ; Elisha Freeman, Amos Chilcott, Robert Hoag, Dar- win S. Littlefield, Robert Meatyard, John H. Miller, Christopher Hambleton, Miles P. Briggs, Reuben Moore, Spencer L. Perkins, Samuel S. Reed, Dr. Elisha Smith, Mortimer F. Smith, Chester Sweet, Frank M. Thorn, Stephen Wheeler, jr., Albert A. White. In the spring of 1812 Daniel Sumner made the first settlement on Chestnut Ridge. Obadiah Baker built an early grist mill on Smokes Creek at the place which became known as Potter's Corners, from the families of that name who settled there. Near the close of the war of 1812 a mail route was established through the town, from Abbott's Corners southeastward, and then east through the Griffin neighbor- hood. A post-office was opened at John Green's tavern, the noted hos- telry of early days,' with the name Hamburg. Just after the war James Reynolds opened a store near the Friends' meeting house and a few years later moved it to Potter's Corners. William Cromwell was in business there in 1819, where the store of Anthony & Stone is situated. In 1820 David Eddy built a tavern on the site of Wasson's hotel, and it was occupied several years by his sons-in-law, Lewis Arnold and Theodore Hawkins. The post-office before mentioned was discontinued before 1820 and another opened at Potter's Corners with the name East Hamburg. In 1822 this (with two others in the western part of the old town of Ham- burg) was discontinued and a central one opened at Abbott's Corners ; before 1830, however, the East Hamburg office was re-established. About 1825 a building was erected where the store of Smith & Petz now stands, in which William T. Smith traded; Allen Potter was a later merchant there. In recent years the name Orchard Park has been substituted for Potter's Corners for this village. Dairying was extensively carried on in this town in former years, but the business has somewhat declined. A share, at least, of the honor attaching. to the production of the once celebrated Hamburg cheese is due to this community. At the present time there is only one cheese factory in the town. The culture of fruit, berries and grapes receives much attention from the farmers, and garden products are extensively grown for the Buffalo market. The construction in 1882-83 of the GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 539 Buffalo branch of the Rochester and Pittsburg Railroad, which crosses the town diagonally, gave the inhabitants better facilities for reaching markets and generally benefited people. At about this time the vil- lage, which had already borne several titles, was renamed Orchard Park. Orchard Park. — This is the largest village in the town and a station on the railroad. The early settlements and first business enterprises there have been mentioned. A hotel and store were early opened a mile south of this place and an attempt was made to found a village at that point. A,small hamlet gathered there and was given the name of Deuel's Corners. A mile north of Orchard Park another hamlet grew up which took the name of Webster's Corners. Former mer- chants of the village were Ambrose C. Johnson, Levi Potter, John Scott, Horace Stillwell and Christopher Hambleton, now in trade. There was an early tannery a mile east of the village, which was ope- rated up to about twenty years ago. Samuel McCormick established a barrel factory, which, since his death, has been operated by members of the family. The fire department of the village was organized about 1888, and has a chemical engine and a hook and ladder truck. A can- ning factory was established in 1878, in a building which had been a steam saw mill; Job Taylor, James A. Taylor, Frank M. Thorn, Jas- per N. Clark and Eben Scudeer were interested in the business. A stock company was ultimately formed with capital of $100,000. The establishment was burned in 1889 and not rebuilt. The Erie Preserv- ing Company established a second, factory at the depot in 1890 which was burned in 1895. In the village at the present time are 2 general stores, 2 groceries, 1 drug store, 1 hardware store, 2 hotels and a barrel factory. At Webster's Corners there is now one store; a former merchant there was Emmett J. Ayers. At Deuel's Corners is the saw mill form- erly operated by Thomas Gill. At Ellicott, a hamlet in the southwest part of the town, is a store and a few shops, with three of the churches of the town. What was formerly Abbott's Corners, on the Hamburg line, now bears the name of Armor, as far as the post-office is con- cerned ; the place is noticed in the record for Hamburg. Windom is a post-office and station on the railroad and on the town line between this town and Hamburg, in the northwest part ; there is little business done there. The building of the meeting house of the Friends in 1807 has been 840 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. mentioned. Soon after the war of 1812 a school house was built near where Ezekiel Cook settled, which was used for Baptist religious meet- ings for several years. The First Presbyterian church at Orchard Park was organized in January, 1817, by Rev. Miles P. Squier and Rev. John Spencer. A reorganization took place May 11, 1853, and the society is still in prosperous existence. In 1855 the religiously inclined residents in the Chestnut Ridge region united in building a Union church. The building was dedicated, how- ever, by Methodists, and differences soon led to the discontinuance of services. The building is still standing. A Methodist society was foimed at Griffin's Corners about 1850, just over the Aurora line. The Immanuel Reformed church at Ellicott was organized in August, 1877, and is still active ; the edifice was erected in that year. A Wesleyan Methodist society has been in existence there for some years and an old Methodist organization also; the Wesleyans built a church in 1894. The town of East Hamburg was formed October 15, 1850, from Hamburg, and was given the name Ellicott, in honor of Joseph Elli- cott. Some minor changes in boundaries made in 1851 gave the town its present area. The name was changed February 20, 1852, by an act of the Legislature. The first town meeting was held March 4, 1851, and the following officers were elected : Amos Chilcott, supervisor ; Chauncey Abbott, town clerk ; Hiram Bullis, Thomas Ostrander and Lansing B. Littlefield, justices of the peace ; William Hambleton, as- sessor; Henry A. Griffin and Harmon Wheelock, commissioners of highways; Sam- uel S. Reed and Oliver Hampton, inspectors of election; C. C. Briggs, collector; William Paxson, poormaster; Milton H. Bull, Horace H. Hinman, Amos Colvin and John W. Ostrander, constables. Following is a list of the supervisors of East Hamburg and their years of service : Amos Chilcott, 1851; Isaac Baker, 1852; Jacob Potter, 1853; Lansing B. Little- field. 1854; John T. Fish, 1855-56; Lewis M. Bullis, 1857-58; Ivory C. Hawkins, 1859: James H. Deuel, 1860-61; Ambrose C. Johnson, 1862; Levi Potter, 1863-64; Benjamin Baker, 1865-66; Christopher Hambleton, 1867; Allen Potter, 1868; Nor- man B. Sprague, 1869; Allen Potter, 1870; Frank M. Thorn, 1871-74; Amos Free- man, 1875; Frank M. Thorn, 1876-80; Cephas L. Potter, 1881; Norman B. Sprague, 1882 ; Charles H. Sweet, 1883-86 ; Amos C. Hambleton, 1887-88 ; George W. Briggs, 1889; Carleton G. Briggs, 1890; George W. Briggs. 1891-97. TOWN OF EDEN. Eden is an interior town of Erie county, lying southwest of the cen- ter of the county, with Hamburg on the north, Boston on the east, GAZETTEER OP TOWNS 541 North Collins on the south, and Evans on the west. The town was formed March 20, 1812, from Willink and then included the present towns of Boston (set off in 1817) and Evans (set off in 1821). It com- prises township 8, range 8 of the Holland Company's survey, with the western tier of lots in township 8, range 7, and contains about forty square miles of territory, or 25,265 acres. The surface is generally a level upland, which is traversed by the deep and narrow valley of the west branch of Eighteen-mile Creek, which flows from the southeast corner of the town to its junction with the west branch, a little west of the center of the northern boundary. The soil is a gravelly loam, in- termixed with clay. The principal products are garden truck for Buf- falo markets, dairying, and small fruits, especially grapes. There are two limburger cheese factories in the town. Settlement began in Eden territory with the arrival in 1808 of Deacon Samuel Tubbs, his two sons, and James Welch, a nephew, on the site of Eden Valley, which was long known as Tubbs's Hollow. Elisha and John M. Welch, brothers of James, came on in 1810. John M. was father of Hon. Nelson Welch, who still resides in the town. Dr. John March and Silas Estee located near the Tubbs family in 1810. Elisha Welch built the first saw mill in 1811 and the first grist mill in the next year. John Hill settled at the site of Eden Center in 1811. Other settlers of 1811 were Levi Bunting, Joseph Thorn, Calvin Thompson, James Paxson and Josiah Gail. In 1813 Daniel, Samuel, William and Edward Webster settled near Tubbs's Hollow, coming from what is now the town of Boston. In the spring of 1814 Dr. Will- iam Hill settled near his son, John Hill ; he was a Revolutionary army surgeon, but being too old for much active practice he opened a tavern at Eden Center on the site of the later Caskey house. The first school was opened in 1814. After the close of the war settlers came into the town rapidly. Sim- eon Clark built or set up a lathe near East Eden and made spinning wheels, etc. Other settlers soon after the war were John Dayton, Joseph H. Beardsley, John Kerr, Hiram Hinman, Nathan Grover and Joseph Blye. The first merchant was a Mr. Harris, who brought in his goods in 1813; about 1816, when his trade had increased, he built a small store on the site of J. H. Caskey's store at Eden Center. In 1816 Col. Asa Warren moved in from Willink and settled two miles east of Eden Center, where he built saw and grist mills. Other pio- neers of that period were Obed Warren, Orrin Babcock, Elias Babcock, 542 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and David Wood. Many of the early settlers were members of the so- ciety of Friends. About 1818 a Mr. Ensign built a small grist mill near East Eden, on a stream then called Hampton Brook. Before 1821 there was a post-office called Eden, but it was in that part of the town finally set off to form Evans. In 1822 a post-office was established at Eden Valley, with J. T. Welch postmaster, and named Evans. The names of these two offices were subsequently transposed, so that their names conformed with the names of the two towns. Other early settlers and prominent residents of the town were : Benjamin Tolls, who came in early, Samuel Beardsley, Hazard Beardsley, David S. Beardsley, Elias D. Babcock, son of Elias and born in the town ; Porter Belknap and his son John; Linus Dole and his son Franklin; James Green, settled in 1816, father of James W. ; Abraham Paxson, came in 1811 ; John Hill and his sons John and Roswell; Nelson Welch, son of John; Charles S. Rath bun (1826; Davis Webster (born in the town in 1829, son of Daniel); Daniel B. Thompson and his son Amos F. ; David Ide and his son Charles H. ; Simon Smith, jr. ; Martin Arlen, sr. ; Jacob Bley, George Brindley, Milo Canfield, jr., Henry B. Case, Joshua Norton, Christian Gillman. Eden Center. — This is a pleasant village centrally situated in the town and a station on the Buffalo and Southwestern division of the Erie Rail- road. It was called Hill's Corners down to 1822, in which year Col. Asa Warren built a large frame tavern. In about 1825 Fillmore & Johnson opened a store. Lyman Pratt subsequently began mercantile business and continued more than forty years; he was followed by his son-in-law, Harrison Parker, still in trade. William Paxson and Joseph D. Caskey opened general stores and A. S. Pvtz a grocery. Eric Blom- quist engaged in furniture business and others contributed to the early activity of the place. Godfrey Metz was the first German resident of the village and built the Eden hotel ; he sold to William Pemberton and he to George P. Roeller. A cooperage that was established in 1840 passed through possession of various persons to Frank S. Webster. The Eden Center Preserving Company was formed in 1882 with capital of $18,000; C. F. Rathbun, president, and Harrison Parker, secretary and treasurer. In 1891 it was purchased by the Hamburg Canning Company, and is very successful. A steam shingle mill, established long ago by Abram Lang, was converted into a steam cider mill. A planing mill was built and is operated by George M. Dubois. Solon J. Ryther was a former blacksmith. Among other merchants in the vil- lage were John S. Peek, William D. and Albert C. Anthony, Caskey GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 543 & Smith, Philander Smith, Trippett& Curtis, J. B. Sweet, a Mr. Sykes and Milton W. Chapin. Among former postmasters were Lyman Pratt, Harrison Parker, Warren K. Barrows, Joseph D. Caskey and Harrison Parker, incumbent. Succeeding Dr. William Hill, before mentioned, Dr. William H. Pratt practiced at the village nearly forty years. Dr. George H. Lithrop studied with Dr. Pratt and practiced to near his death. Dr. Horton Morris and Dr. Caryl, and Dr. Mahlon B. Shaw followed in later years, and Dr. James Cherry. There are now in the village 4 general stores, 1 drug store, 2 hotels, 1 canning factory, 1 cooperage, 1 hardware store, # 1 washing machine factory, 1 wagon shop, 3 blacksmiths, 1 furniture store, a Union school and 4 churches. The Union school was long kept as a graded school with two teachers, later with three and still later with four. The Union school was organized in 1895 with four teachers and four de- partments, and was placed under the Regents in 1896. In 1897 the school house was rebuilt. Louis E. Boutwell, principal since 1895. East Eden, a small hamlet in the east part of the town, where German settlers were numerous. Small business interests came into existence there, among them George M. Keller's store, and another by William Mumbach, who is the present postmaster. There are also a few shops, and two churches, noticed further on. Eden Valley, a mere hamlet and station on the railroad in the north part of the town. The original mill here, built by Elisha Welch, passed to A. R. Welch, then to A. E. Richardson and to Richardson Brothers, who also operated a box factory. John G. Youngs was a former merchant and later Joseph Webster. Austin J. Horton opened a store in 1880 ; he is the present postmaster. There are at present two stores in the place, a cigar factory, the mills and the usual shops. Clarksburg, a hamlet in the southeast part of the town on a branch of Eighteen-mile Creek. The first settler here was Nathan Grover ; , Simeon Clark settled in the Hollow, as it was formerly called, about 1820 ; he built the grist mill now owned by Heman A. and Herman Wrightman ; he also built a saw mill and a shop for making spinning wheels. Jacob Henry Hyer was formerly a merchant and tanner there. The post-office with the present name was opened in 1842. Daniel Wrightman established a box factory and planing mill, which were burned in 1881. The so-called Kroner Mills are situated about two miles east of 544 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Eden; they were erected in 1848 by Alexander Kroner; he died in 1882, and the property passed to his sons. Daniel Swigert carried on a brewery several years about three miles northeast of Eden Center. The Baptists in this town organized the "Baptist Church of Christ in Eden" in 1816; and at once entered upon a period of growth. The society received half of the gospel lot from the Holland Land Com- pany, the other half going to the Congregationalists. In 1821 a house of worship was begun at Eden Valley, but it was not finished. In 1848 the old church property was sold and the academy at Eden Center was purchased and rebuilt for a church. This was finally sold to SL J. Ryther, who converted it into a dwelling, and the society erected the present church in 1895. The Congregational church was organized in January, 1817, with eight members; ten years later there was a membership of sixty-three. A house of worship was erected in 1828 at Eden Center; this was con- verted into a town hall in 1889, largely through the liberality of Michael Hutchinson, and the society disbanded. The Methodists of the vicinity met in February, 1830, and took steps towards building their church. They had long held religious services, and a society was organized in the month above named. The edifice was erected the same year. In 1855 it was demolished and a brick building erected; this was remodeled in April, 1894. The Eden Evangelical Association was formed in 1865, and in the next year they erected a church. The Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1866, and the house of worship was erected the same year. A Roman Catholic church was established at East Eden soon after the place was thickly settled. A number of Germans in that region organized also St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church ; these organ- izations united in 1838 in building a house of worship. Dissension subsequently arose, a dissolution followed and separate churches were erected. . The first town meeting in Eden was held in 1813, and the following officers elected: • John C. Twining, supervisor; John March, town clerk;, Amos Smith, David Cor T bin and John Hill, assessors; Charles Johnson, Calvin Doolittle and Richard Berry, jr., commissioners of highways; Lemuel Parmely, collector; John Conant and Silas Estee, constables ; John Welch and Asa Cary, poormasters. Quite a number of these officials resided outside of the present town. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 545 The following is a list of the supervisors of the town of Eden from its organization to the present time with their years of service : John C. Twining, 1813 ; Lemuel Parmely, 1814-16 ; Silas Estee, 1817 ; John March, 1818-19; James Aldrich, 1820; James Green, 1821-23; Asa Warren, 1824; James Green, 1825; Asa Warren, 1826; Levi Bunting, 1827-31 ; James Green, 1832; Harvey Caryl, 1833-34; Daniel Webster, 1835; Harvey .Caryl, 1836-37; Levi Bunting, 1838- 40; William H. Pratt, 1841; James Tefft, 1842; Harvey Caryl, 1843; William H. Pratt, 1844-46; Pardon Tefft, 1847; Daniel Webster, 1848; Pardon Tefft, 1849; Nel- son Welch, 1850-52; Pardon Tefft, 1853-54; J. Redfield, 1855; Nelson Welch, 1856-58; Lyman Pratt, 1859; Azel Austin, 1860; Lyman Pratt, 1861-62; Azel Austin, 1863; Nelson Welch, 1864-67; James Schweckhart, 1868; C. S. Rathbum, 1869-70; Fred- erick Keller, 1871; Nelson Welch, 1872; L. D. Wood, 1873; James H. Lord, 1874-78; Franklin Dole, 1879-80; James H. Lord, 1881-83; J. W. Caitfer, 1884-85; Merrill C. Redfield, 1886; J. W. Carter, 1887-92; Orrin A. Trevallee, 1 1893-94 ; Albert H. Gress- man, 1895-97. TOWN OF ELMA. This town is situated a little northeast of the center of the county with Lancaster on the north, Marilla on the east, Aurora on the south, and West Seneca and East Hamburg on the west. Elma was formed December 4, 1857, from a tract of six miles square which was taken from Lancaster arid Aurora ; it was the last town erected in Erie coun- ty. Had it been included in the Holland Company's survey, it would have been township 10, range 6 ; but its territory was all embraced in the Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation. The surface of this town is gently rolling, the summits of the eleva- tions being from fifty to one hundred feet above the valleys. Big Buf? falo Creek and Cazenove Creek flow across the town, the latter in the southwestern part and the former in the northeastern. The soil is clayey loam in the north part and gravelly loam in the south part. The farmers of the town are principally engaged in mixed agriculture and raising garden products for the Buffalo market. ■ Among the early settlers in the territory of Elma were Lyman Chandler (1829,) Willard Fairbanks (1830), Wilder Hatch, Hiram Pettingill, Taber Earl, Martin Taber and Luther Adams (1834). Joseph Briggs settled in the town in 1829, Thad- deus Hurd in 1832, Ichabod Griggs in 1833, Epsom Woodard in 1834, Lewis Wilson in 1835, John Schmalz in 1837, Jacob Young in 1842, Jacob Jergee and Thomas E. Wier in 1848, Otis A. Hall in 1850. Other settlers and residents were John Quincy Adams, Silas H. Arnold, Eleazer Bancroft, Frank G. Bullis, James J. Grace, Joseph Grace, Albert Davis, James C. Davis, John W. Griffin, Michael Grise, Cyrus Hurd, James Tillou and Horace Kyser. 1 Mr. Trevallee died October 18, 1894, and Albert H. Gressman was appointed to fill vacancy. 69 546 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In 1827 Taber Earl built a tavern on the road from Aurora to Buf- falo ; it soon passed to Samuel Harris, who kept- it imtil his death, when it was used for a dwelling. About 1821 Martin Taber built a second hotel on the opposite side of the road from the first; it is still standing and was long known as the North Star House. About 1832 a Mr. Estabrook built a saw mill, the first one in the town, on the site of the later Bullis mill. In 1835 or 1836 Lemuel Hatch and Robert McKean arranged with Seneca White, an Indian chief, for the privilege of building a saw mill on Buffalo Creek, on the site of East Elma. McKean's interest in the project was transferred to Joseph Riley and he and Mr. Hatch built the mill in 1836. Riley sold out to Hatch, who died in 1842, and Zina Hemstreet took the prop- erty and operated the mill twenty-five years. In 1840 Zabina Lee took up his residence, with consent of the In- dians, on the farm now occupied by O. J. Wannemacher, on the site of Spring Brook village. In May, 1842, the last of the reservation was sold to the Ogden Company, and the region was soon subdivided and settled. , Lewis Northrup located on the site of Spring Brook in 1843 and built a saw mill the next year. A Mr. Flannigan had, with consent of the Indians, kept a tavefn in a log house on the hill at the north end of the Spring Brook site. Another log tavern was built by David J. Mor- ris in 1844, in which year Horace Kyser, Joseph Tillou (before men- tioned) and Zenas Cobb settled there. Alfred Marvel settled in the town in 1848 and opened a road from Spring Brook to his well known farm. James Davis lived a mile south, and Chester Adams a mile north of Mr. Marvel. James H. Ward settled at Spring Brook in 1849 and was justice of the peace about twenty-five years. The northwest part of Elma was chiefly settled by members of the Ebenezer Society, which has been sufficiently described in an earlier chapter. In the mean time the saw mills of the vicinity were rapidly converting the forests into lumber and excellent farms were brought under cultivation. The building of the Buffalo and Aurora plank road in 1848 was of considerable benefit to Elma, making it possible to haul the large quantities of wood and lumber to market with greater facility. ^The construction of what is now the Western New York & Pennsyl- vania Railroad across the town in 1867 still further improved communi- cation with markets and gave the town a marked impetus. Elma Village. — This hamlet is situated in the north part of the town GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 54? where the first house was built in 1845 by Joseph Peck; in the follow- ing year a few neighbors had gathered around him, and they joined in the erection of a school house wherein a school was taught in the suc- ceeding winter. The hamlet of Elma Center is a station on the rail- road. A hotel was built there by C. W. Hurd in 1847 and in 1850 he built a store there. Henry Wright was also a former merchant there. At the present time there is one store and a tavern. The first saw mill at the village was built in 1845 by Eleazer Ban- croft and was in operation to 1880. He also built a chair factory, which was subsequently removed to Aurora. Another saw mill was built in 1846 by C. W. Hurd and Joseph B. Briggs, who afterwards added a grist mill, planing mill and lath mill; these mills are still in operation. A steam saw mill was erected in 1850 by Elam Clark and Warren Jack- man and abandoned many years ago. The first store was built by Warren Jackman in 1852, and business was conducted by a Mr. Ives, who was the first postmaster. Other merchants there were James Clark and Erastus Markham, who is still in trade and is postmaster. William H. Bancroft built the first blacksmith shop in 1847. At the present time there are a store, a cider mill, a carriage factory and a Methodist church in the village. Spring Brook. — This is the largest village in the town and is situated in the western part on the old plank road. The first house here, ex- cepting the log tavern' on the hill, before mentioned, was built by Lewis Northrup in 1843. He erected a saw mill in 1844 and a grist mill about ten years later, all of which passed to Eli B. Northrup and are still in operation. A log tavern was built in 1843 by David J. Mor- ris ; both this and the earlier one on the hill were abandoned as public houses within a few years and a frame tavern was erected which was conducted many years. The first store was opened in 1830 by E. G. Kent, who was succeeded by Samuel Hoyt, and he in 1875 by John Collins ; later the business passed to Charles H. Sweet. Stephen Northrup built a store in 1856 which was burned in 1872 and a brick building was erected on the site. John G. Fisher opened a store there in 1877; his successors were Henry Kihm and Richard T. Barnett. The first postmaster in the village was David J. Morris, and his successors were Stephen Northrup, John G. Fisher, William Cole, Harrison Tillou and Richard T. Barnett. The first steam saw mill there was built in 1848 by Horace Kyser. William English, a later owner, connected a grist mill with it and both 548 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, were burned in 1860. Mr. Kyser built a new grist mill in 1863, which was burned in 1872. A grist and saw mill were built on the site, which in 1882 passed to Briggs & Sweet ; these mills were also burned and not rebuilt. A cheese factory was formerly operated here, but is now not in use. The village has three hotels, two of which have been noticed ; the third was built in 1894 by Louis Leger. Spring Brook railroad station is about a mile north of the village. East Elma, a hamlet south of the eastern part of the town, where Leonard Hatch and Joseph Riley built a saw mill in 1836. When .this property passed to Zina A. Hemstreet and a little hamlet gathered about it became known as Hemstreet's Mills. A grist mill was built in 1856, but it remained idle a number of years, and the saw mill was carried away by a flood in 1859, and subsequently rebuilt. In 1866 Dayid, Ellery S. and Anthony L. Allen, brothers, bought the property and remodeled the grist mill into a woolen factory. The business was conducted a number of years, and then given up and the machinery taken out and carried away. The saw mill is also idle. Isaac Gale opened the first store there about 1856, which was burned in 1878. George W. Hatch built the store, in which trade is still conducted, in 1868. Z. A. Hemstreet and the Allen brothers were also former mer- chants. The railroad station for this vicinity is Jamison Road, about one and a half miles west of East Elma. A store has long been kept there by Ernest Bleeck, who is also landlord of the only tavern; one other general store is kept and there is a carriage shop there. Blossom, — This is a small hamlet in the northwest corner of Elma and partly in West Seneca. It was this region that was formerly inhabited by the Ebenezer Society. About 1856 Charles Reichert purchased the store which had been conducted by the society ; other merchants were Gasper Bauer, Frederick Thram and Mrs. D. Kleeburg. A grist mill built many years ago by the Ebenezer Society is still in operation. A hotel has been kept there for many years. The first church organized at Spring Brook was the Congregational- ism which organization built a church edifice in 1853 and called Rev. Nehemiah Cobb as pastor. The society became embarrassed and the land reverted to its former owner, David J. Morris. In 1868 a Union society was organized which acquired the church property and held it for the use of all denominations; the Methodists have, however, been the principal occupants. The German Methodists built a house of GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 549 worship there in 1872 and it is still used for services in that faith. There was a Methodist church organized at Elma village in 1850. The present frame church was erected in 1859 and dedicated by the well known preacher, Rev. Glezen Fillmore. A German Lutheran church was organized at Blossom in 1862, and a house of worship was soon erected; it was burned and the present structure built in 1872. The German Methodist society at that place purchased a house of worship of the Ebenezer Society in 1861 ; this was used until 1880, when the present church was built. The first town meeting in Elma was held March 19, 1857, at the house of C. W? Hurd, and the following officers elected : Paul B. Lathrop, supervisor ; Warren Jackman, town clerk ; Addison Armstrong, Thomas Aldrich and Nathan W. Stowell, justices of the peace; Asa J. W. Palmer, collector ; Zenas M. Cobb, Horace Blood and Theron Stowell, assessors ;. Whipple Spooner and Benjamin Lougee, commissioners of highways; William Standard, overseer of the poor ; Asa J. W. Palmer, Aaron Hitchcock, Isaac Freeman, Franklin Mitchell and William Jackman, constables ; William H. Bancroft, John W. Cole and John Small, inspectors of election ; Elbridge G. Kent, town sealer. The following is a list of the supervisors of the town of Elma from its organization to the present time: Paul B. Lathrop, 1857-59; ZinaA. Hemstreet, 1860-61 ; Christopher Peek, 1862-63; Lewis M. Bullis, 1864-65; Paul B. Lathrop, 1866; Alfred Marvel, 1867-68; Hiram Harris, 1869-70 ; Alfred Marvel, 1871-73 ; William Winspear, 1874-76; Eli B. Northrup, 1877-80; Alfred Marvel, 1881-82; James Tillou, 1883-84; Cyrus Hurd, 1885; Myron H. Clark, 1886-87; Timothy Clifford, 1888; Eli B. Northrup, 1889-90; Charles H. Sweet, 1891-92; R. T. Barnett, 1893-94; John Luders, 1895-97. TOWN OF EVANS. Evans is situated in the southwest part of Erie county and is bounded on the northeast by Hamburg; on the east by Eden; on the south by Brant and northwest by Lake Erie. Its territory is nearly all in town- ship 8, range 9 of the Holland Company's survey, and includes about forty square miles, or 25,481 acres. The surface is level and slightly undulating and the soil is a sandy and gravelly loam intermixed with clay. The pricipal stream is Big Sister Creek, which flows northwest- wardly across the town. Eighteen-mile Creek drains the northeast cor- ner and other streams are Little Sister, Delaware, Pike and Muddy Creeks ; all of these flow into Lake Erie. Evans was formed March 23, 1821. A small tract was taken from Hamburg in 1826 and annexed to Evans, and a part of Brant was taken off in 1839. 550 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The first settlement was made in the territory of Evans in 1804 by Joel Harvey, who located near the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. Within a few succeeding years a number of settleTs located either near Harvey or farther up the lake, but they moved away and their names are not known. In 1806 Harvey opened the first tavern in the town. In 1808 Ebenezer Ingersoll settled in the town. The next permanent settlement was made in 1809 by Aaron Salis- bury, who located three miles southwest of Harvey and later became a prominent citizen. Aaron Cash settled near the site of North Evans. In the next year Anderson Taylor settled on the site of Evans Center, and David Cash, Elijah Gates, Nathaniel Lay, John Barker, and Seth and Martin Sprague settled along near the lake shore. In 1810-11 Gideon Dudley settled at Evans Center; David Corbih and Timothy Dustin near that section; a Mr. Pike on Pike's Creek and Job South- worth came in. Ira Ayer and his parents, James and Sarah, settled in 1811. About this time Job Palmer took Harvey's place as tavern- keeper at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. Other settlers of 1811 were James Ayer, with his seven children, and Hezekiah Dibble. William Cook became a resident in 1812. After the war immigration to the town was rapid. A saw mill and grist mill were built on the site of Evans Center in 1815-16 and a ham- let gathered around which was called Wright's Mills. About 1818 a post-office was opened on the lake shore with the name of Eden, in which town what is now Evans was then included ; James W. Peters was the first postmaster. In 1820 Deacon Joseph Bennet made his ad- vent into the town with his parents. In 1821 Dr. George Sweetland settled at the site of East Evans, as the first physician in the town. He was father of George Sweetland, jr., who was born there in 1823. Other settlers and residents who have been more or less prominent in the town were : Irad Raymond, 1825; Sheldon Hurd, 1832; William A. Ryneck, 1820; John Reeve, J. R. Newton, 1831; Nathaniel Smith, 1835, and Henry Bundy, Orlin C. Brown,. Roselle U. Blackney, Sidney P. Imus, Mark Trumbull, Orange J. Dibble, Ira Ayer, James Ayer, Peter Barker, William Van Duzer, Edmund Z. Southwick, H. N. Can- dee and Lyman Oatman. , Farming methods in Evans have greatly changed in recent j^ears, as they have elsewhere in Erie county. Dairying and truck farming for canning factories have largely superseded the old crops. There are four cheese factories in this town, but they are not all in operation. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 551 The natural beauty of the region along the lake shore and the health - fulness of the locality have in recent years attracted many sum- mer visitors, and several popular resorts have come into existence. Among these are Highland-on-the-Lake at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek, Hotel Mortimer, Wahaka Beach, Angola Gamp Ground, Gaoseha Beach, etc. In February, 1 852, the Buffalo & State Line Railroad (now a part of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern road) was opened for traffic through this town. As the road passed about a mile east of Evans Center, a village sprang up near where the line crosses Big Sister Creek to which was given the name, Angola. Through the influence of the railroad, trade was diverted from the older place and during many past years Angola has been the business center of the town. Another line of railroad was built through the town in 1881-2, but as it runs nearly parallel with the former road, it has not had marked local influence. Dr. George Sweetland, before mentioned, practiced in Evans from 1821 to 1882, when he died. Other physicians of the town have been Drs. Marvin, Aldrich, Nelson Sweetland (nephew of Dr. George), Armstrong, Beckwith (died in 1870), Powers (at Angola in 1858 as the first one in the village), Curtis, Owen, William Danforth, J. G. Thomp- son and E. R. Raymond. Evans Center. — This is a small village situated west of the center of the town. After the settlement of Anderson Tajdor in 1810, Henry Tuttle and William Wright located there and built a saw mill in 1815 and in the following year a grist mill. Both of these finally passed to possession of Orson Earl. Anderson Taylor built a hotel on the hill which he conducted several years. The post-office, which was first opened on the lake shore, was removed to Evans Center, from which time the place bore that name, instead of Wright's Mills, as before ; this was done about 1821. Among former postmasters there were William Van Duzer, E. B. Hard, William Carrier, Thomas I. Brownell, Fillmore H. West, Josiah C. Hamilton and Emil Bock, incumbent. Evans Center soon became an active business place and so continued more than thirty years. Among former merchants were Cutter Trask, Hard & Carrier, Thomas I. Brownell, Warren K. Russell, Riley A- Russell, John Mosher and William E. Bolton. There are now two stores in the village. A tannery was built many years ago by James Black and operated successively by Black & Brodie, James Brodie, and Benjamin Brodie ; 552 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. it was recently demolished. Evans Center has one of the oldest graded schools in Erie county, the building for which was erected in 1857. - The school has now two departments and two teachers. Angola. — George Wilcox settled at this place in 1854 and opened a shoe shop; he is still living. At that time Harvey Barrell, P. H. Car- rier and Philip Clark were the heads of the only families in that vicin- ity, their farm lands including the village site. Soon afterwards a sa- loon was opened on the site of the present Angola House. In the same year Bundy & Hard built and opened a general store on the site of the Farmers' Hotel; the business was sold to Lyman Oatman, who was succeeded by his son, David C. Oatman. The village when first laid out was called Evans Station, but in 1854-5, when the post-office was established, the name was changed to Angola. John H. Adams was the first postmaster. Among merchants of former years were : Chauncey T. Carrier, Elijah Tifft, John H. Andrus, Seeley and R. U. Blackney, George Wilcox, Le Roy S. Oatman, William • H. Ryneck, Stephen Landon, H. S. Landon, Mrs. I. F. Thompson, Mrs. L. E. Huntley, Dr. Lyman R. Raymond, John H. Southworth, Henry J. Penfold, Brown & Wood, Henry C. Schlender and Charles A. Kinsley. The Angola House, before mentioned, was moved from Evans Cen- ter, and rebuilt in 1860 by John H. Andrus; he was succeeded by Alva Montgomery, and he by Sydney P. Imus. The Union Hotel was built by George Caskey in 1871, who was succeeded in 1877 by Elijah P. Smith ; now kept by A. J. Watt. In 1888 John Lyth established a plant for the manufacture of sewer pipe, hollow brick, tile etc., to which business the firm of John Lyth & Sons succeeded. The whole plant and buildings cover ten acres of ground; the headquarters are in Buffalo. The Candee Lock Co., in- corporated May, 1895, to manufacture patent locks and builders' hard- ware; A. W. Candee, secretary and treasurer, as well as principal stockholder; the establishment is now idle. A saw and planing mill was established eight years ago and is still in operation. Gotlieb Koehler & Co. carry on a small tanning business. The Angola steam and water power flouring mills were built by the three sons of Henry Bundy. The latter settled in Evans in 1830 and early engaged in the manufacture of horse rakes; he purchased the mill property in 1853 and added a planing mill and sash and door factory. In 1877 the works were burned and a custom mill was built on the site. The Angola Record was established May 22, 1879, by H. J. Penfold. In 1881 Orlin C. Brown became a partner. The paper passed to pos- GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 553 session of David C. Oatman and Stephen Landon in 1884, who were succeeded by Weston N. Landon. A Union school was established in 1871 in a commodious building erected in 1870. The first principal was J. W. Barker. Angola vil- lage was incorporated by special election held August 30, 1873. At that time the population was 600. Lyman Oatman was chosen the first president; O. W. W. Beckwith, L. M. Winslow and Joseph Frohley, trustees. There are now in Angola 2 hardware stores, 1 drug store, 1 shoe store, 5 groceries, 4 hotels, 1 meat market, 2 milliners, 1 clothing store, a newspaper, a Union school, a grist mill, a saw and planing mill, sewer pipe works, a cooper shop, a wagon shop and 3 blacksmith shops. East Evans {Jerusalem). — This is a hamlet north of the center of the town. When Elijah Stocking settled on the site of this place in 18-14 there were only four settlers between there and the lake. They were Aaron Salisbury, O. J. Dibble, Nathaniel Gray and Elijah Talman. Among the settlers the next year were Isaac and Jehiel Bartholomew, Zacharias Maltby and his son Jonathan. Soon after the war of 1812 a hotel was opened there by a Mr. Clark and a store was established in 1820 by R. Rowell. Among other past merchants were a Mr. Webb, James Stray, John Shears, John Rickert, all of whom were postmasters at different periods. North Evans.- — A hamlet in the extreme northeast corner of the town and a station on the railroad. Aaron Cash settled there in 1890 and David Hamlin and the Ames families located there soon aftewards. George E. Sykes was a former merchant and two stores are now open. A tannery and mills were built, the former long operated by Charles Ibeck. A graded school was established and in 1895 a commodious school building was erected. Derby is a settlement and railroad station about a mile east of East Evans, where a p'ost-office was opened in 1874, with George W. Carr postmaster. A small mercantile business has since been conducted there. Pontiac is a hamlet on a branch of Big Sister Creek, southeast of An- gola, where a grist and saw mill have long been in operation. R. N. Candee formerly kept a grocery. A Methodist Episcopal church was formed at Evans Center in 1815. Meetings were held in school houses and dwellings until 1844,'when a 70 554 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. church was erected. When the Congregationalists divided to form a new socieiy at Angola, the Methodists exchanged houses of worship with them ; their old building was sold and removed ; it was later struck by lightning and partially burned. The Congregational society subse- quently disbanded. The Baptist church at Evans Center was formed in September, 1830, with fourteen members. The present edifice was erected in 1855 and is now receiving an addition. A Methodist church was organized at North Evans in 1828, and their first house of worship was erected in 1856. A Congregational church was formed at East Evans in July, 1818. The church records are very meager, and it is not known when the edifice was erected. Congrega- tional services were held in Angola by the pastor at East Evans from about 1857, which were continued until 1863, when a society was or- ganized with thirteen members. This church has had a prosperous existence and in 1892 built an addition to their church. Precious Blood Roman Catholic church at Angola was organized soon after settlement began at the village. The former school building was purchased for services in 1870 and used until the present year. A new church is now in process of erection. The records of the town of Evans prior to 1856 have been lost, and it is impossible, therefore, to give a complete list of the supervisors ; the following are all that can be ascertained, many of them being col- lected from other sources: Nathaniel Gray, 1825; William Van Duzer, 1827; Jonathan Hascall, jr., 1830; Orange J. Dibble, 1832; Aaron Salisbury, 1833-38; Sayles Aldrich, 1839-40, 1842- 43; Aaron Salisbury, 1844; Joseph Bennett, 1845-48; Isaac Potter, 1849; John Bor- land, 1850-51 ; Joseph Bennett, 1852 ; Myron D. Winslow, 1853 ; Peter Barker, 1854- 55; Myron D. Winslow, 1856; Ira Ayer, 1857-58; Myron D. Winslow, 1859; James Ayer, 1860-62; Lyman Oatman, 1863; John H. Andrus, 1864; Lyman Oatman, 1865; Edmund Z. Southwick, 1866-70; David C. Oatman, 1871-74; Edmund Z. Southwicki 1875; David C. Oatman, 1876; Josiah Southwick, 1877-78; Orlin C. Brown, 1879-85; Judson O. Bennett, 1886 ; Orson Earl, 1887-97. TOWN OF GRAND ISLAND. Grand Island is situated in the Niagara River and contains an area of 17,381 acres of good agricultural land. Up to about the year 1834 ft was mostly covered with a heavy growth of timber. At its southern extremity and separated from it by the small arm of Beaver Creek, is Beaver Island, containing forty acres. The scenery on and around this great island is grandly picturesque and has aided in making it a popular resort. GAfcfiff esr of* towns. sss An act of the Legislature of April 12, 1824, made it the duty of the commissioners of the land office to cause Grand Island to be surveyed into lots of not more than 200 acres each, which should be appraised by the surveyors and a report made to the surveyor-general; and that the commissioners of the land office should thereupon sell the lots at public auction. The same act annexed the island to Erie county as part of the old town of Buffalo. It has been stated in earlier chapters that the island was purchased from the Seneca Indians in September, 1815, for about $11,000. The island was for some time occupied by squatters, who were driven away by force in 1819. Succeeding the survey just mentioned, a historical event was in- augurated on Grand Island. Major Mordecai Marfuel Noah, a prom- inent Israelite of New York city and editor of the National Advocate, conceived the idea that the island would make a suitable asylum for the Jews of all nations, where they could found a great city and eman- cipate themselves from oppression in foreign countries. Major Noah, although a man of conceded ability, a politician of prominence, and influential in high places, was an extreme visionary. His Grand Island scheme is ample evidence of this fact. To carry out his plans he in- duced his friend, Samuel Leggett, of New York, to purchase 2,555 acres of land on the island, upon-which the settlement of the Jews was to begin. Noah's plans involved also the energetic promotion of com- merce at Tonawanda, which he believed would soon give it the ascend- ency over both Buffalo and Black Rock. These plans were exten- sively advertised through Noah's paper, and several capitalists were in- duced to enter into the project. Mr. Leggett's purchase included 1,020 acres at the head of the island and the remainder opposite Tona- wanda; for the whole he paid nearly $10,000. John B. Yates and Archibald Mclntyre, then lottery manipulators, and Peter Smith, father of the late Gerrit Smith, and others were among the purchas- ers of lands on the island, but not in connection with the scheme of Major Noah. With the aid of a friend named A. S. Siexas, a man of indomitable perseverance, Noah made his final preparations, and in August, 1825, they left New York, Noah's insignia and robes of office packed in trunks. The Jewish city was to be named Ararat, and Noah had prepared a stone which was to be " the chief of the corner," bearing a proper inscription. When he arrived in Buffalo, finding it inconvenient to get to Grand Island for the ceremonial planned, Noah adopted the ridiculous course of laying the stone in the Episcopal 556 OtJR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. church of the village; 1 this astonishing proceeding took place on Sep- tember 2, 1825. A day or two later Major Noah returned to New York; the corner stone was taken from the audience room of the church and placed outside against the rear wall; the project of found- ing the city of Ararat vanished into air. Noah had collected con- siderable money from wealthy Jews, by whom he was warmly de- nounced and ridiculed. But by his ready wit, and through his news- paper, he replied to the jeers and accusations in good humor and lost little of his former prestige. After a migratory career of many years the famous corner stone finally found a home in the Buffalo Historical Society's rooms in January, 1866. In 1833 a purchase was made of Leggett and other owners by some Boston men, with whom the late Lewis F. Allen was interested,- of 16,- 000 acres of Grand Island lands; the price was a little above $5 an acre. The purpose of these men was to make use of the valuable white oak timber on the island, which was to be cut and shipped to New York and Boston for ship building. A steam saw mill and several houses were built on the island and the work of clearing began. In 1849 the lands of the island were opened for sale to individuals, and many farms were sold and rapidly improved. A population of about 1,200 finally gathered into a prosperous community, with ample school accommodations, three churches, good roads, and all facilities for town government. When the town of Tonawanda was formed from Buffalo in 1836 it included Grand' Island and so remained until October 19, 1852, when the town of Grand Island was erected. The following are the supervisors of Grand Island from the organiza- tion of the town to the present time, with their years of service : John Nice, 1852-54; David Morgan, 1855-56; Asa Ransom, 1857-58; David Mor- gan, 1859; John Nice, 1860; Ossian Bedell, 1861-62; Levant Ransom, 1863; John Nice, 1864-66 ; Dr. H. B. Ransom, 1867-69 ; Levant Ransom, 1870 ; John H. W. Staley, 1871-72; Sutliff Staley, 1873; Dr. H. B. Ransom, 1874; Conrad Spohr, 1875-76; Henry Stamler, 1877; Dr. H. B. Ransom, 1878; John H. Stoneway, 1879-82; John H. W. Staley, 1883; Joachim Long, 1884-85; John H. ttoneway, 1886-90; Thomas McConkey, 1891-92; Peter De Glopper, 1893-97. Within the past fifteen years a number of handsome residences have been built on the island, several public houses especially adapted for summer visitors established and two popular clubs have well appointed houses there. GAZETTEER OP TOWNS 557 TOWN OF HAMBURG. The town of Hamburg, so named from Hamburg in Germany, lies in the western part of Erie county, directly south of Buffalo, and was formed 'from Willihk on the 20th of March, 1812. In 1826 a small tract was annexed to Evans; on October 15, 1850, the town of Eljicott (now East Hamburg) was set off; on October 16, 1851, a part of West Seneca was taken off ; and about the same time a small triangular tract east of the Abbott road was transferred to Hamburg. The town con- tains about 25,000 acres, and is bounded on the east by East Hamburg, on the south by Boston, Eden and Evans, on the west by Lake Erie, and on the north by the lake and West Seneca. The surface is rolling in the eastern part and level, with a gentle inclination toward the lake, in the western part. The soil is generally a clayey loam and very pro- ductive; along Eighteen-mile Creek, or the Idlewood, gravel abounds. Outside of the village the chief industry is agriculture ; all kinds of farm produce, garden truck, fruit, etc., are grown in abundance. Along the lake shore several summer resorts and private houses have sprung up within the last ten or fifteen years. The first town meeting was held at the house of Jacob Wright on the 7th of April, 1812, and the following officers were elected: David Eddy, supervisor ; Samuel Hawkins, town clerk ; Isaac Chandler, Richard Smith and Nelson Whitticer, assessors; Abner Wilson, constable and collector; Nathaniel Clark and Thomas Fish, overseers of the poor; Joseph Brown, John Green and Amasa Smith, commissioners of highways; Abner Amsdell and Jotham Bemis, poundmasters. Following is a list of the supervisors of Hamburg with their years of service : David Eddy, 1812; Samuel Abbott, 1813; Richard Smith, 1814; Lemuel Wasson, 1815; Richard Smith, 1816; Isaac Chandler, 1817; Richard Smith, 1818; Abner Wilson, 1819; Lemuel Wasson, 1820-24; Thomas T. White, 1825; Joseph Foster, 1826-29; Elisha Smith, 1830-41; Isaac Deuel, 1842; Joseph Foster, 1843; Clark Dart, 1844; Amos Chilcott, 1845; Clark Dart, 1846; Isaac Deuel, 1847-48; Jesse Bartoo, 1849; Jacob Potter, 1850; John Clark, 1851-52; Ira Barnard, 1853-55; George W. Barnard, 1856; Morris Osborn, 1857-58; James S. Parkhill, 1859; Noel White, 1860- 61; Allen K. Dart, 1862-65; George M. Pierce, 1866-67; RobertC. Titus, 1868-71; George M. Pierce, 1872-73; Horace W. White, 1874-76; Andrei Stein, 1877-80; Harvey S. Spencer, 1881-82; J. S. Newton, 1883; Horace W White, 1884-86; John Brendel, 1387-89; Fayette Kelly, 1890-97. There is some doubt as to who was the first settler in Hamburg, but every fact obtainable points to John Cummings, who purchased from the Holland Land Company a tract of land on Eighteen-mile Creek in 558 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1803. There seems to have been a number of settlers in that year, among them being the Hicks and Van Namee families, Ebenezer Good- rich and Daniel Camp, all on the lake shore, and Nelson Whitticer, Ebenezer Ingersoll and John Van Namee, father, of Leonard. About 1805 Mr. Cummings erected, near what is now Water Valley, the first grist mill in the town and the first in Erie v county south of a rude corn mill in East Hamburg. He died soon afterward and was the first per- son buried in the old cemetery in Hamburg. About 1804 Rufus Belden and Nathaniel Titus came in ; the latter, in 1805, opened the first tavern in town on the lake shore. Among the settlers of 1805 were Abner Amsdell and son Abner, Jotham Bemis, Abel Buck, Gideon Dudley, Russell Goodrich, Samuel P. Hibbard, Winslow Perry, King Root and Tyler Sackett. About 1806 Jacob Wright settled and opened a tavern at Wright's Corners, now Abbott's Corners, and about the same time Daniel Smith moved his corn mill, previously mentioned, from East Hamburg to the creek near Hamburg village. About 1808 Mr. Smith and his brother, Judge Richard Smith, erected a grist mill, and for several years the place was called Smith's Mills. A saw mill was built at Water Valley about 1811. Other early settlers of the original town were: Seth Abbott, Joseph Abbott, Samuel Abbott, William Coltrin, Benjamin Enos, Cotton Fletcher, John Green, Pardon Pierce, Giles Sage, Zenas Smith and William Warriner, the latter a surgeon in the war of 1812. At the battle of Black Rock, New- man Baker, William Cheeseman and Parley Moffat, residents of this town, were slain. Capt. Benjamin 1. Clough of Hamburg, was an officer in that war. After the war of 1812 Judge Zenas Barker purchased the Titus tavern on the lake shore, and a post-office was established there with the name of Barkersville. Bird & Foster succeeded Judge Barker. The Lake Shore road was long the principal route of travel, and at one time, it is said, there were nearly as many taverns as private dwellings on it. Prior to 1818 Lewis T. White, Jacob A. Barker, Daniel Brayman, Caleb Pierce, Lansing and Seymour Whitticer, the Shepard, Barnard, Jack- son and Beach families, and others had became settlers. In 1822 the post-offices of Barkersville and Smithville (at Smith's Mills) were dis- continued and another, called Hamburg, established at Abbott's Cor- ners, which for several years was the leading business place in town. During the Patriot war in 1837-38 two or more movements looking to the invasion of Canada originated in Hamburg; in February, 1838, Colonel Worth dispersed a body of 400 patriots who had assembled at GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 559 Comstock's tavern for this purpose. Many of the early settlers were Germans, who, by 1840, had gained a wide reputation for their " Ham- burg cheese," which long continued to be a celebrated product of the town. In 1868 the Erie County Agricultural Society found a perma- nent home on the grounds of the Hamburg Driving Park Association, where annual exhibitions have since been held. Among the prominent citizens of Hamburg are the following: Col. George Abbott, Capt. B. K. Buxton, Isaac Long, Moses Dart and son Moses, John V. Dorst, George Kast and son George,- Henry F. Kast and son Peter, Amasa K. Ostrander, John and Joseph Potter, Joseph McGee, Reuben Potter and sons Jo- seph and Reuben, Mathias Rittman and son Abram, George W. Sikes, John P. Spaulding, Prof. Elliott W. Stewart, Horace White and son Horace W., Sanford Williams and son Addis E., Philander Rathbone, Amasa Smith, William H. Brown, Poltis Colvin, Elihu Johnson, Marcus Schwert. Hamburg Village is situated on the Buffalo and southwestern divis- ion of the Erie Railroad, which was completed in 1875, and had its beginnings in the grist mill of David and Richard Smith. This mill soon gave place to a larger one, which was washed away in January, 1822. It was rebuilt by Mr. Mills, who was succeeded by his son, John T. Mills, who sold it to Isaac Long about 1827. The latter was followed by his son, Abram Long, who built a new brick structure.in 1856 ; this was burned about 1888 and rebuilt. Soon after 1808 Root & Bliss erected a tannery, which was purchased about 1818 by Thomas T. White, who was succeeded by ^his son, Lewis T. White; the latter sold it in 1840 to John Sigel, and on October 5, 1896, it was burned. Willard Berry, in 1825, built a cloth mill, which was burned a few years later. The place was first known as Smith's Mills and afterward as White's Corners ; a post-office, named Smithville, was established in 1 820, with Ralph Shepard as postmaster, and discontinued in 1822, when a post- office called Hamburg was established at Abbott's Corners. This lat- ter office was removed to Hamburg village about 1850, and since then this has been the chief business center in the town. In 1817 Bennett & Beaman were engaged in the mercantile trade and Ralph Shepard was keeping tavern. About 1820 Thomas T. White opened a general store on the corner of Main and Buffalo streets, and from him the place derived the name of White's Corners, which it retained for fifty years or more. . Later merchants were : Thomas Pish, who was succeeded in 1852 by his son, Milford Fish, who built the brick store of Burton M. Fish in 1860; Milton Fish & Sons (Burton M., Clinton T. 560 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and Newton C); Johnson & Huson, Bunting & Ellwood, Thomas L. Bunting, John G. Brendel, George "W. Eddy & Co., Nicholas Pauley and son Nicholas, jr., George Federspiel, Federspiel & Eckhardt, Henry Mackmer, Joseph Kronenburg, Frank Schumer, Alexander C. Stolting, George Chandler, Edward S. Nott, Marcus Schwert, Henry Michael, Jacob Hauck & Co,, Jacob Bush, Lewis Smith, William Venner, Ellwood & Venner, C. Froehley, J. W. Salisbury, Charles H. Kehe, Joseph Shoemaker, Perry Parks, Lake & Eddy, Newton C. Fish, William Kronenburg, John Thiel. The first physician in the village was Dr. Daniel Allen, who was in practice in 1817. Later physicians were Drs. Camp, Foote, Howard and Hyde, Dr. James Allen, Dr. George A. Schmidt, Dr. George Allen, Dr. Paige, Dr. Beckwith, Dr. F. W. Bartlett, Dr. S. E. S. H. Nott, Dr. C. W. Bourne, and Dr. George Abbott. Dr. D. R. Leach has been a dentist here for many years. The first lawyer is said to have been David Lake, prior to 1840. Other lawyers were Abram Thorn, Ira E. Irish, Horace Boies, A. C. Calkins, Robert B. Titus, Hosea Heath, Fayette Kelly, and Perry M. Thorn. In the foregoing list of merchants, physicians and lawyers are many who are now following their chosen callings. The first school in Hamburg village was taught in 1820. In 1849 a two-story brick school house was erected, and in 1868 this was replaced by another structure costing $14,000; in the latter year the present Union school was organized with C. W. Richards as principal and Miss Olive North and Miss Hattie Dalrymple as assistants; the first board of education consisted of Rev. A. J. Wilcox, president, Dr. S. E. S. H. Nott, Dr. George Abbott, Dr. G. A. Schmidt, Dr. L. R. Leach, A. C. Calkins, Charles Sigel, Allen K. Dart, Joseph Kronenburg, O. C. Pierce and George Federspiel. The village grew steadily after about 1850, and by 1870 had five stores of various kinds. In was incorporated May 9, 1874, with the following officers: George M. Pierce, president ; Dr. H. S. Spencer, Dr. G. A. Schmidt, J. Ritten, Thomas L. Bunting, Andrei Stein and A. C. Calkins, trustees; Thomas L. Bunting, treasurer; Andrei Stein, collector; A. C. Calkins, clerk. On November 9, 1875, Alexander C. Stolting began the publication of the Erie County Independent, which was sold to J. W. Constantine about five years later. Soon afterward it passed to Charles G. Miller, who, in April, 1882, was succeeded by his brother, Joseph B. Miller, the present proprietor. Under Mr. Miller's editorship it has acquired a wide circulation. In 1876 twenty-five numbers of the Hamburg Dem- ocrat were issued, and for one year Charles Sickman published the Hamburg Sentinel. The Hamburg Journal was started in 1880 by F. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 561 M. Perley, who was succeeded by E. P. Thurston; it it was discon- tinued about 1885. A planing mill was built by Horace Dart in 1879, and on May 5, 1883, passed to the Hamburg Planing Mill Company, the officers of which were James Taylor, president; Thomas L. Bunting, secretary; and William S. Nelson, treasurer. The Hamburg Axe Company was organized in 1881 and went out of existence about 1885. In 1881' the Hamburg Canning Company was organized with a capital of $30,000 and with George M. Pierce as president and Thomas L. Bunting as secretary and treasurer. -The planing mill and the canning factory are the leading manufacturing establishments in the village. The Bank of Hamburg commenced business August 1, 1883, with a paid up capital of $50,000, and with these officers: George M, Pierce, president; Thomas L. Bunting, vice-president; H. S. Spencer, cashier — all of whom still hold their respective positions. The People's Bank was incorporated May 22, 1891, with a capital of $30,000, and with Robert B. Foote, president, and Perry M. Thorn, cashier; Mr. Foote was succeeded by Burton M. Fish and he by Amos H. Baker as presi- dent. Among the postmasters of Hamburg were Philander Rathbone, Dr. George A. Schmidt, Lewis E. Smith, Allen Monroe, Philip Juergens and Charles H. Wood. The following have also been prominent men in the village: Rudolph Stratraeier, John Bitler, A. S. Frierle and William Boden, blacksmiths ; John Ritman and Adam Esenscheid, wagon-makers ; Charles Beek and Allen Mon- roe, cigar manufacturers ; Peter and George Kast, cider manufacturers. The oldest hotel in Hamburg is that of George Kopp, jr. , which has been in the family for up- wards of fifty years. In July, 1889, the Hamburg Water and Electric Light Company and the Hamburg Investment and Improvement Company were organized with Thomas L. Bunting, president, and H. S. Spencer, secretary and treasurer. The water works were constructed that year, and the electric lights were turned on September 19, 1893. The last named company has successfully developed various parts of the village. In 1893 the old cemetery was converted into a village park, $5,000 in bonds being issued for the purpose. In 1895 a Business Men's Association was organized, with George A. Bensley as president, and about the same time a number of prominent women formed the Nineteenth Century Club, through whose efforts a free library and reading room were 71 562 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. opened December 17, 1896. 'The village has a fire department con- sisting of one engine and three hook and ladder companies. A Methodist class was organized in Hamburg about 1816, and after- ward a church edifice was erected, which is now used for business pur- poses; a new frame structure was built in 1884. The Freewill Baptist church was organized about 1826, by Rev. H. M. Cary, the first pastor beirlg Rev. H. M. Plumb. About 1830 they erected an edifice, which was finally purchased by the Presbyterians and enlarged in 1892. SS. Peter's and Paul's Roman Catholic church was organized in 1831; their present brick edifice was commenced in 1861 and' dedicated June 29, 1863, and a parochial school was established in 1876. St. Jacob's Evangelical Protestant church was founded about 1850 and regularly organized in 1860; a house of worship was built in 1853 and rebuilt in 1887. Trinity Episcopal church was consecrated April 8, 1893. There is^also a Wesleyan Methodist Society in the village. Hamburg village had a population in 1880 of 758; in 1890 it was 1,331; and at the present time it is estimated at about 2,000. The village contains 7 general stores, 2 groceries, 2 drug stores, 2 clothing stores, 2 jewelry stores, 2 furniture stores, 2 hardware stores, 2 shoe stores, 3 meat markets, 2 merchant tailors, 3 millinery stores, 2 banks, a weekly newspaper, 3 printing offices, 10 hotels, a canning factory, 1 flouring mill, a planing mill, 2 coal dealers, 2 harness shops, 2 shoe- makers, 2 livery stables, 3 cigar manufacturers, 8 blacksmith shops, a news and notion store, 2 photograph galleries, 5 physicians, 5 dentists, 6 lawyers, a union and 2 parochial schools, and 7 religious societies and 6 churches. In the vicinity are also a number of poultry yards. Abbott's Corners {Armor post-office), from 1812 to 1850, was the chief business place in the town. It lies near the line between Ham- burg and East Hamburg, and had its nucleus in the tavern of Jacob Wright, who came there about 1807, and who gave it the name of Wright's Corners. After the close of the war of 1812-15 Seth Abbott arrived and about 1820 opened another tavern ; later he built a large brick hotel, and from him the place has since been popularly known as Abbott's Corners. Harry Abbott, his son, opened the first store, and when the post-office, named Hamburg, was established there was ap- pointed the first postmaster. About 1850 the office was moved to Hamburg village and later the present post-office, called Armor, was established. Seth Abbott's hotel passed successively to Chauncey Abbott, William Titus, jr., Reuben Newton and (in 1861) Louis Hepp. Gazetteer of towns. 5d3 About 1821 Sabin Weld built a tannery, which, after many years, was sold to George Lamb, who removed it to Buffalo. The first physician was Dr. William Warriner, who came before the war of 1812. Dr. Pringle settled there about 1820. Charles B? Hyde, the first lawyer, came to Abbott's Corners about 1825. Among the merchants who followed Harry Abbott were George White, Cushing Swift, Philander Rathbone and Louis Hepp. Mr. Hepp has been a hotel-keeper and general merchant there since 1861. John Romler has been a long- time wagonmaker and postmaster. After 1850 the business interests and importance of Abbott's Cor- ners rapidly diminished, until now there are but 1 store, 2 hotels, 2 blacksmiths, 1 church, etc. A Congregational chtorch was organized about 1817 and an edifice erected in 1825; about 1850 the building was sold and the society became Presbyterian. The First Methodist Epis- copal church was built in 1857. A Baptist society was organized in August, 1894, but soon disbanded. V ' A bbott's Road is a station on the Erie Railroad about one mile north- west of Abbott's Corners. Water Valley, situated on Eighteen-mile Creek about a mile south- west of Hamburg village, has -been chiefly noted as the best mill site in the town. At a very early date John Porter had a woolen factory there ; it passed to Charles Haviland & Son, was burned in 1869, and on the site O. C. Pierce erected the present grist mill of Arnold Pierce & Son, the daily capacity of which is about 200 barrels of flour. Later Edward Hunt built a foundry and planing mill where, his father formerly manufactured agricultural implements. The foundry is now .owned by Stewart Brothers. In 1883 Dietrich & O'Brien established a furniture factory which was subsequently burned. The first store was opened by Sterling Mallory, who was succeeded by Jesse Bartoo about 1848; the latter was followed by his son, who discontinued the business about 1873, and since then no store has been conducted there. Water Valley now contains little else than the foundry and grist mill. Big Tree is a small hamlet and station on the Erie Railroad, north of Hamburg village, and where the White's Corners road crosses the Big Tree road, near Bush Creek. Window, is a post-office and station on the Buffalo, Rochester & Pitts- burg Railroad and on the town line between Hamburg and East Ham- burg. Blasdell, situated in the north part of the town, is a brisk village 664 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. founded by Heman M. Blasdell, who purchased and laid out the site and opened the first store about 1885. It contains three large manu- facturing establishments, namely, a planing mill erected by J. I. Jewell in 1894, the stone-paper composition factory of Martin & Thacher, and an aeromotor factory. It also contains several stores and shops, a union school and a Brethren in Christ church, built in 1892. The Buffalo and Hamburg Electric Railway was constructed from Limestone Hill in West Seneca through Blasdell to Woodlawn Beach in 1895. In 1897 a terminal railroad was built from Blasdell to Depew as a "shortcut" for the leading trunk lines. Besides these the village has stations on the Erie, the Lake Shore, the Western New York and Pennsylvania and the Nickel Plate Railroads. The following are all summer resorts along the shore of Lake Erie, and are reached by one or more of the railroads which run parallel with the shore through the town. Woodlawn Beach is is situated in the northwest corner of the town, six miles from Buffalo. It is the most popular resort, particular^ for excursionists, on the Erie county shore of the lake. Bay View is owned by the Bay View Rifle Association, and has long been noted for its rifle range. Athol Springs contains the Fresh Air Mission Hospital, which was incorporated in 1894. For several years one or more hotels have been kept there. Lakeside Cemetery, incorporated July 3, 1895, was opened to the public August 22, 1896, and comprises 250 acres. Hamburg-on-the-Lake, or West Hamburg, is a mile south of Athol Springs. Wanakah is little more than a station on the three railroads. Lake View is a railroad station in. the southwest part of the town, and contains one hotel, the store of F. W. Cook, the factory of the Erie Cycle Company (built in 1895) and a union church (erected in 1892). Idlewood lies in the southwest corner of the town, at the mouth of Eighteen-mile Creek. It is controlled by the Idlewood Association, which was organized in 1882, and has about twenty members, each of whom has a summer residence there. TOWN OF HOLLAND. The town of Holland is situated on the east line of Erie county, near the southeast corner, with Wales on the north, Colden on the west and Sardinia on the south. The town was formed April 15, 1818, GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 565 from the territory of old Willink and then comprised the present town of Colden, which was set off in 1827. Holland comprises township 8, range 5 of the Holland survey, and contains thirty-six square miles, or 24,934 acres. Cazenove Creek flows northwesterly across the town, and Hunter's Creek drains the northeast part; a branch of Buffalo Creek drains the southeast corner. Most of the town is upland, with fertile valleys along the streams. The territory of this town was first settled in 1807, when Arthur Humphrey, Abner Currier and Jared Scott bought farms in Cazenove Creek valley in the northwestern part. In 1808-09 Ezekiel Colby set- tled in the same valley, Nathan Colby located on Vermont Hill, as also did Jacob Farrington, east of the site of Holland village. Others who came in before the war of 1812 were Daniel McKean, Harvey Colby, Samuel Miller, Increase Richardson, Sanford Porter, Theophilus Bald- win and Joseph Cooper. Operations of considerable importance took place in this town during the war, as related in earlier chapters. A grist mill was begun dur- ing the war on the site of Holland village, which was bought and finished in 1814 by General Warren and Ephraim Woodruff; a saw mill was added in 1815. Caleb Cutler settled in Holland in 1816 and his descendants still reside in the town. Joshua Barron opened the first tavern soon after the war, probably in 1816, and in the next year Leander Cook opened the first store near the first mills. George Burzette settled about 1819, and Stephen Parker and John Rufus Sleeper came in at about the same date. John Huff settled on West Hill in 1822, where Samuel Johnson had already located. Among other prominent settlers may be men- tioned : Moses McCarthy, Isaac Dickerman, Nathaniel P. Davis, John H. Bucknam, R.W. Button, Jefferson Colby, Paige E. Cooper, son of Samuel Cooper, who came in 1810, Sylvester Curtis, Charles F. Button, Caleb Cutler, Benjamin F. Day, M. L. Dicker- man, Timothy Dustin, John Dustin, Jaoob Farrington, Burt E. Farrington, Philip Fisher, Merritt Gould, Amos Gould, Lawrence W. Hawks, Lewis Hawks, Burritt Hayes, Saxton K. Jackson, James Kimball, Deloss W. Kimball, William Mabon, Charles S. Rice, Israel Rice, Dayton and Aaron Riley, James, Joseph, John O. and Philip D. Riley, all sons of James Riley, Leonard Sergei, Sidney S. Sleeper, John Sleeper, James M. Stanton, Austin A. Stickney, Jacob Wagoner, George Wagoner, Ira Ward, Roger D. Ward and Thomas Ward. About 1850 German settlers began to locate in Holland along Hun- ter's Creek, and they soon became numerous. They organized a Ger- 566 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. man Baptist church and built a small house of worship about 1850, which was superseded by a larger one in 1865; it is still in use and situated about three miles east of Holland village. In the course of time the farmers of this town gave less attention to grain raising and devoted their energies more to dairying, and at the present time some of the largest and best dairy farmers in Erie county are residents of Holland. There are several cheese factories in opera- tion, part or all of which are in the combination of Richardson, Beebe & Co. The building of the Buffalo, New York and Philadelphia Rail- road across the town in 1871 gave the farmers and tradesmen better facilities for reaching markets and added a stimulus to the growth of Holland village, through which it passes. Holland Village. — This place is situated a little southwest of the center of the town. The first mills, before mentioned, passed thfough the ownership of several persons, among whom were Robert Orr, Edgar O. Cheney, John McMillan, Jacob Wurst, to Paul J. Wurst, present operator. Amos Hill built a saw mill in 1820, which dis- appeared before 1840. Isaac Rich built another there, and a carding mill ; the saw mill had various owners, one of whom put in grinding machinery. In 1862 Marcus Case, then owner of a saw mill, built a new and better one. In 1878 Ichabod N. Briggs built a new grist mill, which is still in operation. Merchants of past years have been: Leander Cook (the first), Hoyt & Flinn, Hoyt & Adams, Howard & Riley, John O. Riley, Marcellus L. Dickerman, Perry D. Dickerman, A. M. Orr, C. A. Button, Jerome B. Morey, John F. Morey, Austin N. Stickney, William B. Jackson, Isaac B. and Frank W. Ellsworth (father and son), G. A. Crandall, Rodell J. Bowen, W. J. & N. A. Taber. There are now in the village 4 general stores, 1 bank, 1 hardware store, 1 drug store, 1 jewelry store, 1 millinery store, a tannery, 2 grist mills, 2 saw mills, a clothes wringer factory (started in 1897), 3 hotels, 1 agricultural implement store, a newspaper, a shoe shop, 3 blacksmith shops, and a wagon shop. In 1829 William Hoyt built a new hotel on the corner of Main_ and Virginia streets, which was subsequently kept by Anson Norton, Will- iam Crook, Vinal L. Morey, and for many years by Abner Orr, when it was known as Orr's Hotel ; it was sold to settle his estate, was con- verted to other uses and burned in 1886. The site has not been rebuilt. The Holland House, new the New Lowry House, was built about 1835 by Jonathan Paul, who was succeeded by his son, David Paul, who GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 567 conducted the house many years and was followed in the business by his widow. Later it had several proprietors, among them Seward H. Sears ; it is now owned by C. C. Lowry, who gave the house its pres- ent name. The "old Lowry House was built about 1873 by C. C. Lowry, who conducted it until it was burned in 1890, after which the present Holland House was erected on the site. A. Rumsey & Son, of Buffalo, built a large tannery in 1850, which is now controlled by the United States Leather Co. Horace Selleck built i a planing mill in 1876, which was subsequently burned. Edmund C. Wallash established a furniture business in 1876. Nathan and Homer Morey were early tanners and shoemakers. The post-office at Holland was established in 1828, with Lyman Clark postmaster. Other postmasters in the village, have been Elon Clark, Isaac Humphrey, Philip D. Riley, Nathan Morey, O. G. Rowley, Waterman Burlingham, Perry D. Dickerman, A. M. Orr, Chauncey G. Currier, Clayton A. Button, Frank W. Ellsworth, William B. Jackson, Walter J. Taber and Horace Selleck. The Bank of Holland was incorporated October 21, 1893, with cap- ital of $25,000.' First and present officers: William B. Jackson, pres- ident; Jacob Wurst, succeeded by Philip D. Riley, vice-president; George E. Merrill, cashier. The Holland Water Works were incorporated in 1891. Officers: William B. Jackson, president ; Jacob Wurst, succeeded by his son, Paul, vice-president ; C. A. Button, succeeded by Charles M. Sill, sec- retary, Asher Cutler, treasurer. Water is obtained from springs a mile from the village and is distributed by gravity. The Holland Fire Department was organized in November, 1893, with forty members. Henry Spaulding has always been foreman. The equipment consists of a hose cart, a hook and ladder truck. Firemen's Hall was built in 1896 at a cost of $2,000. William W. Bucknam has been president since the organization; Paul J. Wurst, secretary; Will- iam B. Jackson, treasurer. The Holland Review is a weekly newspaper started in 1889 by Clay- ton A. Button. He was succeeded by Paul J. Wurst and he by Albert F. Bangert. The first physician in Holland was a Dr. Parker, whose first name is not remembered; he settled there about 1825 and remained ten years. Dr. Zoroaster Paul located there about 1834 and when he removed about twelve years later, he was succeeded by Dr. Bradley Goodyear; 568 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. he practiced about ten years and was followed by Dr. Dascomb Far- fington, who still remains, in association with his son. Dr. A. C. Osborn settled in the village about 1868 and is deceased, and Dr. Ed- win Farrington practiced there for a time and removed to Buffalo. Holland has suffered considerably from fires, notably in February, 1888, when six structures were burned, including William B. Jackson's store; in 1886, the Cazenove Hotel, an old landmark, was destroyed; and in 1890, when a hotel, store and dwelling were burned. The First Baptist church of Holland was organized November 29, 1829, with twenty-six members. The church edifice was built in 1844. A Methodist class was formed here many years ago and in 1871 a house of worship was erected. The society is still in existence. A German Lutheran society was formed in 1874 and a house of worship built in the same year. A Roman Catholic church was organized and a church built in 1884. Protection. — This is a hamlet in the extreme southern part of the town, where John Dake had a turning lathe about 1830. Ten years later Charles Fuller opened a hotel. Frank Lyford opened a grocery store in 1846. O. W. Childs established a general store which he sold to William B. Jackson in 1881. John Dake built a saw mill in 1840 which was changed to a feed mill and apple dryer, which are not now operated. The business interests are confined to a saw mill and a grocery. East Holland is a hamlet in the southeastern part of the town, where the saw mill of Hawks Brothers is located, and an old church of the Christian denomination. Cooper's Mills is a mere hamlet where are located the saw mill of Arthur Cooper, and a turning factory and a cider mill. The first town meeting of Holland was held in the spring of 1819, when the following officers were elected: Arthur Humphrey, supervisor ; Samuel Corliss, town clerk ; Richard Buffum, Caleb Cutler and Chapin Wheelock, commissioners of highways ; Samuel Corliss, consta- ble and collector; John A. Abbott, constable; Charles Crook, poormaster; Rudol- phus Burr, Elon Clark and Ira Johnson, commissioners of schools; Elon Clark, Ira Johnson and Abner Nutting, inspectors of schools. Following is a list of the supervisors of Holland with their years of service : Arthur Humphrey, 1819-20; Mitchell Corliss, 1821-24; Asa Crook, 1825-28, Chase Fuller, 1829-32; Moses McArthur, 1833-34; Isaac Humphrey, 1835-37; Moses Mc- Arthur, 1838-40; Samuel Corliss, 1841 ; Moses McArthur, 1842-47; Philip D. Riley, GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 569 1848 ; Moses McArthur, 1849-51 ; Abner Orr, 1853 ; Ezra Farrington, 185S ; Abner Orr, 1854; Philip D. Riley, 1855; Oliver G. Rowley, 1856; Ezra Farrington, 1857; Oliver G. Rowley, 1858; John A. Case, 1859; Philip D. Riley, 1860; Nathan Morey, 1861-62; Philip D. Riley, 1863-64; John O. Riley, 1865-71; Perry D. Dickerman, 1872; John O. Riley, 1873; Charles A. Orr, 1874-75; Homer Morey, 1876-78; John F. Morey, 1879-80; Austin N. Stickney, 1881-83; Ichabod N. Griggs, 1884; Jacob Wurst, 1885- 87; Henry L. Bangert, 1888-89; Ichabod N. Griggs, 1890; Charles M. Sill, 1891; Ichabod N. Griggs, 1892-94; William B. Jackson, 1895-97. TOWN OF LANCASTER. Lancaster is situated east of Buffalo, in the north-central part of Erie county, and comprises fractional township 11, range 6, and a strip averaging a mile and a half in width off the north side of the Buffalo Creek Reservation. This town was formed from Clarence on the 20th of March, 1833, and includes the Indian lands to the center of the original reservation, the whole being six miles east and west and about eight and three-fourths miles north and south. The town of Elma was set off December 4, 1857, thus reducing Lancaster to its present area of about thirty-seven square miles, or 23,531 acres. The surface is generally level. The soil is clayey loam in the south- ern part and gravelly, with considerable limestone, in the north part ; these sections are watered by Cayuga and Ellicott, or Eleven-mile, Creeks respectively. Into the former flow Little Buffalo Creek and Plum Bottom. Outside of the vill'ages the principal industry is general farming, with the dairying interests paramount. According to the books of the Holland Land Company the first pur- chase of land in Lancaster was made by Alanson Eggleston in Novem- ber, 1803, the price being $2 per acre. Asa Woodward and William Sheldon purchased lands in the same month. The first actual settlers, as near as can be ascertained, were James and Asa Woodward, in 1803, at Bowmansville. They were followed in 1804 by Matthew Wing, Joel Parmalee and Warren Hull. Soon afterward William Blackman, Edward Kearney, David Hamlin, Zophar Beach, Peter Pratt, Elisha Cox, and others came in. Elias Bissell, Benjamin Clark and Pardon Peckham located near Cayuga Creek in 1808. Their sons, James Clark, Elias and Elisha Bissell, and Thomas Nye Peckham, became prominent citizens of the town. In 1808' a road was cut from Buffalo through Lancaster village, eastward, and in the same year Daniel Robinson built the first saw mill in town at Bowmansville. About 1810 Benjamin Bowman purchased this mill and built another, and ever since then the place has been designated by his name. 72 570 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In 1810 the first school house in town was built, of logs, on the farm subsequently owned by Leonard Blackman, Miss Freelove Johnson (afterward Mrs. Amos Robinson) being the first teacher; it was re- placed by the so-called "Johnson school house," which stood on the site of the brick school house in the Peckham neighborhood. In 1811 Bar- tholomew Johnson erected a saw mill on Ellicott Creek at what is known as Johnson's Corners. Among the early comers to the Cayuga Creek settlement were the Carpenter, Field, Johnson, Hibbard and Paine families. Ahaz Allen built the first grist mill in town, at Lan- caster, in 1811, and when work was stopped the first night 955 fish were caught in the mill-race. Edward Kearney, Riley Munger and Joel Mix were also early settlers there. Joseph Carpenter erected the first tav- ern, which with the mill were the nucleus of the village. Among later settlers and residents of the town were : Capt. Philip Peckham, Thomas Gross, Simon Adolph, George Boshert, Elias Bis- sell, Palmer S. Bowman, Lafayette Cooper, John G. Dykstra, Joel George, John Haskell. Rev. John Hutchinson and son Thomas, Joseph Knauber, Charles Kurtz, John G. and Henry Leininger, John Nuwer, Philip Mook, Joel Taylor, William Fisk, Dr. Brown, Frederick Kirchholter, Israel Ely, Calvin Ely, Joseph and Harvey Clark, Piatt Wakelee, Dr. W. Parker, Truman Luce, Alpheus Gage, Oliver Brown, Milton McNeal, James Clark, Clement Wakelee, Elihu Bissell, Norman Kimball, Leonard and Eleazer Blackmon, Henry Atwood, Henry L. Bingham, Ebenezer Briggs, George, Samuel, Solon and John Bruce, Ezra, Noyes and Selden Ely, Israel P. Sears, Alex- ander, James, John and Apollos Hitchcock, Worp Van Peyma, John Richardson, Gardiner Kip, Norman Dewey, Stephen Y. Halsey, John L. Lewis, William H. Bost- wick, George and Lewis Clapp, Hiram Clark, Englehart Oehm, Alexander Romer, Anson Sanford, John Schrankel, Matthias Schwartz, Samuel H. Smiley and son Benjamin D., Jacob Stephan, George Stutter, John Walter, Jesse Wheelock, Jacob Young. The German settlements began about 1830. The following is a list of the supervisors of the town of Lancaster from its organization to the present time, with their years of service: John Brown, 1 1833-34; Milton McNeal, 1835; Albert E. Terry, 1836; John Boyer, 1837; Milton McNeal, 1838-40; Norman B. Dewey, 1841; Milton McNeal, 1842; Elijah M. Safford, 1843; Milton McNeal, 1844-45; Jonathan W. Dodge, 1846; Milton McNeal, 1847; Jonathan W. Dodge, 1848; Robert Neal, 1849; Henry Atwood, 1850; Henry L. Bingham, 1851-52; J. Parker, 1853-54; Eli H. Bowman, 1855; Henry L. Bingham, 1856; Robert Looney, 1857-60; William W. Bruce, 1861-62; John M. San- ford, 1863; John T. Wheelock, 1864; F. H. James, 1865-66; N. B. Gatchell, 1867-76; Cfearles W. Fuller, 1877-80; Charles F. Tabor, 1881-82; Englehart Oehm, 1883-84; N. B. Gatchell, 1885 ; Englehart Oehm, 1886-87 ; George A. Davis, 1888-91 ; Watson M. Blackmon, 1892; George A. Davis, 1893-97. 1 Mr. Brown had also been the supervisor of Clarence in 1880-31-32. 6A2ETi*EER OP TOWNS. 571 Lancaster Village. — 'The village of Lancaster, the most important one in the town, had its nucleus in the grist mill of Ahaz Allen and the tavern of Joseph Carpenter. About 1823 a post-office was established with the name Cayuga Creek, the postmaster being Thomas Gross; in 1833 the name of the office was changed to Lancaster. In 1843 an academy was started and a building erected ; the first teachers were Messrs. Hadley and Blennerhassett. After several years of successful existence it dwindled and was abandoned. Later Judge Theodotus Burwell secured the foundation of an agricultural college known as Oakwood Institute; its only teachers were successively Dr. De Young and William H. Brewer. The institution soon went down, and the building erected for its use is now occupied for a barn. In 1849 several ■wealthy Hollanders settled in the village. In the same year the Lan- caster glass works were established by eight glass blowers from Pitts- burg, chief among them being Charles Reed. These works have been successively owned by Reed, Allen, Cox & Co., Reed, Shinn & Co., James, Gatchell & Co., James & Gatchell, Dr. F. H. James, and the Lancaster Co-operative Glass Works, Ltd. They were burned in 1859 and rebuilt. Brush & Howard built a large tannery in 1849 which was burned September 3, 1887. About 1851 a Mr. Koopmans erected a second tannery, which was converted into a soap factory in 1887 by Hoffeld & Co. John A. Laux opened a hotel in 1850, and about this time William Curtis had another on the site of the American House, which has been kept by John Raynor, R. S. Miller, and others. In 1851 Dean & Halsey started an iron foundry, and there were also two saw mills in operation. In January, 1865, a stock company was organized, the chief promoter being Samuel Bailey, and a well was sunk on Plum Bottom for the purpose of obtaining petroleum ; this attempt and one later near Lake Como proved failures. In 1866 a German began the manufacture of church organs, and in 1868 William H. Grimes erected a brick factory for the purpose; the business was abandoned after a few years and the building was converted into a malt house, which has long been operated by Scheu Brothers of Buffalo. Street lamps were intro- duced in April, 1867, and were replaced by an electric light system July 31, 1897, by Ernest Feyler. The Lancaster Literary Society was incorporated December 13, 1866, by Charles F. Tabor, president ; Rev. William Waith, vice-president ; Edgar H. Perry, secretary; George Clapp, treasurer; NathanB. Gatch- ell, Dr. Frederick H. James, Frank Lee, Rudolph F. W. Hoffeld, 572 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. George W. Porter and George W. Harris. It has ever since maintained a useful existence. The village was incorporated July 14, 1849, when the following of- ficers-were elected: John W. McLean, Charles Kurtz, Ira Sleeper, John Barger and D. R. Osgood, trustees; Elijah M. Safford, assessor; John M. Safford, collector; William H. Grimes, treasurer; Henry L. Bingham; clerk. For many years the only fire apparatus was a small hand engine owned by the glass works. On March 3, 1876, a hook and ladder company was organized and in February, 1882, the Cayuga Engine Company was formed The department now consists of two hose companies; a firemen's hall was built in 1896. In April, May and October, 1894, fires destroyed a number of buildings, nearly all of which were rebuilt. In this year a town hall was erected, of brick, which, with the site, cost about $30,000. On October 21, 1896, afire on Cen- tral avenue burned the soap 1 factory of Hoffeld & Co., the Cushing block, the stores of J. N. Maute, W. H. Kurtz and Charles Schliebs, the hotel of Henry Balthaser and other buildings, causing a loss of about $4?, 000; the burned district has been largely rebuilt. The Lancaster Star was started on February 8, 1878, and changed to the Times in 1880; since October 20, 1885, it has been published by Marvin L. Reist. The Enterprise was established December 10, 1895, and became a semi-weekly on June 9, 1897 ; its editor is A. Leon Chand- ler. These newspapers are noticed at length in another chapter. Among the merchants in the village in past years are: Jesse Field, Matthias Schwartz, John Leininger, J. R. Schwann, Philip Martzloff, Mrs. Scheffler, Christopher E. Smith, Charles Seeter, Simon Adolph, Matthias M. -Schwartz, A. S. Fisher, Dr. E. R. Post, A. B. Bishop, E. D. Keeney, Dr. J. E. Thrown, T. D. Leininger, Mr. Le Munyon, E. L. Griswold, E. J. Smith, Dr. Leonard, Dr. Bibbens. Mr. Robinson, Frank S. Cushing, John N. Maute, William Delzer, Lewis Braun, Schaefer Brothers, Jonathan Heller, Charles Schliebs. Among the physicians are Drs. Harry H. Bissell, A. T. Bigelow, Samuel Potter, Frederick H. James, Jacob Van Peyma, Julius Wenz, George W. McPherson, John G. Miller, Henry Miller and E. W. Ewell. Of lawyers there have been Galusha and Johnson Parsons, Edwin Thayer, Charles F. Tabor, William H. Grimes, John L. Romer and George E. Phelps. The Union planing mills, owned by Joseph Knauber, were estab- lished in 1858; for several years he also had a bedstead factory. John Schrankel built a grist mill in 1871 which finally burned; Philip Mook has conducted a grist mill here since 1874. There were at one time two breweries; one burned, and the other has been discontinued. GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 573 Harlow Brothers and later Charles Clarke had a large carriage factory for several years. Charles E. Rood has a malleable iron works, W. J. & Frank Cant a machine and knife factory, and Englehart Oehnl and George & Henry Safford each planing mills, while the Buffalo Star Brick Company have a large brick yard. The Bank of Lancaster was incorporated November 4, 1894, with Charles W. Fuller, president; John O. Garretsee, vice-president; Abner P. Adams, cashier. The capital is $30,000. The Depew and Lancaster Water Works Company was organized in 1893 and established a water supply for both villages. In 1897 the village of Lancaster purchased the system constructed within its corporate limits, continuing to take the water, however, from the company. The Buffalo, Bellevue & Lancaster Electric Railroad, connecting the three places, was opened in 1893; the loop through Depew was constructed soon afterward. Lancaster village also is a station on the Erie, the D., L. & W., the Lehigh Valley, and the New York Central Railroads. The churches of Lancaster village are as follows: The Presbyterian, organized February 7, 1818, with thirteen members, Rev. James Rem- ington first settled pastor in 1827, church built in 1832, remodeled and a brick chapel erected in 1852, Rev. William Waith pastor for many- years after 1851 ; First German Evangelical Lutheran, organized and a church built in 1835, church afterward occupied by the Deutsch Evan- gelische Vereingte Kirche and a new church erected, which was con- verted into business uses about 1875, the present brick edifice having been built, Rev. C. L. Knapp pastor for nearly fifty years from 1847; Methodist Episcopal, built in 1837 by Arnold Green, new church erected in 1851 ; St. Mary's Roman Catholic, built in 1850-51, enlarged in 1889, Rev. F. M. Sester pastor for many years, parochial school opened December 1, 1874; German Methodist, purchased the old M. E. church in 1874; Trinity Episcopal, built in 1880-83; and the Baptist, organized June 25, 1896. The Lancaster Library was established No- vember 8, 1882. In 1873 a brick school house was erected, and in 1896 another, used as an annex, was built; the former is now the Union High School, and stands on land donated by Ebenezer Briggs. The village of Lancaster now contains 3 dry goods stores, 12 gro- ceries, 2 drug stores, 7 meat markets, 7 furniture and undertaking establishments, 3 clothing stores, 3 hardware stores, 2 jewelry stores, a tea and coffee store, a merchant tailor, 2 news and stationery stores, a feed store, 2 hotels, a bank, 2 printing offices, 1 weekly and 1 semi- 574 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. weekly newspaper, a harness shop, 4 blacksmiths, 2 cigar factories, 4 coal dealers, a flouring mill, a glass factory, a malleable iron works, a machine and knife factory, a large brick yard, 1 brewery, 3 planing mills, a machine shop, a malt house, 4 lumber dealers, a union high school, 7 religious societies and 6 churches, and a population of about 3,000. Depew lies partly in Lancaster and partly in the town of Cheekto- waga, but its history is so thoroughly identified with the territory under consideration that it may properly be treated wholly within this chapter. It was named in honor of Chauncey M. Depew, president of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad Company, to which it owes its existence. That great corporation decided upon this site as a permanent location for its shops and auxiliary establishments, and on May 17, 1892, ground was broken. This was the signal for a general real estate boom in the vicinity. The great shops, covering about six acres, were first opened on April 1, 1893, with forty employees. Before the close of the year 1893 the following establishments had been com- pleted or were well under way : The National Car Wheel Works, the Gould Coupler Company (occupying over six acres), and the Union Car Company (occupying about ten acres). The brass works were burned May 23, 1895, but immediately rebuilt. The first dwelling house was erected in April, 1893, and on May 1 of the same year John T. Lyman and George M. Beeman began the publication of the Depew Herald, which has had several proprietors, the present one being John T. Earl. In 1893 sixteen houses were erected, more than nine miles of plank sidewalk and 6,000 feet of sewers were laid, a fire company was organized, the New Palmer House by Alexander Stoddard and the Cleveland House by William Cleveland were built, and the water works were constructed by the Depew and Lancaster Water Works Company, of which Henry Koons was the first president. On July 23, 1894, the village was incorporated, and the first officers elected August 21, were Dr. William Fairbanks, president; John Zur- brick, George Waltz and John Graney, trustees; Anthony Hartung, treasurer; Martin Kiefer, collector; J. N. Oswald, clerk. The corpo- rate limits are about two and one-fourth miles square, and the popula- ti«n is about 2,800. In this year (1894) a hose company was organized, the plants of the Buffalo Cleaning and Dyeing Company and the De- pew Brewing Company were established, the hardware store of Pratt & Matthews was opened, and the brick block of E. J. Durbin was GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 575 erected. Union free school district No. 7, of Cheektowaga, taking in a part of the old district No. 4, Lancaster, was also organized, the first president being Franklin Zurbrick. At this time four schools were kept in the village. A brick school house was built on the south side in 1894-95 and another on the north side in 1895, each costing $10,000. The first principal was C. A. Walker. In 1894 the Depew Natural Gas Company was organized and began furnishing gas for lighting and fuel; three wells have been sunk on the north side. The Methodist Episcopal Society was organized July 6, 1894, with E. J. Durbin, B. C. Stoddard and A. W. Southall, trustees; an edifice was erected in 1895. By February, 1895, the village had a population of 1,814, and by May about 500 dwellings had been erected and fwe large establish- ments were in operation employing 2,500 men. Transit street was macademized in this year, the German Lutheran church was built, and in. December the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Emmaus Society was organized. A Roman Catholic church and an independent Polish Catholic church were erected in 1896. In 1893 a post-office was estab- lished with W. W. Turley as postmaster; he was followed by John Graney and he by Robert Hunter. DepeW has stations on the New York Central, the D., L. & W., the Erie and the Lehigh Valley Railroads ; the latter constructed a branch direct to Tonawanda in 1895-96. The Depew Terminal Railroad was built from Depew to Blasdell in 1897. The Depew loop of the Buffalo, Bellevue & Lancaster Electric Railway was opened in 1894. Much of the growth of the village is due to the Depew Improvement Company, which donated the school, and church sites, and which was largely suc- ceeded in 1897 by the Depew Syndicate, capitalized at $100,000. Bowmansville is a station and post-office on the West Shore Railroad in the northwest corner of the town, and is the site of the first settle- ment in Lancaster in 1803. The saw and grist mills were owned by the Bowman family for about fifty years; the grist mill passed to John Pentelow and is now abandoned. J. O. Long was formerly a merchant, and Charles W. and John Toynbee have conducted a store there several years. The place has one store, a few shops, and an M. E. church. WUhelm is a small hamlet on the Batavia road in the north part of the town. It contains a store, post-office, and a Disciples church. East Lancaster is a station on the D., L. & W. Railroad, and contains a brick yard, a brewery, and minor mercantile interests. Pavement is a post-office in the southeast part of the town, and is the pumping station of the Depew and Lancaster Water Works Company. 576 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Town Line is a station on the Erie Railroad, east of Lancaster, hav- ing a hotel and a few houses. The village of the same name lies a little southeast, on the line between Aldenand Lancaster, and is noticed in full in the chapter on Alden. Looneyville, a station on the New York Central Railroad on the Alden- Lancaster town line, takes its name from Robert Looney, who con- ducted a large saw mill, store, farm, etc. After his death the place lost its old-time business activity. TOWN OF HARILLA. This town is situated near the center of the eastern border of Erie county, with Alden on the north, Elma on the west, and Wales on the south. The town was formed on December 2, 1823, from Wales and Alden, with its present boundaries, which embraced all of the original Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation situated in the two towns named, ex- cept a strip on the north side, which remained a part of Alden. The territory lying east of the Two Rod road and also a tract a mile wide at the south end of the remaining portion was a part of the purchase by the Ogden Co. from the Indians. The town has an area of about twenty- eight square miles, or 17,208 acres. It is drained by the headwaters of Little Buffalo Creek, and Big Buffalo Creek crosses its southwestern corner. The surface is rolling, with sandy and gravelly soil in the north- west and southwest parts, and clay intermingled in other localities. Settlement began in Marilla territory in 1827, when Jesse Bartoo lo- cated on the farm now owned (but not occupied) by Isaac M. Watson, in the southern part of the town. John M. Bauder soon afterward pur- chased this place and also the Erasmus Adams farm near Porterville. George W. and Jeremiah Carpenter bought in the same year a tract on the Four Rod road east of Marilla village, now owned by Frank Brooks. In 1828 Joseph Carpenter settled on land including the site of the village. In the next spring Ira and Justus Gates purchased ten acres on the northwest corner of Carpenter's land, and built a frame house and a saw mill. Among the settlers of 1830 were Rodney Day, Cyrus Finney, John L. Chesbro and Horace Clark. Rice Wilder came in in 1831, and in 1832 Jesse Bartoo built a saw mill on the site of Porterville, and soon afterwards added a grist mill. The place was long known as Bartoo's Mills. In 1833 Thomas Kelsey, Joseph Flood, Archibald Porter, Samuel Stewart, Nathan White, John Brewer,' Simeon Thomas and Ephrain Kelsey settled in the town. Early settlers GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 577 on the Two Rod road south of the village were Elias Mason, Daniel Nettleton, Ezra Clark, Dudley Dennison, John M. Bauder, Walter Markham, Zera Parker and others. At the same period William Hatch, Elias Hatch, Leonard Hatch, Fordyce Bell and others located in the territory of Marilla west and southwest of Bartoo's Mills. Other prom- inent settlers were L. A. Bartoo, John A. Campbell, George Eldridge, R. B. Mason and James R. Stedman. Marilla Village. — After the building of the saw mill and a dwelling on the site of the village in 1829, by Ira and Justus B. Gates, Jeremiah Carpenter settled there and built, about 1840, a house, which has been occupied since about 1877 by Ellery E. Dennison as a harness shop. Very soon afterwards H. F. Mason, Joshua Axtel*, Fowler Munger, Darius Lindsey and Martin Kennedy settled there and built houses. After the sale of the main part of the Indian Reservation in 1842 Jon- athan Blanchard, Elder Salisbury, George Shay and John Chadderden settled on the west side of the Two Rod road. In 1847 Miles Carpen- ter built the first store, which became a part of the Albert Adams house. The place was called Shanty Town and South Alden previous to the formation of the town of Marilla. Before the close of the last war the hamlet had grown to a thriving village. A large part of the place was destroyed by fire in 1865, but was at once rebuilt. The old saw mill changed hands several times, and was finally converted into a cheese factory and subsequently torn down. A second saw mill was built by Joseph and Jeremiah Carpenter in 1838 and soon passed to pos- session of James Chadderden ; it was abandoned about 1863. A grist mill was built in 1858 by John C. Carpenter, H. T. Foster and Frank Chesbro ; it had several different owners, and was burned December 25, 1893, and rebuilt by William Van Cotter. After the first rude tavern, the Spring Hotel was built in 1853 by Niles Carpenter; it had numerous proprietors and is still in use. The Willis Hotel was built in 1863 by R. G. Willis; it is unoccupied. Har- rison T. Foster succeeded Niles Carpenter, the first merchant, for a short time, and then in company with Charles Walker built a second store in 1851, and closed it in 1854. In the fall of 1855 H. T. Foster and J. H. Brooks formed a partnership which continued to 1865. After other changes Mr. Foster took G. C. Monchow as partner in 1874 and the business is still carried on under the firm name of H. T. Foster & Co., though Mr. Foster died in 1889. Other past merchants of the vil- lage were Philip Conly, grocer (1853), Henry Barrett, Samuel Adams, 73 578 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Halliday & Mills (hardware), Abraham Bemis, Jeremiah and William Carpenter, Bass & Miller, Johnathan K.* Bass, Thomas Miller, Henry- Sergeant, G. P. Miller & Co. and J. H. Brooks & Co. Dr. Hiram Taber was the first physican in the village about 1853 and died in 1874. Dr. Andrew J. Brooks was the next and he also is de- ceased. Dr. I. G. Wheeler succeeded. ' The first postmaster was James Chadderden; his successors have been Fowler Munger, Stephen Chadderden, H. T. Foster, Jefferson H. Brooks, Henry D. Harrington, Alfred Ebbs, Jay Winch and Gusta- vus C. Monchow. The Marilla Record was established by F. C. Webb in January, 1883; it lived about two years. Subsequently Benjamin Morey started the Industrial Union, which he removed to Alden. About 1893 Harvey H. Blackman founded Poultry, Garden and Fruits, a monthly, which was discontinued in the spring of 1896. F. H. Mason built the first blacksmith shop in 1851, and Lyman O. Ford the first wagon shop in 1852. Other blacksmiths of the village have been Julius Wilder, Albert Adams and Charles Otto. The village now contains 1 general store, 1 hardware and furni- ture store, 1 hotel, 1 flour mill, 1 creamery, 1 harness shop and four churches. Porterville. — This is a hamlet in the southeast part of the town, where Jesse Bartoo built his saw mill in 1832. In 1836 he added a grist mill. These passed to Archibald Porter a few years later, from whom the place received its present name. R. G. Willis owned the mills later and during the late war Erasmus R. Adams purchased the prop ■ erty and still owns the grist mill. Royal A. Barron kept a small store from 1838 to 1840, and E. R. Adams opened a store which is now kept by his son. He built a new grist mill in 1880 and has long been a leading citizen of the place. A cheese factory built by F. H. Cum- mings is not now in operation. There is a tin shop and a few other shops in the hamlet. Williston. — This is a hamlet taking its name from Eugene, John and James Willis, who established a steam saw mill there in 1863. After passing to possession of various persons it was abandoned. Charles Willis built a store in 1879 and the place has now two stores and one church. Iron Bridge is a small settlement- three and one-half miles east of Marilla village where a grist and saw mill are in operation, which were formerly owned by Herman Jahn. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 579 Dairying is carried on to a considerable extent in this town but not with such success as in many other portions of Erie county. The first town meeting was held at the house of Niles Carpenter, March 7, 1854, and the following officers elected: Jesse Bartoo, supervisor; Daniel A. Smith, town clerk; Timothy G. Grannis, Royal R. Barron and Seth P. Tabor, justices of the peace; Thomas Miller, superin- tendent of schools ; Julius P. Wilder, commissioner of highways ; James P. Flood, assessor; John R. Wilder, collector; Erasmus R. Adams, overseer of the poor; John R. Wilder, La Fayette Lamb, Levi T. Ball and Sylvester R. Hall, constables; Abner S. Adams, Peter Ostrander and Jacob Hart, inspectors of election ; Jeremiah Carpen- ter, town sealer. The supervisors of Marilla, with their years of service, have been as follows : Jesse Bartoo, 1854; Seth P. Tabor, 1855; Niles Carpenter, 1856; Joseph P. Flood (to fill vacancy), 1856; Peter Ostrander, 1857; Sylvester Franklin, 1858; Jonathan Stedman, 1859; Harrison T. Foster, 1860-64; Samuel S. Adams, 1865; Harrison T. Foster, t866 ; Benjamin Fones, 1867-69 (djed in 1869) ; Whitford Harrington, elected to fill vacancy, 1869, and re-elected in 1870 ; Henry D. Harrington, 1871-73 ; Robert H. Miller, 1873 ; Russell D. Smith, 1874-78 ; Erasmus R. Adams, 1879-80 ; Harrison T. Foster, 1881-85 ; James Willis, 1886 ; Asa B. Smith, 1887 ; James Willis, 1888 ; Harrison T. Foster, 1889 ; Erasmus R. Adams, 1890-94 ; John R. Veeder, 1895-97. The few Methodists in this town previous to 1850 worshiped in an old building half a mile east of Marilla village. It was owned by the Wesleyan Methedists and used by other denominations. After its abandonment in 1850 the Methodists met in Sons of Temperance hall until 1854, when they erected the present church. The Disciples church was organized in 1856 and built a house of worship in 1858. The society was formerly much more numerous than at present. The Free Baptist church of Marilla was organized in 1874, and its house of worship was erected in the next year. The Roman Catholic church was erected in 1854, under direction of a priest from Buffalo. The United Brethren society built a church at Williston in 1873. TOWN OF NEWSTEAD. This town was formed from Clarence on the 27th of March, 1823, with the name Erie, which was changed to Newstead 1 in April, 1831. 1 So named by Hon. Millard Fillmore, then representative from Erie 'county in the State As- sembly; Mrs. Fillmore happened to be reading Byron at the time, and suggested the name of his ancient home. Newstead Abbey, for this town. r>80 our County and its people. It includes township 12, range 5, and a part of township 13, range 5, of the Holland Company's survey, and embraces about 30,708 acres and also a small part of the Tonawanda Indian Reservation, lying in the northeast corner, over which the town has a nominal jurisdiction. Newstead lies in the northeast corner of Erie county, and is bounded on the north by Niagara county, on the east by Genesee county, on the south by Alden, and on the west by Clarence. Tonawanda Creek forms the northern boundary, and into it flows Murder Creek, which the Indians called See-un-gut, signifying "roar of distant waters." The south part is drained by the headwaters of Ellicott Creek. A limestone ledge, containing hydraulic limestone, crosses the center of the town; on the north the surface is level with a soil of clayey loam, marl and sand, while on the south it is gently undulating, the soil be- ing a clayey loam underlaid with limestone. The principal occupation of the inhabitants outside of Akron is general farming. The first town meeting in Erie (now Newstead) was held in May, 1823, but on account of the destruction of the early records by fire it is impossible to give the first officers, etc. The following is as complete a list of the supervisors of the town as can be ascertained: John Boyer, 1825, 1831-32 ; William Jackson, 1833 ; Cyrus Hopkins, 1835 and 1837 ; John Rogers, 1838; Hezekiah Cummings, 1839-40; Almon Ford, 1842; Marcus Mc- Neal, 1843-45 ; John Boyers, 1846-47 ; Henry S. Hawkins, 1848-50 ; Lorenzo D. Covey, 1851; Edward Long, 1852-53; Henry S. Hawkins, 1854; B. K. Adams, 1855; Lorenzo D. Covey. 1856 ; E. J. Newman, 1857-58 ; Ezra P. Goslin, 1859-61 ; Henry Atwood, 1862; Ezra P. Goslin, 1863-65; Marcus Lusk, 1866-72; William T. Magoffin, 1873; D. B. Howe, 1874; H. H. Newton, 1875; William T. Magoffin, 1876; Timothy W. Jackson, 1877-84; William T. Magoffin, 1885-86; William M. Cummings, 1887-94; Henry L. Steiner, 1895-97. That portion of the original Tonawanda Indian Reservation lying in Newstead comprised about thirteen square miles and included the site of Akron village. In August, 1826, the Ogden Land Company pur- chased about 7,000 acres of this tract and opened it to settlers, leaving the reservation with its present area of about 2,000 acres. In 1798 Joseph Ellicott caused the main trail of the Six Nations to be cut out from Batavia to Buffalo ; it ran westward through Akron and Clarence Hollow, and was the first wagon track in Erie county. What is known as the Buffalo road was opened about a year later. In 1800 Timothy S. Hopkins and Otis Ingalls raised the first piece of wheat on the Hol- land Purchase, in the Vandeventer neighborhood. They soon became permanent residents of Amherst and Clarence respectively. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 581 The first land sold in Newstead was lot 10, section 8, which Asa Chapman "articled" on November 3, 1801, for $2.75 an acre; soon af- terward he was living near Buffalo and probably never settled on this tract. Other purchasers of 1801 were Peter Vandeventer (four lots in sections 8 and 9), Timothy Jayne, David Cully and Orlando Hopkins. David Cully remained a permanent resident; in 1802 Peter Vande- venter settled on the Buffalo road, in the west part of the town, and opened a log tavern, which was probably the first building in Newstead. The same year William Deshay, John Hill and Samuel Hill, jr., pur- chased land. The first town meeting of any kind on the Holland Pur- chase was held at Vandeventer's tavern March 1, 1803, when Peter Vandeventer was elected supervisor of the new town of Batavia ; David Cully was chosen town clerk. The first State election on the Purchase was also held at this tavern in April, 1803. According to the records of the Holland Company Samuel Beard, William Chapin, Jacob Dunham, Samuel Edsall and Asahel Powers purchased land in 1803, and Charles Bennett, John Felton, Silas and Thomas Hill, and Cyrus Hopkins were purchasers in 1804. About this time Charles Barney, Aaron Beard, T. Cole, Robert Dunham and Samuel Miles became settlers. The town meetings of 1804 and 1805 were held at Vandeventer's tavern and he was elected supervisor; the meeting of 1805 was the first one in the new town of Willink, which was about eighteen miles wide and extended from Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario. John Beamer, Aaron Dolph, Eli Hammond, Henry Russell and George and Samuel Spaulding purchased land in Newstead in 1805, and about 1806 Archibald S. Clarke opened the first store in Erie county outside of Buffalo, near the Vandeventer tavern. Early in 1807 Charles Knight and Lemuel Osborne arrived, and in July of that year the first Methodist church or class in the county was organized at Mr. Knight's house, he being the class leader. The same year the first school was taught by a Mr. Keith. Archibald S, Clarke was the first member of assembly from the old county of Niagara, being elected in 1808, 1809 and 1810; about 1811 he became the first postmaster in all this terri- tory, having the office — named Clarence — at his store; in 1812 he was elected the first State senator from Erie county. Before 1812 the following had settled in this town along the Buffalo road: Samuel Anderson, John S. Ball, Joseph and Luther Barney, Samuel Bates, John Boyer, James H. Case, Archibald S. Clarke, James Cronk, a Mr. Chamberlain, Isaac 582 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Demo, William Hall, Charles Knight, Martin Lewis, William Mills, Stephen Osborne, Jacob Pratt, Joel Parmeley, Samuel Strickland and PeteV Vandeventer. About 1816 the Clarence post-office was removed, and soon after 1823 another was established with the name of Erie, the postmaster being John S. Ball,. who had succeeded Mr. Clarke as a merchant. ' The office was changed about 1831 to Newstead and discontinued soon after 1837. The following were among later settlers of the town : Hezekiah Cummings (in 1828), Robert Benedict, Nathan L. Barney, Jonathan Russell, James McMullen, Marcus McNeal, Lorenzo D. Covey, Ezra P. Goslin, Al- pheus Prince, C. B. Rich, Wilber N. Hoag, William Davis, Edwin Hawkins, Asher Moon, Clark Pardee, Asher Wheeler, Charles' Ainsworth, Marcius E. King, William Jackson, Benjamin Johnson, John and Lewis Seaton, Silas Saxton, Elbridge Little, William Strickland, William Whitley, Moses Nash, A. K. Hubbard, William Cofran, Calvin C. Kingsley, Thomas Downey, Jonathan Delano, James Harrington. The first railroad in the county (except one three miles long, from Buffalo to Black Rock) was built from Medina to Akron, Fallkirk and Richville, Genesee county, about twenty miles, in 1835. It had wooden rails, and one passenger and one freight car, drawn by two horses, one ahead of the other; the fare from Akron to Medina was sixty-four cents. The road proved unprofitable, and after two or three years was abandoned. Akron Village had its inception in 1826, when Jonathan Russell pur- chased lot 26, built a frame house, and opened part of it as a store; this building is now a part of Charles F. Berghorn's drug store. About the same time a Mr. Whicher erected a grist mill and Elisha Hill put up a saw mill. The latter was afterward owned by F. E. Dunham & Co. These and other enterprises soon diminished the importance of the Vandeventer settlement as a business center, and before 1840 the latter had become scarcely more than a rural hamlet. In 1831 Spen- cer S. Harrington opened a tavern and Mitchell Osborne a grocery ; the latter continued in business over fifty years. About 1832 Elisha M. Adams, Harrison Osborne and John Wainwright engaged in mercantile business, and "Squire" Huntley built a fulling and carding mill, which soon passed to Hezekiah Cummings. After 1850 Harlow Cummings occupied the mill building as a hub factory. The first physician in Akron was Dr. Isaac Parcell, who came in 1831; following him were Dr. Wright, Dr. F. Norton, Dr. L. P. L. Parker, Dr. O. P. Crane, Dr. L. D. Crane and Dr. S. W. Hurd. Among the later merchants are the following: Adams & Baker, B. K. Adams & Knight, Adams & Newton, Harvey H. Newton, GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 583 H. H. Newton & Sons, Abram Post, Maj. William T. Magoffin, William M. Cum- mings, Charles D. Smith, Wilson P. Hoag, Frank Magoffin, Charles F. Berghorn, Berghorn & Roach, Frederick W. Powell, Mrs Emma Pennell, Dr. Ezra Pennell, David Munter, Kopelowich & Smith, John W. Tuttle, Henry P. Eagan, Morrill T. Dailey, Thomas Brothers, William R. Burns, George B. Garnham, John A. Ander- son, Edward W. Buckley, Mrs. J. Krohn, Lorenzo D. Covey, Dunnett & Co., James Mossman, Mr. Douglass, R. S. Mills, Parker & Harrington. The Akron House was built by John Baird and first kept by S. S. Harrington in 1831; later landlords were Harrington & Stewart, George Brown, N. B. Wickwire, George Shannon, Thomas Black- more and Smith & Wells. Another hotel was erected about 1860 by A. B. Wheeler, the American House in 1872, the Altehburg House about 1883, and the Union Hotel about 1886. The village was originally called "The Corporation," and about 1836 had the appearance of a log-yard, being strewn with logs from the adjacent forests. About that time the Akron post-office was es- tablished with Elisha M. Adams as postmaster; he was succeeded by Sylvester Goff, Lorenzo D. Covey, H. H. Newton, William L. Paxon, William T. Magoffin (thirteen years), William M. Cummings, James E. Paxon and J. Crawford Hoag. The discovery in 1839 of hydraulic or waterlimestone at what became Fallkirk, on Murder Creek, by Jonathan Delano, led to the establish- ment of one of the leading industries of the town. In 1840 he built a small kiln, capable of manufacturing about 300 tons of water lime per year. This was on land owned by Daniel Fisher. In 1843 the prop- erty was sold to James M. Souverhill, who conveyed it to James Mont- gomery, who enlarged the works and also manufactured land plaster from gypsum discovered on the Indian Reservation. Enos Newman became his partner and afterward the sole owner, and in 1852 sold the concern to his brothers, Edward J. and Leroy Newman, who built a three-story stone flouring mill ; in 1858 they built a "perpetual burner " and in 1859 a second lime kiln and a separate cement mill at the lower falls. About 1852 Enos Newman, With his son Amos, established a cement mill on the south side of the creek ; this was sold in 1864 to E. J. & Leroy Newman, which firm then became E. J. Newman & Co. Their large cement mill was burned in 1870 and a new steam mill erected, and about the same time a new method of quarrying limestone by tunneling was inaugurated, which reduced the cost of manufacture one-half. The Capacity of their works was increased to about 600 barrels of cement per day, and in 1878 a new flouring mill, with a daily capac- 584 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ity of 150 barrels, was erected. The property is now operated by Henry L. and William C. Newman. Hezekiah Cummings & Sons started another cement mill on Murder Creek in 1854 ; in 1865 it was abandaned and a new one erected nearer the quarries by Homer H., Palmer and Uriah Cummings, sons of Hez- ekiah. This establishment was soft! in 1869 to the Akron Cement Works, the officers of which were Hon. D. N. Lockwood, president, and Frank S. Coit, treasurer. In 1870-71 still another cement manu- factory was established west of Akron by Homer H., Palmer and Uriah Cummings, who were succeeded by the Cummings Akron Cement Works. The discovery of water lime gave existence to the hamlet of Fallkirk, where J. D. Jackson erected a large brick block in 1843, and H. D. Jackson established a tannery. The place, though now a part of Ak- ron village, contains two hotels and the barrel factory of Timothy McCarthy and Albert J. Flynn. Akron village was incorporated in June 1847, but the destruction of the early village records byfire in 1871 preclude the mention of its first officers. In 1850 it had a population of 453; in 1870, 444; in 1880, 1,036; in 1890, 1,492. The corporate limits have been nearly doubled, taking in Fallkirk, and now equal about one square mile. In 1849-50 Hezekiah Cummings erected a stone grist-mill at the foot of Main street ; this was subsequently operated by John Wilder and now by H. H. Croop. For many years fire protection was afforded by a bucket brigade, which was succeeded by a chemical engine, which gave place to two hand en- gines; in 1896 a fire department, consisting of two hose companies and one hook and ladder company, was organized. In 1896 a water supply was established by the village, which was bonded for $30,000. About 1887 natural gas was discovered on the Wilder farm, and on November 1, 1896, the Akron Light, Fuel and Power Company was incorporated with Richard H. Bell, president ; Irving D. Eckerson, secretary, for the purpose of supplying natural gas to the village. The first banking business done in Akron was by Wickwire & Co., who started a private bank about 1882, and who were succeeded by N. B. Wickwire in 1886. The private bank of Tabor & Wiltsie was started by them in March, 1887* The Akron Breeze, the first newspaper, was started in September, 1878, by Frank G. Smith; later publishers were King & Murray, John H. Meahl, and, since 1889, Edwin M. Read. The Akron Record was GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 585 published a short time by Covey & Wheeler; it was absorbed by the Breeze. The Akron Herald was established May 28, 1896, by John C. Murray. The Akron Union High School was organized December 18, 1883, the first principal being F. W. Lindsley, who was succeeded by George W. Watt, and he by Orson Warren. A brick school house was erected in 1890, and in 1893 an addition was built on the site of the old build- ing, which had burned. From the Methodist class organized in 1807, with Charles Knight as leader, was formed the Methodist Episcopal Church of Akron, which erected a log meeting house in 1820 on land donated by Lemuel Os- borne. In 1836 another edifice was built of stone ipn a site given by Jonathan Russell; it was dedicated in 1840 and enlarged about 1865. A Baptist church flourished in the Vanderventer neighborhood for many years. In 1837 it was succeeded by the Baptist church of Akron, which built an edifice in 1838 ; this was followed by the present struc- ture, built in 1873, at a cost of $12,000. The Presbyterian church of Clarence was organized about 1820, erected a building on the Buffalo road in Newstead, and in 1839 was divided, the Newstead church hav- ing fifty-one members. They erected a church in Akron in 1852. The German Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1867, and in 1868 purchased the Catholic edifice. The first mass of the Roman Catholic church was celebrated at the house of Thomas Downey in 1847; a church was built in 1854 and in 1868 sold to the German Methodists, and a new edifice erected in 1883. A Free Methodist church was built about 1885 and a German Lutheran church in 1896. The village of Akron now has an estimated population of 1,800, about 20 stores of various kinds, 2 private banks, 2 weekly newspapers and printing offices, 5 hotels, a theater, 2 cigar factories, a heading and stave mill, a creamery, a fine public park, 2 flouring mills, 1 foundry, a bottling establishment, 2 public schools and 7 churches. There are also numerous shops, coal and lumber yards, markets, cider mills, etc. It is one of the largest cement manufacturing centers in the world, the annual output being about 500,000 barrels. There are also three large mushroom plants, the most extensive one covering about three acres, being owned by Eckerson, Harrington & Bell. This industry was started about 1890. South Newstead is a small hamlet in the south part of the town. It contains a German Lutheran church and the store of George W. Schworm, who is also postmaster. 74 586 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Hawkins's Corners, about one mile .south of Akron, contains a Ger- man church and a few houses. Swift's Mills, situated on Murder Creek in the north part of the town, was settled by Julius Swift, who purchased 500 acres of land and built a saw mill and grist mill and opened a store there — all about 1840. The property subsequently passed to his sons, Julius, James and Luman P. Swift. After the construction of the Niagara Falls and Canandaigua Railroad through the town in 1854 the importance of Swift's Mills as a business center diminished. The saw mill has been been abandoned ; the grist mill is now owned by Luman P. Swift and the store by E. J. Snell. TOWN OF NORTH COLLINS. North Collins is situated in the southern part of the county a little west of the center, with Eden on the north, Concord on the east, Col- lins on the south and Brant on the west. It comprises township 7, range 7, of the Holland Company survey, excepting the northernmost lot in each of those tiers; it contains an area of forty-three square miles. The surface is undulating in the west part, rising to a broad, level up- land which includes most of the eastern part. The west branch of Eighteen-mile Creek flows across the northeastern part of the town, and Big Sister Creek rises in the northwestern corner. The soil is gener- ally a gravelly loam. The first settlement in the territory of North Collins was made by Nathaniel Sisson in 1809, who was soon followed by Abram Tucker. In the same year Sylvanus Hussey, Isaac Hathaway and Thomas Bills purchased land in the western part. Settlers of 1810 were Samuel Tucker (brother of Abram), Henry Tucker, Enos Southwick. In that year George Tucker, son of Abram, was born in the town, the first birth of a white child. In 1811 Benjamin Sisson, father of the pioneer, and two brothers of Nathaniel named William and Stephen, located in the town and were soon followed by Lemuel Sisson, another brother. In that year also settled George Southwick, father of Enos, George Southwick, jr., Jona- than Southwick and Job Southwick. The Southwicks and Sissons were from Warren county, N. Y., and with the Tuckers were members of the Society of Friends and made quite a Quaker settlement in the town. The first settler not a Quaker was John Stanclift, who located in 1811 ; he had four sons who were citizens of the town. In 1811 and GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 58? 1812 there was considerable immigration, among the settlers being Levi Woodward, Gideon Lapham, Abraham Lapham, Ira Lapham, Benjamin Leggett, Stephen White, Stephen Twining, Noah Tripp, Abraham Gifford, Orrin Brayman, Hugh McMillan and Lilly Stafford. In 1813 the Quakers built a log meeting house. After the close of the war immigration, which had been almost wholly checked, revived, among the newcomers being Humphrey Smith and John Lawton. The first mill in the town was built in 1818 by Willard Stanclif t, north of the site of North Collins village ; several other small mills were soon built, but the water power of the town was insufficient for large mills. Other prominent settlers and residents were Thomas Scoville Hib- bard (father of Enos S.), Silas C. Kirby (1829); Joseph Palmer (1827); William Pickens (father of Joshua, 1815) ; Reuben C. Sherman (born in the town in 1826); William R. Willett (1821); Mordecai E. Smith (1835); and Charles Wood (about 1815). These pioneers and their successors cleared the lands, built their- homes, and made this town an excellent agricultural region. Dairying has been introduced in recent years and there are at the present time five cheese factories in operation ; at the same time mixed farming, stock raising and fruit growing claim a share of the eneigies of the farmers. An unsuccessful attempt was made in the summer of 1897 to find oil or gas at New Oregon, a well having been bored to a depth of 2,500 feet. In March, 1821, the town of Collins was formed, including the terri- tory of North Collins; at that time there was no post-office in the whole large town, but in the next year a mail route was established from Hamburg south and about 1882 a post-office was opened named Collins at what is now the village of North Collins. A tavern was kept there and soon afterwards Chester Rose opened a small store ; the hamlet that gathered around was for a time called Rose's Corners. When a change in merchants took place the name also changed to Kerr's Corners. About 1825 the Quakers built a meeting house, which is still known as the "orthodox meeting house," a little more than a mile south of North Collins. In 1828 those who adhered to the Hick- site belief withdrew and built a house of their own. North Collins. — The merchants who gave their names to this village after Chester Rose, were Alexander Kerr and John Kerr who were in business many years. In 1829 John Sherman and his brother opened 588 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. another store; the brothers withdrew in 1833, and later Edwin W. Godfrey became a partner with the senior of the firm. About 1861 the latter withdrew and Mr. Godfrey continued with various partners until 1872, when David Sherman and Herman Blaisdell took the business. Among other former merchants were George H. Smith, Reuben Pot- ter, Shipman & Southwick, Southwick & Smith, Sherman & Knight, D. C. Brown (hardware and still in trade), Martin Foose, Partridge & Son, F. L. Southwick, Jacob Bangert. The hotel kept by John G. Haberer was burned and rebuilt in 1895; the other hotel, formerly kept by Michael Hunter, and later by his son Millard, is now con- ducted by Andrew Smith. John Kopf was a former blacksmith and was succeeded by his son. Herman Miller was a former shoemaker. In 1873 Egbert Foster and John Stanclift built a steam saw mill and feed mill in the village; after many years of successful business it was abandoned and the mill demolished. In 1883 George W. Belknap es- tablished a handle factory and turning lathe, which subsequently became the basket factory of William P. Sherman. The Western New York Preserving Company established a canning factory here in 1881, in which a large business was carried on until recently. Charles and Henry Colvin built a steam planing mill in 1895, which was burned in 1896. Another planing mill was established by Frederick J. Lindow. A flour and feed mill is operated by Joseph Thiel. The Bank of North Collins was established and began business Sep- tember 3, 18^5, with cash capital of $25,000. The principal officers are: W. S. Lawton, president; E. G. Fenton, vice-president; C. A. Twichell, cashier; W. S. Lawton, S. Ballard, E. G. Fenton, N. A. Chaffee, George Lehley, S. D. Vance, Eugene Willett, H. G. Parker, W. M. Ward, directors. The first resident physician at North Collins was Dr. Morgan, who soon removed West. Dr. Samuel Noyes settled there about 1827 ; with him were subsequently associated Drs. Fritz and Adams. Dr. John D. Arnold was also in company with him a short time. Dr. S. H. Shaw and Dr. Stewart were later practitioners. There are now in North Collins village 3 general stores, 1 hardware store, 1 shoe store, 2 groceries, 1 furniture store, 3 hotels, 1 bank, 3 Blacksmiths, 2 milliners, 1 merchant tailor, 1 flour mill, 1 planing mill, 1 basket factory, 3 churches and a union school. Shirley, a small settlement in the western part of the town, where there were formerly a saw mill, operated at one period by Philip GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 589 Knob ; a hotel, now closed, and a store conducted by Fillmore Rogers, Charles E. Sherman, and others. There is no business at the present time. Lawton, a hamlet and a station on the railroad in the southwest corner of the town. Its existence began with the opening of the rail- road in 1874. It has a steam saw mill built about 1892 by Nicholas Scheu; a store conducted by Henry W. Lawton and his son. E. H. Lawton was merchant and postmaster there many years; his father was John Lawton, a pioneer of 1813, who built the first custom mill in the south part of the county. Marshfield. — This is a hamlet in the southwest part of the town. There was a cheese factory established there, which was a part of the locally celebrated Marshfield combination, which ultimately failed. No business is carried on there, now. Langford. — Another small hamlet in what has been known as the German neighborhood, where the pioneers of that nationality settled about 1836. G. Paul Sippel opened a store there many years ago and subsequently removed to Dunkirk. His brother George took up the business and was succeeded in that and a hotel by his sons George and and John. George Denhiser began mercantile trade there more than twenty-five years ago and still continues. Jacob Balder formerly had a grocery, and now a cider mill. Joseph Naber, jr. , opened a hard- ware store, which 'passed to Louis L. Thiel. New Oregon is a small settlement in the northeast part of the town. Augustus Schmidt opened a store there many years ago, and his brother Frederick kept a hotel in the same building ; another merchant and tavern-keeper was Germain Schneider. At the present time there are two small stores in existence. A Congregational church was organized at North Collins village in June, 1817, with nine members, all of the name Stanclift. The society has continued in active existence ever since. A Free Methodist church was built there about 1 889. The Spiritualists have what is called Forest Temple, in which services in their faith are held several times each year. There is also a Methodist society which has been in existence for many years. At Langford is situated St. Martin's Roman Catholic church, which was established in 1847. A parochial school is conducted in connection with the church. A Baptist church was organized at Marshfield about 1840, which 590 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. finally declined and was given up. The history of the Methodist church at that place is similar; the society was formed about 1850, and in 1852 built a small church. About 1858 a few members seceded from the Methodist church and organized a Free Methodist society, which is still in existence. North Collins village has a prosperous Union school, to which refer- ence is made in Chapter XXIX. The town of North Collins was formed with the name Shirley on November 24, 1852, with its present boundaries. The name of the town was changed in the following year. The first town meeting was held on the first Tuesday in March, 1853. The supervisors of North Collins, with their years of service, have been as follows : Edwin W. Godfrey, 1853-55 ; Lyman Clark, 1856-57 ; Charles C. Kirby, 1858-60 Wilson Rogers, 1861-62; Giles Gifford, 1863-64; Daniel Allen, 1865; Thomas Russell 1866 ; Daniel Allen, 1867-68 ; Edwin W. Godfrey, 1869-71 ; Michael Hunter, 1873-74 Charles C. Kirby, 1875; James Matthews, 1876 ; Charles C. Kirby, 1877; H. M. Blasdell 1878-80; Charles H. Wood, 1881-82; Jacob Staffen, 1883-84; Job Sduthwick, 1885 Jacob Staffen, 1886-91; D. A. Dillingham, 1892; H. M. Harkness, 1893-94; Jacob Staffen, 1895-97. TOWN OF SARDINIA. This is the southeast corner town of Erie county and is bounded north by Holland and Colden, east by Wyoming county, south by Cat- taraugus county, and west by Concord. It comprises nearly all of township 7, range 5, of the Holland Company's survey, with a fraction of township 6 in the same range, the three eastern tiers of lots in town- ship 7, range 6, and a fraction of township 6, range 6 ; these fractional tracts are formed by the windings of Cattaraugus Creek which forms the southern boundary of the town. The area of the town is about fifty-one and a half square miles, or 31,937 acres. The surface is rolling in the eastern part and hilly in the west and north parts. Shep- herd's Hill, southwest of the center, rises 1,040 feet above Lake Erie. The soil is gravelly loam in the east part and largely clay in the west. The drainage is principally by Cattaraugus Creek and its tributaries. Cazenove Creek heads in the northeast part and its west branch in the northwest. The first settlement in Sardinia territory was made by George Rich- mond in the spring of 1809; he was accompanied by his two sons, George and Frederick, and located on Cattaraugus Creek. Ezra Nott GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 591 settled in the same year between the sites of Colegrove's Corners and Rice's Corners ; his cousins, Asa Warren and Sumner Warren, were in company with him. Henry Godfrey and Tosiah Sumner settled in the town late in the same year. George Richmond opened a tavern at a little later date. Settlers of 1810 were Elihu Rice and Giles Briggs, and within the next two years, Randall Walker, Benjamin Wilson, Daniel Hall, John Cook, Henry Bowen, Smithfield Ballard and Francis Warren moved into the town. Ray Briggs, son of Giles, was the first child born in the town. Briggs opened a tavern at the same time that Richmond did. Elihu Rice brought in a few goods, which he sold either at his own house or Briggs's tavern. When a store was opened at Sardinia village in 1820 he stopped trading. Sutnner Warren built a saw mill on Mill Brook on the site of the still existing Simons mill, which was probably the first in the town. Mr. Warren also owned the land on which Sardinia village stands. After the close of the war settlement progressed rapidly. Abel Ab- bey moved into the town in 1813 and bought Warren's mill. In the following summer Melinda Abbott taught the first school. Within a few years after the war John Johnson, John and Jeremiah Wilcox, Morton Crosby, Charles Wells, Horace Rider, Ezekiel Hardy, E. Smith, a Mr. Wolsey, Jacob and Benjamin Wilson and Daniel Hall were living in the town. Jonathan Cook moved in soon after the war and settled near the site of Chaffee ; his son Ira S. was born there in 1824 and still lives in the town. Josiah Andrews was an early settler and father of eight sons. l Other pioneers and residents were : James Hopkins, Luther Briggs, Alfred Rice, John Wetherlow, Jerome Rider, Dudley Hopkins, William Pollitt, David, Sylvester and Horace Briggs, Addison Wheelock, Hiram D. Cornwell, Thomas Hopkins, Samuel Crocker, Charles and Joseph Long, Jeremiah Buck, Caleb Cutler, Charles B. Russell. Several of these are still living. George Clark & Co. opened a store in the town in 1816 and a little later Samuel Hawkins established another, which he sold to Reuben Nichols in 1818. In 1820 Bela H. Colegrove settled at what became Colegrove's Corners, and was the first physician in the town; he became quite celebrated as a surgeon. In 1821 Chauncey Hastings settled in the village and built a store ; two years later he erected a hotel and for many years conducted both. Not long after 1820 George S. and Thomas Collins built a carding mill south of the village and fifteen years later established a woolen factory. Town and village now advanced rap- 592 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. idly and the territory was soon nearly all settled with progressive farmers. After having their hopes of railroad connections more than once disappointed, what became the Buffalo, New York and Philadel- phia road reached Sardinia in 1871. While this gave the farmer better facilities for getting to market, it did not greatly benefit the village of Sardinia on account of its passing at a considerable distance to the east. The hamlets of Protection and Chaffee are on the line of the road. In 1878 the Sardinia and Springville narrow gauge road was built across the southern part of the town, but it was not a profitable enterprise and was taken up about 1884. The town of Sardinia was erected from Concord March 16, 1821. The law creating the town made it include all of township 6, range 6, the southern part of the new town being thus made to extend five tiers of lots farther west than the northern part, embracing Springville and all of the southeastern part of the present town of Concord. On the 22d of May, 1822, a change was made by another act, by the provisions of which the projecting territory described was set off to Concord, giv- ing both towns their present boundaries. Sardinia farmers have largely abandoned the old methods and crops and now give most of their attention to dairying, the manufacture of high grade cheese being very extensive. There are nine or ten cheese factories in the town, most of which are successfully operated every year. Following is a list of the supervisors of Sardinia, with their years of service : Elihu Rice, 1821; Benoni Tuttle, 1822; Morton Crosby, 1823; Horace Clark, 1824; Bela H.- Colegrove, 1825; Horace Clark, 1826-30; George S. Collins, 1831-32; Henry Bowen, 1833-35; Matthew R. Olin, 1836-37 ; Elihu Rice, 1838 ; George Bigelow, 1839 ; Bela H. Colegrove, 1840-41; Frederick Richmond, 1842; George Bigelow, 1843; Frederick Richmond, 1844; Bela H. Colegrove, 1845-46; Thomas Hopkins, 1847-48; Joseph Candee, 1849; Henry Bowen, 1850; Joseph Candee, 1851-52; Mitchell R. Loveland, 1853; Bela H. Colegrove, 1854; Seymour P. Hastings, 1855; Mitchell R. Loveland, 1856; James Hopkins, 1857-58; George Bigelow, 1859-60; James Rider, 1861-62; Welcome Andrews, 1863-65; George Bigelow, 1866-67 ; Welcome Andrews, 1868-69; G. C. Martin, 1870; Roderick Simons, 1871-73; George Andrews, 1873-74; Addison Wheelock, 1875-76 ; Hiram D. Cornwell, 1877-78 ; Addison Wheelock, 1879- 80; Luther Briggs, 1881-82; Charles M. Rider, 1883-84; Charles B. Russell, 1885-86; Albert Hale, 1887; Robert Hopkins, 1888-89; David Butler, 1890; George W. Cook, 1891-92; R. W. Savage, 1893-97. Sardinia Village. — When Chauncey Hastings opened his store in this village in 1821 there were only three or four houses in the place. Some GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 593 years later he opened a second store where his son, Seymour P. Hastings, was in business for a time. In 1847 the elder Hastings built a store on the corner of the two principal streets, where Bigelow, Holmes & Nichols, Warren W. Simons, Kingsley & Cook and George W. Cook carried on business. In that building Sidney D. Kingsley es- tablished the post-office in 1870 and continued about fifteen years ; his successors have been George W. Cook, Frank E. Long, Robert Hop- kins, Elmer Simons, Clark F. Crosby, Olney W. Andrews and Milton H. Pitcher. Horace Bailey built a store in 1846, where he was in busi- ness until about 1863, and was succeeded by W. W. Simons, James Rider, Beebe & Gordon and H. W. Lanckton. Chauncey Wetherlow established a grocery about 1860 and sold out to *W. B. Andrews in 1867. A. J. Emerson opened a hardware store in 1878, and George H. Mills began the drug business in 1882, and was succeeded by Charles C. Robley. Chauncey J. Hastings succeeded his father in the hotel, and the house has been kept by various landlords since that time. Horace Clark built a saw mill in the village in early years, which had various owners before 1870, when J. S. Simons took it and added a planing mill and a cheese box factory; the property is now owned by George W. Strong. A carding mill was established about 1872 by S. D. Kingsley, which passed later to E. J. Cornwell. In early years there was a tannery in operation, but it is now abandoned. The grist mill here, which was built about 1835 by W. W. Cornwell, passed to Bolen- der Brothers, who were succeeded by Charles Long and he by Judson D. Carney. The woolen factory before mentiooned is now idle. At one time there were seven or eight stores in the village, and among the former merchants were H. W. Lanckton, James Rider, Julian S. Simons, H. C. Davidson, Howard Freeman, A. J. Emerson, Edwin A. Marsh, Frank E. Long and Judson Andrews. Martis Bolender had a grocery and O. P. Goodspeed a grocery and shoe shop. Andrew J. Adams was long a carriage maker, and Hiram Flint has been in the same business. The Sardinia Censor was started about 1890 with George A. Smith editor ; he was succeeded by Thomas B. Crocker, who continues the publication. For several years there were two district schools, one at the upper and one at the lower end of the village. In 1882 the two were consolidated into Union School District No. 8 and a frame school building erected. The school now has two. departments and two teachers. The village now has two general stores, 1 drug store, 1 hotel, l_saw 75 594 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and planing mill, 1 hardware store, 1 grist mill, 1 newspaper, a carding machine, 1 wagonmaker and several shops. Chaffee. — This is a small village and station on the railroad, which has grown up mainly since the road was opened. The post-office was established in 1879 and in the same year E. M. Sherman opened a gro- cery and was appointed postmaster; a later merchant and postmaster was H. A. Rifle. Other merchants were Emory Smith, Robert L. Williss and W. B. Clark, all of whose stores were burned July 4, 1895. The hotel was built by Frederick Bigelow in 1880, and rebuilt in 1897 by D. H. Shaw. The Commercial House was built by the proprietor, Gail Grey. A planing mill and cheese box factory was built and is operated by R. W. Savage, and a saw mill and feed mill is run by Frank E. Eddy. The village has, besides, two general stores, one hardware store, and the two hotels. Prattham is a hamlet in the western part of the town ; the only busi- ness interests are a saw mill and a cheese box factory. MadisowCor- ners is a rural hamlet in the north part of the town and also contains a saw mill and a cheese box factory. Protection is a station on the rail- road and partly in the town of Holland, which see. What was formerly definitely distinguished as Colegrove's Corners, is now substantially a part of Sardinia village and its business interests have been already mentioned. Religious services were held on Sardina territory immediately after the war of 1812, but a house of worship was not erected until 1825, after a Baptist organization had been effected. The first settled pastor was Rev. Jonathan Blakely. This church is still in existence. Methodist services were also held in Sardinia soon after the close of the war, but no records are in existence. A church was built in 1842, which is now used for a store. In 1882 the handsome edifice now in use by the society was erected. The village of Chaffee has two churches, Baptist and Methodist, both of which erected houses of wor- ship in 1896. A Roman Catholic church was organized and a house of worship built in 1869 at Prattham. It has had a prosperous existence. TOWN OF TONAWANDA. Tonawanda is the northwest corner town of Erie county, and is bounded on the north by the river and county of Niagara, on the east by Amherst, on the south by Buffalo, and on the west by Niagara River. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 595 It comprises township 12, range 8, of the Holland Company's survey, and a mile strip along the river lying in the State Reservation, and contains about 12,555 acres. , It was formed from Buffalo on the 16th of April, 1836, and originally included Grand Island, which was set off in October, 1852. The principal stream is Ellicott Creek, flowing through the north part of the town and emptying into Tonawanda Creek, which forms the northern boundary. The surface is generally level. The soil is a clayey loam along the Niagara and a sandy loam in the in- terior. The western, central and northeastern parts are mainly devoted to agriculture, while much of the remainder is platted and occupied by suburban residences. Large quantities of garden truck are grown for the Buffalo market. » The first town meeting was not held until the spring of 1837, when the following officers were elected : William Williams, supervisor; T. W. Williams, town clerk; John T. Bush, Daniel Smith and a Mr. Fosdyck, justices of the peace ; James Carney and Jeremiah Phalin, assessors ; William Best and John Simson, commissioners of highways. Owing to the destruction of the early town records it is impossible to give a complete list of the supervisors ; the following are all that can be ascertained : William Williams, 1837-38; Jedediah H. Lathrop, 1839; Theron W. Woolson, 1840; Jacob Wire, 1842; William Zimmerman, 1843-44; James Carney, 1846-47; J. H. Phil- lips, 1848-50; Theron W. Woolson, 1851-54; Warren Moulton, 1855-56; Paul Rob- erts, 1857-58; Christopher Schwinger, 1859; Emanuel Hensler, 1860-61; David Koehler, 1863-63 ; Benjamin H. Long, 1864-65; Frederick Knothe, 1866-67; S. G. Johnson, 1868-69; Benjamin H. Long, 1870; Christopher Schwinger, 1871; Frederick Knothe, 1873-73; William Kibler, 1874; James H. De Graff, 1875; Philip Wendell, 1876; A. B. Williams, 1877-78; Oscar H. Gorton, 1879-80; James H. De Graff, 1881- 83; Joseph R. Holway, 1883-86; Godl. C. Christ, 1887; James B. Zimmerman, 1 1888- "94; John K. Patton, 1895-97. Settlement was commenced in the southeast corner of Tonawanda in 1805 by John Hershey, John King and Alexander Logan and on the Niagara River in 1806 by Oliver Standard. Other settlers of 1806 were Ebenezer Coon, John Cunningham, Joseph Guthrie, Thomas Hannan and Joseph Hershey. In 1808 Henry Anguish became the first settler in Tonawanda village, where, in 1811, he opened the first tavern in the town. Frederick Buck, James Burba and Robert Van Slyke were also very early settlers ; the latter became an early tavern-keeper. Among other early settlers were: Robert Simpson, on Ellicott Creek, in 1811; John P. Martin and a Mr. Stevens, on iMr. Zimmerman died in 1894 and William J. Rogers was appointed. 596 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Wright's Creek, about 1812; David Carr (or Kerr), on Tonawanda Creek; Charles Carr, Alvin Dodge and a Mr. Miller, on the old " Guideboard" road; John Foster, the first Methodist exhorter; James and John Berlin, James Robinson, Richard Rog- ers and Henry Simondon, on the Military road, and William Best, the first surveyor and father of R. Hamilton Best, sheriff in 1863-64. About 1811 a block house was built in Tonawanda at the mouth of Tonawanda Creek, and in August, 1812, was occupied by sixteen sol- diers; it was burned by the British in December, 1813, as were also all the buildings in the vicinity except the house of Mrs. Francis, a daugh- ter of Robert Simson. James Burba, who had settled in the southwest part of the town, where he kept a wayside inn, was murdered by three soldiers of the regular army in 1814, one of whom escaped ; the others, Charles Thompson and James Peters, were tried, convicted and exe- cuted at Buffalo in June, 1815. This was the first civil law trial and execution in Erie county. John Foster subsequently purchased the Burba property and also kept a hotel. In 1816 Edward Carney, father of James, settled on Tonawanda Island. About that time a school was opened in the village, the teacher being Ephraim Kelsey. Soon afterward Peter Taylor opened a tavern there. A contract let by the canal commissioners in 1823 to Judge Samuel Wilkeson and Dr. Ebenezer Johnson, of Buffalo, for the construction of a dam across the mouth of Tonawanda Creek and three-fourths of a mile of the Erie Canal, gave a substantial impetus to Tonawanda village, which was laid out that year; these contractors also built a toll bridge over the creek. The canal was opened in Sep- tember, 1825. The Buffalo and Niagara Falls Railroad, the first steam railway in Western New York, was opened through Tonawanda in 1836 and the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad in 1854; both of these roads are a part of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad sys- tem. The Niagara Falls branch of the Erie Railroad was built in 1870. Besides these there is the Buffalo and Tonawanda Electric Railway, built in 1890-91, and the Buffalo and Niagara Falls Electric Railway, built in 1895. The following became prominent and active residents of the town : Gottlieb Ackerman, Christopher Ackerman, Simon Bellinger, Benjamin F. Betts, ' G. C. Christ, Capt. John W. Cramer, James H. De Graff, David R. Faling, Jeremiah Faling, George Fries, Jacob A. Fries, Joseph R. Holway, Paschal S. Humphrey, Charles F. Kibler, Christian H. Kibler, Charles Kohler, Frederick Landel, Peter Misner, Nich- olas Munch, Frederick Munch, John Nice, Garret W. Payne, Frederick Phanner, John H. Phillips, Philip Pirson, Alsace Rinebolt, Martin Riesterer, E. H. Rogers, Jacob GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 597 Seib, Adam Sohuler, Conrad Schumacher, Emil Schnitzer, J. J. Stegmeier, Theodore Schneider, John Simson, William B. Simson, Andrew R. Trew, Philip Wendel, Levi Zimmerman, James B. Zimmerman, Martin Zimmerman, Martin J. Zimmerman, Edward Heffron, Elijah Van Rensselaer Day. Tonawanda Village, situated in the northeast corner of the town, was laid out by Albert H. Tracy, Charles Townsend and other Buffalonians in 1823, at which time there was a log tavern kept by Peter Taylor, and another on the north side kept by Garrett Van Slyke, who also maintained a rope ferry across the creek. The construction of the Erie Canal in 1823-25 gave existence to quite a collection of buildings, but soon afterward the excitement subsided, and for many years there was little improvement. Roswell Driggs was an early tavern-keeper, and in 1827 Urial Driggs, his son, opened the first s*tore, which he con- ducted for nearly sixty years. Joseph Bush soon established himself in the grocery business and continued about forty years ; he was also the first postmaster, the office having been established about 1828. Later postmasters were Rufus Fanning, Jacob Kibler, Selden G. John- son, Christian M. Eggert, Roswell W. Driggs, Stephen O. Hayward, Henry B. Stanley, Mrs. Henry B. Stanley, H. L. Joyce, Robert L. Koch, George C. Schwinger, Gottlieb C. Christ and Fayette A. Bal- lard. The first lumber dealer was Henry P. Smith. About 1840 a saw mill and planing mill were established by John Simson, who, with oth- ers, was instrumental in causing the Cleveland Commercial Company to make an earnest effort to develop and improve the harbor. This was about 1849. The company purchased 500 feet of river frontage, built an elevator with a storage capacity of 250,000 bushels, laid out several new streets, gave, a large public square to the village, and sold numer- ous lots on long credjt. But many of these enterprises soon failed; the~ elevator was burned about 1857 and the company moved to Buffalo. About 1865 Tonawanda began to be an important lumber center, though it did not assume remarkable activity in this respect until after 1870. Col. L. S. Payne erected the first steam saw mill in 1847, and in 1850 Merritt Crandall started another. Soon afterward Simson, Woolson & Whaley built mills, Butts & Co. and others engaged in the stave trade, John A. McDougall & Co. engaged in the timber and lum- ber business, and Brunson & Co. became dealers in square timber and in 1857 bought a cargo of lumber from Canada, and B. F. Betts inter- ested himself in the lumber trade. In 1865 A. B. Williams and A. G. Kent purchased the mill of Merritt Crandall and later those of Fred- 598 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. erick Smith and Robert Koch ; Mr. Williams continued in the business many years. William Everson had another early planing mill, which> passed to Homer & Daniels, and from them to George E. Hill. By 1875 the lumber business had become the most important industry in the place, and during the past twenty years has grown to enormous proportions. The quantity of lumber handled increased steadily until in its magnitude the "Lumber City" — as Tonawanda and North Ton- awanda are sometimes called — now discounts all American points, except Chicago, as a luthber market. Michigan and Canada have long supplied the timber for this important business. Most of it is shipped in by lake, yet since about 1890 large quantities have been received each year by rail. The lumber trade originated in the village of Tonawanda, but within recent years has been largely transferred to the present city of North Tonawanda. The two places really comprise a great lumber district, and so closely are their interests in this industry connected that they may be considered as one. The following table shows the amount of lumber, lath and .shingles received by lake at the Tonawandas, and the lumber shipped by canal, since 1873 : Year. 1873.. 1874.. 1875.. 1876 . 1877.. 1878.. 1879- 1880 .. 1881.. 1882.. 1883.. 1884.. 1885.. 1886.. 1887.. 1888.. 1889.. 1890.. f891.. 1892.. 1893.. 1894.. 1895.. 1896.. Received by Lake Transportation - Lumber, feet. Lath, pieces. Shingles, pieces. 104, 144, 15i 207, 221 206, 250 323 415 433 398 493 498 505 501, 569 676, 718, 505, 498, 430, 406, 421 469, 909,000 754,000 384,805 728,327 897,007 655,122 699,013 370,814 070,913 241,000 871,853 268 223 631,000 425,400 237,000 522,850 017,200 650,000 512,000 000,000 248,932 907,136 372.458 246,500 1,258,000 1,506,000 5,559,200 6,137,700 5,126,000 3,629,300 5,606,400 1,249,600 282,000 419,000 6,061,850 16,367,000 7,952,000 11,883,000 4,096,000 16,617,000 11,506,000 13,039,600 8,209,800 6,243,245 13,232,600 8,495,450 8,547,050 7,195,350 1,112,000 10,822,000 13,088,500 18,907,500 23,249,400 21,435,500 30,122,000 22,920,000 24,271,000 38,312,000 55,217,000 66,185,000 52,004,000 52,825,000 53,435,000 64,903,000 68,712,000 52,232,300 52,561,000 42,809,300 25,257,400 31,468,700 41,310,650 35,823,200 Shipped by Canal. Lumber, feet. 80,273,285 115,752,111 120,650,792 165,545,742 188,400,335 173,085,467 206,442,542 291,000,000 328,886,395 326,800,681 324,528,266 384,455,535 355,230,391 347,932,845 341,925,473 320,149,453 350,220,300 373,569,621 293,211,900 286,329,307 216,116,532 202,110,990 195,886,000 185,580,352 GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 599 Among the prominent lumber dealers of Tonawanda were: P. W. Scribner, who located here in the year 1814; Goodinger& Bellinger, who commenced trade in 1878 and in 1882 were succeeded by Fassett & Bellinger; the Eastern Lumber Company, incorporated May, 1886, with a capital of $300, 000; Scanlon, Bush & Co. rafters ; and J. S. Thompson,' Lockman & Woods, Peter. Misner, J. A. Bliss, R. J. Wilder, Romer & Vielhauer, R. E. Fowler, M. E. Hewitt and James Woods. Some of these also operated shingle and planing mills. In 1888 a project for the improvement of Tonawanda harbor was adopted, and since then about $300,000 have been expended in dredg- ing, etc. Although the work is not completed, yet the harbor will now float almost any vessel on the lakes. On January 7, 1854, the village was incorporated with the name Tonawanda and with four wards, one of which was on the north side of the creek. The first officers were : John R. Wheeler, president; Theron W. Woolson, Henry Hill, Jesse F. Locke and Henry P. Smith, trustees; Elijah Cooley, Gideon Hulbert and Thomas J. Keith, assessors ; Franklin T. McCuller, clerk ; Hiram Newell, treasurer ; William Hay, col- lector ; Levi Waite, poundmaster. In 1857 North Tonawanda withdrew from the corporation, and since then Tonawanda has remained a separate village. The population in 1870 was 2,125; in 1880, 3,864; and in 1890, 7,145. A brick school house was erected on Adam street in 1844 ; in 1870 a Union free school building was built on Clinton street ; this was burned December 26, 1896; and in 1897 a new structure, to cost about $65,000, was com- menced. The Delaware street school was built in 1893, as was also that on Murray street. Besides the village has schools on Douglas, Grove and Young streets. In 1892 the system was placed in charge of a school superintendent. The Wyckoff water pipe works were started in 1857 by I< S. Hobbie, who was succeeded by Hobbie, Ayrault & Co., Ayrault, Carlton & Co., and, in 1866, Ayrault Brothers & Co. A brickyard was established by Edward Hall in 1870 and another by William Simson in 1880; both have been abandoned. Martin Riesterer & Son started one in August, 1891. In 1867 George Zent started a brewery, which was sold in' Feb- ruary, 1883, to the Niagara River Brewing Company. Sommer, Schaefer & Co., in 1873, started a cider, vinegar and yeast works, which they en- larged in 1887 ; the plant was burned in September of that year and re- built, covering an entire block, and is one of the largest of the kind in the country. In 1883 William M. Gillie built a machine shop and foundry, and later J. Boardman fitted up another. Among the boat 600 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. builders were A. B. Williams, I. M. Rose, Henry Whitefield, J. M. Annis and Thomas Mulhall. Charles G. Martin started a blacksmith and wagon shop in 1864; other mechanics in this line were Elijah Day, Hubert Schmitz, George P. Gillie, C. O. Perrine, J. S. Kearn and Peter Dahl. John Mahar has an engine and boiler manufatory and Thornton & Chester a flouring mill. Foundries were formerly operated by T. E. Webb and S. A. Van Brocklin. The Tonawanda Board of Trade was organized by the citizens of both villages on February 23, 1884, and for several years exerted much use- fulness in advancing the commercial interests. The Tonawanda Lum- bermen's Association has long carried out a worthy work in connection with the lumber trade. Besides the stores of Urial Driggs and Joseph Bush there was one opened by Selden G. Johnson in 1848; other merchants in Tonawanda were the following: William Kibler, James A. Pinner, Joseph Powell, Christopher Schwinger, Louis F. Green, Simon J. Locke, Sherman & Campbell, O. H. Gorton, Lyman G. Stanley, Chales H. Scoville, Christian Diedrich, Nice & Hickey, A. H. Crown, Joseph Wolf & Son, Christian Miller, William H. Hepworth, A. L. Karner, L. Silverstone, J. H. •Kohler, James B. Huff, William Dick, Fred Hamp, William Hardleben & Co., H. B. Koenig & Co., John Maul, Zuckmaier Brothers, J. Lang, Gustav Freitag, Pfanner Brothers, Adolph Luther, Mrs. R. M. Coshway, John G. Hubman, E. H. Hewitt, Dr. W. D. Murray, M. C. Betts, George D. Lawson, William W. Parker, J. H. Risins, Andrew Ultsch, Henry Diedrich. John T. Bush became a lawyer in Tonawanda in 1836 and his brother, William T. Bush, in 1837. Later lawyers were: W. W. Thayer, D. H. Long, George Wing, Willis J. Benedict, Elias Root, F. L. Clark, William B. Simson, Charles W. Sickman, John K. Patton, DowVroman, Glen G. Dudley, Charles S. Orton, William J. Rogers. The first resident physician was Dr. Jesse F. Locke, who came about 1838; following him were: Drs. Frederick F. Hoyer, Ware, Gail, Leonard, Dieffenbach, W. D. Murray, H. B. Murray, Simson Cook, C. Rollin Cobb, R. C. Taber, Duncan Sinclair, John T. Harris, J. R. Simson and H. M. Edmonds. The first newspaper was the Tonawanda Commercial, which was started May 2, 1850, by S. Hoyt; it lived about one year, and was fol- lowed in September, 1853, by the Niagara River Pilot with S. S. Pack- ard as editor; he was succeeded in 1855 by Stephen O. Hayward, who in November, 1860, started the Niagara Frontier. This was finally discontinued, and in 1871 Mr. Hayward commenced the Tonawanda Enterprise. The Index was started in 1875 by J. A. L. Fisher and in GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 601 April, 1880, passed to George S. Hobbie, who changed it to the Daily News; this and the Herald, started in July, 1875, is now published in North Tonawanda. In 1888 A. E. Bishop established the Tonawandan, which was sold to C. H. Drew, who changed the name to the Tona- wanda Press; in 1890 it passed to Frank L. Lane and in 1891 was ab- sorbed by the News. The North Tonawanda papers now cover this village. Little was done in the banking line until June 1, 1872, when Edward Evans established a private bank, which passed to Evans, Schwinger & Co. on May 1, 1877. This was succeeded by the State Bank of Tona- wanda, which was organized May 1, 1883, with a capital of $100,000, and with James H. De Graff, president; Edward Ev»ns, vice-president; Benjamin L. Rand, cashier. The German American Bank commenced business August 6, 1888, with a capital of $35,000, which was increased in June, 1889, to $100,000, and in January, 1891, to $200,000.' The founder of this bank was Martin Riesterer. The First National Bank was organized March 27, 1893, with a capital of $100,000, and with George F. Rand, president; Alexander C. Campbell, vice-president, and Henry P. Smith, cashier. The Tonawanda Gas Light Company, incorporated September 29, 1884, with a capital of $60,000, supplies both places. An electric light system was inaugurated by the Tonawanda and Wheatfield Electric Light Company in 1890. An excellent sewerage system was constructed in 1890-91, and since then several streets have been paved. The Tona- wanda City Water Works Company, which was incorporated with a capital of $50,000 in 1885, established a plant in both villages, and in 1894 sold out to the present city of North Tonawanda. A new armory was erected in Tonawanda for the 25th Separate Company, N. G. N. Y., and formally opened February 22, 1897. Methodism in Tonawanda dates from 1816, when John Foster preached the first sermon at the house of Robert Simson. In 1830 A. H. Tracy donated a lot on South Canal street on which a union church was built. In 1842 a society was organized in North Tonawanda. St. Francis Roman Catholic church was founded in 1850 by Rev. Francis Uhlrich, who, in 1862, caused the erection of a stone edifice. A paro- chial school house was built in 1883. The First Presbyterian church was organized May 29, 1852, and erected a brick edifice adjoining the park. The Church of Christ (Disciples) was organized March 27, 1853; their edifice was built in 1855 and remodeled in 1882. The First Free 76 602 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Methodist church was formed in 1860, with fifteen members, and a building erected in 1887. Salem German United Evangelical Protestant church, organized about 1855, built its first edifice in 1857 ; its present church was completed in 1889; a school house was erected in 1884. This is the largest religious body in town, having upwards of 250 fami- lies. The German Immanuel Lutheran church was built in 1869 ; this was converted into a school house and a new church was erected in 1878. The Evangelical Association congregation, organized in 1869, built an edifice in 1873. The German Baptist church was formed in December, 1872, and erected a building in 1875-76. Kenmore is a residence suburb of Buffalo lying just north of the city line in Tonawanda. It contains a park, several fine streets and a num- ber of handsome dwellings, and is connected with Buffalo and Tona- wanda with electric cars. St. Paul's Roman Catholic church was com- menced in 1897. In the town there are also Laing's Park, Oakland Homestead, Fair- mount, etc., all of ( which are platted and designed as residence sub- urbs. TOWN OF WALES. The town of Wales was formed from the territory of Willink on April 15, 1818, comprising township 9, range 5, of the Holland Company sur- vey, with nominal jurisdiction over the Indian lands opposite that town- ship to the center of the Buffalo Creek Reservation. The town has an area of thirty-six square miles, or 22,600 acres. It is situated on the east line of Erie county, with Aurora on the west, Holland on the south and Marilla on the north. The central branch of the Buffalo Creek (com- monly called Big Buffalo Creek) flows northwesterly across the town. Hunter's Creek flows northerly nearly across the town and empties into Buffalo Creek. Cazenove Creek flows across the southwest corner. The Big Buffalo Creek is bordered by a broad and fertile valley, while a narrower one extends along Hunter's Creek. The greater part of the remainder of the town is high land with gravelly and clayey soil. The territory of Wales received its first settlers in 1806 in the per- sons of William and Ethan Allen, Amos Clark and William Hoyt. In 1807 Jacob Turner, Nathan Moon and . Charles and Alexander McKay came in. In 1808 Ebenezer and John Holmes, brothers, set- tled on Holmes Hill, where their descendants are still found. Silas Hunter also settled in the town in that year. In 1809 Peleg Havens, Welcome Moore and Isaac Reed were among the newcomers. James GAZETTEER OP TOWNS. 603 Wood settled in Wood's Hollow (or Wales Hollow, now Wales village), and Samuel Searls settled where the widow of Thomas Hill now re- sides. In 1810 Jacob Turner built the first frame house. Alvin Burt, Will- iam A. Burt (his son) and Benjamin Earl were in the town as early as 1810. Isaac Hall settled in 1811 at Hall's Hollow, and with his brother Eli built mills that year, and in the next year built a tavern. Varnum Kenyon, William Carpenter, Nathan M. Mann, Lyman Blackmar and Eli Weed, jr., came in about the same time, the latter locating on Weed's Hill, where his descendants still live. Dr. Ira G. Watson settled in 1812 a little north of South Wales and in the same year William Burt opened the first st8re. John Russell bought a large tract of land in 1813 in the southwest part, on the site of South Wales. In 1815 he sold a part to Aaron Warner; Henry Mon- roe was another purchaser from him. In 1816 Mr. Warner built the Osborn House, which is still standing but not in use as a public house. In 1815 John Cole settled where Lyman Wood lives, and in 1817 Isaac Wightman became a resident. Ira Hall settled in the town in 1818 and established a tannery and shoe shop near his brother's mills. Ste- phen Patch and his three sons also settled that year. Jacob Turner built agrist mill before 1818 at Wood's Hollow. Distilleries were numer- ous in early years, seven being at one time in operation on Buffalo Creek within this' town. Other early and prominent settlers were John Cadugan, Frank N. Smith, Thomas Hill, Harry A.. Stevens, Chandler Barber, Charles N. Brayton, Orlo Grover, Joseph Charles, James Chal^ mers, Elias Diniond, Harding W. Hall, Martin J. and George Keem, S. R. Hall, Samuel Gail, J. W. Waters, Welcome Moore, E. D. Nor- ton, Thomas Stokes, Dennis Sullivan and John Weaver. The first post-office in this town was opened in 1821 with the name Wales; it was in the store of William A. Burt at Hall's Hollow (now Wales Center). A few years later when James Wood was made post- master, he took the office to Wood's Hollow (now Wales). Another office was established in 1826 at South Wales. A hotel was built in 1835 a mile west of Hall's Hollow. This has been known as the old Pochel tavern and is still kept open. Mortimer Stevens had a small store near the hotel and in 1843 obtained a post- office there called Wales Center, in which he was the first postmaster; it was removed to Hall's Hollow in 1850. Numerous saw mills were built in early years along the streams, but 604 OUR COUNTY AND TTS PEOPLE. most of them have disappeared with the forest. There is one in oper- ation at South Wales, and one at Wales Center, with a few portable mills. The character of the agricultural products has changed in com- paratively recent years. Grain growing has largely given place to cheese and butter making. A cheese factory is in operation at Wales and one at South Wales. There is also a butter factory at Wales Cen- ter and the dairy products of the town have an excellent reputation. Wales Center. — This a small village situated in the northern part of the town. Besides the saw and grist mills here, which are still in existence, a carding mill was built about 1816 and an early distillery, both of which have disappeared. Among the merchants of the past were Jonathan Hall (about 1830), Ethan Allen (1852), Almon Klapp Turner Fuller (about 1844), Stafford Pike, Silas Wright Searls, El- bridge Kent (since 1870), Willard Stevens (1850-60), Benjamin F. Pollard and Eugene Norton. The hotel of the village was built in 1816 by Isaac Hall and passed through several ownerships to Michael Myers; it was burned in 1882, and rebuit by Mr. Myers ; it is now owned by his widow. The first physician was Dr. Gilbert McBeth, who settled here in 1842 ; Dr. John McBeth, his brother, came in 1843, and is still a resi- dent, but retired from practice. Other physicians have been Drs. Asa Warren, William Miller, Bradley Goodyear, Gilbert Bridgeman, Charles Hill, J. G. Rowe, M. B. Searls (now of Aurora). There are now in the place three general stores, a hotel, a creamery, and saw and grist mill. A Baptist church was organized about sixty years ago, and an M. E. church a little earlier. Services were held in school houses and private dwellings until 1846 when a church was erected in which both denomi- nations worshiped. Wales Village. — This village, situated in the eastern part of the town, has been known as Wood's Hollow and as Wales Hollow. The early grist mill here was owned by various persons at different periods, and in 1846 was set on fire by Elias Brooks, who was imprisoned for the crime. Oliver Patch built the present mill in 1850 ; it is not now in operation. Early merchants were Warren & Wood, Stephen and Oliver Patch and John Minkle. There are at present two general stores. Jesse Westcott built the first hotel in 1826 ; it passed through various hands and is still kept. The first physician was a Dr. Richards, about 1832; he was succeeded by Dr. James Ives. GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 605 A Methodist church was organized in 1831 and a house of worship built three years later. A Free Methodist society was organized about 1862. A Union graded school was inaugurated here in 1896 and a fine two- story frame school house erected that year. It has two departments and two teachers. South Wales. — This is a small hamlet in the southwest part of the town; it has two general stores. Aaron Warner was the first merchant and kept the first tavern about 1816." There is no hotel in the place at the present time. Past merchants were Clark Warner, Abijah McCall, A. M. Chamberlain, Greenman Smith, Jesse Colby, Lewis L. Butler and William Edwards. Samuel Spooner built a grist mill in 1817-18, and in 1819 Gideon Baker established a tannery; they were on the creek near the Aurora line. Dr. Ira G. Watson practiced here from 1812 until his death. Other physicians are Dr. Levinus W. Cornwall, A. C. Osborn and his brother, Frank Osborn. A saw mill is in operation here. A Congregational church was organized in 1841 and a house of worship built soon after- . wards. The first town meeting was held in the spring of 1818 at the house of Daniel Rowley, and the following officers elected: John Cole, supervisor; William A. Burt, town clerk; Charles Blackmar, Henry Morrow and Jared Scott, commissioners of highways; Ethan Allen, Daniel C. Crane and David Hamilton, assessors; Ebenezer Holmes and Jared Scott, poormasters; William Blackmar, collector; William Blackmar and William Hoyt, constables; Ira G. Watson, Timothy Shaw and Calvin Clifford, commissioners of schools,; Nathan M. Mann, Isaac Howe and Jesse Durand, inspectors of schools. The supervisors of Wales, with their years of service, have been as follows : John Cole, 1818; Ebenezer Holmes, 1819-26; NilesCole, 1827-29; Moses McArthur, 1830-31; Nathan M. Mann, 1832-37; Elon Virgil, 1838-40; Ira G. Watson, 1841; Elon Virgil, 1842; Isaac Brayton, 1843-44; David S. Warner, 1845-47; James Wood, 1848- 51; Charles A. Sill, 1852-53; David S. Warner, 1854; Harry A. Stevens, 1855-56; Comfort Parsons, 1857; Jared Tiffany, 1858-59; JohnMcBeth, 1860-61; A. G. White, 1862; Clark Hudson, 1863-64; Alonzo Havens, 1865-69; Turner Fuller, 1870; Ed- ward Leigh, 1871; Charles N. Brayton, 1872-76; Eugene Norton, 1877-80; Frank Osborn, 1881-82 ; Sylvester R. Hall, 1883: Martin Keem, 1884; Charles N. Brayton, 1885-91; A. G. White, 1892; L. T. Hill, 1893-94; James Allen, 1895-97. TOWN OF WEST SENECA. This town was formed from Cheektowaga and Hamburg on the 16th of October, 1851, with the name Seneca, which was changed in the 606 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. spring of 1852 to West Seneca. It lies wholly within the old Buffalo Creek Indian Reservation, which was not opened to white settlement until 1842, when it was sold to the Ogden Land Company. It is bounded on the north by Buffalo and Cheektowaga, on the east by Elma, on the south by East Hamburg and Hamburg, and on the west by Lake Erie and the city of Buffalo. It contains 17,564 acres. The soil is generally a gravelly loam. The surface is level or gently undulating, and is drained by Big Buffalo Creek in the northern part, Cazenove Creek in the central part, and Smokes Creek in the southwestern part. The principal industry is farming and the raising of garden truck for the Buffalo market. The first town clerk was Morgan L. Whitney. The following are the names of the supervisors of West Seneca, with their years of ser- vice: Levi Ballou, 1852; Erasmus Briggs, 1853-55: Levi Ballou, 1856; Aaron Pierce, 1857-58; John G. Langner, 1859-61; Nelson Reed, 1862; Richard Caldwell, 1863-64; Charles A. James, 1865-66; Aaron Pierce, 1867-70; Nelson Reed, 1871-73; Victor Irr, 1874-76; William A. Pratt, 1877-80; Henry Kirkover, 1881-83; Arnold Pierce, 1884; Ferdinand Kappler, 1885-86; Charles Schoepflin, 1887-97. The Indians continued to occupy this territory until about 1844, when they all moved to the Cattaraugus and Allegany Reservations. Many of them had good farms, notably George Jimeson, who was lo- cated on Cazenove Creek. Near him was an Indian council house, while another stood near the city line. Thomas Jimeson had a tavern on the Aurora road inside the city limits. For a few years after 1811 Jabez B. Hyde taught school in this town, and about 1826 Reuben Sackett was permitted to build a frame hotel on the East Hamburg road; this was long known as " the old Sackett stand." In 1829 a mis- sion church was erected north of Cazenove Creek, near the city limits, and remained in charge of Rev. Asher Wright until the removal of the Indians. Among other white people who were permitted to reside on or close to the reservation were Artemas Baker, Peter Beal, Joel Decker, Isaac Earl, George Hopper and John Wells. About 1843 the Ogden Company sold 5,000 acres of land, and soon afterward 2,622 acres more, lying in the northern and central parts of this town and in the western part of Elma, to three agents who came f fom Germany as representatives of a religious sect called ' 'The Com- munity of Inspiration." Their tract and settlements here were known as "Ebenezer." These immigrants, numbering about 2,000 persons, mostly from Prussia and Hesse, arrived in 1844 aud 1845 and estab- GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 607 lished the villages of Lower Ebenezer, Middle Ebenezer and Upper Ebenezer. They also built a saw mill, tannery, grist mill and several houses on Cazenove Creek south of Lower Ebenezer, and a mill and factory on Buffalo Creek, calling the latter place New Ebenezer. The chief of this community was Charles Meyer. Various causes finally led them to seek a home elsewhere, and by 1864 the last member of the community had removed to their new tract in Iowa. Their lands here were mainly purchased by Germans ; the mills on Cazenove Creek and sixty acres of land were sold to John Saxe for $10,000; the woolen fac- tory at Middle Ebenezer, now Gardenville, was bought by John Schoepflin & Son, who converted it into an establishment for the man- ufacture of horse powers, cider mills, etc. ; the factory at East Eben- ezer was burned. ' Hotel-keeping seems to have been a leading business in the early history of the town. Besides the tavern of Reuben Sackett there were two or three at the junction of the Aurora and East Hamburg roads, where Jesse Westcott, William T. Deuel and others flourished; one on the Abbott road kept by B. D. Hoag, and another, "The House that Jack Built," erected and kept by Robert I. Jackson. Among the early settlers of the town were: Richard Caldwell, Samuel Wasson, Arnold Pierce," Victor Irr, Jacob Dole, George Pierce, Willam P. Stambach, Thomas Scott, William Chase, Peter Logan, A. C. Hoag, James Farthing, John Sutton, W. F. Adams, John Stamp, James Kennedy, John Shuttleworth, Michael Crooker, James Whaley, Samuel Stoddard, John Hoerner, Edward Madden, Andrew Leonard, T. Humphreyville, E. Salisbury, L. Farnham, J. Farnham, Aaron Pierce, G. Cogswell, B. White, Nelson Reed, H. Hoag, I. Hoag, D. Baird, H. Felton, J. Bedford, G. Starkweather, Levi Ballou, Morgan L. Whitney, Ira Deuel, H. Frederich, Dr. F. Jost, Erasmus Briggs, W. Tyrer, C. Stephan, E. Madden, William Schudt, J. Davis, J. King, C. White, J. Wirth, M. Covey,, J. Rose, P. Metzger, William T. Deuel, Lewis Steelbinger, John Murbach, Adam Koch, Nicholas Steelwheuer. The Holy Cross Cemetery, situated near the city line, contains 123 acres, and was opened in 1854; a white granite chapel was erected in 1894. Gardenville, formerly Middle Ebenezer, is situated on Buffalo Creek, in the north center of the town. The factory of John Schoepflin & Son is now owned by Charles F. Schoepflin, who also has a furniture factory and a grist mill there. He is also president and manager of the Buffalo, Gardenville and Ebenezer Electric Railroad, which was built 1 A further account of this settlement appears in another chapter. 608 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. between these points in 1896. Among the merchants, past and present, are: George P. Trier, Trier & Ferrand, Henri L. Ferrand, Frederick Fritz, William Gorenflo, Philip Snyder, Frederick Kellner, Valentine Leibig and Isaac Gerber. George P. Trier was postmaster here many years; he was followed by Frederick Fritz, Edward Oberdrifter and Charles F. Schoepflin. A graded school building was erected in 1896 ; Albert E. Cook has been the principal since 1895. The Fourteen Holy Helpers Roman Catholic church was built about 1864 and rebuilt in 1883-84. St. John's Evangelical Lutheran church was organized in 1864 and an edifice erected in 1869. Each church maintains a large parochial school. Besides these churches and schools the village contains three stores, a bakery, several hotels, a grist mill, one furniture factory, and an agri- cultural implement manufactory. Ebenezer is situated near the east center of the town, about a mile south of the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad, on which is a station of the same name. A tract of land near the station has been platted and named Greymont. Here also is a foundry built by the Buffalo Drop Forge Company about 1894 and the gas and water meter and bicycle factory established by F. C. Gilfillan about 1893. Ebenezer Village, or Lower Ebenezer, is a small hamlet containing the harness shop of George Pletscher, the store of Charles Wendling, a cider mill, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, a graded school, two churches and the Old People's Home of the New York Conference of the Evan- gelical Association, which was established there in 1896. Among former merchants were Nicholas Steelwheuer, Frederick Wendling, Frederick Wendling, jr., and Edward Wendling. Frederick Wendling, sr., was postmaster for many years; the present incumbent is John Metzger. The Evangelical Association church was organized by Rev. Miller in 1860 and the edifice erected in 1865. The German Reformed church was organized in October, 1863; their church was built in 1872. Reserve is a postal hamlet located in the south part of the town. It was originally known as Schudt's Corners, from William Schudt, a long time merchant and postmaster, who was succeeded in business by his widow. John Roth is another merchant there. The place contains two stores, a few shops and two churches. The Evangelical Lutheran church was organized January 28, 1850. St. Peter's German Evangel- ical church was formed in 1852. East Seneca is a small hamlet in the eastern part of the town, con- GAZETTEER OF TOWNS. 609 taining a German Lutheran church, while a little south of there is a German Evangelical church. Blossom, formerly called Upper Ebenezer, lies on the town line be- tween West Seneca and Elma, and contains a store, two churches, etc. New Ebenezer, situated east of Gardenville, is merely a rural hamlet. South Buffalo, or Winchester, is a small village on the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad adjoining the city line. Here, at the sulphur springs, was established the St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Home for boys in 1874. It was burned and rebuilt in 1876, and in 1897 a new structure was erected at a cost of $40,000. Excepting this the place is mainly a residence district. West Seneca, or Limestone Hill, is situated just sauth of the city of Buffalo, in this town, and is a post-office and station on the Buffalo, Rochester and Pittsburg, the Erie, the Lake Shore and the Nickel Plate Railroads. It is also connected with Blasdell and Woodlawn Beach by an electric line and with the city by the trolley cars. St. John's Protectory was established here by Bishop Timon in 1864, when it was incorporated as the Sbciety for the Protection of Roman Catholic Children of the City of Buffalo. The first superintendent was Rev. Father Hines, who was succeeded in 1882 by Rev. Nelson H. Baker. St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum, which was organized in Buffalo in 1849, found a permanent home here in 1872; it has been in charge of Sister Elizabeth Wheeler since 1879. The place also contains a Roman Catholic church and parochial school, a store, etc. 77 610 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. Extent of German Population — Characteristics of the Germans — Cause of Emigra- tion — Statistics of Immigration — The First Immigrants — German Settlers Outside of Buffalo — The German Press — Amalgamation of Different German Elements — Ger- man Religious Organizations — German Musical Societies — Schools and Educational Institutions — The German Young Men's Association — Benevolent Institutions. There are at the present time in the city of Buffalo not less than 60,000 naturalized German citizens. If to these is added the num- ber of their immediate descendants who were born here, the figures will exceed 155,000, or more than one-third of the entire popula- tion of the city. In many of the surrounding towns of Erie county the German element is also very large and influential, as the reader will learn further on. It is a well known fact that of all the nationali- ties represented in past immigration to this country, none surpasses the Germans in the essential qualities of good citizenship. Industry, frugality, sobriety and honesty are among the prominent characteris- tics of this nation which have always given them a warm welcome on this side of the Atlantic arid which have be.en cultivated and broadened under the influences of our free government, our institutions and our customs. The Germans are a nation of workers, persevering, me- thodical and conservative, and every branch of industry and trade has felt the impress of their persistent diligence. Nearly all of them are by nature and habit frugal and prudent and a large majority own their homes in the city and country. In political and social life their influence is powerful and, as a rule, is exerted for the public welfare. It was their unsatisfactory condition in their own country, and the attraction of profitable traffic in this, that called across the ocean the early Dutch immigrants who aided in the colonization of Manhattan Island and the valley of the upper Hudson River. From there they spread westward along the Mohawk and into the Schoharie region, and later into Pennsylvania. Their honorable participation in the Ameri- can war for independence has already been chronicled, in which as THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. 611 well as in our later conflicts they and their descendants exhibited patriotism and devotion td their adopted country. The stimulant to later emigration from Southern Germany — Wurtemberg, Bavaria, Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt — was found in the devastating French wars and subsequent despotic and extravagant rule by petty tyrants, which s drove thousands of the German peasantry into exile. Prussia and Northern Germany were also under early despotic rule, but the circumstances of the people were mitigated to such an extent that they were reasonably contented with their situation ; for this reason emigra- tion from that region began at a somewhat later date. It was about the beginning of the second decade of the. present cent- ury when the first stray wanderers of this nationality found a home in Erie county. In 1821 only 2,200 Germans came over to America, and up to 1830 there was only one year in which the number reached 15,000.' In 1832 the number was 24,000; in 1837 it was 33,000, but in 1843 it fell to 23,000. In 1844 Germany sent over in round numbers 44,000 emigrants; in 1845, 67,000; in 1848-9, the years of the Revolution, from 80,000 to 90,000; and in 1850 something more than 113,000. It is esti- mated that up to that time these immigrants brought into the country capital to the value of $80,000,000. Immigration from all sources was materially checked by the war of the Rebellion, and in recent years, so far as Germany is concerned, it has fallen into comparative insignifi- cance. The first German known to have settled permanently in this county was John Kuecherer, who arrived in Buffalo in 1821. He became known as "Water John," from his having acted as a public carrier of water in the village. Little is known of his antecedents, except that he first located in Pennsylvania. He died in Buffalo at the age of eighty-eight years. The second comer was John Siebold, in 1822. He was from Wurtemberg and became a successful business man, and was one of the founders of the Board of Trade and a director of the Buffalo Savings Bank. Rudolph Baer came in 1826 and started the first brewery in the village ; he was also proprietor of a tavern at, Cold Spring. Philip Meyerhoffer came about the same time and is designated in the first village directory of 1829 as a teacher of languages. He conducted the first German Protestant religious service in the place. Gottfried Heiser also came about the same time. No other names of Germans appear in the first directory; but the late E. G. Grey(GrauP), who settled in the village in 1828 and passed a long life in the place, is authority 612 OtJR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. for the statement that when he arrived he found about twenty-five families, of Germans in the village, or about seventy persons. Dr. Daniel Devening also came here in 1828. In 1829 Father Nicholas Merz settled as the first Catholic priest in Buffalo. During the decade 182.8-38 there are found among the names of immigrants those of Christian Bronner, Jacob Schanzlein (who opened the first wirthshaft on Main street), Michael Mesmer, Philip Beyer, George Goetz, George Metzger, Michael Hoist, " Christopher Klump, Joseph Haberstro, Anton Feldmann, George Gass, George Lang, Se- bastian and Frederich Rusch, George Urban, George Pfeifer, Jacob Roos, John Greiner and perhaps a few others. The early professional men were Dr. F. C. Brunck, Dr. Carl Weiss and Dr. Baethig. Many of these names haVe become Anglicized in spelling and pronunciation. Dr. Frederick Dellenbaugh settled in Buffalo in 1830 and became prominent in the medical profession. He was honored With election to the office of alderman in 1839 and was the first German city official elected in Buffalo. In 1831 Dr. John Hauenstein began his long and eminent professional career in the city. It was about 1831-2 that the first Germans, aside from a large number of the Pennsylvania Germans, began to settle in Erie county outside of Buffalo. They located in and about White's Corners (now Hamburg), and a few found their way to the high lands in the eastern part of Eden. The Pennsylvania Germans referred to had settled in large numbers in the old town of Clarence, which then included Lancaster and Alden as later formed. They almost without exception bought land and by their steady-going habits and thrift soon established comfortable homes and became useful citizens. The early German press exerted a powerful influence, especially dur- ing the period before the German language had become so largely su- perseded by the English. In the columns of the journals printed in their own tongue the Germans read and learned of the- government under which they were living; of the growth of a country founded upon principles of equality and freedom ; of political affairs; and of the social and business customs of the American people. The first German newspaper in Buffalo was issued December 2, 1837, under the title Der Weltbuerger. Its publisher was George Zahm, who also kept a book store; the editor was Stephen St. Molitor. The following extract from its brief salutatory is of interest in this connection : The number of the German population of Buffalo has increased largely during the THE GERMANS OP ERIE COUNTY. 613 last four or five years, and the commercial as well as the political circumstances of this city have become of such great significance for the Germans living here, that the appearance of a newspaper in the German language has long been felt as an urgent need. Its aim is the instruction of the Germans in the politics of this coun- try, and the communication of the most important American and European events. As this instruction will be one of its main purposes, it will advocate no special party, but try to develop independently and impartially those principles which, are neces- sary to the preservation of the Constitution. Thjs first German paper was in reality Democratic in politics, and in a leading editorial counseled its readers to ally themselves with one or the other of the great political parties. This newspaper remained under the control of George Zahm until the fall of 1844, when he was accidentally killed at a pole raising in Cheektowaga. A year later Dr. F. C. Brunck and Jacob Domedian purchased the establishment, en- larged the paper, and began publishing a small semi-weekly. In 1848 a second German weekly was started and called the Demokrat. About a year and a half later it was purchased by Carl De Haas and a Mr. Knapp, who began the issue of a daily. In 1853 these two papers were consolidated and Knapp's interest was purchased by Fred Held. Der Weltbuerger was continued as a weekly and the daily kept (he name of Demokrat. Mr. Held acquired the interest of De Haas in 1859 and that of Dr. Brunck in 1875. Both of these journals advocate Democratic princi- ples, and the Demokrat is the leading political German daily in West- ern New York. The present editor is Otto F. Albing. A German paper with the title Buffalo Volksfreund was started in 1840 by John M. Meyer for campaign purposes in the Whig interest; its publication was soon abandoned. On January 1, 1843, the Frei- muethige was issued, in which Mr. Meyer and Alexander Krause were interested; its publication ceased in 1845, in which year H. B. Miller started the Telegraph, which continued as a weekly until 1854, when it was issued as a daily by Miller & Bender. Philip H. Bender after- wards bought out his partner, and then sold to F. Geib, who discontin- ued it in 1873. Die Freie Presse, a weekly paper, was established in 1853, under ed- itorial charge of Fred Reinecke. So successfully was it managed that in 1873 it appeared as a daily, under the management of the firm of Reinecke, Zesch & Baltz. Its present publishers are Reinecke & Zesch and "the editor is Dr. Hubert Rust. This journal is an able exponent of Republican principles. Der Taegliche Republikaner was established October 16, 1875, under management of I. S. Ellison ; in November, 1879, it was merged in Die Freie Presse. 614 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In 1868 the German Printing Association established a paper called Der Volksfreund ; it was Democratic in politics and Catholic in religious affairs, and has been ably conducted from the first. Its silver jubilee was celebrated in August, 1893, by a banquet over which Lieut. -Gov- ernor William F. Sheehan presided. There are also two Catholic week- lies published in the city; the Aurora, which has been edited by Chris- tian Wieckmann since 1858, and the Christliche Woche, which was long conducted by Rev. Joseph Sorg. The first German Sunday paper was established in September, 1875, by Haas, Nauert & Klein, with the title, Sunday Herald; it was short- lived. In January, 1876, the second Sunday paper was founded by a number of striking printers, with the title, the Tribune. It is still published and widely read. ' The first influx of Prussians and North Germans to this county were Lutherans, and left their country chiefly on account of religious perse- cution. In 1839 several hundreds came, led by Johann Andreas, L. F. E. Krause and August Grabau. Another element of our German pop- ulation came early from Mecklenburg to escape the tyrannical restrictions of the old feudal institutions; most of them settled in the Seventh ward of Buffalo. The large Alsatian element allied itself wholly with the Ger- mans, and was among the first to build churches, establish schools, and organize societies and long held to the customs of the Fatherland. Of the political fugitives from the Revolution of 1848 not many found homes in Buffalo. These different German elements have gradually become amalgamated not only with each other, but to a considerable extent with American families, and are constantly and more and more rapidly crossing the already indefinite boundary line which formerly separated them from their fellows in this country. In the later years of *A few other German papers, which, as a rule, lived only brief periods, were the following: The Luegenf eind, started in 1850 by I. Marie; lived about two years. The Lichtfreurid, established in 1855, soon expired. Die Wachende Kirche, founded in 1856, by Rev. J. A. Grabau. The Buffalo Patriot, issued in 1857 by Young & Vogt; only a few numbers were published. The Buffalo Union,, another daily, started in 1803 by Reinecke & Storcke, survived only two days. The Buffalo Jour- nal, also started in 1863, by Nauert, Hansman & Co., was soon sold to Dr. Carl De Haas and Fr. Burow; it afterwards-passed to Philip H. Bender, and was subsequently merged with the Buffalo Telegraph. The Journal was afterwards re-established, but survived only through one political campaign. The Evangelische Gemeinde-Zeitung was started in 1878 in the interest of the Protes- tant church; its name was soon changed to Volksblatt fuer Stadt und Land. A daily edition was afterwards issued, but the paper suspended in January, 1880. Die Arbeiterstimme am Erie started in 1878, lived about a year. Die Lanterne, established in February, 1880, by Emile C. Erhart, passed through several hands and died in 1883. Der Buffalo Wecker was issued seven weeks in 1880. DieSonntagsport was published a short time by Herman Hoffmann, and within the last few years two labor organs, Die Arbeiter Zeitung, edited by John Most, and Der Herold, edited by Joseph Mosler, came into existence. THE GERMANS OP ERIE COUNTY. 615 our local history many Germans came into the community whose names soon became familiar and prominent in business circles and public af- fairs. It will not, perhaps, be considered invidious to mention such names as Solomon Scheu, who arrived in this country in 1839 and set- tled in Buffalo in 1844, to rise in later years through various minor positions to the office of mayor of the city, and to occupy a conspicuous position in the local business world; Jacob F. Schoellkopf, who settled in Buffalo in 1844, and became eminently successful in the leather and milling industries; Albert Ziegele, sr. , who came in 1849, and be- came conspicuous among the many Germans who have created a great brewing industry in the city; and the Lang and the Zesch families, and others, all of whom have been important factors in*promoting the pros- perity of the community. One of the peculiar characteristics of the German people is their uni- versal propensity, wherever they are located in any considerable num- ber, to form organizations of various kinds for social, musical and ath- letic improvement. In the city of Buffalo the number of these organi- zations ' is so great as to preclude more than the briefest historical men- tion of each. In their religious predilections, also, they are conspicuous, as is testified by the many beautiful churches and other institutions that are wholly or in part of a religious character, which are generously i supported by them. Their oldest church is St. Louis Roman Catholic, on the corner of Main and Edward streets, which has been noticed in an earlier chap- ter. This was followed in 1831-32 by the organization of the German Evangelical St. Peter's church, through the immediate efforts of Rev. Joseph Gumbell, who settled in Buffalo as a missionary in 1831. In the spring of 1832 there came from Wurtemberg a German family con- sisting of John Schwartz and his wife, her brother, Konrad Seeger, her step-brother, John George Scheifer, and a nephew of Mr. Schwartz named Gottlieb Weibert. These persons organized the church, and from that time forward its congregation has increased rapidly. About 1834 a lot on the corner of Genesee and Hickory streets was purchased by the society; the Niagara Street Methodist church generously do- nated their house of worship, which these Germans soon removed to the above named site, where it stood until 1850. On February 25, 1850, the congregation purchased St. Paul's Episcopal church, a frame building on the corner of Pearl and Erie streets, for $800 ; this edifice 1 There are 260 German societies Of all kinds in Buffalo. 616 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was removed to the Genesee and Hickory street lot, where it was superseded by the present handsome structure in 1877. The church has a membership of about 750 families, and maintains a large paro- chial school, two women's societies organized in 1866, a Sunday school teachers' society formed in 1876, and a flourishing Sunday school. At a conference of the Church of the Evangelical Association held at Rebersburg, Pa., March 28, 1836, it was resolved to send Rev. Joseph Harlacher to Buffalo to organize a congregation of that faith, which was effected after more than a year of hard labor, under the name of the First Church of the Evangelical Association of North America. In 1839 a frame church was built on Mortimer street; in 1846 a lot was purchased and the building removed to the corner of Spruce and Syca- more streets, where a new brick structure superseded the old one in 1854; in May, 1879, this edifice was torn down and the present gothic structure was erected on the site at a cost of $16,000". In 1841 the congregation numbered only sixteen members; now there are about 200, and services are held in both German and English. 1 As early as 1828 an attempt was made to organize a German Evan- gelical Lutheran congregation and many meetings were held ; but the purpose was not effected until February, 1833, when St. Johannes (John's) church was organized. Rev. F. H. Guenther was the first pastor and worthily filled that position for twenty-four years. A house of worship was built in 1835-36 on Hickory street, between Broadway and William, and in 1874-75 this structure was replaced with the pres- ent gothic edifice. The Lutheran Orphan Asylum, 'noticed in another chapter, was founded through the efforts of Rev. Mr. Guenther in 1864. The church has a congregation of about 1,000 families and a Sunday school of 100 teachers and 800 scholars. In 1843 several families left St. John's congregation and organized the German United Evangelical St. Paul's church. A lot was pur- chased on Washington street, between Genesee and Chippewa streets, and there the first edifice was erected. This building was occupied until 1882, when the present handsome structure on the west side of Ellicott street, between Tupper and Goodell, was completed. The church is very prosperous, and in its congregation are many of the leading Germany families of the city. 1 A second church of the Evangelical Association (the Krettner street church) was organized in 1857 and a, house of worship built on the corner of William and Emslie streets in the same year; this was burned in December, 1872, and the site was sold. The present edifice was erected in the following summer on Krettner street, near William. THE GERMANS OF. ERIE COUNTY. 617 In March, 1853, the Evangelical St. Stephen's church was organ- ized. This was an offshoot of St. Paul's congregation, and began with twenty-five families under the pastoral care of Rev. Karl F. Soldan, who was succeeded in August, 1854, by the present pastor, Rev. Fred- erick Schelle. The present edifice, on the corner of Peckham and Adams streets, was built in 1857 and cost about $35,000. A parochial school is maintained by the church; a Home for Aged and Infirm People, noticed in another chapter, owes its existence largely to Rey. Mr. Schelle and the benevolent societies connected with his congre- gation. The German Evangelical Lutheran St. Andrew's church was organ- ized by Rev. J. A. Grabau in 1858, with thirteen members. The church edifice, on the corner of Sherman and Peckham streets, was dedicated July 10, 1859. The school house connected with the church was built in 1871. The United Evangelical St. John's church was organized in 1847 with twenty members, and first worshiped in a school house. The first pastor was Rev. P. Grumbach. In 1850 the congregation occupied an English Baptist church on Dearborn street, and in 1852 the present edifice was erected on Amherst street, near East; this building was en- larged in 1874. There is a parochial school connected with the church. The German Evangelical Friedens church was organized in 1880, with forty-five families, and the house of worship on Eagle street at the foot of Monroe was completed in the same year. The German Evangelical St. Lucas church was formed in 1870, and the church edifice, corner of Richmond avenue and Utica street (where it superseded the old building of the Westminster church Sunday school), was erected in 1881. The United Evangelical Protestant St. Matthew's church belongs to the German Evangelical Synod of North America, and was organized in 1868. A year later a brick edifice was erected near the junction of Swan and Seneca streets. Rev. Dr. Hugo Kuehne was the first pastor. A parochial school is taught in a' commodious brick building connected with the church. The Evangelical Reformed Zion church was organized in September, 1845, by Rev. J. Althaus, with sixteen members. The members of the congregation purchased a lot on the corner of Cherry and Spring streets and built a frame house of worship. This was superseded in 1854 by a more commodious structure on Lemon street, near Cherry. A paro- 78 618 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. chial school is connected with the church and in 1866 a parsonage was built. The United Evangelical St. Trinitatis church was formed in the fall of 1882, and a lot of land purchased on the east side of Gold street, near Ludington. On this a chapel was built. The congregation was incorporated in the summer of 1883. In August of that year Rev. H. A. Kraemer was called from Westfield and has since ministered to the church. To accommodate the growing congregation a new house of worship was built near the same site in 1887, and the old building was converted into a parochial school. St. Paul's Church of the Evangelical Association was formed in 1874 through the efforts of Rev. M. Lauer, later editor and publisher of the Christliche Botschafter, in Cleveland. The first regular pastor of this congregation was Rev. Adam Bornheimer. The church was incorpo- rated in 1875. The church edifice and parsonage are situated on Grape street, near Virginia. The society is prosperous and active and has several societies connected with it. The Evangelical Reformed Emmanuel church was organized in 1883, through the efforts of the late Dr. J. B. Kniest. A church site on the corner of Humboldt Parkway and East Utica street was donated by Henry Heinrich and a chapel at once erected ; this was occupied until 1896, when the present brick edifice was erected on the same lot. Rev. Jacob Stoerer was the first and is present pastor. The Evangelical Lutheran Concordia church was organized in the eastern part of the city, as the result of mission work done there in 1891, under direction of Rev. J. Brezing. The first Sunday school was opened in Rochevot's Hall and was well attended. In June of that year a number of men who Were ready to form a congregation pur- chased the present church property on Northampton street, near Jef- ferson, and a chapel was at once erected. The first pastor was Rev. Ernst P. Bachmann, who still continues in the office. The congrega- tion was incorporated July 21, 1892. Since March, 1893, an English as well as a German Sunday school has been maintained. In 1873 Rev. Mr. Schornstein, who was acting as substitute over the St. Paul's congregation during the absence of the regular pastor, with- •drew from that church and formed the German United Evangelical St. Marcus church. Services were held at first in a small church on the corner of Tupper and Ellicott streets. Mr. Schornstein was - suc- ceeded in 1875 by Rev. G. A. Zimmerman, under whose administration THE GERMANS OP ERIE COUNTY. 619 the new edifice was erected at 393 Oak street. The congregation is thoroughly German, and that language is used in the services and the several connected institutions. The First Evangelical Lutheran Trinity church (Unaltered Augs- burg Confession) was organized by Lutheran immigrant families from Silesia in 1839, and in 1841 Rev. E. M. Buerger was called to the pas- torate. In 1842 a lot on the corner of William and Milnor streets was purchased and a brick edifice erected. In 1867-68 the new church on Michigan street, between Sycamore and Genesee, was built, and the parochial school was taught in the old church until 1873, when a new school house was erected on Michigan, near Genesee street. From this congregation have sprung a number of missions which have greatly prospered. The first, the Emmaus congregation, in 1888', grew rapidly and the valuable church property on Southampton street, near Jefferson, testifies to its success. A second field was in the vicinity of Concordia Cemetery on Walden avenue, where a place of worship, was rented and regular services held. The Gethsemane con- gregation was organized, a church and school room built on Goodyear avenue, near Genesee, and Rev. George Bartling installed. On Leroy avenue, near Fillmore, is a prosperous mission (Tabor) of this de- nomination and a handsome chapel has been built. In the Calvary church, on the corner of Podge and Ellicott streets, the gospei is preached in the English language to the younger members of the mother congregation who do not speak German. On September 1, 1889, the First Lutheran Trinity church celebrated the fiftieth anniver- sary of its organization, on which occasion the venerable Rev. Emer. Buerger, then eighty-three years old, preached a sermon; it was his last; he died March. 32, 1890. The founder of the Lutheran Trinity church was Rev. J. A. Grabau, whose coming to Buffalo in 1839 with a large number of Lutherans from Prussia has been mentioned. No sooner had they reached their destination than they began holding religious services, and a lot was soon purchased on the corner of Goodell and Maple streets. The so- ciety was incorporated in December, 1839, and in June, 1840, the new church was consecrated there and is still in use. In 1845 Rev. Mr. Grabau and others holding his views organized the Synod of Buffalo. In 1858 the German Evangelical Lutheran St. Andrew's congregation organized as a branch from the older society. In December of the same year the late S. V. R. Watson gave this church a lot on the 620 otrR County And its people. corner of Sherman and Peckham streets, where the present edifice was at once erected. The school house connected with the church was built in 1871. There are three German Baptist churches in Buffalo. The first was organized by the noted evangelist, Alexander von Puttkammer, in 1849, services being held in a school house at 41 Spruce street, on the site of the present handsome church; this was erected during the pastorate of Rev. I. P. Grimmel. The Second Baptist church was organized in 1859, under Rev. Edward Gruetzner, and in the following year a house of worship was built on Hickory street, near Genesee. A third Baptist society was founded in 1875 and holds meetings in the mission chapel, corner of High and Mulberry streets. The First German Methodist church was formed in 1846 by John Sauter, and in 1847 a house of worship was erected on the corner of Sycamore and Ash streets. The present edifice at 149 Mortimer street was built in 1871. The German Episcopal Methodist church was founded in 1852, by Rev. Johann Swahlen. In 1867, under the pastorate of Rev. F. W. Hoppemann, the society built ah edifice on East street, between Ham- ilton and Austin, at a cost, including the lot, of $3,580; this building was struck by lightning in August, 1890, and in 1891 the present church was erected on the same site. There are a number of prosperous German Catholic churches in and near Buffalo, one of the oldest of which is St. Mary's, which celebrated its golden jubilee May 13-15, 1894. In 1833 Rev. Benedict Bayer, superior of the Redemptorists in Rochester, made an effort to collect a few German Catholics who withdrew from St. Louis church for the purpose of forming a new parish. Services were first held in St. Patrick's church, which stood on the corner of Ellicott and Batavia (now Broadway) streets, and in 1843-44 an edifice was dedicated by Rev. M. Alig. In 1845 a parochial school was opened, a residence for the Redemptorist Fathers erected, and Rev. Benedict Bayer appointed first superior. In 1849 the Sisters of Notre Dame took charge of the school and in 1858 a new parsonage was built; on December 18, 1861, Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis came from near Philadelphia aftid opened an asylum for aged and infirm people on Pine street, near Broadway, which is still conducted by them. On October 17, 1847, Bishop Timon laid the corner stone of the present stone church edifice, which was consecrated July 28, 1850, to St. Mary of the Immaculate THE GERMANS OP ERIE COUNTY. 621 Conception. This parish has always been in charge of the Redemptorist Fathers and is one of the largest in the diocese of Buffalo. The present parochial school house was dedicated November 21, 1875. St. Boniface German Catholic church was organized by a few Ger- man families living in the vicinity of Mulberry street in 1849. Two lots on that street, near Carlton, were purchased and a frame edifice at once erected. On the 15th of May, 1849, Rev. Father Kunze held the first services in the church. The congregation then included about forty families. A parsonage and a'school house were completed in 1850, and in the next year the church was enlarged. In 1856 still larger accom- modations were needed and a commodious brick edifice was built on the old site. In 1861 a large brick school house was erected, which has since been enlarged and improved. St. Francis Xavier church was founded in 1849, and on the 3d of De- cember of that year the first service was held in a small building on Amherst street, near East, by Rev. Franz Guth. In 1852 a brick edi- fice was erected at 157 East street, to which an addition was soon made. The edifice was still further enlarged in 1877, a handsome tower built and a chime of bells hung. In 1871 the Sisters of St. Joseph estab- lished a school with three teachers in a large and handsome brick build- ing, which is still maintained by them. St. Joseph's church first worshiped in a little frame edifice which the congregation erected on Main street about 1849 ; this was used until 1893, when the present handsome structure, near the county almshouse, together with a rectory, was built. The parish comprises sixty-five families and maintains a parochial school, which is in charge of three nuns of the Order of St. Joseph. St. Michael's church was organized in June, 1851, by about twenty families. The first pastor was Rev. T. L. Caveng, S. J. The corner stone of the first church edifice was laid August 20, 1851. The new and imposing stone church at 651 Washington street was dedicated in June, 1867. A large parochial school is connected with -the church. The parish is in charge of the Jesuit Fathers. St. Ann's church was founded in 1858, with Rev. I. B. Huss, S. J., as the first pastor. Work was at once begun on a church edifice, which was dedicated June 20 of that year. A school house was built in connec- tion, which was superseded in 1863 by one of larger dimensions. In 1872 Rev. William Becker, S. J., aroused the congregation to enthusi- asm regarding the erection of a new edifice. Funds were collected and 622 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in 1873 such progress had been made that the building of the .present magnificent structure on the corner of Broadway and Emslie street (where the old building stood) was commenced. The church is 225 feet in length and 122 feet wide and is one of the finest in the State. The school building, 340 feet long and 73 wide, in the rear of the church, was built in 1896. St. Vincent's church was organized in 1864 at Cold Spring by about forty families. The first pastor was Rev. J. Sorg. A church was built on Main street, near Humboldt Parkway, which has been greatly im- proved to its present condition. A school is maintained by the Sisters of St. Joseph. The Church of the Seven Dolors was established in 1871 by Rev. Father Gundelach, the first pastor, .and in 1872 a house of worship was erected on Genesee street, near Fillmore avenue. To accommodate the growing congregation the present church edifice was built on the corner of Rich and Genesee streets; it is of stone, and is a splendid specimen of church architecture. The parochial school house con- nected with the church was built in 1895. St. Nicholas church was formed in 1874 with fifty members and Rev. V. Velten, the first pastor. A church edifice was erected on Glen- wood avenue near, Jefferson street, which was subsequently superseded by the present fine building on the corner of East Utica and Walker streets. A prosperpous parochial school is maintained. The Church of the Sacred Heart was organized in 1875, with about thirty families, the first pastor being Rev. Chrysostomus Wagner. The present church edifice on Seneca street, near Emslie, was built the same year. A parochial school has been connected with the parish from the first. St. Agnes's church, in East Buffalo, has a brick edifice on Benzin- ger street and a school which is in charge of the Sisters of St. Francis. The Chapel of Our Lady Help of Christians, although within the limits of Cheektowaga, may properly be noticed here. It was founded chiefly through the gift of Joseph Batt, sr., to the bishop, of three acres of land for church and school purposes, in 1851. A frame school house was erected that year, and a chapel in 1853. The new parson- sonage was built in 1891. Through efforts of the present rector, Rev. F. X. Scherer, a spacious school house and a large convent have been erected. The latter is occupied by the order of St. Francis, who are ■ teachers of the parochial school. THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. 623 Besides the foregoing, there are several churches in Buffalo which were founded wholly or partly by Germans, or whose congregations are largely composed of these people. The Evangelical Reformed Salem's church was organized August 31, 1873, and erected its present edifice at 413 Sherman street in 1874. Of the German Lutheran churches there are Christ's, corner of Broadway and Fox street; Grace, corner of Carlton and Rose streets; Immanuel, at 1194 Lovejoy street; Redeemer, on Doat street, near Bailey avenue; and St. Paul's, on Sco- ville avenue, near Clinton street. Of the German Evangelical churches there are Jerusalem's, on Miller avenue; St. Paul's, on Duerstein ave- nue; Bethania, on Eaton street, near Jefferson; Bethlehem, on Genesee street and Parade avenue ; Jacobus, at the corner of Jtefferson and High ; and Salem, on Calumet place, corner of Garfield street. In the county outside of Buffalo there are also a number of German churches, many of which maintain flourishing parochial schools. Brief notices of these will be found in the respective town chapters. The devotion of the German people to music is well understood, and among the more than a score of societies for the cultivation and prac- tice of vocal and instrumental music in Buffalo there are several that deserve more than casual mention. The oldest German musical organ- ization in the city is the Liedertafel, which was formed in 1848, with the following first officers: H. Wiser, president; F. Albrecht, secre- tary; C. Huis, treasurer; A. Wunderlin, librarian. John Dossert was the first musical director. In 1853 the Liederkraenzchen was organ- ized as an independent society, and from this society sprang in April, 1855, the Buffalo Saengerbund with fourteen members and C. W. Braun, 'director. The first home of the first named society was a modest one in the back room of a grocery on the corner of Cherry and Maple streets. When business engagements took Mr. Braun out of the city, he was suceeeded by a Mr. Weitz. The society moved to the old Phoenix Hotel to secure more commodious quarters and changed the title from Liederkraenzchen to Liederkranz ; but from various causes a lack of interest was manifested by the members and the organization became substantially extinct. The leaders then organized the German Saengerbund of Buffalo, as before stated, which has had a prosperous existence until the present time ; the name was abbreviated in 1875 to the Buffalo Saengerbund. Mr. Braun was chosen director of the new organization. The society made two removals before it occupied its present quarters in 1895 in Music Hall. Friederich Federlein was en- 634 OUR- COUNTY AND ITS- PEOPLE. - gaged as instructor, Mr. Braun retaining the directorship. While the production of opera can scarcely be considered the legitimate aim of a singing society, the Saengerbund has been unusually successful in this direction and between 1862 and 1879 produced ten different operas in a commendable manner. During the last ten years the society has passed through a varied experience with new directors, some of whom were musicians of acknowledged ability. Hy. Jacobson is the present incumbent of the position and under his direction a creditable presenta- tion of Der Freischuetz was given in 1896. The Buffalo Orpheus, in respect to the social standing of its members and the high character of its musical attainments as a body, is the fore- most organization in the city and has attained fame throughout the State. The Orpheus was called into being in 1869 through the action of nineteen singers who withdrew from the old Liedertafel for the pur- pose. At the first meeting held October 1, eight others joined, making the number of founders twenty-seven ; of these, nineteen are still living. In 1870 Carl Adams took charge of the musical work which he success- fully continued twelve years. In 1882 Johannes Gelbke became direc- tor of the chorus, in which position he continued until 1885, when Mr. Adam again took the position ; he was succeeded by John Lund, the present director, in October, 1887. In 1883 the Orpheus made its headquarters in Music Hall, then just completed; the destruction of the building in March, 1885, compelled a removal and rooms were secured in a building on Main street. When the new Music Hall was finished in 1887, the society returned to it. It now occupies the commodious Orpheus Hall in the Germania building, corner of Main and High streets. During the past twenty-five years this society has taken part in many notable musical events in various parts of the country, and also has given numerous concerts of a high order of merit. The Buffalo Turnverein was organized March 7, 1853, by the follow- ing persons: Louis' Allgewaehr, Gustav and Frederic Duehrfeldt, Herman Weber, Heinrich Nauert, Gustav Spitznagel, Martin Riebling, Karl and Gotthard Krech, Ed. Gerstenhauer, Wilhelm Moeser, A. Liesenhopp, John Haffner, Anton Heilman, George Hirsch, Valentine Friedrich, James Von Arx, G. Bachman, G. Berger, and A. Kalte- ifegger. This German organization has been very prosperous and owns valuable property, including a large Turn Hall, on Ellicott street. In compliance with the request of a number of the members possessing good singing voices, a meeting of the Turnverein was called in August, THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. 625 1894, at which was organized the Vocal Section of the Turnverein. M. Weyland was elected president and Johannes Gelbke, director. Rapid progress was made and four months later a public concert was given. Other vocal and operatic entertainments succeeded in which a good degree of musical excellence was attained. Hermann Hoffmann succeeded to the presidency of the Section, and upon his untimely death Robert Eichel took the office, to be succeeded by Arthur Mann. Another musical organization of importance is the Harugari 1 Froh- sinn, which was organized September 6, 1885. The headquarters of the order are in Ohm's Hall on Howard street, where they have been from the first. The membership is forty- five active and 300 passive, giving the society a sound financial backing. Rehearsals are continued throughout the entire year. The first president was Jacob Rusche, the first director, E. Hodapp. The society has taken active part in various saengerfests in Buffalo and a number of distant cities. The Germans of Erie county have always manifested deep interest in the education of their children, who are almost without exception kept in schools until they have gained at least a good practical education. Besides the facilities supplied by the public school system, there are other educational institutions which are conspicuously instrumental in giving German Catholic children opportunity for study. The Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart is one of these. It is conducted by the Sisters of St. Francis. These Sisters were noted educators in Prussia in past years in normal and government institutions, and were exiled in 1874 on account of the perfidious May laws. In that year they came over and established a small school in Buffalo, of which this academy is an outgrowth. In 1877 the institution was first opened as a day school, and with the exception of a short intermission in 1888, has been thus continued to the present time. In April, 1895, it was incorporated, and in the next year its course of study was approved by the Regents of the University of the State, making its graduates eligible to the teachers' training class and conferring upon them university diplomas. The chief purpose of the academy is to afford young ladies facilities for 1 The distinctively German order, Harugari, is strongly represented in Buffalo. Its constitu- tion directs the exclusive use of the German language in its proceedings and seeks the preserva- tion of the mother tongue in other ways. The first lodge.of the order here was founded in 1848, , under the name of Columbia Lodge No. 11; the second was Goethe Lodge No. 30, both of which were soon dissolved. Following them were organized Black Rock Lodge No. 35, in 1853; Cherus- ker, No. 47, in 1854; Robert Blum No. 54 in 1855; Buffalo No. 10 in 1860; Ludwig No. 195, Buffalo Plains No. Ill, and German No. 119, all in 1875; Erie County No. 165 in 1868; Goethe No. 2£2 in 1870; Loche in 1875; Bal Dur in 1876; and others of later date, 79 <&6 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. acquiring a thorough commercial and scientific education, and to fit them morally and intellectually to grace any position in society. The school has met with marked success, and the attendance, which has yearly increased, now numbers 130. To secure increased accommoda- tions a new structure is now (December, 1897) in process of erection, which will contain all modern facilities for study. It stands on Wash- ington street, near Goodell. Canisius College, another important educational institution, was founded and opened in September, 1870, and is conducted by' the Fathers of the Society of Jesus. It was incorporated in January, 1883, and is under the care of the Regents of the University of the State of New York. Instruction is given in academic and collegiate depart- ments. The use of the German language is obligatory and is taught in a graded course, including the reading of classics and the history of German literature. The college was opened in a small brick building on Ellicott street, with two classes comprising thirty-five scholars. In the year of its silver jubilee, 1895, there were 300 students whose homes were in twelve different States. When the needs of the institu- tion demanded larger accommodations the present great edifice with a frontage of 316 feet at 615 Washington street was erected. In this building is a beautiful chapel, a well equipped gymnasium, a library of 20,000 volumes, class rooms and study halls, and all the best modern conveniences. The faculty numbers twenty-eight. The German Young Men's Association was founded May 10, 1841, by nine young men, for mutual good. Their names were F. A. Georger, Dr. John Hauenstein, Jacob Beyer, Stephan Bettinger, Karl Neidhardt, George F. Pfeifer, Wilhelm Rudolph and Adam Schlagder. The pur- poses of the association, as stated in the act of incorporation were, ' ' to propagate the knowledge of the treasures of German literature, and to cause the preservation of the German language, and the growth of the German spirit and self- conscience. " The title first adopted was, ' ' Ger- man and English Literary Society." Weekly meetings were held in which the proceedings consisted mainly of addresses and debates in both German and English, and the association increased rapidly in numbers and interest. The name was changed to the present one Sep- tember 11, 1841. The foundation of a library was established and a librarian employed. Within the succeeding four ) r ears the library gathered 450 volumes, and the membership was 125. The association was incorporated May 12, 1846. From that time forward the use of the THE GERMANS OF ERIE COUNTY. 627 German language became more general and the number of volumes in the library was rapidly augmented. In 1857 a mistaken policy was inaugurated under which the regular meetings were discontinued and the affairs of the association were placed in the hands of a committee of ten members This caused much dissatisfaction and many members withdrew. In December, 1861, the membership was reduced to fifty- four. This policy was soon abandoned and an era of renewed interest and growth began.' In 1866 the library had been increased to 2,273 volumes and the membership to 200. The association celebrated its silver jubilee in an appropriate manner, on which occasion generous members contributed $800 to the library fund, and the number of vol- umes was soon increased to more than 7,000. In 1883, after the National Saengerfest had closed its session in Buf- falo, J. F. Schoellkopf- and Philip Becker conceived the idea of erecting a great music hall. They accordingly purchased a site on the corner of Main and Edward streets, and through the enthusiastic support of the whole association the undertaking was consummated. A subscription list was opened with the names of J. F. Schoellkopf, Philip Becker and Albert Ziegele, sr., who pledged $1,000 each for the work. The sub- scriptions of sums from $50 for a life membership rapidly increased, plans were made by competent architects, and the erection of the first Music Hall, to cost $225,000, was begun. Bonds bearing five per cent, interest were issued to the amount of $150,000 in sums of $25 and up- ward, to run thirty years, with privilege of collection at any time after ten years. The building was completed and opened in 1883 and was burned in 1885. It was immediately replaced by the present handsome and commodious structure. This association has contributed largely to the welfare of the Germans of Buffalo and is in a prosperous condition. The benevolent instincts of the Germans are manifested in Buffalo in the founding and maintenance of nearly a score of organizations of more or less importance and with widely- varied purposes. Conspicuous among these is the German Deaconess Home, established in 1895, largely through the zealous efforts of Rev. C. L. Schild and the gener- ositybf members of the United German Protestant congregations of the city; the Lutheran Church Home for Aged and Infirm, organized April 7, 1896, with William Hengerer as president; and the German Hospi- tal, opened in December, 1896. These are noticed at length in another chapter. Other German benevolent institutions are the Bavarian Benevolent 628 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Association, Elsass-Lothringen Benevolent Association, Evangelical Church Home, German American Benevolent Association, German Be- nevolent Society Concordia, German Evangelical Church Home, Har- monia Benevolent Association, Hessian-Darmstadter Benevolent Asso- ciation, Rheinpfaelzer Benevolent Association, and Schwaebischer Benevolent Association, Vereinigte Sectionen des Bavarian National Bund (ten sections), Gruetli Society, and Buffalo Regiment of the Knights of St. John. Through all these avenues the poor, sick and unfortunate persons of this nationality are liberally cared for. 1 Though the number of German organizations of various kinds in Buffalo is very great and their influence far-reaching, it cannot be said that they have been wholly effective in the preservation of the language, customs and national characteristics of the Fatherland. While this fact is regretted by many of the Germans themselves, the community of American citizens consider it beneficial to the city and count)' at large. The result is that the strength of the German element in these respects is weakened. In most of the German societies of to-day the meetings are conducted in the English language and the charm of national pecul- iarity is lost. In the various religious institutions, however, German language and literature, German spirit and character, are better pre- served. CHAPTER XXIX. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. It is not known in detail and, perhaps, never can be, just what efforts were first made to establish means for educating the young in the region of which this work treats, aside of what may have been accom- plished by the Jesuit priests and their apostles. Early school records were either ill kept, or not kept at all, in many localities, leaving the historian no means of information other than living persons. In the very eastern part of this Sta.te, where the thrifty Hollanders settled very early along the Hudson, records have been preserved which throw 1 Amongthe 260 German societies of various kinds in Buffalothe following are also prominent in their special fields: Teutonia-Maennerchor, Buffalo Zither Club, Damen Section des Buffalo Zither Club, Buffalo Central Schnetgen Verein, Sprudel Fishing Club, and several fraternal orders. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 629 considerable light on this subject in that section. The great West India Company, which ruled for years with an almost omnipotent hand, realized that its own interests, as well as those of their colony, would be subserved by promoting education, hence they provided school- masters. But those pioneer teachers had other occupation than teach- ing the young; they were forced to in order to gain a living. In many instances they were preachers and more frequently they were "com- forters of the sick," an officer who also aided the public preacher. Much of the teaching was of a religious character, based on reading the Bible ; aside from this it was of the most primitive character. The masses of the early immigrants were unable to read or write; the immorality that always accompanies ignorance prevailed. Dr. O'Cal- laghan is authority for the statement that "the state of morals at New Amsterdam was at this period [1638] by no means healthy. The early schools were not eagerly sought nor liberally supported by the people, ' and the teachers were frequently ignorant and sometimes unprincipled." In a remonstrance against the West India Company made in 1649 is found the following: There ought to be, also, a public school, provided with good teachers, so that the youth in this wild country, where there are so many dissolute people, may, first of all, be instructed, and indoctrinated, not only in reading and writing, but also in fear of the Lord. Now the school is kept very irregularly, by this one and that, according to fancy, as long as he thinks proper. There is an epitome of the whole situation in that pregnant para- graph ; and- it indicates to what an extent scriptural teaching, such as it was, was combined with the secular. It would appear that the West India Company cared more for new and profitable schemes for obtain- ing furs from the Indians than for education. After the accession of the English educational affairs gradually im- proved. Teachers were at first required to have a license from the governor of the colony, which probably introduced a better class of instructors. The following is the license of the first teacher in Albany : Whereas, the teaching of the English tongue is necessary in this government; I have, therefore, thought .fit to give License to John Shutte to bee the English Schoolmaster at Albany; And upon condition that the said John Shutte shall not demand any more wages from each schollar than is given by the Dutch to their Dutch Schoolmaster, I have further granted to the said John Shutte that hee shall bee the onely English Schoolmaster in Albany. Given under my "hand, at Fort James, in New York, the 12th day of October, 1665. Rich'd Nicolls. 630 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. , In the instructions given to Governor Dongan at Windsor, May 29, 1686, was the following: 38. And wee doe further direct that noe Schoolmaster bee henseforth permitted to come from England & to keep school within our province of New York without the license of the said Archbishop of Canterbury; and that noe other person now there or that shall come from other parts bee admitted to keep school without your license first had. Similar instructions were given to his successors in that office. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, in- corporated in 1701, accomplished Something for the cause of education in the colonies. One of their orders as to qualifications of teachers contained the following : I. That no person be admitted a Schoolmaster, till he bring Certificates, with respect to these Particulars following: 1. The age of the Person. 2. His condition of life, whether married or single. 3. His Temper. 4. His Learning. 5. His Pru- dence. 6. His sober and pious Conversation. 7. His zeal for the Christian Relig- ion and diligence in his Calling. 8. His Affection to the Present Government. 9. His Conformity to the Doctrine and Discipline of the Church of England. This society also published an extended code of instructions for its teachers, covering every possible contingency and phase of their calling. A grammar school was opened at New York in 1702 and continued to 1709. At about that time attempts were inaugurated to found a college in this province. In 1773 there was established under an act of the General Assembly "a public school to teach Latin, Greek and Mathematics in the city of New York." Most of the school teachers prior to the Revolution were men. Down to that time less attention was given to the education of women than of men, and many young women, possessed of brilliant natural talents, were taught only to read and write and a few simple accomplishments. These unjust conditions have happily all passed away. With the close of the Revolutionary war and under the civilizing influence of freedom, the cause of education was rapidly advanced. The Regents of the University of the State of New York were incorporated in 1784 (reor- ganized 1787) and in their report of 1793 they called attention to the benefits likely to accrue from the establishment of more schools in Various parts of the State. " The mode of accomplishing this object," said the report, "we respectfully submit to the-wisdom of the Legisla- ture." At the opening of the session of 1795 Governor Clinton thus alludes to this subject in his message : EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 631 While it is evident that the general establishment and liberal endowment of acad- emies are highly to be commended, and are attended with the most beneficial con- sequences, yet it cannot be denied that they are principally confined to the children of the opulent, and that a great portion of the community is excluded from their immediate advantages. The establishment of common schools throughout the State is happily calculated to remedy this inconvenience, and will therefore engage your early and decided consideration. These are the first steps taken directly toward the establishment of the common school system of the State. On the 11th of January, 1795, the Assembly appointed a committee of six to consider the school sub- ject, and on February 19 they reported "An Act for the Encourage- ment of Schools," which became a law on the 9th of April. This act appropriated $50,000 annually for five years for the^general support of common schools, which sum was at first apportioned to the several counties according to their representation in the Legislature ; later it was apportioned according to the number of electors for member of assembly, and to the several towns according to the number of taxable inhabitants. The act provided for the election of not less than three ■ nor more than seven commissioners in each town, who shall have super- vision of the schools of each town. The inhabitants in the different sections of the towns were authorized to meet for the purpose of pro- curing "good and sufficient sqhoolmasters, and for erecting and main- taining school houses in such and so many parts of the town. where they may reside, as shall be most convenient," and to appoint two or more trustees, whose duties were defined by the act. The public money paid to each district was to be apportioned by the commissioners according to the number of days of instruction given in each of the schools. Pro- vision was made also for annual returns from all districts and counties. Lotteries were early instituted by the State for the support of schools, first in 1799, when $100,000 was to be raised, $12,500 of which was to go to academies and the remainder to common schools. On the 2d of April, 1805, an act was passed, providing that the net proceeds of the sale of 500,000 acres of unappropriated State lands should be made a permanent fund for the support of schools, the avails to be invested until the interest amounted. to $50,000, when an annual distribution of that amount should be made. By February, 1807, re- ceipts fcr the school fund in the treasury had reached $151,115.69. In 1811 a law was enacted authorizing the governor to appoint five commissioners to report a system for the organization of the common schools. The commission consisted of Jedediah Peck, John Murray, jr., 632 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, Samuel Russell, Roger Skinner and Samuel Macomb. Their report, made February 14, 1812, was accompanied by a draft of a bill embody- ing the main features of the common school system as it existed until 1838. One feature of the bill was, that each county should raise by tax an amount equal to that apportioned by the State. Following is a brief outline of the system : That the several towns in the State be divided into school districts, three commis- sioners elected by the citizens qualified to vote for town officers: that three trustees be elected in each district, to whom shall be confided the care and superintendence of the school to be established therein ; that the interest of the school fund be divided among the different counties and towns, according to their respective population, as ascertained by the successive censuses of the United States; that the proportions re- ceived by the respective towns be subdivided, according to the number of children in each, between the ages of five and fifteen years ; that each town raise, annually, so much money as it shall have received from the school fund ; that the gross amount of moneys received from the State and raised by the towns be appropriated exclu- sively to the payment of teachers; and the whole system be placed under the super- intendence of an officer appointed by the Council of Appointment. Gideon Hawley was made the first superintendent of common schools and held the office from 1813 to 1821. In the first reporc (1814) he called attention to the fifth section of the law under which it was a possibility that a single town in a county might receive the whole of the public money for that county ; and to other provisions giving each town the choice of complying with the law and receiving its benefits and bearing its burdens, or of refusing such compliance. Under these provisions many towns had refused compliance with the act, to the great detriment of the system. The superintendent suggested that it be made obligatory upon the towns to comply with the act, and also on the Board of Supervisors to levy on the respective towns a sum equal to the sum "which shall be apportioned to such towns out of the public money to be distributed." These suggestions were promptly carried out by the amendments to the act. The founding of this school system was an educational movement of the greatest importance and its benefits became at once apparent. In his second report (1815) Mr. Hawley said: But the great benefit of the act does not lie in any pecuniary aid which it may afford. It consists in securing the establishment of common schools wherever they aje necessary; in organizing them on a suitable and permanent foundation; and in guarding them against the admission of unqualified teachers. In his sixth annual report the superintendent renewed his recom- mendation, before made, for a revision and consolidation of the existing EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 633 school laws. On the 19th of April, 1819, accordingly, the Legislature re-enacted the " act for the support of the common schools," making the various amendments suggested by Mr. Hawley. To him is given the honor and credit of having done more than any other person in the founding of the common school system in this State. John Van Ness Yates was secretary of state and superintendent ex officio of common schools from 1821 to 1826, the separate office of superintendent of schools having been abolished by the constitution of 1821. The con- stitution provided, also, "the proceeds of all lands thereafter to be sold, belonging to the State, with the exception of such as might be reserved for the public use or ceded to the United States, together with the existing school fund, were declared to constitute a perpetual fund, the interest of which should be inviolably appropriated and applied to the support of the common schools." Azariah C. Flagg held the office of secretary of state and superin- tendent of schools from 1826 to 1833, and was succeeded by John A. Dix (1833-39), during which period great improvements were made in the details of the school system. In 1827 the sum annually distributed to various districts was increased to $100,000; in 1837 it was $110,000. On the 13th of April, 1835, an act was passed which laid the founda- tion of district school libraries ; it authorized the taxable inhabitants of each district to impose a tax of not more than $20 the first year, and $10 each succeeding year, for the purchase of a district library. Under this act libraries were established in very many districts of the State and the result and benefit is beyond estimate. In 1838 $160,000 were added from the annual revenue of the United States deposit fund to the amount to be apportioned among the various school districts. In the following year the number of school districts in the. State was 10,583. The increase in the number of districts from time to time is shown as follows: 1798, 1,352 districts; 1816, about 5,000; 1820, 5,763; 1825, 7,642; 1830, 8,872; 1855, 9,865. On the 4th of February, 1839, John C. Spencer was appointed secre- tary of state and superintendent of common schools, and he continued in office until 1842. He advocated several changes in the system, the most important being, perhaps, the county supervision of schools by regular visitors. These visitors reported to the superintendent, and one of the results of their early reports was the plan of appointing county superintendents, which went into effect in April, and resulted in a great improvement in the general character of the schools. The 80 634 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. office was abolished in 1847. The only person who held this office in Erie county was Enoch S. Ely. In his annual message of 1844 Governor Bouck treated largely the school question, stating among other things the following: The substitution of a single officer, charged with the supervision of the schools of each town, for the board of commissioners and inspectors formerly existing, in con- nection with the supervisory and appellate powers of the several county superin- tendents, as denned by the law of the last session, seems to have met with the general approbation and concurrence of the people. Samuel S. Young was secretary of state and superintendent of schools from February, 1842, to February, 1845, when he was succeeded by Nathaniel S. Benton, who continued until 1847, when the new consti- tution was in effect. The subject of Teachers' Institutes was first brought forward in the Tompkins County Teachers' Association in the fall of 1842, and the first institute was held in the village of Ithaca April 4, 1843 ; they soon became a powerful auxiliary in elevating the teacher's profession. A persistent and nearly successful attempt was made to engraft upon the new constitution of 1846 a free school system for the State. The section under which it was to have been accomplished was the follow- ing: The Legislature shall provide for the free education and instruction of every child of the State in the common schools, now established, or which shall hereafter be es- tablished therein. This section was adopted by a vote of 57 to 53, and a provision was then added directing the Legislature to provide for raising the neces- sary taxes in the districts to carry out the plan. The convention then adjourned for dinner. After reassembling the school article was re- ferred, on resolution, to a committee of one with instructions to strike out the last two sections relating to free schools. This was done and the provision for free schools was thus defeated. On the 13th of November, 1847, the Legislature passed an act abol- ishing the office of county superintendent of common schools, directing appeals authorized to be made by law to be made to the state superin- tendent, and the annual reports of the town superintendents to be made to the county clerk. This measure was adopted largely in response to popular clamor, and was in many respects temporarily disastrous to the welfare of the schools. Reports of town superintendents were fre- quently superficial and incomplete, while they were "wholly incapable EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 635 of supplying the place in the system which had been assigned to the higher class of officers." On the 16th of December, 1847, the various statutes relating to common schools were consolidated into one act, with such amendments as seemed expedient ; town superintendents were to hold their office two years; the library law was modified so that library money in any district might be used for teachers' wages, with the consent of the state superintendent, provided the number of volumes in the library had reached a certain proportion to the number of children, etc. Christopher Morgan was state superintendent of schools and secre- tary of state from 1847 to 1-851, when he was succeeded by Henry S. Randall, who held the office until 1853. In his message to the Legis- lature in 1849 Governor Fish expressed his belief "that the restoration of the office of county superintendent would be productive of good to the school system." He recommended two measures, either of which he thought would improve the situation : First, The repeal of chapter 358, laws of 1847, restoring the office of county super- intendent, and making it elective by the people. Second, The election of a superintendent in every Assembly district, except in the city of New York, and the cities which now have, or shall hereafter have, a city superintendent, or board of education, to manage their school affairs. The superintendent in his annual report reviewed the situation of the question of free schools which was before the people. On the 26th of March, 1849, the Legislature passed an "Act establishing Free Schools throughout the State." A vote was to be taken for and against this act at the ensuing November election, and if a majority voted against it the act was to be void. The votes cast for the law numbered 249,- 872; against it, 91,951. For the details of the provisions of this act the reader is referred to the statutes of that year. Erie county gave a majority in favor of the act of 7,258 out of a vote of 8,800. The prac- tical application of the system met with wide-spread and intense oppo- sition from the first, and it soon became apparent that a demand for a repeal of the act would have to be met. At the annual election in the fall of 1850, therefore, the people voted upon the question of repeal, and polled a majority in favor of repeal of 46,874 in forty-two of the fifty-nine counties of the State ; in the remaining seventeen counties the majority against repeal was 71,912, leaving a majority in the State against repealing the act of 25,088. Thus the beneficent free school system was permanently established. The majority given in Erie 636 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. county against repeal was 1,743. In a work on the common school system of New York by S. S. Randall, published in 1851, credit is given Oliver G. Steele and Messrs. Starr and Rice, of Erie county, for aid in establishing the system. The number of school districts reported in the State in 1850 was 11,397, and the number of children taught was 735,188. The present number of districts in the State is a little less than at that time, owing to the formation of various union districts. In 1856 the provision of the law of 1851 appropriating annually $800,000 was repealed and a tax of three-quarters of a mill on the dol- lar on real and personal property was substituted for payment of teach- ers' wages, and the rate bill was continued, while the school commis- sioners, who had theretofore been appointed by boards of supervisors, were to be elected on a separate ballot. A law was passed in 1853 providing for union free schools, author- izing the inhabitants of two or more districts to elect trustees and levy a tax on the property in the united districts for the payment of teach- ers' wages and other expenses. A number of such districts have been created in Erie county, as noticed further on, and excellent graded schools established. The general school law was revised in 1864, and in 1867 the rate bill was abolished and a tax of one and a quarter mills on the dollar of val- uation substituted. It is neither practicable nor desirable to follow all the subsequent changes in the school laws ; they were many and frequent, and con- tinued down to 1894, when on May 8 was passed "An Act to revise, amend and consolidate the general acts relating to public instruction. " Under this act very much of preceding legislation was repealed and new and better regulations substituted. Only a few schools were taught in Erie county outside of Buffalo previous to the war of 1812, and of those that had come into existence only the most meager account can be given. Almost no records at all were kept of the first schools, and in many towns if they were kept in later years they have been lost or destroyed. Before the war the pio- neers, while not lacking in appreciation of the importance of educating their children, were so crippled and restricted by their circumstances that it was nearly impossible to give much attention to the matter. But in many neighborhoods as soon as a little community of a few fam- ilies had settled sufficiently near each other to make the attendance of EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 637 their children at a centrally located log school house possible, the little structure was erected by combined effort and a teacher installed. Those teachers were most frequently women, daughters or sisters of the pio- neers, and their labor was for many years ill-paid and unselfish. A few private schools existed in Buffalo before the war, and record is found of one taught in the town of East Hamburg in 1805, near Potter's Corners (East Hamburg), in a log house erected by the Quakers, who were the first settlers in that locality. That was, without doubt, the first school south of the Buffalo Creek Reservation. At about the time the war closed a few prominent settlers of that town built a school house near John Green's tavern, where the first post-office was estab- lished with the name Hamburg. This school house was used also for a Baptist meeting house for many years. In the town of Aurora a school was taught in the summer of 1807, by Mary Eddy, in a log cabin at the east end of East Aurora in which William Warren, a son of a pioneer, had lived a short time. In the fol- lowing winter Mr. Warren himself taught there. In 1808 a frame school house was built on a site in the middle of what became Pine street, East Aurora. In 1823-24 Millard Fillmore taught school in that village and attended to such limited law practice as he could get; so also did Nathan K, Hall, who studied in Fillmore's office and taught school winters. In the year 1829 George W. Johnson opened an ad- vanced school or academy at the east end of the village of East Aurora and in the same year entered Mr. Fillmore's office as a student; the in- stitution continued only four or five years. In 1833 the Aurora Acad- emy was founded and became one of the most celebrated in Western New York. It was incorporated in 1832 as the Aurora Manual Labor Seminary, and a two-story frame building was finished in the next year. The first trustees, chosen October 5, 1833, were Aaron Riley, Robert Persons, Ed- ward Paine, Calvin Fillmore, Joseph Howard, jr. , Charles P. Persons, Joan C. Pratt, jr., Elihu Walker, Lawrence J. Woodruff, Bryan Hawley, Stephen Holmes, and David P. White. Elihu Walker was elected president, and Aaron Riley, secretary. Daniel Howard, jr., was the first teacher, and in 1835 was succeeded by A. Garrison. On April 11, 1838, the name of the institution was changed to the Aurora Academy. Hiram H. Barney began his term as principal in May, 1838, and continued until 1847, his strict and vig- orous management giving the institution its deserved high reputation. Other principals were Calvin Littlefield, from 1847 to 1852 ; Rev. James M. Har- low, 1852 to 1853; Hiram L. Ward, 1853 to 1859; George Conant, 1859 to 1865; Charles W. Merritt, 1865 to 1872; he was succeeded for one term by Darwin Phelps, 638 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. after which Mr. Merritt returned for two years ; Lloyd Rice, Mary Stratton David Sinclair and Mr. Gary occupied the position during the succeeding five years, when, in 1879, Mr. Merritt returned for one year; he was succeeded by Leslie W. Lake, who served until 1883. In 1866-7 a large brick building was erected in front of the old one, which was removed. In 1883 a Union district was formed embracing the village of East Aurora and adjacent territory and the academy property was turned over to the trustees. The first school house in the town of Lancaster was built in 1810, of logs ; Miss Freelove Johnson was the first teacher. It was replaced by a better one within a few years and became known as the Johnson school house from its proximity to Capt. Henry Johnson's house ; it stood on the site of the present brick school house in the Peckham neighborhood. An academy was founded in Lancaster village in 1843, and enjoyed a fair degree of prosperity for several years, after which attendance de- clined and it was abandoned. Judge Theodatus Burwell, an energetic but somewhat visionary lawyer residing in Lancaster and having an office in Buffalo, conceived the idea of establishing an agricultural col- lege at Lancaster. He built one or two small brick structures, adopted the name, Oakwood Institute, and instruction was begun to a few boys', who boarded with the proprietor. A Dr. De Young was one of the first instructors, and was soon succeeded by William H. Brewer, who was afterwards a professor in the Sheffield Scientific School connected with Yale College. He was the last teacher in the Lancaster institu- tion. A large brick school house was built in Lancaster in 1873 for district No. 8, on land donated by Ebenezer Briggs. The first school house in Elma village was built by a number of prominent residents in one afternoon in the year 1846. Salina Standart taught about ten scholars there that winter and was the first teacher in the village. In 1856 the first school house was built in East Elma. The records do not give us the date of the opening of the fiist school in the town of Clarence, but we may assume that there was one or more before the war of 1812, as the town was considerably settled at that time. It is certain that educational affairs have always received due attention from the community, for an excellent classical school was opened in Clarence Hollow as early as 1841, by J. Hadley and R. Blen- nerhassett. The institution was organized a few years later into the Clarence Academy, with a Board of Education consiting of O. K. Parker, A. Prince, A. L. Love, H. S. Long, Charles Leib, G. K. Les- EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 639 ter, H. S. Stratford, Abram Erb and George Havens. The academy was reasonably prosperous, and in 1872 received from Dr. Jared Parker a gift of $15,000, to which the town added a like sum. In honor of Dr. Parker's generous endowment, the academy was given his name — Parker Academy. This institution is now known as the Parker Union School and Academy. The first school house in the village of Williamsville, town of Am- herst, was built in 1812 by Caleb Rogers, and a Mr. Johnson was the first teacher. In 1840 a stone school house was erected. The Will- iamsville Academy was founded and erected in 1850; the first trustees were David Graybiel, John Frick, Isaac Hershey, George Gross, Chris- tian Rutt, John Hershey, Timothy A. Hopkins, £amuel L. Bestow, Benjamin Miller, John Witmer, John D. Campbell and James W. Stevens. This was only one of the many academies that were founded and flourished for longer or shorter periods throughout the State along in the middle of the century. They have nearly all been superseded by union and graded schools. The Williamsville Academy was no ex- ception, and after some years of usefulness the building was sold to the village for the district school. Early efforts were made to promote education in the village of Springville, where Anna Richmond opened a school of fourteen schol- ars in 1810; it was in a log barn just north of the site of the village. The beginning of the effort to establish the Springville Academy took place in December, 1825, when a subscription paper was circulated to raise the necessary funds; but the scarcity of money retarded progress and it was not until 1829 that the sum of $2,000 was pledged, and one-third of this was to be paid in grain, one-third in live stock,- and one-third in cash. In that year a board of trustees was elected and the erection of a building commenced. It was finished in 1830 and Hiram H. Barney (who has been mentioned as the later principal of the Aurora Academy) was employed as the first principal. From that time to 1865 the principals were as follows, as nearly as can be learned: Lorenzo Parsons, 1831-34; Edwin E. Williams, 1834-38; Alexander Hurst, 1842-44; Ephraim C. Hall, 1844-45; William Mosher, 1845^6; J. W. Earle, 1846-51; Moses Lane, 1851-53; Ezekiel Cutler, winter of 1853-54; Eden Sprout, 1853-55; William S. Aumock, 1856 ; Rev. David Copeland, 1857-59 ; Rev. C. R. Pomeroy, 1859-65 ; Rev. William H. Rogers. In 1865 Archibald Griffith gave $10,000 to the academy, the interest of which was to be devoted mainly to the education of orphans and indigent children. In honor of this gift the Legislature authorized the 640 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. change of the name to the Griffith Institute. In 1875 the school dis- tricts Nos. 7 and 8 were merged in Union school district No. 1, and in the next year the institute became the Union School, but retained its distinctive title. The first school in the town of Newstead was, according to tradition, built in 1808, by a Mr. Keith. The first school in Tonawanda was taught about 1816 in an unoccupied dwelling which was fitted up for the purpose. Ephraim Kelsey was the first teacher. This was, doubt- less, the first school in the town. Union school district No. 3 built a large three-story brick school house in 1870 and a graded school was established. Only a few other brief notes of very early schools in some of the towns have been found. Rufus C. Eaton taught a school of about seventy scholars in Concord in the winter of 1813-14, indicating a con- siderable population. The first school in the town of Collins was taught in the winter of 1814-15 by John King. In Sardinia Melindy Abbey taught the first school soon after the close of the war, in a log school house situated east of the site of Colegrove's Corners. At Rice's Corners in that town a school was taught soon after the close of the war by Betsey Doane, who was succeeded by Elihu Rice; this school was abandoned in 1828. In Holland the first school was taught before the war by Abner Currier in the Humphrey neighborhood, and another was taught about 1816 by Lodisa Warren. In 1809 the first school in Boston was opened and taught by Frederick Richmond. In the town of Wales a school was opened in the winter of 1811-12 and taught by James Wood. In a number of the towns all record and memory of the very early schools are lost. A few of the remaining older citizens will, doubtless, remember some of the peculiarities of those early country schools, and the adverse con- ditions under which they were compelled to seek an education. The school building was for the first few years usually constructed of logs and later was a mere square frame structure, plainly boarded outside and possibly ceiled inside. The furniture was scant and more than plain ; if tfye teacher had a chair he was fortunate, and a second one was never present. The scholars sat on long benches, usually constructed of, slabs with the flat side uppermost, with two bracing legs at each end driven into auger holes. In exceptional instances a board extended along the wall in rear of the benches to serve as a desk. Books were few in number and limited in variety. Reading, spelling, writing, EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 641 arithmetic and geography were the branches taught, and frequently one or two of these were lacking. Boys and girls, some of whom in this county have made honorable names for themselves, gained the foundation of their education amid such surroundings and frequently only by' trudging miles daily through rain or snow to reach the pioneer school house. The old-fashioned spelling school, that joyful and obsolete intellectual contest of the pioneers, was a prominent factor in the educational system of those days. They were held on certain after- noons or in the evenings and called out not only the young, but often many of the parents. Two of the older scholars were selected and each alternately chose another, acting upon his best judgment of the ability of each to spell correctly, and when these ,' ' sides " were ready and all standing, the teacher took the old spelling book and pronounced the "hardest" words. When a word was misspelled the unfortunate sat down. The last one to fall in the friendly battle was a personal victor and reflected his honor upon his side. As the reader has seen in foregoing pages, the transition from the primitive schools of the early years to the splendid system of to-day has been a slow one, but in no other feature of American life is more clearly reflected the intelligent advancement of our institutions. Tradition is the only source of knowledge of the first schools taught in Buffalo ; no records are in existence to tell us of the first steps taken in the little frontier settlement for educating the few children of the pioneers. Hiram Hanchett taught a school in the winter of 1806-07 in the Middaugh house, which has been noticed on an earlier page. The late Oliver G. Steele, a citizen who gave generously of his time and efforts for the advancement of the cause of education, was informed by Benjamin Hodge that about 1807 a Scotchman named Sturgeon taught a school on Main street; that the house had only one window and that one was without glass, but that plenty . of light came in through the cracks between the logs. A small table and three benches constituted the furniture. Only reading was at first taught, but later, at the urgent request of parents, spelling was added. There were about twenty scholars. Mr. Hodge and George Lyon were of the older boys and acted as sub-teachers for the more advanced scholars, while " Mr. Sturgeon taught the younger children and did the whipping for the whole school." ' 1 See paper read before the Buffalo Historical Society January 23, 1863. 81 642 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. After the erection of the first court house, and about the year 1810, Gamaliel St. John and a number of other citizens requested Asaph Hall to open a grammar school in that building, which he did; the school was not long continued. Miss Irene Leech taught a school at a very early date in a stone building on the corner of Main street and the Terrace. It is possible that other schools of primitive character were taught in the village previous to June, 1812, but if so nothing can now be known of them. On the date just mentioned Asa Minor opened a school, according to his public announcement, "in the front chamber of the brick building opposite the court house, for the purpose of in- structing the youth in reading, writing, arithmetic, English grammar, and the principles of elocution, if desired. " There are no records of other schools in the place until after the close of the war. In an advertisement dated May 30, 1815, Miss Mary Kibbe stated that she "proposes to open a school for the instruction of children in the various branches, in the vicinity of the post-office." On Monday, October 2, 1815, David Page opened a grammar school in the chamber of Mr. Folsom's dwelling, on Genesee street. Deacon Amos Callender taught winter schools at about this period in various apartments in the village, a part of the time in his own house on the east side of Pearl street, between Swan and Seneca streets. Wyatt Camp, a man of su- perior qualifications for the time, also taught an early school. Miss A. Page opened a school in the Masonic Hall in March, 1820; the hall was then in John Mullett's house. On April 17, 1820, Miss H. Bennett opened a school over N. Bennett's store. Sometime in the year 1821 Miss Georgen, from Montreal, established a boarding school in the vil- lage, which was doubtless the first one of that kind in the place. It was in that year, also, that a theological seminary was projected, but its later history, if it had any, is lost. Early in April, 1823, Rev. J. Bradley rented a part of the theater which stood opposite the Eagle Tavern, and on the second Wednesday in May opened an English and classical school. A Mr. Peabody taught a school prior to 1826, which was taken by a Miss Terry in November of that year; she announced "studies and tuition same as formerly." In 1827 a Mr. Rice opened a writing school in Buffalo, which was jsrobably the first of its kind. N. C. Brace conducted an academical school in 1824-25, the seventh quarter of which closed February- 12 of the last named year. The Misses Radcliffe established a young ladies' EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 643 seminary on August 2, 1826; pupils were asked to call at Mr. Ball's for information, corner of Pearl and Court streets. J. Drew opened a school in September, 1826, "a few rods south of the Mansion House, in a building erected for the purpose. " At this time there were only four common schools in the village. In 1830 the Misses Denison were conducting a seminary, the closing exercises of which were held in the Eagle Tavern. After 1832 the in- stitution was conducted for a time by the Misses Lyman. B. B. Stark opened an elementary school in the spring of 1830, over the law office of Thomas C. Love, in the Exchange building ; in the fall of the next year he taught an evening school "in the school house on the Ter- race, " as indicated in his announcement. A Miss »Conklin taught an infant school in Lyceum Hall, beginning in April, 1832. In 1829 was issued the prospectus of the Literary and Scientific Acad- emy, which was founded by James McKay; it was afterwards opened by Silas Kingsley as a boarding and classical school, commencing with 150 students. The institution was probably not opened, or at least did not acquire much importance, until the spring of 1832. Mr. Kingsley continued the school until 1837, when it was merged with the University of Western New York, opened at that time. The great number of these private schools and their wide variety are somewhat surprising to the casual reader of to-day. According to the recognized law of supply and demand, they were needed or they would not have come into existence. The fact is they indicate to us either the non-existence or the very inferior character of the public schools of that period. Parents preferred to send their children to almost any kind of private school, rather than to the inferior public schools. The first public school building in Buffalo, and the only one erected previous to the war of 1812, was known as ' ' the little red school house ;" it stood on the northwest corner of Pearl and Swan streets. The first step in the proceedings that led to the building of this school house was the writing of the following letter by Joseph R. Palmer (a younger brother of John Palmer, the pioneer inn-keeper), to Joseph Ellicott: Buffalo, 11th Aug., 1801. Sir — The inhabitants of this place would take it as a particular favor if you would grant them the liberty of raising a school house on a lot in any part of ihe town, as the New York Missionary Society have been so good as to furnish them with a school master clear of any expense, except boarding and finding him a school house — if you 644 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. will be so good as to grant them this favor, which they will take as a particular mark ^of esteem. By request of the inhabitants. Jos. R. Palmer. 1 Jos. Ellicott, Esq. Your answer to this would be very acceptable, as they have the timber ready to hew out. The following entry in Ellicott's diary, under date of August 14, 1801, shows that Mr. Palmer's request was promptly' granted : Went to Buffalo, alias New Amsterdam, to lay off a lot for a school house, the in- habitants offering to erect one at their own expense. The little school house was built on Pearl street near No. 104, but it was not finished until 1809. The Historical Society is in possession of a most valuable relic which is important in this connection, and also as showing who were among the leading citizens of th& little village at that time. It is a small, rude memorandum book in which is recorded an account of the proceedings for raising a fund with which to build the school house, and other matters connected with the project. On the first page of the book appears the following: At a meeting of the inhabitance of the village of Buffaloe, meet on the 29th day of March, eighteen hundred and seven at Joseph Landon's Inn By a vote of Sd meeting Zenas Barker in the Chair, for the purpos to arect a School Hous in Sd Village by a subscription of the Inhabitanse. also Voted that Samuel Pratt, Joseph Landon and Joshua Gillettbe a committee to See that they are appropriated on the School House above mentioned which subscrip- tions are to be paid in by the first day of June next or such part of it as Shall be wanted by that time. Following is a list of the subscribers to the fund, as they appear in the book, with the amount subscribed by each : Sylvanus Maybee $20.00 LeviStrong $ 5.00 Zenas Barker 10.00 William Hull _ 10.00 Thomas Fourth 3.00 Samuel Pratt 22.00 Joshua Gillett 15.00 Richard Mann 5.00 Joseph Wells 7.00 Isabel Adkins.... 5.00 John Johnson -. 10.00 Samuel Andrews 1.00 Nathaniel W. Sever : 10.00 Garret Freeland ; 100 Isaac H. Bennett 3.00 Billa Sherman 87£c Oliver G. Steele has left it on record that he had heard the names of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, Gamaliel St. John and Joseph Landon mentioned as subscribers to this fund, and although their names do not appear in tfeis list, it is more than probable that they aided the enterprise; they were men who would almost surely have contributed to such a cause. 1 Joseph Richard Palmer, it is believed, taught school for the garrison children at Fort Erie before he settled in Buffalo. He died in the village in 1813. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 645 All of the subscriptions on this list were dated March 30, 1807, the day following the meeting. The carpenter work on the school house was performed by Levi Strong and George Kith, whose accounts appear in the book ; their bills amounted to $68.50. Most of the credits for work are given under date of April of that year, indicating that the building was commenced soon after the circulation of the subscription paper. It is quite probable that the "raising" of the building took place on April 13, as Joshua Gillett was on that day credited with two and a half gallons of whisky. The building was not shingled until November, 1808, when Samuel Pratt supplied 2,000 shingles for that purpose; but the -building may possibly have been occupied during the previous summer months. The first teacher in this pioneer school was Samuel Whiting, a Presbyterian minister. Following him, Deacon Amos Cal- lender taught there, and a son of "Father" Elkanah Holmes, Hiram Hanchett, and a Mr. Tomlinson, all taught there before the war. When the town of Buffalo was first formed (1810) it included Ton- awanda, Grand Island, Amherst, Cheektowaga, and part of West Sen- eca as they now exist ; consequently the original district organization probably included a large part or all of this territory. The first village district of which there is record had the same boundaries as the city under the charter of 1832. A tax roll of 1818 shows that district No. 1 then included the whole of the village; it is dated September 3 of that year and is probably a record of the first school tax levied in the village. The trustees were Heman B. Potter, Reuben B. Heacock and Elias Ransom. The sum to be raised was $554.25 ; the value of the real and personal property of the village was placed at $275,677. An old record book formerly in possession of William Hodge, and presented by him to Oliver G. Steele, shows that in 1815 the territory around Cold Spring was called district No. 2 ; after about 1820 it appears as district No. 3, a new district No. 2 probably having been formed within the village boundaries about that time ; the Cold Spring district was organized with some difficulty in May, 1816. Frederick Miller, William Hodge and Alvin Dodge were the first trustees. At an early meeting in that district a motion was made to appropriate two hundred silver dollars for the purchase of a school house site; this was not adopted. At another meeting, held in William Hodge's house, a motion was made "that the trustees go forward at their own expense and repair the school house, and hire a teacher." How long previous to that meeting this school house was built, or if it may not have been new and unfinished, 646 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. cannot now be known. In the following December an order was adopt- ed to purchase a lot for $60, and that a teacher be employed for another quarter. S. Fuller was accordingly employed. Returning to the history of the first district in the village of Buffalo, it is recorded that a school house was built, and probably with the pro- ceeds of the tax collected in 1818, as before noticed ; but no permanent site was then purchased, with the result that the school building was several times removed from place to place; it was situated on the Kremlin block, then on the corner of Erie and Swan streets, and later on Pearl street. Amos Callender, Rev. Deodatus Babcock and a Mr. Pease were among the teachers in that house, and the late O. H-. Mar- shall attended school there. The second district in the village was organized probably in the year 1821, and the school was kept for a time at different places. In 1822 a school was taught on the west side of Main street between Mohawk and Genesee; it was there that Millard Fillmore taught for the first time in the village, afterwards going to the Cold Spring district. At a little later date Moses Baker, for this district, "took up'' the lot on the cor- ner of Pearl and Mohawk streets for school purposes, and a building was there erected for the joint use of the school and the Universalist church, the latter occupying the upper story. Peter E. Miles was the first teacher there. This building was abandoned about 1833, when a brick school house was erected on Franklin alley. On November 22, 1827, the Buffalo High School Association was projected. On that date a meeting was held in the Eagle Tavern to consider the expediency of a "High School on the Monitorial and High School System." A resolution was there adopted favoring the pro- posed institution, and an act incorporating the Buffalo High School As- sociation was prepared, which authorized a board of trustees to procure subscriptions to stock to the amount of not less than $10,000, and ap- pointing Nathan Sargeant, Charles Townsend, Peter B. Porter, Wray S. Littlefield, Millard Fillmore, William Mills, Job Bigelow and Uriel Torrey a committee to prepare and publish an address to the citizens soliciting their support of the undertaking. The prospectus, terms, etc., were issued January 8, 1828. The first Buffalo directory, pub- lished in 1832, contained the following in reference to this institution: The Buffalo High School, incorporated in 1827, capital not to exceed $25,000, $10,000 of which is already subscribed and the school commenced, in rooms tempo- rarily fitted for the purpose, in January last. The buildings of this institution are to be erected the coming season. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 647 A commodious building was erected which afterwards became a part of the hospital of the Sisters of Charity, on Main street. This high school continued in a fair degree of prosperity for some years, but it was probably in advance of the period and after a gradual decline, was closed. A military school was subsequently established in the building on the system of Captain Partridge, and was quite successful for a few years; but its tuition and other expenses precluded its patronage by the masses and it, too, was closed. The time soon arrived when the imperfect system of common schools was wholly inadequate to supply the needs of a growing city. They were attended by the children of the poorer classes, those of the more wealthy seeking education in private schools or in foreign institutions. During the financial crash of 1837-38 many of the private schools failed, rendering it still more important to reorganize and place the public schools upon a higher plane. Accordingly, in the winter of 1836-37 a law was passed by the Legislature in response to prolonged discussion of the existing inefficiency of the schools, authorizing the appointment of a city school superintendent, with broad powers. 1 R. W. Haskins was appointed under the act; but the law was so imperfect and its re- strictions so hampered the action of the superintendent that he was unable to accomplish the desired results and he resigned before the close of the year. With his resignation Mr. Haskins recommended numerous amendments to the law, which were afterwards incorporated in it. N. B. Sprague succeeded to the office of superintendent, but he, too, declined to serve for analogous reasons that prompted the resigna- tion of his predecessor. The Council then appointed Oliver, G. Steele to the office, who, after much persuasion from the committee on schools, of which Judge Nathan K. Hall was chairman, accepted. This ap- pointment was a most fortunate one for the cause of education in Buf- falo. Mr. Steele immediately made himself familiar with the existing schools, upon which he made an early report, pointing out the de- fective characteristics and suggesting remedies. He made a map showing the boundaries of the several districts, which was submitted with his report; the whole was then referred to the committee on schools and the superintendent, who were authorized to prepare a plan of reorganization. The preparation of this plan and the law under which it was to be consummated devolved upon Mr. Steele and Judge 1 Buffalo was the first city in the United States to establish the office of superintendent of schools. 648 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, Hall, They did not venture to propose an entire free school system, but retained the existing form of local organization with a very low rate of tuition. In 1839 the schools were made free by an amendment to the law, and their entire control was placed under the Council and the superintendent. 1 The reorganization of the school districts was accomplished in 1838 and the proceeding attracted wide-spread atten- tion and discussion in various meetings. The first of these was held in the old court house August 31, at which Albert H. Tracy presided and Horatio H. Shumway acted as secretary. A committee of four from each ward was appointed to "inquire into the condition of the schools of Buffalo, both public and private; ascertain the number of children who attend school, the expense of their education, and report the same, together with some plan: for the improvement of our schools, at a future meeting to be called for that purpose." This committee per- formed its work thoroughly and on the 19th of September made its report, showing the inadequacy of the existing school system and de- tailing a plan for the complete reorganization of the city under the free school system, under authority of the Common Council, the cost of the system above the money received from the State to be paid by a general tax upon city property. After considerable discussion and a little opposition, the report was adopted and, as before stated, the schools were made free by the Legislature in the following winter. The first school house erected under the reoganization was one on Church street, opposite the city hall, in district No. 8 ; it was that dis- trict which formerly embraced the entire village territory. The lot had for several years been owned by the district, but the inhabitants had not been able to agree upon the erection of a school house. A tax was finally levied and a structure that was handsome and commodious for that period was erected. A spirited controversy followed upon the magnitude and extravagance of the building. With good teachers the school rapidly filled and the building was subsequently enlarged to the full size of the lot. During the year 1839 a school house was built in district No. 11, on Vine street; one in district No. 6, on South Divis- ion street ; one on Washington street on the site of Washington Mar- ket; one in district No. 5, on Seneca (Hydraulic) street; and one in "No. 12, on Spruce street. The erection of these buildings and the consequent imposition of a considerable tax was bitterly opposed by 1 Buffalo was the first city in the State in which tuition was abolished and the public schools made absolutely free. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 649 many citizens, who could not foresee the advantages that were certain to follow ; it was, doubtless, this dissatisfaction that prevented the re- appointment of Mr. Steele in the spring of 1840. His successor was Daniel Bowen, who took the office against his inclination and resigned a few months later. The vacancy was filled by Silas Kingsley, who efficiently administered the duties of the office until 1842, when Sam- uel Caldwell was appointed ; he held the office two years and was suc- ceeded by Elias S. Hawley. In 1845 Mr. Steele was again placed in the office for one year. From 1839 down to this year no additional school houses were built; but in 1845 a large school building was erected in district No. 3, on Erie street; this was burned in 1852 and in the next year the present structure on the Terrace near*Genesee street was erected. Since Mr. Steele's retirement from the office of superintendent in 1846, it has been filled by the following persons: Daniel Bowen, appointed 1846; Elias S. Hawley, appointed 1847; Daniel Bowen, appointed 1849 ; Henry K. Veile, appointed 1850 ; Oliver G. Steele, appointed 1851 ; Victor M. Rice, appointed 1852; previous to 1854 this office was filled by appoint- ment by the Common Council, but in that year it was made an elective office. Ephraim Cook, elected 1854; Joseph Warren, 1858; Sanford B. Hunt, 1860; John B. Sackett, 1862; Henry D. Garvin, 1864; John S. Fosdick, 1866; Samuel Slade, 1868;' Thomas Lathrop, 1870; JosephusN. Larned, 1872; William S. Rice, 1874; Christopher G. Fox, 1878; James F. Crooker, 1882; William H. Love, February 22, 1892, ap- pointed in place of James F. Crooker, who was elected State superintendent of public instruction; Henry P. Emerson, 1 January 1, 1893. 1 Henry P. Emerson, present superintendent of education in Buffalo, was born in Lynnfield, Mass., January 11, 1847. After completing; his college training he engaged in teaching as a pro- fession. In 1874 he assumed charge of the classical department of the Buffalo High School, in which position he exhibited all the qualifications of the successful educator. When the princi- palship of that school became vacant, in 1883, he was chosen with great unanimity to fill the posi- tion. When he accepted the place the school had only about 300 students, and when he left it, ten years later, it had over 1,000. He was elected to the responsible office of superintendent in 1892, and assumed its duties January 1, 1893, at a time when there was general dissatisfaction with the common schools as a whole. Vast sums of money were being annually expended for which, ac- cording to public belief, only inadequate returns were apparent. It was also felt that improper influences frequently governed the appointment of teachers and their subsequent promotion. Methods of teaching, also, it was believed, could be materially improved, and better classes of text books introduced. Mr. Emerson proved to be the man to effect these needed reforms. He has already shown him- self to be not alone a competent and thorough educator, but a business man as well, and capable of a comprehensive grasp of the entire school system, and with the ability and firmness to enforce his ideas and carry out his plans. In the course of his work thus far he has introduced the system of free text books; prepared and introduced a. greatly improved course of study; made merit alone the test of a teacher's fitness; made the system of instruction more practical and useful for the after life of students; urged the building of many additional school houses that meet all mod- ern requirements; and has fully executed the pledge made by himself to give the city of Buffalo " an efficient, progressive, non-sectarian, non-partisan administration of the schools." 82 650 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In the year 1846 a large school building was erected in district No. 14, on Franklin street, and in 1847 the house on Delaware street was built, districts Nos. 9 and 10 having previously been united. In 1848 a colored school was established on Vine street and a new school house was built for district No. 11, on Elm street north of Eagle. In 1849 commodious school buildings were erected in districts Nos. 4 and 12. the former on Elk street and the latter on Spruce street. In 1850 a new house was built on Perry street in district No. 3, and the old house was abandoned in the following year. In 1851 the. school house on Erie street was burned and in 1853 the present structure on the Ter- race near Genesee street was erected. This was the last school build- ing erected under the old charter. In 1854 the new charter went into existence, which extended the city government over Black Rock, and the free school system was greatly enlarged. Evening schools were first opened in the cit) T in 1851. * It will be seen by the foregoing that there was an immense growth in the Buffalo schools between 1838 andJ.853; this is corroborated by the fact that in the first named year the number of scholars enrolled was 179, while in the latter year there were registered 6,368; the number of teachers increased during the same peiiod from seven to ninety-four. The Jesse Ketchum Memorial Fund was founded in 1871 by B. H. Brennan, a son-in-law of Mr. Ketchum. A deed of trust was executed September 7, 1871, which conveyed to the city of Buffalo the sum of $10,000, as a perpetual memorial fund in honor of Mr. Ketchum. The proceeds of this fund are used for the purchase of medals to be pre- sented to scholars showing remarkable advancement. These prizes are of gold and silver medals — six gold medals for the two highest pupils in the Normal School, High School and all grammar schools, and about eight silver medals for the two highest pupils of each gram- mar school. The standard of education has steadily improved since the enlarge- ment of the Buffalo free school system in 1854; this improvement has been remarkably noticeable during the last decade, especially in the methods of teaching and the qualification of teachers. The new city 1 In the Session Laws of the State, under date of April 15, 1851, we find an act incorporating the Westminster College in Buffalo, the incorporators being Alden S. Sprague, Albert T. Chester, Luman K. Plimpton, Lewis F. Allen, William W. Mann, James J. Baldwin, G. B. Rich, John C. Lord, S. G. Haven, Joseph Foster, Harlow Palmer, Pascal P. Pratt, Watson A. Pox, William Tweedy, Henry Bosworth, Albert G. Hall, John B. Skinner, Joshua H. Mcllvaine, Pliny Twichell, Richard Kay, h. Merrill Miller and Thomas Aitken. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 651 charter of 1892 created a board of school examiners, consisting of five members, who hold office for five years, before whom all applicants for teachers' positions must appear for examination. The first board chosen was composed of Dr. Conrad Diehl, president; Henry Altmann, Lilly Lord Tifft, Timothy J. Mahoney and William B. Hoyt. The plan of supplying free school books was introduced in 1893, wholly at the recommendation of Superintendent Emerson, and in that year the Common Council voted $26,000 for the object. The results have more than confirmed the superintendent's expectations and prom- ises. A large saving of money is effected each year, the schools are far more easily put in operation at the beginning of each school year, and the attendance is largely increased, while the average cost of tuition is considerably reduced. A course of study was introduced in 1893 which was placed before every teacher through the medium of a pamphlet of explicit and prac- tical instructions prepared by the superintendent. This has been one of the principal causes of recent improvement in the schools, increas- ing the interest of the pupil and awkenmg latent talent in teachers. During the past four years the general character of the teaching force has been greatly elevated, through the dismissal of inefficient teachers, by exercising great care in making appointments, and in training and encouraging appointees. Favoritism and influence of every nature have been utterly abolished in this important department of school manage- ment. In 1895 the Legislature enacted a law the object of which was to raise the standard of preparation on the part of teachers in city schools. This law provided that after January, 1897, no person shall be employed or licensed to teach in the public schools of any city who has not had at least three years' successful experience, or in lieu of such experience has not graduated from a high school or other institution of equal or higher rank, and also subsequent to such graduation had at least a school year of professional training in the principles of education and methods of instruction. In accordance with this law a teachers' train- ing school was established in Septebmer, 1896, and is carried on in con- nection with public school No. 10, the pupils of which serve as a school of practice for the teachers in the training school. The work in the training class consists of two kinds: (1) the theoretical, embracing the principles of teaching, the history of education, and the theory of school government; (2) the practical, consisting of observation of practical 652 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. teaching, model lessons given by the principal of the class, actual teach- ing under the criticism of the principal, and finally taking full charge of classes. The gradual enlargement of educational facilities in the city since 1854 is concisely shown in the following list of schools and school build- ings as they exist at present (1897), with such statistical notes of each as are heeded; the valuation represents both buildings and sites: Central High School. — School lot on the triangle bounded by Franklin, Genesee and Court streets. What was known as the old Burt building, fronting on Court street, was purchased in 1852 (previous to which year, and from 1846, a high school department was conducted in district No. 7). New building, fronting on Franklin street, erected in 1869. Old Burt building torn down and a new structure erected, adjoining the other, in 1885, facing Court street. Valuation of property, $216,125. Both brick, three stories. Masten Park High School. — School lot bounded by Masten, North and Best streets. House built 1896-97; cost, complete, about f 200,000. District No. 1. — School lot on Seventh street near Hudson ; three story brick build- ing, built in 1855; torn down and new house, three stories; brick, erected in 1897. Valuation of property about $54,875. One annex, brick, one story. District No. 2. — -School lot on Terrace street near Genesee; house three story brick; rebuilt in 1852. Valuation of property, $33,000. District No. 3. — School lot on Perry street between Illinois and Mississippi streets; three story brick house, built in 1851. Valuation, $14,580. District No. 4. — School lot on Elk street near Louisiana ; building of brick, three, stories, built in 1849; additions made in 1856 and 1887. Valuation, $44,750. District No. 5. — School lot on Seneca near Hydraulic street ; house three stories, brick, built in 1839; additions made in 1850 and 1856; rebuilt in 1891. Valuation of property $28,415. Also lot on Seneca street near Red Jacket ; value, $5,600. District No. 6. — School lot on South Division street near Chestnut; house built of brick, three stories; originally built in 1839; rebuilt in 1868. Valuation, $28,760. District No. 7.-r-School lot on South Division street near Ellicott; house of brick, three stories ; built in 1835 ; taken by the Department of Public Works as a supply house. New school house, of brick, three stories, built on Bailey avenue near Clinton street in 1891. Valuation, $54,000. District No. 8. — School lot on Church opposite City and County Hall; building of brick, two stories, built 1838. Valuation $7,500. Condemned by Council in 1883; property sold to St. Joseph's College. New school lot on Utica corner of Masten street; house built of brick, three stories, in 1884. Valuation of property $54,060. District No. 9. — Formerly colored school; school lot on Vine street; house built "in 1848 ; discontinued and territory added to districts 11 and 13. New district No. 9, school lot on Bailey avenue near Doat street; house erected of brick, two stories, in 1881. Valuation, $54,000. District No. 10. — School lot on Delaware avenue near Mohawk street ; house of brick, three stories, built 1847 ; present building, of brick, three stories, erected in 1885. Valuation, $58,425. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 653 District No. 11. — School lot on Elm near Eagle street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1892. Valuation, $41,000. Also school lot on South Division near Ellicott street. Valuation, $21,190. District No. 12. — School lot on Spruce street near Broadway ; house built of brick, three stories, in 1849; torn down and new building erected in 189?: Valuation, $54,600. District No. 13. — School lot on Oak street between Genesee and Huron; brick building, three stories, built in 1856; additition made in 1883. Valuation, $35,465. District No. 14. — School lot on Franklin street between Tupper and Edward; brick house, two stories, built in 1866. Valuation, $36,125. District No. 15. — School lot on Oak street corner of Burton ; house three stories, brick, built in 1876. Valuation, $40,995. District No. 16. — School lot on Delaware avenue near Bryant street; house of brick, three stories, built in 1855; addition made about 1887. Valuation, $48,810. District No. 17. — School lot on Main street near Lafayette avenue ; house of brick, two stories, built in 1885; two additions built in 1896. Valuation, $21,250. District No. 18. — School lot on School street corner Fargo avenue; house of brick, two stories, built in 1848; another building, brick, two stories, built in 1874; annex, wood, one story, built about 1887 ; new building on West avenue side of lot, built of brick in 1897. Valuation, $87,265. District No. 19. — School lot on West corner of Delavan avenue; house of brick, three stories, built in 1857; addition built in 1885. Valuation, $29,600, District No. 20. — School lot on Amherst street corner of East; brick house, three stories, built in 1877. Valuation, $39,130. District No. 21. — School lot on Hertel near Delaware avenue ; house of wood, built in 1857. Valuation, $2,325. District No. 22. — School lot on Main street near Amherst; house of brick, two stories, built in 1882. Valuation, $10,180. District No. 23. — School lot on Delavan, east of Scheule avenue; house of wood, one story, built in 1868 ; rebuilt in 1872 ; new building. erected of brick, three stories, in 1895-96. Valuation, $51,770. Also lot on Delavan and Moselle street. District No. 24. — School lot on Fillmore avenue near Genesee street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1857. Valuation $56,000. Also school lot on Fillmore avenue corner of Best street; built of brick, two stories, in 1888. Valuation $11,- 610. Also wooden annex, one story. District No. 25. — School lot on Lewis street near Howard; house of brick, two stories, built in 1873. Valuation, $33,500. District No. 26. — School lot on Dole street near Seneca; house of brick, two stories, recently repaired, and now used as a truant school. School lot on Milton corner of Westcott street, house of brick, two stories, built in 1889; enlarged in 1897. Valuation, $40,000. Value of Dole street property, $9,020. District No. 27. — School lot on Cazenovia street near Seneca; house of brick, one story, built in 187^. Valuation, $1,410. School lot on Mineral Spring Road near Seneca street; house of brick, three stories/built in 1896. Valuation, $21,780. District No. 28.— School lot on Abbott Road corner Triangle street; formerly a one-story wooden building; now two-story brick house, built in 1888. Valuation, $16,250. 654 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. District No. 29. — School lot on South Park avenue near Marilla street ; house of brick, one story, built in 1874. Valuation, $2,250. District No. 30. — School lot on Louisiana street corner of South ; house of brick, three stories, built in 1885. Valuation, $32,345. District No. 81. — School lot on Emslie street near Peckham ; house of brick, three stories, built in 1872; addition built in 1884. Valuation, $89,500. This is the largest school in the city, having 2,029 sittings. District No. 32. — School lot on Cedar near William street; house of brick, three stories, built in 1851. Valuation, $20,400. School lot on Cedar near Clinton street ; house of brick, two stories, built in 1872. Valuation, $20,200. District No. 33. — School lot on Elk street near Euclid place; house of brick, two stories, built in 1873; addition built in 1888. Valuation, $69,490. District No. 34. — School lot on Hamburg corner of Sandusky street ; house of brick, two stories, built in 1864; enlarged in 1895. Valuation, $39,060. District No. 35. — School lot on Swan street near Spring; house of brick, three stories, built in 1867 ; enlarged in 1897. Valuation, about $50,000. District No. 36. — School lot on Cottage street corner of Day's Park; house of brick, two stories, built in 1868. Valuation of property, $29,450. District No. 37. — School lot on Peach street corner of Carlton; formerly primary school for District No. 15; house of brick, two stories, built in 1869; addition built in 1885. Valuation, $72,630. District No. 88. — School lot on Vermont street corner of Lowell place; house of brick, two stories, built in 1886; addition built in 1895. Valuation, $37,160. District No. 39. — School lot on High street near Grey; house of brick, two stories, built in 1886; addition in 1897. Valuation, $56,750. District No. 40. — School lot on Oneida street near Fillmore avenue ; house of brick, two stories, built in 1887. Valuation, $33,600. District No. 41. — School lot on Broadway corner of Spring street; formerly pri- mary school for district No. 12; house of brick, two stories, built in 1869; annex of wood, one story, built in 1895. Valuation, $51,575. District No. 42.— School lot on Military Road near Clay street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1883; annex of wood, one story, built in 1895. Valuation, $10,895. District No. 43. — School lot on Lovejoy near Benzinger street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1882; annex of wood, one story. Valuation, $39,020. District No. 44. — School lot on Broadway corner of Person street; built originally of wood in 1869; rebuilt of brick, three stories, in 1895. Valuation, $50,110. District No. 45.— -School lot on Auburn avenue corner of Baynes street; house of brick, three stories, built in 1889. Valuation, $46,010. District No. 46. — School lot on Edward corner of Virginia street, house of brick, two stories, built in 1889. Valuation, $50,000. District No. 47. — School lot on Hickory near, Sycamore street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1889. Valuation, $40,000. ^District No. 48. — School lot on Edna place near Masten street; house of brick, two stories, built in 1892. Valuation, $50,625. District No. 49. — School lot on Vermont street corner of Fargo avenue; house of brick, three stories, built in 1892. Valuation, $57,300. EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 655 District No. 50. — School lot on Eagle near Grosvenor street; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, $49,800. District No 51. — School lot on Guernsey streetnear Hertel avenue; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, 139,230. District No. 52. — School lot on Barry place near Bird avenue ; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, $37,925. District No. 53. — School lot on Winslow street corner of Wohlers avenue ; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, $48,630. District No. 54. — School lot on Main street near Jewett avenue; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, $34,690. District No. 55. — School lot on Guilford near Sycamore street ; house of brick, three stories, built in 1895. Valuation, $53,600. District No. 56. — School lot on Elmwood avenue near Ferry street, house of brick, three stories, built in 1896. Valuation, $54,815. District No. 57. — School lot on Sears street near Broadway; house of brick, built in 1897. Districts No. 58, 59 and 60. — School houses are now (1897) in process of construc- tion. Buffalo is heavily bonded for the cost of its system of schools. The original issue was $250, 000, under the laws of 1888, the bonds being issued on August 1 of that year and due in 1908. Under chapter 315 of the laws of 1889, an issue of $150,000 was made, payable in 1909. Another equal issue was made under chapter 242 of the laws of 1891, payable in 1912. Under chapter 325 of the laws of 1893, $300,000 was issued, payable in 1914, and under chapter 390 of the laws of 1895, an issue was made of $250,000, payable in 1915; making a,total of $1,100,000. This last issue sold at a premium of over $5,000. The present taxable valuation of school personal property is $13,486,- 550, and of real estate $225,485,795. The total expenditures for public schools since 1886 are as follows: 1886 - $516,793.85 1892-93 $805,213.71 1887 -- 512,555.69 1893-94 940,570.52 1888 - 807,000.79 1894-95 1,229,761.15 1889.... - - 746,529.56 1895-96.....:. _ 1.279,080.98 1890 _ 698,361.10 1896-97.. _ 1,277,085.00 1891-92 (18 mos.) 1,336,915.22 Tne annual registration since 1885 is as follows: 1885-86 28,372 1891-92 , 37,524 1886-87 29,434 1892-93 _ 39,579 1887-88 -- --- 30,351 1893-94.. _ __ 44,713 1888-89 32,251 1894-95 46,665 1889-90 34,662 1895-96 52,157 1890-91 35,576 1896-97.. 52,705 656 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The subject of nationality of pupils in the schools is an interesting and important one, and has a direct bearing upon questions of cosmo- politan character in the population of the city. In deciding the nation- ality of a child, the question is asked, "Where was your father born?" If it is Germany, he is called a German ; if in Ireland, Irish ; if in the United States, American. A child may be of German descent, yet if his father was born in the United States, he is put down as an Amer- ican. The most noticeable items in the following table are those which show the coming in of the Italian, Polish and Canadian elements, which, a few years ago, were entirely lacking in the public schools of Buffalo: REGISTRATION. ^ 1882. 1895-96. Pupils of American Parentage 5,460 10,301 2,633 2,293 23,424 or 44.9 per cent. 16,309 or 31.3 ' ' German " _ " Irish 3,246 or 6.2 ' ' Scandinavian " 218 or 0.4 " Polish " 1,850 or 3.5 927 or 1.8 " Italian " " Canadian " 1,709 or 3.3 ' ' other nationalities 4,474 or 8.6 White 20,687 20,574 113 52,157 51,926 or 99.6 per cent. 231 or 0.4 Colored There are libraries connected with fifty- seven of the schools in which there are a total of about 45,000 volumes, valued at about $34,000. Evening schools in Buffalo were first opened in 1851. They have have been found of great usefulness and the number gradually in- creased until at the present time there, are thirteen such schools taught in districts Nos. 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 19, 20, 31, 38, 39, 43 and 44, employing forty four principals and teachers. These schools are maintained at an annual expense of about $11,000. There is also an evening High School, with a principal and eleven male and six female teachers, maintained at an expense of about $3,000. The kindergarten schools have become an important factor in the Educational facilities of the city. The Buffalo Free Kindergarten As- sociation was organized in 1891, and four schools were started under its supervision. In 1892 the Common Council, on recommendation of Superintendent Love, appropriated sufficient money to pay the prin- EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 657 cipal teacher, and in 1894 the number of these schools w^.s increased to eight. ' There are now twelve of these Kindergarten schools con- ducted under the auspices of the association, with a combined regis- tration of about 1,100 pupils, whose average age is four years. The Department of Public Instruction pays the, salaries of eight teachers. The Buffalo Female Academy was the result of an idea originating with Rev. M. La Rue P. Thompson, D. D., then pastor of the First Presbyterian church. An organization was effected in March, 1851, with Samuel F. Pratt, Thomas Farnham, Noah H. Gardner, George. W. Tifft, Benjamin Hodge, Aaron Rumsey, James Hollister, Thomas M. Foot, M. D., Charles E. Clarke, Elihu J. Baldwin, Daniel Bowen, Joseph Dart, George B. Walbridge, Stephen G. Austin, and James McKay as trustees; Messrs. Austin and McKay soon resigned and Ho- ratio Shumway and Judson Harmon were elected to the vacancies. Samuel F. Pratt was chosen the first president; Elihu J. Baldwin, sec- retary; and Thomas Farnham, treasurer. Mr. Pratt soon resigned and Horatio Shumway was elected to the position. School was opened August 15, 1851, and on the 14th of the following October the institu- tion was incorporated. Through the liberality of Jabez Goodell, Good- ell Hall, on Johnson's Park, was dedicated July 6, 1852, in which year the first graduates, three in number, were sent out. Evergreen Cottage, an historic building erected on Delaware avenue corner of Johnson's Park, by Dr. Ebenezer Johnson, the first mayor of Buffalo, be- came the academy residence. The first principal was Charles E. West, M. D., LL.D:, who was succeeded in 1859 by Rev. Albert T. Chester, D. D. ; he was succeeded in 1887 by Mrs. Charles Frederic Hartt. Mrs. Elizabeth A. Forbes had charge of the collegiate department from 1860 to 1885, when Mrs. Hartt succeeded her. Mr. Shumway served as president until 1856; Nathan K. Hall until 1871 ; Orsamus H. Marshall until 1879: Thomas Farnham until 1883; and Pascal P. Pratt from 1883 to the present time. This is one of the foremost female academies in the State, and has always maintained a high standard in education- al methods. Its average attendance is over 200. Its Alumni Associa- tion, organized in 1876, has become one of the most prominent literary clubs of the city. The State Normal School in Buffalo was founded in 1870 and the building was finished and accepted on the 7th of September of that year. The local board, consisting of nine members, was appointed on the 14th of September. The board held a meeting and chose 658 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Henry B. Buckham the first principal. The school was opened oh the 13th of September, 1871. It was open only' three Weeks when the first report was made showing an attendance of sixty-eight students. The members of the first local board were Nathan IC Hall, William H.' Greene/Joseph Warren, Thomas F. Rochester, Francis H. Root, Henry Lapp (Clarence), Allen Potter (East Hamburg), Grover Cleveland and Albert H. Tracy. In the year 1872 the State appropriated $6,000 for the institution and a little over $1,600 was expended for books and apparatus. In 1875 the building was repaired. and improved at an ex- pense of $5,000. In 1880 the attendance was reported as 259 with five academic students. There were seventeen graduates in that year. The total number of graduates at that time was 185 and 17 academic. The salary list was $14,175. In 1890 the number of graduates was 477 and 46 academic. The salary list in that year was $14,550. In the year 1885 about $1,500 was expended in improving the ground. In 1887 the building was extensively repaired and the Legislature appropriated nearly $26,000 for the erection of a building for a gymnasium, natural science department, etc. The first president of the local board was J. B. Skinner, who died about the time the school opened; he was suc- ceeded by Nathan K. Hall, who held the office until 1874, and was succeeded by Oliver G. Steele. In 1880 Francis H. Root was chosen and was succeeded in 1884 by Thomas F. Rochester. He died in 1887 and Stephen M. Clement was chosen. In 1892 he was succeeded by David F. Day. Henry B. Buckham resigned in 1886 and James M. Cassety was appointed principal. The total graduates in 1896 was 896 ; attendance 900. The following is a summary of the educational institutions in Buffalo and Erie county, exclusive of country district and graded schools: In Buffalo. — One university (University of Buffalo); one State Normal school; two medical colleges (University of Buffalo and Niagara University); one law school (Buffalo Law School, a department of the University of Buffalo, organized in June, 1887, by Hon. Charles Daniels and Others) ; one dental college (University of Buffalo); one college of pharmacy (University of Buffalo) ; one school of pedagogy (University of. Buffalo); two high schools; si^ty-two brick and eleven wooden public school buildings ; seven advanced private schools ; six ordinary and two advanced German Protestant parochial schools; twelve kindergartens; thirty-one ordinary and eight advanced Roman Catholic parochial schools; of which eight are German, four Polish, and one French ; eight orphan asylums ; and five business schools, including Bryant & Stratton's, established in 1854. There are in the various parochial, private, and orphan schools about 20,000 pupils and 500 teachers. EDUCATION IN ERIE CQUNTY. 659 In Erie county, outside of Buffalo (from the report of the State Su- perintendent of Public Instruction, 1897, covering the school yesr 1895-96): FIRST DISTRICT. Towns. o °§ •§ Efl Alden 12 17 9 13 10 10 13 6 15 22 * 18 25 10 18 21 42 454 992 990 785 225 891 867 1,973 $14,660 Amherst 25,750 Cheekto waga 36.100 Clarence _ 17,615 Grand Island 5,000 Lancaster 21,225 Newstead 23,450 Tonawanda 54,150 Totals 90 171 7,207 $197,950 Number of union free school districts, 6. Number of private schools, 8 ; scholars, 472. District libraries, 11,109 volumes; value, $7,191. Assessed valuation of districts, $22,630,500. SECOND DISTRICT. - J.- towns. 2 » u to •x* to h 3 %si o & •§ to u a> ■ •S«tf O 4) OJ o °.s o a> CO S3 6 (A o 12 12 12 10 14 13 9 9 8 25 15 15 10 ■21 '23 10 10 12, 995 526 480 393 724 •872 . 316 .270' 593 $51,f>95' 12,135 Eden 1. ..'.'. - 7,680 7,500 25,«00 i 38,400 6,510 Wales j. . .,.,_-,'!-. .--_--_.„-.--- r - 4,345 12,000 99 140 • 5,169 $165,935 Number of union free school districts, 6; Number of private schools, 8 ; scholars, 235. . District libraries, 8,040 volumes; value, $1,236. Assessed valuation of districts, $13,407,579. 660 OIJR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. THIRD DISTRICT. TOWNS. u v h s to .SO 6 * 55 8 09 U *_, O ne at the lower end. The school building was erected in 1882 and is well adapted for its purpose. There are two departments in the school and two teachers, with Charles Bernard, principal. Colden village has a graded school which is taught in a two story frame building erected about' 1885. The present principal is Alton Bates! There is a Union graded school in Wales village, for which a two story frame school building was erected in 1892. The'Union district was formed in 1896 by the consolidation of three former districts. A graded school with three departments and three teachers is maintained in Hol- land' village, with Frank B. Wilbur, principal' The' school building is a frame two story structure erected abbut 1887. «A sketch of the Parker Union School and Academy in Clarence has been given in an earlier page; the academy was established about 1841, and efforts' were made for about twenty-five years to maintain the institution, but without permanent suc- cess. In 1869 a Union School was organized under the name Clarence Classical Union School, to which the trustees of the academy transferred the building. The EDUCATION IN ERIE COUNTY. 663 district is a very large one. In 1872 Jared Parker gave liberally towards the proper equipment of the school, and his name was incorporated in the name of the institu- tion ; he also gave land to enlarge the grounds, and finally gave $15,000 for a perma- nent endowment fund, provided the district would raise an equal amount ; this was accomplished in 1882. In 1896 the school went under care of the Regents. In 1897 an addition was erected to the building at a cost of $5,000 and an observatory built. After the expiration of Mr. Bissell'sterm as principal he was succeeded by Herman C. De Groat, 1870-80; John J. Morris, 1880-85; Edward A. Parks, 1885-94; George A.' Bolles, 1894-97. Professor Bolles has eleven teachers associated with him. The territory embraced in the present school system of Tonawanda was organized as Union School district No. 3 about 1866, and the several smaller schools were abandoned upon the completion of the three story brick building on Clinton street in 1870. This building continued to answer the purposes of the entire district until the spring of 1891, when five classes were temporarily provided for elsewhere pending the erection of the two eight- room buildings, the Delaware street and Murray schools, which were finished early in 1893. In 1892 the schools were first placed under a superintendent, and the work of the high school was placed upon a perma- nent basis. Regular courses were then provided, and competent instruction, gener- ous library facilities and laboratory equipment were supplied. Several classes of graduates have already been sent out from this department. The growth in popula- tion and school attendance cannot be better shown than by a comparison of the number of teachers in 1885, which was then eleven, with the present number, thirty- nine. Tonawanda has a school population of 2,250. In place of the old building on Clinton street, before mentioned, and which was burned December 26, 1896, there is now in process of erection a modern and commodious high school building which will provide for 300 pupils in the high school department and for 500 in the grades, with all necessary additional facilities. Its cost will be about $65,000. In Williamsville village the schools were graded for several years, both the one in the old stone school house (which has been described), and the other in the old academy building. Williamsville Union Free School district No. 3 was organized May 7, 1892, and a board of education elected consisting of Henry W. Dodge (presi- dent), Adam L. Rinewalt, James Chalmers, Demeter Wehrle, Philip J. Snyder, John Hoffman. The principals have been George E. Smith, W.'M. Pierce and D. B. Albert, who now has five assistants. The school is under the Regents. The Union Free School at Eden Center was long a graded school with two, later with three, and finally with fovjr teachers. It was organized as a Union school in the fall of 1895 with four departments and four teachers, and in 1896 was placed under the Regents. In 1897 the old school house was rebuilt, and a branch school is main- tained three miles southeast of the village. Louis E. Boutwell has been principal since 1895, and has three assistants ; it is one of the best schools in the county. In 1849 a large two-story brick school building was erected in Hamburg village, and the school was divided into two departments. This finally proved inadequate and in 1868 the present structure was built, to which an addition was made in 1889. The Union School was organized at that time and the following board of education elected: Rev. A. J. Wilcox, president; S. E. S. H. Nott, secretary; Dr. George Abbott, Dr. G. A. Schmidt, Dr. L. R. Leach, A. C. Calkins, Charles Sigel, Allen K. Dart, Joseph Kronenburg, O. C. Pierce and George Federspiel. The 664 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, school was opened under charge of C. W. Richard's and two assistants. Suc- ceeding principals have been Fred H. Dick, Philip A.' Lang, Fayette Kelly, Frank H. Briggs, Andrew H. Spencer, Byron H. Heath and T. F. Kane. Besides the principal there are now seven teachers. An academic department is maintained, and there is a free library and reading room connected with the institution. The village of Blasdell, in the town of Hamburg, has a graded school. The Springville Academy was founded in 1829, at which time the sum of $2,000 was raised for the purpose, one-third to be paid in grain, one-third in live stock, and one-third in cash. A building was completed and the school opened in 1830 with Hiram H. Barney as principal ; he was followed by Lorenzo Parsons, 1831-34 ; Edwin E. Williams, 1834-38; Alexander Hurst, 1842-44; Ephraim C. Hall, 1844-45; Will- iam Mosher, 1845-46; J. W. Earle, 1846-51; Moses Lane, 1851-53; Ezekiel Cutler, 1853-54; Eden Sprout, 1854-55; William S. Aumock, 1855-57; Rev. David Copeland, 1857-59; Rev. C. R. Pomeroy, 1859-65; Rev, William H. Rogers, 1865. In 1865 Archibald Griffith gave the academy $10,000, the interest of which was to be used mainly for the education of orphans and indigent children, and the Legislature authorized the adoption of the name Griffith Institute, which it has ever since borne. The later principals were A. R. Wrightman, 1866-70; Rev. W. W. Rogers, 1870-72; Rev. Mr. Mclntyre, 1872-73; J. W. O'Brien, 1873-75; S. W. Eddy, 1875. In 1875 common school districts seven and eight were united as Union school district No. 1, and in 1876 Griffith Institute became a Union free school, but retained its former name. The remaining principals have been S. W. Eddy, 1875-79; George W. Ellis, 1879-82; Elbert W. Griffith,- 1882-88; Robert W. Hughes, 1888-98. About 1885 a second brick school building was erected, doubling the original capacity, and in 1894 an old hotel was purchased and used as an annex. Besides the principal there are fourteen assistants ; the school has about 500 scholars. In Cheektowaga there is a graded school at Sldan, the building, a large two-story structure, being erected in 1890. Union free school- district No. 7, Cheektowaga, comprising the village of Depew, was organized in 1893, and includes a part of old district No. 4, of Lancaster. In 1894-95 two brick school- houses were erected at a cost of 110,000 each. The town of West Seneca has three graded schools, one at Ebenezer, one at West Seneca, and the other at Gardenville ; the former has been in existence about six- teen years and has two departments and two teachers. The first principal was Paul Metzger. The Gardenville school was organized in 1895, and is taught in a fine two-story frame building erected in 1896 ; there are two departments and two teach- ers ; Albert E. Cook, principal. (/) O X. (- a: D o u Q _] O ■d •p. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 665 CHAPTER XXX. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 1 In the earliest years of the Dutch and English settlements in America, the constituted authorities were invested with broad powers ; but these could be exercised only within the restrictions of the laws of the mother country. By the terms of its charter the West India Company was supreme in the territory now included in this State, and all power was vested in the Director-General and Council, who were to be gov- erned by the Dutch (Roman) law, the imperial statutes of Charles V and the edicts, resolutions and customs of the United Netherlands, in all cases not otherwise provided for. The Dutch at home were gov- erened by a league of commercial guilds, represented in the States- General, that the organized interests of each class of people might be protected. The principle of conserving the ancient and vested rights of all the people as against any portion thereof, even a majority, and as against a government itself, was the foundation principle of the Dutch provincial authority on this side of the water, as well as in the mother country, and distinguished it from any of the English colonies. It was not until 1624, a year before the accession of Charles I and the beginning of the second period of the Thirty Years war, that gov- ernment was actually established in New Netherland. In 1629 the manorial system was introduced, under which Patroons were invested with the powers and privileges of feudal barons, but no political or judical changes could be introduced without consent of the home gov- ernment. In Massachusetts the Puritans were then just beginning to organize a government having in view as a principal object "the pro- pagation of the Gospel." This was the parent colony of New England. The Colonists on the Connecticut River were first governed by com- 'It is hoped that the bench and bar will approve the devotion of so much space to the history of the origin and development of our courts; the purpose being to thereby give this chapter ad- ditional interest and value to the non-professional reader, and at the same time correct an erroneous impression that widely prevails outside of the profession, and perhaps to a consider- able extent in it, that we are indebted principally to England instead of to Holland, for many of the laws and institutions we prize so highly. 84 668 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. missioners appointed by the General Court of Massachusetts. In 1637 delegates from the three towns of Hartford, Windsor and Wethersfield were associated with the commissioners, and in 1639 a written consti- tution was adopted under which all freemen of the three towns were made equal before the law. In June, 1639, the government of the colony of New Haven was organized, the Bible was declared to be the constitution and none but church members were admitted to citizen- ship, the government being vested in seven men called Pillars. In 1638 and 1640 the privileges of the Patroons (before mentioned) were considerably abridged, while those of free settlers were corre- spondingly extended. Wherever the people settled in sufficient num- bers the West India Company was bound to give them a local govern- ment, the officers to be appointed by the Director-General and Council, as in the Netherlands. Upon the breaking out of the Indian war in 1641 Director Kieft was seriously alarmed and invited all masters and heads of families residing in New Amsterdam and its vicinity to assemble in the fort on August 28th. That was the first official recognition of the existence of " the people '' in New Netherland. The freemen assembled and obtained something of the rights enjoyed by other colonists around them. They expressed themselves on the questions submitted to them and then appointed Twelve Men to represent them. These were as follows: , David Pietersen de Vries, president ; Jacques Bentyn, Jan Jansen Dam, Hendrick Jansen, Maryn Adriaensen, Abram Pietersen (the miller), Frederick Lubbertsen, Jochim Pietersen Kuyter, Gerrit Dircksen, George Rapalje, Abram Planck, Jacob Stoffelsen, Jan Evertsen Bout, Jacob Walingen. 1 They complained to Kieft of the arbitrary constitution of the gov- ernment and asked that such reforms be introduced as should prevent taxation of the country in absence of the Twelve; also that four men be chosen from the Twelve each year who should have access to the council. Thus they sought representation by the people. Kieft prom- ised these reforms, and then reminded them that they were called to- gether simply to consider how to escape the vengeance of the Indians. The issue thus raised was a natural one. These men were asking only for the Dutch system, which had been perfectly satisfactory to them at home. When, in 1643, the Indian troubles and complications with the English had reached ominous proportions, Kieft again called 1 The fourteen names found in the records include, doubtless, appointees after the first Twelve, JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 60? the freemen together and requested them " to elect five or six persons from among themselves" to consider propositions to be made by the Director and Council ; a representative body for the enactment of laws was thus instituted. The people preferred to leave the selection of the representatives to the director, asking only the right to reject an un- desirable nomination. The eight men were then elected. The cer- tificate of the election is on record signed by twenty-eight freemen. The eight men were as follows : Cornells Melyn, president; Jochim Pietersen Kuyter, Jan Jansen Dam, 1 Barent Dircksen, Abrarh Pietersen (the miller), Isaac Allerton, Thomas Hall, Gerrit Wol- phertson (van Couwenhoven), Jan Evertsen Bout, 2 1643, Jacob Stoffelsen, John Un- derbill, Francis Douty, George Baxter, Richard Smith, Gysbert Opdyck, Jan Evert- sen Bout, Oloffi Stevensen van Cortlandt, 1645. This body of men assembled September 15 and passed upon im- portant questions of war and performed other legislative acts. Com- plaints from the colonists continued and were finally referred to the home Chamber of Accounts, which reported in March, 1645, sustaining the complainants, and approving the organization of villages after the manner of the English. The Patroon's charter of 1629, extended in 1640, authorized the colony to appoint deputies to inform the Director and Council of their condition when necessary. It was now suggested that these deputies should, at the summons of the Director-General, hold an assembly every six months for the general welfare and to deliberate on -im- portant affairs. Kieft was recalled in December, 1644. The Com- missioners of the Assembly of the XIX of the General Privileged West India Company acted on the report alluded to in their instructions to the Director and Council of July 7, 1645. The council was to consist of " the Director and president, his vice-president and the Fiscal." In cases in which the advocate-fiscal appeared as attorney general, civil or criminal, the military commandant was to sit in his stead. If the charge was criminal, three persons were to be associated from the com- monalty of the district where the crime Avas committed. The Supreme Council was the sole body ' ' by whom all occurring affairs relating to police, justice, militia, the dignity and just rights of the Company " were to be decided; it was an executive, administrative, and also a judicial body. When Petrus Stuyvesant arrived (May 27, 1647,) he set about restor- i Expelled September IB. a In place of Dam, expelled. 668 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ing the disordered government with vigor. Besides inaugurating new and stringent regulations in many directions, he ordered an election of eighteen men from whom he selected Nine as " Interlocutors and Trus- tees of the Commonalty," or "Tribunes" of the people. These Nine Men were to hold Courts of Arbitration weekly and to give advice to the Director and Council. They were appointed September 25, 1647, and were as follows : 1647, Augustine Heerman, Arnoldus van Hardenburgh, Govert Loockermans, mer- chants; Jan Jansen Dam, Hendrick Hindricksen Kip, Jacob Wolphertsen Van Couw- enhoven, burghers; Michael Jansen, Jan Evertsen Bout, Thomas Hall, farmers. 1649, Adriaen van der Donch, president; Augustine Heerman, Arnoldus van Hardenburgh, Govert Loockermans, Elbert Elbertsen (Stootof). Jacob Wolphertsen van Couwenhoven. 1650, Oloff Stevensen van Cortland, president; Augustine Heerman, Jacob van Couwenhoven, Elbert Elbertsen, Hendrick Hendricksen Kip, Michael Jansen, Thomas Hall, Govert Loockermans, J. Evertsen Bout. 1652, David Provost, William Beeckman, Jacobus van Curler, Allard Anthony, Isaac de Forest, Arent van Hattem, Jochim Pietersen Kuyter, Paulus Leenderman van der Grist, Peter Cornelissen, miller. Three of the Nine in each year were taken from merchants, three from the burghers, and three from the farmers, thus continuing the old Netherland system. The colony now became the scene of a prolonged contest and numer- ous lengthy petitions went from the colonists to the States- General for a burgher government and other changes. The burgher government was finally granted in 1653. Burgomasters had been in power in Hol- land since the fourteenth century, and it was contemplated by the States General that they should be elected by the burghers in New Amsterdam. But the Director and Council assumed the right to ap- point them and exercised it until 1658, when a double number was nominated, from whom the Director and Council selected the members for the ensuing year. Local officers or inferior courts, with limited jurisdiction were author- ized in various villages from time to time. The Patroons of the great manors were invested with power to administer civil and criminal jus- tice in person or by deputy; to appoint local officers and magistrates; to erect courts and take cognizance of all crimes committed within their separate domains ; to keep a gallows, 1 if required, for the execu- tion of criminals. One of the lesser degrees of punishment was " banish- 1 There was a curious restriction connected with the gallows, to the effect that if it fell pend- ing an execution, a new one could not be built, except for hanging another criminal. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 669 ment from the colonic;'' another was corporal punishment. In civil cases of all kinds between the Patroon and his tenants, these courts had jurisdiction, and from their judgments in matters affecting life and limb and in suits where more than ^20 was involved, appeal could be taken to the Director- General and Council. The government itself was invested in a General Court which exer- cised executive, legislative, or municipal and judicial functions, and which was composed of two commissaries and two councilors, who were a colonial secretary, a sheriff (schout-fiscal) ; and a court messen- ger or constable. Each of these received a small salary. The magis- trates of the colony held office one year, the court appointing their suc- cessors or continuing those already in office. The most important of these officials was the schout-fiscal, who was bound by instructions received from the Patroon. No man in the col- ony was subject to loss of life or property unless under sentence of a court composed of five persons, and all persons accused were entitled to a speedy trial. The public prosecutor was especially warned not to receive presents or bribes, nor to be interested in trade or commerce, directly or indirectly. He was paid a fixed salary, with a dwelling free, and given all fines up to ten guilders and a third of all forfeitures over that sum. Governor Dongan, in his report to the Committee of Trade, dated February 22, 1687, gave the following information regarding the early courts of New York and Albany. There is likewise in New York and Albany a Court of Mayor and Aldermen held once in every fortnight, from whence their can bee noe appeal unless the cause of action bee above the value of Twenty Pounds, who have likewise priviledges to make bylaws for ye regulation of their own affairs as they think fitt soe as the same be approved of by ye Gov'r and Council. The mayor, recorder and aldermen of the city of Albany, or any three of them, were, in 1686, ex-officio members of the old Court of Common Pleas, acting when there was no judge present. The colonial Court of Common Pleas held regular terms until 1776, when it was dissolved under the influence of the animating gpirit of independence. With the accession of the English a new order of judicial administra- tion came into existence. There was the Court of Assizes, which was established under the Duke's Laws at Hempstead in 1665. This court was composed of the governor, members of the council, high sheriff, and such justices of the peace as might attend. It sat in New York and only once a year, but special terms could be called. Its jurisdic- 670 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tion extended over all criminal matters, and in civil cases where the value of £20 or more was involved. This court was abolished in 1683. In 1683 an act was passed "to settle Courts of Justice," which ordered the holding of a Court of Oyer and Terminer in the respective counties of the province, composed of one judge, assisted by four justices of the peace in each county. In New York city and the city of Albany, the mayor, recorder and four aldermen were associated with the judge. This court had jurisdiction over all capital causes, and appellate juris- diction where £b or more was involved. The authority for holding the court was derived from the governor; the court was abolished in 1691. Courts of Sessions and Justices' Courts were also continued and a Court of Chancery established. The Court of Sessions was ordered to be held in New York four times, in Albany three times and in the other ten counties then in existence, twice in each year. All cases civil and criminal were determined by it, with a jury. The Court of Chancery was founded, with the governor or his ap- pointee as chancellor, assisted by the council. This court expired by limitation in 1698, but was revived by ordinance August 28, 1701; it was suspended June 13, 1703, and finally re-established November 7, 1704. It ceased its existence in July, 1847, under the new constitution. It was an equity court and by the second constitution equity powers were vested in the circuit judge, subject to the appellate jurisdiction of the chancellor. The Court of Admiralty, which was a civil law court, extended through most of the colonial regime and for a short time under the State government. Under the Dutch, the Governor and Council acted as judges of this court. Under the Duke of York commissions were issued by the governor to determine cases, until 1678, when authority was given to appoint judges and other officers of the courts which was at first established by warrant, but later came from the Lords of the Admiralty in England. In November, 1775, Congress recommended the colonies to establish courts to adjudicate matters relative to cap- tures on the sea in the war. Accordingly the High Court of Admiralty of the State of New York was authorized. Pursuant to an act of Con- gress passed October 13, 1777, appeals could be had from the court to a'committee of congressmen. Under the Articles of Confederation an act was passed establishing a court to hear such appeals. The United States constitution vested admiralty jurisdiction exclusively in the Fed- eral courts, and consequently the State court ceased in 1789, and its powers were vested in the U. S. District Court. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 671 The third judicial system was organized in 1691 and continued through the colonial period. In that year the Court for the Correction of Errors and Appeals was founded, consisting of the Governor and Council. Appeals lay to this court from any judgment exceeding in value ^100, which amount was increased in 1753 to ^300. It is a fact that reflects credit upon the early colonists of New York that they invariably evinced respect for the law and upheld measures for the protection and honor of their judiciary. For example, in the year that Governor De Lancey died (1760) George III ascended the English throne. De Lancey was a lawyer of ability and labored assid- uously in the development of the civil polity of the province. Upon the accession of George III a new conflict arose. All commissions ter- minated upon the death of a sovereign, and the differences which had theretofore existed as to scope of judicial powers became a prominent issue. The Assembly proposed to pass an act establishing Courts of Judicature by law, instead of by prerogative, as before. Judges were to be removed by the governor on appeal from the Assembly, or by advice of at least seven members of the council. Thereupon Cadwall- ader Colden, the obsequious lieutenant-governor, suggested that the king also be empowered to remove, which would thus preserve the pre- rogative of the crown. An active discussion ensued among the lawyers and others. An act was now passed that judges should hold office during good behavior, instead of during the pleasure of the governor. The Lords of Trade, on November 21, 1761, held that this action was "subversive of that policy by which those colonies can be kept in a just dependence upon the government of the mother country," and that "it is difficult to conceive a state of government more dangerous to the rights and liberties of the subject, aggravated as the evil would be by making the judges' commissions during good behavior, without ren- dering them at the same time independent of the factious will and caprice of an Assembly," by providing permanently for their support. In accordance with this position instructions were issued to the gov- ernors on the 2d of December, " that you do not upon any pretense whatever, upon pain of being removed from your government, give your assent to any act by which the tenure of the commissions to be granted to the chief judge or other justices of the several courts of ju- dicature shall be regulated or ascertained in any manner whatever, and you are to take particular care in all commissions to be by you granted that they be during pleasure only, agreeable to ancient practice and 672 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. usage. " That was the British view of the situation. The records of the General Assembly on nearly every page, express the high regard of the colonists for the law, and the lawyers of the province were a unit in their construction of the law. Bench and bar stood united in defense of the liberties of the people in this respect. Under the system of 1691 were established also the Court of Common Pleas and the Supreme Court. The criminal side of the latter was what constituted the Court of Oyer and Terminer. The Supreme Court expired by limitation in 1698, was continued by proclamation January 19, 1699, and finally again by ordinance May 15, 1699. Its powers and jurisdiction were broad, but it was without equity jurisdiction. Any case involving £10 or more could be commenced in, or returned to it, and it could correct errors and revise the judgments of the lower courts. Appeals lay from it to the Governor and Council in cases involving ,£100 or more, which amount was, as before stated, increased to ^300 in 1753. The court held four terms annually, sitting in New York only. Persons who had served seven years under an attorney or had taken a collegiate course and served three years' apprenticeship were granted license to practice in this court by the governor. The first constitution recognized the Supreme Court as it then ex- isted. It was reorganized May 3, 1777, but with only slight changes. In 1785 two terms were directed to be held in Albany and two in New York each year, and the clerk's office was directed to be kept in New York and that of his deputy in Albany. By an act passed April 19, 1786, one or more of the justices of the Supreme Court was required to hold during the vacations, and oftener if necessary, Circuit Courts in each of the counties of the State for the trial of all issues triable in the respective counties. The proceedings were to be returned to the Supreme Court, where they were to be re- corded and judgment given according to law. Upon the formation of Ontario county in 1789, which included.the territory of Erie county, this court extended its jurisdiction over that territory. On March 10, 1797, the judges were authorized to appoint an additional clerk with an office in Albany. In 1807 another clerk's office was established in Utica. The first rules of the court were adopted at the April term in 1796. In trie same year a law was passed directing this court to designate at its April term one of their number to hold a Circuit Court in the West- ern, one in the Eastern and one in the Southern District. An act of February, 1788, provided for holding a Court of Oyer and Terminer by JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 673 the justices at the same time with the Circuit. Two, or more of the judges and assistant judges of the Court of Common Pleas were to sit in the Oyer and Terminer with the justices. The constitution of 1821 made several important changes in this court. For example, it was to sit four times a year in review of its own decisions and to determine questions of law ; each justice, however, could hold Circuit Courts, as well as the circuit court judges, and any justice of the Supreme Court could preside at the Oyer and Terminer. The court had power to amend its practice in cases not covered by statute, and was directed to revise the rules every seven years, to sim- plify proceedings, expedite decisions, diminish costs and remedy abuses. The judges were appointed by the governor with corftent of the Senate, and held office during good behavior or until sixty years of age. Their number was reduced to three, and from 1823 they were allowed $2,000 each annual-ly ; this sum was increased to $2,500 in 1835 and in 1859 to $3,000. Two of the terms were held at the Capitol in Albany. The act of 1691 gave this court cognizance of matters of exchequer, thus re- moving the necessity for the Court of Exchequer, which was estab- lished by Governor Dongan in 1685. The constitution of 1846 abolished the Supreme Court as it then ex- isted and established a new one with general jurisdiction in law and equity. The State was divided into eight judicial districts, in each of which four justices were elected, except in the first (New York city), where five were elected. The term of office was made eight years, but the amended judiciary article made the term as at present, four- teen years. This court possesses the power and exercises the jurisdic- tion of the preceding Supreme Court tinder the constitution of 1846 and the judiciary act of May 12, 1847. On April 27, 1870, the Legis- lature abolished the general terms as then existing and divided the State into four departments,, providing for general terms to be held in each. The governor was to designate a presiding justice and two as- sociate justices for each department to compose the general term. At least two terms of Circuit Court and Court of Oyer and Terminer were to be held annually in each county and as many special terms as the justices in each department deemed necessary. In the division of the State into judicial districts, Erie county, and Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans and Wyoming counties consti- tuted the Eighth District, which now constitutes a part of the Fourth Department. 85 674 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. By the act of June 2, 1876, entitled the Code of Remedial Justice, and amended June 5, 1877, with the title of The Code of Civil Proced- ure, the General Term justices of the Supreme Court and the chief judges of the Superior City Courts were required to meet in convention every two years to revise and establish general rules of practice for all courts of record in the State, excepting the Court for the Trial of Im- peachments and the Court of Appeals. The Legislature of 1882 directed the submission to the people of the question of amending the constitution so as to provide for the organ- ization of the Supreme Court, with not more than five General Terms, and for the election of two additional justices thereof, in the First, Fifth, Seventh and Eighth Judicial Districts, and one additional justice in the Second, Third, Fourth and Sixth Districts, the justices so elected to be invested with their offices on the first Monday in June, 1884. The amendments were so adopted, and by the laws of 1883 (chapter 329) provision was made for the election of the twelve additional justices authorized. The constitution of 1894 continued the Supreme Court as it then ex- isted, with general jurisdiction in law and equity, and also vested in the court the jurisdiction previously exercised by the Superior Court of Buffalo and New York city, the Court of Common Pleas of the city and county of New York, and the City Court of Brooklyn. These courts were abolished on January 1, 1896, the judges thereof becoming justices of the Supreme Court. There is an Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in each of the four Judicial Departments, consisting of seven jus- tices in the First Department and five in each of the other departments. No more than five justices sit in any case and the governor designates, the presiding justice and other justices who shall constitute the Ap- pellate Division in each department. Justices of the Supreme Court {from Erie County),— Seth E. Sill, elected June 7, 1847, and served from the first Monday in July, 1847, until his death, Septem- ber 15, 1851 ; Benjamin F. Green, elected November 8, 1853, and served from January 1, 1854, until his death, August 7, 1860; and James G. Hoyt, appointed September 38, 1860, vice Benjamin F. Green, deceased, elected for full term Novem- ber 5, 1861, served from the date of his appointment until his death, October 29, 1863 ; Charles Daniels, elected November 3, 1863, vice James G. Hoyt, appointed on the 9th of the same month pending the action of the State canvassers, re-elected in 1869 for eight years, and in 1877 for fourteen years, serving from November 8, 1863, to December 81, 1891 ; Albert Haight, elected November 7, 1876, term expired Decem- ber 31, 1890 — designated by the governor as judge of the Second Division of the Court of Appeals, January 21, 1889; Loran L. Lewis, elected November 7, 1882, JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 675 term expired December 81, 1896; Manly C. Green, elected November, 1891, term expires December 31, 1905; Edward W. Hatch, elected November, 1895, term ex- pires December 31, 1909; Frank C. Laughlin, elected November, 1895, term expires December 81, 1909 ; Robert C. Titus, term expires December 31, 1899 ; Truman C. White, term expires December 31, 1905. The last two justices were judges of the Superior Court and were made justices of the Supreme Court through the operation of the new constitution, before mentioned. Judge Hatch was also a judge- of the Superior Court, but resigned to become a candidate for his present office, which he secured by election, instead of under the provision of the constitution. He has since been designated a justice of the Ap- pellate Division and is serving in the Second Department. Judge Green is acting in the same capacity in the First Department. Under the constitution Erie county is compelled to pay the salaries of the two Supreme Court justices who were transferred from the former Superior Court, while the State pays all the other justices, and notwithstanding the fact that the services of these two justices are de- voted to a considerable extent to business from other parts of the State. Superior Court. — By an act of the Legislature passed in 1839, a Re- corder's Court was created for the city of Buffalo, and the appointment of the recorder was vested in the governor. The term of office was four years, and it was held by Horatio J. Stow, from 1840 to 1844; Henry K. Smith, from 1844, to 1848. By the constitution adopted in 1846, the office was made elective by the people, under which it was held by Joseph G. Masten from 1848 to 1852; George W. Houghton from 1852 to 1854. An act was passed in. 1854 by which the court was reorganized and merged into the Superior Court, with three judges, whose term of of- fice was fixed at six years. Provision was also made that the incumbent of the office of recorder, at the time of the reorganization, should serve as one of the judges of the Superior Court for the remaining portion of the term for which he had been elected. Recorder Houghton was, therefore, under this arrangement, entitled to serve two years as judge of the new court. At the first election under the new law, George W. Clinton and Isaac A. Verplanck were chosen as the other judges, and upon casting lots for the long and short terms, Judge Clinton secured the full term of six years, and Judge Verplanck that of four years. The judges of the reorganized court have been : George W. Houghton, 1854-56; I. A. Verplanck, 1854-58; George W. Clinton, 676 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1854-60; Joseph G. Masten, 1856-62; I. A. Verplanck, 1858-64; George W. Clinton, 1860-66; Joseph G. Masten; 1862-68; I. A. Verplanck, 1864-70; George W. Clinton, 1866-72; Joseph G. Masten, 1868-71; James M. Humphrey, 1871-72; James Sheldon, 1872; I. A. Vanplanck, 1870-93; James M. Smith, 1873-74; James M. Smith, 1874; George W. Clinton, 1872; Charles Beckwith, 1878; Robert C. Titus, 1885; Truman C. White, 1891. Judge Masten died in the spring of 1871, after serving two terms and a half, or fifteen years, and James M. Humphrey was appointed by Governor Hoffman to fill the vacancy. At the succeeding election in November, 1871, James Sheldon was elected as the successor of Mr. Humphrey. Judge Verplanck died in the spring of of 1873, after serving two full terms and two fractional terms, or a little more than eighteen years, and James M. Smith was appointed to the vacancy by Governor Dix. At the succeeding election in November, 1873, Judge Smith was chosen his own successor. Judge Verplanck was appointed chief judge in 1870 and upon his decease Judge Clinton was appointed to fill that position. By the provision of the sixth article of the constitution, which article was ratified by the people of the State, on the 2d day of November, 1869, the Superior Court of Buffalo was continued, with the powers and jurisdiction it theretofore had, and such further civil and criminal jurisdiction as might thereafter be conferred by law, and the term of office was extended to fourteen years, whether chosen to fill a vacancy or otherwise. The civil jurisdiction and power of the court were the same with some unimportant exceptions, which were possessed by the court before the constitutional enactments above referred to. It possessed and exercised within the city of Buffalo jurisdiction and authority, concurrent and co-extensive with the Supreme Court, and each judge of the court possessed the same power and authority in an action or special proceeding, which a justice of the Supreme Court possessed in a like action or special proceeding brought in the Supreme Court. Appeals from the decision of the court at a general term were were taken to the Court of Appeals of the State, as the appellate court. The criminal jurisdiction and power of the court in the city of Buffalo were the same as those of the Supreme Court at the Oyer and Ter- miner. • The term of Judge Clinton expired December 31, 1877, by reason of the disability of age ■ prescribed in the constitution, and at the general election held in November, 1877, Charles Beckwith was elected his suc- cessor. Upon the retirement of Judge Clinton, Judge Sheldon was JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 677 appointed chief judge of the court. This court was abolished and its powers vested in the Supreme Court, by a constitutional amendment of 1894, as noticed in previous pages. The clerks of the courts have been : M. Cadwallader, 1839-44; Nelson Ford, 1844-46; C. M. Cooper, 1846^8; William Davis, 1848-51 ; Jared S. Torrance, 1851-56; Dyre Tillinghast, 1856-62; Thomas M. Foote, 1863-63; Amos A. Blanchard, 1863-75; John C. Graves, 1875; Moses Shire, 1885 ; Charles S. Hatch, 1893. The Court of Common Pleas, before mentioned, was first established in New York and Albany by the charters of 1686, and in 1691, and was extended to all counties. The Common Pleas for the City and County of New York was the oldest judicial tribunal in tiie State ; it was a continuation of the former Mayor's Court, and after the year 1688, its criminal branch was called the. Court of Sessions. At the first this court was composed of one judge and three justices, but in 1702 it was ordered that the judge should be assisted by two or more justices; they were all appointed by the governor and held office only during his pleasure. The court had cognizance of all actions where the sum in- volved exceeded £5 in value. Its errors were corrected in the first instance by writs of error brought in the Supreme Court ; appeals were allowed to the latter court in cases where the sum involved exceeded £,%0. In the more remote counties the court was authorized to take proof of wills and transmit its proceedings to the record office in New York. The Court of Common Pleas was continued from the colonial period, as noticed farther on. The constitution of 1821 provided that the State should be divided into not less than four nor more than eight circuits, for each of which a circuit judge should be appointed, who should hold office by the same tenure as the justices of the Supreme Court, and who should possess the powers of a justice of the Supreme Court at Chambers and in the trial of issues joined in the Supreme Court ; and in Courts of Oyer and Terminer and Jail Delivery. In pursuance of these, provisions a law was passed, April 17, 1823, dividing the State into, eight circuits, cor- responding with the Senatorial districts. No change was made in these districts during the continuance of the court. At least two Circuit Courts were held annually in each county, except in the county of New York, in which four were held. The circuit judge also held a Court of Oyer and Terminer at the same time and place with the circuit, or otherwise if they so appointed. This court possessed a seal. Only one 678 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. citizen of Erie county was appointed circuit judge; this was Albert H. Tracy, appointed May 26, 1826, and declined. After the adoption of the constitution of 1846 Circuit Courts were held in each county by a justice of the Supreme Court. This court is a court of record and the clerk of the county is its clerk. By the 3d article of the constitution of 1777 a Court for the Trial of Impeachments and Correction of Errors was provided for, to consist of the president of the Senate for the time being, the senators, chancellor and judges of the Supreme Court, or a majority of them. The im- peachment functions of this court were directed against corrupt con- duct by State officials. In the correction of errors, appeals were allowed to it from the Court of Chancery, Supreme Court and Court of Probate. This court was continued under the constitution of 1821, with slight change, but was abolished by the constitution of 1846. Its powers and duties were then conferred upon a new court, the Court for the Trial of Impeachments, as far as that feature of the for- mer court was concerned. The new court was composed of the presi- dent of the Senate, the senators, or a majority of them, and the judges of the Court of Appeals, or a majority of them. The Court for the Trial of Impeachments and the Correction of Errors, as far as the correction of errors is concerned, was succeeded by our Court of Ap- peals, which was organized under the constitution of 1846. As first formed it consisted of eight judges, four of whom were chosen by the electors for a term of eight years, and four were selected from the class of the Supreme Court justices having the shortest time to serve. The judge elected who had the shortest time to serve, acted as chief judge. This court was reorganized by the constitutional convention of 1867-68, the article referring to the judiciary being ratified by the people in 1869. By that article this court consisted of a chief judge and six associate judges, who held office for terms of fourteen years. The new article also provided for a Commission of Appeals, composed of four judges of this court in office when the article went into effect, and a fifth commissioner. Their term was three years and they selected their chief. This commisson served until 1875, for the relief of the Court of Appeals. • In 1888 the Legislature passed a concurrent resolution that section 6 of article 6 of the constitution be amended so that upon the certifi- cate of the Court of Appeals to the governor of such an accumulation of causes on the calendar of the Court of Appeals that the public in- JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 679 terests required a more speedy disposition thereof, the governor may designate seven justices of the Supreme Court to act as associate judges for the time being of the Court of Appeals, and to form a sec- ond division of that court, and to be dissolved by the governor when said causes are substantially disposed off. This amendment was sub- mitted to the people of the Stete at the general election of that year and was ratified, and in accordance therewith the governor selected seven Supreme Court justices, who were constituted the Second Divis- ion of the Court' of Appeals. No resident of Erie county has been honored with the high office of judge of the Court of Appeals of this State, excepting Albert Haight, who was designated by the governor, judge of the Second Division of the Court of Appeals, January 21, 1889, and in 1894 was elected a judge of that court. County Court. — The act of 1683 directed that a Court of Sessions be held by three justices of the peace in each of the twelve counties of the province, four times annually in New York, three times annually in Albany, and twice in each of the other counties. By the act of 1691 and ordinances of 1699, the functions of this court were confined to criminal matters, while civil cases were transferred to the Court of Common Pleas. The latter court was established in New York and Albany by the charters of 1686 and a Court of Common Pleas was erected for each county by the act of 1691. Composed at first of one judge and three justices, it was ordered in 1702 that the judge be assisted by two or more justices, all to be appointed by the governor. Its jurisdic- tion embraced all actions, real, personal and mixed, where more than ;£5 were involved. It was based upon the practice of the King's Bench and Common Pleas at Westminster, England. Appeals were allowed to the Supreme Court where the amount involved exceeded ^20. This court continued through the colonial period. Under the first con- stitution the number of judges and assistant justices varied greatly in the different counties, reaching in some counties as many as twelve. On March 27, 1718, the office of assistant justice was abolished and the number of judges limited to five, inclusive of the first judge. The con- stitution of 1821 continued this court with little change. The judges were appointed by the Governor and the Council of Appointment down to 1821, after which they were appointed by the Governor and Senate down to 1846, when the office was made elective. The constitution of 1846 abolished the Court of Common Pleas and created the County Court, 680 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE; providing for the election in each county, except in the city of New York, of one county judge, who should hold a court and have jurisdic- tion in cases arising in Justice's Court and in such special cases as the Legislature might order. Upon this court the Legislature has con- ferred jurisdiction in actions for debt in sums not exceeding $2,000; in replevin suits for $1;000; in cases of trespass and personal injury not ex- ceeding $500 ; also equity jurisdiction in mortgage foreclosures, sale of in- fant's real estate, partition of lands, admeasurement of dower, satisfaction of certain judgments, etc. The tenure of office of the county judge was ex- tended from four to six years. Associated with the county judge were two justices of the peace to be designated by law to hold Courts of Sessions, with such criminal jurisdiction as the Legislature might prescribe. The constitution of 1894 changed somewhat the powers and forms of this court, principally on the criminal side. These recent changes are familiar to the bar. Upon the erection of Niagara county, Maich 11, 1808, it included the territory of Erie county. The first judges of the Common Pleas of that county, down to the erection of Erie county in 1821, were as follows : Augustus Porter, appointed March 26, 1808; he was the well known pioneer at Niagara Falls. Samuel Tupper, appointed May 27, 1812; he served to February 21, 1818, and was a prominent pioneer of this county. William Hotchkiss, appointed February 25, 1818 ; he was a resident of what is now Niagara county. Samuel Wilkeson, 1 appointed November 10, 1820, and retained the office after the erection of Erie county. By the constitution of 1821, his judgeship expired December 31, 1822. Ebenezer Walden, 2 appointed Febuary 1, 1823, served to April 4, 1828. Thomas C. Love, appointed April 4, 1828, resigned in March, 1829. Philander Bennett, from April 3, 1829, to July, 1837. James Stryker, July 16, 1837, resigned in December, 1 Samuel Wilkeson settled in Buffalo soon after the war of 1812, and became prominently identified with every measure that promised to contribute to the prosperity of the village. Judge Wilkeson was in many respects an extraordinary man, possessed a strong mind, liberal public spirit, and showed active enterprise and persistent energy in whatever he undertook. Although not a lawyer by profession, his good judgment and vigorous common sense enabled him in most cases to form quite correct opinions of their respective merits. He was elected to the State Senate in 1825 and mayor of the city in 1835; he honored both positions. 2 Judge Walden was a native of Massachusetts, and a graduate of Williams College. He was one of the four lawyers resident in Buffalo before the war of 1812, settling in the little hamlet in 1806. During all his long Jife he was a leading citizen and conspicuous in all good works. In 1812 he represented in the State Legislature the district comprising the present counties of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua and Cattaraugus. He remained on the frontier during the war, distin- guished himself by personal bravery at the burning of Buffalo, in which his own dwelling was destroyed, and after the return of peace resumed the practice of his profession. Judge Walden was a thorough lawyer and discharged his duties as judge wth fidelity and ability. In 1828 he was chosen a presidential elector, and in 1838 was elected mayor of Buffalo, an office which he ad- ministered with uprightness and dignity. . He died November 10, 1857. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 681 1840. Joseph Clary, appointed January 15, 1841. Nathan K. Hall, from January 26, 1841, until his. resignation in January, 1845. Frederick P. Stevens, from Jan- uary 18, 1845, until the expiration of his term under the provisions of the constitu- tion of 1846, on the first Monday of July, 1847. By the new constitution county judges were substituted for first judges of the Common Pleas and were elected by the people for four years, excepting the first one, whose term was four years and a half. The following were elected to the office in Erie county : Frederick P. Stevens, from the first Monday of July, 1847, until December 31, 1851. Jesse Walker, from Januaty 1, 1852, until his death in September, 1852. James Sheldon, appointed, vice Walker, deceased, and elected in November, 1852, re-elected in 1856 and in 1860, serving from September 27, 1852, until December 31, 1864. Stephen Lockwood, from January 1, 1865, to December 31, 1868. Roswell L. Burrows, from January 1, 1869, to December 31, 1872. AlbertHaight, from January 1, 1873, until his elevation to the bench of the Supreme Court January 1, 1877. George W. Cothran, appointed in place of Haight January 1, 1877, served until De- cember 31, 1877. William W. Hammond, elected in November, 1877, andre-elected in November, 1883. Joseph V. Seaver, elected November, 1889, served to Decem- ber, 1895. Edward K. Emery, elected November, 1895. An act of the Legislature of May 20, 1880, created the Municipal Court of the City of Buffalo, which is still in existence. Immediately after the passage of the act the mayor appointed two municipal court judges, whose term of office began on July 1 of that year. One of these incumbents was appointed for five years and one for six years from January 1, 1881. In the charter election next preceding the ex- piration of these terms the office was filled for the regular term of six years. The court as at present organized comprises the two judges, with salary of $4,000; one clerk, salary, $1,300; one deputy clerk, sal- ary, $1,100; three special deputy clerks, salary, $900; and two stenog- raphers, salary, $1,100. The Municipal Court judges of Buffalo have been as follows : George S. Wardwell (appointed for six years) ; George A. Lewis (appointed forfive years); Judge Wardwell was re-elected; William W. Brown, elected 1886; Louis Braunlein, -elected 1891, re-elected 1897 ; Charles W. Hinson, elected 1892. The following persons- have held the office of city attorney, or cor- poration counsel : 1832, George P. Barker; 1833-34, William A. Moseley; 1835, Nathan K. Hall: 1836, John L. Talcott; 1837, Theodore C. Peters; 1838, Theodotus Burwell; 1839-40, Har- low S. Love; 1841, George W. Houghton; 1842, Samuel Wilkeson, jr.; 1843, Asher P. Nichols; 1844, Seth E. Sill; 1845, Eli Cook; 1846, James Mullett; 1847, James Sheldon; 1848, John F. Brown; 1849, Charles D. Norton; 1850, James Wadsworth; 1851, Eli Cook; 1852-53, Cyrus O. Poole; 1854-55, John Hubbell; 1856-57, Andrew J. McNett; 1858-59, Edwin Thayer; 1860-61, George Wadsworth; 1862-63, Harmon S, 86 682 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Cutting; 1864-65, Charles Beckwith ; 1866-67, George S. Wardwell; 1868-69, David F. Day; 1870-71, Benjamin H. Williams; .1873-75, Frank R. Perkins; 1876-77, John B. Green ; 1878-79, Price A. Matteson ; 1880-81, Edward C. Hawks ; 1882-83, Giles A. Still well; 1884-85, Herman Hennig; 1886-90 (title of the office changed to corpo- ration counsel), William F. Worthington ; 1891-92, George M. Brown ; 1893-95, Frank C. Laughlin ; 1896-97, Charles L. Feldman ; 1897, William H. Cuddeback. Surrogates. — Courts for the care and administration of estates have comedown from the first Orphan's Court. Originally the, Director- General and Council of New Netherland were guardians of widows and orphans. It was the duty of church deacons to attend personally to these interests and to notify the Director of the death of parents. In New Amsterdam the Burgomasters became ex-officio Orphan Masters in 1653,. but at their own request they were soon relieved of the duty and two special Orphan Masters were appointed. At Fort Orange (Albany) in 1652 the Vice-Director was appointed and in 1657 Jan Verbeck and Evert Wendell. By the Duke's laws authority to grant probate of wills was vested in the Court of Assizes and Court of Sessions. This duty being a part of the royal prerogative, was subsequently reserved to the governor, and the Legislature accordingly, on November 11, 1692, passed a law directing that all probates and letters of administra- tion be thereafter granted by the governor or his delegate and that two freeholders be appointed in each town to have charge of the estates of intestates. This constituted the Prerogative Court. In 1778 the Legislature passed a law taking from the governor the powers de- scribed above and transferring them to the judge of the Court of Pro- bates. In 1787 the appointment of a surrogate in each county was authorized, while the judge of the Court of Probates continued to hold jurisdiction in cases out of the State and of non-residents within the State. Under the first constitution surrogates were appointed for an unlimited period by the Council of Appointment. Under the second constitution they were appointed by the governor and Senate for four years, and appeals went up to the chancellor. The constitution of 1846 abolished the office excepting in counties having 40,000 or more population, and transferred its duties to the county judge. In coun- ties with more than 40,000 population surrogates are elected for six years. The surrogates of Erie county have been as follows: Archibald S. Clarke, appointed for Niagara county, March 26, 1808 ; Otis R. Hop- kins, appointed May 27, 1812; Amos Callender, appointed March 16, 1813; Ebenezer Johnson, appointed February 28, 1815; Roswell Cbapin, appointed February 17, 1831, continued as surrogate of Erie count}' after its erection ; Ebenezer Johnson, appointed February 19, 1828; Martin Chittenden, appointed February 24, 1832, died JUDICIARY AND BAR OF. ERIE COUNTY. 6&3 in office in the same year; Israel T. Hatch, appointed January 11, 1833; Samuel Caldwell, appointed January 6, 1836 ; Thomas C. Love, appointed January 15, 1841 ; Peter M. Vosburgh, appointed January 24, 1845, serving until the first Monday in July, 1841, elected by the people in June, 1847, and serving from the first Monday in July of that year to December 81, 1851 ; Charles D. Norton served in 1853, 1853, 1854 and 1855; Abram Thorn, i'856 to 1859 inclusive; Charles C. Severance, 1860 to 1863 inclusive; Jonathan Hascall, 1864 to 1867 inclusive; Horatio Seymour, 1868 to 1871 inclusive; Zebulon Ferris, 1873 to 1877 inclusive, and 1878 to 1883 inclusive ; Jacob Stern, 1884 to 1895; Louis W. Marcus, 1896-97. District Attorneys. — Under the legislative act of February 12, 1796, this State was divided into seven districts, over which an assistant at- torney-general was appointed by the Governor and Council to serve during their pleasure. The office of district attorney was created on April 4, 1801, the State being then divided into five districts, which was subsequently and gradually increased to thirteen. After the erec- tion of Niagara county and down to 1813, it was placed in the Seventh District and so remained until 1818, when in April a law was passed constituting each county a separate district for the purpose of this of- fice. During the life of the second constitution district attorneys were appointed by the Court of General Sessions in each county. The fol- lowing persons held this office in Niagara and Erie counties : Charles G. Olmstead, appointed for Niagara county June 11, 1818; Heman B. Potter, appointed for Niagara county February 13, 1819, continued in the office for Erie county after its erection until 1839 ; Thomas C. Love, appointed in March, 1829 ; George P. Barker, appointed 1835 ; Henry K. Smith, appointed 1838; Henry W. Rogers, appointed 1841; Solomon G. Haven, appointed 1844; George P. Barker, appointed 1846, serving until December 31, 1847; Benjamin H. Austin, 1848-50 in- clusive; Charles H. S. Williams, 1851-52, resigned in November, 1853; John L. Talcott, appointed December 3, 1852, served until December 31, 1853; Albert Sawin, 1854-1856 inclusive; James M. Humphrey, 1857-59; Freeman J. Fithian, 1860-62; Cyrenius C. Torrence, 1863-65 ; Lyman K. Bass, 1866-68 inclusive, re-elected and served 1869-71; Benjamin H. Williams, 1872-74; Daniel N. Lockwood, 1875-77; Robert C. Titus, 1878-80; Edward W. Hatch, 1881-83, and re-elected; George T. Quinby, 1886-94; Daniel J. Kenefick, 1895-98. Sheriffs. — During the colonial period sheriffs were appointed annu- ally in the month of October, unless otherwise noticed. Under the first constitution they were appointed annually by the Council of Ap- pointment, and no person could hold the office more than four suc- cessive years; neither could a' sheriff hold any other office, and he must be a freeholder in the county where appointed. Since the adoption of the constitution of 1831, sheriffs have been elected for a term of three years, and are ineligible to re-election for the next succeeding term. 684 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The following persons have held this office for Niagara and Erie coun- ties: Asa Ransom, for Niagara county, from March 6, 1808, until March 6, 1810; Sam- uel Pratt, jr., from March 7, 1810, until February 5, 1811; Asa Ransom, February 3, 1811, to March 25, 1813 ; Nathaniel Sill, appointed March 16, 1814, declined ; Cyrenius Chapin, from March 26, 1813, to March, 1814; Asa Ransom, from March 5, 1814, to February, 1818 ; James Cronk, from February 8, 1818, to February 3, 1821 ; John G. Camp, appointed for Niagara county, February 4, 1821, and remained in office after erection of Erie county until December 81, 1822. From that date the sheriffs have been regularly elected every three years, as follows: Wray S. Littlefield, 1823-25; John G. Camp, 1826-28; Lemuel Wasson, 1829-31; Stephen Os- born, 1832-34; Lester Brace, 1835-37; Charles P. Persons, 1838-40; Lorenzo Brown, 1841-43; Ralph Plumb, 1844-46; Timothy A. Hopkins, 1847-49; Leroy Farnham, 1850-52; Joseph Candee, 1853-55; Orrin Lockwood, 1856-58; Gustavus A. Scroggs, 1859-61; Robert H. Best, 1862-64; Oliver J. Eggert, 1865-67; Charles Darcy," 1868- 70; Grover Cleveland, 1871-73; John B. Weber, 1874-76; Joseph L. Haberstro, 1877- 79; William W. Lawson, 1880-82; Harry H. Koch, 1883-85; Frank T. Gilbert, 1886- 88; Oliver A. Jenkins, 1889-91; August Beck, 1892-94; George H. Lamy, 1895-97; 1898, Andrew Kilgallon. County Clerks. — During the colonial period the county clerk was clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, clerk of the peace, and clerk of the Sessions of Peace, in his own county. Under the first constitution it was his duty to keep the county records and act as clerk of the in- ferior Court of Common Pleas, and clerk of the Oyer and Terminer. These last named duties were conferred by the act of February 12, 1796. The seals of the county clerks were the seals of the Court of Common Pleas in their respective counties. County clerks are now clerks of the Supreme Court, County Court and Court of Sessions. Since the adoption of the constitution of 1821 the term of office has been three years. Following are the names of those who have held this office in Niagara county previous to 1821 and in Erie county since its erection: Louis Le Couteulx, appointed clerk of Niagara county March 26, 1808; Juba Storrs, appointed March 7, 1810; Louis Le Couteulx, appointed February 11, 1811; Zenas Barker, appointed March 16, 1813 ; Archibald S. Clarke, appointed February 28, 1815 ; Frederick E. Merrill, appointed November 6, 1816; John E. Marshall, appointed March 2, 1819; James L. Barton, appointed for Niagara county February 12, 1821, and continued as clerk of Erie county after its erection until December 31, 1822; Jacob A. Baker, 1828-28; Elijah Leech, 1829-31; Noah P. Sprague, 1832-34; Horace Clark, 1835-37; Cyrus K. Anderson, 1838-40; Noah P. Sprague, 1841-43; Manly Cotton, 1844-46; Moses Bristol, 1847^9; Wells Brooks, 1850-52; William Andre, 1853-55 ; Peter M. Vosburgh, 1856-58 ; Obadiah J. Greene, 1859-61 ; Charles R. Dur- kee, 1862-64; Lewis P. Dayton, 1865-67; John H. Andrus, 1868-70; James H, JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 685 Fisher, 1871-73; George L. Remington, 1874-76; David C. Oatman, 1877-79; Robert B. Foote, 1880-82; Joseph Ewell 1883-85; Charles A. Orr, 1886-87, and re elected for 1888-90; Charles N. Brayton, 1891-93; Geo. Bingham, 1894^96; Otto H. Wende, 1897-99. There is a business and financial aspect of the development of the judicial institutions of city and county which is little understood by the public, although it possesses deep interest to the entire community. Absence of records as well as lack of space, precludes detailed reference to this subject in these pages, but brief comparative notes indicating the enormous increase in cost of conducting the judicial business of the county may be made. What sum of money was expended at the date of the formation of Erie county, or even at the time of the city incor- poration, for the maintenance of the courts, is now impossible to state, on account of the loss of records ; but we are able to go back as far as the year 1853 (which is only forty-five years ago), and draw a compari- son between that time and the present in this respect. In 1853 the salary of the county judge was $1,600; that of the surrogate, $1,400; the cost of the sheriff's and the district attorney's offices was at that time about $5,000. Jurors' certificates were charged as about $10,000; constables' certificates $3,000, and justices' and court orders, $1,825. The salary of the city recorder was $2,000, and that of his clerk $700. The salary of the police justice was $1,600 — in all a little less than $5,000. In other words it is probably quite safe to state that the gross cost of the courts in the county in 1853 was well within $25,000. Twenty years earlier, at the date of the incorporation of the city of Buffalo, the amount must have been far less, while at the time of the formation of Erie county in 1821, the whole cost of this feature of county and village government was almost nominal. In those days all public officials served for far less salaries than at the present time, and were more than willing to do so, while many clerkships, stenographer's positions, etc. were unknown. In making up the foregoing 'total it should not be forgotten that nearly half of the gross sum expended-was upon jurors' certificates. In comparison with the foregoing it is interesting, to note the fol- lowing salary list for 1897 : Two Supreme Court justices $14,400 County judge - -- 5,000 " " stenographer - 1,500 Surrogate, his clerks and stenographer - 15,000 District attorney, two assistants, two clerks and stenographer... 14,000 686 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Sheriff and his assistants of various kinds 18,200 Commissioners of j urors, deputy and stenographer _ . 6, 900 Five court criers 5,000 Three court officers 3,000 Makmgatotal of '. _ .$83,800 As in some sense connected with the administration of the law, we may add the cost of operating the penitentiary, $25,939; coroners, $5,- 700; county clerk and employees, $43,216; with clerk to coroners, phy- sician to penitentiary and physician to jail, $1,700 — making $76,555, or a grand total of $160,355. And this sum does not include the large sums expended for supplies of various kinds, the heavy cost of juries, and other court expenses, which would swell this sum to enormous proportions. It is quite probable that other departments of municipal government have been developed from primitive beginnings to their present elabor- ate conditions at no less comparative cost than is shown in the fore- going statement ; but it is true that the general public is far more familiar with the financial ..side of every department of government than with the judicial. When Niagara county was erected in 1808 it will have been seen that the territory of Erie county constituted by far the larger part of it, and contained by far the larger part of the population. The county seat of Niagara county was the same as that of Erie, until the erection of the latter, and such of the old Niagara county records as were not de- stroyed were retained in Erie county. At the time Niagara county was erected, the governor appointed Augustus Porter, then residing near Niagara Falls, as first judge of the new Court of Common Pleas, hav- ing jurisdiction over Niagara, Cattaraugus and Chautauqua counties. His four associates were undoubtedly Samuel Tupper and Erastus Granger of Buffalo, James Brooks of Cattaraugus county, and Zattu Cushing of Chautauqua county; as to the two latter appointees there is a little doubt as to whether they were appointed just at that time or a little later. This was substantially the beginning of the Erie county organization and of its judiciary. The first County Court in the county was held at Landon's tavern in June, 1808. There are no existing records of the proceedings, but a session was held in November of that year, at which an indictment was presented which has been preserved. It charged five men who were described as " labourers of the town of Erie," with stealing a cow in JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 687 1'806. The old town of Erie had then ceased to exist, leading to the inference that the indictment referred to the date when the crime was committed. Peter Vandeveriter was foreman of the grand jufy, and the district attorney was William Stewart, from one of the counties farther east; that officer then had jurisdiction over territory extending half way to Albany. There were at that time only four attorneys in Niagara county, as stated in a letter written by Juba Storrs, who had contemplated beginning practice in Buffalo, but changed his plans. Of these Ebenezer Walden was one, and the others were without doubt Bates Cooke of Lewiston, John Root and Jonas Harrison. Just what additions were n^ade to this number, if any, until after the war, is not known. That absorbing contest attracted universal attention and there was probably little thought of litigation and meager demand for legal talent. A new " Commission of the Peace," as it was termed, was issued in 1814, under which Daniel Chapin, Charles Townsend and Oliver For- ward, of Buffalo, Richard Smith, of Hamburg, and Archibald S. Clarke, of Clarence, were named as judges; and Jonas Williams, James Cronk, John Beach and David Eddy, as assistant judges. The justices of the peace named in this commission were John Seeley, Philip M. Holmes,' Joseph Hershey and Edward S. Stewart, of Buffalo ; Daniel McCleary, Daniel Rawson and Levi Brown, of Clarence; Joshua Henshaw, Calvin Clifford, James Wolcott and Ebenezer Holmes, of Willink; Daniel Thurston and Amasa Smith, of Hamburg; Joseph Hanchett, of Con- cord; Asa Cary and John Hill, of Eden. Justices, of the peace were appointed until the constitution of 1821 was adopted, under which the office was made elective and their number regulated by law. It is not considered essential to follow the list of justices of the peace farther in these pages. The death of Judge Samuel Tupper, first- judge of Niagara county, in 1817, and other changes of that period caused a reorganization of the Court of Common Pleas, by which William Hotchkiss, of the pres- ent county of Niagara, was named as first judge, with five associates ; of these Oliver Forward, Charles Townsend, Samuel Wilkeson and Samuel Russell were from the present county, of Erie. One of the jus- tices of the peace appointed in that year was James Sheldon, then a young lawyer who had recently settled in Buffalo, as a pa tner of Charles G. Olmstead,* a lawyer of a little longer standing in the village. Mr. Sheldon was father of Judge James Sheldon of the late Buffalo 688 OUR COQNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Superior Court. In the following year (1818) a law was passed abol- ishing the office of assistant judge, restricting the number of associate judges to four, and requiring a district attorney in each county. Under the law Charles G. Olmstead was made the first district attorney of Ni- agara county. Almost an entire new set of judicial officers was appointed in Feb- ruary. 1821, a few months before the date of the act erecting Erie county. Samuel Wilkeson was made first judge> in the face of consid- erable opposition based upon the fact that he was not an attorney. But he had numerous influential friends, and after his appointment his native good sense and judgment, diligence and firmness enabled him to fill the position with satisfaction to the community. The first murder trial in Erie county took place. in June, 1815, when Charles Thompson and James Peters were convicted of killing James Burba. The two criminals had been soldiers in the regular army, and before the close of the war had been sent on a scout with another soldier a mile and a half below Scajaquada Creek. It was shown that they proceeded some three miles below the creek to Burba's home, where they committed depredations, quarreled with the owner and killed him. Their comrade escaped. The two men were executed in August, in public, according to the custom at that time. The prisoners were guarded to the scaffold by several companies of militia, under com- mand of General Warren. Glezen Fillmore, then, a young Methodist minister of Clarence, preached the funeral sermon, and was assisted in administering the last religious rites to the condemned by Rev. Miles P. Squier, who had just settled in Buffalo as pastor of the Presbyterian church. Very little can now be learned of this event in detail, for it was not customary in those days to give much space to local affairs in the newspapers, however startling they were. This important trial re- ceived a notice in the Gazette containing seventeen lines, without a word of the evidence, while after the execution the whole matter was treated in about fifty lines. By the year 1821, in which Erie county was erected and a new epoch in its history began, the number of attorneys in the county had largely increased; most of them, had, of course, settled in Buffalo. Indeed, it is doubtful if a regular practitioner at the bar resided in the county, at that date, outside of Buffalo. It is recorded that a cabinet-maker named Wales Emmons, who settled in Springville in 1817, supplied the local litigants with his services as attorney, and there were doubt- JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 689 less a few other "pettifoggers" at other places before the formation of the county. In the numerous justice's courts these men aired their eloquence and legal lore, when attorneys were not secured from Buf- falo. It is related of Emmons that his services were in wide demand and some of his experiences were very ludicrous. On one occasion he was employed to defend a petty action and seeing that there was no successful defense to be made, and knowing the obtuseness of the jus- tice, he rode out a few miles from Springville to the dwelling of the justice a few days before the trial was to-take place, and informed him that the defendant would withdraw and pay the costs. To this the worthy justice assented, pocketed- the costs and noted the withdrawal on his docket. When the plaintiff and his counsel*appeared for trial they were calmly informed that the suit was withdrawn. " Withdrawn," shouted the pettifogger; "why, the defendant can't withdraw the case." "But he has withdrawn it," replied the justice with much dignity; "he has withdrawn it and paid the costs, and it is entered on my docket, and I will have nothing more to do with it." A new addition to the bar of 1821 was Joseph Clary, who subse- quently attained a fair professional position and held some local offices. The other leading attorneys of that time were Heman B. Potter, Eb- enezer Walden, Jonas Harrison, James Sheldon, William A. Moseley, Stephen G. Austin, Frederick B. Merrill, Albert H. Tracy, and John Root, "Old Counselor Root," as he was called. The latter was the ac- knowledged joker of the local bar and innumerable stories of his quips and sallies of wit are preserved in print or in the memories of the older practitioners. Of the lawyers just mentioned, Albert H. Tracy was, ' doubtless, the peer of any in Western New York ; but his attention was largely absorbed in politics, and he seldom appeared in the legal arena. In the spring of 1821, almost before the new county government was inaugurated, there took place the second capital crime, which was fol- lowed by a most remarkable trial, the facts regarding which are given in Stone's Life of Red Jacket and were supplemented by reminiscences of James Aigin. In the spring of 1821 a Seneca Indian died of some lingering disease after having been nursed by a squaw named Kauqua- tau. As the Indian medicine men could not determine the cause of death, they attributed it to sorcery on the part of the poor nurse. A council was assembled and after hearing such evidence as appeared, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. The Seneca chief, So- onongise, commonly known among the white people as Tommy Jimmy, 87 690 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was secretly chosen as her executioner. The Indians would not kill her off their reservation and under United States jurisdiction, hence some of them followed her to Canada and by some kind of inducement prevailed upon her to return. On the 2d of May Mr. Aigin stated that he saw Tommy Jimmy giving Kauquatau whiskey from a bottle on the streets of Buffalo. Under the influence of the drink and such blandishments as the chief could display, she accompanied him across the reservation line, which ran close by the village. There Tommy Jimmy drew a knife and cut her throat, left the body lying where it fell and strode off to the Indian village. The body was found by white men the next morning and the coroner's inquest soon determined the particulars of the crime and who was the guilty person. The Indian claim, of sovereignty over the reservation was not sufficient protection to the criminal to satisfy the white people and it was determined to bring the murderer to trial. Stephen G. Austin, then a young lawyer and justice of the peace, issued a warrant, which was given to a con- stable to serve. He objected to going among the Indians on such an errand, and Pascal P. Pratt, uncle of the present Mr. Pratt who bears that name, was deputized to serve the warrant. He was a friend of Red Jacket and knew Tommy Jimmy well. Mr. Pratt found the culprit at Red Jacket's house, and after stating his errand, Red Jacket pledged that Tommy Jimmy should appear before the justice on the following day, which he did, accompanied by the great Indian orator. Austin's office being small, he held his court on a lumber pile across the street. The slaying of the squaw was admitted, the jurisdiction of the whites disputed, and the victim declared to be a witch. Austin, however, committed the prisoner to jail, for trial in a higher court. Tommy Jimmy was duly indicted. The Indians procured excellent counsel and the plea was advanced that the squaw was executed in accordance with Indian law and on Indian land. This was of course denied by the district attorney. The trial took place at the June term of the Erie county Oyer and Terminer, and the court house was crowded with a motley throng of red men and white men, while around the bar were gathered all the prominent attorneys of that time. Tommy Jimmy sat unmoved during the proceedings, and by his side was Red Jacket as- suming his most stately dignity. During the calling of jurors he scanned each one with the closest scrutiny, formed his opinion as to bias and communicated it to the counsel in favor of either acceptance or rejection. After several witnesses had been sworn Red Jacket took JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 691 the stand.- The prosecuting attorney sought to exclude him by asking him if he believed in a God. "More truly than one who could ask me such a question," was the haughty reply. When asked as to the rank he held in his nation, he answered contemptuously, "Look at the papers which the white people keep most carefully; they will tell you what I am." This was reference to the treaties ceding Indian lands to the whites. The evidence of all the Indian witnesses was similar in character; while admitting the murder, they justified it by their laws against witchcraft. When his views of witchcraft received some slight ridicule from one of the lawyers, he poured forth a tide of fiery eloquence, a translation of which was published at the time as follows: What ! Do you denounce us fools and bigots because we* still believe what you yourselves believed two centuries ago? Your black-coats thundered this doc- trine from the pulpit, your judges pronounced it from the bench, and sanc- tioned it with the formality of law ; and would you now punish our unfortunate brother for adhering to the faith of his fathers and of yours? Go to Salem ! Look at the records of your own government, and you will find that thousands have been executed for the very crime which has called forth the sentence of condemnation against this woman, and drawn upon her the arm of vengeance. What have our brothers done more than the rulers of your people? And what crime has this man committed, by executing in a summary way the laws of his country and the com- mand of the Great Spirit? The scene presented as the tall form of the noted chief and orator pronounced this oration, his eyes flashing with indignation, his head erect, and his gestures and intonations bearing the characteristics of true eloquence, was said to have been most impressive. How Red Jacket gained his information of the Salem witchcraft is not known, but probably by conversation with some white man conversant with the facts. The jury found on the question of fact that Kauquatau was executed according to Indian law ; but the legal question as to whether that fact exempted the executioner from punishment was left unsettled. The case was, therefore, removed by certiorari to the Supreme Court where it was argued in the following August. The conclusion reached was peculiar. No judgment was rendered. The court was unwilling to decide that the Indians had authority to commit murder, and yet were unable to deny that they had from the first been recognized to a certain extent as independent peoples, with broad rights. The prisoner was discharged by the consent of the attorney-general. Laws were subsequently passed subjecting the Indians to the same penalties for crimes as the whites. 692 OtTR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Early in the year 1825 the public first learned of a remarkable tragedy which took place in this county, the memory of which is not yet effaced. It has come down to the present with the well known title of the crime of "the Three Thayers. " John Love was a Scotch- man by birth, unmarried, and followed the lakes as a sailor in summers and peddled notions about the country in winter. In his occupation he had accumulated some money, which he made a practice of loaning to various persons. In the town of Boston lived an old man named Israel Thayer, and his three sons, Nelson, Israel, jr., and Isaac. 'The first two were married. The family were in very humble circumstan- ces, and to them John Love had loaned a little money. In the fall of 1824, after sailing during the preceding summer in the employ of Joseph Bennett, of Evans, then a young man owning a small vessel of which he was captain, Love arrived in Boston and put up for a time with the Thayers. Suddenly he disappeared. Little attention was paid to this for considerable time, as his occupation took him from one place to another, and it was supposed he was on his peddling trip. When, however, it was noticed that the Thayers were well supplied with money, suspicion was whispered about as to where they got it. After a time one of the young Thayers was seen riding a fine horse which had belonged to Love, and still later the Thayers made attempts to collect accounts due Love which they claimed had been left with them for that purpose. One of the debtors refused payment upon the claim that no power of attorney was presented. By this time current rumor began to credit the Thayers with making away with the peddler and the whole community turned out in February, 1825, in search of the corpse of John Love. At length, after the Thayers had been closely questioned as to Love's whereabouts and had given unsatisfac- tory replies, Nelson and Israel were arrested. The magistrates of Boston offered a reward of ten dollars for the discovery of Love's body; this sum seems ridiculously small, but it was sufficient to still further stimulate the search. After a day of persistent but unsuccessful search, one of a party had his attention called to a piece of sloping ground in rear of the cabin of Israel Thayer, jr. Several men went and examined the spot and there in a shallow grave, the body covered wMth brush and a little dirt from which protruded the toes, was found the corpse of John Love. The arrest of Isaac and the father imme- diately followed. They were tried at the Erie county Oyer and Term- iner on the 19th and 20th of April, 1825. Reuben H. Walworth, judge Judiciary and bar Of erie county. 693 of the Fourth District and afterwards State chancellor, presided, and with him sat Ebenezer Walden, first judge of the Common Pleas, and associate judges Russell, Douglass and Camp. District Attorney Heman B. Potter appeared for the people, assisted by Sheldon Smith and Henry B. White, both young lawyers recently admitted to the bar. The prisoners were defended by Thomas C. Love, Ebenezer Griffin and Ethan B. Allen. Israel Thayer, jr., and Isaac were first tried, and Nelson separately afterwards. The father was not tried. The evi- dence was too clear to admit of doubt, and all three were found guilty and sentenced to death. The prisoners subsequently made full con- fession of their crime. Briefly stated, the murder had been planned several days prior to December 15, 1824, on which €ay Love was per- suaded to go to the house of Israel, jr., whose wife had been sent away. While he was there and seated before the fireplace, Isaac fired at him from outside of the house through a window, the charge striking the victim in the head. As he did not fall at Once from his chair, the oldest brother struck him on the neck with an axe, completing the bloody tragedy. Isaac then went away, and the other brothers buried the body as it was found. All the sons said their father did not partic- ipate in the deed. On the 7th of June was witnessed the remarkable spectacle of three brothers simultaneously suffering the death penalty. An enormous crowd assembled to witness the execution ; men, women and children, from all the surrounding country, hurried to Buffalo on the day, in all styles of vehicles and on foot. The militia were called out according to custom, commanded by Colonel and District Attorney Potter. Besides a regiment of foot soldiers, there were present two troops of horse and Captain Crary's artillery. The great throng, which had been variously estimated at from ten to thirty thousand people, gathered about Niagara Square, near the west side of which the triple gallows was erected. Again, as on similar previous occasions, Elder Glezen Fillmore was chosen to preach the funeral sermon. It was, indeed, a most memorable scene and left a vivid impression upon the minds of all beholders for many years. Seven years later, in 1831, another execution took place in Buffalo, which attained wide celebrity and made the year of its occurrence memorable among early settlers as " the year that Holt was hung. " A man of that name committed the brutal murder of his wife with a hammer in their room over his grocery on Main street, Buffalo, in Oc- tober of the year named. The crime was quickly punished, for he was- tried and executed on the 23d of November. 694 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The period from 1830 to 1850 often has been characterized as one in which the Erie county bar reached its highest eminence. By some older members the period of its greatest brilliancy has been still further abridged to 1840-45. It is certain that there were then settled in Buf- falo an array of luminous lights in the legal firmament that could scarcely be surpassed in this State. The celebrated firm of Fillmore, Hall & Haven had been dissolved and Mr. Hall had been elevated to the bench, but Mr. Fillmore still stood before juries who listened and were swayed by his candid, persuasive powers, while the wit and tact of the junior member, Solomon G. Haven, often prevailed where other methods might have failed. The old court house had resounded with the fiery denunciations of Henry K. Smith, and Eli Cook, a younger yet powerful advocate, enraptured hearers with his eloquence. Other leading lights were Thomas T. Sherwood, John L. Talcott, George R. Babcock (partner with the Nestor of the profession, Heman B. Potter) Henry W. Rogers, long district attorney, Dyre Tillinghast, Benjamin H. Austin and Seth E- Sill. Most or all of these are noticed more specifically a little further on. Outside of Buffalo Albert Sawin and Lafayette Carver, of Aurora; Wells Brooks and C. C. Severance, of Springville, and a few others, enjoyed considerable practice and the confidence of their clients. The first court building in which this county was interested was the original court house of Niagara county. When that county was erected in 1808 the county seat was located at "Buffalo, or New Amsterdam," upon condition that the Holland Land Company should erect a court house and jail upon a suitable lot and convey the same to the new county. 1 The company complied with this provision and very soon began the erection of the structure. It was a plain frame building situated in 1 An act to divide the county of Genesee into several counties, passed March 11, 1898. Sec. III. And be it further enacted, That the Court House and Jail, in and forthe said County of Niagara, be erected in the village of Buffalo or Amsterdam in the said county; provided the Holland Land Company, their agent or agents, shall -within three years from the passage of this act, and at their sole expense, erect in the said village a suitable building or buildings for a Court House and Gaol for the said county, and shall legally convey not less than half an acre of land whereon the same shall be erected, together with the said building or buildings for the use of said county. Sec. V. And be it further enacted, that the first Court of Common Pleas and General Sessions o£ the Peace for the said County of Niagara shall be held at the house of Joseph Landon, in the village of New Amsterdam, and until the said Court House and Jail shall be erected and cer- tified as aforesaid (in section IV.) the said Courts of Common Pleas and General Sessions of the Peace for the said county, after the first term of the said court, shall be held at such place in said village of New Amsterdam as the Judges of the said county of Niagara or a majority of them shall appoint. JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 695 the center of a half acre of land laid out in circular form, the center of the circle being in what is now Washington street, just east of La Fay- ette Square and immediately in front of the site of the old house cor- ner of Clinton and Ellicott streets. This property was duly conveyed to the county in 1810, the deed bearing date November 21 of that year. Even at that time the building was not complete, for it was spoken of in the following year as an "unfinished wooden court house." It served its primitive and judicial purpose for the few years that it stood. The jail which the Holland Company was required to erect was of stone, and was situated on the east side of Washington street between the present Clinton and Eagle streets. When Buffalo was burned' by the British on the 30th of December, 1813, the wooden* court house went down in the flames ; but the stone jail did not readily accept- the fate of the remainder of the village. A fire was started inside the walls which damaged the wood work, but the walls resisted the flames and were left substantially uninjured. 1 As soon as peace was declared at the close of the war, the Legisla- ture passed an act (March, 1816), authorizing the supervisors of the county to raise $4,000 by tax with which to build a new court house. The provisions of this act were not executed, probably for the reason that such a tax at a time of universal poverty would have proved to be too heavy a burden. On the 17th of April of the same year another act was passed by the Legislature, directing that a loan be made by the State to Niagara county of $5,000 with which to erect a court house, and appointing Samuel Tupper and Joseph Landon, of Buffalo, and Jonas Williams, of Williamsville, commissioners to supervise its construction. These prudent men abandoned Ellicott's plan of setting the court house in the middle of the circular tract that was to divide the street in twain ; the street was made continuous and the east part of the street was taken for the site of the new building. Work was commenced on the structure in the spring of 1816 and it was so far ad- vanced as to admit of, occupation early in the next year. It was built of brick, two stories high, with a porch in front and large pillars ex- tending up to the cornice. A part of the first floor was occupied for the county clerk's office. This court house was then the finest build - 1 Juba Storrs wrote a letter to his father in July, 1810, in which he spoke of this jail as follows: "I suppose it would enhance the value of Buffalo property in brother Zalmon's estimation to know that we have a very nice stone jail building." The jail was surrounded by apicket wall made of round sticks of timber, set deep in the ground and sharpened at the top, which made'a safe en- . closure. 696 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, ing in Western New York. In 1826 the building was somewhat in • creased in size and otherwise improved. The old jail was abandoned in 1833 and the land to the eastward of the court house acquired by the county and a new jail erected thereon. In 1846 a law was passed authorizing the supervisors of Erie county to erect a penitentiary or workhouse for the confinement and occupation of prisoners under sen- tence for minor offenses, for whom there was neither room nor 'occu- pation in the jail. The building was erected in 1847 of stone and was situated on Fifth street, between Pennsylvania and Root streets, in Buffalo. It has been described in a previous chapter. In 1850, the old court house having outlived its usefulness and be- come entirely inadequate for its purposes, a new one was erected on the southeast corner of the same lot, and facing Clinton street. ' It was built of brick, nearly square, three stories high. Its cost was about $17,000. In later years it was occupied by the Young Men's Christian Association. It was used for its original purpose twenty-five years in connection with the other building, courts being held in one or the other as was found convenient. Soon after the close of the war of the Rebellion it began to be ap- parent that larger and better accommodations for the courts must soon be provided. The city was growing rapidly and the old buildings were not only inadequate for their purpose, but were not at all worthy of the county in outward appearance. In the winter of 1870-71 the Common Council and many leading citizens inaugurated the first measures towards a change. On the 1st of April, 1871, a law was passed pro- viding for the erection of such a building as the city and county need- ed. The governor appointed the following commissioners to have general charge of the work: James M. Smith, Dennis Bowen and Albert P. Laning, of Buffalo; Jasper B. Youngs, of Williamsville; and Allen Potter, of Hamburg. To these were added by authority of an act of the Legislature in May, 1872, the following: James Adams, Philip Becker, and George Wardwell, of Buffalo; and John Nice of Tonawan- da. James M. Smith was chosen chairman of the commission, but re- signed in May, 1872, on account of his appointment as judge of the Superior Court, when George W. Hayward, of Buffalo, was made com- missioner in his place, and Mr. Wardwell was chosen chairman. After 1 This action was taken under authority of an act of the Legislature passed March 22, 1849, which gave the supervisors of the county authority to "purchase land adjoining land owned by the county on which the court house and jail stand, so as to include all of the block bounded by Washington, Batavia, Ellicott and Clinton streets." JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 697 examining various sites the commissioners selected Franklin Square between Delaware avenue and Franklin streets, Buffalo, for the new building. Plans were prepared for a structure the estimated cost of which was placed at $772,000. In July, 1871, the commissioners em- ployed a superintendent in the person of Samuel H. Fields, who was succeeded in October, 1873, by Cooley S. Chapin, who remained in charge until the completion of the building. Proposals were accepted for the preliminary foundations and ground was broken on the 21st of August, 1871. In April, 1872, A. J. Warner was employed as archi- tect and his plans for the structure,were accepted. On the 14th of June, 1872, the corner stone of the City and County Hall (as the building was named) was laid with Masonic ceremonies by Christopher G. Fox, grand master of Masons of the State, after an imposing procession through the streets of the city ; an eloquent oration was delivered by George W. Clinton. In October, 1873, an amended estimate was adopted providing for cut stone for the entire outside walls, adding largely to the cost, and providing for the use of hard woods in the in- terior of the structure, bringing the total estimated cost to $1,207,234. These changes were sanctioned by the Legislature in an act providing that the total cost should not exceed $1,400,000. The erection of the building was prosecuted through the years 1874 and 1875, and early in 1876 (the centennial year) it was ready for occupation. On the 13th of March it was formally taken possession of by the judges, the bar, and the various city and county officers. A meeting of the bar was called in the oldest court house on the preceding Saturday at which a valuable and interesting paper was read by James Sheldon, giving a history of that court house and of its predecessor which was burned in 1813 ; another paper was read by George R. Babcock containing rem- iniscences of judges and lawyers who had displayed their learning and their wit in the old buildings, and brief addresses were made by George W. Clinton, James M. Smith, and others. On the 13th the entire bar, with many others, again met in the old court house, whence they marched in procession to the new building, where appropriate addresses were delivered by Sherman S. Rogers, A. P. Nichols and E. C. Sprague. The Common Council chamber was formally occupied in the afternoon of the same day, when addresses were delivered by Philip Becker, then mayor; A. S. Bemis, president of the Common Council, and George W. Clinton, judge of the Superior Court, with short speeches by sev- eral others. 88 698 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. To the residents of Erie county no detailed description of the mag- nificent structure in question is needed here. In its massive granite construction, its harmonious proportions, and the convenient arrange- ment of its various floors and apartments for the accommodation of the county and city business, it is nearly perfect, while its architectural beauty has made it known throughout the State. Immediately following the completion of the City and County Hall a new stone jail was erected on the west side of Delaware avenue, Buffalo, opposite the City and County Hall. It is constructed of gray stone and cost about $200,000; it was built during the years 1877-78. In the following brief notes upon the lives of many prominent mem- bers of the judiciary. and the bar of Erie county, the impracticable task has not been attempted of giving adequate or merited biographies of the many deceased men of eminence in the profession ; such an attempt is precluded by lack of space. The list is intended merely as a record for reference, with such few words of comment upon the character- istics of the men as are permissible. Among them were men who would have been distinguished in any walk of life, who have left im- perishable records of honorable labor on the bench, or of brilliant suc- cess in the political field. It is clear from even these brief and imperfect records that the bench and bar of Erie county in far past years was of high character and composed of men of eminent qualities, great aver- age learning in their profession, and natural talents which enabled them to rise to lofty heights. Comment is frequently heard, particularly from elderly persons, upon the general high character and ability of the members of the bar in early years, when compared with those of the present day. Such comparisons are, in fact, wholly unjust to the local bench and bar of these times. The legal profession as a whole, has steadily advanced in all essential respects — in character, in ability, in courtesy and in citizenship ; the same is true of the medical profession and of men following other walks in life. Such improvement is the natural outcome of progressive civilization, and it would be deplorable were it otherwise. BIOGRAPHICAL. It was in September, 1806, that the first lawyer made his appearance in Erie county. This was Ebenezer Walden, and he began his modest practice in a little office in what was then Willink aventie, between Seneca and Crow 'streets. He was for a JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 696 year or two the only lawyer west of Batavia. He brought with him the following letter of introduction to Erastus Granger : Batavia, September 23, 1806. Dear Sir: — Permit me to recommend to your particular attention, Mr. Walden, the bearer of this— a young gentleman with whom I have long been acquainted— a correct scholar, liberally educated, an attorney in the Supreme Court, and a gentleman who will be quite an accession to your society at Buffalo Creek. He is a stranger in your country; any attention paid to him will be a favor done to your friend and Humble servant, Erastus Granger, Esq., 1 Buffalo. D. B. Brown. Mr. "Walden more than upheld this very complimentary introduction. He imme- diately opened a law office and began practice. He purchased inner lots 12 and 13, the deed of which was dated in 1810, and subsequently purchased other lots, most of which he retained till late in his life and which formed the foundation of his large fortune.' He was elected to the Legislature in 1812, and during the war re- mained on the frontier, his dwelling sharing the fiery fate of ^;he remainder of the village. With the return of peace he resumed his law practice, in which he attained an honorable position. In 1823 he was appointed first judge of Erie county and dis- charged the duties of the office with fidelity. In 1828 he was chosen one of the presidential electors and voted for John Quincy Adams. In 1838 he was elected mayor of Buffalo, in which office he displayed good executive ability and the sound judgment for which he was noted. Judge Walden was married in 1812 and was father of several children. All through his long life, many years of which were passed during the early history of the village of Buffalo, he was honored and re- spected by the entire community. During the late years of his life he withdrew from activity and resided on his country farm, afterwards occupied by his widow and son. His death took place November 10, 1857, at the age of eighty years. Heman B. Potter was one of the prominent early lawyers of Erie county and a leading citizen in other respects. He settled in Buffalo in 1810, after receiving a college education and studying his profession in the office of Elisha Williams, a celebrated lawyer of Hudson, N. Y. Mr. Potter at once opened an office, took a prominent part in organizing the Washington Benevolent Society, a Federal club, and the first Masonic lodge. He was appointed district attorney of Niagara county two years before Erie county was formed, and from 1819 to 1829 performed the duties of that office with marked success. That was all the political office he ever held, his political affiliations preventing his further election. He was a man of unimpeach- able integrity, great industry, and genial disposition. He soon' acquired a practice that was large for those times and was more than ordinarily successful. In the sum- mer of 1825 he was in charge of the prosecution of the three Thayers for the murder of Love. The case rested upon circumstantial evidence, was prepared by Mr. Potter alone, and all three were found guilty and executed. In later years the late Chan- cellor Walworth, who presided as a circuit judge at the trial, said that he had never known a case so well prepared and tried. Mr. Potter was connected with the militia, from which he derived the title of General. He continued in active business until his death in 1854, and acquired a large fortune. Jonas Harrison settled in Buffalo before the war of 1812 and continued in practice of his profession until 1820, when he removed to Louisiana. Little is known of his history, excepting that he was a good lawyer and a citizen of excellent repute; he 700 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. was one of the original Buffalo Harbor Company and the records show that he was conspicuous in public affairs. John Root, remembered by his familiar title, " Counselor," was one of the earliest lawyers in Buffalo, but retired from practice some years before his death in 1846. "While Mr. Root was learned in the law, his advancement to a high position at the bar was, perhaps, made difficult through his general repute as a wag. Of his pro- pensity for joking, his ready wit and repartee many stories are told, which are more vividly remembered than his ability as an attorney. Albert H. Tra'cy settled in Buffalo in 1815, when he was twenty-two years of age and had just been admitted to the bar. The reader of preceding chapters of this work has learned of the brilliant career of Mr. Tracy. He was a man of great nat- ural qualifications, to which was added a thorough legal education, eloquence as a public speaker, and a temperament that enabled him to win friends. He was elected to the 18th Congress, and twice re-elected, gaining almost a national reputation in that body. In 18536 he was appointed a circuit judge by Governor Clinton, but de- clined the office, and in 1829 was the candidate of the Anti-Masons for State senator and was elected. As a member of the Court for the Correction of Errors, then the highest judicial tribunal in the State, Mr. Tracy acquired deserved and enduring fame. He was re-elected in 1833, and at the expiration of his term retired from pub- lic life. In his large law practice he was a partner with James Sheldon, and with Thomas C. Love. He died in 1859. James Sheldon was born in New Hartford, Oneida county, N. Y., received a classical education in Fairfield Seminary and studied law at Onondaga Hollow with Thaddeus Wood. He settled in Buffalo in 1815, where he continued in active and successful practice until 1832. He was at one period a partner with Albert H. Tracy and later with Charles G. Olmstead. He was particularly successful in criminal cases. He mingled little in politics or public affairs and never sought office of any kind. Charles G. Olmstead was the first district attorney of Niagara county, appointed in 1818, and up to about 1824 was in law partnership with James Sheldon, as before stated. At the time last mentioned he left Buffalo and went South. Thomas C. Love was a prominent lawyer and citizen of his time in Erie county. He took prominent part in the war of 1812, shared in the memorable sortie at Fort Erie in September, 1814, and was wounded and taken prisoner. At the close of the war he was discharged, returned to Batavia, and soon afterward located in Buffalo. He was possessed of large intellectual powers and thoroughly learned his profession. He was appointed first judge in 1828 and resigned in 1829 to accept the office of dis- trict attorney, in which office he distinguished himself until 1834, when he was elected to Congress. In 1841 he was appointed surrogate of the county and held the office four years. In all of these stations he made an enviable record. Ebenezer F. Norton was a prominent citizen and at one time was somewhat con- spicuous at the bar. He settled in Buffalo prior to 1820. In 1823 he was elected to tile Assembly and devoted his energies to the promotion of the canal project. In 1828 he was elected to the 21st Congress and served in that body with honor. While distinguished for his legal learning he never gave paramount attention to practice and the later years of his life were passed in retirement. William A. Moseley practiced fourteen years at the bar of Erie county, beginning JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 701 in 1820 and retiring at the time of his election to the Assemply in 1834. He was highly endowed intellectually and a lawyer of fair ability, meeting with more than ordinary success. He was elected to the State Senate in 1838, thus becoming a member of the Court for the Correction of Errors, and in 1842 was elected to Con- gress and re-elected in 1844. While his career in these bodies was not brilliant, he left an honorable record for ability and integrity. Roswell Chapin, the first surrogate of Erie county, discharged the duties of that office with credit for seven years. His legal attainments were above the average, but in his later years he was unfortunate ; he left no family. Samuel Wilkeson, who was appointed first judge in 1820, was a remarkable man in many ways, as the reader has already learned. A brief sketch of his life is given on an earlier page of this work. Philander Bennett settled in Buffalo in 1817, after having graduated from Hamil- ton College and studied law. He was a man of good ability ^.nd he soon acquired public confidence to such a degree that he was appointed first judge, and discharged the duties of his office with fidelity and credit. In his later life he retired from active duties, employing his time in horticulture, travel and study. Stephen G. Austin, who setttled in Buffalo in 1820, was during one period a lead- ing member of the Erie county bar. By industry and fortunate investments he amassed a fortune. In his profession he was a careful and painstaking worker. At the time of his death in June, 1872, he was president of the National Savings Bank. Oliver Forward's name has already appeared in earlier chapters of this volume as one of the leading pioneers. Although hot a lawyer by profession, it is proper that his career shonld be briefly mentioned here, as he held the office of judge of the county. He located in Buffalo in 1809 and at first performed the duties of post- master and collector for his brother-in-law, Erastus Granger. At the village in- corporation he was made one of the trustees and in 1817 was appointed one of the judges of the county. When the the canal question began to assume great impor- tance to the citizens of the county, Judge Forward was chosen to represent their in- terests in the Assembly in 1819, and in 1820 was elected to the Senate. From that time until his death in April, 1833, he was conspicuous in local public affairs and died in the enjoyment of the respect of the whole community. Charles Townsend was one of the early judges of Niagara county, and one of the most prominent of the pioneer business men of Buffalo. He settled in the county in 1811, participated in the struggles of the war of 1812 on the frontier, and received the appointment of judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1817. In his judicial capacity his native good sense, fairness and impartiality enabled him to gain the ap- probation of the community. In later years he was conspicuously connected with the commercial interests of the port of Buffalo. His death took place' in 1847. Horatio Shumway, a successful attorney, settled in Buffalo in 1824. He had re- ceived a good education in his profession and soon reached the front rank of the local bar. The confidence reposed in him led to his acquirement of a large office business connected with estates and trusts. In 1846 he was persuaded to accept the nomina- tion of assemblyman and was elected ; in that body he originated many beneficial public measures and won the commendation of his constituents. Dyre Tillinghast located in Buffalo in 1826. In his chosen profession he promptly 703 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. secured a very respectable position, and ere long had a large and diversified practice. His painstaking ability and his kindness of heart, which was manifested especially towards younger members of the bar, were proverbial. He was not ambitious for public applause, but was chosen to fill several positions of trust. At a meeting of the bar called to pay his memory a just tribute on March 19, 1862, his many excel- lent qualities were freely commended by leading lawyers and judges of the city. Harry Slade was a graduate of Dartmouth College and after his admission to the bar settled in Buffalo in 1822. For nearly twenty years he served acceptably as a justice of the peace and represented Erie county in the Assembly in 1848. He was possessed of excellent natural and acquired qualifications, and might, had his am- bition prompted, have risen to higher positions. His integrity and uprightness were never questioned. Joseph Clary, an early member of the county bar, was a man of excellent legal at- tainments and high character. He attained a very respectable position in his pro- fession and was chosen to fill many minor positions of trust before his election to the Assembly of 1834. At the time of his death in 1885 Sheldon Smith was one of the oldest and most reputable practitioners in Western New York. He settled in Buffalo in 1820 and continued active practice until his early death at the age of forty-seven years. His power as an orator gave him prominence in the profession and would have greatly aided him in securing high political office had his ambition prompted him to seek it. Henry White gave promise of distinction at the bar, but he was cut off in com- paratively early life by the cholera scourge of 1832. He was devoted to his profes- sion and by untiring industry and good ability he gained an excellent reputation. Major A. Andrews is remembered more, perhaps, as the second mayor of the city in 1833, than as a lawyer, although when he settled in Buffalo about 1820 he bore the reputation of being a reputable and able attorney. He became the owner of large real estate property in the city, the care of which diverted him from his profession to a great extent. Absalom Bull was an early lawyer in the village of Black Rock, where he settled about 1821, and continued there in active practice until his death. He acted as one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas and was an influential delegate to the constitutional convention of 1846. George R. Babcock settled in Buffalo in 1824 and after studying law in the office of his future father-in-law, Heman B. Potter, was admitted to the bar in 1829; he was actively engaged in the profession until his death, in 1876, excepting in the later years of his life, which were devoted to the management of several important trusts. In 1843 he represented Erie county in the Assembly and was elected to the State Senate in 1850 and re-elected in 1852. In the legislative halls he added to his already high reputation. As a lawyer he was well informed and as a citizen won the respect of the community. Elijah Ford, a graduate from Union College, settled in Buffalo in 1828, and studied law in the office of White & Sherwood. After his admission to the bar he took a prominent position at the bar, particularly as a counselor and office lawyer. He held the office of master in chancery, where he acquired a reputation for fairness and in- tegrity. Among the large trusts that came to him for settlement was the estate of Samuel De Veaux. Mr. Ford represented Erie county in the Assembly in 1850, and JUDICIARY AND BAR OF ERIE COUNTY. 703 in 1859 received the nomination of the Hardshell Democrats for lieutenant-govern or, but was defeated. Thomas T. Sherwood is remembered as one of the most eminent lawyers of his time. He practiced law in Springville for sometime after his arrival in Erie county, and settled in Buffalo in 1826, becoming a partner with Henry White ; this connec- tion continued to 1831, and in 1838 he formed another partnership with William H. Greene. While Mr. Sherwood was not a highly educated man, nor especially learned in the law, he made himself familiar with the principles of our jurisprudence, and by his great natural powers he was equal to the solution of any question of law or of fact that it became his duty to master. In the pressure of important trials and be- fore the jury, though not a graceful speaker, he possessed unusual powers of elo- quence which were impressive and convincing and his success was unusual. Mr. Sherwood never came forward as a. candidate for office, although frequently im- portuned to do so, but preferred the independent practice of^his profession. As a private citizen he was thoroughly respected. Horatio J. Stow removed from Lewis county, N. Y., to Lewiston, Niagara county, where he formed a law partnership with Bates Cooke, who was afterwards comp- troller and a man of high standing. Mr. Stow settled in Buffalo in 1833 and formed a partnership with Joseph Clary and the firm continued in successfnl practice until 1839, when, upon the organization of the Recorder's Court he was appointed the first recorder in the city ; he held this office four years, but after his retirement he did not.appear again at the bar. In 1846 he was a delegate to the constitutional con- vention, and in 1857, having become a resident of Niagara county, was elected State senator. In the convention and the Senate Judge Stow gained a high reputation for learning, eloquence and statesmanship. Frederick P. Stevens was a member of the bar when he settled in Buffalo in 1833. He was one of the early masters in chancery in Western New York and also a puisne judge of the Court of Common Pleas for many years; in January, 1845, he was ap- pointed first judge, and in June, 1847, was elected county judge under the new con- stitution. Judge Stevens practiced little at the bar, but was recognized as an able and impartial master in chancery and an honest and upright judge. In 1856 he was elected mayor of the city and discharged his duties with ability. He was elected to the Assembly in 1863, and there added to his already high reputation. Samuel Caldwell, surrogate of Erie county in 1836, was a graduate at Cambridge, practiced law in Buffalo several years and enjoyed a gpod reputation. As surrogate, and in the performance of the duties of Supreme Court commissioner, and master in chancery, he exhibited judicial ability of a high order. George P. Barker graduated from Union College in 1827 and in the same year be- gan the study of law in the office of Stephen G. Austin in Buffalo, with whom he later formed a partnership ; his admission to the bar took place in 1830. Before that date he had attracted attention by his eloquence and power as an orator. He early be- came the leader of the local Democratic party, and in 1831, at the age of twenty four, was its candidate for the Assembly. In 1832 he was appointed district attorney, in which office he laid the foundation for his high reputation of later years. He was an unsuccessful candidate for Congress in 1834, but in 1835 was elected to the As- sembly, when his party was in a large minority. In 1842 he was elected attorney- general of the State and honorably and ably discharged the duties of the high office. 704 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE*. On his retirement he was again appointed district attorney of this county, which office he held until his death in 1848, at the early age of forty-one years. Solomon G. Haven settled in Buffalo in January, 1835, after a course of legal study in the office of Gov. John Young in Geneseo. In Buffalo he entered the office of Fillmore & Hall and was admitted to the bar in May following. In the next year he was admitted to the partnership. Judge Hall retired from the firm in 1839, and Mr. Fillmore and Mr. Haven continued together until 1847, when the former was elected comptroller of the State. Mr. Haven remained at the bar until his death in December, 1861, and for many years was one of its pre-eminent representatives. He was a thorough student, and possessed natural qualifications which enabled him to take a commanding position. In March, 1842, he was elected mayor of Buffalo, and in June, 1843, was appointed district attorney, in which positions he won com- mendation. In 1850 he was elected to Congress, and was thus enabled to render support to the administration of his former partner, President Fillmore. He Was twice re-elected to that office. Outside of his profession Mr. Haven was a citizen of high repute and a shrewd and successful business man. James Mullet resided in Chautauqua county until 1843, when he located in Buffalo, armed with a reputation as a successful lawyer. He at once entered upon a large practice, which he successfully conducted until his election as a judge of the Su- preme Court in 1847. Judge Mullet was a man of superior intellect and thoroughly learned in law. On the bench he distinguished himself by several opinions which will remain permanently in the reports. Judge Mullet held several public offices in Chautauqua county. Nathan K. Hall was born in Onondaga county in 1810, and settled in Wales, Erie county, in 1826, and immediately thereafter entered the office of Millard Fillmore, in Aurora, to study law. When Mr. Fillmore removed to Buffalo Mr. Hall went with him, and continued his studies until 1832, when he was admitted to the bar. During the remainder of his life Judge Hall held, perhaps, more public positions than any other citizen of the county, all at which he filled with ability and integrity. In 18B9 he was appointed master in chancery, and in 1841 judge of the Court of Common Pleas. In 1845 he was elected to the Assembly, and in 1847 to Congress. When Mr. Fillmore assumed the presidential chair in 1850 Judge Hall was placed in his cabinet as post- master-general. In 1852 he received the appointment of judge of the District Court of Western New York, and held that position until his death in 1874. During this period he was also intimately connected with many Buffalo institutions ; was many years president of the Buffalo Female Academy, president of the Historical Society, president of the Board of Trustees of the Normal School, etc. Henry K. Smith was one of the most gifted and eloquent members of the bar of this State. He was born on the island of Santa Cruz, of English parents, and was early sent to Baltimore to be educated. He studied law in Johnstown, N. Y., and was admitted to the bar in 1833. He settled in Buffalo, and his exceptional ability soon gave him a prominent position. In 1843 he was appointed recorder of the city, a»d in 1846 was appointed postmaster; in March, 1850, he was elected mayor. Judge Smith was an active politician, in which field his talent as an orator made him conspicuous. As an advocate he was remarkably successful. He died in Septem- ber, 1854. Edward S. Warren graduated from Middlebury College, Vt, in 1833 and soon Judiciary and bar of erie county. 705 afterwards settled in Buffalo, where he was a successful lawyer about thirty years. He studied in the office of Israel T. Hatch and when admitted became a partner with Henry K. Smith. In his professional career Mr. Warren displayed marked capability and attained an honorable reputation. His practical business tastes led him to em- bark largely in various enterprises, in which he was remarkably successful. Israel T. Hatch settled in Buffalo about 1830, already well prepared for his later successful career at the bar. He was appointed surrogate of the county in 1833; in 1852 he was elected to the Assembly, and in 1856 to Congress. His political life and his entering upon various business enterprises drew' him in later years away from his profession. At the time of his death he was an influential and respected citizen. Wells Brooks was a lifelong citizen of Erie county and practiced law at Springville many years. His later years were passed in Buffalo in the discharge of various trusts and the duties of public positions. He was a leading member of the Board of Supervisors many years, and was elected to the Assembly in 1836 and again in 1843.. In 1849 he was elected county clerk ; in these various positions he gained an enviable reputation. James Crocker settled in Buffalo about 1835 and practiced law until his death in 1861. He held the office of master in chancery several years, and other minor positions of trust, the duties of which he faithfully discharged. His law business was chiefly confined to office work and as counselor. Peter M. Vosburgh practiced law in Aurora several years and on removing to Buf- falo soon secured a large business which he continued until his appointment as surrogate in 1845. He was elected to the same office in 1847, serving in all six years, with satisfaction to the community. In 1855 he was elected county clerk. During his professional career of over thirty years he was known as a safe counselor and successful attorney. As a citizen he was much respected. James Stryker, who was appointed first judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 1837, had been in practice in Buffalo several preceding years. When the govern- ment decided upon removing the Indians of this region to the Northwest Territory, Judge Stryker was appointed commissioner to negotiate a treaty with the Indians. In this delictate mission he was eminently successful. ( He was an ardent politician and his devotion to that field prevented him from attaining the position in his pro- fession which he otherwise might have reached. After leaving Buffalo he settled near New York and published the American Register several years. Benjamin Austin, sr., settled in Buffalo soon after his admission to the bar and en- joyed a large law practice until his, death in 1874. He was elected district attorney in 1847 and administered the office in an able manner. He is remembered for his industry and zeal in the interests of his clients, and his studious habits. His son, Benjamin Austin, jr., practiced law in Buffalo many years and removed to the Sand- wich Islands in quest of better health, where he became a Supreme Court judge. Seth E. Sill was born in Saratoga county, studied law in the office of Thomas T. Sherwood in Buffalo and was admitted to the bar in 1836. Later he was a partner with George P. Barker until the latter was elected attorney-general of the State, after which Mr. Sill practiced alone until he was elected judge of the Supreme Court in 1847; he continued on the bench until his death in 1851, at the age of forty-two years. Judge Sill was an accurate and conscientious lawyer, and as a- jurist was es- teemed for his learning and integrity. 89 706 OUR COUNTY AND, ITS PEOPLE. Asher P. Nichols acquired his legal education in the office of George W. Clinton and was admitted to the bar in 1837. He continued in active practice until his death in May, 1880. He was a painstaking and industrious lawyer, devoted to the welfare of his clients, and attained a high position at the bar. In 1867 he was elected to the State Senate, and in June, 1870. was appointed State comptroller. In both positions he exhibited excellent legislative and administrative qualifications. Henry W. Rogers was a successful lawyer in Bath, Steuben county, several years before he settled in Buffalo in 1836. Here he was prominently identified with the profession until about 1872, and during this long period he was recognized as one of the foremost of the bar of Western New York. In 1837 he was appointed district attorney, and served with signal ability until 1844. In that year he was appointed collector of the port of Buffalo and held the position four years. The latter years of his life were passed in foreign travel and the gratification of his cultivated tastes. He died in Ann Arbor, Mich. , in March, 1880, where he had resided a few years for the benefit of his health. Eli Cook studied law in Utica and located in Buffalo in 1838, where he soon at- tained a leading position at the bar, and maintained it as long as he remained in practice. He was a natural orator and very successful before juries. He was elected mayor of the city in 1853 and re-elected; he also served as city attorney. '. Horatio Seymour, jr., was a graduate of Middlebury College, Vt. , studied law in Syracuse and settled in Buffalo in 1836. He held the office of master in chancery many years and represented Erie county in the Assembly in 1863-64. In 1867 he was elected surrogate. Mr. Seymour was an active politician, was fairly successful in his profession, and was respected for his high character and many excellent per- sonal qualities. Joseph G. Masten settled in Buffalo in 1836, after several years of successful prac- tice at the bar of Bath, Steuben county. In Buffalo he promptly took high rank and in 1848 was chosen recorder of the city, discharging the duties of the office with ability. In 1856 he was elected judge of the Superior Court, and held the position until his death in April, 1871. In 1843 he was elected mayor of Buffalo and was re- elected. Judge Masten was an influential member of the Constitutional Conven- tion of 1867 and served on the judiciary committee. Isaac Verplanck graduated from Union College, studied law and in 1831 settled in Batavia, where he attained prominence before his removal to Buffalo in 1847. In the latter city he enjoyed a large and successful business until his election to the bench of the Superior Court upon its organization in 1854. At the time of his death in 1873 he was chief judge of that court. He was distinguished as a learned, impar- tial and upright jurist. In 1838 he held the office of district attorney of Genesee county and was reappointed in 1846. As a delegate to the Constitutional Conven- tion of 1867 from Erie county Judge Verplanck exerted a large and beneficent in- fluence. Jesse Walker graduated from Middlebury College, studied law in Rochester and settled in Buffalo in 1835, where he died in September, 1852. For much of this period he gave his whole attention to the duties of the office of master in chancery. In 1851 he was elected county judge, and for about a year before his death gave eminent satisfaction on the bench. Charles Beckwith was born in Genesee county July 9, 1825. He graduated from JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 707 the University of Michigan at the age of twenty-four years, and studied law in the State of Mississippi ; he was admitted to the bar in 1852 and practiced in the West and Southwest a few years, when he removed to Buffalo. He served as alderman four terms and was twice chosen president of the Council. He was elected city at- torney in 1863 and in 1877 was elected judge of the Superior Court. He served four- teen years and was chief judge at the time of his retirement. Judge Beckwith was a man of high attainments and gave eminent satisfaction to the bar and the public as a jurist. He died March 9, 1895. , George W. Clinton was a son of Gov. De Witt Clinton and was born about 1807. He began the study of law at an early age, and was in due time admitted to the bar and began his professional life in which he promptly secured a high degree of suc- cess. Locating in Buffalo he was elected mayor in 1842, and upon the organization of the Superior Court in 1854 was chosen one of the judges. He continued in the office until a few years before his death. He was found dead in the Rural Cemetery, Al- bany, September 7, 1885. His retirement from the office wal on account of the age limit. He was an able and honorable jurist. He lived in Albany most of the time after his retirement from the bench, and served as a Regent of the University. William H. Greene was born near Boston, August 31, 1812, and graduated with honor from Dartmouth College. He studied law in Skaneateles, N. Y., and after his admission to the bar settled in Buffalo in 1837, where he entered into partner- ship with Thomas T. Sherwood. This firm, and others with which Mr. Greene was connected during his career, conducted a large and important business. He never sought political distinction, but for more than forty-six years he was devoted to his profession, trusted by his clients and thoroughly respected by the community. He was an early friend of the Young Men's Association, and served as president in 1843. For many years he was active in the Historical Society and was president in 1872. During the late years of his active life the burden of his business cares was largely borne by his sons, John B. and Harry B. Greene. Benoni Thompson died in Buffalo in 1858, after many years of practice at the bar in the city. He was a member of assembly from this county in 1849. He gave nearly his whole time to office business and had the entire confidence of his clients. He acted many years as assignee in bankruptcy under the Federal act of 1841. Charles D. Norton graduated from Union College in 1839, studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1843. He began active practice in Buffalo, which continued until 1851, when he was elected surrogate of Erie county. In 1865 he was appointed collector of the port of Buffalo, and continued in that office until his death in 1867. As an advocate Mr. Norton was very successful and in the office of surrogate he ex- hibited judicial ability of a high order. 'He was always deeply interested in the literary institutions of the city and was in every way a respected citizen. James G. Hoyt attained prominence at the bar in Genesee county long before he located in Buffalo. He was elected a judge of the Supreme Court in 1847 and served as such until his death in Buffalo in 1863. He was what is termed a self-made man and held various positions of honor and responsibilty. As a lawyer and a judge he was distinguished for uniform courtesy, purity of life and conscientious discharge of his duties.-- Albert Sawin was a successful lawyer in Aurora many years and later in his life settled in Buffalo. He was elected district attorney in 1853 and gave satisfaction in 708 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the discharge of the duties of that office. He possessed qualifications of persuasive eloquence and impressive argument which rendered him very successful with juries, and his managemenc of the details of important trials called forth the commendation of his brethren at the bar. He was in successful practice at the time of his untimely death in 1863, in the prime of his life. John Ganson is accredited with being one of the most gifted and eminent lawyers of this State. While not an advocate, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, he was a remarkable figure before the (highest tribunals where his learned exposition of the law attracted wide attention. He represented Erie county in the State Senate in 1862, and was elected to Congress for the critical period of 1863-64, as a so-called War Democrat. These positions came to him without effort on his own part. His character was of the highest, and his ability, integrity and patriotism were unques- tioned. He died of apoplexy while trying an important cause in Buffalo September 28, 1874. Thomas C. Welch studied law in Buffalo with Hall & Bowen and was admitted to the bar in 1846. Before his untimely death in 1864 he attained a very respectable position in the profession. He was a man of cultivated literary tastes and com- manded the respect of the community. John C. Strong graduated from Yale in 1842 and after studying law and being ad- mitted to the bar he settled. in Buffalo in 1850. He was a man of large professional learning and outside of the legal field had a great fund of general information. He was devoted to the interests of his clients and conscientious in the discharge of all his professional duties. He died in July, 1879. Albert P. Laning was admitted to the bar in 1845 and practiced in Allegany county until 1855, when he removed to Buffalo. In that city he gained a large practice which he continued until his death in September, 1880. He entered actively into politics and represented Erie county in the Assembly in 1858 and was elected senator in 1874. In the Legislature he was an industrious and effective worker. He was long attorney for the New York Central Railroad and was distinguished for his knowledge of corporation law. Aaron Salisbury was a pioneer of Erie county and resided in Evans. For many years he was one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas, and was elected to the Assembly for 1840; he was also a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1846. In both public and private life Judge Salisbury was respected for his integrity and urbanity. James M. Willett studied and practiced law in Batavia and was there admitted to the bar in 1855. He was elected district attorney of Genesee county in 1859 and ac- quired an excellent reputation. After a brilliant war career he settled in Buffalo in 1870 and formed a partnership with Albert P. Laning, which continued until Colonel Willett's death in 1877 at the early age of forty-five years. His natural qualifications and his energy and industry as a lawyer, promised a bright career. Rollin Germain was a man of many excellent qualities. He studied law in Buf- falo and was admitted to the bar about 1833, and during a considerable period ac- quired a good reputation as a counselor ; but he was never fully devoted to his pro- fession and was more widely known as a man of business affairs. He was thor- oughly educated and possessed literary ability of a high order. He was elected to the Assembly of 1854. JUDICIARY AND BAR OP ERIE COUNTY. 709 William H. Gurney studied law in the office of Humphrey & Parsons in Buffalo and was admitted to the bar in 1861 ; in the fall of 1863 he became a partner with Henry W. Box and the firm had a large business for about five years. Later Mr. Gurney was a partner with Judge L. L. Lewis until 1879. Mr. Gurney's industry, perseverance and thorough ability gave him a high place in the profession. He never held political office nor sought it ; he was president of the Young Men's Asso- ciation in 1878 and was deeply interested in its welfare. Dennis Bowen was born in Aurora, February 4, 1830, and studied law with Fill- more, Hall & Haven, after which he was admitted to the bar in 1842. In tlje same year he formed a partnership with Nathan K. Hall, and from that time until his death in 1877, he continued in active practice ; during one period he enjoyed the largest personal clientage ever commanded by any Buffalo lawyer. He took no prominent part in the courts but was recognized as an able and conscientious counselor. In his life outside of his profession he was highly respected for his uprightness and public spirit. He was a member of the commission to erect the city building and was one of the park commissioners. . Perry G. Parker was admitted to the bar in 1844; he was a native of Hamburg, Erie county, a graduate of Hamilton College and studied with Fillmore & Haven. Well read in his profession, an industrious and painstaking practitioner, Mr. Perry obtained a large clientage, and was especially sought for the settlement of estates in surrogate's court. He died in December, 1879. Hiram Barton settled in Buffalo in 1835 and practiced law many years. He sel- dom appeared in court, but had a large office business. In 1849 he was elected mayor of Buffalo, and re-elected, discharging the duties of the office to the satisfaction of the community; he also held other minor positions of trust. George W. Houghton was a native of Vermont and settled in Buffalo in 1837; he was admitted to the bar in the next year and continued in practice until he was elected recorder of the city in 1852. In 1854 he was placed on the bench of the Su- perior Court. Judge Houghton was distinguished for his painstaking accuracy and his familiarity with adjudged cases, and left an honorable record. Albert L. Baker settled in Buffalo in 1835 and studied law with Stephen G. Austin ; he was admitted to the bar in 1838 and returned to his former home in Washington county, N. Y., where he was elected judge of the Court of Common Pleas. Return- ing to Buffalo in 1848 he continued in active practice until his death in May, 1873. He was a man of high character, liberal public spirit and useful citizen ; he was es- pecially prominent in the promotion of education. John Hubbell was a native of Canandaigua, studied law in the office of Mark H. Sibley and was admitted to the bar about 1843; in that year he located in Buffalo, soon secured a large practice and for many years was eminently respected by his professional brethren and the community at large. He was elected city attorney for 1854, which was the enly political office he ever held. He possessed cultivated liter- ary tastes and was a social favorite. Well read in his profession, clear and logical in his arguments, and wholly impartial in his conclusions, he attained an enviable position. Reuben Bryant was born at Templeton, Worcester county, Mass., July 13, 1792, and graduated from Brown. University. He studied law in Caledonia, N. Y., and after his admission to the bar first settled in Holley, Orleans county, and began prac- 710 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tice. In 1849'he removed to Albion, and in 1855 to Buffalo to aid his only son, Will- iam C. Bryant, who is still in practice in the city. He was appointed master in chancery and held the office until the Court of Chancery was abolished in 1846. While thoroughly versed in his profession, and a fine classical scholar, Mr. Bryant's delicate health prevented him from taking that active part in litigation for which he was so well fitted. He died in Buffalo in January, 1863. Oscar Folsom, whose untimely death took place from an accident, in July, 1875, was born in Wyoming county and graduated from Rochester University. He studied law in Buffalo and was admitted to the bar in 1861, enjoying a large prac- tice until his death. He stood in the front rank of his profession at the time of his death and evidently had a bright future. Francis E. Cornwell occupied an honorable position at the bar of Wayne countv before he settled in Buffalo in 1857. From that time until his death, November 2, 1869, he had a large practice. On the day of h'is death the electors of Western New York were casting their ballots for him for the high office of judge of the Supreme Court. John L. Curtenius was a practicing lawyer of Lockport, but removed to Buffalo and formed a partnership with Horatio Shumway, the firm securing a lucrative busi- ness. He was a careful, painstaking lawyer of the old school and was much re- spected by his brethren ; he never held public office. Edwin Thayer practiced law in Buffalo with a fair degree of success from 1848 until his death in 1877. In 1858 he was elected city attorney and discharged the duties of the office with ability. Chauncey Tucker practiced law in Buffalo after his removal from Fredonia, where he had attained a good position at the bar ; he died in 1874. Sylvanus O. Gould, who died in Buffalo in 1882, was for more than forty years a Tespected member of the bar of Erie county ; he held various minor offices of trust. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 711 CHAPTER XXXI. A CENTURY OF' MEDICAL HISTORY IN THE COUNTY OF ERIE. 1800—1900. Early History— Medical Societies.— Medical Colleges — Hospitals — Medical Journals — Medical Officers of the Civil War — Women Physicians — History of Homeopathy — Individual Members of the Profession. EARLY HISTORY, 1800-1821. The importance' of preserving accurate history of all kinds in an accessible form constantly increases as years advance. This observa- tion has no more forcible application than to the medical men and to medical institutions of the county of Erie. As our county grows older and busier with 1 its rapidly increasing population the early land- marks are getting swept away, and soon it would, be difficult or impos- sible to trace medical events with accuracy unless they are recorded from time to time with precision arid' detail. Several attempts heretofore haVe been made to preserve such a his- tory, fragments of which are to be found scattered here and there through- 'volumes, magazines and library papers. ''In arranging this record these have all been carefully searched, many of which have aided materially in ■' its preparation. The purpose' of this work is to bring the record' fdrward to meet the demands of the present period, giving data ;that : have been verified, and material that would seem of sufficient importance to justify its publication. Moreover, as the cent- ury is drawing near its close the time would seem opportune to pre- sent in compact form convenient for reference a record of the principal events with- which the medical prof ession in Erie county has been identi- fied during the last hundred years. The medical history of Erie county proper really begins when its present territorial lines were erected, namely April 2, 1821, yet there is a valuable chapter that must be recorded relating to medical men of the period during which it was included within the boundaries of Niagara county. 712 OUR COCJNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Cyrenius Chapin. — Though there is very little medical history in this region prior po 1800 that can be grouped or made available, yet with the birth of the nineteenth century, or while it was yet in its swaddling clothes, there came a man who has left the stamp of his forceful char- acter impressed so strongly upon the events of that period that neither time nor tide nor any other thing can efface it. It is with the advent of this man that the medical history proper of this region may be said to have commenced. Cyrenius Chapin was born at Barnardstown, Mass., February 7, 1769. There is very little known of his early life, but he studied for his pro- fession with his eldest brother, Dr. Caleb Chapin, at his birthplace. He completed his studies in 1793, and soon afterward married Sylvia Burnham, also of Barnardstown. He practised medicine several years at Windhall, Vt., then removed to Sangerfield, Oneida county, N. Y., and came to Buffalo in 1801, a place which had then begun to attract immigration. It was called New Amsterdam when laid out in 1801 by the Holland Land Company, but the name was changed to Buffalo in 1808. The Holland Land Company had, lately established its agency at Buffalo, but the village had not yet been surveyed, and so a project that Dr. Chapin had partially negotiated with Joseph Ellicott, the com- pany's agent, for the purchase of a township of land including the site of Buffalo fell through, and he returned to Sangerfield. Finally, how- ever, in 1803, Dr. Chapin returned to Buffalo, bringing his family with him, but he was obliged to locate temporarily at Fort Erie in Canada, as he was unable to obtain a suitable home in Buffalo. Dr. Chapin soon acquired a large practice on both sides of Niagara River. On the Canadian side there was wealth, but on this the people were poor; hence his income was principally derived from Canada. He rode hundreds of miles in all directions seeking his patients on horseback, guided through the forest by blazed trees and other meth- ods of convenience and safety then in vogue. He established the first drug store in Buffalo, often furnishing medicine as well as food gra- tuitously to his needy patients. In 1806 he secured the title to a tract of land at the cofnerof Main and Swan streets running through to Pearl street for the sum of $150, on which he established his home and re- moved his family hither from Fort Erie. Chapin block, which appro- priately bears the name of its original purchaser, now stands on a portion of this lot. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. IIS Between 1806 and 1812 Dr. Chapin was busily engaged in the prac- tice of his profession and in helping to improve the now growing vil- lage of Buffalo. He was the foremost man of affairs in this region, and commanded the respect even of the Indians, who looked up to him as the great medicine man. It is related that when he lost an only son the Indian chiefs sent delegates to express their sympathy and who formally attended the funeral. When in 1812 war was declared with Great Britain Dr. Chapin made haste to offer his services to the United States government. He raised a company of volunteers and served in the capacity of captain, major, lieutenant-colonel and surgeon. This is not the place to record Dr. Chapin's military career, but one or two incidents of importance may be noted with propriety. On June 24, 1813, having now been commissioned lieutenant-colonel, he was sent on a reconnaissance by Colonel Boestler, U. S. Army. At a point a few miles west of Queens- ton his entire command was captured and marched to Fort George, where they were retained under guard. On July 12, having been or- dered to Kingston, they embarked in two open boats strongly guarded. When within a few miles of their destination the boats approached each other, Colonel Chapin gave a preconcerted signal, his men rose and overpowered the guards, the boats were turned about, and after anight of toil at the oars his British captives were delivered to the command- ant at Fort Niagara as prisoners of war. Another incident will serve to indicate the character of the man. On December 30, 1813, the village of Buffalo was burned by the British and Indians. Colonel Chapin defended a position he had taken at Black Rock until but five men of his command remained. He then retreated to Buffalo where everything was in confusion. Mustering a few men and boys he set about protecting the women and children who had been left to care for themselves while their husbands and fathers were on duty at Black Rock. Colonel Chapin found a six- pounder cannon that he mounted upon wagon wheels, and with it and his small force made a stand on Niagara street. He thus sought to delay the advance of the enemy until the women and children could escape, but after a few discharges of the gun its extemporized carriage broke down and the six-pounder was disabled. Observing that further resistance was useless Colonel Chapin tied a white handkerchief to his sword and rode out to make terms with the exultant advancing foe. He agreed on his part to surrender all pub- 90 714 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. lie property, arms and munitions of war. The enemy agreed to allow the women and children to remain unmolested and to protect as well as to respect private property. The British officer with whom the treaty was concluded violated the agreement almost immediately, per- mitting the Indians to burn the village. In the conflagration but two houses escaped destruction, which served as monuments to" the perfidy of the British officer. Although Colonel Chapin failed to save the vil- lage, he gained for the inhabitants valuable time in which to escape; and, unmindful of self, he surrendered himself a prisoner to protect his people from the vengeance of the British and Indians. He was taken to Montreal where he was held a prisoner for nine months. Meanwhile, after the desolation of his home by fire his family went to Canandaigua where he visited them on his release. He then returned to Buffalo where he was appointed surgeon to the military hospital. When relieved of this duty he located at Geneva, N. Y., but in 1818 he returned to Buffalo to reside permanently. He engaged in active pro- fessional practice, took a prominent place in medical societies and in public affairs, and never lost interest in the welfare of the community. He died February 30, 1838, aged sixty nine years, and was buried in the village cemetery with military honors. Daniel Chapin. — Daniel Chapin came to this vicinity from East Bloomfield, N. Y., in 1807. He established himself on a farm a few miles distant from the village of Buffalo, which property was afterward owned by Elam R. Jewett on North Main street. Dr. Daniel Chapin resided in a log house which was located in the rear of the present homestead. This later was built by his son, Col. William W. Chapin, and is now occupied by Mrs. Elam R. Jewett. Daniel Chapin, like his namesake, Cyrenius Chapin, was a man of strong character and left the stamp of his forcefulness on his environment. He was a graduate of Yale College, a man of cultivation and a physician of great skilfulness who commanded the respect of his neighbors and his colleagues. Be- tween Drs. Daniel and Cyrenius Chapin, however, there prevailed a wordy but harmless rivalry, amusing to others, but not of serious conse- quence. Both were strong men; strong in their preferences; strong in their hatreds; but both contributed materially to the establishment of medical practice on a sounder and more scientific basis, details of which will be recorded later. Daniel Chapin was accustomed to visit his patients on foot, with dog and gun, even traveling as far as Niagara Falls in this way, going one A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 715 day and returning the next. He died in 1821, aged about sixty years. His death was at" least partly induced by exposure in the practice of his profession, the hardships ot those days being often extreme and perilous. Ebenezer Johnson.— -In 1809 another physician of prominence appeared in Buffalo, who has left a name deeply interwoven with its early his- tory. Ebenezer Johnson came here from Cherry Valley, N. Y., estab- lished himself as a practising physician, and soon took a prominent place in the affairs of the little frontier village. To these three men — the two Drs. Chapin and Dr. Johnson — Buffalo will ever remain indebted for the parts they performed in those early days. These pio- neer physicans were more than ordinary' men. Tkey were not only able physicians who were beloved by their patients, but they were also men who contributed largely toward laying the foundation for suc- cessful business enterprises that now make the city so famous. Dr. Johnson established a drug store in connection with his medical practice, as Cyrenius Chapin had done before him — a fashion not un- common in those days. Dr. Johnson was also for a time associated with Judge Wilkeson in business and afterward he established a bank. He accumulated a fine property and was elected the first mayor, when in 1832 Buffalo became a city, and three years later was again chosen to the same office. In 1815, and again in 1828, he was elected surro- gate of Erie county. He lived in a handsome house on Delaware ave- nue, now a part of the Female Academy. In the financial revolution of 1837 he met reverses, losing a large part of his property. He went to Tennessee with his brother to look after their interests in an iron mine. He died at Tellico Plains, Tenn., February 8, 1849, aged sixty- three years. Josiah Trowbridge. — In the spring of 1811 the medical contingent of this new region received a strong reinforcement in the person of Dr. Josiah Trowbridge, who came on horseback from Vermont with a lawyer friend by the name of Walker. Following the example of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, and for similar reasons, namely, lack of suitable liv- ing accommodations, Dr. Trowbridge took up his abode at Fort Erie. The declaration of war the following year caused him to return to the United States, but his heart was in the queen's dominions as he had formed an attachment for one of Her Majesty's subjects. On the 19th of September, 1814, he crossed the Niagara River, captured Margaret Wintermute, and was married in Buffalo on the 22d of the same month. 716 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Dr. Trowbridge gave the government hearty support during the war of 1812, though he was not a sympathizer with the war party. He be- came a member of a volunteer artillery company in the ranks of which he served. He was fond of his gun, and one day when shooting ducks on Strawberry Island in company with an officer, Lieutenant Dudley, of Perry's fleet, together with some other friends, he and his compan- ions were surprised and captured by the British. He was taken to Fort George where the Indians threatened him with bodily harm, but the officers and chiefs interfered, thus preventing a prospective massacre. After a few days' detention Dr. Trowbridge and his companions were released, whereupon they returned to Buffalo after a tedious journey on foot. Dr. Trowbridge continued in active practice until 1836 having accumulated a handsome property. This he lost in 1837 when financial reverses came to all. He was elected mayor of Buffalo this same year. He did a large consultation practice until 1856 when failing health compelled him to relinquish it. He died September 18, 1862, aged seventy-seven years. John E. Marshall. — The next medical man of prominence to locate at Buffalo was Dr. John E. Marshall. He came in 1815; but he had practised previously at Mayville, N.-Y. , and was the first clerk of the county of Chautauqua (1811), having been appointed by Gov. Daniel D. Tompkins. Dr. Marshall was born at Norwich, Conn., March 18, 1785, and was licensed to practise medicine August 3, 1808, by the Connecticut State Medical Society. He practised for six years at May- ville, that is, from October, 1809, to March, 1815, and married, Sep- tember, 1810, Ruth, daughter of Orsamus Holmes, one of the early pioneers of Chautauqua county. Dr. Marshall was appointed surgeon of the Second Regiment New York State Militia by Colonel McMahon, April 15, 1812, and joined the regiment at Buffalo about December 30, 1813. He served for five months on the frontier, when his regiment was disbanded and he returned home. On August 1, 1814, he was again ordered to report for duty. There were many sick during Au- gust and September of that year, and in their care Dr. Marshall, who was senior medical officer on hospital duty, himself fell sick and was obliged to return to his home. It is believed that for many years he continued to suffer from his camp sickness. He resumed his duties late in the fall, soon after which his regiment was discharged. After his removal to Buffalo, in March, 1815, he begaii to acquire fame as a medical practitioner and he was equally respected as a citizen. A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 717 He was appointed clerk of Niagara county (then embracing the pres- ent county of Erie) in 1818, and in 1832 he was health physician of Buffalo. He was treasurer of the County Medical Society in 1826, 1827 and 1828, and was president in 1830. He died December 27, 1838, of pneumonia after a brief illness. These five stalwart physicians — the two Doctors Chapin, Johnson, Trowbridge and Marshall — constituted a phalanx that served as a basis for the later medical history of Buffaloand Erie county. The history of this epoch is not one of medical organizations, institutions, societies, hospitals, or colleges, but rather a history of the individuals who com- posed the medical profession of the period and the locality. It is for this reason that the history of medicine here until -1831 is necessarily a grouping of biographical sketches. I. MEDICAL SOCIETIES. The Medical Society of the County of Erie. In November, 1805, a movement was begun in Saratoga county look- ing toward the organization of the medical profession into a fixed and definite body, for the purpose of improving its status and to rescue it from the obscurity and ill-repute that ignorance was fast consigning it. A meeting was held during which committees were appointed and a resolution passed inviting the co-operation of the neighboring coun- ties of Montgomery and Washington. An adjournment was had until January, 1806, at Ballston, at which time a memorial to the Legisla- ture was adopted, and a committee consisting of Drs. Fitch, of Wash- ington, Stearns, of Saratoga, and Sheldon, of Montgomery, was ap- pointed to present it. Two of the committee, Dr.. Stearns and Dr. Sheldon, attended the next session of the Legislature as members, when fortunately Dr. Sheldon was chosen speaker. Though the committee referred to was charged with representing only the three counties named, it assumed the responsibility of extend- ing the privileges of the proposed medical practice act over the entire State so that all the counties might be included in its provisions. The memQrial was presented to the Assembly in February, 1806, and re- ferred to a committee consisting of the following named : William Livingston and Isaac Sargeant, of Washington, Gordon Huntley, of Otsego, John Ely, of Greene, and Joel Frost, of Westchester. It so happened that the majority of the committee were physicians and after 718 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. considering the bill, which now contemplated a general law applicable to the entire State, reported it favorably to the House. Here it was destined to encounter bitter opposition, for then, as now, there were plenty of men to array themselves against the advance of medical edu- cation. But supported by the speaker, the committee, and other mem- bers of powerful influence, the bill finally passed, though even at last it might have failed had not at a critical juncture William P. Van Ness, a forceful speaker and a skilful parliamentarian, lent the aid of his powerful influence in a speech noted for its eloquence and argument- ative weight., The bill became a law on April 4, 1806, and on the first Tuesday of July, three months afterward, about twenty county societies were organized. Within the next two years nearly every county in the State had its medical society. Under the provisions of this law the Medical Society of the State of New York was organized on the first Tuesday of February, 1807, which consisted of one delegate from each county society. Among the pro- visions of the statute was a section giving the societies control of the licensing of physicians after due examination, which was among the first efforts in the country to give the medical profession an honorable and legal standing in community. The control of examining and licensing was subsequently lost to the State, and we shall see presently how important a part the Medical Society of the County of Erie played in bringing about its restoration. Although the State Medical Society was organized in 1807, as we have seen, it was not until 1817 that Niagara county, of which Erie then formed a part, was represented in it by accredited delegate. Dr. James H. Richardson was the first delegate from Niagara county. He attended, presented his certificate of delegation, and took his seat in 1817. It does not appear that Dr. Richardson attended more than one session of the State society. Erie county, as we have previously remarked, was a part of Niagara county from 1808 to 1821 when the division was made. In Niagara county attempts were made to organize a medical society as early as 1808 or 1809, but owing to differences of opinion among physicians, the unsettled state of society in general, the approaching difficulties with Great Britain, and finally the war of 1812, no definite organization was effected until 1816. The first delegate from the Medical Society of the County of Niagara to the Medical Society of the State of New York was Dr. James H. Richardson, as we have seen, who was sent on that duty in 1817. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 719 After the county of Erie was set off in 1821 its medical society became entitled to a seat on its own account, and Dr. Lucius H. Allen was ap- pointed delegate. He appeared and took his seat in , February, 1823. There is no record to show that he ever attended another meeting. Indeed, Erie county was not represented again in the State society until 1833, when Dr. Bryant Burwell was seated as delegate. The Medical Society of the County of Erie was organized January 9, 1821, at the house of P. M. Pomeroy in the village of Buffalo. There were twenty-four charter members whose names were as follows: Daniel Allen, of Hamburg, Lucius H. Allen, of Buffalo, Cyrenius Chapin, of Buf- falo, Thomas B. Clark.of Buffalo, Sylvester Clark, of Buffalo, Benjamin C. Congdon, of Buffalo, Jonathan Hoyt, of Aurora, Jonathan Hurlburt, of Buffalo, Daniel Ingalls, of Springville, Ebenezer Johnson, of Buffalo, William Lucas of Buffalo, Charles Mc- Lowth, of Buffalo, John E Marshall, of Buffalo, William H. Pratt, of Eden, Charles Pringle, of Hamburg, Elisha Smith, of Buffalo, Rufus Smith, of Aurora, Sylvanus S. Stuart of Buffalo. Ira G. Watson, of South Wales, John Watson, of Aurora, James Woodward and Josiah Trowbridge, of Buffalo. The following-named were elected officers: President, Cyrenius Chapin; vice- president, Daniel Chapin; secretary, John E. Marshall; treasurer, Lucius H. Allen. Censors: Charles Pringle, Sylvanus S. Stuart, Benjamin C. Congdon, Lucius H. Allen and John E. Marshall. Many of these physicians had lived in Western New York for years before Erie county was set apart, and had been members as well as in some instances officers of the Medical Society of the County of Niagara. At the first meeting of the Medical Society of the County of Erie the president, Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, delivered an address in which, among other things, he inveighed against quacks, who, he said, did no end of harm, and he also deplored the inconsistency and cold ingratitude of the public toward the medical profession ; and further, he affirmed, "the truth is too obvious to require illustration that our profession is far from maintaining the rank among the learned professions which its consequence demands." In the course of his address he called attention to the fact that the services of physicians were undervalued by the public, and he suggested that as they were not charitable institutions it was time to resolutely determine upon a total reformation. In a public notice which he issued about this period Dr. Chapin stated that he felt it his duty to inform those indebted to him for prof essional services that the time had arrived when imperious necessity compelled him to make an immediate collection of his accounts. We quote from this note as follows: " It has too long been a prevalent idea with the public that the physician's bill is never to be paid, and to call upon a- 720 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. patient when restored to health and to the enjoyment of life by the skill and attention of his physician for a reward for the services rendered is considered almost an insult and hardship. . . . To relieve my own necessity I am compelled to resort to an immediate collection, and this I shall do without discrimination. Those, therefore, who think it a duty to save the cost of prosecution will find it expedient to bestow immediate attention to this subject." The question of finance was an important one to the society. Dr. Lucius H. Allen was its first treasurer, but he does not appear to have left a record of his service. The first treasurer's record obtainable is dated January 9, 1827, at which time Dr. John E. Marshall was treas- urer. This report shows that the receipts for the previous year were $11, and the disbursements $8. In 1830 the treasury contained six shillings, while the debts amouted to $10.50. In struggling to main-, tain a cohesion of membership the society sought to enforce the attend- ance of its members. No person was legally entitled to practise medicine or surgery in Erie county except he was a member of the society. It, therefore, became compulsory on him to join, and if other- wise qualified the society had no right to refuse him admission. Like- wise, there was no legal way to get out of the society, hence it was empowered by law to exercise all sorts of discipline. Among other rules it imposed a penalty of one dollar for absence at any meeting, and some amusing incidents arose out of the endeavor of the treasurers to collect this fine. At one of the sessions the following was adopted : "Resolved, That the treasurer be directed to collect outstanding dues from members — peaceably if he can, forcibly if he must." In response to his demands a large number of letters were received which indicated the unpopu- larity of the proceedings. One of these is deemed of sufficient interest for a synopsis of it to find a place in these pages. It was written by Dr. Bela H. Colegrove, of Sardinia, to Dr Marshall, under date of June 11, 1838. In it Dr. Colegrove protests against being fined for non-attendance because the rule is unjust and discriminates against members. He lived thirty miles from the place where the meetings are required by law to be held and to go there twice a year meant a sacrifice to him of some $15 or $20, or to pay a penalty which the city members could avoid by the sacrifice of so many pence. He did not think he ought to compromise the interest of the community where he resided from neglect caused by attending the meetings. He did not A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 721 complain of the amount but of the principle, and he would as soon and with equal justice make the penalty for non-attendance imprisonment in the county jail for a term of six months as to have it as it now is. At the end of the first decade, that is, in 1831, the annals of the so- ciety indicate that very little progress had been made by the medical profession during that period. It does not appear to have improved in esprit de corps to any appreciable degree nor does its personnel seem to have improved in quality or quantity. The names of twenty or more members appear but once on the records, and only twenty are found on the roll of 1831. Of the original charter members but nine remained, namely: Cyrenius Chapin, Josiah Trowbridge, John E. Mar- shall, Benjamin C. Congdon, of Buffalo, Charles Priiigle, of Hamburg, Rufus Smith and Jonathan Hoyt, of Aurora, Ira G. Watson of Wales, and William H. Pratt, of Eden. The following names were recorded on the secretary's book, but they do not appear to have completed their membership, namely: Daniel Allen, Nathaniel R. Olmstead, Isaac Dunning, John Allen, Henry Hitchcock, Thaddeus Hubbard, Parley B. Spaulding, James M. Smith, Jonathan Foote, Daniel H. Orcott, Israel Congdon, Alvin Cowles, Sidney R. Morris, Marvin Webster, John D. Fisk, Edward J. Durkee and W. P. Proudfoot. If the profession of medicine and the medical society did not make substantial advance during the period from 1821 to 1831 it may be pleaded in extenuation that this was a period of privation, embarrass- ment and distress. The people were for the most part poor, or at least not wealthy. They had hardly recovered from the effects of the war, and there was but little capital with which to carry on great enter- prises. If then the people themselves were not prosperous how could the medical profession expect to advance ? It was a time, too, when quackery was gaining foothold, red pepper and lobelia represented ad- vanced therapy, while Thompsonian and steam doctors were abroad in the land. The conditions in short were those generally pertaining to newly settled regions. Under such environment it may be easily un- derstood that the practice of medicine was carried on by a few faithful followers of the science at a disadvantage that was well-nigh dis- couraging and which would have dismayed hearts less stout than theirs. Some,' indeed, were obliged to supplement their already scanty in- comes by engaging in other pursuits part of the time, while others were compelled to abandon the profession altogether. The medical society keenly felt the effect of the hard times and in 91 722 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1825 sought to replenish its treasury by raising its fee for membership from two to five dollars. The annual dues remained at one dollar as heretofore. That an expedient of such doubtful propriety should fail of its purpose is not surprising. Only two new members joined during the succeeding three years. The society, however, was not idle during this period. It appears to have been among the first in the State to appreciate the value of vital statistics, for a bill on this subject was drafted under its direction which was sent to the Legislature for action. It also devoted much attention to the subject of vaccination and was always aggressive in the various branches of medical science. A number of men, too, joined the society during this period who deserve special notice. Dr. Bela H. Colegrove, of Sardinia, was one of these. He was a native of Rhode Island, a graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New York, and settled in Sardinia in 1820. He joined the society in 1823 and was president in 1828. He resided in Buffalo for a few years and was associated in practice with Drs. Trowbridge and Marshall. Finally he returned to Sardinia and continued his pro- fessional work for about fifty years. He became famous as a surgeon, and his ser- vices were in demand in adjoining counties. He died March 19, 1874, aged seventy- seven years. Moses Bristol was born in Oneida county, came to Buffalo in 1822 and joined the society in 1823. He held the office of censor during the years 1834, '36, '37, '39 and '40, was president in 1833, and again in 1838. He continued in active practice until 1849, when his health began to fail, but he lived until 1869. Dr. Bristol did much to maintain the character and standing of the profession during the period of his activ- ity. Of others who joined the society in 1823 we find the names of Orlando Wake- lee, of Clarence, and Emmons S. Gould. Benjamin C. Congdon, one of the found- ers, was treasurer of the society for one year, from 1823 to 1824, and continued as member until 1833. Henry Rutger Stagg became a member of the society in 1824. He was secretary and librarian in 1828. again secretary in 1833, and president in 1834. He was a man of attainments, possessed a literary taste, but withdrew from the ranks of the pro- fession, severing his connection from the society in 1836. He became associate editor of the Buffalo Journal, a weekly newspaper, in which occupation he continued until 1838. Of the other members who joined the society in 1824 we may mention Erastus Wallis, of Aurora, Judah Bliss, of Buffalo, and Carlos Emmons, of Spring- ville. In 1826 but two additional names are recorded, namely, Michael Martin and Stephen Dean, the latter locating at East Hamburg. Ira Shedd, a licentiate of the society, appears on the foils during 1827, likewise Orson Cary, the latter becoming a censor in 1830. Carlos Emmons established himself at Springville, joined the society in 1824, was elected vice-president in 1833, president in 1834, and a delegate to the State society in 1841. He also served as a member of the Assembly and in the Senate. Erastus Wallis, of Aurora, became a member in 1824, vice-president in 1839, presi- A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 728 dent In 1840, and served several years as a censor. He came to Buffalo, where he resided a few years, but returned to Aurora. He was a member during thirty-eight years, and died in 1862. In 1828 J. S. Trimble joined the society; John M. Harrington, a licentiate, became a member in 1830, and also did Orson S. St. John and Lucian W. Caryl. D. J. Williams, of Aurora, joined in 1831. We have already shown why the medical society failed to grow in numbers during the first decade of its existence. But now a new and prosperous epoch seemed dawning. Buffalo more than trebled its population in the five years between 1825 and 1830, while the county of Erie, exclusive of Buffalo, more than doubled its population during the same period. Bryant Burwell, a native of Herkimer county, came to Buffalo in 1824 and joined the society in 1825. He was associated in practice with Dr. Cyrenius Chapin for some years. He was vice-president in 1832, and a delegate to the State society in 1833. . He was appointed by the State society one of the committee of three to ex- amine the medical laws of the State with reference to the amendments needed; also he was made a member of a committee to obtain an opinion from the attorney-gen- erl upon the question of the powers of medical societies as to the admission of mem- bers. He became a permanent member of the State Medical Society in 1837. Dr. Burwell represented the Buffalo Medical Association at the initial convention held in New York in 1846 with reference to organizing a national medical society, and he was a delegate to the first and second meetings of the American Medical Association held respectively at Philadelphia in 1847, and at Baltimore in 1848. Again in 1850 he represented the city association at the Cincinnati meeting of the American Med- ical Association. He was a censor of the State Medical Society in 1847, 1848 and 1850, and a member of the committee of correspondence of that society for several years. Dr. Burwell maintained an active part in' the deliberations of the county so- ciety until 1854, and was one of its censors for many years. He died September 8, 1861, aged sixty-five years, having maintained the respect and confidence of his professional confreres during all the years of his residence in Buffalo. Alden S. Sprague, another strong character, a native of New Hampshire, came to Buffalo a year later than Dr. Burwell, namely, in 1825, and was elected a member of the county society in 1826. He was treasurer from 1829 to 1833 inclusive, and was chosen president in 1835, during which year he was also health physician of Buf- falo. He was again elected president in 1851, but ceased to be an active member in 1852. He was a delegate to the State society in 1839, and again in 1845, and was elected a permanent member of that body in 1847. He died January 7, 1863, but little more than a year after Dr. Burwell, with whom he had been a contemporary for thirty-seven years. Dr. Sprague was recognized as one of the foremost physicians of his period, and he obtained also a deserved fame as a surgeon. Harry H. Bissell, a native of Vermont, came to Clarence in 1828, during which year he joined the society. Afterward he removed to Lancaster where he was asso- ciated in practice with Dr. Hyde. Finally, he returned to Buffalo, was elected pres- ident of the society in 1836, and also served as a censor for many years. He was sent as a delegate to the State society in 1837. 724 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Luther Spaulding, of Williamsville, became a member of the society in 1831, al- though he had been a resident of the county since 1821. In 1832 Alden Thomas, Arba Richards, of Wales, Horace B. Camp, of Aurora, and Josiah Barnes, Joseph R. Jones and James Edwin Hawley, of Buffalo, became members of the society. Charles Winne. a native of Albany, came to Buffalo in 1833, in which year he also joined the society. He was chosen a delegate to the State society in 1834 and was health physician of Buffalo in 1836. He served as treasurer of the society during the years 1836, '37, and '38, was secretary in 1845-46, and was associated in practice for some years with Dr. Josiah Trowbridge and Dr. Walter Cary. He became president of the society in 1863, and attained fame as a surgeon. He died in 1877. Gorham P. Pratt was another physician who left the stamp of a strong individual- ity on the place and period of his activity. He was born at Reading, Mass., in 1804, and came to Buffalo at the age of twenty-six years, that is, in 1830. He entered the office of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin as a medical student, and took his doctorate degree at Fairfield, N. Y. , in 1831. Soon afterward he formed a partnership with Dr. Chapin, his preceptor, which continued until the death of the latter in 1838. Dr. Pratt be 7 came a member of the county society in 1833, was secretary from 1834 to 1840, was elected vice-president in 1840, and president in 1841. He acquired a large practice among Buffalo's best families, and was one of the most distinguished physicians of his time. He made a model secretary, as indicated by the records during the period of his service as such. He died April 5, 1851. Lucian W. Caryl and Orson S. St. John also became members of the society in 1830. Dr. Caryl was chosen treasurer in 1834. Dr. St. John was a native of Buffalo. He removed to New York where he devoted himself to literary and scientific pur- suits. He died there July 9, 1897, aged 87 years. Horace B. Camp was vice-president in 1838 and 1841, and in the latter year he was chairman of a committee to which was referred the petition from Monroe county, asking the co-operation of this society in procuring a repeal of the law of 1836 which obliged persons with foreign diplomas to be examined by the censors of the State society. His committee made an adverse report to the repeal of the law, but recom- mended such a modification of it as was proposed in 1837, namely, to the effect that physicians possessing foreign diplomas should be granted the privilege of an exami- nation by the censors of county medical societies or by the censors of the senatorial district in which they may reside. James E. Hawley was elected vice-president in 1836, and president in 1837; he be- came a permanent member of the State medical society in 1848. Josiah Barnes, a. native of Connecticut and graduate of Yale College, took his medical degree at Jefferson in Philadelphia. He came to Buffalo in 1832 and joined the society the following year. He acted as librarian during the years 1835, '36 and '37; was secretary in 1840-41; president in 1842; and treasurer from 1847 to 1851 in- clusive. He was one of the ablest physicians of Buffalo, a permanent member of the State society, and died June 1, 1871, lamented by all who knew him. Henceforth in the pages devoted to the consideration of this society, for the sake of convenience, a chronological record of the officers and members will be made, first giving the year, then the names of the members who joined, and finally the officers for the year in question. A CENTURY ON MEDICAL HISTORY. 725 Brief sketches of prominent members who joined in each year will also be given. This will make the record easy of reference. 1834. — During this year Francis L. Harris, James P. White, H. N. Munson, L. B. Benedict and Silas Smith became members. James Piatt White (1811-1881), a native of Livingston county, N. Y., commenced the study of medicine in the office of Dr. Josiah Trowbridge in 1830. This was the beginning of a medical career destined to attain the largest fame, though it was little fore- seen at the time mentioned. Prob- ably no man of his time con- tributed more to the history of medicine in Erie county than Dr. White. He took his doctorate degree in March, 1834, at Jeffer- son Medical College, Philadel- phia, and in June of the same year joined the society. Dr. White was librarian in 1840; secretary during the years 1842-43-44, and was elected president in 1855. He represented the society in 1850 as a delegate to the State Medical Society and to the American Med ical Association. He became a permanent member of the State society in 1854, and its president in 1870. In 1877 he was elected vice-president of the American Medical Association. In 1878, at the Buffalo meeting, he was sup- ported for the presidency by the New York delegation. Through the machinations of two or three designing men who shall be name- less — one yet living — he was de- feated, the nominating committee standing fourteen for Dr. White and fifteen for his competitor. It is to the credit of the latter that he took no part in the tactics that defeated Dr. White ; indeed he was ignorant probably of the whole affair until after the election was over. This is not the place in which to write an eulogium of Dr. White — that has been properly done elsewhere ! — but it may be justly affirmed that since his decease, Sep- tember 28, 1881, his place has never been filled. He w'as a man of affairs as well as eminent in his profession, and his relations to many enterprises looking to the pros- JAMES PLATT WHITE, M. D. ■ Pr. Austin Flint, Trans. Med. Society State Of N. Y., 1882, p. 337. 726 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. perity of Buffalo testify to his public spirited progressiveness. Dr. White's part in history will be referred to again when medical colleges, medical journals and hospi- tals are dealt with. Francis L. Harris became a member of the Board of Health in Buffalo in 1831 ; health physician in 1838; vice-president of the society in 1845; president in 1846; delegate to the State society in 1836 and 1846, and a permanent member thereof in 1857. Officers for 1834. — President, Carlos Emmons; vice-president, Henry R. Stagg; secretary, Gorham F. Pratt; treasurer, Lucian.W. Caryl; librarian, Erastus Burwell. Censors — Josiah Trowbridge, Moses Bristol and Charles Winne. 1835. — Henry L. Benjamin, Benjamin A. Batty, H. H. Hubbard, W. H. Turner, Marcius Simons, W. H. Christison and C. H. Ray- mond. It is recorded that Dr. Carlos Emmons, president of the society in 1834, was fined ten dollars for failing to deliver the president's annual address. Dr. Charles H. Raymond during the year read before the society a thesis on the use of the stethoscope, this instrument, destined to play such an important part in the diagnosis of diseases of the chest, having just been introduced to the professor. He acted as librarian during the years 1838, '39, '41 and '42, and was a censor for many years, but ceased to be a member in 1844. Officers for 1835.— President, Alden S. Sprague; vice-president, W. H. Pratt; secretary, Gorham F. Pratt; treasurer, Lucian W. Caryl; librarian, Josiah Barnes. Board of Censors: Erastus Wallis, R. Smith, Charles Winne, Bryant Burwell and Josiah Trowbridge. 1836. — George Lathrop, Nelson D. Sweetland, Abraham Miller, Samuel Salisbury, jr., William A. Greene and Brock McVickar. Officers for 1836. — President, H. H. Bissell; vice-president, J. E. Hawley; secre- tary, G. F. Pratt; treasurer, Charles Winne; librarian, Josiah Barnes. Censors: Bryant Burwell, F. L. Harris, H. B. Camp, Jonathan Hoyt and Charles Winne. Delegate to State Medical Society, F. L. Harris. 1837. — Franklin Fitts, Charles A. Hyde, Horatio N. Loomis, Benja- min B. Coit, Samuel M. Crawford, Nelson Peck, Jesse Merritt, Edwin Griffin and Samuel M. Abbott. « Horatio N. Loomis, a native of Connecticut, came to Buffalo in 1830, and joined the society in 1837. He served as treasurer from 1839 to 1846 inclusive; was ejected vice-president in 1851, and was sent as a delegate, to the State society in 1848. During the organization period of Buffalo Medical College Dr. Loomis had ambitions for the chair of obstetrics. It is thought by many that he never forgave Dr. White, who obtained and held the chair for thirty-six years. Be that as it may there was never afterward a cordial feeling between these two men both successful A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 727 practisers of the science and art of medicine. Dr. Loomis acquired a large following, and died March 22, 1881, respected by a great community. Samuel M. Abbott was a student of Dr. John E. Marshall and a licentiate of the Medical Society of the County of Erie. He obtained membership in 1837, which continued until 1843. Officers for 1837. — President, James E. Hawley; vice-president, Orlando Wakelee; secretary, G. F. Pratt; treasurer, Charles Winne; librarian, Josiah Barnes. Censors: Charles Winne, Moses Bristol, C. H. Raymond, Bryant Burwell and Carlos Em- mons. 1838.— Ford, 1 Morgan G. Lewis, Silas James, Jabez Allen, Noah H. Warriner. Morgan G. Lewis was born in in Buffalo January 15, 1813, and located at Black Rock after graduating in medicine. In 1836 he was invited to assume the duties of editor of the Black Rock Advocate. He became a member of-the county society in 1838, and continued in that relation until his death, February 8, 1858. Dr. Lewis was a man of courteous manners and a physician of distinction. Officers for 1838. — President, Moses Bristol; vice-president, H. B. Camp; secretary, G. F. Pratt; treasurer, Charles Winne; librarian, C. H. Raymond. Censors: Hora- tio N. Loomis, Josiah Barnes, Brock McVickar, Erastus Wallis and Carlos Emmons. Delegate to the State society, Alden S. Sprague. 1839. — Grove C. Gage, Joseph Wilder, James M. Hoyt, James Ives, J. C. Bronk. Officers for 1839. — President, Josiah Trowbridge ; vice-president, Erastus Wallis ; secretary, G. F. Pratt; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis; librarian, C. H. Raymond. Censors: Horatio N. Loomis, James P. White, Josiah Barnes, Carlos Emmons, Moses Bristol. 1840. — -J. B. Pride, Edmund Brown, George H. Lapham. J. B. Pride, of Alden, was elected a member in 1840; vice-president in 1842; president in 1843. In 1849 he was appointed keeper and physician of the almshouse, and was reappointed in 1850. George H. Lapham, of Aurora, became a student in the office of Dr. Jonathan Hoyt, at Hamburg, in 1841, served for many years as a curator in the Buffalo Med- ical College, enjoyed a large practice for many years, and died December 14, 1885, aged seventy-Awo years, respected and lamented by a large community. Officers for 1840. — President, Erastus Wallis; vice-president, Gorham F. Pratt; secretary, Josiah Barnes ; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis ; librarian, James P. White. Censors: Elliott Burwell, Alden S. Sprague, C. H. Raymond, F. L. Harris, H. B. Camp. 1841. — Austin Flint, William Van Pelt, Edwin M. Colburn, George W. Force, Nathan Way and John G. House. Austin Flint, a native of Massachusetts, came to Buffalo in 1836, and joined the society in 1841. He was appointed health physician of Buffalo in 1842, and in 1845 established the Buffalo Medical Journal. In January, 1858, he was elected president of the society, but an appointment at the New Orleans School of Medicine took him i Christian name does not appear on the record. 728 OUR COCJNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. hither, hence he was not present at the annual meeting in 1859. At the June m eet- ing, 1861, however, his presidential address was read by Dr. Sandford Eastman, the s ubject being "My Retrospections of Medical Practice in Buffalo." This paper, full of interesting material, was pub- lished in the medical journal then conducted by Dr. Miner, and is the first article in No. 1 of the new series, August, 1861. Dr. Flint died at New York, March 13, 1886, aged seventy-three years. In the sec- tions on medical colleges and medi- cal journals Dr. Flint's part in the county medical history is further considered. William Van Pelt, who became a member in 1841, resided at Will- iamsville, and was president of the society in 1856; a delegate to the State society in 1859, and permanent member of the latter in 1871. Dr. Van Pelt was a man of accomplish- ments and enjoyed the respect and confidence of a large community. He contributed an article to the Buffalo Medical Journal in 1846 en- titled " Epidemic Erysipelas at Will- ~ iamsville," one in 1855 on ' ' Epithelial Cancer," and later one on "Pneu- monia." He acquired a large prac- tice and died October 12, 1890, aged seventy-five years. John C. House resided at Springville, and was elected president in 1854. He, too, was a man of literary accomplishments and contributed an article to the Buffalo Medical Journal on "Erysipelas," in 1846, one in 1851, entitled "Remarks on the Third Stage of Labor," and, in 1854, still another entitled "Carcinoma uteri with pregnancy." Officers for 1841. — President, Gorham F. Pratt; vice-president, H. B. Camp; sec- retary, Josiah Barnes; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis; librarian, C. H. Raymond. Censors: Josiah Trowbridge, Charles Winne, J. B. Pride, Elliot Burwell, C. II. Raymond. Delegate to State medical society, Carlos Emmons. 1842. — Timothy T. Lockwood, John Mitchell, Sylvester F. Mixer, Jesse F. Locke. # Timothy T. Lockwood became a pupil of Dr. James P. White in 1834. He grad- uated in medicine at Philadelphia and began practice at White's Corners remaining there ten years. Afterward he came to Buffalo and was elected mayor in 1858, serving two years. He was a man of energy and forcefulness of character. He died December 22, 1870. AUSTIN FLINT, M. D. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 739 Sylvester F, Mixer was born at Hornellsville, N. Y. , December 15, 1815, graduated from Yale College in 1841, and took his doctorate degree from the College of Physi- cians arid Surgeons at New York in 1847. He was appointed health physician of Buffalo in 1850, and elected president of the county society in 1852. He represented the society at different times as a delegate to both the State and National bodies, becoming a permanent member of each. From 1858 to 1874 he was attending phy- sician at Buffalo General Hospital. He was a successful and highly respected phy- sician. He died September 16, 1883, lamented by a large circle of friends and patients. i Officers for 1842. — President, Josiah Barnes; vice-president, J. B. Pride; secretary, James P. White ; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis ; librarian, C. H. Raymond. Cen- sors: Carlos Emmons, Bryant Burwell, Erastus Wallis, H. H. Bissell, and F. L. Harris. 1843. — William K. Scott, Silas Hubbard, Horace M. Congar and Charles H. Wilcox. The year 1833 seems to have been prolific in sup- plying good material 1 o the society. William K. Scott was the first physician licensed to practise medicine by the Med- ical Society of the State of New York. His diploma was dated 1809. He came to the city from Troy, joined the medical society in 1843, and was elected president in 1844. He was a man of great energy, sterling worth, and possessed a diversity of accomplishments. He lived to advanced age, became totally blind, and died Jan- uary 8, 1879. Silas Hubbard also joined the society in 1843, retaining, membership therein until 1855. He was a contributor to the Buffalo "Medical Journal, and member of the Buf- falo Medical Association of which he was vice-president in 1851-52. In this year, too, Horace M. Congar became a member. He was sent as delegate to the State Medical Society in 1854, and was elected a permanent member thereof in 1859. He was appointed by the State society a member of a committee from the Eighth Senatorial District on the subject of epidemics. In 1848 he opened a private medical school for the instruction of students. He continued an active member of the society until 1875. He died soon afterward at an advanced age. Charles H. Wilcox became a member in 1843 and was president in 1850. Dr. Wilcox was a decided acquisition to the society. He was an amiable and able man as well as a skilful physician. He was chosen treasurer in 1856 and again in 1857. Dr. Wilcox was the first medical officer from Buffalo to be commissioned during the war of the Rebellion, and a record of his military service will be found under its ap- propriate head. His death, which occurred November 6, 1862, was a sad blow to the profession and the community. He died lamented on all sides and will be long remembered for his sterling, worth, integrity of character, and accomplishments as a physician. Officers for 1843.— President, J. B. Pride; vice-president, Jonathan Hoyt; secre- tary, James P. White; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: F. L. Harris, H. H. Bissell, George H. Lapham, C. H. Raymond, M. G. Lewis. Delegate to State Medical Society, F. L. Harris. 1844. — James Allen, Gilbert McBeth, William Treat, James B. Samo, 92 730 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Isaac Parsell, Samuel S. Prudden, Samuel G. Bailey, John Hauenstein, John S. Trowbridge, George N. Burwell and Jesse F. Lock. The con- tribution of this year, too, contains a group of politicians, many of whom attained prominence. William Treat, who came to Buffalo from Maine, was elected to membership in 1844, and became president in 1860. He was a man of literary attainments and contributed several valuable papers to the Buffalo Medical Journal. In July, 1861, after the battle of Bull Run, he went to Washington and repaired to Fort Runyon, an earthwork on the Virginia side of the Potomac near the end of Long Bridge, where he was assigned to duty in caring for the wounded as they came from the battlefield. Afterward he also assisted at the City Hospital in rendering a similar service. At a meeting of the Buffalo Medical Association, held in August, 1861, he gave an interesting account of his observations. Singularly and sadly, Dr. Treat died before the month ended. He commanded the respect of his colleagues as well as a large clientele. James B. Samo, a native of New Jersey, also joined in this year. He was elected librarian in 1852, and became president in 1862. He was local marine hospital surgeon from 1853 to 1859, and enjoyed the respect and confidence of his professional friends during his long period of membership. He was librarian for forty years, namely, from 1852 to 1892. He died March 12, 1897. aged 85 years. John Hauenstein, still living though retired from active practice, became a member in 1844, and was chosen president in 1881. He has read many excellent papers before the society, the latest, on the " First Uses of Anesthetics in Buffalo," at the seventy-fifth anniversary meeting of the society, January 14, 1896. This paper was published in the March, 1896, edition of the Buffalo Medical Journal. Dr. Hauenstein, having ceased the active practice of a profession that he has so long adorned, still lives in the enjoyment of good health and the respect and con- fidence of a large community. Samuel G Bailey also united with the society in 1844. He had been a pupil of Dr. James P. White, and was elected treasurer in 1852, holding to and including 1855. He ceased to be a member in 1856. John S. Trowbridge, son of Josiah Trowbridge, was one of the accessions in 1844, and in 1845 was chosen one of the censors of the society, continuing as such during 1846. In 1848 he was elected secretary, holding the office until 1851. At the annual meeting of the society, January 12, 1869. Dr. Trowbridge read a biographical sketch of his father, Josiah Trowbridge, which was also read a week later before the Buffalo Historical Society, and sent out with the February, 1869, issue of the Buffalo Medi- cal Journal. About the year 1874 Dr. Trowbridge retired from the practice of his profession and established a drug store at the corner of Niagara and Carolina streets. He died April 2, 1886, aged sixty-nine years. George N. Burwell was another of the accessions in 1844 who acquired fame in the profession, and who for many years was active in the councils of the society. He frad an extensive following among rich and poor and may justly be rated as one of Buffalo's most successful physicians. He died May 15, 1891, aged seventy-one years. Officers for 1844. — President, William K. Scott; vice-president, Orlando Wakelee; A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 731 secretary, James P. White ; treasurer, H. N. Loomis ; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: F. L. Harris, H. H. Bissell, C. H. Raymond, Isaac Parsell, George H. Lapham. Delegate to State society, Alden S. Sprague. 1845. — Frank Hastings Hamilton, Rogers/ Caleb H. Austin. Frank Hastings Hamilton, who joined the society in 1845, came to Buffalo from Geneva where he had been teaching anat- omy and surgery for several years. In 1846 he was elected professor of surgery in Buffalo. Medical College which chair he held until 1860. He was censor of the society from 1851 to 1856 inclusive; was elected vice-president in 1856, and presi- dent in 1857. In 1851 he became a perma- nent member of the State society, and was elected president of the same in 1856. During the fifteen years of his residence at Buffalo Dr. Hamilton was a regular contributor to the Buffalo Medical Journal, in which he published his early fracture tables and papers relating to deformities after fractures, that laid the foundation for his future classic treatise on fractures and dislocations. In 1860 Dr. Hamilton re- moved to New York becoming professor of surgery at the Long Island College Hos- pital, and was chosen to the same chair at Bellevue Hospital Medical College upon its organization in 1861. Dr. Hamilton died August 11, 1886, at the age of seventy- three. Perhaps no man of his time con- tributed more to maintain the esprit de corps of the profession of medicine than did this educate?!,- accomplished and upright surgeon. It was during 1845 that the Buffalo Medical Journal was established, and we find in the records of the society a subscription order for six copies by which act the so- ciety manifested its loyal support of the Journal. Officers for 1845. — President, Orlando Wakelee; vice-president, F. L. Harris; sec- retary, Charles Winne ; treasurer, Horatio N. Loomis ; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: Austin Flint, George N. Burwell, S. F. Mixer, John S. Trowbridge, and T. T. Lockwood. 1846. — G. D. Stevens, Archibald S. Clarke, Daniel Devening, Sidney W. Cole. At the annual meeting, January 13, 1846, Dr. Josiah Trowbridge offered a resolution instructing the committee on books to invest the FRANK HASTINGS HAMILTON, M. D. 1 Christian name does not appear on the record. 732 6tlk COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. money in the hands of the treasurer after the 15th of June in the pur- chase of rare and valuable books. Officers for 1846. — President, F. L. Harris; vice-president, Isaac Parsell ; secretary, Charles Winne ; treasurer, H. N. Loomis; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: J. B. Pride, John S. Trowbridge, George N. Burwell, William K. Scott, S. F. Mixer. Delegate to the State society, Alden S. Sprague. 1847. — Joseph Peabody, Walter Cary, James M. Newman, Ewald Beckendorf, Phineas H. Strong, and S. W. Sole. James M. Newman, who joined the society in 1847, had been a student of Dr. James P. White. He held the office of secretary from 1852 to 1859. The records of the so- ciety during that period are among the best in the volume. Dr. Newman was ap- pointed health physician of Buffalo in 1854, and he became attending physician at the Buffalo General Hospital in 1858. He removedfrom Buffalo in 1859, and died in 1860 lamented by every one who knew him. He was a young man of rare promise, and left a name to be revered and an example to be emulated. Phineas H. Strong, native of Vermont, came to Buffalo in 1846, was elected to membership in 1847, to the presidency in 1853, and was chosen a delegate to the State society in 1855. He became a permanent member of the latter in 1859. He was appointed health physician of Buffalo in 1859, and following his appointment submitted the question of accepting it at a less compensation than that fixed by the fee bill to a vote of the society. Dr. Strong was an occasional contributor to the Buffalo Medical Journal. He was appointed professor of medicine at Howard Uni- versity, Washington, D. C, soon after its organization, which chair he held for three years. He died at Buffalo, February 10, 1890, aged seventy- two years. Walter Cary, a son of Trumbull Cary, was born in Batavia, December 31, 1818. He received his academic degree at Union College in 1839, and took his doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1843. After serving a term in Block- ley Hospital he went abroad for study. On his return he established himself in prac- tice, and so continued for about ten years, a large part of the time as a partner of Dr. Charles Winne. He then retired living in ease, and in the cultivation bf his friendships and tastes. He died at Marseilles, France, November 1, 1880, aged sixty- two years. His body was cremated by his directions, and the remains interred at Forest Lawn, Buffalo. Officers for 1847. — President, Isaac Parsell; vice president, Charles H. Austin; secretary, George N. Burwell ; treasurer, Josiah Barnes ; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: James B. Samo, S. G. Bailey, Charles H. Wilcox, S. F. Mixer, and J. B. Pride. 1848. — J. P. Dudley, James E. King, Charles House, Carlo Schmidt, Joseph Felegmacher. At the annual meeting held January 11, 1845, Dr. William Treat, from a committee previously appointed to collect the names of regular and irregular practitioners of medicine in the county, made a report. He presented the names and locations of 70 regular, 32 irregular, and 12 undetermined practitioners in the county. In the city of Buffalo alone A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 733 there were 38 regular and 21 irregular physicians, and four whose mode of practice had not been determined. Dr. Walter Cary, who had been appointed orator of the day, was not present. Dr. Cary was, however, appointed delegate to the American, Medical Association. His associates were Drs. Bryant Burwell and Alden S. Sprague. ■ Officers for 1848. — President, C. H. Austin; vice-president, Charles Winne; secre- tary, John S. Trowbridge ; treasurer, Josiah Barnes ; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Censors: Bryant Burwell, Horatio N. Loomis, Erastus Wallis, William. Treat, H. H Bissell. Delegate to the State society, Horatio N. Loomis. 1849. — Charles W. Harvey, Cornelius C. Wyckoff, Edward Mackay, Henry D. Garvin, William King, J. J. C. Haxsteen, t. P. Dayton and John D. Hill. Cornelius Cox Wyckoff, who joined the society in 1849, is a native of Romulus, N. Y., and located in Buffalo in 1848. He was president in 1858; permanent mem- ber of the State society in 1867, and a member of the State Board of Censors from 1870 to 1883. He has been attending physician to the Buffalo General Hospital since 1858. Dr. Wyckoff is still engaged in active practice and has attained high standing in the profession, while at the same time he enjoys the confidence of all who know' him, his circle of acquaintance being very large. Charles W. Harvey, who joined the society in 1847, was for many years a success- ful dentist in Buffalo, though he always kept in touch at least during the years of his active life with the guild of medicine. The name of his son, Dr. Leon F. Harvey, is still borne on the list of active members. L. P. Dayton, who joined the society in 1849, was vice-president in 1858, and president in 1859. He was mayor of Buffalo in 1874-75, and is still engaged in the practice of his profession, holding the esteem of his colleagues and of the many people who know him. John D. Hill, who joined the society in 1849, was expelled from membership at the annual meeting, June 9, 1855. Subsequently he was restored to membership on an order from the court, and was elected president in 1888. Dr. Hill acquired a large practice, and was respected by the community in which he lived for many years. He died February 27, 1892, in the seventieth year of his age, lamented by a large circle of friends. Officers for 1849. — President, Erastus Wallis; 'vice-president, Charles H. Wilcox; secretary, John S. Trowbridge ; treasurer, Josiah Barnes ; librarian, Josiah Trow- bridge. Censors: Alden S. Sprague, George N. Burwell, James M. Newman, Ho- ratio N. Loomis, William Treat. Primary board: Horace M. Congar, Walter Cary and H. W. Barrett. The duty of the primary board was to examine and certify to the preliminary acquirements of pupils about to begin the study of medicine. 1850.— E. P. Gray, L. J. Ham, Patrick Flood, J. E. Camp, Hugh B. Vandeventer, James S. Hawley, S. E. S. H. Nott, George. Johnson, O. H. Needham. 734 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. L. J. Ham, who joined the society in 1850, came to Erie county from Maine in 1846, locating at Williamsville. He was elected president in 1852, but removed to South Bend, Ind., in 1859. He served during the war as surgeon of the 48th In- diana Volunteers, and was chairman of the operating board of surgeons of the 7th Division of the 17th Army Corps in 1863-64. He also served as medical director of the 17th Army Corps under General McPherson. In 1871 he sent his portrait to the society with an autobiographical sketch, and on motion of Dr. Storck the society presented its thanks to Dr. Ham, wishing him many years of happiness and success. Officers for 1850. — President, Charles H. Wilcox; vice-president, George N. Bur- well; secretary, John S. Trowbridge; treasurer, Josiah Barnes; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Primary board: Walter Cary, James M. Newman and H. W. Barrett. Censors: Alden S. Sprague J. E. Camp, J. B. Samo, H. N. Loomis, William Treat. 1851. — Charles C. Jewett, Sandford Eastman, P. Barber, and Will- iam Gould. Sandford Eastman, who joined the society in 1851, was elected president in 1861. He was professor of anatomy in Buffalo Medical College from 1859 until 1870, during which time he was also surgeon at the Buffalo General Hospital and the Hospital ot the Sisters of Charity. He was appointed health physician of Buffalo, serving for several years. He acquired a large practice, was respected by all who knew him, and died January 8, 1874, aged fifty-three years. Officers for 1851. — President, Alden S. Sprague; vice-president, Horatio N. Loomis; secretary, Gorham F. Pratt; treasurer, Josiah Barnes; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Primary board: George N. Burwell, E. P. Gray and J. E. Camp. Censors: Frank H. Hamilton, Bryant Burwell, John D. Hill, John Hauenstein and J. D. Garvin. 1852. — John C. Dalton, jr., M. B. Norton, Hugh McVean, A. S. Griswold, Charles H. Barber, John Root, Ernest G. Pussikofer and Orlando K. Parker. John Root was a prominent physician in Buffalo for many years, during a portion of which time he held the office of health physician. He removed to Batavia in 1858 where he acquired a large practice and died November 29, 1876, aged fifty-two years. Orlando K. Parker, who joined the society in 1852, was elected president in 1869, and acquired fame as a practitioner of medicine in the town of Clarence. He died No- vember 16, 1872, aged forty-six years. John C. Dalton, jr., the famous physiologist, never held office in the society, but his name deserves special mention in connection with his celebrity as a teacher of his chosen specialty. He taught physiology in Buffalo Medical College for several years, then removed to New York, where he died February 12, 1889, aged sixty-four years. Officers for 1852.— President, L. J. Ham; vice-president, P. H. Strong; secretary, Barnes M. Newman ; treasurer, S. G. Bailey ; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: Sandford Eastman, J. E. Hawley and William Ring. Censors: Frank H. Hamilton, John G. House, William Van Pelt, H. M. Congar and William Treat. 1853 —E. D. Merriam, Alfred S. Spearman, J. J. Edmonds, Edward A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 735 E. W. Gail, John Boardman, Ellery P. Smith, Benajah T. Whitney, John A. Jeyte, Joseph R. Smith. John Boardman, who entered the society in 1853, had been a student of Prof. Frank H. Hamilton, and was elected president in 1868. He was sent as a delegate to the State society in 1855, and became permanent member thereof in 1862. In 1864 he represented the Medical Society of the State of New York in the National Quarantine and Sanitary Convention. Dr. Boardman has been a frequent con- tributor to the Buffalo Medical Journal an^ assisted Dr. Hamilton in preparing his fracture tables, besides doing original work .n that and other branches of surgery. In 1854 he was elected demonstrator of anatomy in Buffalo Medical College and be- came attending surgeon at the Hospital of the Sisters of Charity. Dr. Boardman still resides in Buffalo, where he has enjoyed for many years a very large practice of the best quality. E. D. Merriam joined the society in 1853. He now resides at fconneaut, O., in the enjoyment of the active practice of his profession. Joseph R. Smith, who became a member in 1853, entered the regular army as assist- ant surgeon, and during a portion of the war served as assistant on the staff of the surgeon-general of the U. S. Army, at Washington. He is now on the retired list of the army with the rank of colonel, and resides at Philadelphia. v The society gave its first annual dinner, June 14, 1853, at the Clar> endon Hotel, at 3 o'clock p. m. This was an interesting event that had been looked forward to for some time in pleasant anticipation. Unfortun- ately after a few years the custom was discontinued. Officers for 1853.— President, Phineas H. Strong ; vice-president, John G. House ; sec- retary, James M. Newman ; treasurer, S. G. Bailey; librarian, Josiah Trowbridge. Pri- mary board: Sandford Eastman, William Ring, J. E. Hawley. Censors: Frank H. Hamilton, James B. Samo, William Van Pelt, William Treat and H. M. Congar. 1854. — Sanford B. Hunt, Charles L. Dayton, T. W. Wood, Thomas F. Rochester, Richard W. Nelson, C. C. F. Gay, Austin W. Nichols, Frederick W.- Gardner, C. B. Hutchins, Charles B. Richards, Edward Storck, William A. Newell and Joel Underhill. Sanford B. Hunt, who became a member in 1854, during the same year was ap- pointed professor of anatomy at the Buffalo Medical College. In 1853 he became SANFORD B. HUNT. M. D. 736 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. associate editor of the Buffalo Medical Journal, and in 1855 the magazine passed into his hands as sole owner and editor. At the semi-annual meeting, June 13, 1854, Dr. Hunt was the orator of the society and his subject was "Cranial Characteristics and Power of Human Races." This paper was published in the Buffalo Medical Journal and attracted great attention. In February, 1855, Dr. Hunt delivered the valedic- tory address to the graduating class of the Buffalo Medical College. This, too, was published in the Buffalo Medical Journal and was a model in rhetoric, metaphor and diction. Dr. Hunt was a fluent writer and did much to improve the literary taste of the medical profession. He was elected superintendent of public schools in 1858 and was also city editor of the Buffalo Commercial until 1861. During the latter year he entered the army as surgeon of U. S. volunteers, serving to the end of the war. He died at Irvington, hear Newark, N. J., April 26, 1884, and his remains were brought to Buffalo for interment. A further notice of Dr. Hunt is given under the title of medical journals. Thomas F. 1 Rochester came to Buffalo from New York in 1853, and joined the county society in 1854. He was chosen professor of the princi- ples and practice of medicine and of clinical medicine at Buf- falo Medical College on the res • ignation of Dr. Flint in 1853. Dr. Rochester became a perma- nent member of the State society in 1870 and was president in 1875. He occupied a prominent position in the professional as well as in the public affairs of Buffalo, taking specially active interest in the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy of which he was pres- ident for many years. Dr. Rochester did a very large consulting practice throughout Western New York, and main- tained his activity, up to within a fewmonthsof hisdeath, which occurred May 27, 1887, when he was sixty-three years of age. A further reference to Dr. Roch- ester will be found under the head of medical colleges. C. C. F. Gay, who joined the society in 1854, was a native of Massachusetts, and located at Byron, Genesee county, N. Y., in 1847. He came to Buffalo in 1861 and served as president of the society in 1865. He was made permanent member of the State society in 1861, and was consulting THOMAS F. ROCHESTER, M. D. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 737 surgeon at the Buffalo General Hospital for many years. In 1878 he was chosen surgeon-in-chief of the Buffalo Surgical Infirmary, and in 1883 became professor of clinical and operative surgery at the medical department of Niagara University. The late years of his life were devoted to the practice of surgery in which he acquired skill and fame. Dr. Gay died March 27, 1886, aged sixty-four years: Edward Storck, who also joined the society in 1854, was appointed member of the Union Defense Committee in 1861, and afterward served as surgeon at Fort Porter during the organization of troops for the field. He was president in 1878, and served as chairman of the Board of Censors from 1880 to 1890 — twelve years — when he re- signed the office. During the entire period of his service quacks and irregulars had a sorry time in Buffalo, for Dr. Storck pursued them with all the energy that the law permitted. At the time of his resignation the society tendered him a vote of thanks for his faithful and meritorious services. He published a sketch of the work of the board during his administration in the Buffalo Medical Journal, July, 1896. He was instrumental in securing legislation favorable to the society as well as in preventing that which would prove adverse to its interests. He died July 26, 1897, aged sixty- six years. Officers for 1854. — President, John G. House; vice-president, James P. White; secretary, James M. Newman ; treasurer, S. G. Bailey ; librarian, J. B. Samo. Pri- mary board: Sandford Eastman, William Ring, James S. Hawley. Censors: Frank H. Hamilton, J. B. Samo, William Treat, William Van Pelt, and H. M. Congar. Delegates to the State society: Thomas F. Rochester, H. M. Congar, James P. White, and John G. House. 1855.— J. C. Lay, Julius F. Miner, Edward Tobie, George Abbott, Samuel T. Hance, and D. W. Hershey. Julius F. Miner, who joined the society in 1855, was a decided accession to its mem- bership. He re-established the Buffalo Medical Journal in 1861, and in 1867 he was appointed professor of ophthalmology and surgical anatomy at the Buffalo Medical College, a title that was changed in 1870 to professor of special and clinical surgery. He became a prominent member of the State society in 1869, and was president of the county society in 1870. Dr. Miner was a skilful surgeon, one of the most amia- ble of men, and a useful citizen. He was especially endeared to his pupils, who were numerous and who manifested their attachment to him on every and all occa- sions. He died November 6, 1886, aged sixty-three years. At the annual meeting of the society, June 9, 1865, Dr. Edward Storck stated that the reputable German medical practitioners of the city had formed a society for their own benefit and for their protection against quackery as practised by unqualified practitioners among the German population ; that the members of the said society were desirous of becoming legalized practitioners of medicine and of uniting with the Erie County Medical Society. He desired information as to the nec- essary steps to be taken to accomplish these objects. On motion of Dr. Charles H. Wilcox a committee was appointed to confer with the Ger- man society and to furnish information and assistance in accomplishing 93 738 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. the objects sought. A satisfactory conclusion was reached by the con- ference. Officers for 1855. — President, James P. White; vice-president, William Van Pelt; secretary, James M. Newman ; treasurer, S. G. Bailey ; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board : Sandford Eastman, William Ring, James S. Hawley. Censors: Frank H. Hamilton, James B. Samo, William Treat, William Van Pelt, and H. M. Congar. 1856. — S. O. Almy, James B. Colegrove, Benjamin H. Lemon, Will- iam Howell, D. Devening, Edward L. Holmes, J. A. Jeyte, jr., George Hadley, and J. Condict Whitehead. George Hadley, who joined the society in 1856, was a teacher of chemistry at the University of Buffalo from the foundation of the medical college until his death, which occurred October 16, 1877, when he was sixty-four years of age. He was universally loved and respected by physicians and students. Officers for 1856. —President, William Van Pelt; vice-president, Frank H. Ham. iltori; secretary, James M. Newman ; treasurer, Charles H. Wilcox; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: Sandford Eastman, C. H. Baker, and James S. Haw- ley. Censors: P. H. Strong, C. H. Baker, R. W. Nelson, C. C. Wyckoff, andC. B. Hutchins. 1857. — John Gilmore, G. A. Rogers, F. F. Hoyer, Austin Flint, jr., Sylvester Rankin, Henry Nichell, John P. Cole, Charles P. Fanner. Austin Flint, jr., who joined the society in 1857, was appointed professor of physi- ology at the Buffalo Medical College in 1858, and became editor of the Buffalo Medi- cal Journal during the same year. He is now teaching physiology at Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York. Dr. F. F. Hoyer, of Tonawanda, is still actively engaged in the practice of medi- cine, and was president of the society in 1880. Officers of 1857.— President, Frank Hastings Hamilton; vice-president, Jabez Allen; secretary, James M. Newman; treasurer, Charles H. Wilcox; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary Board : Sandford Eastman, James S. Hawley, C. B. Hutchins. Censors: John Boardman, P. H. Strong, Josiah Barnes, C. C. Wyckoff, G. F. Pratt. 1858. — Augustus Jansen, Jesse I. Richards, J. Fletcher Stevens, Will- iam H. Butler, N. S. Lockwood, Charles Storck, Andrew C. Morey, Bernard Monahan. William H. Butler was a man of sterling character, an able physician who obtained the respect of his colleagues and that of the community. He was appointed acting assistant-surgeon in the army in the Civil war and assigned to duty at Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D. C. He died during his service at this hospital February 5, 1864. Officers for 1858. — President, Austin Flint; vice-president, L. P. Dayton; secretary, James M. Newman; treasurer, John Root; librarian, James B. Samo. Censors: B. H. Lemon, William Gould, C. B. Hutchins, C. C. F. Gay, L. J. Ham. Delegates to the State society, Charles H. Wilcox, John Boardman, P. H. Strong, William Van Pelt. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 739 1859.— J. Henry Rathbone, J. Whittaker, Charles Mead, Charles K. Whine, Samuel D. Flagg, J. R. Lothrop, William H. Mason and F. W. Bartlett. Joshua R. Lothrop, who joined the society in 1859, was a man of integrity of char- acter, possessed of a high order of ability and attained conspicuous reputation as a skilful physician. He was president of the society in 1867, and a few years after- ward his health began to fail. He returned to his native State a few weeks before his death, where he hoped to improve his health. He died July 22, 1869, at Plymouth, Mass. Charles K. Winne, who joined in 1859, was a son of Dr. Charles Winne. He en- tered the United States Armyin 1861 as a medical officer and is still serving in that capacity. William H. Mason was appointed professor of physiology in Buffalo Medical Col- lege in 1860, and continued to teach in that chair until 1885. Officers for 1859. — President, L. P. Dayton ; vice-president, James M. Newman ; secretary, James S. Hawley; treasurer, C. C. F. Gay; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board : Sandford Eastman, John Hauenstein, Julius F. Miner. Censors: B. H. Lemon, William Gould, C. B. Hutchins, William Ring, L. J. Ham. 1860. — Leon F. Harvey, John Cronyn. John Cronyn came from Canada, and joined the society in 1860. He served two years as president, namely, in 1875-76. He has taken a prominent part in its pro- ceedings down to the present time, and is among the reputable members of the pro- fession who have been in active practice during the last forty years. He has been a frequent contributor to the columns of the Buffalo Medical Journal, is now presi- dent of the Medical Faculty of the Niagara University and professor of medicine in that school. Officers for 1860. — President, William Treat; vice-president, Sandford Eastman; secretary, Samuel D. Flagg; treasurer, C. C. F. Gay; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board, Sandford Eastman, John Hauenstein, Julius F. Miner. Censors: John Boardman, William Gould, C. B. Hutchins, William Ring, William H. Butler. 1861. — Flias L. Bissell, Charles E. Brownell, Thomas Lothrop, P. S. Dorland. Elias L. Bissell is still actively engaged in the practice of his profession in Buf- falo and is one °f tne respected members of the society. Thomas Lothrop, who joined in 1861, became president in 1874 and is still en- gaged in the daily practice of his profession. He became one of the editors of the Buffalo Medical Journal in 1879 and has continued his relationship to that magazine up to the present day. He is one of the trustees of the Buffalo State Hospital, president of the Church Charity Foundation, vice-president of the Medical Faculty of Niagara University, and professor of obstetrics in that institution. Officers for 1861. — President, Sandford Eastman; vice-president, James B. Samo; secretary, Samuel D. Flagg; treasurer, C. C. F. Gay; librarian, C. C. Wyckoff. Primary board: Edward Storck, Julius F. Miner, John Hauenstein. Censors: John Boardman, William Gould, J. R. Lothrop, William Ring and H. M. Congar. 1862. — Merritt H. Shaw, John McKinnon, Thomas M. Johnson. 740 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Thomas M. Johnson, who joined in 1862, served as secretary of the society from 1866 to 1868, president in 1882, and has been chairman of its committee of member- ship for many years. He retired from the active practice of medicine about 1880, and has since been engaged in the drug business. Officers for 1862. — President, James B. Samo; vice-president, Charles Winne; sec- retary, Leon F. Harvey; treasurer, C. C. F. Gay; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board, C. C. Wyckoff, Edward Tobie, George Abbott. Censors: John Boardman, George Abbott, J. R. Lothrop and John Cronyn. Delegates to the State society: Sandford Eastman, Josiah Barnes, Horatio N. Loomis and Edward Storck. 1863.— Joseph A. Peters, James S. Smith. C. W. Collier, S. W. Wet- more, Horace Tupper, William Robinson. Of this number Dr. Smith and Dr. Wetmore are still members of the society and engaged in active practice. Officers for 1863. — President, Charles Winne ; vice-president, C. C. Wyckoff; sec- retary, Leon F. Harvey; treasurer, William Ring; librarian, James B Samo. Pri- mary board: C. L. Dayton, George Abbott, Edward Tobie. Censors: John Board- man, John Cronyn, J. R. Lothrop, O. K. Parker, and H. M. Congar. 1864.— George Ayer, H. B. Horton, H. Vanguysling, E. B. Tefft, J. C. Greene, Andrew J. Houghton, J. S. Havens, O. W. Beckwith, U. C. Lynde, P. Goodyear, and R. J. Curtis. George Ayer was born at Hampton, N. H., May, 1821, and graduated from Dart- mouth College in 1841. He took his medical degree in 1844, soon after which he located at Stafford, Genesee county, N. Y. He came to Buffalo in 1863, and joined the society a year later. He was engaged in active practice until within a few weeks of his death which occurred December 8, 1877. Joseph C. Greene was president in 1884, and is still engaged in the practice of his profession. Officers for 1864. — President, Cornelius C. Wyckoff ; vice-president, George Abbott ; secretary, Leon F- Harvey; librarian, James B. Samo; treasurer, William Ring. Primary board: C. L. Dayton, S. W. Wetmore, Edward Tobie. Censors: T. M. Johnson, M. H. Shaw, J. R. Lothrop. O. K. Parker, and J. E. Peters. 1865.— Jeremiah N. Brown, F. W. Bartlett, R. S. Myers, Edward Little, George W. Barr, Gleason, 1 John Cole, Burgher. 1 Frederic W. Bartlett made application for admission to the society in 1860, action on which was indefinitely postponed. Dr. Bartlett called the matter up in a com- munication two years later, but the society, considering the methods of practice of Dr. Bartlett irregular, still declined to elect him to membership. Finally a peremp- tory mandamus from the Supreme Court was obtained by Dr. Bartlett compelling the society to admit him. The society carried .the matter to the Court of Appeals which decided in Dr. Bartlett's favor, and he was admitted to membership in June, •1865. He was elected vice-president in 1894, and president in 1895. Dr. Robert Wile, of Germany, was, on motion of Dr. Hauenstein, elected corresponding member. Subsequently Dr. Wile demonstrated 1 These Christian names cannot be ascertained from the records. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 741 to the society the use of the laryngoscope — the first public use of the instrument in the county. At a special meeting of the society, held February 4, 1865, Dr. Will- iam G. T. Morton gave a detailed account of his discovery of the anes- thetic properties of sulphuric ether and its application in surgery, a full report of which may be found in the Buffalo Medical Journal, Novem- ber, 1896. Officers for 1865. — President, C. C. F. Gay; vice-president, George Abbott ; secre- tary, L. F. Harvey; treasurer, William Ring; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: Sandford Eastman, J. A. Peters, L. P Dayton. Censors: S. W. Wetmore, S. F. Mixer, J, A. Peters, J. R. Lothrop and P. H. Strong. 1866.— David R. Lovejoy, F. W. Abbott, William«C. Phelps, E. H. Hayen, Frank C. King, F. G. Stanley, Charles W. Bourne, Andrew Kamerling, H. S. Taft, George W. Nesbitt. Officers for 1866. — President, George Abbott; vice-president, Joshua R. Lothrop; secretary, T. M. Johnson ; treasurer, William Ring ; librarian, James B. Samo. Pri- mary board: L. P. Dayton, E. B. Tefft and H. Vanguysling. Censors: S. W. Wetmore, S. F. Mixer, J. R. Lothrop, P. H. Strong, John Hauenstein. 1867. — Samuel Potter, M. E. Shaw, Henry Lapp, Conrad Diehl, B. H. Daggett, C. F. A. Nichell, G. A. Mackey and Milton G. Potter. Henry Lapp, of Clarence, elected a, member in 1867, was president in 1877, and became a permanent member of the State society in 1881. He is a successful physi- cian in active practice at the present writing. Milton Grosvenor Potter served as secretary of the society from 1868 to 1872, and was elected professor of anatomy at Buffalo Medical College in 1870, in which capacity he continued to teach until his death, January 28, 1878. He developed great capacity as a teacher, was a skilful physician, and acquired a large practice while yet a young man. His talents were conspicuous, and such as commanded respect from his seniors as well as his contemporaries. Conrad Diehl, who joined the society in 1867, has been an active and successful practitioner for thirty years, was school examiner for many years, and was elected mayor November 2, 1897, taking office January 1, 1898. Officers for 1867. — President, Joshua R. Lothrop; vice-president, John Boardman .; secretary, T. M. Johnson ; treasurer, William Ring ; librarian, James B. Samo. Pri- mary board: H. S. Taft, W. C. Phelps, F. W. Abbott. Censors: S. W. Wetmore, S. F. Mixer, Thomas Lothrop, p. H. Strong, John Hauenstein. Delegate to State Medical Society, George Abbott. 1868. — Edwin R. Barnes, A. R. White, William D. Murray, Ecfdy, 1 Henry R. Hopkins, Charles B. Schuyler, David A. Chace, M. Willoughby, John Nichols, L. P. L. Parker. Henry Reed Hopkins, who became a member of the society in 1868, has taken an active part in its proceedings since that time. He is professor of hygiene at Buffalo 1 Christian name not on the records. 742 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. University Medical College, and was vice-president in 1896 and president in 1897. It was at his instance that the society formulated a medical practice act, creating a separate State medical examining board, which with some modifications of his orig- inal draft though retaining the fundamental idea, is the law under which all physi- cians who desire to practice in this State must obtain license. At the semi-annual meeting of the society, held June 9, 1868, Dr. Gorham F. Pratt read a memoir of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin. On motion of Dr. White 1,000 copies were published at the expense of the society, 600 of which were distributed with the Buffalo Medical Journal and is bound in Volume VIII, new series. Officers for 1868. — President, John Boardman; vice-president, Orlando K. Parker; secretary, Milton G. Potter; treasurer, William Ring; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: T. M. Johnson. J.. B. Samo, J. S. Smith. Censors: S. W. Wetmore, S. F. Mixer, J. R. Lothrop, P. H. Strong, John Hauenstein. 1869.— Hiram Taber, William H. Gail, J. W. Van Peyma, E. T. Dor- land, H. B. Murray, Albert S. Rogers, William O. Taylor, W. S. Tal- bot, John J. Burk, Henry S. Ellwood, E. W. Williams, Loren F. Boies. At the annual meeting held January 12, 1869, Dr. John S. Trowbridge read a memoir of his father, Dr. Josiah Trowbridge. On motion of Dr. Wyckoff it was ordered that one thousand copies be published in pamphlet form for distribution, 600 of which were sent out with the Buffalo Medical Journal. See Volume VIII, new series. Officers for 1869. — President, Orlando K. Parker; vice-president, Julius F. Miner; secretary, Milton G. Potter; treasurer, William Ring; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board : E. R. Barnes, Henry R. Hopkins, William C. Phelps. Censors: Sandford Eastman, John Boardman, Milton G. Potter, E. M. Smith, and J. R. Lothrop. 1870.— M. B. Folwell, E. G. Harding, Julius Wenz, A. H. Crawford, Alphonse Dagenais, E. R. Lockman, James Sloan, Dyer Slocum, George W. Pattison, T. W. Parker, Robert C. Campbell, A. H. Briggs. M. B. Folwell, who joined the society in 1870, attained eminence as a practiser of medicine. He became a clinical professor of, diseases of children in Buffalo Univer- sity Medical College, and died December 10, 1895, aged fifty-four years. Officers for 1870. — President, Julius F. Miner; vice-president, William Gould ; sec- retary, Milton G. Potter; treasurer, William Ring; librarian, James B. Samo. Pri- mary board: E. R. Barnes, Henry R. Hopkins, W. C. Phelps. Censors: Sandford Eastman, John Boardman, M. G. Potter, W. O. Taylor, and Henry Nichell. 1871.— J. G. Bailey.Eugene H. Hickey, Rollin L. Banta, John J. Walsh, Michael F. Talbot, Dugal Macniel, John H. Wheeldon. Officers for 1871. — President, William Gould; vice-president, William Ring; sec- retary, Milton G. Potter; teeasurer, W. C. Phelps.; librarian, J. B. Samo. Primary board: John Boardman, O. K. Parker, F. W. Abbott. Censors: M. B. Folwell, John Cronyn, C. C. F. Gay, Augustus Jansen, George Abbott. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 743 1872.— F. E. L. Brecht, W. A. Wasson, Benjamin L. Lothrop, John S. Halbert, and P. W. Van Peyma. Officers for .1872. — President, William Ring; vice-president, Jabez Allen; secre- tary, David A. Chace; treasurer, William C. Phelps; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board : M. B. Folwell, H. R. Hopkins, M Willoughby. Censors : T. M. Johnson, C. C. F. Gay, E. R. Barnes and C. C. Wyckoff. 1873.— U. C. Lynde, R. F. Hurdman, John Q. Harris, G. W. Mc- Pherson, F. A. Burghardt, G. H. Bailey, John Dambach, Joseph Fow- ler, Alfred T. Livingston, Brooks. 1 George W. McPherson, of Lancaster, was elected vice-president in 1889, president in 1890, and is a prominent physician in that village. Officers for 1873. — President, Jabez Allen; vice-president, Thomas Lothrop; sec- retary, David A. Chace; treasurer, William C. Phelps; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary Board: H. R. Hopkins, M. B. Folwell, M. Willoughby. Censors: E. R. Barnes, Edward Storck, A. H. Briggs, C. C. Wyckoff and James Sloan. Delegate to the State Medical Society, William Gould. 1874.— William H. Slacer, John C. Bump, L. A. Long, Edward N. Brush, W. W. Miner, Otto Thoma, Bernard Bartow, John D. Mathews, H. L. At wood. Edward N. Brush was for several years associate editor of the Buffalo Medical Journal, and is at present superintendent of the Sheppard Asylum, a hospital for the insane at Towson, Md. Officers for 1874. — President, Thomas Lothrop; vice-president, John Cronyn; sec- retary, David A. Chace; treasurer, William C. Phelps; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: H. R. Hopkins, M. B. Folwell, M. Willoughby. Censors: E. R. Barnes, C. C. Wyckoff, Edward Storck, A. H. Briggs and James Sloan. Delegates to the State Medical Society: William Gould, John Cronyn. George H. Lapham, William Ring and Joseph C. Greene. 1875.— J. B. Frink, O. C. Shaw, Lucien Howe, Philip Sonneck, P. P. Bielby, John A. Pettit, C. R. Morrow, E. B. Potter, W. C. Earl, A. R. Sutherland. Officers for 1875. — President, John Cronyn; vice-president, R. S. Myers; secretary, David A. Chace; treasurer, William C. Phelps; librarian, James B. Samo. Primary board: H. R. Hopkins, M. B. Folwell, M. Willoughby. Censors: Edward Storck, C. C. Wyckoff, A. H. Briggs, E. R. Barnes, David A. Chace. 1876. — Herman Mynter, Samuel G. Dorr, S. S. Greene. J. I. Marc- ley, George L. Taylor, F. J. Barker. At the annual meeting held January 11, 1876, an exhaustive report was presented by the Primary Board in regard to the admission of students to the study of medicine. This report took high ground in reference to advanced medical education and attracted much attention. 1 Christian name not on the records. 744 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. It was discussed by some of the most prominent members, including Drs. White, Miner and Strong. Dr. White commended it in the strongest terms. The recommendation of the committee subsequently became the rule of the society. Officers for 1876. — President, John Cronyn; vice-president, Edward Storck; secre- tary, D. W. Harrington ; treasurer, W. C. Phelps ; librarian, James B. Samo. Pri- mary board : M. B. Folwell, H. R. Hopkins, P. P. Bielby. 1877.— John R. McArtey, J. C. Wetzel, W. J. Packwood, W. V. Miller, H. M. Wernecke, C. O. Chester, Mary J. Moodyj J. L. C. Cronyn, Louis Schade. Mary J. Moody was the first woman admitted to membership in the society. She was also the first woman to receive the doctorate degree from Buffalo University Medical College. Officers for 1877. — President, Henry Lapp; vice-president, Edward Storck ; secre- tary, D. W. Harrington; treasurer J. B. Samo. Primary board: M. B. Folwell, H. R. Hopkins. Thomas Lothrop and C. C. Wyckoff. Censors: F. F. Hoyer, J. C. Greene, William Gould and John Cronyn. 1878. — John G. Lanigan, Charles Cary, Arthur M. Barker, Francis W. Gallagher, Justin G. Thompson. Officers for 1878. — President, Edward Storck ; vice-president, Sylvester F. Mixer; secretary, D. W. Harrington; treasurer. W. C. Phelps; librarian, J. B. Samo. Cen- sors: Henry Nichell, F. F. Hoyer, J. C. Greene, James Sloan, A. H. Briggs. Dele- gates to the State society: Henry Lapp, H. R. Hopkins, E. N. Brush, T. M. Johnson and E. T. Dorland. In June, 1878, the American Medical Association met in Buffalo, and Dr. Thomas F. Rochester was chairman of the committee of arrangements, having been appointed to that office at the annual meet- ing in January. He made a report at the semi-annual meeting, June 11, 1878, of the duties performed, after which the association tendered him a vote of thanks. 1879.— Joseph Haberstro, J. G. Miller, C. A. Ring, C. D. Eisbein, A. R. Davidson, Phoebe Willett, H. P. Trull, E. E. Storck. A. R. Davidson, a native of Canada, graduated in medicine at the Buffalo Uni- versity Medical College February, 1878. He gave a course of lectures at the college on materia medica in 1882. When the Niagara University Medical College was founded he was appointed professor of chemistry, toxicology and dermatology in that institution. He was managing editor of the Buffalo Medical Journal from 1879 until his death which occurred May 25, 1888, when he was forty-three years of age. Officers for 1879. — President Sylvester F. Mixer; vice-president, F. F. Hoyer; sec- retary, D. W. Harrington; treasurer, William C. Phelps; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: Henry Nichell, F. F. Hoyer, J. C. Greene, James Sloan and A. H. Briggs. 1880.— C. A. Wall, J. W. Keene, M. Hartwig, W. D. Bidaman, Julius F. Krug, Charles G. Stockton. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 745 The society at its annual meeting, June 13, 1880, memorialized the Legislature against restricting vaccinations, and also by a set of care- fully prepared resolutions endorsed Dr. J. F. Miner for health officer of the port of New York. Officers for 1880. — President, F. F. Hoyer; vice-president, John Hauenstein; sec- retary, D. W. Harrington; treasurer, W. C. Phelps; librarian, J. B. Samo. • Censors: Henry Nichell, F. F. Hoyer, J. C. Greene, James Sloan and A. H. Briggs. 1881.— W. C. Barrett, F. O. Vaughn, Carl H. Guess, Louis C. Vol- ker, J. B. Coakley, J. Stone Armstrong, W. D. Granger, Judson B. Andrews, Benjamin H. Grove, Frederick Peterson, Franklin Burt, W. H. Jackson, A. S. Hancock, S. L. Atwater, S. H. Warren. Judson B. Andrews, a native of New England, was born in 18^4, and graduated at Yale College in 1855, after which he studied medicine. Before taking his medical degree the Civil war began, and he joined the army, serving first as captain in the 77th Regiment, N. Y. Volunteers, and afterward as assistant-surgeon of the 2d Con- necticut Heavy Artillery. In 1867 he was app'ointed third assistant physician at the Utica State Hospital; later he became first assistant, serving in that capacity until the Buffalo State Hospital was established. He came to Buffalo in 1880, assumed the superintendency of the latter institution, serving in that capacity until his death. He joined the society in 1881, and served as president in 1886. He was one of the most distinguished alienists of his time and inaugurated many methods that resulted in great benefit to the insane. He died at his hospital August 3, 1894, aged sixty years. Officers for 1881. — President, John Hauenstein ; vice-president, T. M. Johnson ; secretary, A. M. Barker; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, W. C. Phelps, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma. 1882. — Clayton M. Daniels, Mary E. Runner, Edward Clark, E. H. Ballou, J. A. Hoffmeyer, Irving M. Snow, M. T. Kiefer, C. G. Cham- plain, Henry D. Ingraham, Carlton C. Frederick, Matthew D. Mann, William Warren Potter, George L. Brown, George W. York, C. A. McBeth, Walter D. Greene, Floyd S. Crego. Officers for 1882.— President, T. M. Johnson; vice-president, S. E. S. H. Nott; secretary, A. M. Barker; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma and F. F. Hoyer. Delegates to the State society, F. F. Hoyer, S. E. S. H. Nott, A. M. Barker, H. R. Hopkins. 1883. — Alvin A. Hubbell, Charles Weil, Jacob Frank, George E. Fell, Frank Hamilton Potter, Herman E. Hayd, James Wright Put- nam, Willis G. Gregory, Eli H. Long, J. W. S. Hunter, John H. Pryor. A special meeting was held April 11, 1883, to consider action on a bill to be introduced into the Legislature regulating the practice of 94 746 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. medicine. Dr. H. R. Hopkins, chairman of a special committee to consider the subject, reported at the semi-annual meeting, June 12, JUDSON BOARDMAN ANDREWS, M. D. 1883, to recommend the passage of a bill creating a separate State board of medical examiners that should represent the several so called systems of medical practice. The report of the committee closed with A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 747 the recommendation that seven members be appointed as a committee of legislation to have full charge of this subject and to report action from time to time. The committee was composed as follows: John Hauenstein, M. D. Mann, F. S. Crego, Edward Storck, A. R. David- son, H. R. Hopkins and A. H. Briggs. At a special meeting held September 8, 1883, Dr. Hopkins's commit- tee reported a bill, consisting of fifteen sections, that was acted upon seriatim, amended in important particulars, and after debate was unanimously approved. This bill was subsequently introduced into the Legislature through the Medical Society of the State of New York, and after delays and amendments it finally became a law, June 5, 1890. By this act the control of the practice of medicine, which had lapsed from the State many years before, was now reclaimed, and under it no person is permitted to practice medicine in the State of New York with- out submitting, after, graduation in a legalized medical college, to an examination by the State Board of Medical Examiners. The authority to appoint this board was placed in the hands of the Regents of the University, and they, under the nomination of the Medical Society of the State of New York, appointed the following-named examiners who still hold office: William Warren Potter, Buffalo; William S. Ely, Roch- ester; M. J. Lewi, New York; William C. Wey, 1 Elmira; George Ry- erson Fowler, Brooklyn; J. P. Creveling, Auburn; Eugene Beach, Gloversville. These names are given in the order in which they were officially announced from the Regents' office. Frank Hamilton Potter, who became a member in 1883, was soon afterward ap- pointed clinical assistant in surgery at the Niagara University Medical College. He went abroad for study in 1885, and afterward devoted himself to the practice of laryngology, and was soon appointed clinical professor of laryngology at Buffalo Uni- versity Medical College. He was a young man of promise, and commanded the respect of his colleagues, companions and seniors in and out of the profession. He died July 16, 1891, aged thirty-one years. Officers for 1883.— President, S. E. S. H. Nott; vice-president, Henry R. Hopkins; secretary, A. M. Barker; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: M. D. Mann, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma, F. F. Hoyer. 1884. — R. A. Witthaus, William Meisberger, W. A. D. Montgomery, B. G. Long, Carlton R. Jewett, C. Niemand, F. W. Sweetland, Will- iam H. Thornton, A. G. Gumaer, Mary Berkes, Herman Bauer, Ros- well Park, R. M. Root, F. R. Campbell, Julius H. Potter, A. F. Hel- 1 Dr. Wey died June 30, 1897, and Dr. A. Walter Senter, o£ Herkimer, has been appointed to fill the vacancy. 748 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. wig, W. B. Hawkins, Alpheus Prince, Herbert Mickle, Stephen Y. Howell, Louis Carmer, A. E. Persons. Frederick R. Campbell, a native of Niagara county, took his baccalaureate degree at the University of Rochester and his doctorate degree at the University of Buffalo. He was lecturer on hygiene at Niagara University Medical College in 1883, and after- ward professor of materia medica and therapeutics. He was sanitary inspector for the Board of Health and acquired an extensive practice. He was the author of Language of Medicine in which he displayed great erudition. He died September 14, 1888, aged twenty-eight years. Officers for 1884. — President, J. C. Greene; vice-president, Judson B. Andrews; secretary, Edward Clark ; treasurer, F. W. Abbott ; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors. Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma, F. F. Hoyer. 1885. - — William Pask, James S. Porter, John Parmenter, A. B. Wil- son, William G. Ring, F. P. Vandenburgh, F. W. Hinkel, C. F. How- ard, Thomas G. Sheehan. Officers for 1885. — President, Judson B. Andrews; vice-president, E. T. Dorland; secretary, Edward Clark; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma, F. F. Hoyer. 1886.— J. W. Grosvenor, H. W. Bode, F. M. Rich, D. A. Morrison, Delancey Rochester, J. M. Stanley, J. G. Whitwell, E. E. Johnson, Dewitt C. Greene, William C. Callanan, Thomas M. Crowe, Arthur W. Hiird, E. H. Norton, E. T. Smith, Mark M. Brooks, William L. McFarland, H. H. Bingham, Benjamin W. Cornwell, T. F. Dwyer, Elmer Starr, Edward L. Gager, John T. Pitkin. Officers for 1886. — President, E. T. Dorland; vice-president, O. C. Strong; secre- tary, William H. Thornton; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian J. B. Samo. Censors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, A. H. Briggs, P. W. Van Peyma, William Gail. Delegate to State Medical Society: B. Bartow, F. S. Crego, M. B. Folwell, F. W. Hinkel, C. W. Bourne. 1887. — George H. Westinghouse, E. J. Murphy, W. E. Jennings, Gustave Pohl, C. J. Hill, W. E. Robbins, E. M. Wetherill, E. T. Stevens, C. G. Steele, Harry A. Wood, Jacob Goldberg, Bina A. Pot- ter, G. W, Cutter, William A. Hoddick, Thomas G. Allen, George S. Palmer, J. G. Meidenbauer, R. E. Miller, Julius Pohlman. Officers for 1887. — President, O. C. Strong; vice-president, J. D. Hill; secretary, William H. Thornton ; treasurer, F. W. Abbott. Censors : Edward Storck, Henry R. Hopkins, W. H. Gail, P. W. Van Peyma, Charles H. Wetzel. 1888.— B. M. Strong, W. H. Bergtold, Emil Lustig, William H. Heath, J. J. Birmingham, Charles W. Howell, Charles E. Congdon, Ernest Wende, M. B. Cook, M. B. Searls, H. G. Matzinger, Paul F. Bussman, W. Scott Renner, W. M. Ward, Bernard Cohen, Jacob M. Falk, John Ketcham, S. Goldberg, B. F. Rogers, W. T. Tanner. . A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 749 Ernest Wende, who became a member in 1888, was appointed health commis siouer of Buffalo under the new charter, January 1, 1892. Under his administra- tion many reforms have been instituted, and the death rate of Buffalo become the lowest of any city of its size in the world. He was reappointed for a term of five years by Mayor Edgar B. Jewett to take effect January 1, 1897. Officers for 1888.— President John D. Hill; vice-president, Rollin L. Banta; secre- tary, William H. Thornton; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Cen- sors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, P. W. Van Peyma, A. R. Davidson, W. D. Greene. 1889.— Westervelt Banta, J. M. Goltra, George F. Cott, Electa B. Whipple, John D. Flagg, H. C. Buswell, Clark F. Bruso, Ira C. Brown, Fridolin Thoma. Officers for 1889. — President, R. L. Banta ; vice-president, G. W. McPherson ; sec- retary, W. H. Thornton ; treasurer, F. W. Abbott ; librarian, James B. Samo. Cen- sors: Edward Storck, P. W. Van Peyma, Thomas Lothrop, Henry Lapp, H. R. Hopkins. Delegates to the State Medical Society: A. E. Persons, Roswell Park, E. L. Bissell, F. W. Bartlett, E. H. Long. 1890.— L. L. Ball, A. L. Benedict, J. D. Bowman, John J. Cham- plin, M. A. Crockett, Sydney A. Dunham, C. E. Ernest, Howard L. Hunt, J. M. Krauss, C. B. Le Van, George W. T. Lewis, George H. McMichael, John Middleton, R. S. Myers, E. N. Pfohl, T. Haven Ross, Clinton A. Sage, George H. Sisson, C. M. Smith, T. S. Stewart, John , J. Twohey, W. Wolff, F. B. Voght, J. E. Whitmore, E. E. Briggs, F. M. Gipple, Allen A. Jones, William C. Krauss, R. E. Moss, M. Retel, Emil Schroeder, Hugo Schmidt, Otto Thoma, J. C. Thompson. Officers for 1890.— President, G. W. McPherson ; vice-president, E. C. W. O'Brien; secretary, William H. Thornton; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, J. B. Samo. Censors: Edward Storck, Thomas Lothrop, Henry Lapp, Joseph Haberstro, P. W. Van Peyma. 1891.— L. B. Dorr, B S. Bourne, Henry J. Mulford, E. A. Forsyth, Henry Y. Grant, C. T. Wolsey, E. A. Milring, William A. R Andrews, R. L. Patteson, Walter J. Riehl, E. G. Danser, William Dowlman, H. S. Townsend, William P. Clothier, John J. McCullough, John Haus- berger, E. H. Young, William H. Chace, C. R. Jennings, J. F. Sell, M. J. O'Connell, J. P. Wilson, William H. Woodbury. Officers for 1891.— President, E. C. W. O'Brien; vice-president, William H. Gail; secretary, William H. Thornton; treasurer, F. W. Abbott; librarian, Lucien Howe; Censors, Edward Storck, R. L. Banta, Henry Lapp, M. B. Folwell, E. H. Ballou. Delegates to the State Medical Society: B. H. Grove, B. H. Daggett, Edward Clark. 1892. — W. H. Baker, C. A. Schladermundt, Harriet. E. Sheldon, F. H. Powell, Charles H. Meahl, E. H. Tweedy, Charles H. Woodward, 750 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Charles P. Clark, Lillian C. Randall, A. B. Knisley, Lewis C. Smith, Irving W. Potter, Arthur B. Allen, Charles J. Reynolds, John R. Gray, F. L. Watkins, Frederick Preiss, F. E. Hill, W. J. Beutler, J. M. Hewitt, A. J. Colton, M. V. Ball, J. J. Drake, L. A. Denton, Mary I. Denton, H. U. Williams, J. T. Harris, E. J. Gilray, C. B. Johnson, A. N. Collins, A. G. Bennett. Officers for 1892. — President, William Warren Potter; vice-president, William H. Gail ; secretary, E. H. Long ; assistant-secretary, Ira C. Brown ; treasurer, Edward Clark; librarian, Charles A. Ring. Censors: Edward Storck, H. R. Hopkins, P.W. Van Peyma, J. J. Walsh, Henry Lapp. Delegates to the State Medical Society: B. H. Grove, Edward Clark, E. C. W. O'Brien, Ernest Wende, H. E. Hayd. At the semi-annual meeting, June 14, 1892, Drs. Joseph Price, of Philadelphia, Charles A. L. Reed, of Cincinnati, Lewis S. McMurtry, of Louisville, James F. W. Ross, of Toronto, and Brooks H. Wells, of New York, attended and read papers, or took part in the discussions. This meeting was probably the most remarkable in the history of the society. Never before had so many distinguished men attended from a distance to participate in the proceedings. The papers and the dis- cussions were published in full in the Buffalo Medical Journal for Au- gust and September, 1892, and reprinted in separate form. 1893. — Eleanor McAllister, Loren H. Staples, Carlos E. Bowman, Mary T. Greene, H. C. Leonhardt, Jane W. Carroll, Robert S. Ham- bleton, Frank J. Thornbury, Henry T. Carter, Alfred E. Diehl, Albert F. Erb, Edward L. Frost, Franklin C. Gram, George J. Hearne, George A. Himmelsbach, H. Corwin Jones, Charles E. Long, Edward J. Myer, Ferdinand G. Moehlau, Duncan Sinclair, James Stoddart, Clarence A. Tyler, G. W. Wende, J. F. Whitwell, Edward R. Wiser. Officers for 1893. — President, John Parmenter; vice-president, William H. Jackson; secretary, E. H. Long ; assistant secretary, George F. Cott ; treasurer, Edward Clark ; assistant-treasurer, E. A. Smith; librarian, Charles A. Ring. Censors: P. W. Van Peyma, Henry Lapp, J. F. Krug, J. H. Potter, A. L. Benedict. Delegates to the State Medical Society, William H. Bergtold, J. J. Walsh, William C. Callanan. N 1894.— Albert T. Lytle, Ada C. Lathrop, Harry Mead, Dewitt H. Sherman, Horace Clark, Charles S. Jewett, A. W. Bayliss, C. S. Sieg- fried, Francis T. Metcalf, Ludwig Schroeter, William G. Taylor, Helen J. C. Kuhlman, William Meisberger, Maud J. Frye, William C. Fritz. Officers for 1894. — President, William H. Gail; vice-president, F. W. Bartlett; sec- retary, F. C. Gram ; assistant-secretary, George F. Cott ; treasurer, Edward Clark ; assistant-treasurer, Eugene A. Smith; librarian, William C. Callanan. Censors; J. F. Krug, James S. Porter, Henry Lapp, A. L. Benedict. Delegate to State Med- ical Society to fill vacancy, J. H. Pryor. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 751 1895.— N.' Victoria Chappell, A. H. Macbeth, G. B. Hepp, Charles A. Clemens, William G. Bissell, A. T. O'Hara, Charles E. Bowen, Evangeline Carroll, Walter M. Kidder, F. H. Field, Thomas B. Car- penter, Homer J Grant, Hiram A. Kendall, Lawrence J. Hanley, P. H. Hourigan. Officers for 1895. — President, F. W. Bartlett ; vice-president, J. G. Thompson ; sec- retary, Franklin C. Gram; treasurer, Edward Clark. Censors: J. B. Coakley, M. Hartwig, E. H. Long, F. T. Metcalf, Henry Lapp, J. H. Perry, William C. Krauss, M. A. Crockett, F. C. Gram, C. C. Frederick, G. W. McPherson. 1896.— R. H. Lounsbury, John V. Woodruff, F. H. Milliner, Amelia F. Dresser, Jacob Miller, C. E. Fisher, Ray H. Johnson, John E. Bacon, H. C. Rooth, Martha F. Caul, Wellington G. Grove, Richard H. Sat- terlee, J. Grafton Jones, John B. McArtey, C. T. Stewart, E. E. Blaauw, Henry Osthues, J. Henry Dowd, and J. J. Finnerty. Officers for 1896. — President, J. G. Thompson; vice-president, Henry R. Hopkins; secretary, F. C. Gram; treasurer, Edward Clark. Censors: J. B. Coakley, M. Hart- wig, B. G. Long, F. T. Metcalf, Henry Lapp. 1897.— Jane N. Frear, F. W, Hayes, E. E. Koehler, E. P. Lothrop, E. T. Rulison, A. E. Woehuert, Marian Marsh, Cora B. Lattin, H. W. Lattin, J. Glen Ernest. Officers for 1897 — President, Henry R. Hopkins; vice-president, Hiram P. Trull; secretary, Franklin C. Gram; treasurer, Edward Clark; librarian, W. C. Callanan. Censors: J. B. Coakley, C. E. Congdon, T. F. Dwyer, Irving W. Potter, Gaston A. Pohl. At the annual meeting held January 14, 1896, the society having completed its seventy-fifth year celebrated its diamond jubilee. Papers commemorative of the occasion were read by Drs. John Hauenstein, C. C. Wyckoff, John Cronyn, Franklin C. Gram. These papers were published in the Buffalo Medical Journal during the next few months, and also were reprinted and sent out in pamphlet form to libraries and medical societies throughout the State. Every possible effort has been made to verify the facts and dates given in the foregoing section, sometimes at considerable expendi- ture of time and patience, but they are believed to be correct in the main, and are offered as containing much of interest to physicians as well as to many outside the ranks of the profession. The society is now in flourishing condition, has 350 members and is contemplating the establishment of a medical home for itself and the other medical organizations in the county. 758 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Buffalo Medical Association. The first attempt to organize a medical society with membership limited to the boundaries of Buffalo is recorded as having taken place July 16, 1831. On that date a constitution and by-laws for the Medi- cal Society of the Village of Buffalo was submitted for adoption. It comprised a preamble of three paragraphs, a constitution of twelve articles, and a group of thirty- six by laws. They were such as are usually adopted by medical societies and were signed by the following- named foundation members: Cyrenius Chapin, Judah Bliss, John E. Marshall, Josiah Trowbridge, Moses Bristol, Bryant Burwell, Henry R. Stagg, Alderi S. Sprague, James N. Smith, Lucian W. Caryl, Orson S. St. John. These physicians met again July 19, 1831, adopted the constitution and by-laws, and elected the following-named officers: President,. Cyrenius Chapin; vice-president, Judah Bliss; recording secretary, Bryant Burwell ; corresponding secretary, Josiah Trowbridge ; treasurer, Moses Bristol. Whereupon the organization of the society was com- pleted. Six members were chosen to read dissertations on specified subjects at successive meetings of the association. In accordance with this order at the next meeting, August 2, 1831, Dr. Caryl read a paper on the circulation of the blood, which was discussed by Dr. Trow- bridge, in the course of which, he referred to the case of Mrs. General Porter who had recently died. During 1831 five meetings were held, two papers were read, and three members paid fines of $2 each in de- fault of presenting papers at designated times. The annual meeting was held January 2, 1832, when the follwing named officers were elected : President, John E. Marshall ; vice-president, Bryant Burwell ; corresponding secretary, Josiah Trowbridge; recording secretary, Lu- cian W. Caryl; treasurer, Alden S. Sprague. Meetings were held February 7th and March 6th, but on April 3.d, May 1st and June 5th, the secretary reported no quorum, and recorded fines against delin- quent members. This was the last attempt to convene the society and it died in less than a year after its organization. The second effort to organize within the lines previously mentioned was on January 22, 1836, when a meeting of the physicians and sur- geons of the city of Buffalo was held at the office of Drs. Marshall and Harris. At this meeting Drs. Bryant Burwell, Marshall, Barnes, Haw- ley and Winne were appointed a committee to draw up a fee bill, and A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 753 Drs. Miller, Salisbury, Sprague, McVickar and White were appointed a committee to prepare a constitution and by-laws for the proposed med- ical association. Another meeting was held January 27, 1836, at- the same place, when Dr. Gorham F. Pratt was appointed chairman, and Dr. Charles Winne served as secretary. The committee on fee bill re- ported the" following named physicians as having pledged themselves to adhere to it: Bryant Burwell, Henry R. Stagg, James E. Hawley, John E. Marshall, C. H. Reynolds, Brock McVickar, Charles Winne, James P. White, Abraham Miller, Judah Bliss, Josiah Barnes, Alden S. Sprague and Francis L. Harris. The committee appointed to pre- pare the constitution and by-laws failed to report, hence no organiza- tion was effected. It is stated as a reason for this failure that at the time mentioned everybody was carried away with the spirit of specu- lation engendered by the sudden prosperity of the times; hence it was impossible to interest a sufficient number to maintain a medical organ- ization. The third attempt, more successful, because permanent, did not occur until ten years afterward. The Buffalo Medical Journal, which had lately been established, in its issue for July, 1845, printed the following notice: " To the Physicians of Buffalo: Physicians of this city, mem- bers of the Erie County Medical Society, who are disposed to unite in forming a city medical society, are requested to meet at the office of Dr. Josiah Trowbridge on Wednesday evening, July 2, at 7 o'clock." The meeting was held as appointed, and the following named physi- cians were present: Josiah Trowbridge, Moses Bristol, Alden S. Sprague, George N. Burwell, John S. Trowbridge, Charles Winne, Josiah Barnes, Francis L. Harris, Horatio N.' Loomis, H. M. Congar, Frank H. Hamilton and Austin Flint. Dr. Josiah Trowbridge was called to the chair, and Dr. Flint was appointed secretary. A commit- tee consisting of Drs. Loomis, Winne and Flint was appointed to pre- pare a constitution and by-laws. This committee reported at an ad- journed meeting held July 16, 1845, at the office of Drs. Sprague and Loomis. Its report was adopted after a debate during which some minor alterations were made. Officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows : President, Josiah Trowbridge ; vice-pres'ident Alden S. Sprague ; recording secre- tary, Austin Flint. The constitution and by-laws were signed by Josiah Trowbridge, Moses Bristol, James P. White, Alden S. Sprague, H. H. Bissell, John S. Trow- bridge, Sylvester F. Mixer, George N. Burwell, James B. Samo, Samuel G. Bailey, 95 754 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Austin Flint, Gorham F. Pratt, Francis L. Harris, H. M. Congar, William Treat, Silas Hubbard, Charles H. Wilcox and Josiah Barnes ; total eighteen members. The first regular meeting of the Buffalo Medical Association was held at the office of Dr. Frank Hastings Hamilton, August 5, 1845, at 8 o'clock p. m. On this occasion Dr. Flint presented for inspection a heart with valvular lesions; Dr. Hamilton moved the appointment of a committee to collect statistics concerning shortening in fractured limbs. At the September meeting Dr. White presented a placenta with ossific deposit, and reported a case of rupture of an ovarian cyst caused by a fall in which absorption of the fluid and recover)' took place We have mentioned the reports of these three men at these meetings because they, perhaps more than any others, gave direction to the early efforts of the society. Hereafter in these pages only such proceedings or acts of the association as may possess some general or public interest will be recorded. No reference to its scientific work will be made other than such as relates to the public health, except when some question of paramont importance is presented. At the meeting held December 3, Drs. White, Barnes and Flint, as a committee, reported a fee bill which was adopted and ordered printed for the use of members. At the meeting held March 3, 1846, the sec- retary applied for and obtained permission to publish the proceedings of the association in the Buffalo Medical Journal. At this meeting Dr. Bryant Burwell introduced resolutions favoring a national medical con- vention to be held at New York, May 1, 1846, and at a subsequent meeting, Drs. Bryant Burwell and Alden S. Sprague were elected del- egates to attend the convention. At a meeting held April 27, 1847, on motion of Dr. White, it was voted to raise the sum of $25 by subscription to help defray the ex- penses of the delegate to the American Medical Association. Dr. Josiah Trowbridge was elected delegate, but declined to serve; where- upon a committee was appointed to select a delegate, but subsequently reported that they had failed to do so. At the annual meeting held August 3, 1837, the following named of- ficers were elected : President, Bryant Burwell ; vice-president, C. H. Austin; secretary, William Treat. At a meeting held January 4, 1848, «Dr. Sprague reported the successful amputation of a thigh while the patient was under the influence of ether and unconscious throughout the operation. This is the first capital operation performed in Buffalo under anesthesia. February V, Dr. Hamilton related the effects of A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. ?55 chloroform upon himself. He obtained a quantity from Boston of which he had inhaled about one ounce. The propriety of employing ether for obstetric practice was also discussed, and an adverse opinion was elicited, though Dr. Loomis thought well of it in surgical operations if employed with proper care. On May 2, 1848, the by-laws were amended providing that the annual election be held thereafter on the first Tuesday in April. The object of this change was to afford an opportunity for the printing of the names of the officers in the city directory which was then issued in June every year. At the next annual meeting, August, 1848, the following named officers were elected to serve until the ensuing April : President, Frank Has- tings Hamilton; vice-president, S. F. Mixer; secretary, William Treat. Primary board: Austin Flint, Walter Cary, and H. M. Congar. The duty of the Primary Board was to examine students who desired to enter upon the study of medicine, and no physician in the capacity of preceptor was permitted to receive a student who did not possess the certificate of the primary board. Annual meeting, April 3, 1849. The following-named were elected officers: President, Sylvester F. Mixer; vice-president, George N. Burwell; secretary, James M. Newman. May 1, Dr. James B Samo, from a committee appointed for that purpose, recommended the follow- ing as a minimum annual salary for medical services at the places named : Almshouse, $1,000; jail, $100; workhouse, $200. Fee in coroner's cases, $3 to $o ; attendance on cholera hospital $5 a day. June 5, Dr. Walter Cary reported a case of Asiatic cholera, the first in Buffalo during the epidemic then prevailing. June 10. Special meeting. — Dr. Josiah Trowbridge stated that the meeting had been called for the purpose of establishing a uniformity in reporting cases of the prevailing epidemic cholera to the Board of Health ; also to ascertain by conference with the Board of Health what in its opinion were cases of cholera and what it expected physicans to report as cases of that disease. Dr. C. C. Haddock and Mr. A. Mc- Arthur, members of the Board of Health, were present. On motion of Dr. Flint it was ordered that a committee of three be appointed to draft a report expressive of the .sense of the asssociation relative to the object of the meeting. Drs. Flint, Treat and John S. Trowbridge were appointed as such committee to report at an adjourned meeting. The next morning after this meeting Dr. C. C. Haddock, in apparent 756 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. good health, was attacked with diarrhoea which he neglected to heed, but pursued his public duties as health officer until late in the even- ing of the same day, at which time he was stricken with cholera and died the next evening. July 12, the adjourned meeting was held in the Common Council chamber, when Dr. Flint read his report (pub- lished in the Buffalo Medical Journal, August, 1849) and the death of Ur. Haddock was announced. Appropiate resolutions were passed in his memory. April 2, 1850. The election resulted in the choice of the following named officers: President, George N. Burwell; vice-president, Charles W. Harvey; secretary, William Ring. September 3. Dr. Frank H. Hamilton read a biographical sketch of Dr. John E. Marshall. Octo- ber 1. Drs. Burwell, Pratt and Treat were appointed a committee to prepare a biography of Dr. Cyrenius Chapin. April 1, 1851, the following- named officers were chosen: President, Charles W. Harvey; vice-president, Silas Hubbard; secretary, James S. Hawley. Primary board: Drs. Wallis, Wyckoff and Treat. May 5. Drs. Ring, Sprague and Hamilton were appointed a committee to obtain signatures to a petition to the Legislature in favor of legal- izing dissection. Drs. Strong, Burwell and Congar were appointed a committee to memorialize the Common Council in relation to more per- fect registration of deaths. At this meeting the association resolved to meet every fortnight instead of every month as heretofore. April 6, 1852. Election of officers: President, C. W. Harvey; vice- president, Silas Hubbard ; secretary, Sandford Eastman. Primary board : Drs. Wallis, Strong and Garvin. July 6, 1852, this being the evening for obsequies of Henry Clay, on motion of Dr. Eastman, the association •adjourned for one week. August 3d. At this meeting sixty-two cases of cholera and thirty deaths were reported within the preceding week. Drs. Hamilton, Wilcox and Strong were appointed >a committee to re- port on the relation of upturning of soil to the causation of cholera. April 5, 1853. Election of officers: President, Charles H. Wilcox; vice-president, James M. Newman. Primary board: Drs. Eastman, Hawley and Ring. March 7, 1854. Dr. Sanford B. Hunt called the attention of the association to the propriety of taking observations of the temperature and humidity of the atmosphere, accentuating their importance in connection with disease. Means were at once taken to obtain proper instruments, which was the beginning of the valuable hygrometric ob- A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 75? servations that subsequently made Dr. Hunt so famous in this field of scientific inquiry. April 4, election of officers: President, James M. Newman; vice-president, P. H. Strong; secretary, Sanford B. Hunt. June 27 Dr. Rochester reported a case of cholera that occurred June 12, the first reported during this year. Dr. Hunt remarked on the epidemic of varicella or chicken-pox at Hornellsville. There had been three hundred cases and ten deaths. August 1, reports were made of cholera in Buffalo and Niagara Falls; it had been especially fatal at the latter place, and Drs. Hunt and Fred Gardiner had each spent a week there, while Drs. Hamilton and Rochester had been several hours at Suspension Bridge. In the discussion Dr. Hunt remarked that the higher the dew point the more severe the disease. * April 3, 1855. Election of officers: President, P. H. Strong; vice- president, Sandford Eastman; secretary, Sanford B, Hunt. Primary board: Drs. Hawley, Root and Baker. At the meeting held in February,, 1856, Dr. Baker from the commit- tee on organization reported a form for an act of incorporation. This was ratified April 1, 1856, when the Buffalo Medical Association be- came incorporated as the Buffalo Medical and Surgical Association. April 1, 1856. Election of officers: President, Sandford Eastman; vice- president, Austin Flint; secretary, Sanford B. Hunt; treasurer, James M. Newman; librarian, William Howell. April 7, 1857. Election of officers: President, Austin Flint; vice- president, C. C. Wyckoff ; secretary, Sanford B. Hunt; treasurer, James M. Newman; librarian, B. H. Lemon. Primary board : C. L. Dayton, John Boardman, A. W. Nichols. April 6, 1858. Election of officers: President, C. C. Wyckoff; vice- president, James M. Newman ; secretary, Austin Flint, jr. ; treasurer, S. F. Mixer; librarian, B. H. Lemon. Primary board: Drs. Hawley, Eastman and King. April 2, 1859. Annual election. President, James M. Newman; vice-president, Thomas F. Rochester; secretary, Austin Flint, jr. ; treasurer, C. B. Hutchins; librarian, B. H. Lemon. August 2, Dr. Frank Hastings Hamilton expressed the opinion that a person during sleep could not be anesthetized by chloroform. This declaration gave rise to some discussion, most of the members coinciding with the views of Dr. Hamilton, which is the accepted belief at the .present day. December 6, Dr. Hamilton introduced Dr. William K. Scot 1 ;, an old and honored physician of Buffalo for some years retired from the •758 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. profession, yet who in his seventy-second year possessed so firm a nerve, an eye so undimmed, that he was daily in the habit of executing calig- raphy in a manner most wonderful and pleasing. Dr. Scott stated that he had practised this exercise for the purpose of preserving and im- proving his eyes. He then presented for inspection 1, 391 words written upon a circular card fifty-seven one hundredths of an inch in diame- ter; each letter was beautifully and distinctly formed. He subse- quently became totally blind. Dr. Scott was president of the Medical Society of the County of Erie in 1844. April 3, 1860. Election of officers: President, Thomas F. Roches- ter; vice president, C. C. F. Gay; secretary, William Treat; treasurer, J. F. Miner; librarian, William Ring. Primary board: Frank H. Hamilton, Sandford Eastman, Henry Nichell. April 2, 1861. Election of officers: President, C. C. F. Gay; vice- president, James P. White; secretary, J. F. Miner. August 6, Dr. William Treat, who had just returned from Washington where he had assisted in dressing the wounded that were brought in to Fort Runyon, July 22, after the battle of Bull Run, gave an account of that service. He stated that very few capital operations were made, as most of the wounded were able to walk. One amputation near the shoulder well dressed arrived from the field, and several soldiers with their foreams in temporary splints also came in on foot. The whole number dressed was about 125. Dr. Charles H. Wilcox, surgeon of the 21st Regiment, and Dr. Joseph A. Peters, assistant-surgeon, were actively employed ; while Dr. Frank H. Hamilton, surgeon of the 31st N. Y. , spent a por- tion of a forenoon at Fort Runyon. Dr. Treat went next day to the city hospital where he performed a similar service. September 3, Drs. Gould, Samo and Ring, committee, presented resolutions upon the death of Dr. Wiliam Treat. This skilful physician, who had been a resident of Buffalo for twenty years, died soon after the last meeting of the association in which he gave an account of his service with the wounded at Fort Runyon, Va. April 1, 1862. Election of officers. President, James P. White; vice-president, H. M. Congar; secretary, J. F. Miner; treasurer, James B. Samo ; librarian, William Gould. At a meeting held January 6, 1863, Dr. P. H. Strong gave an ac- count of his observations while on duty with the army in the field. He spent most of his time at Frederick, Md. , in taking care of the sick and wounded after the battles of South Mountain and Antietam. He said A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 759 the operations on the field were successfully, many times beautifully, done, and that the wounded for the most part did well afterward. This statement applied especially to primary operations. His remarks were reported in full and received the commendations of the members present. At the annual meeting, April 7, 1863, the following named officers were elected: President, H. M. Congar; vice-president, James B. Samo; secretary, J. F. Miner; treasurer, C. C. Wyckoff; librarian, J. B. Samo. Primary board: Sandford Eastman, Henry Nichell, M. Shaw. The committee on fee bill, T. T. Lockwood and James P. White, reported in favor of increasing the fee for visits from one dol- lar to one dollar and fifty cents, and for office prescriptions from fifty cents to one dollar. This advance the committee affirmed was justi- fied on acount of the depreciation of currency and a proportionate rise of the necessaries of life, whereupon the report was adopted. At a meeting of the physicians of Buffalo held February 12, 1864, resolutions of respect to the memory of Dr. William H. Butler were were adopted. Dr. Butler had been on duty as acting assistant surgeon at Armory Square Hospital, Washington. Annual meeting April, 1864. Dr. James B. Samo was elected president; William Ring, vice-presi- dent; Joseph A. Peters, secretary; T. T. Lockwood, treasurer; T. M. Johnson, librarian. Annual meeting April, 1865. Election of officers. President, Will- iam Ring; vice-president, William Gould; secretary, Joseph A. Peters; treasurer, C. C. Wyckoff ; librarian, James B. Samo. December 5. Dr. Joseph A. Peters resigned the office of secretary and Dr. Thomas M. Johnson was elected to fill the vacancy. February 6, 1866. Dr. Thomas F. Rochester introduced a resolution that was adopted urging every member of the profession to attend a meeting February 13, to take action respecting sanitary measures proper to be instituted for the welfare and protection of the citizens of Buffalo during the ensuing summer. The meeting was held on the date named, a committee appointed to confer with the mayor and Board of Health on the subject indicated, and an address of instructions sent out to the public. Annual meeting, April 3, 1866. President, William Gould; vice-president, John S. Trowbridge; secretary', T. M. Johnson; treasurer, T. T. Lockwood ; librarian, James B. Samo. July 3. There were no communications to be read' at the meeting, but the propriety of a revision of the constitution and by-laws was discussed. Septem- ber 4. The question was brought up in reference to druggists receiv- 760 OUR CO [JNTV AND ITS PEOPLE. ing a percentage on physicians' prescriptions, whereupon Dr. Miner expressed the belief that in Buffalo druggists were conducting an hon- orable business, and that he had not known either a respectable drug- gist to offer, or a physician to accept, such a division of profits. De- cember 4. A discussion was had over the propriety of appointing a member at each meeting to designate a subject for consideration at the next meeting who should prepare himself to lead in such discussion. Dr. Miner was elected and initiated the course at the next regular meeting. February 5, 1867. Dr. Miner opened a discussion on surgical rem- edies — vesicants, rubefacients, setons, issues, and the like. Some of the members, among whom were Drs. Congar, Strong and Cronyn, were surprised at the assault Dr. Miner made on some of these time honored therapeutic measures. Dr. Miner remarked that he did not desire to defend the paper but preferred to leave the objections to it unanswered. Annual meeting April, 1867. President, Sandford East- man ; vice-president, Joshua R. Lothrop; secretary, T. M. Johnson; librarian, James B. Samo. May 7. Dr. Gould, as retiring president, delivered an address in which he referred to the fact that during the ten years preceding the association had lost nearly one fourth of its members by death. The names were as follows: Drs. Bissell, Bryant Burwell, Lewis, Newman, Sprague, Josiah Trowbridge, Treat, Wilcox, Lockwood, Howell, and Butler. January 7, 1868. A resolution was introduced pledging the hearty concurrence of the association in the efforts making to secure the pass- age of a law in the Legislature that may tend to regulate the study and practice of dentistry i and to protect the people of this State from un- skillful dental operations. Annual meeting, April 7, 1868. .Election of officers: President, Joshua R. Lothrop; vice' president, T. T. Lock- wood; secretary, T. M. Johnson; treasurer, C. F. A. Nichol; librarian, James B. Samo. November 3. Dr. C. Diehl was elected treasurer to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation of Dr. C. F. A. Nichol. Annual meeting, April 6, 1869. Election of officers : President, Julius F. Miner; vice-president, S. W. Wetmore; secretary, T. M. Johnson; treasurer, C. Diehl; librarian, J. B. Samo. May 4. Resolutions intro- duced by Dr. Miner were passed unanimously directing that hereafter the fee for examination in life insurance should be $5 when made at the offices of physicians, and f2 additional when the examination is made elsewhei'e. Also that it should be regarded as a breach of confi- A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 761 dence for druggists to renew prescriptions upon which is written "not to be renewed " or any words to that effect. July 22. The death of Dr. Joshua R. Lothrop having occurred on that day, it was announced and appropriate memorial resolutions were adopted. Annual meeting, April 5, 1870. President, S. W. Wetmore; vice- president, T. M. Johnson; secretary, William C. Phelps; treasurer, C. Diehl; librarian, J. B. Samo. March 7, 1871. Dr. White announced the death of Dr. J. Herman Bird, of Sioux City, la. , formerly a resident of Buffalo. Dr. Roches- ter moved that Dr. Sandford Eastman, at present residing in California, and Dr. H. P. Babcock, also residing in California, be appointed dele- gates to the American Medical Association at its annual meeting to be held at San Francisco, September, 1871. The motion prevailed. An- nual meeting, April, 1871. President, T. ,M. Johnson; vice-president, John Cronyn; secretary, William C. Phelps; librarian, J. B. Samo. Annual meeting, Aprils, 1872. Election of officers: President, John Cronyn; vice-president, John Hauenstein; secretary, Leon F. Harvey; treasurer, B. H. Daggett ; librarian, J. B. Samo. In retiring from the presidential chair Dr. T. M. Johnson took occasion to review the san- itary condition of Buffalo. He criticised the defective drainage, the condition of areas, courts, alleys and streets, and animadverted upon the presence of pig sties, stables, manure heaps, and cellars containing water and decaying vegetable matter, the Hamburg Canal which we have always with us, the milk supply and many other subjects of im- portance, affirming that there had been no annual report of the health physician for eight or ten years. The address attracted the attention of the association, and a committee was appointed consisting of Drs. Strong, Rochester and Miner, to confer with the health authorities con- cerning the issuance of an annual report by the health officer. May 7 this committee reported that they had succeeded in accomplishing the object for which they were appointed, and asked to be discharged, which was done. Annual meeting, April 1, 1873. Election of officers: President, John Hauenstein; vice-president, J. N. Brown; secretary, L. F. Har- vey; treasurer, J. J. Walsh; librarian, J. B. Samo. Annual meeting, April, 1874. Election of officers: President, James P. White; vice-president, William Gould ; secretary, E. R. Barnes; treasurer, J. J. Walsh; librarian, P. H. Strong. Annual meeting, April, 1875. — Election of officers: President, Will- 762 OUR COUNTY AN]> ITS PEOPLE. iam Gould; vice-president, C. C. Wyckoff; secretary, E. N. Brush; treasurer, Joseph Fowler. February 1, 1876.- — Dr. Henry R. Hopkins read a paper relating, to the sanitary authorities of Buffalo which concluded with a resolution authorizing a committee of three to be known as the sanitary commit- tee, whose duty should be to investigate the regulations of the Buffalo Health Department and all matters pertaining to the sanitary govern- ment of the city, to report at the next annual meeting with such recom- mendations as might be deemed necessary. The chair appointed Drs. Hopkins, Folwell and Barnes as members of the committee, which reported as instructed. Annual meeting, April 4, 1876.— Election of officers: President, C. C. Wyckoff; vice-president, E. R. Barnes; sec- retary, E. N. Brush; treasurer, Joseph Fowler; librarian, J. B. Samo. Annual meeting, April, 1877. Election of officers: President, E. R. Barnes; vice-president, Thomas Lothrop; secretary, E. N. Brush.- July 3. In the course of the discussion of a paper by Dr. H. R. Hop- kins on spontaneous generation reference was made by Dr. Rochester to Professor Lister's address on antiseptic surgery at the Interna- tional Medical Congress at Philadelphia. Dr. Miner then remarked that surgeons were constantly reporting new methods of dressing and treating wounds, claiming wonderful results, yet under each of several plans — namely, the open method, the method of Lister, the hermetic- ally sealed plan, the immersion in hot water — all so different, there were yet substantially the same results obtained. This appears to have been the first discussion of so-called Listerism by the association. Annual meeting. April, 1878. Election of officers: President, Thomas Lothrop ; vice-president, John Hauenstein; secretary, Joseph Fowler; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, P. H. Strong. Annual meeting, April, 1879. Election of officers: President, Lu- cien Howe; vice-president, W. W. Miner; secretary, Joseph Fowler; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht ; librarian, James B. Samo. November 5. Dr. Rochester read a paper on pulmonary diseases of elevator em- ployees. This was the first time attention had been thus publicly called to the fact that workers in elevators were especially liable to diseases of the air passages. On motion of Dr. White a committee of five was appointed, consisting of Drs. Rochester, White, O'Brien, Davidson and Hauenstein, that should take the subject of Dr. Rochester's paper into consideration, enlist public sympathy on behalf of a reform, and if necessary strive to secure legislation on the subject. At this meeting A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 7C3 a communication was presented from J. N. Larned, superintendent of the Public Library, to the effect that the library committee desired to make purchases of books and periodicals serviceable to students and practitioners of medicine, and the opinion of the association was asked concerning the plan as well as instructions requested regarding 'the selection of books. On motion of Dr. Wyckoff , a committee consisting of Drs. Wyckoff, Rochester, Lothrop, Abbott and Bartlett, was ap- pointed to confer with the library committee before mentioned in re- gard to the choice of medical books. Annual meeting, April 6, 1880. Election of officers: President, Lu- cien Howe; vice-president, A. H. Briggs; secretary, Dougal Macniel; librarian, J. B. Samo. Hon. Charles Beckwith read»a paper entitled, "Testimony of Medical Experts." September 2. Dr. William D. Granger read a paper entitled, ' ' State Regulation of the Practice of -Medicine." On motion of Dr. White a committee was appointed con- sisting of Drs. Granger, Barker and Keene, to obtain from some com- petent member of the bar a clear interpretation of the existing regis- tration act. At a meeting held September 7, this committee reported with an opinion from Judge Clinton, whereupon a communication was sent to the Medical Society of the County of Erie informing it of the opinion of Judge Clinton on the subject of the new medical registration law. Annual meeting, April 5, 1881. Election of officers: President, A. M. Barker; vice-president, A. R. Davidson; secretary, Dougal Macniel; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, James B. Samo. Annual meeting, April, 1882. Election of officers: President, A. R. Davidson; vice-president, John Cronyn; secretary, C. M. Daniels; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht ; librarian, James B. Samo. March 6. Dr. Julius Pohlman read a paper entitled "Geology in Sanitary Science," in the course of which he pointed out the relation of soil to drainage and the importance of properly constructed impervious sewers. July 1, 1882. Dr. A. R. Davidson read a paper entitled "Sewer Gas and its Dangers." This led to considerable discussion, the members concurring with Dr. Davidson in his views concerning the bearing of sewer gas on public health. Annual meeting, April 3, 1883. Election of officers : President, John Cronyn; vice-president, F. W. Bartlett; secretary, C. M. Daniels; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, J. B. Samo. Annual meeting, April 1, 1884. Election of officers: President, 764 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. W. Bartlett; vice-president, Charles G. Stockton; secretary, Frederick Peterson; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, James B. Samo. January 6, 1885. Dr. Frank Hamilton Potter was elected secretary to fill a vacancy occasioned by the resignation of Dr. Peterson. The committee on.midwives reported a corrected bill to regulate their prac- tice, and on motion it was voted to ask the president of the Medical Society of the County of Erie to call a special meeting of that body for the consideration of this bill. The bill became a law and is now in op- eration. Annual meeting, April 7, 1885. Election of officers: Presi- dent, Charles G. Stockton; vice-president, William Warren Potter; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; secretary, F. H. Porter; librarian, J. B. Samo. Annual meeting, April, 1886. Election of officers: president, Will- iam Warren Potter; vice-president, J. B. Coakley; secretary, F. R. Campbell; librarian, Lucien Howe. Annual meeting, April 5, 1887. Election of officers: President, J. B. Coakley ; vice-president, P. W. Van Peyma ; secretary, C. G. Steele ; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht, librarian, Lticien Howe. On motion of Dr. A. Dagenais a building committee was appointed to solicit funds, select a site and make plans for the erection of a hall or home for the medical profession of the city. A committee was appointed by the chair to select the building committee, consisting of Drs. Delancey Rochester, F. S. Crego and H. R. Hopkins. May 3 this committee reported the following names for members of the building committee: Drs. A. Dagenais, John Cronyn, Lucien Howe, William Warren Potter, Roswell Park, C. Diehl, and Charles Cary. Annual meeting, April, 1888. — Election of officers: President, P. W. Van Peyma; vice-president, A. A.. Hubbell; secretary, W. H. Bergtold; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht ; librarian, Lucien Howe. November, 1888. — Thomas Lothrop presented a memorial of Dr. F. R. Campbell, -who died September 14, 1888, aged twenty-eight years. Annual meeting April 2, 1889: — Election of officers: President, A. A. Hubbell; vice-president, M. B. Folwell; secretary, W. H. Bergtold; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, Lucien Howe. Annual meeting; April, 1890. — Election of officers: President, A. A. Hubbell; vice-president, William C. Phelps; secretary, W. H. Bergtold; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, W. H. Heath. Annual meeting, April, 1891. — : Election of officers: President, Will- iam C. Phelps; vice-president, C. C. Frederick; secretary, W. Scott Renner; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht; librarian, J. B. Coakley. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 765 Annual meeting, April 5, 1892. — Election of officers: President, C. C. Frederick; vice-president, H. E. Hayd; secretary, William G. Ring; treasurer, F. E. L. Brecht ; librarian, W. C. Callanan. The association held a regular monthly meeting, May 10, 1892, and another June 7, 1892, both at the Hotel Iroquois. These were the last meetings of the organization as it voted at a special meeting held May 17, 1892, to unite with three other societies in forming the Buffalo Academy of Medicine. This association became the surgical section of the new organization, and under the compact, the officers of the association elected April 5 were continued as officers of the section on surgery. Buffalo Obstetrical Society. On invitation, a number' of physicians met at the office of Dr. Will- iam Warren Potter, January 27, 1884, to consider the propriety of or- ganizing a medical society for the consideration of subjects pertaining to obstetrics, diseases of women, and pediatrics. They voted to organ- ize the Buffalo Obstetrical Society and its first meeting was held Feb- ruary 25, 1884, at the residence of Dr. Potter. Its membership was limited to twenty -four. The following named officers were elected : President, William Warren Potter ; vice-president, Rollin L. fianta ; secretary and treasurer, George E. Fell. This was the first special medical society organized in Buffalo, and it continued its work for eight years. Its proceedings were pub- lished during the greater part of this time in the Buffalo Medical Jour- nal, and they form an interesting chapter in the medical history of the period. It was the custom of this society, like most private medical societies, to meet at the houses of its members in rotation, and usually a collation was provided by the host after the scientific work was finished. When, in 1892, the Buffalo Academy of Medicine was or- ganized the Obstetrical Society was merged into it as a section, and its last meeting was held June 28, 1892, at the residence of Dr. Eugene A. Smith. Buffalo Academy of Medicine. The propriety of creating a medical society, with the foregoing title, by grouping a number of associate societies under one administration, had been discussed for some time previously, but the proposition did not take final root until May 17, 1892, when .the Buffalo Academy of 766 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Medicine was founded. It was formed out of the Buffalo Medical and Surgical Association, which became the surgical section ; the Obstetric Society, that became the section on obstetrics, gynecology and pediat- rics ; the Pathologic Society, that became the section on anatomy, physi- ology and pathology ; and the Clinical Society, that became the section on medicine, materia medica and therapeutics. As these four several societies were already in existence, it became necessary to obtain their consent to a proposed union which was done prior to the date before mentioned, and the June, 1892, meetings of the several bodies were the last they held as distinct organizations. It was provided that the general meetings of the academy should be held four times a year, namely, in March, June, September and December, and that each of the constituent bodies or sections should hold regular monthly meetings. Hence there would be one meeting in each week, and these occur every Tuesday evening. The first officers of the academy, elected June 21, 1892, were: Presi- dent, Delancey Rochester; secretary, William C. Krauss; treasurer, Eugene A. Smith; trustees, James W. Putnam, Alphonse Dagenais and Roswell Park. The meetings of the academy and its several sections have been con- tinued until the present time with a constantly increasing membership, and interesting proceedings have been varied by an occacional invita- tion to a non-resident who sometimes has come from a distance to pre- sent a paper before one of the sections. The fact that the academy has not published its proceedings with regularity makes it impossible to give as complete a sketch of this body as would be done could official or accurate data be obtained. Private Medical Societies. — In addition to the foregoing there are also a number of private medical societies that hold regular meetings and do active and efficient work in promoting medical science. The first of these to organize was the Medical Club that meets on alternate Wednesday evenings. The next was the Medical Union which meets the third Tuesday in every month. Perhaps the Buffalo Microscopical Society ought to be mentioned, though this is a branch of the Society of Natural Sciences. It, however, engages the attention of a number of physicians and helps to stimulate the science of microscopy. The Roswell Park Medical Club is another of these flourishing coteries. The private societies are entertained at the houses of the members in rota- tion, and after the scientific work is disposed of a collation is usually served. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 767 II. MEDICAL COLLEGES. Though the subject of establishing a medical college at Buffalo had been agitated previously during several years, formal steps prepara- tory to the application for a charter were not taken until the autumn of 1845. In the winter of 1846 authority was granted by the Legisla- ture to establish a medical school under the name and title of the Medical Department of the University of Buffalo. Hon. Nathan K. Hall, afterward postmaster-general, was then a member of the State Assembly, and it was mainly through his efforts that the charter was obtained. The first council of the university was composed of the fol- lowing-named gentlemen : Ira A. Blossom, Isaac Sherman, Theodotus Burwell, James O. Putnam, Gaius B. Rich, William A. Bird, George R. Babcock, Herman A. Tucker, Joseph G. Masten, Thomas M. Foote, John D. Shepard, Millard Fillmore, Elbridge G. Spaulding, Orson Phelps, Orsamus H. Marshall and George W. Clinton. Public announcement of the success of the enterprise was made in the Buffalo Medical Journal for September, 1846, in which it was stated that the medical department had been fully organized by creating seven professorships, to which the Council of the University had made the following appointments: Chemistry and pharmacy, James Had- ley; physiology and medical jurisprudence, Charles B. Coventry; gen- eral and special anatomy, James Webster; pathology and materia medica, Charles Alfred Lee; principles and practice of surgery, Frank Hastings Hamilton; obstetrics and diseases of women and children, James Piatt White; principles and practice of medicine, and clinical medicine, Austin Flint. Corydon L. Ford was appointed demonstra- tor of anatomy. The first five teachers above named were holding similar chairs in Geneva Medical College, an institution that was soon afterward discontinued. Dr. Hamilton removed to Buffalo in 1845, Dr. Webster retained his residence in Rochester, Dr. Coventry his at Utica, while James Hadley's son, George, delivered the chemistry lectures from the beginning, and was soon appointed to the chair. ; The chief promoters of the college enterprise were Drs. White, Flint and Hamilton, who were ably seconded by Mr. O. H. Marshall and several other prominent citizens. Millard Fillmore, afterward president of the United States, was the first chancellor of the university, an office which he continued to fill until his death, March 8, 1874. He was suc- ceeded by Orsamus H. Marshall, and he by E. Carlton Sprague, who in turn was followed by James O. Putnam, the present incumbent, who 768 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. has been a member of the council from the outset This was the be- ginning of the first permanently successful effort to establish in Buffa- lo an educational institution above the grade of common schools. The structure occupied by the college during its first three academic years known as the First Baptist church, then stood on the corner of Seneca and Washington streets, the site of the present post-office build- ing. The first course of medical lectures opened February 24, 1847, with an attendance of sixty- six registered students, one of whom was Mr. L. G. Sellstedt, the distin- guished artist of Buffalo (still living), who took a special course. The first commencement was held at the First Presbyterian church, June 16, 1847, at which Hon. Millard Fill- more, chancellor, after a brief address conferred the degree of .doctor of medicine upon seventeen gentlemen whose names were as follows: George Abbott, M. H. Andrews, H. W. Barrett, Z. H. Blake, John P. Dudley, Sidney A. Foss, H. D. Garvin, John Hardy, James E. King, S. G. Rogers, Wells Taber, and J. A. Whiting. Of these Dr. Abbott is still living and engaged in the practice of his profession at Hamburg. The address to the graduates was delivered by the dean of the fac- ility, Prof Frank Hastings Hamilton, the exercises were interspersed with music, and closed with a benediction by the Rev. Mr. Schuyler of St. John's church. These were the first literary exercises of the kind ever witnessed in Buffalo and were attended by a large concourse of prominent citizens. FIRST BUFFALO MEDICAL COELEGE- SENECA STS. •WASHINGTON AND A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 769 At the 'second annual commencement, June 14, 1848, there were thirty-two graduates out of a total attendance of ninety-five students. In the absence of the chancellor, the vice chancellor, Dr. Thomas M. Foote, conferred the degrees, and Prof. Austin Flint delivered the address to the graduating class. Among those to receive medical de- grees on this occasion was Dr. C. C. Wyckoff, who is at present in active professional practice in Buffalo. The church structure referred to was used by the college during its first three academic years. By this time, however, the necessity pre- SECOND BUFFALO MEDICAL COLLEGE — MAIN AND VIRGINIA STREETS. sented itself for increased accommodations, which culminated in locat- ing the school in a building of its own. Public spirited citizens were invited to contribute to the enterprise through a subscription list that was circulated. This was headed by A. D. Patch en, who subscribed $500; next came Jesse Ketchum, who gave $600, the largest single donation, and then followed in their order the names of Albert H. Tracy, George W. Tiff t, Elbridge G. Spaulding and Jabez Goodell, who gave each $200. There were eighty citizens who subscribed $100 each, and the remainder was raised in sums of $60 and $40, until the aggre- 97 770 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. gate subscription reached $12,000. The State appropriated $2,000, which made a sufficient amount to justify the commencement of the new edifice. Meanwhile land was purchased at the corner of Main and and Virginia streets, a location then quite outside of the city, and the constructipn of the building was begun under the most inspiriting auspices. It was completed in season for the fourth lecture course, 1849-50, at a cost of about $15,000. It would be interesting to trace the history of the college from this time forward, but only a few of the important events can be recorded in the space allotted. It was during its fourth year that Dr. White introduced demonstra- tive or clinical midwifery into the college curriculum, a method of teaching that had already been established in Europe, but had not been attempted before in this country. Part of the plan was as follows: A woman, two weeks before confinement, entered the janitor's apart- ments where she was boarded and cared for by the janitor's wife. After labor began the graduating class, twenty-two in number, as- sembled in an adjoining room, and one by one, under the supervision of Dr. White, were admitted to the confinement room. This was all, and the woman made a rapid convalescence'; yet seldom has an event oct curred that so completely shook the foundations of society in any city as did this. Newspapers commented upon it, doctors denounced it as immoral, and a suit for libel followed. A scathing critique signed "L. " appeared in one of the daily newspapers, reflecting so intem- perately upon Dr. White's course that he promptly brought suit for libel against Dr. Horatio N. Loomis, the supposed author of the article ; for it was known that he had expressed himself verbally in opposition to this method of teaching. A trial ensued lasting four days, able counsel appeared on both sides, two stenographers' were employed by the complainant (this was before the days of court sten- ographers) and a full report was made and published to the world. Much stress had been laid by, the counsel for the defendant upon the fact that "public opinion " placed the stamp of its emphatic disapproval upon the course of Dr. White. Mr. Justice Mullett, who presided at the trial, swept all such fallacies from the jury box in a terse and able charge which reached a climax of haughty eloquence in the following ^paragraph : Public opinion has not m Christendom been deemed a very safe agent in the ad- ministration of justice since it profaned the judgment seat and insulted heaven by the cry of Crucify Him ! Crucify Him ! ! Pilate, weak and time-serving, disobeyed A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 771 the dictates of his own conscience and followed the popular outcry which he mistook for public opinion. But the sacred history of that awful tragedy informs us that the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude. Dr. Loomis was acquitted, for it was proved that another had writ- ten the libel, but Dr. White was vindicated. His name will be handed down during all time as the first in America to attempt the clinical teaching of midwifery. Dr. White continued his work as a teacher from 1846 to 1881, during which time he inaugurated many methods of improvement in his specialty, and successfully performed many difficult operations in abdominal and pelvic surgery. He was in ad- vance of his time in many respects, and left a name that will always be conspicuous for having contributed much to thej advancement of the science of medicine. He devised many ingenious instruments, and his obstetric forceps is. well known throughout the land. Since his death, which occurred September 28, 1881, Dr. Matthew D. Mann, -who was soon afterward appointed to the chair made vacanf, has continued to teach obstetrics and gynecology in the university. Dr. Frank Hastings Hamilton, who was the first teacher of surgery, held the chair until his removal to New York in 1860. During the fifteen years of his residence in Buffalo he did much original work that served to establish him among the first surgeons in the country and he was ever afterward recognized as such. He published fracture tables and introduced new methods in the treatment of fractures, which laid the foundation for his classic treatise on fractures and dislocations that has been translated into several foreign languages. After Dr. Hamilton's removal to New York, Dr. E. M. Moore, of Rochester, who had been teaching surgical pathology in the college for some years was appointed to the chair of surgery. Professor Moore was an original thinker and an attractive teacher as well as an ingen- ious surgeon. He continued to occupy this chair until 1883 when he resigned on account of advancing years. Dr. Roswell Park, of Chi- cago, was appointed to fill the vacancy thus created and has been teaching in that capacity until the present time. In 1867 the chair of special surgery was created, and Dr. Julius F. Miner was invited to fill it. It was not long before Professor Miner developed popularity as a teacher, and skill as a surgeon. He con- tinued this work until failing health in 1884 compelled him to resign. In 1851 Dr. Coventry resigned the chair of physiology, and Dr. John C. Dalton, jr., was appointed to succeed him. Dalton had been a 772 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. pupil of the great French physiologist, Bernard, and he at once insti- tuted the methods of the latter in illustrating his lectures by vivisec- tions before the class. This was the first time the method had been adopced in this country — a system of teaching which has since gained universal application. Dr. Dalton held this chair until 1858, when he went to New York and continued his work in that city. He became the author of a text-book on physiology that was almost universally adopted. He died at New York, February 12, 1889, aged sixty-four years, after having obtained most conspicuous prominence as an author and teacher of physiology. Dr. Austin Flint, one of the founders of the college, taught the prac- tice of medicine from 1846 to 1853. In the latter year he was invited to Louisville, and subsequently to New Orleans, in both of which cities' he taught internal medicine for several years. Finally he went to New York and occupied the chair of practice of medicine at the Bellevue Medical College until his death, March 13, 1886. He was a recognized authority in diseases of the chest, and reduced physical ex- ploration to an exiguity that had not been heard of before his time. His ear was so finely attuned to rhythmical sounds that he was enabled to detect minute chest rales that were not easily differentiated by others, and to give them a fixed and definite significance in the pathology of cardiac and pulmonary diseases. He was a voluminous writer, his works have been recognized everywhere as standard authority, and have in some instances come to be regarded as classics. He specially distin- guished himself in establishing the true nature of the infection of ty- phoid fever as early as 1843. A well at North Boston became poi- soned by the excreta of a typhoid patient brought from Massachusetts. Twenty-one eases occurred in families living within a few rods of the well, of whom" seven died. Dr. Flint visited the scene, diagnosticated and traced an infectious disease, then unknown in this region, from New England to that obscure hamlet, distinctly establishing its con- tagion, and pointed out its source. The published report became a classic in medical literature that will always be referred to, and it formed the basis of a series of essays afterward published by Professor Flint on the subject of typhoid fever. In 1853 Dr. Thomas F. Rochester, a native of the city that bears his name, who had lately been serving in Bellevue Hospital, was appointed professor of practice to fill the vacancy caused by Dr. Flint's removal. An incident in his life deserves to be recorded in this place. He was A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 773 one of twelve young men who entered the hospital at Bellevue as unpaid assistants. Soon afterward a fearful pestilence invaded the wards and at the close of the year seven of the little band had died while performing the duty named. They rode not down to the valley of death in a magnificent charge with banners and trumpets like the historic 600 at Balaklava, but they. went down to their pestilential battle- field just as consciously, just as heroically. No mausoleum, _no obelisk, no monumental bronze marks their resting place to perpetuate their deeds. Only upon a mural tablet at Bellevue may be read the record of this martyrdom. The facts and circumstances are recorded here as received from an intimate friend of Dr. Rochester who was familiar with the circumstances. Dr. Rochester did muchnto advance the science of medicine, and was one of the most conscientious and pro- gressive teachers in the college. He continued to perform his labors until within a few months of his death, which occurred May 24, 1887, when he was sixty-three years of age. He was succeeded by Dr. Charles G. Stockton, who still occupies the chair of medicine. Dr. Corydon L. Ford, who afterward attained conspicuous eminence as an anatomist, resigned the demonstratorship of anatomy in 1853, and Dr. Sanford B. Hunt, of Mendon, N. Y., was appointed to fill the vacancy. The following year Dr. Hunt was advanced to the professor- ship of anatomy, which he held until 1858. He was a man of science, and made anatomy an interesting subject to his pupils. Instead qf the usual dry methods of teaching, he adopted those that directed attention and fixed the memory through the novelty of surrounding it with more than ordinary interest. He resigned the chair to engage in editorial and educational work, and was elected superintendent of public schools. Dr. Sandford Eastman, an alumnus of the college, was appointed to fill the vacancy and held the chair until his death, January 8, 1874. Dr. Eastman was one of the most popular teachers in the college, one who commanded the respect alike of his colleagues and his pupils as well as the love and esteem of a large clientele that mourned his de- cease as a loss of inestimable moment. Dr. Milton. Grosvenor Potter, also an alumnus of the college, was chosen to fill the vacancy. He, too, was an interesting and forceful teacher who obtained at once the respect and love of his pupils as well as the most distinguished consideration of his colleagues. He died January 28, 1878, lamented by a large circle of friends and acquaint- ances. Dr. Charles Cary was appointed to the vacant chair. 774 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The chair of materia medica was nominally held by Professor Lee from the beginning down to 1870. The lectures, however, were de- livered during his unavoidable absence by Prof. Theophilus Mack from 1857 to I860, and by Prof. Joshua R. Lothrop from 1860 to 1864. When Dr. Lee resigned in 1870 Prof. H. N. Eastman was appointed to the chair and was succeeded in 1873 by Dr. E. V. Stoddard, of Rochester, who held until 1888, when Dr. Charles Cary was transferred from the chair of anatomy to fill the vacancy occasioned by Professor Stoddard's resignation. Professor Cary is still engaged in teaching materia medica and therapeutics at the college. Dr. John Parmenter was appointed to the chair of anatomy made vacant by Dr. Cary's transfer, a post he still occupies. The following named gentlemen have served as demonstrators of anatomy from 1846 to the present writing, viz.: Corydon L. Ford, Sanford B. Hunt, John Boardman, Benjamin L. Lemon, Hugh Van Deventer, S. W. Wetmore, M. B. Folwell and William C. Phelps. Dr. Phelps still continues as demonstrator and has also been made assistant professor of anatomy. A few years ago the college building at the corner of Main and Vir- ginia streets became unsuited to modern methods of medical teaching, as well as too limited in its capacity to accommodate the increasing attendance of students. Its anatomical rooms were inadequate; its laboratories too restricted; its amphitheaters were too small, and in short the methods of 1890 had outgrown those of 1850. Though it was a comely structure and the first building erected on the Holland Purchase for collegiate instruction since the soil on which it stands was relinquished by the Senecas, it has ceased to be occupied, is fast falling into decay, and is about to be torn down. Ground was obtained on High street in the vicinity of the General Hospital, and the construction of a new building put under way in 1892. The present college edifice was opened March 5, 1893, with public ceremonies befitting the occasion. This superb building is ad- mirably adapted to the purposes of medical instruction and it fittingly bespeaks the energy and sagacity of its projectors. The remaining part the college is to play in history concerns the immediate present and the future which' is yet to be written. We may very fittingly close this chapter by recording the names of the successors of the original seven teachers. They who are now in office are as follows: Charles Cary, professor of materia medica, A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 775 therapeutics, and clinical medicine ; Matthew D. Mann, dean, profes- sor of obstetrics and gynecology; Roswell Park, professor of the prin- ciples and practice of surgery and clinical surgery; Julius Pohlman, professor of physiology; Charles G. Stockton, professor of the prin- ciples and practice of medicine, and clinical medicine; John Parm en- ter, secretary, professor of anatomy, and adjunct professor of clinical surgery; Herbert M. Hill, professor of chemistry, toxicology, and physics. In addition to these there are seven adjunct professors, seventeen professors of special departments, and eleven instructors, besides a number of clinical instructors and student assistants. This array of teachers contrasted with the original seven indicates the progress in medical instruction during the last fifty years. As a further evidence of progress it may be mentioned that the following departments have been erected in the university since the creation of the medical de- partment in 1846, namely, the department of pharmacy, established in 1886; the department of law established in 1887; the department of dentistry established in 1892 ; and the school of pedagogy established in 1895. It is, therefore, a university in fact as well as in law. Alumni Association. — In 1871 the subject of organizing an alumni association of Buffalo Medical College was agitated and many con- ferences on the subject were held between members of the faculty and prominent alumni. An organization was finally perfected with Thomas D. Strong, '51, of Westfield, as its president. The first public meet- ing, however, was not held until February 23, 1875, in connection with the commencement exercises. An address to the alumni was delivered in the evening by Dr. William Warren Potter in St. James Hall, that stood on the site of the Iroquois Hotel, and the graduating class was addressed by Prof. James P. White. At the first banquet of the asso- ciation held at the Tifft House on the same evening, Dr. Thomas D. Strongi presided, grace was said by the Rev. G. W. Heacock, D. D., and Prof. James P. White responded to the first toast, " Our alma mater. " Meetings have been held with regularity every year since 1875, large numbers of the alumni have attended each year, and they have con- tributed to greatly increase the interest in commencement day. The part they have acted in the evening exercises and at the annual ban- quets has been a distinguishing feature of the ceremonies incident to the commencement exercises. Moreover, the alumni distinguished 776 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. themselves during the Civil war and were found on almost every battle field ministering to the wounded and otherwise performing duties as medical officers. Several of them received wounds while in the dis- charge of duty, and a number were taken prisoners. It would be interesting to speak in detail of many who have so distinguished them- selves, but a limited space prevents. It is fitting, however, that we should men- tion of one whose name and fame be- came co-extensive with the boundaries of the globe. Albert J. Myer, of the class of '51, entered the U. S. Army as as- sistant surgeon iti 1854, and soon after- ward was assigned to duty in Texas. There he devised a single hand deaf- mute alphabet. Still GENERAL ALBERT J. MYER. , ^ . . , ■, later he invented and put into practical operation a system of military signals that was adopted by the army and which contributed inestimably to the success of our armies in the late civil war. A separate bureau was created by act of Congress, and Dr. Myer was placed at the head with the rank of brigadier-general. After the war General Myer, who was gifted with a scientific mind as well as invent- ive genius, prepared a code of weather signals that has become the basis of the present system in operation throughout the world, and which gained for him the familiar title of " Old Probabilities." He A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 777 died at Buffalo, August 24, 1880, and his remains rest in a beautiful mausoleum in Forest Lawn cemetery. Medical Department Niagara University. In 1863 an academic school called the Seminary of Our Lady of Angels was established near Suspension Bridge. In 1883 this semi- nary was erected into a university by the Regents at Albany with au- thority to establish any of its colleges in Erie county. A department of medicine was thereupon organized by Niagara University which was'located in the city of Buffalo. The chief promoter of the enter- prise was Dr. John Cronyn, of Buffalo, who in connection with Bishop Ryan and the other officers of the university succeeded: in establishing the new medical school in season to begin operations in September, 1883. Its requirements for admission, instruction and graduation were that students must pass a matriculation examination in such branches as were considered necessary to fit them for the study of medicine; a course of three years' study to comprise three full lecture terms of six months each ; and a final examination by a separate board appointed by the trustees. These demands were in advance of the requirements then usually in force. The first faculty consisted of the following-named gentlemen : John Cronyn, pro- fessor of the principles and practice of medicine and clinical medicine, president ; Thomas Lothrop, professor of obstetrics, vice-president; William H. Heath, pro- fessor of descriptive and surgical anatomy; Augustus R. Davidson, professor of chemistry, pharmacy and toxicology; Henry D. Ingraham, professor of gynecology and diseases of children; Charles G. Stockton, professor of materia medica and therapeutics; Charles C. F. Gay, professor of operative surgery; William S. Tre- maine, professor of the principles and practice of surgery and clinical surgery ; Clay- ton M. Daniels, professor, of clinical surgery, physiology and microscopy; Alvin A. Hubbell, professor of ophthalmology, otology and laryngology; Hon. J. M. Cong- ,don, professor of jurisprudence. The Rt. Rev. Stephen V. Ryan, D. D., was an- nounced as chancellor of the university and John L. C. Cronyn was appointed dem- onstrator of anatomy. Of these Drs. John Cronyn, Lothrop, Ingraham and Hub- bell, still remain in their original places. Bishop Ryan, Drs. Davidson and Gay are dead; Drs. Stockton and Heath are teaching in Buffalo University; Drs. Tremaine, Daniels, Fell, John L. C. Cronyn and J. M. Congdon have resigned. Dr. C. C. F. Gay, who first occupied the chair of surgery, was dis- tinguished in his department.' He served on the surgical staff of the General Hospital, and that of the Sisters of Charity Hospital, and withal was an eminent citizen. His death occurred March 27, 1886, 778 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. In 1889 Dr. Herman Mynter was appointed to the chair of surgery, which he continues to hold. The college opened with a class of ten students. The first lectures were delivered at the Buffalo Hospital of the Sisters of Charity, and later lecture rooms were secured in the Young Men's Christian Asso- ciation building. In 1884 the present college edifice, located on Elli- cott street, between Broadway and Clinton, was constructed and made ready, for occupation about January 1, 1885. In 1891 this building was enlarged to its present proportions to meet the increasing demands for larger laboratories and ampler lecture rooms. Dr Augustus R. Davidson, who was at first professor of chemistry and to whose chair later the department of dermatology was added, died May 25, 1888, aged forty-three years. His death was a severe blow to the college and the vacancy created thereby was not easily filled. The chair of chemistry has since been divided, William H. Pitt becom- ing professor of general chemistry and physics, and John A. Miller, professor of medical chemistry and toxicology. The first commencement exercises of the college were held at Asso- ciation Hall on the evening of April 12, 1886, at which time the degree of doctor of medicine was conferred upon the following named candi- dates: E. J. Murphy, Thomas Hill. George W. T. Lewis, and Anthony Hill, Buffalo; R. B. Parks, Jamestown; George Wetherill, Toronto. The method of conferring degrees by this college is termed '' hooding," an ancient rite observed in many English universities. Briefly, it is conducted as follows: The candidates wearing their long black gowns are introduced by a graduate to the chancellor of the university in a Latin formula. Each candidate then kneels before the chancellor who holds the candidate's hand in his, and while he is being hooded ' another graduate who acts as beadle pronounces another Latin formula. The first address to the graduates was delivered by Dr. Simeon T. Clark, of Lockport, professor of medical jurisprudence, who had been appointed to the chair vice Joseph M. Congdon, resigned. Dr. Clark, a gifted and versatile man, was seized with apoplexy while in the per- formance of his professional duties, and died in the midst of a useful life, December 24, 1891. When this college was organized two years' study in medicine was among the legal requirements, but Niagara University established a 1 A hood is placed over the head of the candidate, which is immediately removed and the cer- emony is concluded. A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 779 three years' curriculum, recommending, however, a four years' course. The law requiring the medical schools of the State of New York to establish three years as the minimum course of medical study took effect September 1, 1891, and by an amendment passed March 21, 1896, a four years' collegiate study was established as the minimum re- quirement in this State to take effect January 1, 1898. In anticipa- tion thereof Niagara University placed itself on the four years basis , at the beginning of the session of 1897. The faculty has been enlarged so that it now numbers sixteen professors, with thirteen adjunct profes- sors and lecturers. The classes have an average attendance of about fifty students and the college is regarded as being- in a prosperous con- dition. # Alumni Association of" Niagara University Medical College. — An alumni association was organized in 1886 consisting of the faculty and lecturers of the college together with the graduates of that year. The officers were as follows: President, William H. Heath, Buffalo; first vice-president, R. B. Parks, Jamestown ; second vice-president, E. J. Murphy, Buffalo; secretary, George W. T. Lewis, Buffalo; treas- urer, Simeon T Clark, Lockport. Executive committee, F. S. Crego S. T. Clark, Anthony Hill, Buffalo. The first public meeting of the alumni association was held April 12, 1887, at which Dr. William H. Heath presided. Papers were read at this meeting by Drs. Stephen Smith, of New York, B. H. Daggett, H. D. Ingraham and Frank H. Potter of Buffalo. The first banquet was held at the Genesee Hotel in which the faculty, alumni and invited guests participated. The association holds its annual meetings at the college hall on the commencement day of the medical school. III. HOSPITALS. Buffalo Hospital of the Sisters of Charity. Though it had been proposed many times before to establish a hos- pital in Buffalo, plans did not materialize until 1848 when the first~ hospital in the city was opened for the reception of patients. A build- ing located on what is now known as Pearl Place made up of a group of several contiguous dwelling houses that had been occupied previ- ously as an orphan asylum, now (1898) used as a tenement, was con- verted into a hospital and placed under the management of the Sisters of Charity. It was incorporated under the laws of the State of New 780 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. York, and accommodations were provided for one hundred patients. Later an appropriation of $9,000 was made by the State. It, was pro- vided that no questions should be asked of patients when admitted touching matters of religion, and that applications for admission should be made to the medical board, the president of the Good Samaritan Society, and to the society of St. Vincent of Paul ; and further that a line from the pastor of any church of whatsoever denomination should also secure admittance. The building was made ready in 1848, and during the first six months 121 patients were received. The first medical board was constituted as follows: Frank Hastings Hamilton, attending surgeon ; Austin Flint, attending physician; and Josiah Trowbridge, consulting physician. Appreciating the importance of clinical instruction, the late Bishop Timon, a learned prelate of the Roman Catholic church, threw open the doors of the hospital for that purpose, and for a small fee the stu- dents of the medical college, then lately established, received bedside training under the supervision of an attending physician or surgeon. During the cholera epidemic of 1849 there were admitted into the in- stitution previous to September first, 136 patients suffering from this disease, fifty-two of whom died. The report of the hospital for the jear 1849, issued November 27, shows that 1,513 patients in all were admitted, of whom more than one-half were charity cases. From time to time the capacity of the hospital was increased so that finally it aggregated accommodations for 200 patients. At the end of twenty-five years, however, it had outgrown the limits of its first loca- tion, and in 1872 a site was purchased on North Main street corner of Delavan avenue, on which it was proposed to build a new and larger hospital. In June, 1875, ground was broken, in August the corner stone was laid, and on November 5, 1876, the hospital was dedicated. The cost of the building and ground was $168,368. The building is a large, substantial, four story brick structure with basement, situated upon high ground and surrounded by broad lawns. A new wing has lately been constructed, and the hospital as it now stands is a comely modern building with all the conveniences necessary for its numer- ous patients. It has its own electric plant for lighting, and is heated and ventilated according to the latest and best methods. It has large and well appointed surgical and gynecological operating rooms, both of which are specially complete in modern equipments. The total cost of the building as it now stands has been about $250,000, and it has a A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 781 capacity of 334 beds. A contagion pavilion has also been erected con- taining twenty-five or thirty beds. This was one of the first hospitals in the United States under the management of the Sisters of Charity to establish the custom of resi- dent physicians, and it was likewise the first under the Sisters' manage- ment to establish a training school for nurses. The present medical staff is composed of the several professors and teachers in Niagara University Medical College who have charge of patients according to their respective branches. Buffalo General Hospital. Meetings of several prominent citizens were bald at the office of Henry W. Rogers, collector of the port of Buffalo, on the 23d and 26th days of October, 1846, at which an association was formed for the establishment of a public hospital. Thirty-five directors were appoint- ed and officers were elected as follows : President, Josiah Trowbridge; first vice-president, Gen. H. B. Potter; second vice-president, George W. Clinton ; secretary, E. S. Baldwin ; treasurer, S. N. Cal- ender. Executive committee: R. H. Haywood, Bryant Burwell and George Jones. Dr. Frank Hastings Hamilton was appointed attending surgeon ; Dr. Austin Flint, attending physician; and Drs. Trowbridge and Burwell respectively consulting physician and consulting surgeon. It was soon announced that the building known as the Seamen's Home had been obtained for temporary use as a city hospital, but be- fore the plan fully developed the organization seems to have collapsed. Opposition was met with, and an appropriation which had been nearly obtained from the State was lost. Though the necessity for a hospital was great the next year the Buffalo Hospital of the Sisters of Charity went into operation and this met the existing emergency. The rapid growth of the city, however, soon created the necessity for another hospital ; hence in 1854 a second attempt to establish one was made. A board of fifty trustees was created with Millard Fill- more at its head. It was thought inadvisable to commence operations without a capital of $100,000, and as the money could not be raised, this project, too, was abandoned. A little later, however, a board of nine trustees was appointed consisting of Charles Clark, president; Andrew J. Rich, vice-president; William T.> Wardwell, secretary and treasurer; George S. Hazard, Bronson C. Rumsey, Roswell L. Bur- rows, Stephen C. Howell and Henry Martin. On the 21st of Novem- 782 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. ber the association was formed, and the certificate of incorporation was filed in the county clerk's office, December 13, 1855. The sum of $20,000 was subscribed by citizens and in 1857 the hospital received an appropriation from the State of $10,000 more, which sum was con- sidered sufficient to enable the association to begin operations. A building was erected on High street on a site that was considered one of the finest in the city, having 361 feet frontage on High, 450 on Goodrich and a depth of 282 feet. The west wing of the building was rapidly pushed to completion and was dedicated June 26, 1858, with appropriate ceremonies amidst an enthusiastic gathering of citizens, on which occasion an address was delivered by the Hon. James O. Putman that was full of patriotism, charity and lofty eloquence. The following-named physicians were appointed medical officers for one year dating from July 1, 1858: Attending physicians, James M. Newman, Thomas F. Rochester and C. C. Wyckoff; consulting phy- sicians, James P. White, George N. Burwell and P. H. Strong; attend- ing surgeons, Charles H. Wilcox, Sandford Eastman and Austin Flint, jr. ; consulting surgeons, Frank Hastings Hamilton, C. C. F. Gay and John Root. Dr. Walter B. Coventry was the first resident physician. A new wing was afterward erected that was dedicated October 1, 1880, bringing the capacity of the hospital to 150 beds; and soon afterward a training school for nurses was instituted that has been in successful operation ever since it was established. A nurses' home has been built upon the hospital grounds. The demands made by the large increase in growth of the city were such as to overflow the capacity of the hospital and a further enlarge- ment was therefore determined upon, which is now in process of build- ing. Through the munificent gift of $55,000 made by Mrs. George B. Gates and her three daughters, Mrs. William Hamlin, Mrs. Charles W. Pardee and Miss Elizabeth Gates, it was rendered possible to begin this work durirjg the year 1896 and it is now nearly ready for occupancy. When completed it will be one of the most substantial and beautiful hospital structures in the country. The hospital staff is largely made up of the faculty of Buffalo University Medical College, though Dr. C. C. Wyckoff and Dr. Conrad Diehl are still consulting physicians. Buffalo State Hospital. Commissioners were appointed Gov. John T. Hoffman in 1869 to lo- cate a hospital in Western New York to be devoted to the care and A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 783 treatment of the insane. The names of these commissioners were as follows: Dr. John P. Gray, Utica; Dr. James P. White, Buffalo; Dr. Thomas D. Strong, Westfield ; Dr. William B. Gould, Lockport, and Dr. Milan Baker, Warsaw. After a number of meetings and the examination of several proposed localities it was finally determined to establish the hos- pital at Buffalo, and it is appropriate to state in this connection that it was chiefly due to the efforts of Dr. James P. White and Mr. Joseph Warren that the hospital was located here. The corner stone of the institution was laid September 18, 1872, with Masonic rites in the presence of a large number of citizens. Governor Hoffman was present and took part in the ceremonies in an appropriate speech. Dr. James P. White, president of the Board of Managers, made some introductory remarks, and the Hon. James O. Putnam de- livered a formal address. The first Board of Managers was made up as follows: Dr. John P. Gray, Utica; Asher P. Nichols, Dr. James P. White, William G. Fargo, Joseph Warren and George R. Yaw, Buf- falo; Dr. William B. Gould, Lockport; Lorenzo Morris, Fredonia, and Augustus Frank, Warsaw. The erection of the administration building and the east wing was proceeded with at once, but it was not until 1880 that the hospital was made ready for the reception of patients. Dr. Judson B. Andrews, first assistant physician at the State Hospital at Utica, was appointed superintendent, and under his able management the hospital soon as- sumed a leading position among institutions for the care of the insane in this country. Work on the west wing began in 1889, and the first building was completed in 1891 ; the second building in 1895, and the three remaining buildings are now ready for occupancy. It is one of the most ornamental, extensive, and substantial structures of the kind perhaps in the world. A training school for nurses was established in 1886, this being the first public institution for the insane to establish such a school in this country. Over one hundred graduates have been sent out, many of whom are doing private nursing throughout the United States. The hospital also has a nurses' home erected upon the grounds. The medical staff is at present made up as follows: A. W. Hurd, superintendent; Henry P. Frost, first assistant ; George G. Armstrong, second assistant ; Walter H. Conley, assistant physician ; Helene Kuhlman, woman physician ; Joseph P. Betts, junior physician ; Edwin A. Bowerman, junior physician. An infirmary building began last year is well under wajr. It consists of a center building for acute cases, with two wings for the helpless 784 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. and aged class. The central building is to be completely fitted up with a chemical and a physiological laboratory and a large amphitheater for holding clinics in mental disease, which are a regular feature of med- ical instruction in our colleges. So far as known this is the first clinical amphitheater connected with a hospital for the insane. The infirmary building is finely located, facing the park, on Elmwood avenue, is to accommodate about 400 patients it is expected, and will cost in the neighborhood of $200,000. The hospital has a total capacity of about 1,200, and the aggregate cost of the entire structure is about $2,000,000. The following named persons compose the present board of managers: Daniel H. McMillan, Jessie Holland Jewett, Thomas Lothrop, Joseph P. Dudley, Esther K. • McWilliams, Buffalo; John E. Pound, Lockport; Frederick P. Hall, Jamestown. Providence Retreat. The Providence Retreat is a private institution for the care and treatment of the insane conducted by the Sisters of Charity. It was opened July 15, 1861, on North Main street near Humboldt Parkway, and now has a capacity of 175 patients. Its grounds are ample and its lawns beautiful and well kept. Dr. William Ring was the first attend- ing physician, and the physicians now in charge are Drs. Floyd S. Crego and Harry A. Wood ; consulting physicians, Drs. John Cronyn, Conrad Diehl, Thomas Lothrop, E. C. W. O'Brien, James W. Putnam and Ernest Wende; consulting surgeon, Herman Mynter; consulting gynecologist, H. D. Ingraham : consulting oculist, A. A. Hubbell. Erie County Hospital. The law regarding the State care of the insane that took effect in 1893 left vacant the commodious and substantial structure that had been used by the couniy as an insane hospital. Recognizing the de- sirability as well as the economy of using this building as a hospital for the county sick, a number of physicians under the leadership of Dr. John H. Pryor, of Buffalo, brought this subject to the notice of the Board of Supervisors. After considerable debate and delay the Erie County Hospital was finally established and a visiting and consulting staff appointed. It was organized January 1, 1894, and is situated on N^rth Main street near the city line. The capacity of the hospital is about 400 beds and its average population is 325 patients. A consump- tion hospital annex has been constructed with a capacity for eighty patients. This building is separated from the main structure, and the A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 785 theory that consumption is an infectious disease pervades the entire principles of its conduct. The Erie County Hospital has a training school for nurses, of which Miss Sarah Bond Lowe was the first superintendent. She was assisted by five graduate nurses, each ward being placed under the supervision of one of these. The. hospital staff is made up as follows: Consulting surgeons, Roswell Park, H. C. Frost, Marcel Hartwig, D. W. Harring- ton, William C. Phelps; consulting physicians, Charles G. Stockton, John Cronyn, A. T. Bull; consulting gynecologists, M. D. Mann, George T. Moseley; attending surgeons, Herbert Mickle, Eugene A. Smith, E. J. Myer, John Parmenter; attending physicians, H. C. Buswell, Delancey Rochester, G. A. Himmelsbach, Harry A. Wood, G. W. Lewis, jr., C. S. Jewett; attending gynecologists, H. D. Ingraham, M. A. Crockett, Dewitt G. Wilcox; obstetricians, Lawrence G. Hanley* E. L. Frost; ophthal- mologists, A. A. Hubbell, Elmer Starr, A. G. Bennett, F. Park Lewis; laryngol- ogists, W. S. Renner, H. J. Mulford ; dermatologist, G. W. Wende, Alfred E. Diehl ; neurologists, Floyd S. Crego, James W. Putnam, William C. Krauss ; genito-urinary surgeons, B. H. Daggett, Walter D. Greene, W. H. Heath ; orthopedic surgeon, Bern- ard Bartow ; pediatrics, Maud J. Frye, W. E. Robbins, of Hamburg; pathologists. Earl P. Lothrop and H. U. Williams. Buffalo Woman's Hospital. This hospital was established by Dr. Thomas Lothrop in May, 1886, to receive and care for women, married or single, during childbirth, or while suffering from diseases peculiar to their sex. It was first located at the corner of Seventh and Maryland streets, but in May, 1891, it was removed to its present situation, 191 Georgia street corner of Seventh, where it occupies a large and well appointed building that has been remodeled to meet the requirements of such an institution. It receives a limited number of worthy indigent women suffering from curable diseases, free of expense, provided they are unable to pay for their board and treatment. There is also a free dispensary maintained in connection with the hospital. The private rooms are suitably fur- nished and supplied with all the comforts consistent with modern sur- gical cleanliness. The pupils of Niagara University Medical College receive their ob- stetric training in this hospital. Dr. Thomas Lothrop is physician-in- chief, and Dr. C. C. Frederick is surgeon-in-chief. The consulting staff attached to the service is composed as follows : William S. Tre- maine, Herman Mynter, R. L. Banta, H. C. Buswell, William Warren Potter, Herbert Mickle, Eugene A. Smith and Walter D. Greene. 99 786 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. St. Mary's Asylum for Widows, Orphans and Infants. This institution is located at 126 Edward street, Buffalo, and is un- der the charge of ten Sisters of Charity. It was opened June 15, 1854, with accommodations in two cottages for fifteen inmates. Dr. James P. White was the first attending physician with Sister Rosalie and two other sisters in charge. It has at present accommodations for 185 per- sons. After Dr. White's term of service expired, Dr. James S. Smith took his place, and he was followed by Dr. E. A. Smith. Dr. Thomas Lothrop and Dr. C. C. Frederick are now in charge of the lying-in ward, and Dr. Earl P. Lothrop is clinical assistant. The present attending physician is Dr. Eugene A. Smith, who is assisted by Henry Osthues and B. H. Brady. St. Francis Asylum. This institution was established December 18, 1861, and is located at 337 Pine street. The founder, Mother M. Francis Bachman, with the Sisters of the Francisan Order came from Philadelphia where they had established a similar asylum. It has for its object the care of the aged poor of both sexes regardless of nationality or religious, denomi- nation. The average number of inmates from 1863 to 1867 was nine- teen ; during the past ten years the average has been 245. At present there are about three hundred inmates in the institution and the num- ber of sisters in attendance is thirty-two. The total number of Fran- ciscan Sisters is 170 who are engaged in the various institutions of the order located throughout the country. Formerly Drs. Edward Storck and Conrad Diehl were attending physicans; now Drs. Thomas Lo- throp, J. D. Flagg, William C. Krauss, and A. E. Persons constitute the attending staff. Buffalo Children's Hospital. This hospital was established in September, 1892, through the gen- erosity of Mrs. Gibson T. Williams and Miss Martha T. Williams, who purchased the property at No. 219 Bryant street, and after refit- ting it, offered it rent free to the board of managers, which is composed ,pf a group of philanthropic women. The hospital has accommodations for about fifty-two patients. The following is the present list of officers : Mrs. Lester Wheeler, president ; Mrs. George H. Lewis, first vice-president ; Mrs. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 787 William Hamlin, second vice-president ; Mrs. Henry Watson, Mrs. Bainbridge Fol- well, purveyors; Miss Martha T. Williams, treasurer; Mrs. Bernard Bartow, secre- tary. Executive committee: Mrs. E. B. Alward, Mrs. George Truscott, Mrs. S. S. Spaulding, Mrs. Henry Bull, Mrs. Nathaniel Rochester, Mrs. John L. Williams, Mrs. Dexter P. Rumsey, Mrs. Charles Pardee, Mrs. Edwin Bell, Mrs. George Parkhurst, Mrs. Edmund P. Fish, Mrs. Joseph Hunsicker, Mrs. Charles B. Wheeler. Advisory committee: George A. Lewis, Sherman S. Rogers, Henry W. Sprague, G. L. Will- iams, C. Sidney Shepard, Bernard Bartow, John Parmenter. Medical staff: Bernard Bartow, orthopedic surgeon; John Parmenter, attending surgeon; H. Y. Grant, ophthalmic and aural surgeon ; Charles S. Jones, Dewitt H. Sherman, attending physicians; W. Scott Renner, laryngologist; Loren H. Staples, assistant surgeon; H. G. Matzinger, pathologist. It has a training school for nurses in which the course is two years and there are nine nurses at present on duty. The German Hospital and Dispensary. The Buffalo German Hospital and Dispensary was organized last year. The dispensary was opened December 14, 1896, at 621 East Genesee street, with the following staff; President, Charles H. W. Auel, M. D. ; vice-president, Gustave Pohl, M. D. ; secretary, Max Breuer, M. D. ; house committee, Drs. L. Schroeter, S. Goldberg, Henry G. Bentz; general practice, Drs. E. E. Koehler, H enrv Osthues, Fr. Thoma, Julius Ullman; surgery, Drs. J. G. Meidenbauer, M. Hartwig; consulting surgeon, Dr. Herman Mynter; diseases of women, Drs. Charles H. W. Auel, Max Breuer, S. Goldberg; psychiatry and diseases of the nerves, Drs. William C. Krauss, H. G. Matzinger, William Meis- burger; diseases of children, Drs. L. Schroeter, G. Pohl, C. H. W. Auel; ophthalmology and otology, Dr. E. Blaauw; consultant, Dr. Lucien Howe; genito urinary and skin diseases, Drs. J. M. Kraus, A. Jokle, G. W. Wende; consultant, Dr. Ernest Wende. The, present number of active members is twenty-two, which may be raised to the limit of twenty-five. There are three consulting physicians and surgeons as above indicated. The aim of the dispensary is to accept none but patients absolutely too poor to pay a fee. A committee of three directors act as investi- gating committee, scrutinizing the list each week with a view to ascer- tain ^ an Y patients not entitled to charity are being treated. It is expected that this committee will communicate with the district phy- sicians of the health department, also every attending physician at the dispensary will make himself familiar with the social condition of each patient, rejecting such as are found able to pay for medical treatment. 788 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. German Deaconess's Home and Hospital. The latest hospital to be organized in this city is the German Dea- coness's Home and Hospital, situated on Kingsley street, near Hum- boldt Parkway. About three years ago the establishment of this hospital was suggested and a number of private meetings were held to consider its feasibility. After much deliberation it was decided to call a public meeting, which was held February 26, 1895, in St. Paul's German U. E. church, Ellicott street, at which plans were presented to the assem- blage. The interest manifested was such as to justify the organization of a society whose object is to further the interest of the work, and it is known as the Deaconess's Association of Buffalo. The association rented a building on Goodrich street, October 23, 1895, and the first patient was admitted November"l4, 1895. In the spring of 1896 the erection of a new and commodious building was taken into considera- tion. Plans were adopted, a site secured, and the construction of the building was commenced. It was dedicated November 21', 1896, and is now in full operation. The building consists of three distinct divisions : The central or main division is intended as a home for deaconesses and working women ; the east wing is used for hospital patients, and the west wing is occu- pied as a home for aged men and women. Each division will ac- commodate forty inmates. The hospital is admirably arranged and consists of a basement, a kindergarten or creche, a polyclinic room, apothecary's room, and an office. On the first floor are two wards for men and a small children's ward, five private rooms, a day room and a diet kitchen. On the second floor is an operating room connected with a medicine room, and a preparing room. There are also two wards, five private rooms, a day room and a diet kitchen for women patients ; on the third floor are eight rooms to be fitted up when occasion demands. The success of the enterprise is due largely to the persistent efforts of the Rev. Carl Schild who has been chosen president of the Board of Directors. The generosity of J F. Schoellkopf, esq., who gave $5,000, should be mentioned, while the medical department owes much to the activity and thoughtfulness of Dr. E. A. Smith. The management of the house is under the general supervision of a sister superior, Miss Tobschall, known to the inmates as Sister Ida. Miss Mary Barth, a graduate nurse, has been engaged as superintendent of the hospital department, and Miss Eliza Loy is to have charge of the home for the aged. The medical staff of the hospital is made up as follows: Consulting physicians, Conrad Diehl, Louis Schade, A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 789 Charles Wetzel; attending physicians, Delancey Rochester, William Gartner; at- tending surgeons, Herman Mynter, Roswell Park, E. A. Smith; gynecologist, M. D. Mann ; ophthalmologist, Edmond Blaauw; laryngologist, W. Scott Renner; derma- tologist, Alfred E. Diehl; diseases of children, Irving M. Snow; neurologists, James W. Putnam, William C. Krauss; pathologists, H. U. Williams, Earl P. Lothrop; obstetrician, H. G. Bentz; resident physician, Graft. IV. MEDICAL JOURNALS. The Buffalo Medical Journal. The desirability of establishing a medical journal in Buffalo had been agitated for some time, but definite plans were not made until the spring of 1845. A guaranty was signed by Alden S. Sprague, Austin Flint, Frank Hastings Hamilton and James P. White, protecting the publish- ers against loss, which resulted in the consummating of plans that had been languishing. It is proper to state that the guarantors were never called upon for funds, as -the Journal was self- supporting from the start. In June, 1845, the first number of the Buffalo Medical Journal was published under the editorship of Dr. Austin Flint, who was its founder and owner. It was printed by Jewett, Thomas & Co. at the office of the Commercial Advertiser and consisted of twenty standard octavo pages. It contained an introductory editorial by Dr. Flint that occu- pied two and one fourth pages ; notice of a European tour, by Frank H. Hamilton, then professor of surgery at Geneva Medical College ; cases of acute rheumatism treated by nitrate of potash in large doses, by Alden S, Sprague ; case of aortitis with autopsy and remarks, by George N. Burwell; a case of hydrophobia, reported by James P. White; a case of midwifery with twins at different stages of development, by H. N. Loomis, and the last four pages of this number were filled with para- graphs under the general heads, editorial, medical intelligence, biblio- graphical notices and miscellany. At that time Buffalo contained less than 30,000 inhabitants, and though there were about seventy physicians of all sorts and conditions, one-half of whom were regulars, there were yet no medical societies organized in the city. The journal, however, was a success from the start, owing to. the energy of the editor and his associates. The first volume contained a total of 284 pages, but the second grew to an aggregate of 758 pages, which was the standard that it maintained for many years. 790 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Mr. James N. Matthews, afterward editor and proprietor of the Buffalo Morning Express, worked as a compositor on the first numbers of the Journal, and he stated in a conversation on the subject a short time before his death that at first he experienced great difficulty in deciphering Dr. Flint's chirography, who prepared copy for the press something after the manner of Horace Greeley. The history of the Buffalo Medical Journal involves the history of the medical profession of Buffalo and vicinity for the past fifty years. In its pages are recorded the principal medical events that have occurred here during the half century of its existence, some of which are some- what startling in character, while many are given in detail. It contains the reports of clinical cases and medical and surgical items that served to make the men of those early days famous. Dr. Frank H. Hamilton published in the pages of the journal his surgical clinics and fracture tables, together with other papers that served to form the basis of his future classic treatise on fractures and dislocations, that is recognized in every country and has been translated into several tongues. Dr. James .P. White lent his powerful influence in support of the Journal from the first, and published in its columns essays and clinical reports from which spread a fame that made him known in two hemi- spheres. Every new method of procedure or new-fashioned instru- ment that came to his kdowledge was made known to his colleagues through the Journal. Dr. Flint conducted the Journal as sole editor from 1845 until 1853, when, having been invited to teach the practice of medicine at Louis- ville, Ky., he transferred it to other hands. Meanwhile a young man from Mendon, N. Y., had been contributing a series of articles to its columns under the name of " Smelfungus," that had attracted great attention on account of their rare wit, wisdom and originality. This young man was invited to become demonstrator of anatomy at the Buffalo Medical College, which circumstance made it convenient fol- ium to transfer his residence to Buffalo. Recognizing his talent and fitness for the work, Dr. Flint made haste to invite " Smelfungus" to become associated with him in the editorial conduct of the Journal. Dr. Sanford B. Hunt, "Smelfungus" no' longer, without experience in journalism, indeed with very little experience of any kind, became practically editor-in-chief with the issue of July, 1853. The wisdom of his selection was never challenged, and two years later Dr. Flint con- A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 791 veyed his entire interest in the Journal to Dr. Hunt, so in June, 1855, the latter became sole editor and proprietor. During Dr. Hunt's administration, from 1853 to 1858, the Journal enjoyed the most brilliant period in its history. Putting his whole tal- ent and energy unto the work, the editor soon made his journal famous, not only for the sparkling originality of its editorial department, but also for its journalistic esprit de corps. Dr. Hunt was a ready writer, an original thinker, and had especial aptitude for editorial work. His ideas ran faster than his pen, hence it was difficult for him to keep his thoughts in check while his pen caught up to his expressions. During the year 1855 the Journal had its first experience as a defendant in a libel suit. The circumstances leading up to this event may be thus briefly stated : Dr. John D. Hill had been expelled from the medical society of the county of Erie for a violation of its rules, and the Journal had seen fit to make fearless and independent comment thereon. Fan- cying himself injured thereby Dr. Hill brought suit for libel against the editors, Drs. Flint and Hunt. The Journal was mulcted in $500 dam- ages by a jury that the editor, from his comments at the time, evident- ly thought below the average intelligence. It is proper to state in this relation that Dr. Hill was subsequently restored to membership by a mandate of the court, and was elected president of the society in 1887, as is recorded elsewhere. In addition to his duties as editor Dr. Hunt was professor of anatomy in Buffalo Medical College and city editor of the Commercial Adver- tiser. Finally, he became editor-in-chief of the Commercial, surrendered his professorship in 1858, and also transmitted his interest in the Jour- nal to other hands. A little later he was elected superintendent of public schools, and when the war came he joined the army as surgeon of U. S. Vols. He was placed in charge of Convalescent Camp, near Alexandria, Va., in 1863, a duty which enabled him to exercise his talent as an organizer. After the war he edited a volume known as the "History of the United States Sanitary Commission," and upon completion of this task he became editor of the Newark (N. J.) Daily Advertiser. Later he purchased the Sunday edition of that newspaper which is now conducted by his son, Mr. William T. Hunt. In January, 1884, Dr. Hunt was seized with a fatal illness of which he died at Irving- ton, N. J., April 6, 1884. His ashes repose in Forest Lawn cemetery at Buffalo. From 1858 to 1860 Dr. Austin Flint, jr., was editor, but the pro- 792 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. prietorship had been transferred to Mr. A. I. Mathews, a then well- known druggist." Now came a period of disaster. The prosperity that throughout had attended the Journal seemed near its end. Mr. Mathews prostituted its advertising columns to the printing of quack advertise- ments. Thereupon the profession withdrew its support. Dr. Flint resisted the action of the druggist with all his might, but he was unable to stem the tide and the Journal ceased publication for a time. Plans soon began to be discussed among leading physicians looking to its resuscitation, but as Mr. Mathews owned a proprietorship in the name of the Journal it became inexpedient for a time to revive it. Finally, however, these difficulties were overcome, and in August, 1861, the Journal was re-established under the able editorship of Dr. Julius F. Miner, the well-known surgeon. A slight modification in name was necessary, so it was called the " Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal and Reporter." At this time the country was plunged in civil war and as a consequence there was deep commercial depression and distress, a period unfavorable for the commencement of such an enter- prise. Hence it required no little courage and energy on the part of its editor to begin the reprinting of the Journal at the time named; but the physicians of Buffalo had learned to appreciate the value of a good medical journal, all the more, perhaps, since they had been deprived of one. So, nothing daunted, the indefatigable editor issued the first edition of the new journal, which was in reality but a revival of the old magazine. The first number of the new series contained thirty-two pages, and the first volume an aggregate of 380 pages. With the beginning of the second volume the words "and Reporter" were dropped from its title and it was published under the name of the "Buffalo Medical and Surgical Journal," until August, 1895; then, with a view to simplicity, it dropped the words "and Surgical," and is now known by its original name "The Buffalo Medical Journal." For eighteen years Dr. Miner continued to publish the Journal, though he was assisted a portion of the time by Dr. Edward N. Brush as asso- ciate editor, now superintendent of the Sheppard Asylum for the In- sane at Towson, Md. During the period of the war the pages of the Journal became a historical record of the officers who entered the mil- itary service from Buffalo and vicinity. In the issue for June, 1869, may be found an account of the first application of the principles of enucleation, in the removal of ovarian and other abdominal tumors as performed by its originator, the editor, Dr. Julius F. Miner. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 793 In 1879 Dr. Miner's failing health led him to resign his editorial work into other hands. The Journal was sold to a syndicate of physi- cians composed of Thomas Lothrop, A. R. Davidson, Herman Mynter, Lucien Howe and P. W. Van Peyma. This administration began with volume 19, new series, August, 1879. The first volume pub- lished under the new management contained 556 pages which indi- cated a steady growth in its' size. With volume 22 beginning August, 1882, the names of Drs. Howe and Mynter were dropped from the editorial staff, and two years later Dr. Van Peyma retired, leaving the Journal in the hands of Drs. Lothrop and Davidson. The latter con- tinued as managing editor until his death May 25, 1888. In July, 1888, Dr. Davidson's interest in the magazine as welj as his functions as managing editor passed into the hands of Dr. William Warren Pot- ter who has continued in their exercise since that time. In 1895 a Jubilee number was published, giving a historical sketch of medical journalism and medical institutions from the establishment of the Journal in 1845. At this time the Journal was enlarged to eighty pages and otherwise made to conform to the advancements of the age. The three editors during its first series are dead, so too, are Drs. A. R. Davidson, managing editor, and F. R. Campbell and Frank Hamil- ton Potter, associate editors. Thus since the establishment of the Journal more than fifty years ago six deaths have occurred in its editorial ranks. During the lifetime of the journal nearly all the improve- ments in medicine and surgery that are valuable have bten developed and it has served as a stimulus to continued effort on the part of the medical profession of Buffalo. It prides itself on having kept pace with improvements, and so continued to display an energy worthy of professional esteem and support. Medical Press of Western New York. A medical magazine with the foregoing title was established in Buf- falo in August, 1885; at least a number of physicians met during that month and organized a stock company for the purpose of publishing and maintaining a new medical journal. The stockholders were nearly all physicians of Buffalo and the amount subscribed was understood to be about $2,000. The first number of the magazine appeared in November, 1885, and was a small octavo of fifty-two pages. It was edited by Dr. Ros- well Park, with the assistance of Dr. Matthew D. Mann, of Buffalo, Dr. 100 794 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Ely Van de Walker, of Syracuse, and Dr. W. J. Heinman, of Roches- ter. In its salutatory it somewhat boastfully appealed to the conven- tional "kind reader" of the rural districts as follows: Let it be the r&le of the large and excellent metropolitan weeklies to serve as ad- vertising for the publishing houses which control them. The Medical Press Asso- ciation of Western New York has nothing to advertise, neither man, nor clique, nor books; noting the fact that it has undertaken the publication of a first-class medical journal of the profession and for the profession, and it deems that in this fact it finds its sufficient raison d'etre. The Press continued its publication until June, 1889, when its sub- scription list and good will and effects passed into the hands of Dr. William Warren Potter, who merged it with the Buffalo Medical Journal. V. MEDICAL OFFICERS IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION. Buffalo and Erie county contributed liberally to the medical staff of the army and navy during the Civil war. Dr. Charles H. Wilcox was commissioned surgeon of the 21st Regiment May 15, 1861. He was the first physician to offer his services from Erie county, and was one of the ablest medical officers that went into the field from this region. He served until November 7, 1862, when he died of a disease contracted in the field. Dr. Joseph A. Peters, son of Hon. T. C. Peters, of Darien, Genesee county, was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 21st Regiment May 15, 1861. He was pro- moted surgeon of the 6th Regiment, N. Y. Cavalry, November 7, 1862. He retired from service before the regiment's time expired, and returned to Buffalo, where he engaged in practice. He afterward removed to the West and died at St. Louis. Lucien Damainville, a student of Prof. Frank Hastings Hamilton, was appointed assistant surgeon in the 31st N. Y. Regiment at its organization. He afterward be- came surgeon of the regiment. He died at New York city December 15, 1891. Aaron J. Steele was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 26th N. Y Regiment, and soon after the expiration of his term of service located at St. Louis, where he now resides and is engaged in teaching and practising orthopedic surgery. Charles K. Winne, son of Dr. Charles Winne, was commissioned assistant sur- geon in the U. S. army in 1861, and is now surgeon in the army performing active duty. Samuel D. Flagg was appointed assistant surgeon U. S. navy in 1861. Newton L. Bates was commissioned assistant surgeon U. S. navy in 1861, was promoted to surgeon and appointed surgeon-general August, 1897. He died at Washington, D. C, October 18, 1897. Ira C. Whitehead was appointed a surgeon in the. Revenue Cutter service in 1861 and assigned to duty on board the Vixen. • William Warren Potter was commissioned surgeon of the 49th N. Y. Regiment, September 16, 1861; surgeon of the 57th N. Y. Regiment, December 16, 1862; sur- geon-in-chief of the First Division hospital, 2d Army Corps; served with the Army of the Potomac in the field until the close of the war, when he was brevetted lieuten- A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 795 ant-colonel of U. S. Volunteers for faithful and meritorious service. He is now engaged in practice at Buffalo and is editor of the Buffalo Medical Journal. Sanford B. Hunt was appointed surgeon of U. S. Volunteers in 1862 ; was assigned to the charge of Convalescent Camp near Alexandria, Va. , in 1863 ; was an active surgeon in the field, and at the close of the war compiled a military history of the U. S. Sanitary Commission. He died April 26, 1884, and was buried at Forest Lawn, Buffalo. Albert J. Myer was commissioned assistant surgeon U. S. army in 1853; invented a code of military signals, and was placed at the head of the signal btireau with the rank of colonel in 1862; brevet-brigadier general at the end of the war; later estab- lished the weather signal service; died August 24, 1880, and his remains were in- terred at Forest Lawn, Buffalo. E. P. Gray was appointed surgeon of the 100th N. Y. Regiment but did not take the field with that command. He afterward served as surgeon of the 78th N. Y. Regiment, February 11. 1862, and was discharged from service, September 30, 1864. He died at St. Joseph, Mo., August 9, 1872. Elias L. Bissell was commissoned assistant surgeon of the 44th Regiment, August 29, 1861, and served with the regiment in the field until November 20, 1862, when he was discharged. Commissioned surgeon 22d N. Y. Regiment, December 5, 1862; mustered out with his regiment June 19, 1863. He is now engaged in medical prac- tice in Buffalo. James W. Casey was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 105th N. Y. Regiment, April 10, 1862, and was mustered out upon consolidation of the regiment, March 17, 1863. William H. Butler served first as assistant surgeon of the 16th Regiment Michigan Volunteers, and afterward acting assistant surgeon U. S. Army and assigned to duty at Armory Square Hospital, Washington, D. C, where he died February 5, 1864. Sylvester Rankin was commissioned assistant surgeon in New Mexico Vols, early in the war, but we have been unable to trace his service. Heman P. Babcock was appointed assistant surgeon U. S. navy, and after the war was obliged to reside in California on account of his health. He died at Buffalo De- cember 27, 1877. Chauncey B. Hutchins was commissioned surgeon of the 116th Regiment, Septem- ber 8, 1862, and was mustered out with his regiment June 8, 1865. Uri C. Lynde was commissioned surgeon of the 116th Regiment, September 8, 1862, and resigned October 12, 1863. Dr. Lynde is practising at Buffalo. M. E. Shaw was commissoned assistant surgeon of the 89th N. Y. Infantry December 10, 1862, and resigned October 11, 1863; appointed assistant surgeon of the 116th Regiment, March 12, 1864, and was mustered out of service with his regiment June 8, 1865. He was appointed an assist- ant surgeon U. S. Army and died October 11, 1867, on his way to join his command. William D. Murray was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 100th Regiment February 7, 1862, and discharged July 6, 1864. He located at Tonawanda where he continued to practice for many years. Frank Hastings Hamilton was commissioned surgeon of the 31st Regiment, May 25, 1861 ; was appointed surgeon U. S. Vols., September 1, 1861 ; and afterward was assigned to duty as medical director of the 4th Army Corps. After the war he taught and practised surgery in New York until his death, August, 1886. 796 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. William H. Gail in 1862 was appointed a medical cadet U. S. Army and served as such in Stanton Hospital at Washington, D. C. He was commissioned assistant surgeon in the 18th Regiment N. Y. Cavalry, February 3. 1864, and resigned Febru- ary 14, 1865. He was then appointed an acting assistant surgeon in the U. S. Army. He is now in active practice at East Aurora. Carey W. Howe was commissioned assistant surgeon of the 116th N. Y. Regiment, September, 1862, and resigned January 6, 1863. He is engaged in the practice of medicine at Buffalo. Nehemiah Osburn served in a medical capacity during the Civil war, but we have been unable to ascertain its nature. He died at Buffalo, in March, 1896. Justin G. Thompson was commissioned surgeon of the 77th Regiment, December 16, 1864, and was mustered out with his command June 27, 1865. He is now prac- tising medicine at Angola. S. S Greene served as assistant surgeon in the U. S. Navy during a portion of the war, but in 1875 located at Buffalo where he is still engaged in the practice of his profession. VI. WOMEN PHYSICIANS. The history of medical women in Buffalo and Erie county begins properly with the admission of Mary Blair Moody to the Medical De- partment of the University of Buffalo in 1874, this being one of the first medical schools to admit women. The college records give no account of any action on the part of the faculty concerning the admission of women. They were not denied the privilege by the charter, therefore it was not regarded necessary to take formal action in the matter. Following her graduation Dr. Moody practised medicine in Buffalo for several years. Subsequently she moved to New Haven, Conn., where she still pursues her profession, known far beyond her immediate circle as a woman interested in all that pertains to the advancement not only of her sex but of the race. Prior to Dr. Moody there had been but one reputable woman physi- cian in Buffalo, a Dr. Cook, who with her husband practised medicine according to the teachings of the homoeopathic school. These phy- sicians have long since moved from Buffalo, and but little can be learned of Dr. Cook's work here and nothing of her subsequent life. Dr. Moody had an immediate successor in the college halls, in the person of Mary Berkes, who matriculated in 1877. Miss Berkes was born in Williamsville in 1851, and as she had been a teacher before entering college, her preliminary education was well up to the present standard and was received at Williamsville Academy. In 1880 she A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 797 graduated from the university and immediately began the practice of her profession. During the first year she was the only woman in attendance, but she had the company of others later. She had the good fortune to be in- vited by Dr. White to attend many of his private operations in gyne- cology. In January, 1886, Dr. Berkes married Dr. S. W. Wetmore, her former preceptor. Since the Medical Department of the University of Buffalo first ad- mitted women fifty six have received its diploma, many of them with high honors. The complete list of the alumnae of the college is as follows : *Kathryn M. Bailey, Buffalo, '89, Gertrude E. Beebe, Buffalo '91; Ida C. Bender Buffalo. '90; Alice McL. Ross Bennett, Buffalo, '90, Clara E Bowen, Buffalo, '92; Marie L. Benoit, Montreal, '96; Ava M. Carroll, '88; Evangeline Carroll, Buffalo, '93; Jane Wall Carroll, Buffalo. '91 ; Martha F. Caul, Buffalo, '91 ; N. Victoria Chappell, Buf- falo. '92; Isabel A. Church, B. S., New York, '93; Salina P. Colgrove, Ph. G., Sala- manca, N. S ., '«8; Amanda M. Congdon, Cuba, N. Y., '92; *Annie B. Culver, Des Moines, la., '84; Mary I. Denton, Buffalo, '91; Mary E. Dickinson, Dansvifle, N. Y., '90; Louise Downer, Buffalo, N. Y., '86; Ella May Doyle, Buffalo, N. Y., '93; Amelia Dresser, Buffalo, '93; Alice B. Foster, (Bryn Mawr). Wakefield, Mass., '91; Maud M. Foy, St. Louis, Mo.; Jane North Frear, Buffalo, '94; Maud J. Frye, Buf- falo, '92; Anna Wadsworth Hatch, Sauk Cen., Minn., '89; Jeannette Potte' Him- melsbach, '90; Mary M. Huntley, Buffalo, '96; Elizabeth Johnson, New York, '87; Sophia B. Jones, Six Lakes, Mich., '83; Rachel J. Kemball, Buffalo, '84; Regina F. Keyes, Buffalo, '96; Elizabeth M. King, Grand Haven, Mich., '93 Ada C. Latham, Buffalo, '92; Cora Billings Lattin, Buffalo, '94; Emma C. LeFevre, Elmira, N. Y., '92; Elizabeth Fear Leffingwell, Summit, N. J., '88; Emma L. McCray, Lovell's Station, Pa., '91; Jennie L. Messerschmidt, Bath, N. Y, '93; Mary Blair-Moody, New Haven, Conn., '76; Helen Kennedy Morehouse, Buffalo, '85; Nellie Edmunds Murray, Tonawanda, N. Y., '92; Sarah H. Perry, Rochester, N. Y., '82; Lillian Craig Randall, Buffalo, '91; Marie Ross, '90; Mary E. Runner Sanford, Buffalo, '81; Sarah E. Simonet, Croghan, N. Y., '85; Mary Jane Slaight, Rochester, N. Y., '80; Ellen Roberts Spragge, Buffalo, '88; Elizabeth M. Squier, Albion, N. Y., '93 ; Isabella H. Stanley, Dunkirk, N. Y., '83; Anna M. Stuart, Elmira, N. Y, '95; Clara B. Talbot Weidman, Rockport, Me., '90; Marian A. Townley, Ithaca, N. Y., '89; Amelia Earle Trant, Buffalo, '94 ; Bina Potter- Vandenbergh, Dansville, N. Y. , '83 ; Stella Cox Venable, Geneseo, N. Y., '88; *Francis Weidman Wynds, Brooklyn, '91; Mary Berkes Wetmore, Buffalo, '80. In the spring of 1892, upon recommendation of the medical faculty, the trustees of Niagara University voted to admit women to the med- ical department of that institution. Anna Earl Hutchinson of North Evans was the first woman to avail herself of the privilege. She en- *Deceased, 798 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. tered college in the fall of 1892, graduating -therefrom in 1895. Dr. Hutchinson has been appointed as woman physician on the medical staff of the Manhattan State Hospital, New York city. Mary O'Malley, of Barkers, N. Y., graduated at Niagara University in the class of 1896. In connection with the history of medical women in Buffalo, the work of the Women's Union in securing the appointment of women physicans to State hospitals deserves mention. At the monthly meet- ing of the protective committee of the Union held in September, 1889, the president, Mrs. Harriet A Townsend, first proposed their employment in the State hospitals for the insane. On September 4, .1889, letters- were sent to fifty-seven superintendents of insane hospitals, asking whether they employed women physicians, and whether, they would approve of women physicians being put in charge of their own sex. Forty-six answers, from thirty-two different states, were received, and of these, thirty-three were favorable, five opposed, five non-committal and three not prejudiced. Armed with such approval the directors of the Union on January 7, 1890, authorized Mrs. Townsend to prepare a bill. It was presented in the Assembly by Hon. William F. Sheehan and in the Senate by Hon. John Laughlin, January 14. Although in com- mittee the bill had a stormy time, it passed the Assembly March 27, with only two negative votes and on April 6 the Senate, with a majority of twenty-six to three. April 27, 1890, the bill received the signature of the governor and became a law. The first physican to be appointed under the law was Dr. Eleanor McAllister, a graduate of Syracuse University, who was placed on the medical staff of the Buffalo State Hospital by Dr. J. B. Andrews. Owing to ill health, Dr. McAllister resigned in October, 1892, and - re- moved to Southern California where she has since resided. Dr. Helene Kuhlman succeeded Dr. McAllister, and is the present incumbent. Dr. Kuhlman was born in Hamburg, Germany, in 1869 and received her preliminary education in the schools of that city and in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1887 she came to New York and entered the Woman's Medical College of the New York Infirmary, graduating therefrom in May, 1890. She has served as resident physician or in- terne in the Nursery and Child's Hospital, Staten Island, in the Babies' Hospital at New York, and was engaged in private practice for a short time at Cleveland, O. There are now in Buffalo engaged in the active practice of medicine A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 799 between twenty and thirty women. Death has removed from the ranks some who have located here. Some have married while several follow the profession of teaching, two at least with eminent distinction, Dr. Amelia Earle Trant of the High School, and Dr, Ida C. Bender, supervisor of primary grades. Some of these women have acquired such local fame that mention of their work seems justifiable. This historical sketch, indeed, would be incomplete without something con- cerning them beyond the mere mention of their names. Electa B. Whipple, daughter of Daniel and Charlotte (Alverson) Whipple, was born at Gowanda, Cattaraugus county, N. Y., and received her early education in the common schools and the Gowanda High School. Subsequently she started upon a preparatory classical course for college in Genesee Wesleyan Seminary at Lima, N. Y., and after completing the same with honors entered Geifesee College, located at the same place. After two years spent in Genesee College she entered Syracuse University, from which she graduated in 1874, receiving the degree of A. B., and in 1877 the degree of A. M. from the same university. From the Medical College of Syracuse University she graduated in 1884, receiving the degree of M. D. and at once entered upon the practice of medicine. On May 1, 1888, she formed a copartnership with Dr. Anna Fiske Crowell, who was her classmate in the medical college ,and they then located at Buffalo, N. Y. This relation continued until the death of Dr. Crowell September 2, 1888. Since then she has continued the practice of medicine at Buffalo. She has been a contributor to the Buffalo Medical Journal and was a member of the editorial staff of the woman's edition of that journal published in June, 1896. She is a member of the Alpha Phi Society, of the Buffalo Microscopical Society, of the Physicians' League, of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, and of that of the State of New York, and a Fellow of the Buffalo Academy of Medicine. Dr. Jessie Shepard, . perhaps the leading woman of the homoeopathic school now practising in Buffalo, was born in 1861. Her mother's family was one of the pioneer families of Buffalo. She was educated at the High School, at that time known as the Central School. In 1884 she entered. the office of the late Dr. A. C. Hoxsie as a. student of medicine. In 1888 she graduated from the Boston University School of Medicine, serving during her senior term as interne (resident surgeon) of the Massa- chusetts Homeopathic Hospital. After five years of practice in Buffalo, Dr. Shep- ard spent the year 1894 in Europe, chiefly in Schauta's Clinic in Vienna in the study of gynecology and obstetrics. She is now in active practice in Buffalo. Dr. Shep- ard is assistant obstetrician to the Buffalo Homoeopathic Hospital, and a member of the American Institute of Homoeopathy, the Homoeopathic Society of the State of New York, the Western New York Homoeopathic Medical Society, and the Erie County Homoeopathic Medical Society. She is also corresponding secretary and treasurer of the Buffalo Microscopical Society. Dr. Rose Wilder was born at Akron, Erie county, N. Y., in 1857. She received a high and normal school education, and in 1881 entered the Homoeopathic College of Michigan University, graduating therefrom in 1884. She served two years as resi- dent physician in the Industrial Home for Girls at Adrian, Michigan. Dr. Wilder practised for two years in Akron,, and then entered Boston University School of 800 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Medicine for post-graduate work. In 1889 she began the practice of medicine in Buffalo where she has since been iocated. She is assistant obstetrician to the Buffalo Homoeopathic Hospital and a member of the Western New York Homoeo- pathic Medical Society and of the Erie County Homoeopathic Medical Society. Dr. Jane Wall Carroll was born at Paterson, N. J., February 20. 1848. She re- ceived her early education at Mount St. Vincent Academy on the Hudson, leaving that institution in 1864. She married Peter V. Carroll of New York, May 13, 1867, and came to Buffalo in 1878. She entered the medical department of the University of Buffalo, graduating therefrom in 1891. Following this she took post-graduate work at the Polyclinic in New York, Dr. , Carroll was one of the pioneers in the Women's Educational and Industrial Union, being for five years a vice-president and director. During the early years of her residence in Buffalo she was leading soprano in St. Joseph's cathedral. Dr. Carroll is president of the Physicians' League, a mem- ber of the Medical Society of the County of Erie, and a fellow of the Buffalo Acad- emy of Medicine. Dr. Carroll is the mother of ten children, the eldest of whom, Evangeline Carroll, graduated from the medical department of the University of Buffalo in 1893. Her eldest son. William Carroll, is a graduate of the Buffalo Law School. Her husband, Peter V. Carroll, died in April, 1896. Maud Josephine Frye, was born in Concord, Erie county, N. Y., December 31, 1866. Her early education was obtained in the district schools of her native town. In 1885 she graduated from Griffith Institute, Springville, N. Y. In the autumn of 1889 she matriculated in the medical department of the University of Buffalo, having previous to this studied medicine with Dr. W. A. McEarlane of Springville for one year. In 1892 she graduated from the university with highest honor, being the first woman to attain the distinction in this school. Until May, 1893, Dr. Frye served as interne in the Woman's Hospital in Detroit. Since that- time she has practised medicine in Buffalo. She is visiting physician to the babies' ward of the Erie County Hospital, a member of the Physicians' League, of the Erie County Medical Society, and afellow of the Buffalo Academy of Medicine, and has held the position of clinical instructor in diseases of children in the University of Buffalo. HISTORY OF THE HOMOEOPATHIC PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN ERIE COUNTY. 1 Nearly three scores years ago, among the settlers that were rapidly filling the thriving village of Buffalo, and establishing its supremacy over its progressive and prominent rival, Black Rock, was a young physician who, filled with professional enthusiasm and encouraged by the prospects of the little town, determined that here should be his future home. He brought with him a good general equipment for the responsible work in which he was about to engage, having taken his degree in the Medical Department of Yale University ; but he could not have guessed as he passed through the quiet streets of the village that 1 This section was kindly supplied by Dr. F. Park Lewis. A CENTURY OP MEDICAL HISTORY. 801 he was to be the leader in it of a system of medical practice then only just becoming known, or that the little country town was to be one of the great cities of .the world. Dr. N. H. Warner, although not the first in Buffalo to employ homoeo- pathic methods, as Dr. Stephens had preceded him by several years, was yet entitled to be considered the pioneer by reason of his long and important work here, and the prominent position which he achieved. He was a quiet, dignified man, reserved in his confidences, but true and loyal to his friends. He had a rarely magnetic presence, a quick in- sight, together with a firmness and self-reliance that gave evidence of conscious power. It was not remarkable, therefore, that he rose rapidly in the confidence and in the esteem of his fellow citizens. He already had made for himself an enviable position in the community, being at this time physician in charge of the Marine Hospital, when he became interested in the new practice which some German phy- sicians had brought from Hahnemann, who was then in the height of his fame in Paris. It soon became evident to him as his studies pro- gressed, that a great natural law had been opened up, and believing the apostolic injunction, "prove all things and hold fast that which is good," he began immediately to make application of his newly acquired knowledge. It was not until 1844, however, eight years after having settled in Buffalo, that we find in his diary, under date of February, the following note: "This day I have made my first purely homoeo- pathic prescription." And then followed a period of "storm and stress." He was expelled from the County Medical Society of which he had been a member; professional differences were engendered, with bitter controversies extending even into the personalities of life ; liberty of thought and of action were threatened, and then, with all the pain and suffering that nature seems to have designed as an in- evitable accompaniment of such fulfillments, was born in Buffalo the Homoeopathic School. The new practice was destined soon to be tried as by fire. In 1849 cholera came. Dr. Warner's practice had by this time grown to be very large, and during that fateful summer the demands upon his time and strength became too great even for his splendid constitution. His labor was almost incessant day and night, and when finally the scourge had passed, it left him exhausted and broken; but his practice was vin- dicated and the future of homoeopathy established. By this time, however, Dr. Warner was no longer obliged to defend the new faith 101 802 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. single-handed and alone. Others were led to investigate the homoeo- pathic system through the success which had followed its adoption wherever faithfully tried, and one of the earliest practitioners following Dr. Warner was Dr. George W. Lewis, who in 1849 came with the de- gree of the University of New York. Dr. Dio Lewis also established himself here, and soon became known throughout the country, through his lectures and writings on hygienic subjects. Dr. P. W. Gray also followed about this time, and then came Dr. G. H. Blanchard and Dr. S. Z. Havens, both of whom settled permanently in the. then well- grown town. In 1853 Dr. A. H. Beers, who in many respects was a most remark- able man, came to Buffalo and formed a partnership with Dr. Warner. Dr. Beers was a man liberally educated in the arts as in medicine. He was a graduate of Yale College and of the University of New York. To the culture of a gentleman he added the skill of a trained physician, and the new method of practice, which by this time had a large body of adherents among the most thoroughly representative people of the town, became still more popular. This partnership continued for two years when Dr. Beers opened a separate office. In 1853 came again an epidemic of cholera, and this time, although the number of homoeo- pathic physicians had increased, the labor which each performed was stupendous. On the 11th of May, 1856, Dr. A. S. Hinckley began his practice in Buffalo. During that same year Dr. L. M. Kenyon, of Westfield, be- came Dr. Warner's partner, and in 1859 Dr. A. R. Wright, a former student, became also an associate in the same office. During these years the Doctors Ehrmann, German physicians of unusual skill, established themselves in Buffalo, and soon had a large and loyal following. They subsequently removed to Cincinnati, where they achieved a national reputation. By this time a sufficient number of medical men had adopted the newer practice to give the movement a strength, that was not inconsid- erable and an action was taken which was of critical import in its bear- ing upon the subsequent medical history of the city. On December 14, 1859, fifteen members of the homoeopathic practice met and formed a society which was to be known henceforth as the Erie County Homoeopathic Medical Society. It had for its object "mutual benefit and the advancement of medical science in general." The first officers chosen for its management were Simon Z. Haven, A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 803 president; Charles E. Schuch, vice-president; Lorenzo M. Kenyon, secretary; Alvin Shattuch, treasurer. Censors: N. H. Warner; Charles E. Schuch, George W. Lewis, Alfred H. Beers and A. S. Hinckley. The following year, uniting with other similar societies and with representative men from other counties, the New York State Homoeo- pathic Medical Society was organized. The development of the homoeopathic practice from this time on was very rapid. In the early sixties events followed each other in quick succession. The excitement with which the war was ushered in was followed by a suspense like that between the lightning flash and the crash of thunder. Into these intervals came the liulletins from the the seat of war, with now and then a call to action. The sentiment of loyalty to the flag, which absorbed personal ambitions, and even stronger interests in the hearts of many of the bravest men in the country, did not fail to secure its recruits from the medical profession, and among those who early hastened to the front was Dr. Nehemiah Osborne. He returned with honor when the war was over, and for twenty years more continued to fight disease and death in our city, until he was himself vanquished by the last great conqueror. In 1862 Rollin R. Gregg, M. D., began his practice in Buffalo. Dr. Gregg was a man of intensely strong convictions, and one of the most consistent representatives of pure homoeopathic methods in America. He believed in the accurately selected similimum, the single remedy, and the attenuated or potentized dose. He rarely used adjuvants, and was exceedingly careful in his sanitary regulations. He had a dis- tinctive but large and representative practice, his clientele extending over the entire country, and he exercised a marked and lasting influ- ence upon the practice in Buffalo. In 1864 Dr. Augustus C. Hoxsie began practice as an associate of his former preceptor, Dr. A. R. Wright, and a few years later, having become firmly established in the esteem of the community, opened' an office for himself. He was markedly successful from the first. In a dozen years his practice had reached very large proportions, and before his death it was exceeded in extent and character by that of no other practitioner in Buffalo. Dr. Hoxsie was not a large man, but he had a remarkable personality. Quick and keen mentally, active in his motions, self-possessed and self -controlled, he gained the confidence and esteem of his patients to an unusual degree. 804 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE In 1865 Dr. T. W. Wallace, was president of the county society, and Drs. H. N. Martin, G. C. Hibbard and Lyman Bedford were among the new members. At a meeting of this organization in October, 1867, the names of Drs. Hubbard Foster, E. G. Cook and Alexander T. Bull were proposed and accepted for membership. They had come to Buffalo only a short time previous, but they soon acquired large practices and became influential in the school, as in the community, to which they belonged. The name of Dr. Henry Baethig was also added to the society records about this time, and subsequently that of Dr. George F. Foote. But from 1869 on the additions to the ranks were too numerous to allow even a bare mention of the names of those who served the cause, and we are obliged to limit ourselves so far as individual mention is concerned strictly to those who, having finished their work among us, are entitled to the distinction of having made the " history " of the Homoeopathic School in Buffalo. Those of us who are still making history, and cannot date our work back farther than a quarter of a century, will have to look to future volumes, and future chroniclers for a recognition of individual service. Among those whose claim to our space is sadly undisputed is Dr. S. N. Brayton, whose genial face and bluff hearty manner will long be remembered by those whd counted themselves fortunate as his friends or patients. Another joyous spirit whose sudden departure from among us left deep sorrow in the hearts of his brothers in the profession, was Dr. Louis A. Bull. Dr. Bull was one of the brightest and most energetic of the younger men in the school. He had chosen laryngology as his special work, and had already secured broad recognition in this depart- ment. His personal characteristics of strength, genuineness and good fellowship, no less than his professional skill, won for him a multitude of friends outside of the profession, who still mourn his earty death, which occurred in November, 1894. In October, 1895, Dr. AbbyJ. Seymour was accidentally killed. Dr. Seymour was one of the women whose work had given character to Homoeopathy in Buffalo, and her sad death was a shock to the entire community, and an occasion of deep regret. The Buffalo Homoeopathic Hospital was organized June 14, 1872, and is located at 74 Cottage street, corner Maryland. We are unable to give the names of the first medical staff, but the board of trustees A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 805 for the first year was made up as follows: Jerome Pierce, Charles C. McDonald, Benjamin H. Austin, sr., Loran L. Lewis, James Brayley, Francis H. Root, Jerome P. Fargo, John B. Griffin, Samuel V. Par- sons, Mrs. C. C. Warner, Mrs. M. A. Kenyon, Mrs. Hannah Fargo, Mrs. Anna Poole Hoxsie, Mrs. Hattie E. Gregg, Mrs. Charlotte E. Lewis. The capacity of the hospital is about sixty patients. For a few years a rented building on Washington street was used, and then the site of the present hospital property was purchased and the building upon it remodeled for hospital purposes. Later an annex was added, and an entire staff appointed, surgeons and other special- ists having by this time found their way into the newer practice. The present officers of the hospital are as follows : Board of Trustees — President, George V. Forman ; vice-president, W. H. Grat- wick ; secretary, William Y. Warren ; treasurer, Henry W. Burt ; F. C. M. Lautz, Charles F. Dunbar, Henry W. Burt, John H. Meech, W. H. Gratwick, Jewett M. Richmond, George V. Forman, Philo D. Beard, A. D. Gail, W. B. Miller. Training school for nurses — President, Dr. George R. Stearns; secretary, Mrs. Seth W. Warren ; chairman, Mrs. David Sherrill. President board of associate managers — Mrs. C. J. North. Superintendent of hospital — Mrs. Elizabeth Brainard. Super- intendent of nurses — Miss Josephine Snetsinger. The present staff is constituted as follows : Medical and Surgical Staff — President, Joseph T. Cook, M. D. ; first vice-presi- dent, Truman J. Martin, M. D. ; secretary, George T. Moseley, M. D. Consulting physicians— A. R. Wright. M. D., A. T. Bull, M. D., H. A. Foster, M. D., H. Baethig, M. D., A. M. Curtiss, M. D., John Miller, M. D., D. B. Stumpf, M. D. Attending physicians— E. P. Hussey, M. D., B. J. Maycock, M. D.. E. A. Fisher, M. D., J. T. Cook, M. D., T. G. Martin, M. D., C. S. Albertson, M. D. Attending surgeons— H. C. Frost, M. D., D. G. Wilcox, M. D., G. T. MoSeley, M. D., general; F. Park Lewis, M. D., ophthalmic; obstetricians, J. S. Halbert, M. D., G. R. Stearns, M. D. ; pathologist, A. W. Dods, M. D. ; pharmacist, P. A. McCrea, M. D. Assisting physicians— A. B. Eadie, M. D., C. L. Mosher, M. D., W. D. Young, M. D. Assisting surgeons — M. F. Linquist, M. D., M. Manges, M. D., W. H. Marcy, M. D. , H. L. Towner, M. D ; ophthalmologists, W. A. M. Hadley, M. D. , F. D. Lewis, M. D. ; obstetricians, Jessie Shepard, M. D., Rose Wilder, M. D. ; laryn- gologist, F. L. Barnum, M. D. House staff — House physician, Dr. John G. Chad- wick ; house surgeon, Dr. C. E. Seaman. A most important public work was undertaken in Erie county when the Collins Farm Hospital for the treatment of the insane was estab- lished by legislative enactment during the session of 1894. This is the second institution of this character under homoeopathic management in this State. Extensive plans have been prepared for the buildings to be erected and $100,000 was appropriated during the last session of the 806 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Legislature for this purpose. The first board of trustees consisted of William Tod Helmuth, M. D., New York city; Asa S. Couch, M. D., Ferdonia; F. J. Blackman, esq., Gowanda; Dr. Helmuth being elected president of the board. In 1890 Dr. Dewitt G. Wilcox established a private hospital on the corner of Lexington and Elmwood avenues, which was known as the Wilcox Private Hospital. Subsequently a number of other physicians became interested in it, and it was incorporated as the Lexington Heights Hospital. It is largely devoted to surgical work and is ad- mirably equipped for this purpose. The selection of a site for this institution, in a district which but a few years previous had been stubble fields and open country, is not barren of suggestiveness. The growth of the young city in its phys- ical geography was typical of a growth in other directions. There had gradually come into its mental atmosphere a new spirit. Men were not less earnest, less honest in their individual beliefs, or less tenacious of what they held to be truth, than heretofore. But a tolerance quite un- known to the previous generation began to be felt, a new respect for the opinions of others, obtained among the best men of the two schools' of practice. This was the outgrowth, the natural consequence, of a wave of scientific thought that swept over the country, relieving the tension of puritanism in religion, modifying the conservatism of art — which had as yet no initiative life in America — loosening the bonds of tra- dition in literature, opening all that vast field of varied and beautiful writing which we now own proudly as distinctly American, and broad- ening and vivifying thought in every direction. It would be hard to say who laid the first spark to the brush-heap of conventionalism. Many brave souls had tried to kindle it, but an enormous flaming torch was flashed from the Old World to this, when Charles Darwin sent across the water his doctrine of Evolution. The effect of that first illuminating thought has not yet ceased,' will never cease. People began to realize that beliefs were never too old or too firmly set to be assailed. To some the whole fabric of life seemed menaced and covered with confusion. There may still be -those who feel that the introduction of this revolutionary, investigative, scientific period into our history was an unmitigated evil. But its results were by no means merely iconoclastic. It opened men's mind clearly to the fact, too often forgotten, that Truth cannot be carried in one small box. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 807 That no one man or set of men ever had, or ever will have, all of truth, to the exclusion of all other men equally earnest in their search for the same truth, seems too axiomatic to need propounding. As a general statement it is accepted. Yet it has been the failure to realize this, in special instances, that has made possible the intolerant, aggress- ive spirit which, in one form or another, has been at the foundation of more than half of the wars and rebellions, insurrections and revolutions, that this world has tragically witnessed. It has been worth the price, then, of the mental suffering, doubt and even agnosticism which a great upheaval like that following the intro- duction of such theories as that of evolution necessarily leaves, at least temporarily, in its train, to secure for the entire country a mental at- mosphere less personal, more liberal, less dogmatic, more temperate, less concerned with individual feeling, more considerate of the aims and views of others, than that which formerly existed. It may not be-that Darwin's theory was itself responsible for these results, but it, and the scientific thought of the time, following the lines laid down by Darwin, Huxley and others, called in question many long- established beliefs, clung to as fundamental by a large proportion of thinking people, and devotedly held, even to the point of martyrdom in days not so long in the past. This compelled people to think, and to think deeply; to think beneath and beyond preconceived opinion, to think in opposition to desire, in the face of despair; until, as in all such deep experience, out of this wrestling after truth came a sympathy and a consideration for others never before felt. This, indeed, was recognized in all departments of life. Into art and literature, as well as into religious thought, it brought a spirit free, a temper reverent and a method scientific. It was not to be wondered at, then, that the new school of medicine, which, in its beginning had been hot-headed and radical, and the old school, which had been con- servative and intolerant, should have renounced to a very large degree their bitterness and ill-feeling, and should be able to work together upon any occasion calling for their co-operation in the common duties of citizenship. Such an occasion came in the spring of 1893 when the integrity of the city charter was threatened by political intrigues. This charter which had been granted to the city by the State Legislature provided, among other things, a measure of local self-government, against which a political combination was directing its efforts. The citizens rose in 808 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. revolt. The members of both county societies were called together in joint session to protest against the proposed legislation. Dr. Van Peyma was called to the chair, Dr. A. R. Wright was made vice-pres- ident, Drs. Irving Snow and B. J. Maycock were chosen secretaries. Speeches were made by members of both societies and a committee of five consisting of members from both county organizations drew up resolutions upholding the city charter, and condemning any legislative action that would nullify it. Another joint committee was appointed 'by the chair to take any further action that might be deemed necessary in connection with other societies or clubs, the whole city being moved by the instinct of self- protection to protest against interference with its vested rights. The meeting then adjourned, this being the first, meeting where physicians assembled upon a common platform without regard to school, since the separation which had occurred more than forty years before. In the fall of 1893 another noteworthy event occurred. The in- firmary department of the county almshouse had grown to very great proportions. A movement was successfully carried to take it out of the hands of a paid physician, and to place it under the charge of a large staff chosen from the leading physicians of the city. Upon this staff representatives of both methods of practice found place, and at the annual election, in evidence of the larger liberality and more generous feeling existing in the profession, the staff officers were chosen from both schools. And thus, at the end of the century, the two schools of medicine, each of which has gone on increasing in strength and in power, al- though differing in some fundamental points of practice, toil side by side, working for a common cause. It may possibly happen that the future may so add to the science of the present, may so increase our knowledge of fundamental truth, that each may with full conviction and conscious dignity join fully with the other, in method as in hand, in the beneficent mission of the healing of the people. To-day we have at least reached the point of wishing each other "God speed." CONCLUSION. In the foregoing pages it has been the aim to give a statement of facts with reference to the history of medicine in Buffalo and Erie county during the past one hundred years. It has also been the aim to deal principally with first things giving in detail the organization of A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 809 medical societies, hospitals, institutions and everything connected in a public manner with medicine. At the outset it was also found neces- sary to write somewhat elaborately of individual members of the med- ical profession since they alone in the early days constituted its guild. As a conclusion, however, it seems proper to deal with medicine in a broader aggregate showing what has been accomplished during the century now drawing to its close and in which the physicians of Erie county played an important part. Jenner had but just discovered vaccination when the history of medicine in Erie county began, and the physicians of that early day, at first slow to adopt it as a prevent- ive or amelioration of smallpox, were among the earliest champions of this discovery and some of them lived to see it put i»to general practi- cal application as well as to witness the realization of this great tri- umph of preventive medicine. Singularly enough after Jenner's discovery it was almost fifty years, i. e., not until 1846, that the next great advance was made in the field of prevention. The discovery and application of anesthesia to the prevention of pain in surgical injuries and operations produced a more profound impression upon the medical world, if possible, than did vac- cination. The first successful employment of anesthesia in surgery occurred in the Massachusetts General Hospital at Boston, October i6, 1846, a few months before the Buffalo Medical College opened its doors for instruction. The teacher of surgery, Prof. Frank Hastings Hamil- ton, began early to make use of anesthetics in his surgical work, and he played an important part in early establishing their use upon a prac- tical basis. It was not long before Prof. James P. White, Dr. George N. Burwell and others, acting on the suggestions of Sir James Y. Simpson, of Edinburgh, demonstrated the practical employment of anesthesia in the practice of obstetrics which has led to an amelioration of the pangs of maternity. In Buffalo, too, demonstrative midwifery was first practised in America, a system that provoked criticism at first but that since has been adopted everywhere as the only proper method of teaching that art. The courage displayed by Dr. White on the historical occasion referred to has served to give his name distinguished prominence in connection with the teaching of midwifery, and to make Buffalo famous as the place of its origin. The exact methods adopted by Prof. Frank Hastings Hamilton in the treatment of fractures and the perfection of measurements which he insisted upon, served to reduce resulting shortening and deformities 102 810 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. to a minimum. During the fifteen years of his residence in Buffalo and while he was teacher of surgery at Buffalo University Medical College he laid the foundation for perfected methods in the manage- ment of bone injuries. He also wrote a treatise on fractures and dislo- cations that became a text book in nearly all the medical colleges in this country and Europe and which has been translated into several foreign tongues. He was a disciple of Sir Astley Cooper and of Masoneuve, a forceful and accomplished teacher, a scholarly man, and a distinguished surgeon. He left the imprint of his teaching on the medical profession of Buffalo in a lasting manner. The clinical study of diseases of the chest was first reduced to pre- cision by Dr. Austin Flint while he was a resident of Buffalo and a teacher in the medical college. He had a musical ear, capable of de- tecting abnormal chest sounds in the minutest degree, and he was the originator of methods in the teaching and practice of internal medi- cine that attracted the attention of the professional world. Dr. Flint also discovered the fact that typhoid fever was a water-borne disease and startled the world by his announcement to that effect. He became one of the most distinguished physicians of his time and left a lasting impression on the annals of medicine. It was in Buffalo that the teaching of physiology was first in this country reduced to an exact science through vivisections and labora- tory experiments under the masterly hand of Prof. John C. Dalton. He came to Buffalo fresh from the pupilage of M. Claude Bernard, of Paris, whose methods he adopted. He attracted the attention of students of physiology everywhere and was soon invited to New York where he continued his great work in an enlarged field. Physiology at once took rank as a foremost science which will always bear the impress of the name of Dalton. The establishment of a medical college in Buffalo in 1846 has con- tributed largely to the professional development of Western New York, and especially of Buffalo and Erie county. By far the larger number of physicians of this region are its graduates, and it still flour- ishes in its new home and enlarged facilities for teaching, as one of the most respected medical colleges in the land. Its younger sister, Ni- agara University Medical College, established in 1883, took from the start a high ground with reference to medical education and increased length of college terms. It has succeeded in making its principles recognized and patterned after. These two schools are a credit to the medical profession and the age. A CENTURY OF MEDICAL HISTORY. 811 The medical societies in Buffalo and Erie county have also exerted a beneficial influence in training physicians to thought and action and in making them abler and better exponents of established medicine. We have in these pages devoted considerable space to the several medical societies, because, after all, these are the important avenues through which medicine marches to its appointed place in history. When a man becomes a frequent contributor of papers to his local medical society and is ready to take part in the debates that arise from such contri- butions, he establishes himself in the minds and hearts of his fellow citizens as a progressive physician entitled to confidence. Such papers and debates should be printed in the home medical journal, when they at once become part of the history of the medical profession of that region. During the century just closing medicine has advanced so remarka- bly that it has hardly been possible to keep pace with its strides. But it is a gratifying fact to be able to record in these pages that the guild in Buffalo and Erie county has kept the faith and stands abreast in in- telligence and science with its professional brethren in any quarter of the globe. An enumeration of some of the more prominent inventions and dis- coveries made during the closing century relating to the medical pro- fession and which have contributed to the cure of disease and the lengthening of human life, will, in this connection, not be uninterest- ing. Without attempt at chronological accuracy the first to be men- tioned is vaccination; then chloroform, next the stethoscope which has so developed and perfected the study of the most obscure maladies of the chest; the endoscope, the laryngoscope, the ophthalmoscope and the speculum, all instruments used in lighting up portions of the in- terior of the body ; the clinical thermometer which guides almost un- erringly in discerning the nature and severity of many diseases ; the sphygmograph that makes the pulse write out the story of the heart- throbs; the marvelous revelations of the microscope ; the hypodermic syringe which enables us to- treat many diseases inaccessible to therapeusis through the ordinary channels; the aspirator which aids in the diagnosis and treatment of many surgical diseases; the Esmarch bandage that permits the most important operations without the loss of blood; the development and perfection of operations in the various cavities of the body — cranial, throracic, abdominal and pelvic — for di- seased conditions, new growths or injuries; the discovery and applica- 8ia our Counts And its people. tion of the principles of asepsis and antisepsis as related to surgical and obstetrical procedures ; and the study of the germ theory of disease in connection with the science of bacteriol6gy ; increased knowledge and improved methods in public health administration and general sanita- tion, relating to the prevention of disease; the application of the prin- ciples of higher medical education as related to methods of teaching and lengthened terms of study; the separate examination by the State, apart from and independent of the colleges, for license to practice medicine; and finally the Rontgen rays and other electrical devices that are useful in the study and treatment of surgical diseases. These to- gether with a refined chemistry and perfected pharmacy are among the contributions of the nineteenth century to the glories of medicine. It is-gratifying to have lived in such a period and to be able to record the fact the medical profession of Buffalo and Erie county has not only witnessed these advances, but has taken an active part in either dis- covering, developing or perfecting many of them. , CHAPTER XXXII. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. The fact is generally recognized throughout the State that during many past years, as well as at' the present time, the newspapers of Erie county, and especially those of the city of Buffalo, as a whole, wielded a commanding influence in Western and Central New York, and rep- resented what is considered best in modern high class journalism. There have been, and now are, prominently identified with these jour- nals, both editorially and in business relations, men possessed of pecul- iar qualifications for their responsible positions, which have enabled them to exalt their profession above mere material ambition and de- sire. This fact has been demonstrated in a somewhat remarkable de- gree by the general fairness in the editorial treatment of each other by rival journals. One need not travel many hundred miles from Buffalo to find cities in which are published two", three, or more daily papers, the columns of any one of which seldem or never recognize merit and success in those of their rivals. Such recognition is a common charac- THE PRESS OP ERIE COUNTY. 813 teristic of nearly all the leading journals of Buffalo. While these news- papers hold and express diverse opinions on all important local topics; while they engage at times in severe criticism of the wisdom and mo- tives of their editorial brethren, it still remains a fact that direct com- mendation frequently follows closely upon such criticism in instances where good intent and influence beneficial to the community are ap- parent. There is another noticeable fact that deserves mention in connection with this subject. The list of newspapers started in Buffalo that have been forced to succumb to the fate that awaits, so large a part of such undertakings, is a short one in comparison with similar records in other cities. It is probably susceptible of proof that ther^ are eastern cities not much older in respect to date of settlement, and which have not passed the 100,000 mark in population, in which the number of news- papers destined to an early death exceeds that of Buffalo. It is as- sumed, from this, that the journals of Erie county have been founded with more prudence and wisdom arid conducted with greater ability than those of many other localities, or else have been more liberally supported by the community. Either of these assumptions is cred- itable. The founding'of the Buffalo Gazette by the Salisbury brothers in 1811 has been noticed in an earlier chapter. The early date of the first publication of that paper, in a village of insignificant size, on the western frontier of the State, is worthy of notice. The number of newspapers then published in the State, outside of New York and Albany, was very small. Utica had one; another was published at Manlius, Onondaga county; James D. Bemis printed the Ontario Re- pository at Canandaigua; and there was .one issued at Batavia; this nearly or quite comprises the list. Smith H. and Hezekiah A. Salis- bury learned the printing trade with Mr. Bemis, and when they em- barked in their new enterprise they added to their modest printing outfit a small stock of books and stationery, as was the custom in those days. A nearly complete file of this pioneer newspaper is preserved in the Buffalo Library. In anticipation of an attack by the British, the Salisburys moved their business to Harris Hill in December, 1813, whence it was returned to Buffalo after the close of the war. Smith H. Salisburv continued to act as editor of the Gazette until January, 1818, when he sold his interest to William A. Carpenter. The latter, on April 18, 1818, sold to Hezekiah A. Salisbury, who thus became 814 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. sole owner of the establishment; he changed the name of the paper to Niagara Patriot, which name was again changed to Buffalo Patriot at the time of the erection of Erie county in 1821. In 1826 Mr. Carpen- ter again purchased an interest in the Patriot and acted as assistant editor until 1834. The Patriot supported the" Anti-Masonic movement with great vigor during Mr. Carpenter's editorial connection with it. In the winter of 1827-28 Charles Sentell and Billings Hayward started the Western Advertiser, which was also an Anti-Mason organ during its brief existence. It was merged with the Patriot at the end of about three months. On January 7, 1834, the Patriot came out with the title, Buffalo Patriot and Commercial Advertiser. On January 1, 1835, the first number of the Daily Commercial Advertiser was issued, with H. A. Salisbury, publisher; Guy H. Salisbury, editor, and Bradford & Manchester, printers. The office was then located at 341-43 Main street, with an entrance on Ellicott Square. At the expiration of six months the daily issue was enlarged, and again at the close of the first year, at which time Mr. Manchester purchased an interest in the es- tablishment, and the firm name became Salisbury, Manchester J & Co. During the succeeding six months the paper was edited by Dr. Thomas M. Foote, excepting during a short period when Theodore C. Peters occupied the position. On the last of July, 1835, Hezekiah A. Salis- bury retired from the business; his connection with the press of the city was in every way creditable and successful ; he died March 14, 1856. Dr. Foote and Guy H. Salisbury then became associated with Mr. Man- chester and continued the publication until August, 1836, at which time Almon M. Clapp, who had established and published the Standard in Aurora up to that time, consolidated his paper with the Weekly Patriot and became one of the editors of the combined journals. A little later Mr. Manchester retired from the business and the remaining members of the firm under the style of Salisbury, Foote & Co., continued to May, 1839. At this time Mr. Salisbury and Mr. Clapp sold out to Dr. Foote and Elam R. Jewett. The latter was then publishing the Daily Journal (noticed further on), which he merged with the Commercial. The history of the Daily Journal, just mentioned, is as follows: The paper was originally established as the Niagara Journal, in July, 1815, by David M. Day; it was the second newspaper started in Erie county. 1 Mr. Manchester, in 1886, introduced the first power printing press in Buffalo; it was one of the old Adams bed and platen style. Later he used the first cylider press in the city in the office of the Pilot. Mr. Manchester died May 3, 1862. R. W. HASKINS. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 815 When this county was formed in 1821, the name of the paper was changed to Buffalo Journal. For a number of years Mr. Day was as- sisted in his editorial labor by leading politicians of his party. From about 1822 to 1826 Roswell W. Haskins was the principal editor of the paper, and greatly advanced its interests by his able and judicious course. In 1826 Oran Follett purchased an interest in the establish- ment and took the editorial chair. In 1827 Mr. Haskins purchased a share, the firm name becoming Follett & Haskins. Both of these men retired from the business in 1830, from which date to 1834 the paper was conducted by Mr. Day, when it was sold to Elijah J. Roberts, who, in the same summer, began the publication of a large daily newspaper under the title, Daily Advertiser; this survived only about six weeks. Comfort F. Butler was for a short time connected with this publication. In the early part of 1835 the Journal suspended its issue, although its career for about twenty years was successful ; its life was shortened through the founding in the previous winter of the Buffalo Whig, by David M. Day, with Roswell W. Haskins, 1 editor, whose able writing and great personal popularity drew to the' new journal a large patron- age to the embarrassment of the Journal. When the latter suspended, Mr. Day purchased its subscription list and added its title to the name of his own paper. On January ,1, 1836, Mitchenor Cadwallader and Dr. Henry R. Stagg became partners with Mr. Day, and in February following the firm began the publication of the Daily Journal, Mr. Cad- wallader and Mr. Stagg sharing in the editorial labor. In 1837 Mr. Day retired, the business was continued about another year by the re- maining partners, and in the fall of 1838 the whole establishment was purchased by Elam R. Jewett and Dr. Daniel Lee. J. B. Clarke was employed as editor of the paper. In May, 1839, the Journal was merged with the Commercial Advertiser, as before stated; 1 Roswell Willson Haskins settled in Buffalo in 1828 and established the Buffalo 'bookstore at 204 Main street. In 1827 the partnership of Day, Follett & Haskins wag formed and in the same year the store was burned, causing temporar}' suspension of the publication of the Buffalo Jour- nal. This paper was soon afterward consolidated with the Buffalo Patriot, and was the germ, of the Buffalo Commercial. Mr. Haskins was an energetic member of the board of health during the cholera scourge of 1832? was chairman of the committee which organized the Young Men's Association, now the Buffalo Library; aided materially in forming the Society of Natural Sciences, and was appointed Superintendent of Schools. Mr. Haskins published many pamphlets on scientific subjects, among them being an "Essay on Comets," "Art and Artists," "The 'Open North Polar Sea," and others. He prophesied the lighting of cities by electricity, and heating and lighting by natural gas. He wrote a circular proposing a railroad from Buffalo to Albany which was sent to all towns along the line, but it was treated with contempt, and ten years from that time a continuous line of railroad was in operation from Buffalo to Portland, Me. Mr. Has- kins served his country in a militia company in the war of 1812. His life was a useful one in many ways that cannot be mentioned here. He died in Buffalo January 15, 1870, aged 74 years. 816 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The firm now in control of the Commercial Advertiser was styled E. R. Jewett & Co., the company being Dr. Thomas M. Foote, who was the principal editor and was assisted by Dr. Lee. This arrange- ment continued fifteen years, when in 1854 the whole establishment was sold to Calvin F. S. Thomas, Solon H. Lathrop and Jedediah H. Lathrop. Theodore N. Parmalee was employed as editor. On the 4th of April, 185?, the plant and business passed again to Mr. Jewett 1 and Doctor Foote, 2 the latter acting as editor. He was succeeded in that capacity by E. Peshine Smith, and he by Prof. Ivory Chamber- lain ; the latter was a very able writer and was subsequently employed on the New York Herald, and died in that city. Dr. Sanford B. Hunt was editor of the Advertiser after Mr. Chamberlain's incumbency. Dr. Hunt subsequently became editor of the Newark (N. J.) Advertiser. On April 9, 1861, the Commercial Advertiser establishment was pur- chased by Rufus Wheeler, Joseph Candee and James D. Warren, the firm name being Rufus Wheeler & Co. ; Anson G. Chester was employed as editor for a short period. On December 8, 1862, this firm dissolved, Mr. Candee retiring, and his interest passing to Mr. Warren; at the same time James N. Matthews acquired an interest and the firm name was changed to Wheeler, Matthews & Warren. On April 29, 1865, Mr. Wheeler retired and died on the 14th of May following. Mr. Matthews now began his long and honorable career as chief editor of the paper, and the Commercial Advertiser under his administration, assisted by William E. Foster, became a power in Western New York. The firm of Matthews & Warren was dissolved October 29, 1877, from which time until his death Mr. Warren" was sole proprietor of the establish- ment. 1 Elam R. Jewett, long: and successfully associated with the press of Buffalo, was born in New Haven, Vt., December 10, 1810. He learned the printing trade at Middlebury, Vt., and after- wards was one of the publishers of the Vermont State Journal, and other eastern papers. In 1838 he made a western journey as far as Cleveland, and while there learned of the offer to sell the Daily Journal in Buffalo. He immediately proceeded to that place and purchased the estab- lishment. His subsequent connection with Erie county journalism is related in the text. ' Dr. Foote was a scholarly and powerful writer, and during his editorial connection with the Commercial Advertiser, the paper acquired an extended reputation as an influential journal. Dr. Foote was sent to Bogota as charge d'affaires in 1849, and in the next year filled the same station at the Court of Vienna. He died February 20, 1858. 1 James D. Warren was born in Bennington, Vt., and was a son of Orsamus B. Warren, who Betted in the town of Clarence, Erie county, in early years and became a successful merchant. Before James D. Warren reached his majority he made a tour of the South and finished his edu- cation with about a year and a half of study in the city of Natchez. After his return to Clarence his public life began with his election as supervisor of that town, which office he held several terms. In 1864, when he was only thirty-one years of age, he was elected treasurer of Erie JAMES D. WARREN. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 817 In February, 1868, the plant of the Commercial Advertiser was re- moved from Main street to the Adams block in Washington street and on Monday evening, September 28, of the same year, a mysterious fire started in the building and it was almost totally destroyed. Through the courtesy of the proprietors of the Express the paper was regularly issued, but as only a half sheet, until October 7. The block was at once rebuilt and the establishment continued to occupy it until April 10, 1882, when it was removed to its own new building, corner of Washington and North Division streets, where now is installed a large and modern newspaper and job printing plant of the first order. The first issue of the Buffalo Republican appeared in April, 1828, as a weekly Democratic newspaper and was the first joufnal in the county of that political complexion. William P. M. Wood was the publisher until September of that year when the establishment was purchased by S. H. Salisbury and William S. Snow. In April, 1829, Mr. Snow sold his interest to his partner. In the spring of 1830 Henry L. Ball bought the business and conducted it until early in 1831, when he sold out to Charles Faxon and James Stryker; the latter had acted as editor under Mr. Ball's administration and continued in that position until October, 1834, when Mr. Faxon purchased Mr. Stryker's interest and made Ho- ratio Gates editor. Between 1831 and 1834 Israel T. Hatch and Henry K. Smith served as political editors of the paper through different periods. In the spring of 1835 Charles Faxon purchased the Bulletin and the Star and consolidated them with the Republican, making the latter the weekly issue and the Star the daily. The Buffalo Bulletin (just mentioned) was started in the spring of 1830 by Hoi ace Steele; the paper was devoted to the interests of a workingmen's party, which was one of the new factors in the political field at that period and was running Isaac S. Smith for governor. That party was short lived and the Bulletin then espoused Democracy. In the early part of 1831 it was purchased by James Faxon, who employed Mason Brayman as county, and held that office three years. He also served as clerk of the Board of Supervisor^ several terms. In April, 1861, he joined with Rufus Wheeler and Joseph Candee in the purchase of the publishing establishment of which he was long the head. Mr. Warren was a steadfast and earnest Republican, and wielded a large influence in directing the politics of Western New York; he frequently served as a member of the Republican county committee and the State cen- ' tral committee, and also as delegate to State and national nominating conventions. He was possessed of abounding public spirit, and his personal efforts as well as the influence of his paper were freely drawn upon for the good of Buffalo and Erie county in all public affairs. Mr. War- ren's death took place December 17, 1886. At his death on December 17, 1886, the ownership and control of the paper and plant passed to his sons. Orsamus G. and James D., under the firm name of James D. Warren's Sons. 103 #18 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. editor. In July of that year Mr. Faxon issued the first number' of the first daily newspaper in Erie county and named it the Daily Star. He announced it as neutral in politics, but previous to the November elec- tion began the support of the Democratic candidates. The establish- ment and the two papers were sold to Charles Faxon in 1835, as before stated. In August, 1838, Horatio Gates was succeeded by William L. Cran- dall as editor of the Republican and the Star. In December of that year the establishment was burned and the publications were suspended until February, 1839, when they were revived by Quartus Graves, Mr. Gates resuming his editorial position, assisted for a time by J. W. Dwi- nell. Mr. Gates was succeeded in April, 1840, - by Stephen Albro, whose assistant for a few months was J. C. Bunner. Just a year later Samuel Caldwell succeeded Mr. Albro, but occupied the position only a few weeks, when Mr. Bunner took editorial charge and contin- ued to January, 1842. At that time Mr. Graves sold the establishment to Theodotus Burwell, who changed the name of the paper to the Mer- cantile Courier and Democratic Economist, and gave the editorial chair to Henry White. On October 1, 1842, Joseph Stringham purchased the establishment and shortened the title of the paper to Mercantile Courier, editing the journal in person. On July 1, 1846, the Daily Na- tional Pilot, a newspaper which was the legitimate successor of the Daily Gazette (started in August, 1842, by Charles Faxon, 2d), was consolidated with the Courier. A few weeks later the Old School Jeff er- sonian, a weekly paper started to support President Tyler's adminis- tration, was issued from the same establishment. In February, 1843, these two papers were discontinued and the publication of the Gazette was begun in the same office by H. A. Salisbury, B. A. Manchester and James O. Brayman. The Gazette was continued two years, when Mr. Manchester and Mr. Brayman started the National Pilot, daily and weekly; R. W. Haskins was associated with Mr. Brayman in the edit- orial work. The purpose of the Pilot was to foster the national spirit among Americans and render them "freer from English influence in their literature, their science, their political economy, and their views of the political and social condition of the world at large. " In April, •1846, Mr. Haskins retired as editor of the Pilot and it was at the same time merged with the Courier, as before stated, Messrs. Manchester and Brayman acquiring their interest in the establishment simulta- neously with the other changes. This arrangement continued to No- THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 819: vember, 1846, when Joseph Stringham sold out to his partners and Guy H. Salisbury was associated with Mr. Brayman in the editorial conduct of the paper; at the same time weekly and tri-weekly editions were published. In 1849 W. A. Seaver purchased the establishment' and became both publisher and editor. At that time the office was in Spaulding's Exchange. In 1852 it was removed to West Seneca street,, and in 185,7 James H. Sanford acquired an interest in the business and assumed a part of the editorial labor ; at about that period the office was removed to No. 192 Washington street. In 1858 Joseph Warren 1 began his career in journalism in Buffalo in connection with the Courier, which continued for more than eighteen years and gave him a conspicuous position among the newspaper workers of the coun- try. In the early part of his connection with the paper he assisted the editor, but soon assumed the chief editorial control and maintained that position until his death in 1876. In 1860 the firm became Sanford, Warren & Harroun, through the purchaase of Mr. Seaver's interest by Gilbert K. Harroun. Soon after- ward the firm of Joseph Warren & Co. was formed, the members of which were Joseph Warren, Milo Stevens, William C. Horan and David Gray. On the 1st of January, 1869, the firms of Joseph Warren & Co. and Howard & Johnson were consolidated and the proprietors formed a joint stock company with the title of the Courier Company. The di- rectors for the first year were Joseph Warren, Ethan H. Howard, James M. Johnson, William C. Horan and Milo Stevens ; Joseph War- ren, president ; James M. Johnson, vice-president ; Ethan H. Howard, treasurer ; Milo Stevens, secretary. At that time the company was publishing the Daily Courier, the Evening Courier and Republic, and the Weekly Courier. The business of the establishment was conducted under the firm name of Warren, Johnson & Co., until March, 1875, when it was transferred to the Courier Company. About the 1 same 1 Joseph Warren was born in Waterbury, Vt., July 24, 1829. He graduated from the Vermont University as Bachelor of Arts in 1851, and three years later received from his alma mater the degree of M. A. He was employed for a time on the Country Gentleman and Cultivator in Albany, where his natural qualifications for editorial work were soon demonstrated. He arrived in Buffalo in October, 1854, to accept the position of local editor on the Courier, and at. once made his department attractive, reliable and popular. In 1857 he was elected superintendent of schools. In 1858 he associated himself with Gilbert K. Harroun in the purchase of the Courier. After the death of Dean Richmond in August, 1866, the leadership of the Erie county Democracy devolved by general consent upon Mr. Warren, and he was made member-at-large of the Demo- cratic State Central Committee, and for ten years previous to his death he was the reGognized leader of that party in Western New York. For six successive years he was chosen president of the State Associated Press and held other positions of responsibility. His death took place Sep- tember 30, 1876. 820 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. time William G. Fargo was made vice-president, and Charles W. Mc- Cune, treasurer, Mr. Warren remaining president. On the 4th of Oc- tober, 1876, Mr. Fargo was elected president of the company to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Mr. Warren. On March 3, 1880, Mr. McCune 1 was elected president, which position he held until he died, George B. Bleistein acting as secretary. Upon the death of Mr. Mc- Cune Mr. Bleistein was chosen president, and continued in that office until May 6, 1897, when the Courier was absorbed by the Buffalo En- quirer and consolidated with the Record, which was the morning edi- tion of that Journal under the title, Buffalo Courier- Record. The Re- public before mentioned, was started in 1842, with Quartus Graves, publisher. In 1848 Benjamin C. Welch became its editor and the es- tablishment passed to possession of E. A. Maynard & Co. Mr. May- nard became sole publisher in 1851, Mr. Bristol acquiring a proprietary interest and taking Mr. Welch's position as editor. About 1856 Henry W. Faxon, a writer of ability, accepted the city editorship and re- mained until 1860. The late Thomas Kean began contributing to the Republic in 1859 and soon afterward took a position as editorial writer and critic. The Republic finally passed to control of the Courier Com- pany, as before stated, and was continued as a cheap evening paper. David Gray entered the employ of the Courier as a reporter in 1860, was promoted to the city editorship soon afterward, and in the fall of 1861 was advanced to the associate editorship. Upon the death of Mr. Warren in 1876, Mr. Gray, who had been managing editor for some years, assumed the position of editor-in-chief, which responsible position he filled with marked ability until failing health forced him to resign in the fall of 1882. He was succeeded by Joseph O'Connor, who had been connected with the Courier since 1880. On the morning of January 15, 1845, A. M. Clapp & Co. began the publication of the Buffalo Morning Express. The firm was composed 'Charles W. McCune was born in Brattleboro, Vt., September 1, 1832, and received an aca- demic education. After a few years of employment in country stores, he was engaged in the great establishment of A. T. Stewart & Co. in New York city, where he remained thirteen years and acquired a thorough business training. In September, 1860, he engaged with the importing firm of Morton, Grinnell & Co., and four months later was admitted to the partnership. January 1, 1864, the firm of McCune, Scott & Cooper succeeded the business of L. P. Morton & Co. Mr. McCune retired from the business in 1867, and during a European visit was induced to settle in TJuffalo. On the 1st of December, 1874, he entered the Courier office as manager, and a month later was elected secretary and treasurer of the company. He was first elected president in March, 1880. His exceptional business talent and remarkable energy gave the Courier estab- lishment a marked impetus and laid the foundations for the great printing and publishing house of later years. THE PRESS OP ERIE COUNTY. 821 of Almon M. Clapp and Rufus Wheeler; James McKay was associated with Mr. Clapp in the editorial labor. Daily, weekly and tri-weekly editions were issued from the first. Down to the year 1866 the paper, although ably conducted and well received by the public, had not proved a very successful financial venture. In that year the Express Printing Company was formed, composed of A. M. Clapp, H. H. Clapp, J. N. Lamed, G. H. Selkirk, and Thomas Kennett; these men were equal shareholders in the establishment. In announcing this change the previous history of the business was thus described in an editorial: The first number of the Express was issued on the 15th of January, 1846 — its his- tory passing through a period of more than 20 years. The original proprietors of the Express establishment were A. M. Clapp and Rufus Wheejer — the writer of this article having penned its prospectus and provided the first manuscript for its col- umns, though James McKay, esq., furnished its editorials. Subsequently William E. Robinson, esq., was connected with the conduct of the editorial department, Mr. Clapp and Mr. Wheeler devoting themselves to the general management of their business. In 1848 John M. Campbell purchased an interest in the Express, but was forced by failing health to retire after a few months. T. N. Parmalee, esq. , sue? ceeded Mr. Robinson as editor-in-chief, which position he occupied with marked ability until 1851, when Hon. Seth C. Hawley became interested in the establishment and took the editorial management of the paper for about a year, when he retired and Mr. Clapp became editor-in-chief, which he has filled until the present hour. In the meantime Major Anson G. Chester, George W. Haskins, David Wentworth, J. N. Larned, Charles Stow and J. Flay have been in charge of the local and miscel- laneous departments of the paper, and during 1853 R. W. Haskins, esq., was editor- in-chief, while Mr. Clapp represented his district in the State legislature. In 1860 Mr. Larned assumed the duties of associate political editor, a position which he has filled with proverbial fidelity and ability down to the present moment ; and we are constrained by a simple sense of justice to remark here that the later character and success of the Express in its editorial conduct, are in a great degree attributable to the sterling ability and untiring industry of this gentleman. In 1860 Dr. S. B, Hunt became connected with the editorial management of the Express, a position which he filled until he took the field in the service of the United States against re- bellion. On the retirement of Mr. Wheeler in I860; H. H. Clapp, who has been en- gaged in the establishment since 1848, in various capacities, became one of the proprietors and has since been identified with its business management. In 1866 the office of the Express was located in Swan street, No. 14. In the year 1869 Samuel L. Clemens (Mark Twain) purchased the in- terest of Thomas Kennett in the Express. His connection with the paper continued only a short time, his peculiar ability not lying in the direction of routine newspaper work. In the spring of 1869 A. M. Clapp and H. H. Clapp sold their interests to the remaining partners, the senior Mr. Clapp having been appointed public printer. In the same year the 822 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Express was made the official paper of the city and about the same time the tri-weekly edition was suspended and an evening edition called, for a time, the Bee and Evening Express, was issued. This was continued about five years. Early in 1872 the firm of Matthews & Warren, proprietors of the Commercial Advertiser, purchased something more than two-thirds of the shares of the Express Printing Company and James N, Matthews was chosen president of the company; J. D. Warren, vice-president; and Geprge H. Selkirk, treasurer. Matthews & Warren sold their shares and retired from the establishment in the fall of 1873, and the majority interest passed to control of a number of leading Republican politicians. In April, 1877, the establishment passed into possession of George H. Selkirk and a few associates. Nine months later, on the 7th of January, 1878, the paper was first issued under the ownership and control of James N. Matthews, who continued such until his death. The establishment was at the same time removed from Swan street to the Washington block on Washington street, then owned by Mr. Matthews, and still occupied by the business. Mr. Matthews was a native of England and came to America in 1846, when he was seven- teen years of age; he soon afterwards became a resident of Buffalo. He was a practical printer, a master of his business in ever}* detail, and became one of the foremost journalists of the State. By his un- flagging industry, his thorough business ability, and above all, by his editorial talents, he created and conducted many years the great ,and successful Express printing and publishing establishment. Mr. Mat- thews was a Republican in politics, but aimed to make the Express in- dependent, leaving him untrammeled in his editorial utterances. As a citizen of Buffalo Mr. Matthews was universally respected. Upon his death in December, 1888, the control of the Express passed to his son, George E. Matthews. The Sunday Express was first issued November 20, 1883, and the illustrated edition on January 3, 1886. After the failure of several attempts to establish a Sunday newsapaper in Buffalo, the Sunday Morning News was founded in 1873 by Edward H. Butler. It was successful from the beginning, meeting with especial favor from the middle class of readers, in whose interests it w^s ever ready to speak. The paper was twice enlarged before 1876, at which time it had attained a circulation exceeding that of all other Buffalo papers. In its editorial conduct it acquired considerable power in politics and soon gained the respect even of. its enemies, . In JAMES N. MATTHEWS. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 823 1880, on the 1 1th of October, Mr. Butler carried out his cherished plan of starting a one cent daily in Buffalo, with the title. Evening News. Two editions were issued at first, which number was subsequently in- creased to four. The paper was made independent in politics, but has always leaned toward Republicanism, and it has been prominently in- strumental in the election of many candidates for high office from both parties. Mr. Butler ' has remained alone in the ownership and control of his establishment from the first and has the satisfaction of having created two of the leading journals of Western New York. From the profits of his business he has been able to erect one of the finest pub- lishing houses in the State on Main street, which was occupied early in 1897. The Evening Telegraph was founded October 30, 1880, as an inde- pendent daily paper, by the Telegraph Publishing Company. M. J. Dee was the first managing editor, and was succeeded by Henry Little and he by Henry A. Griffin. On May 1, 1883, John A. Creswell took the position. The Telegraph was absorbed by the Evening News in August, 1885. The Buffalo Sunday Times was founded September 7, 1879, by Nor- man E. Mack, a who has been its owner and publisher ever since. The Buffalo Daily Times was issued by Mr. Mack on September 13, 1883, as a morning paper, and was changed to an afternoon penny paper November 2, 1887. Since October, 1884, the Times has been Demo- cratic in politics, and under Mr. Mack's skillful editorial guidance and his exceptional business ability, has taken its place among the foremost newspapers of the State. The Buffalo Enquirer was established on April 7, 1891. Its first chief editor was Leslie Thom, now deceased. About a year later Charles F. Kingsley was given the editorial chair. Mr. Held owned and pub- lished the paper until the spring of 1895, when he sold it to Charles F. 1 Edward Hubert Butler was born in Le Roy, N. Y., September 5, 18S0. After acquiring a good education he learned the printing trade and before reaching his majority he went to Scran-- ton, where he served as city editor of the Daily Times. In 1873 he settled in Buffalo and estab- lished the Sunday News. In 1879 he founded the Bradford Sunday News, which he sold in 1888. As a business man and journalist Mr. Butler has made a most successful record. 2 Norman E. Mack was born in West Williams, Ont., in 1856. Going west he started the Sat- urday Advertiser in Detroit while still a youth. Selling out that paper about a year later, he settled in Buffalo, where he has since resided. In 1878 he started the Jamestown Gazette, which he successfully conducted two years and sold it out. It again came into his possession in 1883 for a short period. Since he founded the Times Mr. Mack has has become conspicuous in the Dem- ocratic political field, in which he is a leader in Western New York and prominent throughout the State. 824 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Kingsley, George Rhebaum, and Mrs. Caroline Held. On the 26th of December, 1895, William J. Conners 1 purchased ' the entire establish- ment and installed Joseph O'Connor as editor-in-chief, with an able corps of assistants. In September, 1 896, new and commodious offices were occupied on Main street, where a complete modern plant is in- stalled. On January 1, 1897, Samuel G. Blythe was made editor-in- chief. Under the vigorous business direction of Mr. Conners the En- quirer has made rapid advancement. On the 16th of December, 1896, a morning edition of the paper was started with the title, Morning En- quirer. Being then the only one cent morning newspaper in Buffalo, it became very popular. In March, 1897, the name of this edition was changed to the Buffalo Record. On May 6, 1897, Mr. Conners purchased the Buffalo Courier and consolidated it with the Record, with the title, Buffalo Courier- Record, changed to Buffalo Courier, January 1, 1898. Charles E. Smith is managing editor. These papers are Democratic in politics. The Buffalo Christian Advocate was established as a Methodist weekly paper January 1, 1850, by John E. Robie. It subsequently had various editors and managers, chief among whom was C. A. Brosart. In 1885 it passed into the possession of Samuel McGerald, who, in Oc- 1 William James Conners, proprietor of the Buffalo Courier and the Buffalo Enquirer, was born in Buffalo, N. Y., January 3, 1857, attended the public schools and at the age of thirteen be- gan active life on the lakes, sailing between Buffalo and Duluth. In the spring of 1885 he made a contract with Washington Bullard, of Buffalo, for handling all the freight in Buffalo of the Union Steamboat Company. Other lake carriers soon made similar contracts with him and before long he had a virtual monopoly of the business in Buffalo and other ports, and^by making himself the sole responsible head rapidly gained the confidence of both his workmen and the carriers. Sys- tematizing the business by organizing its various branches he conducted it with machine-like smoothness, and now has contracts for loading and unloading at Buffalo, Chicago, Milwaukee and Gladstone, Mich., all vessels belonging to the Union Steamboat, Western Transit, Lacka- wanna, Lehigh Valley, Northern Steamship. Union Transit, and " Soo " Lines. Employing about 3,000 men, he is the largest contractor in the world in this business, and has never had to face a strike on the part of his laborers. Mr. Conners became president of the Buffalo Vulcanite Asphalt Paving Company and successfully conducted its business for several years. In 1890 he was the principal owner of the Roos (now Iroquois) brewery, which he carried on about one year. He became president of ths Magnus Beck Brewing Company in 1895, is interested in the Union Transit line of steamers plying between Buffalo and Duluth, and is a large owner of real estate, having successfully developed property in South Buffalo. On December 23, 1895, he pur- chased a controlling interest in the Buffalo Enquirer and has since been president of the com- pany; in 1896 he made this one of the best newspaper plants in the State, and has since added to it until it now has few superiors in the country. In 1896 he also launched the yacht Enquirer, one of the fastest fresh water boats in the world. A little later he established the Buffalo Rec- ord, a morning newspaper, and on May 10, 1897, purchased the Buffalo Courier and consolidated it^vith the Record under the name of the Courier-Record, on January 1, 1898, this name was changed to the Buffalo Courier. Mr. Conners is a man of unusual energy and enterprise, and is widely respected for his courage, executive ability and progressive qualities. In November, 1881, he married Catherine Mahany, of Buffalo. He was married, second, August 2, 1893, to Mary A. Jordan, of West Seneca, Erie county. THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 825 tober, 1896, organized the McGerald Publishing Company. In March, 1895, the name was changed to the Christian Uplook. The Buffalo Catholic Publication Company was organized March 15, 1872, with Rt. Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, president, and on the 25th of April issued the first number of the Catholic Union, the editor being J. Edmund Burke; on April 1, 1873, he was succeeded by Rev. Patrick Cronin, LL. D., who has ever since had editorial charge of the paper. On August 15, 1872, the company was legally incorporated, and since June 1, 1875, has occupied quarters in St. Stephen's Hall, at the junc- tion of Swan and Franklin streets. On October 27, 1881, the Catholic Times of Rochester was consolidated with the Catholic Union of Buf- falo, and the paper has since been published under the title of the Catholic Union and Times. This religious journal has been ably con- ducted, and wields a powerful influence among the Roman Catholic population of Western New York. A store dealing in books and church goods has long been carried on in connection with the paper. The International Gazette is a successful journal, published at Black Rock, which was started in 1885.' Besides the foregoing well known journals, there are published in Buffalo twelve German papers of all kinds, which are sufficiently no- ticed in Chapter XXVIII. There are also two Polish papers which serve the interests of that nationality. Thirteen strictly trade jour- nals are published in the city, some of which have had long and pros- perous careers. There are also a number of minor church journals and papers devoted to various secret and benevolent societies. It is probably impossible, as well as of little profit, to attempt to compile a list of all newspapers and magazines that have been started in Buffalo, only to pass out of existence within longer or shorter periods. The following list embraces most of these journalistic ven- tures, with such data as can be found regarding them : The Daily Transcript, started in 1877 by the McKillop Commercial Agency ; it was devoted almost wholly to business interests and legal affairs. Sunday Truth, established in August, 1882. Daily Queen City, started in 1850 by George J. Bryan, changed to the Evening Post in 1853, and again changed to the Queen City in- 1878. The Bulletin, started in December, 1882, by the Naturalists' Field Club. Buffalo Emporium, started in September, 1824, by John A. Lazell and Simeon Francis. The Transcript, first issued in August, 1835, by Henry Faxon; died in six months. In the same year the Daily Whig and the 104 826 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Daily Enquirer were launched, but lived only a few weeks. The Loco-foco, published a few weeks in 1835-36. The Buffalonian, pub- lished as a weekly and as a daily in 1835-37. In the fall of the follow- ing year Thomas L. Nichols started an opposition sheet called the Mercury; the two were soon afterward consolidated and published until the spring of 1840. The Sun, a small daily and weekly, was published from 1839 to 1860. The Buffalo Sentinel, started in the spring of 1840 by C. F. S. Thomas and Thomas Newell; lived six months. The Morning Tattler, started in 1840 by Langdon, Fouchette & Shaefer, as a daily; John S. Walker published it during the last few months of its existence, calling it the Morning Times. The Phalanx, issued first in 1840, daily and weekly; devoted to Fourierism and lived six weeks. The Buffalo American, started early in 1842, in the inter- est of the working classes ; lived about a year. The Wool Grower and Monthly Review, published first in 1847 by Jewett, Thomas & Co. The Youth's Casket, monthly, started in 1853 by Beadle & Brother; expired about 1860. The Literary Enquirer, started January 1, 1833, by William Verrinder; removed to Fredonia two years later. The Bethel Flag, published by the Bethel Society from 1836 to about 1845, when it was removed to New York. The Literary Messenger, started in July, 1841, by John S. Chadbourne; suspended in 1857. The Gos- pel Advocate, started in 1822, by Rev. Thomas Cross, in support of Universalism; removed to Auburn in 1828. The Gospel Banner, pub- lished in 1832-33, -by Benjamin Clark. The Buffalo Herald, Presby- terian, two numbers only, issued. The Buffalo Spectator, another Presbyterian organ, published by T. & M. Butler about two years from 1836. The Western Evangelist, weekly, started in 1846 and issued for a short time; when it suspended L. S. Everett and Stephen Hall, the publishers, issued the Ambassador, which continued to 1849. In 1841 Rev. John C. Lord issued the Western Presbyterian, which suspended at the end of a year. The Earnest Christian and Golden Rule was started in 1863, with B. T. Roberts, publisher; it lived one year. The Sunday School Standard, started in 1866 by J. E. Gilbert; lived two years. The Western New York Catholic Weekly was started in 1864, by D. M. Enright, and lived three years. The Live Stock Journal was established in 1871 by H. C. Springer & Co., and con- tinued until 1876. The Buffalo Sentinel was started in 1855 by Michael Hagan; it suspended in 1865. The City News and Weekly Price Cur- rent was issued about one year in 1867-68, by the Express Printing THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 827 Company. The Herald of Truth, Excelsior, the Journal and Railway- Gazette, Horner's Railway and Business Guide, and the Ladies' Friend were ephemeral publications by W. T. Horner between 1862 and 1875. The School Journal was started in 1877 by Alexander Gordon and de- voted to school interests; suspended in 1879. The Magazine of Poetry was started by Charles Wells Moulton in 1889, and was sold to eastern parties about six years later. The first temperance organ in the city was the Young Men's Tem- perance Herald, published in 1835 and lived about a year. In 1845 the Western Cataract was issued by Lyman P. Judson, devoted to temper- ance. The Temperance Standard was published about a year in 1842, by H. A. Salisbury and A. M. Clapp. Of Sunday newspapers quite a number have been started only to pass out of existence in a short time. The first Sunday paper in the city was the Sunday Bulletin, issued by W. F. Rogers for about a year in 1850-51. The Sunday Transcript was started in 1874 by the George Brothers & Co. ; it lived about a year. J. B. Adams began the pub- lication of the Sunday Independent Leader in 1876, which was sus- pended in less than two years. In 1877 the same publisher issued the Sunday Morning Herald for about a year. The Sunday Morning Call was started May 8, 1879, by William R. Lester, but it followed its pred- ecessors in less than a year. Besides the foregoing long list of newspaper ventures which were short lived, there are a number to add, none of which survived more than two years, and most of which suspended in a year or less ; they are as follows: The Friend of Youth, 1839; the Buffalo Garland, 1840; Bannister's Life in Buffalo, 1841; the Impetus, 1845; the Philanthro- pist, 1837-8; the School Reader, 1842; the Daily Ledger, 1852; Rough Notes, 1852; the United States Mail Monthly, 1852; the- Pathfinder, 1852; the American Celt and Catholic Citizen, 1853; the Library and Garden, 1853; the Democracy, 1854, merged with the Express; the Buffalo Gazette, 1867; the Fenian Volunteer, 1867; United Irishmen, 1869; Our Liesure Moments, 1870; the Anti-Monopolist, 1874; the Daily Dispatch, 1875 ; the Scientific Commercial, the Globe Magazine, and the Agitator, all in 1876 ; Farm, Garden and Fireside, about the same time; the Buffalo School Journal, 1879; the Saturday Sun, 1882; the American Tanner, 1883. There have been a few other ephemeral journals of such insignificant pretensions that they nee,d not be noticed. There are a number of publications in Buffalo still in existence which 828 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. may be briefly noticed here. Charles A. Wenborne started the Milling World in 1878, the Lumber World in 1881, and the Iron Industry Ga- zette in 1885 ; these are all monthlies. In 1887 they passed into the possession of Thomas McFaul, the present publisher, who in 1888 pur- chased the American Wood-Worker, which was established in Scran- ton, Pa., by James Nolan, in 1886. In 1891 Mr. McFaul started Mc- Faul's Factory and Dealers Supply World. Henry A. Van Fredenberg has been editor since 1887. Charles H. Webster started the Farmer's Journal and Live Stock Review, weekly in 1878 ; the Daily Mercantile Review in 1883 and the Tri-weekly in 1884 ; and the Produce Journal, weekly, in 1889. Other periodicals, with the dates of their establish* ment, are as follows : The Roller Mill, 1882 ; the National Coopers Journal, 1885 ; the Bulletin, 1887, by the Y. M. C. A. ; Baldwin's Offi- cial Railway Guide, 1878 ; the Horse World and the National Odd Fellow, 1888; the A. O. U. W. Review and the Educator, 1889; the Royal Templar, 1890; the American Bookbinder, Current History (quarterly), the New York Maccabee, and the Horse Gazette and Live Stock and Weekly Review, 1891; the People's Advocate and the In- tending Builder, 1892; the Buffalonian, 1893; the Lumber Trade Ga- zette (semi-monthly), and Municipality and County, 1894; the Three Links and the Spectator (negro, weekly), 1895; Greater Buffalo, Select Knights Journal, the Chautauqua Tourist (summer), Our Church Work, the Northern Druggist, the Buffalo Lutheran. American In- vestments and Financial Opinions, a monthly journal devoted exclu- sively to the interests of American investors, was started January 1, 1890, by the Niagara Publishing Company ; A. B. Kellogg, editor, M. J. True, business manager. The first medical paper in Buffalo was the Buffalo Medical Journal and Monthly Review of Medical and Surgical Science, which was es- tablished June 1, 1845, by C. F. S. Thomas, with Dr. Austin Flint as editor and Dr. F. H. Hamilton as assistant. From an octavo of twenty-four pages it was enlarged at the end of the year to sixty-four pages.. Dr. Sanford B. Hunt became editor in 1855 and Dr. Austin Flint, jr., assumed charged in 1858; soon afterward the paper was re- moved to New York. In 1862 the Buffalo Medical and Surgical Jour- nal was established; and under such eminent physicians as Drs. Her- man Mynter, Lothrop, Davidson, Howe, Van Peyma and William Warren Potter (the present editor) it has achieved a commanding influ- ence throughout the country. The Physician's and Surgeon's Investi- THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 829 gator was started in January, 1880, the editors being Drs. S. W. Wetmore and S. N. Brayton ; after a few years it passed out of exist- ence. The first Buffalo publication representative of the dental profession was the Buffalo Dental Advertiser, which was started in 1869. In 1883 the Independent Practitioner (which was started in Baltimore in 1880 and removed to New York January 1, 1881) was brought to Buffalo, the editor being Dr. W. C. Barrett. These two papers were finally con- solidated and are published quarterly under the title, Dental Prac- titioner and Advertiser. The oldest center of journalism in Erie county outside of Buffalo is the village of East Aurora, where Almon M. Clapp established the Aurora Standard, a weekly, in 1835. It was discontinued after three years on account of insufficient support. Shortly afterward Deloss A. Sill published another paper — the name of which cannot be ascertained — for a brief period. In August, 1872, C. C. Bowsfield founded the Erie County Advertiser, which subsequently took the name of Aurora Ad- vertiser. It was owned by Charles Brown, Brown & Smith, and Brown & Speers and in January, 1878, passed to Walter C. Wood, 1 the pres- ent editor and publisher; in March, 1897, the name was changed to East Aurora Advertiser. In the spring of 1879 C. C. Hamilton started the Aurora Weekly Times, which lived about three years. The Aurora Enterprise was established in July, 1886, by the Dietrich Brothers; it was discontinued about 1894 and the office was sold to White & Wag- goner, who started the East Aurora Citizen; after about two and one- half years this paper was absorbed by the Advertiser. The first newspaper in Springville was the Express, started in 1844, the editor being E. H. Hough; it flourished for four years. In 1850 Hough & Webster established the Springville Herald, which passed to Erastus D. Webster, subsequently editor of the Omaha Republican and a prominent politician in Brooklyn and elsewhere. The Herald espoused Republicanism on the organization of that party; in 1856 it was sold to J. B. Saxe, and was discontinued in 1863. The American Citizen, a " Know Nothing " organ, was started in 1856 by L. D. Saunders, who published it about a year. In August, 1859, the Penny Paper was launched and lived six months. A. W. Ferrin leased the Herald office i Walter C. Wood was born in Pulaski, Oswego county, January 26, 1855, received his educa- tion in the Pulaski Academy, and when sixteen began learning the trade o£ printer on the Pu- laski Democrat. After two or three years he went to the Jefferson County Journal at Adams, and from there came to East Aurora. 830 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. in January, 1884, and established the Springville Chronicle, which he continued until April; 1865, when he became city editor of the Buffalo Express. The Tribune was issued from March, 1865, to January, 1867, the editor being N. H. Thurber. W. W. Blakeley started the Springville Journal on March 16, 1867; J. H. Mel vin was a partner from 1869 to 1873, after which time it was owned and edited by Mr. Blakeley up to 1887, when it was sold to William C. Lowe. In 1896 it again passed to Mr. Blakeley. The name has been changed to the Journal and Herald. The Students Repository was started in 1867 by W. R. De Puy and John H. Melvin, but was soon discontinued. In 1879 Mr. Melvin, as editor, and J. F. Meyers, as publisher, established the Springville Local News. Among other proprietors of this paper have been George N. Kingman, Alfred L. Holman, H. L. Hawley and Van Hoesen & Haw- ley. In October, 1896, it passed to N. H. Thurber & Son, andis issued by them with the name, Springville News. The first journalistic enterprise in Tonawanda, as near as can be learned, was the Tonawanda Commercial, a weekly, which was started May 2, 1850, by S. Hoyt; it lived a little more than a year. In Sep- tember, 1853, the Niagara River Pilot was launched with S. S. Packard as editor. Both of these papers were projected in aid of the Cleveland Commercial Company, which had platted considerable land and in- augurated large shipping enterprises there. In 1855 the Pilot passed to S. O. Hayward, who in November, 1857, started the Niagara Front- ier. These papers were successively discontinued. In 1871 Mr. Hay- ward established the Tonawanda Enterprise, which was published until about 1890. The Tonawanda Herald, published in North Tonawanda, Niagara county, was founded July 19, 1875, by Jay Densmore. This paper has since been the leading weekly in the two places. In 1875 J. A. L. Fisher commenced the publication of the Index; about 1880 George S. Hobbie began the Daily News, and later purchased both papers. He discontinued the Index, and in 1884, with George W. Tong as a partner, changed the publication to a weekly, calling it the Ton- awanda Standard. In 1886 it was leased by J. W. Works, who in 1887 revived the Daily News, discontinuing the weekly edition. His brother, Arthur Works, became a partner in 1887 and the plant was purchased by* Works Brothers. It is now owned by Brush Brothers and published in North Tonawanda. In 1888 the Tonawandan was begun by A. E. Bishop, who was soon joined by C. H. Drew, when the name was THE PRESS OF ERIE COUNTY. 831 changed to the Tonawanda Press. Later j. H. Meahl and E. M. Krauss were the publishers, and on September 1, 1890, it was sold to Frank L. Lane, who in January, 1891, was joined by his brother, A. F. Lane. On May 8, 1891, the paper was consolidated with the Daily News. These various newspapers comprise the principal history of journalism in both Tonawanda and North Tonawanda, whose interests are so closely identified that such a digression may be pardoned in this case. In Hamburg Alexander C. Stolting commenced the publication of the Erie County Independent on the 9th of November, 1874. About 1880 it was purchased by J. W. Constantine, who was followed by Charles G. Miller, from whom Joseph B. Miller, his brother, purchased it in April, 1882. Under Mr. Miller's control the Independent has acquired, probably, a larger circulation than any other weekly paper in the county outside of Buffalo. In 1876 the Hamburg Democrat was started as a campaign paper; only twenty-five numbers were is- sued. The Hamburg Sentinel was published for one year by Charles Sickman. In 1880 F. M. Perley established the Hamburg Journal, which passed into the possession of E. P. Thurston, and was discon- tinued about 1885. The first paper in Alden was the Oddaographic, a small weekly, started in November, 1875, by E. C. Dodge, who discontinued it after a few months. In 1880 a stock company, under the management of J. A. Webb established the Alden Trumpet, which died the next year. The Alden Gazette was first issued in January, 1882, by Eddy & Co. ; it closed its career June 1, 1883. On April 1, 1892, Benjamin H. and Evan A. Morey started the Industrial Union at Marilla, and in April, 1893, moved it to Alden; the next year they changed the name to the Alden Union. The earliest newspaper in Marilla was the Marilla Record, which was first issued January 26, 1883, by F. C. Webb, who continued it two years. The next was the Industrial Union, which was removed to Alden, as stated above. Harvey H. Blackman issued the Poultry, Garden "and Fruits from 1893 to 1896. Lancaster's first newspaper was the Lancaster Star, which was started February 8, 1878, by Paul Bussman and William B. Fuller. Mr. Fuller became sole owner on March 28 of the same year, and on May 20, 1880, was succeeded by E. R, Vaughan and Peter J. Gaudy, who changed the name to the Lancaster Times. Mr. Gaudy succeeded this firm, and on January 29, 1885, sold the paper to Adam L. Rine- 832 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. wait, who on October 20, following, passed it over to Marvin L. Reist, the present editor and publisher. The Enterprise was established De- cember 10, 1895, by the Enterprise Publishing Company; A. Leon Chandler is the editor and manager. It was made a semi-weekly June 9, 1897. In September, 1878, Frank G. Smith established the first newspaper in Akron — The Akron Breeze. It passed successively to King & Murray, John H. Meahl, and Edwin M. Read, the present owner, who purchased it in 1889 ; the editor and publisher is Carl G. Clarke. The Akron Record was started about 1877 by Covey & Wheeler, and after a few months was absorbed by the Breeze. The Akron Herald was established May 28, 1896, by John C. Murphy, the present editor and publisher. The villages of Angola and Williamsville had each a newspaper in 1879. The Amherst Bee was established in Williamsville on March 27, 1879, by Adam L. Rinewalt, who is still the editor and publisher. The Angola Record, the first paper in the town of Evans, was start- ed May 22, 1879, by H. J. Penfold, who was joined as a partner in 1881 by Orlin C. Brown. They were succeeded in May, 1884, by David C. Oatman and Stephen Landon, as the Record Publishing Com- pany, and this firm was followed by Weston N. Landon, a son of Stephen, the present editor. The Holland Review was started in Holland in 1889, the editor being Clayton A. Button; he was succeeded by Paul J. Wurst, and he by Albert F. Bangert. It has always been printed in Delevan, Cattarau- gus county. The Sardinia Censor was started about 1890, with George A. Smith as editor. He was succeeded by Thomas B. Crocker. Like the Hol- land Review, the Censor is printed in Delevan. The Depew Herald, the first newspaper in that thrifty village, was established May 1, 1893, by John T. Lynam and George M. Beeman, who were succeeded on May 1, 1894, by Mr. Beeman and William T. Salter. Augustine Davis became the proprietor in July, 1895, and later John T. Earl was admitted to partnership. The firm was subsequently changed to Earl & Salter, who were succeeded on September 1, 1897, by Mr. Earl, the present publisher. In closing this account of journalism in Erie county it may be noted that there are now (1897) twelve weeklies and one semi-weekly pub- lished outside of the city ; in Buffalo there are twelve dailies, one being CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 833 issued only during the summer months; six Sunday papers; two tri- weeklies; one semi-weekly; twenty-one weeklies; thirty-six monthlies; one bi-monthly ; and three quarterlies. CHAPTER XXXIII. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. Buffalo the First to Inaugurate a System of Charity Which Has Since Become Pop- ular—Conditions Prior to the War of the Rebellion— The Buffalo Orphan Asylum- List of Presidents— Hospital of the Sisters of Charity— Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum— Other Catholic Institutions— The Charity Foundation — Organizations Cre- ated Since the War— Women's Christian Association — Children's Aid Society— The Charity Organization Society— The First One in the County— Its Purposes and Its Success. In recording the progress of the city of Buffalo it becomes a pleasant duty to allude at some length to the charitable and benevolent institu- tions which have been such potent instrumentalities for the relief of the unfortunate and which have given the city extended and honorable fame. Buffalo enjoys the distinction of being the first city in the United States to inaugurate a system of public charity that has proved most effective and beneficial in every respect, and which has found fol- lowers in several other large communities in recent years. Through the generosity of citizens and intelligent action by the authorities the numerous institutions founded for the relief of the poor, sick and unfortunate are now carrying out their manifold purposes in a manner wholly satisfactory. Considerable progress had been made in the founding of charitable institutions * in Buffalo prior to the war of the Rebellion, conspicuously in connection with the various churches ; but they were limited in num- ber and scope, and may be here considered mainly as the forerunners 1 The reader will bear in mind that nearly all of the important charitable institutions in Erie county receive and care for, as a rule, two classes of inmates: 1st, those who pay according to the benefits and privileges they enjoy, and, 2d, those who, on account of poverty, are cared for or treated at the expense of the city or county, principally the latter. The county, through its Board of Supervisors, appropriates annually about $40,000 for this purpose. The funds received from these sources, together with public contributions and donations, are used in the main- tenance of the institutions by their boards of managers. The second class of inmates is termed, in all public reports, " beneficiaries." 105 834 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. of the admirable and efficient system that came into existence in later years. The Buffalo Orphan Asylum had its inception at a meeting of representative women held on the loth of November, 1836, when an association was organized. The constitution adopted at that time de- clared that "the objects of the association shall be to extend relief to orphan and other destitute children" and that "the children shall be taught the principles of the Christian religion as held by the different evangelical sects, yet no denominational peculiarities shall ever be in- culcated." It has been allied from the first with the Christian religion. The first Board of Managers consisted of twenty-two members, as fol- lows : From the First Presbyterian church, Mrs. A. T. Hopkins,, Mrs. James Crocker; Pearl Street Presbyterian church, Mrs. John C. Lord, Mrs. D. Lathrop; Free Congregational church, Mrs. J. C. Rudd, Mrs. S. G. Orton; Unitarian church, Mrs. Noah P. Sprague, Mrs. J. B. Macy; Society of St. Paul's, Mrs. Henry Hamilton, Mrs. Cyrus Athearn; Trinity church, Mrs. Samuel Russell, Mrs. E. H. Cressy; Universalist Society, Mrs. Barnett Staats, Mrs. J. Hoyt; Baptist So- ciety, Mrs. Chapin, Mrs. Samuel F. Pratt; Methodist Episcopal So- ciety, Mrs. W. Madison, Mrs. J. W. Beals; Bethel Society, Mrs. H. C. Knott, Mrs. F. Leonard; Associated Reformed Society, Mrs. Ar- thur McArthur, Mrs. McLaren. On the 12th of January, 1837, pur- suant to an invitation from the Ladies' Board of Managers, a meeting of gentlemen was held at which the following names were appended to the constitution : Noah P. Sprague, Daniel Bowen, John E. Keeler, Arthur McArthur, Nathan Lyman, Samuel N. Callender, James Crocker, Cyrus Athearn, John O. Choules, Stephen G. Austin, Asa T. Hopkins, William Madison, Albert M. Baker, John R. Lee, Henry Hamilton, Alpheus F. Kinsley, Robert H. Maynard, Melville Kelsey, Moses Bristol, Gurdon C. Coit, Henry H. Sizer, .Peter Curtiss, Oliver G. Steele / Hiram Pratt, Nathaniel Wilgus, Thomas Farnham, Samuel F. Pratt. ' The asylum was incorporated April 24, 1827. It possessed no property, and commenced its beneficent work under very adverse circumstances. A house was rented on Franklin street, and in May the children who had been gathered into that house gave an ex- 1 The presidents of the Buffalo Orphan Asylum have been as follows: Cyrus Athearn, elected January 11, 1838; Stephen G. Austin, June 11, 1899; Albert H. Tracy, June 8, 1841; George Palmer, June 14, 1842; Peter Curtiss, June 13, 1843; Heman B. Potter, June 0, 1840; Gaius B. Rich, June 8, 1847; Russell H. Heywood, June 13, 1848; Jason Sexton, January 18, 1863; George Howard, January 20, 1874; John D. Hill, M. D., May 4, 1876; Nelson Holland, October 8, 1878; John D. Hill, M. D., October 21, 1879; Joseph B. Sweet, April 5, 1883; Walter H. Johnson, May 4, 1893. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 835 hibition at the First Presbyterian church, which was the first public appeal made for support. One of the most popular methods of raising funds during the early life of the institution was through the Old Settlers' Festival, 1 which was held annually for several years in the old St. James Hall. During the second year the asylum occupied a house on Seneca street ; in 1840 its last rented building was on Niagara street, near Carolina. In 1845, by purchase and gift it came into possession of the old Buffalo Literary and Scientific Academy property on the corner of Main .and Virginia streets, which appears to have been re- garded, however, as a temporary home. Louis Le Couteulx, in 1838, had given the institution a large lot on Virginia street, near North Morgan, and there in 1850-51 the trustees were prepared to begin the erection of a suitable building. By the sale of its academic lands, by the gift of $30,000 from the State, and by various private donations it had funds for the enterprise, and in 1852 the new and present structure was occupied. In 1878 an infant ward was built at a cost of $10,000, the donor being Mrs. Stephen G. Austin. The asylum is governed by a board of trustees composedi of twelve men, assisted with which is a board of directresses composed of thirty-three women from as many Protestent churches in the city. It is the oldest charitable organiza- tion in Erie county, and has always exerted a potent and wholesome influence in its special field. On April 26, 1887, it appropriately cele- brated its semi-centennial anniversary. The next permanent public charity was the Buffalo City Dispensary, which was organized in March, 1847, and incorporated in February, 1850. It has ever since performed a most beneficent work in relieving such poor, sick, and indigent persons as are unable to pay for medicinal aid. In 1848 two very important and wide reaching charities were inaugiu rated, both of which have worthily carried out the purposes for which they were founded. The best known of these is the Buffalo Hospital of the Sisters of Charity situated at 1833 Main street. It is the oldest hospital in the city, and was established in June, 1848, by the Rt. Rev. John Timon. For many years it was located on Main street, near Vir- ginia. In 1872 the present site was purchased, and on August 16, 1 The Old Settlers' Festival was first held in connection with the great Christian Commission Fair in February, 1864, and for many years was one of the leading social events in Buffalo. Old settlers from all over the country took part, and it became very popular and attracted immense crowds. It usually continued three or four days in mid-winter, in St, James Hall, and had (or its object the review of past local history in the form of speeches exhibitions, songs, dancing etc. 836 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. 1875, Rt. Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan laid the corner stone of the large four-story brick structure now occupied by the Sisters. The building' was dedicated November 5, 1876, and cost $168,368. A new wing and an isolation pavilion (for contagious diseases) were erected in 1895, the cost of the former being about $70,000. The hospital has 344 beds, including thirty beds in private rooms, and receives all classes of patients without reference to color, nationality or religious belief. It is under the direction and management of twenty-five Sisters of Char- ity. The Emergency Hospital, at the corner of South Division and Michigan streets, was established as a branch of this institution in 1833 for the reception of accident cases. The books of the Charity Hospital (as it is generally known) for the first fourteen years of its existence were destroyed . by fire, but subsequent records show that during the past thirty-six years the Sisters received over 40,000 patients: the average number each year is between 1,800 and 2,000. During the cholera epidemic of 1849 there were admitted into this hospital, prior to September 1, 136 cholera patients of whom fifty-two died, and the reports of that year showed that 1,513 patients were admitted. This hospital is said to have one of the most complete surgical operating rooms in the world. It was one of the first hospitals in the United States, under the Sisters of Charity, to establish the custom of resident physicians, and the first one under the Sisters' management to estab- lish a training school for nurses. The latter was started in 1890. St. Vincent's Female Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum and Industrial School, the second important charity that was inaugurated in 1848, was incorporated in January, 1849, and was situated at the corner of Broadway and Ellicott streets until October, 1885, when it was moved to its present home on Main street, corner of Riley. The old property was sold for $30,000; the new site cost $30,000 and the new building $30,000 more. The institution is under the Sisters of Charity. It is an asylum and school for destitute female orphans and girls between the ages of six and fourteen and for the industrial training of older girls, the latter department being added in 1855. Besides the kinder- garten and industrial departments it maintains a grammar school, the teachers of which, three in number, are paid by the city. The number of inmates range from 100 to 150. Closely following this orphanage was the Organization of St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum, which was first opened in Buffalo in August, 1849, to care for orphans and destitute children between the ages of four and fifteen, regardless of religious CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 837 faith or nationality. This institution was moved to Lancaster in 1850 and incorporated August 2, 1851. It was returned to Buffalo in 1854, and in 1872 found a permanent home at Limestone Hill in the town of West Seneca, where a suitable building was erected. Over 200 children are cared for and educated. Sister Elizabeth Wheeler has been in charge since 1879. The decade between 1850 and 1860 was prolific of the institution of public charities. The Buffalo Widows and Infants Asylum was incor- porated January 12, 1852, and was soon followed by St. Mary's Lying-in Hospital, which was incorporated on the 25th of October, 1855. These institutions were consolidated and reincorporated October 18, 1897, with the name St. Mary's Infant Asylum and Maternity Hospital. Each organization was founded by Bishop Timon, and together have always occupied the present property at 126 Edward street, the original site being donated by Louis Le Couteulx. The consolidated institution is under ten Sisters of Charity, and is goverened by a board of trustees. Its objects are the caring for widows and lying-in women and the care and education of infants without respect to religion, color, or na- tionality. Upwards of 200 children and 100 adults are cared for annually. The property is valued at about $100,000. Opposite this institution, at 125 Edward street, is Le Couteulx St. Mai-y's Institution for the Improved Instruction of Deaf Mutes, which was incorporated in 1853 as Le Couteulx St. Mary's Benevolent Society for the Deaf and Dumb. The site was given by Louis Le Couteulx, and upon it Bishop Timon secured the erection of three cottages; three Sisters of St. Joseph, who had been trained in France, were brought here from St. Louis to teach the deaf mutes ; one of these was Sister Superior Mary Anne Burke, who is still in charge. In. 1862 Bishop Timon completed a four-story brick building, to which additions were made in 1866, 1871, 1876, 1878, and 1880. In 1871 the institution was privileged to take children as county beneficiaries; in 1872 the Legislature extended the benefits of the law for this class of children as State pupils to the insti- tution; and in 1873 it was one of the first institutions in the country to introduce articulation or improved instruction. The pupils are taught all kinds of household and mechanical industries, manufacture all their own clothing and shoes, and publish a weekly paper. A branch for boys is maintained at the corner of Main street and Forest avenue. In 1855 Bishop Timon was instrumental in bringing from France three or four nuns of the order of Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of 838 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. Refuge, otherwise known as Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Among these was Mother St. Jerome, the founder of the order in America. They were organized in Buffalo on July 8, 1855; Bishop Timon secured six acres of land bounded by Best, Johnson and East North streets and Durrenberger place, on which was built the first convent of this order in the United States. It was incorporated in January, 1856, as the Asylum of Our Lady of Refuge, and for more than thirty years has been presided over by Mother Superior Mary of St. Joseph Schaefer; there are fifty-seven nuns. The institution maintains a protectory for the care and education of destitute Roman Catholic girls under six- teen, most of whom are orphans. There is also a Magdalene class for reclaiming young girls, in which many remain for life and are uniformly clothed, but are not and never can be members of the Order of the Good Shepherd. The institution also receives girls committed by local authority. Two very important institutions were opened in 1858, viz. : The Buf- falo General Hospital (described in Chapter XXXI) and the Church Charity foundation's Home for Aged Females. The former has been noticed sufficiently in another chapter. The Charity Foundation of the Protestant Episcopal church in the city of Buffalo was incorporated July 28, 1858, by Rev. William Sh el- ton, Lester Brace, Edward S. Warren, Rev. Edward Ingersoll, George W. Clinton, John M. Hutchinson, Rev. William Bliss Ashley, James P. White, Sandford Eastman, Rev. Reuben I. Germain, William A. Bird, Samuel F. Gelston, Rev. Lawrence S. Stevens, John E. Russell, Chester P. Turner, Rev. Orlando F. Starkey, Isaac A. Verplanck, Ivory Chamberlain, Rev. William White Montgomery, William Jarrett, James S. Hawley. It was the intention of the founders to establish a complete system of benevolent institutions, so arranged as to be mutually protective. The charities contemplated in the charter of the Foundation were as follows: A Home for Aged and Destitute Females, which was opened in 1858; a Home for Aged and Destitute Males; a Hospital for the sick ; a Home for orphans, half orphans and other destitute and unprotected children, which was opened in 1866; a Shel- tering Arms for Infants, which was opened in 1876; Houses of tem- porary relief, shelter and refuge; Houses for the protection of the in- sane, the blind, the deaf and dumb, and incapables generally; and Schools for the education of orphans, the deaf and dumb and other in- capables. Preference was given to members of the Protestant Episco- CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 839 pal church, but all persons who were willing to accept the religious ministrations of that church were to be admitted. In 1866 the prop- erty on Rhode Island street, near Niagara, was purchased for $12,000, and in 1869 a new brick building for orphans was erected at a cost of $7,000. In 1884 the Legislature granted the Foundation the old ceme- tery lot bounded by North, Jersey and Rogers streets, which was then valued at $10,000; this was sold in 1889 and is known as the Circle. The Home cares for about ninety orphans and from twelve to fifteen aged people annually. It has a permanent trust fund of about $140,- 000, which is protected by a special act of the Legislature, making it a misdemeanor for any of it to be voted away or decreased. During the war four public charities were organized in Buffalo. The first of these was the Provident Lunatic Asylum, ^rhich was incorpo- rated in 1861 by the Sisters of Charity, by whom it has since been conducted. In 1890 the name was changed to the Providence Retreat. The object of the institution has been, from the start, the humane and scientific treatment of the insane. It was the first institution of its kind in Western New York, and up to November 1, 1897, has-received and cared for a total of 3,334 patients. The Sisters own twenty eight acres of land on Main street corner of Humboldt Parkway, where a small building accommodating thirty patients was originally erected this has since been enlarged until now its capacity is 160. It has four male and four female wards. For many years it received patients from and at the expense of the county, but since the enactment of the new lunacy laws has been entirely private. The second charitable institution inaugurated during the war period was St. Francis's Asylum for aged and destitute persons without dis- tinction of religious belief or nationality, which was incorporated on the 14th of November, 1862. It is situated on Pine street, between Broadway and Sycamore, is under the charge of Sisters of St. Francis, and has accommodations for 300 inmates. The others were formed two years later. St. John's Protectory was incorporated in 1864 as the Society for the Protection of Roman Catholic Children of the City of Buffalo. Ample buildings were erected at Limestone Hill in the town of West Seneca and Rev. Father Hines was installed as superintendent ; he was succeeded in 1882 by Rev. Nelson H. Baker, who is still in charge. The Protectory is under the Brothers of the Holy Infancy and seventeen Sisters of St. Joseph ; the average number of boys is 325. A large parochial school is maintained and the boys also have the 840 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE, advantages of an excellent industrial department. The Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Orphan Asylum was organized March 6, 1864, and incorporated April 14, 1865. Its character is indicated by its name. The girls' department is situated at 280 Hickory street and the boys' department at Sulphur Springs in the town of West Seneca; at the latter place a new brick structure was erected in 1896-97. There were few other benevolent institutions of any kind in the city at the close of the last war. The sorrow of mourning households on every hand, and the many families left destitute of the strong arms that had provided for their wants by that long conflict, opened the hearts and stimulated the compassion of many persons in every community, and charitable institutions of various kinds and those already founded were imbued with renewed activity. Since that period Buffalo has acquired wide-spread renown for the number and efficiency of her organized charities. In the following pages mention is made of the more prominent institutions, nearly all of which own property; besides these there are numerous charitable and benevolent societies which perform-noble work in their special fields The Home for the Friendless was incorporated and opened in Feb- ruary, 1868. It was originally located on the corner of Maryland and Seventh streets, and in its first year had twenty-six inmates and sup- plied 483 days' board. In 1872 the Home purchased a burial lot in Forest Lawn and in 1879 a granite monument was there erected. The original house was repeatedly enlarged, but finally became wholly in- adequate, and on July 11, 1884, the property at 1500 Main street was formally transferred to the institution for the sum of $25,000. Over $15,000 were expended on additions, and on March 15, 1886, the Home took possession of its new quarters. One of the most important objects of the Home is to extend relief to worthy indigent women and girls by affording them a temporary home, protection, employment, or assist- ance. The Ingleside Home for Reclaiming the Erring was incorporated September 27, 1869, by thirteen women, six of whom composed the board of trustees. Its object was to establish and maintain " a home for erring women where they may be cared for and reclaimed and pro- vided with employment, instruction, board, clothing, medicine, etc." The Home was located at first on Seneca street, the property being given by George W. Tifft. In 1884 it purchased the present house and lot at 70 Harvard Place, where over 100 women are cared for annually. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 841 Between 1870 and 1880 a number of important charitable institu- tions were organized, one of the best and foremost in its distinctive line being the Women's Christian Association, which was founded November 1, 1870, and incorporated in April, 1874. It was organized with seventy-five members, the first president being Mrs. Emmor Haines, who was succeeded in 1894 by Mrs. J. J. McWilliams, Mrs. Haines becoming honorary president. The object of the institution was to promote the spiritual, moral, mental and physical welfare of women, to clothe destitute children, and to aid any poor adults; it also maintains a missionary and an employment department. The first win- ter it occupied a room on Pearl street, the use of which was donated by Rev. Dr. G. R. Heacock, and the next winter steps were taken to establish a boarding house for girls. In May, 1872, a larger house was taken and this branch of the work fully inaugurated. In January, 1875, the association purchased, for $8,000, the building on the south- west corner of Eagle and Ellicott streets which they occupied until June, 1889, when their new edifice at Niagara Square was completed This handsome structure cost about $55,000, and has accommodations for boarding and rooming over 100 young women, giving them all the advantages of a home. The Buffalo Homoeopathic Hospital was incorporated in June, 1872, by Loran L. Lewis, John B. Griffin, Charles C. McDonald, Jerome F s Fargo, Benjamin H. Austin, sr., Mrs. C. C. Warner, Mrs. M. A. Ken- 3>-on, Hannah Fargo, Charlotte E. Lewis, Anna Poole Hoxsie and Hattie E. Gregg. A house and lot were purchased at 74 Cottage street, cor- ner of Maryland, to which was added a wing in 1884, giving the hospital forty-six beds. A training school for nurses was organized in 1887. The hospital is free to all for homoeopathic treatment, and for many years has conducted a monthly paper. One of the most beneficent charities of the city had its inception, in 1872, at a dinner given pn Thanksgiving day, November 28, to the newsboys and bootblacks by the Young Men's Association of Grace M. E. Church, which resulted in the organization in 1873 of the Buffalo Children's Aid Society, with William P. Letchworth as president. Its object was the protection, care, shelter and saving of friendless and ignorant children, furnishing them with food, raiment, and lodging, aiding them to occupation and instruction in moral and religious truths, and making them useful citizens. Little was done, however, for several years for fear their efforts would not find the necessary 106 842 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. support. In October, 1882, the name was changed to the Buffalo Child Saving Society, a house was rented at 55 Pearl street, and the first boy was received into the Home November 13. Mr. Letchworth was president and David E. Brown vice-president. It was incorpo- rated March 4, 1883, as the Buffalo Children's Aid Society, by E. C. Sprague, S. Cary Adams, Solomon S. Guthrie, David E. Brown, Og- den P. Letchworth, Peter J. Ferris, Frederick L. Danforth, Ebenezer A. Rockwood, James B. Stafford,. Albert J. Barnard, James Ash, Peter Paul, Robert Keating, George N. Pierce and George W. Townsend. On May 4, 1885, the society took possession of its present building at 29 Franklin street, and since then it has been popularly known as the " News Boys' 'and Boot Blacks' Home." The owner of this property, Dr. Hubbard Foster, asked $15,000 for it, but when he learned the use to which it was to be put he consented and did sell it to the society for $10,000. The institution is governed by a board of trustees and a board of women managers, among whom are the most prominent people of the city. The Home is liberally supported and has performed a noble work among homeless and friendless boys. The German Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum, founded by Rt. Rev. Stephen Vincent Ryan, was incorporated May 7,. 1874, by Joseph Bork, president; Rev. J. Bellwalder, vice-president; Richard Thomas, sec- retary; Francis Spoeri, treasurer; Rev. E. F. Schaner, Rev. William Becker, Rev. F. X. Koffler, Rev. Henry Feldman, Rev. William Gun- delach, August Hager, Stephen Reiman, George Baldus, Adam Wick, Martin Dickenherr, Peter Theisen and John Wild (Herman street). The old cemetery site between Best and Northampton streets, near the Parade, was purchased and a building erected in 1874 ; three additions were subsequently built, and the property now is valued at about $100,- 000. The institution is non-sectarian, is controlled by a board of di- rectors, receives and educates orphans under fifteen years of age, and is in charge of twenty Sisters of St. Francis. The average number of inmates is over 200. The Buffalo Eye and Ear Infirmary was incorporated February 26, 1876, with Dr. James P. White, president; Dr. Thomas Lothrop, sec- retary; Josiah Letchworth, Jacob F. Schoellkopf, Dr. Thomas F. Rochester, Sherman S. Rogers and Dr. Lucien Howe as trustees. It is tre_e to the poor, being supported by voluntary contributions and ap- propriations from Erie county. It is located at 671 and 673 Michigan street. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 843 The German Evangelical Church Home for the German Evangelical church of Buffalo and vicinity was incorporated in April, 1877, by Rev. Frederick Schelle, Philip Debus, Rev. George S. Vogt and others, for the care of old, infirm and indigent people of that religious faith, and to provide for their bodily and spiritual welfare. Rev. Mr. Schelle has been the president since its organization. They purchased a house and fifty acres of land at Forks Station, in the town of Cheektowaga, for the sum of $10,000, and in 1855 tore down the old building and erected a new one at a cost of $12,000. Since then various modern im- provements have been made and about twenty-two acres sold off for railroad purposes. From the foregoing it would seem that almost every branch of char- itable work had been worthily and adequately covered, but the needs of a large and growing city presented other fields in which one of the most useful institutions in the country was about to take up its noble career. On the 11th of December, 1877, the Charity Organization So- ciety of Buffalo was founded, and was the first institution of the kind in the United States, a fact in which every citizen in the city may feel a just pride. 1 Following is a copy of the incorporating certificate of this society, with the names originally appended thereto: We, the undersigned citizens and residents of the State of New York) of full age, being desirous of forming a corporation for benevolent and charitable purposes, un- der and in pursuance of the act of the Legislature of the State of New York, passed April twelfth, A. D., 1848, and the acts amendatory thereof and supplementary thereto, do hereby certify as follows: I. The name of the society so to be incorporated shall be "The Charity Organiza- tion Society of Buffalo." II. The particular business and objects of the said society are declared to be, (1) to systematize and organize, and bring into harmonious co-operation the charities and almsgiving of the city of Buffalo ; (2) to reduce and prevent pauperism in said city ; (3) to detect and guard against imposters and unworthy applicants for assist- ance street beggars and persons who receive charitable aid from two or more inde- pendent sources ; (4) to promote by all lawful means, social and sanitary reforms and habits of thrift, saving and self-dependence among the poorer classes ; (5) to estab- lish and maintain, or to assist in establishing and maintaining a Creche or Creches, which shall afford accommodations for the children of working parents during hours of labor; to provide a home or homes for indigent women or children; (6) to estab- lish and' maintain or to assist in establishing and maintaining provident dispen- saries. III. There shall be a Board of Trustees of the said Society, consisting of nine 1 There are at the present time more than 100 similar organizations in the country, which are accomplishing in a thoroughly systematic and effective manner the ever-difficult task of minister- ing to the needy. 844 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. members; and the names of such trustees, for the first year of the corporate exist- ence of said Society, are: John Allen, Jr., Abraham Altmah, James H. Dormer, Ed- win T. Evans, Sherman S. Rogers, Francis H. Root, Dexter P. Rumsey, Solomon Scheu, and E. Carlton Sprague. In witness whereof, we have hereto set our hands at Buffalo this twenty-seventh day of November, A. D., 1879. P. M. Hollister, James O. Putnam, J. N. Larned, Edwin T. Evans, George P. Sawyer, Josiah G. Munro, John G. Milburn, Solomon Scheu, Thomas Cary, E. C. Sprague, Robert Keating, Ansley Wilcox, James H. Dormer, A. Altman, Frank Williams, David Gray, Sherman S. Rogers. The object of this society are as follows; 1. To bring into harmonious cooperation with each other, and with the Over- seer of the Poor, the various churches, charitable agencies, and individuals in the city, and thus, among other things, to check the evils of the overlapping of relief. 2. To investigate thoroughly and without charge the cases of all applicants for charity which are referred to the society for inquiry, and to send the persons hav- ing a legitimate interest in such cases full reports of investigation. 3. To obtain from the proper charities and from charitable individuals suitable and adequate relief for deserving cases ; to provide visitors who shall personally at- tend cases needing counsel and help ; and to procure work for poor persons who are capable of being wholly or partially self-supporting. 4. To assist from its own funds, so far as possible in the form of loans, all suitable cases for which adequate assistance cannot be obtained from other causes. 5. To repress mendicity by the above means, and by the prosecution of im- posters. 6. To promote the general welfare of the poor by social and sanitary reforms, and by the inculcation of habits of providence and self-dependence, and to these ends to establish and maintain, in whole or in part, the following provident institutions, viz. : One or more crgches ; some practical means of encouraging the saving of small sums of money by the poor ; one or more provident dispensaries, which may include arrangements for the temporary treatment of persons injured in the neighborhood, and unable to be carried to the general hospitals; and such other provident institu- tions as shall tend to the physical, moral, and intellectual improvement of the poor, and as shall be within the corporate powers of the Society. On May 20, 1881, in order to more effectively prosecute the work of the society, the number of trustees was increased to fifteen, the names at that time added to the board being as follows: Edward Bennett, Josiah G. Munro, George P. Sawyer, T. Guilford Smith, Sheldon T. Viele and Ansley' Wilcox. It is impossible to estimate the pecuniary benefit conferred upon the CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 845 city of Buffalo at large by this institution, particularly through its con- trol and maintenance of the charities established by the benevolence of the late Benjamin Fitch, who on January 1, 1880, deeded to the Charity Organization Society property on the corner of Michigan and Swan streets, on which was erected, in 1893, the present Fitch Institute, connected with which are the Fitch Crlche, the Fitch Provident Dis- pensary, the Fitch Accident Hospital, and other branches of the So- ciety. On the 15th of April, 1881, the Legislature passed a law authorizing Mr. Fitch to convey to the society certain other property ' ' for the pur- pose of founding and maintaining in Buffalo a public institute for the physical, moral and intellectual benefit of the worthy poor of that city, without distinction of creed or sex." The same act empowei - ed the society to execute the trusts and powers created by the deed and to hold and use the property conveyed to it. This deed was dated May 2, 1882, and gave the society various parcels of land, most of which were subsequently sold and the proceeds used in the erection of the Fitch Institute building. A condition of this trust was the payment to Mr. Fitch during his lifetime of $300 annually. The purpose that he de- sired should be carried out by the society are stated in the deeds as follows : 1. To maintain in the said hall a course of lectures each year, on scientific and other instructive topics. 2. A free reading room. 3. A provident coffee and soup room. 4 A dispensary for supplying medicines and medical attendance. 5. A training school in domestic work for girls. 6. A hospital for temporary treatment of persons injured. 7. A place of deposit for small sums of money (not exceeding for any one person fifty dollars) by working people, to be drawn out by them as their needs may require, or to be made good to them in orders upon stores with which economical arrangements may be made by the said Society for the purchase of the necessaries of life for such depositors. The perpetual use to which said building and institution are to be devoted is herein described, and they must, as a condition of this grant, never in any degree be diverted therefrom. The following property is now owned by the society : Southwestern corner of Swan and Michigan streets, 112}£ feet on Swan by 108 on Michigan, on which stand the Fitch Institute and Fitch Creche. Assessed valution of land „ |33,280 00 Assessed valuation of buildings 75,000 00 Northwestern corner of Seneca and Michigan streets, 112J£ feet on Sen- eca by 198 on Michigan (including No. 304 Michigan street, 25 by 62 feet). Assessed valuation of land __ 44,800 00 Assessed valuation of buildings 30,000 00 1183,080 00 846 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. The gross annual income from this property is about $13,000. To further fulfill the purposes of Mr. Fitch's benevolence the society established the Fitch Provident Dispensary, in 1883, which is open every morning, and which supplies medicines at a normal price. Three physicians prescribe for patients without pay and a salaried prescrip- tion clerk is in daily attendance. The society also established, in 1886, the Fitch Accident Hospital, which now has five resident physicians, seven visiting surgeons, five trained nurses, and two ambulances. In 1896 the hospital treated 3,888 cases and responded to 1,054 ambulance calls. It is one of the most important accident hospitals in the country. The Fitch Creche, which was opened in 1880, was the first institution of the kind established in this country. It maintains a day nursery for the children of working women, a training school for nursery maids, a labor bureau for women, a kindergarten, and a course of lectures upon simple hygiene, cooking, sewing, etc. There are twelve resident em- ployees. In 1896 the creche received 8,800 children and obtained em- ployment for about 380 women. The aim of the Charity Organization Society is not to actually dis- pense alms — which must in most cases be wholly inadequate to give permanent relief — but to improve existing conditions among the poor. The annual cost of carrying on its work is about $28,000. It operates several labor bureaus and work-yards for both men and women, and employs seven permanent agents, who, in 1896, made 17,996 visits among the poor. Through the efforts of a committee it established the Provident Loan Association, which enables the poor to obtain loans at small rates of interest. It was also through the efforts of the society that the free baths of Buffalo were introduced, and through its influence that salutary tenement house ordinances were adopted by the Common Council. The organization maintains also a free sociological library, and in 1892 established a Penny Savings Fund to encourage small savings, the books of which are kept at various stations in dif- ferent parts of the city. The savings thus accumulated by children amount to nearly $2,000 annually. In carrying out its purposes as a whole, the society devised a method of work which has been very effective and has acquired the commenda- tory title of " the Buffalo plan." This method involves the division of the city into about 150 church districts and the assignment of each dis- trict to the immediate care of a church. More than seventy-five of CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 847 these districts have been accepted by as many churches. The plan in brief is this: A church voluntarily accepts a district and agrees to become responsible to the society for sill persons therein who are poor and neglected, yet its charitable work is not confined to that district, and it need not give up the care of any family outside. This plan although not inaugurated until late in 1894, has already demonstrated its utility, and has resulted in a larger activity and a closer knowledge of the conditions of the poor. The officers of the Charity Organization Society point with pride not alone to the far-reaching measures of relief to the poor inaugurated and maintained through its efforts, but also to the financial- results as shown in the reduced cost of providing for the poor of the city Upon this aspect of its work the following is taken from a public announce- ment of the society : In the year 1876 the population of Buffalo was 140,000. Incredible as it may seem, more than ten per cent, of the inhabitants of the city were receiving poor aid, and the sum spent for out-door relief from the Poor Department was $112,000, or 63 per cent, of the entire expenditure of the city government. The Charity Organi- zation Society was formed in 1877, and at once began a review through its com- mittees of all the city poor aid. In 1878 the amount spent in the city poor aid fell to $61,000, and in 1880 to $29,000. Since 1876 the amount spent for' public out-door relief has never been as much as $100,000, even in the recent years of unusual dis- tress. In the year 1896, with a population of nearly 350,000, the amount given by the city for out-door relief was $82,000. Another institution of which the citizens of Erie county may well feel proud, and which is one of the fifteen in the United States having the same general purpose in view, is the Women's Educational and Industrial Union of Buffalo, which began its work on March 27, 1884, in rooms in the Fitch Institute building. In less than two years it had 200 members; now there are over 1,000. Its aim is to increase fellow- ship among women in order to promote the best practical methods for securing their educational, industrial, and social advancement, and gives constant endeavor in behalf of justice and morality. The Union is, in effect, ' ' clubs within a club, " each chapter working along its special line. It maintains a domestic science department, which trains children and. older girls in all kinds of household, nursery and maternal duties; an employment department with a free bureau of registration for the benefit of employer and employee; a department of hygiene and physical culture for training young women for the care of convalescents, chronic invalids and children; a department of protection, organized 848 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. to defend the legal and social rights of women ; the Mary A. Ripley Memorial Library, with reading rooms, open from 9:30 a. m. to 9 p. m. ; the Noon Rest, which provides luncheon at low rates ; and an educational committee having charge of free classes in penmanship, typewriting, and arithmetic, and tuition clases in stenography, French and German. This latter committee also has charge of a civic club for the study of municipal affairs and a Girls' Union Circle for literary and social purposes. The protective committee has not only secured the collection of $11,000 unjustly withheld from working women, but has been instrumental in placing matrons in three police stations, a woman on the Board of School Examiners, and two women on the Board of Trustees of the Buffalo State Hospital. It has also been a power in securing legislative action, especially in connection with a compulsory law placing women physicians on the medical staffs of all our insane hospitals and statute making every married woman the joint guardian of her children with her husband, with equal powers, rights, and duties with him in regard to them. More than 200 of the most prominent women in the city are serving on the various committees. The Union began its work with only $65, received from "membership dues, and was incorporated May 15, 1885. It is entirely non- sectarian. It soon outgrew its original quarters, and on March 1, 1886, purchased the Potter-Babcock mansion on Niagara Square and an adjoining lot ; the first reception was given there October 3, and on May 14, 1889, was celebrated the " freedom-from-debt festival. " In 1892 the old building was torn down and a handsome new brick and stone structure erected, which was opened October 29, 1894; this was dedicated, free from debt, October 27, 1897. It cost $66,523. The Union has received a number of important gifts, notably one on September 17, 1891, of $10,000, and another on October 12, of the same year, of $5,000, and still another from Mrs. Francis H. Root, whose name is perpetuated on a tablet bearing the following inscription. " A bequest of $10,000 from Mrs. Delia Spencer Root, November 10th, 1895, made possible the completion of this building and its dedication free from debt, October 27th, 1897." Closely following the formation of the foregoing institutions came two others in which women were the prime movers. The first was the District Nursing Association, which was organized in 1885 and incor- porated in 1891. It was founded by Miss Elizabeth C. Marshall, and since her death in 1892 has been controlled by a board of managers. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 849 It employs three trained nurses for free nursing among the sick poor and maintains three diet kitchens. The Buffalo Woman's Hospital, situated on the corner of Georgia and Seventh streets, was organized in May, 1886, for the reception of women during childbirth or while suf-, fering from female diseases. The Fresh Air Mission of Buffalo was organized in 1888, and during each summer sends nearly 1,000 children into the country for a two weeks' vacation. The institution was incorporated in 1890, in which year about forty-seven acres of land were purchased on the shore of Lake Erie, at Angola. This is popularly known as "Cradle Beach." On August 1, 1893, a temporary hospital was opened there for children suffering from cholera infantum ; this hospital was separately incorpo- rated in 1894, and in the same year bought a site and erected a building foi its use at Athol Springs, also on the lake shore, nine miles south of Buffalo. It is open from June 1 to September ].. Both institu- tions are under one management. One of the important methods used in securing public contributions since 1893 are the "Cradle Banks," with which Buffalonians are familiar. The Working Boys' Home was founded by the late Bishop Ryan and has always been under the direction of Rev. Daniel Walsh. The first steps taken toward establishing a permanent institution was in 1888, when the Hammond mansion was purchased and the Home opened therein. The project of erecting a building specially adapted for the purpose was inaugurated in October of that year; about the same time the Ladies' Aid Society was formed, and in August, 1896, the corner stone of the new brick structure facing Niagara Square was laid. It was completed and opened October 27 and 28', 1897, and is in charge of Rev. Daniel Walsh and several Sisters of St. Joseph. It provides a temporary home for boys, and gives them industrial, religious and moral instruction. The charitable institutions established during the past eight years may be noticed briefly. The Buffalo Deaconess Home, located at 2978 Main street, was in- corporated May 26, 1890, by the Genesee Conference of the M. E. Church, for the purpose of ministering to the poor, visiting the sick, caring for the orphans, and affording such other help as comes within the true significance of Christianity. The Charity Eye, Ear arid Throat Hospital, situated on Broadway, corner of Michigan street, was incorporated April 19, 1890, and is free 107 850 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. to the poor. It is supported by the county and by voluntary contribu- tions. The Christian Homestead Association was, incorporated March 14, 1891, being founded by a gift of $10,000, and aims not to dispense charity, but to help the dependent to become independent, to inspire both men and women to a higher life, and to teach the children to avoid the ways of sin and improvidence. Its field of operation is in the lower part of the city below the Terrace and along the wharves and docks. In 1891 a double five-story brick building on Lloyd street was purchased for $10,000, and fitted up with sleeping apartments, reading-room, restaurant, etc. Everything is provided at the lowest possible cost. In 1894 the average number of lodgers per night was 130 and the number of meals served daily 400. The association also maintains a Rescue Mission on Canal street which was started in June, 1891. The Children's Hospital of Buffalo was incorporated in May, 1892, with Mrs. George A. Trescott as president; Mrs. George Howard Lewis, first vice-president; Mrs. William Hamlin, second vice-presi- dent; Mrs. Bernard Bartow, secretary; Miss Martha T. Williams, treas- urer. The hospital was opened in September, 1892, at 219 Bryant street, the building being purchased by Mrs. Gibson T. and Martha T. Will- iams for the purpose. In 1896 the hospital bought the adjoining house for a training school for nurses. The hospital affords accommodations for fifty patients, has an endowment of $25,000, and is free to all chil- dren under fourteen years of age, except contagious cases. Westminster House is one of the the two institutions in Buffalo founded upon the principle that teaching by example is the true solu- tion of the problem of charitable beneficence. The other is Welcome Hall. Westminster House is a social settlement, the first inaugurated in the city, and was started by members and officers of Westminster church under an organization known as the Westminster Club, which was formed April 16, 1894, by about forty men. A dwelling was rented at 421 Monroe street and opened on September 17 of that year to the men, women and children of the neighborhood. Two smaller cottages in the rear were soon leased and in 1895 a house was built ex- clusively for the residents ' at 424 Adams street. The institution is directed and supported by the Westminster Club, and maintains a kindergarten, a reading-room and circulating library, a diet kitchen, a / 1 There are twelve workers in residence and about eighty non-resident workers. CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 851 kitchen garden, a sewing school, a penny provident savings fund, a relief department, and various clubs for men, women and children. By example and continual work in the midst of the poor and neglected whom it is designed to help it aims to be a center of the best social life and interests of the people. The approximate number of families reached is 475. Welcome Hall is chiefly designed as a mission on a plan involving actual and continued residence, yet also teaches the principle of higher social life by precept and example. It is. supported byithe First Pres- byterian church, and had its inception at a meeting of the Woman's Circle of that church in May, 1894. The Hall was organized on No- vember 1, and on the 21st it was opened in a two-story house at 307 Seneca street. J. J. Albright and others endowecrthe institution to the amount of $40,000, and in 1897 handsome brick buildings were erected on the same street near South Cedar. A Sunday school, an evening gospel service, mothers' meetings, a sewing school, a free kindergarten, a penny savings bank, and various clubs for men, women and'children are maintained. The Society for Deaconess Work of Buffalo was organized by mem- bers of the different German Protestant churches of the city on the 26th of February, 1895, and incorporated February 13, 1896. There is a board of fifteen directors composed of five clergymen, five business men and five women ; not more than three can belong to one church and not more than five to one denomination. Its objects are to train young Christian women for all kinds of charitable work.' On October 23, 1895, the house at 27 Goodrich street was opened with two deacon- esses from Cincinnati as teachers ; a hospital containing eleven beds was opened at the same time for the treatment of all diseases except those of a chronic or contagious nature. In March, 1896, a lot on Kingsley Street, near Humboldt Parkway, was purchased and a home, and hos- pital and home for the aged erected thereon at a cost of about $45,000. This was opened November 22, 1896, and has about fifty patients and forty-six old men and women as inmates. In the spring of 1895 the Buffalo Industrial Association was organ- ized by a number of charitably disposed persons for the purpose of in- troducing what is known as the "Detroit plan" of assisting the poor and unemployed. This plan, as is well understood, has for its object the assisting of persons with families, who are in indigent circum- stances and unable to support themselves, by permitting and encour- 852 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE aging them to cultivate vacant land within the city limits, gratuitously- offered by charitable persons for that purpose. The association had the land plowed and harrowed and allotted three bushels of potatoes to each lot. Much of the planting and cultivation is done by women. The plan has proved of great benefit during the past three seasons and promises much from a practical standpoint for the future. The Wayfare is designed as a temporary home for women and was opened May 1, 1895, at 133 Court street., Its aim is to provide food and shelter for any destitute woman, the fact that she is in distress be- ing in itself a sufficient claim for attention. During the first year 1,233 lodgings and 2,722 meals were furnished. It is a worthy public charity governed entirely by women. The German Hospital Association was organized in May, 1896, and incorporated in May, 1897, with Charles North, president; M. J. Chemnitz, secretary; Jacob Lang, treasurer; it now has over 100 mem- bers. In December, 1896, a free dispensary was opened, and in Au- gust, 1897, the association purchased a lot on Jefferson street near Best, where the erection of a hospital building was soon afterward com- menced. This will accommodate about 100 patients and will cost $30,- 000. The hospital and dispensary are free to all without regard to re- ligion or nationality. The Lutheran Church Home for Aged and Infirm, located at 390 Walden avenue, was opened June 2, 1896. Its name indicates its char- acter. Besides the foregoing institutions there are numerous charitable and benevolent societies, many of them connected directly or indirectly with churches, which need not be mentioned here. All of them, how- ever, are contributing in some degree and by some method to the cause as a whole, but space will not permit detailed notices. In previous chapters reference has been made to the larger church denominations in Buffalo ; at this point the reader's attention is called to a few other religious societies which have exerted a powerful influ- ence in the city's moral and general advancement, particularly from the fact that their members have always been leaders in thought and action. The First Unitarian Congregational society was organized in 1831, and at its first legal meeting there were present N. P. Sprague, S. N. Callender and John W. Beals. Rev. William Steill Brown, the first pastor, was succeeded in 1834 by Rev. A. C. Patterson, under CHARITABLE AND BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS. 853 whom the Sunday School was founded. In 1836 Rev. G. W. Hosmer, D. D., assumed the pastorate, and for many years was one of Buffalo's foremost ministers and most prominent citizens. Following him came, successively, Rev. Frederick Frothingham (1867-74), Rev. M. K. Schermefhorn (1874-76), Rev. George W. Cutler and Rev. Thomas R. Slicer. For a time the society worshiped in the old Court House on Washington street ; its first edifice stood on the corner of Franklin and Eagle streets, the corner stone being laid August 13, 1833. This church was enlarged in 1845 and damaged by fire in 1859, but was im- mediately refurnished. The corner stone of the present handsome edifice, known as the Church of Our Father, on Delaware avenue near Huron street, was laid October 16, 1879, and on October 13, 1880, the structure was dedicated free from debt. The Unitarian church in Buf- falo, though composed of but one principal body, 1 has always stood for the highest moral, social and intellectual advancement, and its mem- bers, both men and women, have represented the best elements of citizenship. In thought, in charitable action, and in public spirit and patriotism it has wielded a potent influence in all the affairs of city and home. The First Universalist church was organized December 6, 1831, with Benjamin Caryl, Marvin Webster, Moses Baker, Ebenezer Day, James Durick and A. C. Moore as trustees. Rev. George W. Montgomery was first pastor. Their first edifice' was erected on the east side of Washington street, a little north of Swan, at a cost of $10,000. The corner stone of a new church was .laid August 2, 1864, and the struc- ture was consecrated as the Church of the Messiah on the 8th of July, 1866. This edifice cost about $70,000. It was burned October 29, 1870, and by September 24 of that year the church 3 was again ready for consecration. It is situated on the corner of North and Mariner streets. The Friends began holding meetings in Buffalo in 1865, and in 1869 erected their only meeting house in the city on Allen street. The Church of Christ (Disciples) was organized with thirty members February 20, 1870, and in 1870-72 erected an edifice on, the corner of Cottage and Maryland streets. The first pastor was Rev. F. M. Kirby. *' rf' J *The First Unitarian Church (Church of Our Father) has a branch in the city styled Parkside Unitarian Society, of which Rev. John H. Applebee is pastor. -This building is now occupied by the Salvation Army, which was organized in Buffalo in 1886. 3 The First Universalist church has two branches in the city, viz: Grace Church at the corner of Chenango and Ferry streets, and Florence Mission, held in Joiner's Hall on Riley street. 854 OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE. There are now three bodies of this denomination in Buffalo having edifices at the following places : Richmond avenue corner of Bryant street, Jefferson near East Utica street, and West Forest avenue corner of Danforth street. There is also the First Church of Christ (Scien- tist) on Jersey street near Prospect avenue. The First Congregational church was organized in May, 1880, with about ninety members, and purchased and enlarged the old Baptist church on Niagara Square. The first pastor. Rev. George B. Stevens, was succeeded in 1883 by Rev. Frank S. Fitch. The society built a church on the corner of Bryant street and Elmwood avenue in 1889, and on May 1 of that year Mrs. W. G. Bancroft purchased the Niagara Square property and on December 24 presented it to the New York Home Missionary So- ciety. It is now occupied by the People's Congregational church, which was organized July 8, 1890, with fifty members, their first and only pastor being Rev. Harry D. Sheldon. Pilgrim Congregational church, an offshoot of the First church, erected its present edifice on the corner of Richmond avenue and Breckenridge street about 1892; its first pastor was Rev. A. L. Smalley. There are two other churches of this faith in the city, namely, Plymouth church on Military Road near Grote street and Fitch Memorial, organized by Rev. R. E. An- drew, on the corner of Clinton and Fenton streets. The United Brethren of Christ church was organized in 1888. INDEX. Abbee, Jehial, 525 Abbey, Abel, 591 ; Melindy, 640 Abbott, Chauncey, Col., 274, 387, 538, 562; F. W., Dr., 741, 742, 745, 747-749, 763; George, Col., 559; George, Dr., 560, 660, 737, 740-742, 768; Harry, 562; Joseph, 558; J. P., 490; Melinda, 591; Samuel. 155, 186, 274, 507, 539, 557, 558; Samuel M., Dr., 726, 727; Seth, 155, 186, 274, 537, 538, 562 Abbott's Corners (Armor), 562; Road, 563 Abell, William H., 360 note and note, 363 note Abercrombie, James, Gen., 79 Aboriginal habitations, sites of, 28 Academy, Aurora, 637, 638; Buffalo Fe- male, 657 ; Clarence, 638 ; Parker, 639 ; Springville, 639, 664 ; Williamsville, 639 Ackerman, Christopher, 596; Gottlieb, 596 Ackley, Alfred W., 515 Adam, James M., 438 note; James N., 487, 488; Robert B., 364 note, 436 Adams, Abner P., 573; Albert, 578; An- drew J., 593; B. K., 580; B. K., & Knight, 582; Carl, 624; Chester, 546; Elisha, 340, 366; Elisha M., 582, 583; Enos, 500; E. P., 513, 514; Erasmus, 500; t Erasmus, R., 578, 579; Ira S., 500; James, 370 note, 392, 396, 413, 417, 480, 696; Joel, 499; John, 177, 349, 499, 500; John C, 349, 526, 528; John and Joel, 145 and note; JohnH., 552; John Q., 545; Luther, 352. 500, 545; Morti- mer K., 501 ; Parmenio, Major, 215-218, 227, 229, 259; Samuel, 577; S. Cary, 459, 842; Samuel C, 525; Samuel S., 579; William, 485; W. F.,607; & Bak- er, 582 ; & Newton, 582 Addington, Charles H., 503; Hawxhurst, 274, 333, 500; Isaac, 274, 500; Samuel H 274 502 Adki'ns, Asahel, 153, 168 ; Isabel, 644 Adolph, Simon, 570, 572 Advertisements in the first newspaper, 183-185 Advertiser, East Aurora, the, 829 Agard, Joshua, 508, 532 Agricultural operafionsin 1820, 272; pros- perity, 375 Argin, James, 689 Ainsworth, Charles, 582 Akron, 582-585 Alberger, Franklin A., 392, 456, 459, 475, 479, 480; Morris H., 390; William C, 392 Albert, D. B., 497; Joseph, 186 Albertson, C. S., Dr., 805 Albing, Otto F„ 613 Albright, J. J., 851 Albro, Charles, 532; John, 155, 161, 530; Stephen, 818; William H:, 475 Albrecht, F.. 623 Alcott, Roswell, 534 Alden, erection of, 286 ; first town officers of, 493 ; gazetteer of, 488-493 ; in 1815- 20, 272; list of supervisors of, 493; pro- gress in, 341, 342; schools of, 661; set- tlers in, 156, 176, 488 ; village, 489 Alden Center, 491 Aldermen of Buffalo, 477-^88 Aldrich families, the, of Collins, 349 Aldrich, James, 545 ; Sayles, 554 ; Turner, 179, 525 Alexander, De Alva S., 455; John, Rev., 174 Alger, Oliver, 239; Serrill, 155, 507 Allen, Ahaz, 176, 570, 571, Anthony L., 548; Arthur B., Dr., 750; Daniel, Dr., 560, 590, 719, 721 ; David, 548 ; Ellery S., 548; Ethan, 160, 602, 604; Ethan B., 693; George, Dr., 860; George W., 325; Henry F, 459; Holden, 186, 237, 241; Ira W., 389; Jabez, Dr., 338, 502, 503, '727, 738, 743; James, Dr., 560, 605, 729; John, Dr., 721; John, jr., 844; Joshua, 526, 532; Levi, 478; Lewis F., 298 and note, 299, 304, 314, 315, 358, 405, 458, 556; Lucius H., Dr., 719, 720; 856 INDEX. Nathaniel, 260, 462; Orange F., 501; Orlando, 370, 378 and note, 405 note, 459, 475, 477, 478, 532; R. L., 325; Thomas G., Dr., 748; Walter J., 532; William, 155, 60»; William K., 405 note, Zaddock G., 480, 482; & Wilbur, 532 Allgewaeler, Louis, 624 Almy, S. O., Dr., 738 Althaus, J. Rev., 617 Altaian,- Abraham, 409, 844 Altmann, Henry, 651 Alumnas of the Medical Department of Buffalo University, list of, 797 Alumni Association of Buffalo Medical College, 775-777 ; of Niagara University Medical College, 779 Alward, E. B., Mrs., 787 Ambrose, Elijah, 481, 483; John, 479,482; Joseph, 480 Amherst, first town officers of, 495 ; gaz- etteer of, 493-498; land sales in, in 1803, 142; list of supervisors of, 495; progress in, 352 ; schools of, 663 ; settlers in 145, 151, 156, 159, 176, 494; Jeffrey, Gen., "84, 91, 102 Amsdell, Abner, 558 Amsden, Abner, 150 Anable, Joseph, 292 Anderson, Alexander H., 382; Cyrus K. , 684; John A., 583; Samuel, 581 Andre, William, 684 Andreas, Johann, 614 Andrew, R. E., Rev., 854 Andrews, Cyrus, Rev., 180; George, 592, Josiah, 591; Judson, 593; Judson B., Dr., 745, 748, 783, 798; Major A., 298, 305, 474, 475, 477, 702; M. H., Dr., 768, Olney W., 593; Samuel, 153, 644; Will- iam A. P., Dr., 749; W. B., 593; Wel- come, 592 Andrus, John H., 552, 554, 684; Joseph Dr., 347; Leroy, 460 Angola, 552, 553 Anguish. Henry, 160, 176, 186, 595 Angus, A. B., 482; Samuel, Lieut., 204 Annis, J. M., 600 Anthony, Albert C, 542; John, 346, 507, 508; William D., 542 Anti-Masonry and its results, 294-296; 464, 465 Anti-slavery society, the first, 466 Arbuckle, Benjamin, 491 Arlen, sr., Martin, 542 Armor, 539 Armstead, James, 531 Armstrong, George G., Dr., 783; J. Stone, Dr., 745 Arnholt, J. P., 503 Arnold, Hardwin, 344; Jolin, Dr., 588; Lewis, 273, 286, 538; Mortimer L., 535; Silas H., 545 Arrow heads, description of, 31-33 Art Students' League, Buffalo, 406 note Ash, James, 459, 485, 487, 488, 842 Ashford, William H., 389 Ashley, William Bliss, Rev., 838 Ashman, Amaziah, 531, 532; J. H., 533 Assembly apportionment, 257, 458-460 Assemblymen, 458-460 Association for the Encouragement of Manufactures of the City of Buffalo, 408 Asylum of Our Lady of Refuge, 837 Athearn, Cyrus, 475, 834; Cyrus, Mrs., 834; Silas, 292 Atkins, FordyceW., 477; Guy J., 186 Attorneys-general from Erie county, 455 Attorneys, leading, in 1821, 689 Atwater, S. L., Dr., 745; Samuel T., 478 Atwood, Harlow, Dr., 529; Henry, 459, 570, 580; H. L., Dr., 743 Auchinvole, John, 481-483 Auel, Charles H. W., Dr., 787 Aumock, William S., 535, 639 Aurora, cheesefactories and stock farms in, 501 ; gazetteer of, 498-506 ; in 1815 -20, 274; list of supervisors of, 499; progress of, 337-339; schools of 661; settlers in, 141, 145, 151, 155, 162, 177, 499-501; Academy, 502; and Buffalo Plank Road Company, 366 Austin, Azel, 545; Benjamin H., sr., 705, 805, 841 ; -Benjamin H., 674; Caleb H., Dr. , 731 ; Charles H. , Dr. , 732, 733, 734 ; Stephen G , 298, 395, 410, 657, 689, 690, 701, 834 and note; Stephen G., Mrs., 835; William, 177, 239, 538 Avery, Amos, 459; S. D., 506 Ayer, Austin, 494 ; Charles C. ,494 ; George, Dr: 740 ; Ira and James, 550, 554 Ayers, Darius, 494; Emmett J., 539 Ayrault Brothers & Co,, 599 Ayres, Albert D., 494 Axtell, Joshua, 577 Babcock. Elias, 276, 541; Charles, 533; Deodatus, Rev., 646; Elias D., 542; George R., 365, 370, 376, 377, 405, 410, 457, 459, 478, 694, 697 ; sketch of, 702, 767; Heman P., Dr., 761, 795; Orrin, 276, 541 Bachman, G., 624; M. Francis, Mother, 786 Bachmann, Ernest F., Rev., 618 Bacon, John E., Dr., 751 Badgeley, Morgan L., 532, 534 INDEX. 857 Badger, Edmond, 493 Baer, George, 483, 484; Rudolph, 611 Baethig, Henry, Dr., 612, 804, 805 Baetzhold, August, 483 Bagdad, 529 Bagnall, Samuel, 373 Bailey, David. 145, 516; Horace, 593; J. B., 518; L. S.,522; Samuel, 571 ; Sam- uel G., Dr., 730, 732, 734, 735, 737,, 738, 742, 743, 753; Saxton, 488 Bain, Donald, 482, 483 Baird, D., 607; John, 583 Baker, Albert U, 410, 479, 709; Albert M., 834; Amos H., 460, 561; Artemas, 342, 606; Benjamin, 538, 540; Charles, 507, 508; Charles H., 524; C. H., Dr., 738; Charles P., Dr., 523; Clifford A., 410; F. Freeman, 460; Francis M., 389; George W., 502; Gideon, 605; Harry L., 506; Henry J., 483; Isaac, 540; Jacob A., 684; John C. 493; Milan, Dr., 783; Moses, 239, 258, 304, 366, 474, 475, 477, 646, 853; Nelson H., Rev.; 609, 839; Newman, 558; Obadiah, 144, 178, 538; O. B., 506 ; Reuben, 505 ; Sen- eca, 179, 531; William, 186 ; W. H., Dr., 749, 757 Balcom, Philo, 410 Balder, JacoD, 589 Balding, George, 347, 522 Baldus, George, 486-488, 842 Baldwin, Edward, 305; Edwin, 476; Eli- hu J. , 657 ; E. S. , 781 ; James, 186 James J. , 305, 476 ; James L. , 485 ; John, Rev. , 392; LaytonT., 389; Theophilus, 180, 565 Ball, A. McC, 660;Fordyce, 351; Henry L, 817; John S., 287, 341, 581, 582; Joseph, 476; L. L., Dr., 749; M. V., Dr. , 750 ; S. , description of Buffalo by, 289-291 and note Ballard, Fayette A., 597; Smithfield, 180, 588, 591 Ballou, Benjamin, 162; E. H., Dr., 745, 749; Levi, 606, 607 Baltz, George, 459, 460 Bamler, George J., 459, 481 Bancroft, Eleazer. 545, 547; William H., 547; W. G., Mrs., 854 Bangasser, Frederick, 480, 481 Bangert, Albert F., 567, 832; Henry L., 569; Jacob, 588 Bank, Citizens', of Buffalo, 438 note ; City, Buffalo, 438 note ; Columbia National, Buffalo, 438 note ; Ellicott Square, Buf- falo 438 note ; Empire State Savings, Buffalo, 438 note ; Erie County Savings, Buffalo, 383 ; Farmers', Spring ville, 534 ; 108 Farmers' and Mechanics', Buffalo, 381 ; First National, Springville, 534; First National. Tonawanda, 601 ; German American, Tonawanda, 601 ; Manufac- turers' and Traders', Buffalo, 381 ; Ma- rine, Buffalo, 380; Metropolitan, Buffa- lo, 438 note ; National Savings, Buffa- lo, 409 ; Niagara, Buffalo, 438 note ; of Attica, removal of to Buffalo, 357 ; of Buffalo, 298; of East Aurora, 504; of Hamburg, 561; of Holland 567; of Lancaster, 573; of Niagara, the first in Buffalo, 257, 258 and note; of North Collins, 588 ; People's, Buffalo, 437 note ; State, Tonawanda, 601 ; Third Nation- al, Buffalo, 409; Union, Buffalo, 438 note; United States, branch of, the, in Buffalo, 287; Western Savings, Buffa- lo, 382; White's, Buffalo, 381 Banking affairs in '1833, 317, 318; inter- ests, extension of, in Buffalo, 437 and note Banks organized in Buffalo, 1860-70, 409 Banks, E. B., 491 Banta, Jocob. 380; Jacob W., 478; Rollin L., Dr., 742, 749, 765, 785; Westervelt, Dr., 749 Bar, period of highest eminence of the, 694 ; brief sketches of members of -the, 698-710 Barr, George W., Dr., 740 Barber, Chandler, 606; Charles H., Dr., 734 Barclay, Robert H., Capt, 219 Barger, John. 572 Barker, Arthur M., Dr., 744, 745,747,763; F. J., Dr., 743; George, 534; George P., 305, 455, 458,474-476; Gideon, 344; G. W., 479; Jacob A., 273, 458,477, 558; John. 162, 550; J. W., 553; Peter, 550, 554; Philo P., Dr., 347, 522, 523, 734 ; Pierre A. , 298, 304, 475, 477 ; Zenas, 150 and note, 160, 238, 259, 273, 558, 644, 684 Barkley, William, 534 Barnard, Albert J.. 842 ; George W. , 557; Ira, 557, Joseph E., 477 Barnes, Alfred J., 438 note; B.,491; Ed- win R., Dr., 741-743, 761, 762; Jacob L., 476, 480; Josuha, 480; Josiah, Dr„ 724, 726-729, 732-734, 738, 740, 752-754 Barnett, Richard T., 547, 549 Barney, Charles, 581 ; Hiram H., 502, 534, . 535, 637, 639; Joseph, 581 ; Luther, 581 ; JNTathan L., 341, 582 Barnum, Alexander M., 485, 486; F. L., Dr., 805 Barrell, Harvey, 552 858 INDEX Barrett, Henry, 577; H. W., Dr., 733, 734,768; Jonathan, 156, 186, 516; Thom- as M., 531, 532; William, 156; W. C, Dr., 745, 829 Barron, Joshua, 277, 337, 565; Royal A., 578 Barrows, Warren K., 543 Bart, jr., Joseph, 292 Barth, Mary, Miss, 788; John F., 488 Bartholomew, Isaac and Jehiel, 553 Barilett, F. W., Dr., 560, 739, 740, 749, 750, 751, 763; John P., 499, 503; O. A., 503; Marcus, 525; Smith, 278, 526, 528 Bartling, George, Rev., 619 Barton, jr., Benjamin, 138, 164, 288; Hi- ram, 475, 478, 709; James L., 317 note, 383, 684; Pliny F., 480 Bartoo, Jesse, 351, 357, 563, 576, 578, 579 ; Bartow,' Bernard, Dr., 743, 748, 785, 787; Bernard, Mrs., 787, 850 Bascom, James, 531 Bass, Jonathan K. , 578; Lyman K., 454, 472, 683; & Miller, 588- Bastian, Jacob, 508 Bates, Curtis I., 528, 529; Newton L., Dr., 794; Samuel, 581; Sylvanus and son Frank, 526 Batt, ST., Joseph, 622; J. & Co., 496 Battles, John, 277, 531, 536 Batty, Benjamin A., Dr., 726 Bauder, John M., 351, 576, 577 Bauer, Gasper, 548; Herman, Dr., 747 Bayer, Benedict, Rev., 620 Bayliss, A. W., Dr., 7o0 Baynes, William, 482 Beach, Eugene, Dr., 747; John, 687; Zo- phar, 176, 569 Beal, Peter, 342, 606 Beals, John W., 305, 852; J. W., Mrs., 834 Beaman, Samuel, 162 Beamer, John, 151, 581 Beard, Aaron, 149, 581; Daniel C, 410, 482'; James, 186; Philo D., 805; Sam- uel, 142, 581 Beardsley, David S., 542; Hazard, 542; Joseph H., 276, 541; Samuel, 542 Beasley, Andrew, 484, 485 "Beaver," finding of the supposed irons of the wreck, 178 ; wreck of, 106 (note) Beck, August, 483-486, '684 ; Charles, 561 Beckendorf, Ewald, Dr., 732 Becker, Philip, 417, 475, 627, 696, 697; Tracy C. 456; William, Rev., 621, 842, Beckwith, Charles, 476, 480, 481, 4576, 682, 706, 763; O. W. W., 551, 553, 560, 740 Bedell, John V., 392; Ossian, 556 Bedford, J., 607; Lyman, Dr., 804 Bee, Amherst, the, 832 Beebe, Milton E., 363 note, 484; Samuel, 143, 507; & Gordon, 593; & Myers, 532 Beeman, George M. , 574, 832 Beers, Alfred H. , Dr. , 802, 803 ; Anthony, 414 Belden, Rufus, 150, 558 Belknap, George W., 588; Porter, and son, John, 542 Bell, Edwin, Mrs., 787; Fordyce, 577; Richard H., 584; Salmon, Elder, 176 Bellevue, 515 Bellinger, Simon, 596 Bellwalder, J., Rev., 842 Beman, Samuel, 517 Bement, Elihu, 531; Elmore, 531; Julius, 531 Bemis, Abraham, 578; Asaph S., 233, 392, 385, 417, 479, 480, 483, 697; James D., 813; Jotham, 150, 190, 558 Bender, Ida C, Dr. 799; Philip H.,459, 613 Benedict, A. L., Dr., 749, 650; L. B., Dr., 725; Robert, 341, 582; Willis J., 600 Benjamin', Henry C. , Dr. , 726 Bennet, Isaac H. , 153, 644 Bennett, A. G., Dr., 750; Charles, 145, 581; David C, 514; David S., 414. 457; Edward, 479, 480, 844; Elnathan, 350, 514; George W., 499; H., Miss, 642; James S., 389; Joseph, 459, 550, 554; Judson O.. 554; Philander, 477, 478, 680, 701; William N., 499, 501; & Bea- man, 559 Bensley, D. W., 532; George A., 561; George E., 533; John, 535 Bentley, J. R., 363 note; Martin C, 501 Bentz, Henry G., Dr., 787, 789 Benzinger, Jacob, 483-485 Berent, Theodore, 428 Berger, G., 624 Berghorn, Charles F., 583; & Roach, 583 Bergtold, W. H, Dr., 748, 750, 764 Berkes, Mary, Dr., 747, 796, 797 Berlin, James and John, 596 Bernhard, Peter, 518 Berry, Earl D., 483; James G., 438 note; Willard, 343, 505, 559 Bertrand, jr., Eugene, 476 Besanson, J., 509 Best, Robert H., 373, 413, 596, 684; Will- iam, 168, 186, 596 Bestow, Job, 495 ; Samuel L, 495, 497, 639 Bestrip, J. A., 527 INDEX. 859 Bettinger, Stephen, 480, 626 Betts, Benjamin F., 596, 597; Joseph P., Dr., 783; M. C, 600 Beutler, W. J., Dr., 750 Beverly, David, 526; John, 526; Matthew, 529 Beyer, Jacob, 395, 413 note, 480, 481, 620 ; Philip, 612 Bicker, Charles, 518 Bidaman, W. D., Dr., 744 Bidwell, Benjamin, 380; Benjamin, Mrs., 200 ; Daniel D. , 392 and note, 479 ; John H., 479, 480 Btegler, Felix, 481, 482 Bielby, P. P., Dr., 743, 744 Bieser, John, 494 Big Tree, 563; Road, 141 Bigelow, A. T., Dr., 572 ; Chauncey, 527, 528, 349 : Frederick, 594 ; George, 592 ; Harry Foster, 494; Henry, 532; Job, 646; Samuel F., 478; Thomas, '528; Holmes & Nichols, 593 Bills, Thomas, 161, 586 Bingham, Erastus, 521, 523; George. 459, 685; H. H., Dr., 748; Henry L., 570, 572 Bird, William A., 278, 334, 365, 370, 383 and note, 391, 418, 459, 767. 838 Birmingham, J. J., Dr., 748 Bishop, A. B.,572; A. E., 601, 830; Cal- ' vin, 342, 478, 489; Charles F., 475; F. F., Dr., 505 Bishopp, Cecil, Lieut.-Col., 215, 216/217, 218 and note Bissell, Arthur D., 438 note; Clark, 569; Elias, Capt, 160, 569, 570; E. L., Dr., 749, 795; Elias S., Dr., 739; Elihu, 570; Elisha, 569: Harry H., Dr., 572, 723, 726, 729, 731, 733, 751, 753; William G, Dr., 751 Bissing, Frank J,, 486, 488 Bitler, John. 561 Bivins, Benjamin O., 186, 458, 517 Bixby, Elmer B., 533 Blaauw, Edmond, Dr., 751, 787, 789 Black, Archibald; 186; James, 551 ; Will- iam J., 477 Black Rock, erection of town of, 334; from 1807 to 1812, 173; zenith of the prosperity of, 283 Black Rock Gazette, removal of, to Buf- falo, 296; Harbor Company, the, 281 Blackman, Henry H., 578, 831; William, 569 Blackmar, A. T., 409; Charles, 161; Henry M., 532; Lyman, 187, 239, 261, 603 Blackmon, Eleazer, 570; Fred J., 525; Leonard, 570; Watson M., 570 Blackmore, Thomas, 583 Blaekney, Roselle U., 550, 552; Seeley, 552 Blaisdell, Herman, 558 Blake, John G., 532; Levi, 186, 500; Z. H., Dr., 768 Blakeley, Allen W., 523; E. E., 509; Isaac, 501; John D., 532: S. N., 509; Walter W., 533, 830 Blanchard, Amos A., 677; Enos, 507; G. H., Dr., 507, 802; Jonathan, 577 Blasdell, 563; Heman M., 460, 564; .James; 590 Bleeck, Ernest, 548 Bleistein, George B. , 820 Blend, George, 511 Blennerhassett, R., 638 Bley, Jacob, 542 Blezeo, Oliver, 18*7 Bliss, Amos, 341, 489; Gustavus G., 476; Joshua S., 438 note; Judah, Dr., 722, 752, 753 Block, Joseph, 438 note Blodgett, Rufus, 491 Blomquist, Eric, 542 Blood, D. W., 534 Bloomer, Charles A., 360 note Bloomfield, D. C, 532; James, 521 Blossom, 548, 609; A. H., 459; Ira A., 305, 365, 477, 767; Seth, 179, 526 Blye, Joseph, 276, 541 Blythe, Samuel G., 824 Boag, John R., 438 note Boardman, J., 599, 735, 738, 740-742, 757, 774 Bock, Emil, 551 Bode, H. W., Dr., 748 Boden, William, 561 Boeckel, Adam, 486-488 Boerstler, Charles G., Lieut.-Col., 204, 205, 213, 214 Boies, Charles, 501; Horace, 459, 560; Loren F., Dr., 506, 742; William, 274, 499; William, and sons Joel, Warren, Wilder, Eber, Jarvis, William and Watson, 500 Bolender, Augustus, 528 ; Brothers, 354, 593; Martis, 593; N., & Brother, 528 Bolton, William E., 551 Bonney, Zoroaster, 479 Booth, John, 482 Boothroy, George 514 Borden, J., 534 Bork, Joseph, 476, 482, 842; William H.', 406 note Borland, John, 554 » Bornheimer, Adam, Rev , 618 Boshert, George, 570 860 INDEX. Boston, first town officers of, 507 ; gazet- teer of, 506-509; in 1817-20, 276; land sales in, 143 ; list of supervisors of, 507 ; progress in, 346; settlers in, 151, 155, 161, 180, 507, 508 Boston Corners, 508 Bostwick, William H., 570 Bott, Jacob, 482 , Botts, Aaron, 342 Boughton, Lieutenant-Colonel, 227 Boundary commission, the, 278 Bourne, B. S., Dr., 749; Charles W., Dr., 560, 741, 748 Bowen, Charles E., Dr., 751; Daniel, 382, 417, 418, 459, 466, 478 and note, 479, 649, 657, 834; Dennis, 696, 709; Henry, 180, 591, 592; Jonathan, 177, 500; Nathaniel, 521; Richard E., 524; Rodell J., 566; Samuel B., 502; Samuel W., 338 Bowerman, Edwin A., Dr., 783 Bowman, Benjamin, 176, 569; Carlos E., Dr., 750; Eli H., 570; Isaac, 176; Isaac F.. 494; J. D., Dr., 749; Palmer S., ,570 Bowmansville, 575 Bowsfield, C. C, 504, 829 Boyd, John Parker, Gen., 211, 214 Boyer, John, 570, 580, 581 Brace, Lester, 173, 478, 684, 838; N. C, 642 Braddock, Edward, Gen., 73 Bradish, William H., 487 Bradley, J., Rev., 642; John H., 485; Samuel, 534 Bradstreet, John, Gen., 78, 84, 104 Brady, B. H., Dr., 786 Bragg, George S., 501; John 501 Brainard, Elizabeth, Mrs., 805; William C, 484 Brand, Gardner, 533 Brant, erection of, 334 ; first town officers of, 512; gazetteer of, 509-512; in 1815- 20, 277; list of supervisors of, 512; progress in, 347 ; schools of, 661 ; set- tlers of, 510 Brant Center, 510 Brant, Joseph, Mohawk chief, 109, 111— 113 Braun, Charles, 460; C. W., 623, 624; Lewis, 572 Braunlein, Louis, 681 Brayley, James, 328 note, 805 Brayman, Daniel, 273, 558; James O., 818; Mason, 817; Orrin, 179, 587 Brayton, Charles N., 603, 605, 685; Isaac, 605; S. N., Dr., 804, 829 Brecht, F. E. L., Dr., 743, 762-765 Breed, Frederick W., 410 Breeze, Akron, the, 832 Brendel, John, 557 Brendell, John G., 560 Brennan, B. H., 650; William, 515 Brennison, Frederick, 514 Breuer, Max, Dr., 787 Brewer, John, 351, 576; William H., 571, 638 Brewster. S. C, 296 Brezing, J., Rev., 618 Bridge, Jonas, 347; Joseph A., 479, 480 Bridgeman, Gilbert, Dr., 604 Briggs, A. H., Dr., 477, 742-745, 747, 748, 763; Carleton G.,540; David, 591; Ebenezer, 570, 638; Erasmus, 277,531, 532, 606, 607; E. A., 277, 531; E. E., Dr., 749; George W., 540; Giles, 180, 239, 591; Horace, 591; IchabodN., 566; Jonas, 523; Joseph, 545; Joseph B., 547; Luther, 591, 592; Miles P., 538; Ray, 591; Sylvester, 591 Brindley, George, 507, 508, 542 Brisbane, James, Buffalo as described by, in 1798, 126; Joseph, 257 Bristol, Cyrenius C, 370, 476; Daniel, 171 ; Moses, 684, 722, 726, 727, 752, 753, 834 Brock, Isaac, Sir, 195, 198, 199, 202 Brodie, Benjamin, 551; James, 551 Bronk, J. C, Dr., 727 Bronner, Christian, 612 Brookins, James, 500; Joseph R., 506 Brooks, Andrew J., Dr., 578; E. N.,533; Frank, 576; Jefferson H., 578; John, 507; J. H., 577; J. H., & Co., 578; Mark M., Dr., 743, 748; Wells, 384, 458, 439, 533, 684, 694, 705 Brosart, C. A., 824 Brown, Cyrus, 394; D. C, 588; David E., 842; Edmund, Dr., 737; George, 325, 583; George L., Dr., 745; George M., 682; Ira C, Dr., 749, 750; Isaac C, and son, Francis M., 526; Jacob, Gen., 196, 240, 242-253; James, 531; James M., 393, 394; Jeremiah N., Dr., 740, 761- John, 517, 521, 570; J. E., Dr., 572; John F., 476, 502, 681; John J., 149; Joseph W., 305, 477; Levi, 687; Loren- zo, 684; Manly, 513; Obadiah, 531; Oliver, 570; Orange T., Col., 331; Or- lin C, 550, 552, 554, 832; Thomas, 156, 516; William H,, 559; William O., 383; William W., 681 Browne, George M., 475 Brownell, Charles E., Dr., 739; Thomas I., 551 Browning, Joseph, 186 INDEX. 861 Bruce, Alexander, Dr., 349, 413 note, 528, 529; George, 570; Joan, 570; Samuel, 570; Solon, 514, 570; William W., 570 Brunck, F. C, Dr., 382, 460, 612, 613 Bruner, Valentine, 494 Brush, Alexander, 475, 476, 480, 481; Brothers, 830; Edward N., Dr., 743, 744, 763, 792; & Smith, 506 Brush Electric Light Company, 370 note Bruso, Clark F., Dr., 749 Bryan, William, 397 Bryant, Abner, 292, 466, 474; John, 342, 489; Joseph S., 438 note; Reuben, 709; Warren, 382; William C, 24, 405 note, 481, 482 Buck, Frederick, 138, 186, 516, 595 ; Jere- miah, 591 ; Abel, 150, 558 Buckham, Henry B., 658 Buckheit, G. J., 481, 482 Buckley, Edward W., 583 Bucknam, John H., 565; William W.. 567 Bucknell, jr., William, 369, 370 Budd, Augustus, 392 Budlong, Samuel, 355 Buell, Jonathan S., 413, 481 Buerger, E. M., Rev., 619 "Buffaloe," erection of the old town of, 168 Buffalo, account of, by John Mellish in 1811, 175; after the burning, 236-238; a gg re g a te shipments of grain and flour by canal from, 445 ; agitation of city in- corporation in, 303; and vicinity as de- scribed by Miss Powell, 118, 119; as de- scribed by Rev. Timothy Dwight in 1804, 146-48; as seen by Henry Love- joy in 1808-10, 166; banks established in, in 1826-30, 297, 298; in 1850-60, 380-383; bright prospects of, in 1828, 299; burial grounds and cemeteries in, 915 and note ; burning of the American Hotel in, 411 ; business houses of, in 1811-12, 183, 184; by the name '■ Lake Erie," 124; cholera in, in 1832, 313-315; churches in, 301, 302; citizens of, in Elliott's exploit, 200; city attorneys (corporation counsel), list of, 681 ; city charter, amendments to the, 433 ; city government, departments of, 435, 436 ; city officers, 475-488; climatology of, 363; 364 and note ; clubs and societies of, and their effects, 449-451 ; coal trade in, 380 and note; Commodore Perry entertained at, 222 ; comparison of, in 1836 and 1862, by G. H. Salisbury, 323; comparative statement of shipment of various articles from, 445; ,date of the first permanent settlement at, 119; de- scription of, by William Peacock in 1799, 128 ; distress after the burning of, 237 ; early missionary preachers at, 134 ; •early religious services in, 154 ; events in, as shown in the newspaper of 1811 and 1812, 183-185; excitement in, dur- ing the siege of Fort Erie, 254; execu- tion of two soldiers for murder in, 257; fires in, 300; first bank in, 257, 258 and note ; first city directory of, 306 ; first events in, in 1806, 153; first murder in, 138 ; first public school in, 643-645 ; first railroad measures in, 304; first regular fire company in. 291 ; first religious meetings in, 166; first school house in, 153 ; first schools in, 641 et seq. ; growth and prosperity of, assured. 283 ; harbor improvements in, 269-272, 424; im- portant accessions to the population of, in 1810-11, 168-171; important public meeting in, relative to the canal term- inus, 282, 283; important structures erected in, 425 ; incorporation as a city, 304, 305 ; incorporation of, as a village, . 258; incorporation of the village of. new act of, 280, 281; increase in area of, 38S; insurance companies in, iij 1825, 298, 299; in 1804, as sketched by William Hall, 148 ; in 1806, as described by David Mather, 152; in 1808, as sketched by Julia Storrs, 163 ; in 1814, 240-242 ; in 1825, account of, by S. Ball, 289, 290; land sales in. in 1807, 154; in 1808, 159; in 1810-11, 168-171; legislative act revising and amending charter of, 416 and note; libraries in, 328 note ; list of firms in business on the docks of, in 1848-50, 374 note ; list of land owners in. in 1804, 144; list of lot sales and purchasers in, of original survey, 307-312; lumber trade in, be- tween 1850 and 1860, 379; manufac- tures of, 423; manufacturing interest in, 1860-70, 409; measures of relief after the burning of, 238 ; national en- campment of the G. A. R. at, 438-440 ; park system of, 419 and note; paving in, 437; population of, 285, 303; from 1810 to the present, 446; present char- ter of, and. its provisions, 434-436; prices of land in, in 1804-07, 146; pro- gress in, after its destruction, 241, 242; prominent early business firms, 170, 171 ; reorganization of the police force of, 412 and note; resume of the ad- vantages of, 446-448 ; riot created by soldiers in, in 1812, 207-209; sacking 862 INDEX. and burning of, 230-238 ; sale of lots and prices in, in 1804, 143; schools made free in, 648; second newspaper in, 256; settlers of, in 1804, 148-150; in 1808, 159; from 1808 to 1810, 163; shipbuilding in, 380 and note; spelling of the name of with an "e," 185; state- ment of grain and flour reduced to its equivalent in grain received at, 443, 444; statement of property exempt from taxation in, 442; statement of re- ceipts of flour and grain in, 442, 443 ; statement of vessels arrived at and cleared from, 444; straightening of Main street in, 166; street railways in, 403 and note ; subscription list of resi- dents of, for canal between Buffalo and Black Rock, 283; summary of educa- tional institutions in, 658; system of charity of, 833 ; the slain at the sacking of, 235; valuation of real and personal property in, 441 ; village officials of, 474, 475, wards of, when first incorpo- rated as a city, 304, 305 ; wholesale mer- cantile trade, 1860-70, 409 Buffalo Academy of Medicine, 765, 766 ; Academy of the Sacred Heart, 625; and Black Rock Jubilee Water Works Co., 296; rivalry between. 266; struggle between, for the terminus of the Erie Canal, 268, 281-283; and Lancaster Plank Road Company, 366; Board of Trade, 362 and note; Builders' Ex- change, 413 and note ; Canoe Club, 451 note ; Catholic Institute, 406 and note; Children's Aid Society, 841; Children's Hospital, 786; Citizens' Gas Company, 369 note ; City Dispensary, 835 ; City Water Works Campany, 370 and notes; Deaconess Home, 849; Eye and Ear Infirmary, 842; Female Acad- emy, 657; Fine Arts Academy. 406 and note; Fire Department, 305, 306 note; Fire and Marine Insurance Company, 299; Gaslight Company, the, 369 and note; Gazette, the,. 183-185; General Electric Company, 370 note ; General Hospital, 781, 782; Harbor Company the, 269; High School Association, 646, 647; Historical Society, 404, 405 and note ; Homoeopathic Hospital, 804, 805, 841 ; Hospital of the Sisters of Charity, 779-781, 835, 836; Hydraulic Associa- tion, 297; Industrial Association, 851; Library, the, 324-328 ; Mechanical S6- cietv of, in 1812, 183; Medical Associa- tion', 752-765 ; Medical College, 767-775; Medical Journal, the, 789-793; "Moral Society" of, 173, 174; Mutual' Gaslight Company, 369 note ; Natural Gas Fuel Company, 437 ; Obstetrical Society, 765 ; Orphan Asylum, 834, 835; Police De- partment, 371-373; Real Estate Ex- change, 427; Washington Benevolent Society in, in 1811, 174; Water Works, 370 note; Woman's Hospital, 785,849 Buffalo Creek, first mention of the name, 118; settlement of, reference to, in the Gilbert narrative, 115 Buffum, Albert G., 346, 347, 522,524; James, 277, 521 ; Joseph, 277, 521 ; Oliver P., 524; Richard, 178, 276, 346, 521, 522; Thomas J., 522; Wheeler, 521 Bull, Absalom, 296, 456, 702; A. T., Dr.. 785, 804, 805; Henry, Mrs., 787; Joseph, 170, 183; Louis A., Dr., 804; William S., 413 note Bullis, Frank G., 545; Lewis M., 540, 549 Bullymore, jr., Richard, 486, 487; Will- iam D., 392 Bump, Jonathan, 155, 507; John C, Dr., 743 Bundy, Henry, 550 ; sons of, 552 Bunner, J. C, 818 Bunting, Levi, 179, 541, 545; Thomas L., 455, 560, 561 ; & Elwood, 560 Burba, James, 257, 595, 596 Burdick, A. C, 341, 489 Burgar, George, 142 Burgard, Henry P., 486; Peter, 480, 481 Burgasser, George, 494 Burgess, Otis, 347; Samuel, 180, 531 Burghardt, F. A., Dr., 743 Burgher, , Dr., 740 Burgoyne, John, Gen.. 110 Burk, John J., Dr., 742 Burke, J., Edmund, 825 Burlingham, Waterman, 567 Burnett & Graybiel, 496 Burns, Alexander, 517; John C, 483- Peter, 518; William P., 475; William R.,583 Burr, L. C, Mrs., 505 Burrows, Latham A., 478; Roswell L., 459, 475, 681, 781 Burt, Alvin. 177, 603; David, 295, 297, 331, 458, 464, 474; Franklin, Dr., 745; George, 298; Henry W., 805; William A., 275, 286, 603; William G., 391 Burton, Darius, 477 Burwell, Bryant, Dr., 719, 723, 726, 727, 729, 733, 734, 752-754, 781; Elliott, Dr., 727, 728; Erastus, Dr., 726; George N., 730-734, 753, 755, 756, 782. 789, 890 ; The- odotus, 475, 476, 571, 638, 681, 767, 818 INDEX. 863 Bury, B.-J., 533 Burzette, George, 277, 565 Busch, John, 485 Bush, Jacob, 560; John G., and sons Stephen and Ira M., 494; John T.,,355, 457, 459, 600; Joseph, 355, 597, 600; Myron P., 3;>8 note, 381, 410, 478, 479; Robert, 293 ; William T. , 355, 459, 600 Business activity, abnormal, 318 Bussman, Paul F., Dr., 748, 831 Busti, Paul, 13, 126-128 Buswell, H. C, Dr., 749, 785 Butler, Comfort F., 815; David, 592; Ed- ward H., 436, 822, 823 and note; John, and his Rangers, 109, 115, 120; Joseph, 486-488, Lewis L., 605; R. N., 489; Samuel M., 342, 489; Walter N., Col., Ill; William H., Dr., 738, 739, 759, 795 Butterfield, Seth, 488 Butterworth, Otis, 532 ; & Fox, 532 Button, Charles F., 565; Clayton A., 566, 567, 832; R. W., 565 Butts, JohnW., 522; Samuel 277, 347; S. M., 510; & Co., 597 Buxton, B. K., Capt., 559; Luther, Dr., - 347, 459 Byer, Philip, 383 Byrne, John, 397, 413 note; Matthew, 406 note; Michael J., 487 Byrris, Edward, 481, 482 Cadugan, John, 603 Cadwallader, Metchenor, 475, 477, 677, 815 Cady, P. J., 533 Caldwell, Richard, 606, 607; Samuel, 487, 649, 683, 703, 818 Calkins, Abbott C, 459, 560; Caleb, 501 ; Moses, 524; Samuel, 162, 500; Will- iam A., 524 Callahan, Michael, 484, 485 Callanan, Stephen A., 397; William C, Dr., 748, 750, 765 Callender, Amos, 159, 166, 174, 642, 645, 646; 682; Samuel, 325; S. N., 781, 834, 852 Cameron, John, 366 Camp, Daniel, 558; Horace B., Dr., 560, 724, 726-728; J. E., Dr., 733, 734; John G., Capt., 228, 258, 262, 269, 295, 297, 300, 305, 318, 464, 465, 474, 477, 478, 684; Wyatt, 642 Campaign of 1755, failures of the, 74; of 1756, the, 79-83; of 1757, the, 83; of 1758, 84-88; of 1759, the, 89-100; of 1776. the, 109, 110; of 1777, the, 110; of 1778, the, 111; of 1779, the, 112; of 1780, the, 112, 113; of 1812, the, 194- 209; of 1813, the, 210-238; of 1814, the, 239-255 Campaigns against the Indians in the West, 195 Campbell, Alexander C, 601; Frederick R., Dr., 747, 748, 764, 793; Henrv B., 494; Henry M., 183, 262. 474; Jerome M., 514; John A., 577; John B., 350, 481, 482, 514; John D., 497, 639; John M., 821; Major, 277, 510; Matthew, 350, 514; Robert C, Dr., 742: Thomas B., 458 Camps, villages and arrow head fac- tories, 29-31 Canal appraisers from Erie county, 456 ; commerce, 317; commissioners from Erie county, 456; project, beginnings of the, 267 Candee, A. W., 552; H. N., 550; Joseph, 459, 592, 684, 816; R. N., 553 Canfield, B., & Co., 509; G. W., 533; Milo, jr., 542; & Snyder, 509 Canisius College, 626 Cannon, John H., 485, 486 Cant, W.J., & Frank, 573 Capron, Joseph, 533 Carey, John, 486, 487 Carmer, Louis, Dr., 748 Carmichael, James H., 476; Robert, 482, 483 Carney, Edward, 138, 516, 596; James, 595; Judson D., 593 Carpenter, Copeland, 351 ; George W. , 351, 576; Jeremiah, 351, 576-578 ; John, 186, 275; John C, 577; John R., 298, 304; Joseph, 351, 570, 571, 576, 577; Niles, 577, 579; S. W., 480: Thomas B., Dr., 751; William, 578, 603; Will- iam A., 259, 813, 814 Carr, Charles, 596; Clark, Rev., 180; David, 596; Francis, 517; George W., 553 Carrier, Chauncey T., 552; P. H., 552; William, 551 Carroll. Evangeline, Dr., 751 ; Jane Wall, Dr., 750, 800 Carter, Henry T., Dr., 750; Jonathan W., 456, 545 Cartier and De la Roque, discoveries of, 41 Carver, Lafayette, 339, 502, 694 Cary, Asa, 161, 507, 531, 687; Charles, Dr., 744, 764. 773, 774; D. A., 507, 508; Orson, Dr., 722; Richard, Deacon, 151, and sons Calvin, Richard and Luther and grandson Van Rensselaer R., 507; Thomas, 844; Truman, 458, 507, 508; 864 INDEX. Truman S., 507, 508; Van Rensselaer R., 508, 660; Walter, Dr., 732-734, 755 Caryl, A. H., 362; Benjamin, 163, 164, 186, 241, 257, 304, 382, 474, 853; Har- vey, 545; Lucien W., Dr., 543, 723, 724, 726, 752 Case, Henry B., 542; Hugh M., 491; James H., 581; John A., 459, 503, 569; Marcus, 566; Moses, 489, 491, 493; SquireS., 458, 459, 475, 477 Casey, James W., Dr., 795 Cash, Aaron, 550, 553; David, 161, 550; William, 161 Caskey, George, 552; James H., 345; Jo- seph D., 542, 543; & Smith, 542 Cassety, James M., 658 Catholic Union and Times, the, 825 Caul, Martha F., 751 Caving, T. L., Rev., 621 Cazenove, Theophilus, 13, 124 Censor, Sardinia, the, 832 Chace, David A., Dr., 741, 743; David E., Dr., 477;' William H.. Dr., 749 Chadderden, James, 352, 578; John, 577; Stephen, 578 Chadwick, John G., Dr., 805; Peter R., 394 Chaffee, 594; Bertrand, 459, 532, 534; Carl, 534; Ezra, 507; N. A., 588 Chalmers, James, 496, 497, 603 Chamberlain, A. M., 605; Hunting S., 325, 479, 480; Ivory, 816, 838; Joel, 145, 494; J. D. Hoyt, 475; Samuel M., 394 Chamberlin, Hinds, account of Buffalo bv, in 1792, 121 Chambers, George, 413 note. 459, 482; Hiram. 479 Champlain, C. G., Dr., 745; Samuel de, and his career, 41 Champlin, Harvey S., 483 note; John J., Dr., 749 Chandler, Absalom, 538; A. Leon, 572, 832; George, 560; Isaac, 557; Lyman, 352, 545; L. D., 533 Chapin, Cooley S., 417, 697; Cyrenius, Dr., first journey of, to Erie county, 134, purchase of land by, 141, wrangle of, with Dr. Daniel Chapin, 184; 194, 200, 203, 206, 212-214, 219, 221, 222, 224, 228-234, 272, 300, 474, 644, 684, 712-714, 719, 721, 752; Daniel, 154, 169; wrangle of, with Dr. Cyrenius Chapin, 184; 687; sketch of, 714; Edward P., 388, 395 and note, 396; Gorham, 474; Henry, 135, 144; Joseph, 508; Milton W., 543; Roswell, 682, 701; William, 143, 581 Chaplin, Jonathan E. , 258, 474 Chapman, Asa, first contractor for land in Newstead, 136; 142, 146, 159, 160, 187, 194, 581 Chappell, N. Victoria, Dr., 751 Chard, William, 477 Charity Eye, Ear and Throat Hospital, 849 ; Foundation of the Protestant Epis- copal Church, the, 838; Organization Society of Buffalo, 843-847 Charles, Joseph, 603 Chase, Abner, 531 ; Enoch, 531; Frank. 532, 533; James A, 410, 459; William, 607 Chauncey, Isaac, Com., 196, 211, 212, 219 Cheektowaga, erection of, 334 ; first town officers of 513 ; gazetteer of, 512-515 ; list of supervisors of , 513; progress in, 350; settlers in, 160, 514; schools of, 664 Cheeseman, William, 558 Chemnitz, M. J., 852 Cheney, Edgar O., 566 Cherry, James, Dr., 543 Cherry Valley massacre, the, 111 Chesbro, Frank, 577; George, 534; John L., 351, 576 Chesebrough, Henry, 491 Chester, Albert T., 405 note, 657; Anson G., 816, 821; C. O., Dr., 744; Thomas, 409 Chilcott, Asa, 538 ; Amos, 540, 557 Children's Hospital, the, 850 Childs, O. W., 568 Chittenden, Martin, 682 Cholera in 1832, 313-315 ; in 1849, 374 Choules, John O., 834 Christ, George F., 483, 484; Gottlieb C, 595-597 Christian Homestead Association, the, 850; Uplook, the, 824 Christison, W. H.. Dr., 726 Christy, Harrison B., 512 Chrysler, Lieutenant-Colonel, 202 Church, Baptist, Buffalo, 292 and note; Congregational, Buffalo, 854; First Presbyterian, of Buffalo. 255 and note; First Presbyterian, Orchard Park, 274; First Unitarian Congregational, Buf- falo, 852; Friends, Buffalo, 853; of Christ, Buffalo, 853; Presbyterian, the second, in Buffalo, 301 ; St. Louis Ro- man Catholic, Buffalo, 301 and note: St. Paul's Episcopal, in Buffalo, 262 and note ; Universalist, Buffalo, 853 Church, Stephen, 342, 489 Churches of Abbott's Corners, 563; of Akron, 585 ; in Alden, 342, 492 ; in Am- herst, 352, 498; in Aurora, 339, 505, 506; in Boston, 508, 509; in Brant, 347, 512; in Buffalo, 852-854; in Cheekto- Index. waga, 515; in Clarence, 354, 520; in Colden, 347, 523; in Collins, 349; in Concord, 348, 536; in Depew, 575; in East Aurora, 504; in East Hamburg, 539, 540; in Eden, 346, 544; in Elma, 548, 549; Episcopal, 262 and note; in Evans, 345, 553, 554; German, 615-623; in Gowanda, 528 ; in Hamburg, 343 ; in Hamburg village, 562; in Holland, 568; in Lancaster village, 573; in Marilla, 579; in Newstead, 341; in North Col lins, 589; Polish, Buffalo, 428, 429; Presbyterian, 302 note; Roman Catho- lic, 367-369 and note; in Sardinia, 354, 594; in Springville, 535; in Tonawan- da, 355, 601 ; inWales, 604, 605 ; in West Seneca, 342, 608, 609; in Williamsville, 497 Churchill, Byron A., 505; Edward, 276, 508; Giles, 531; John, 507, 522; John O., 532; Josiah, 259; Lieutenant-Colo- nel, 227-229; Stephen, 524 Churchyard, Joseph, 410, 476, 482 City attorney of Buffalo, 476 ; clerks of Buffalo, 475 ; physicians of Buffalo, 477 ^ surveyors and engineers of Buffalo, 476 ; treasurers of Buffalo, 475 City and County Building, the, 416, 417 Clahan. John J., 460 Clair, John, 534 Clapp, Almon M., Capt, 332, 333, 453, 459, 504, 814, 821, 829; George, 570, 571; H. H., 821; Lewis, 570 Clarence, erection of town of, 158; first town meeting in, 160; first town officers of, 517; gazetteer of, 512-520; land sales in, 143; liquor licenses in, in 1808, 160 ; list of supervisors of, 517 ; prog- ress in, 353; schools of, 662; settlers in, 1801 and 1802, 137, 138, 145, 151, 156, 162, 176, 516, 517; village (Clarence Hollow), 518 Clarence Center, 519 Clark, Amos, 155, 602; Benjamin, 160, 569; Charles A.. 391; Charles P., Dr., 750; Edward, Dr.. 477, 745, 748-751; Elam, 340, 547: Elisha, 177; Elon, 567; Ezra, 351, 577; Frederick, 533; F. L. , 600; George, 278; George, & Co., 591; Grosvenor,, 366 ; Harvey, 570; Henry, 178; Herbert F., 528; Hiram, 570; Hor- ace, 317, 351, 354, 366, 458, 576, 592, 593, 684, 750; James, 350, 351, 547, 570; Jasper N., 539; John, 459, 557; J. W., 304, 475, 477; Joseph, 570; Lyman, 286; 340, 567, 590; Lucius I., 532; L. B., 505- Myron H., 460, 559; Philip, 552; Seth, 410, 481; Simeon, 276, 346, 541, 109 543; Simeon T., Dr., 778, 779; Stephen, 477; Stephen C, 504; Sylvester, Dr. 719; Thomas, 151, 328 note, 481, 516; Thomas B., Dr., 719; Timothy T, 529; W. B., 594; Willis G, 532 Clarke, Archibalds., 151, 156, 158, 162, 184, 187, 257, 261, 287, 454, 456-458, 461-463, 518, 581, 682, 684, 687, 731; Carl G. 832; Charles, 573, 781; Charles E., 657; Cyrus, 363 note; J. B., 815; Rev. Dr., 405; Walter, 405 Clarksburg, 543 Clary, Joseph, 300, 304, 314, 458, 474, 475, 681, 689, 702 Clemens, Cary, 531; Charles A., Dr., 751; John, 531; Samuel L., 821 Clement, Stephen M., 658 Clements, C, 511 Cleveland, Grovel, 414, 452, 455, 472, 473, 475, 658, 684; Jedediah, 178, 531; William, 574 Clicker, John, 519 Clifford, Calvin, 687; Timothy, 549 Clinton, Dewitt, 268, 282, 284, 285; George, 364 note, 460; George DeWitt, 359; George W., 365. 395, 405, 417, 456, 475, 676, 697. 707, 763, 767, 781, 838 ; H. P., Dr., 388, 479, 480; James, Gen., 112; Thomas R., 475, 477 Clor. Michael, 479 Clothier, William P., Dr., 749 , Clough, Benjamin, 239; Benjamin I., 187, 558 Coakley, John B., 487, 745, 751, 764 Coal traffic, the, 421, 422 Coats. Giles K. , 362 Coatsworth, Caleb, 350 Cobb, C, Rollin, Dr., 600: Nehemiah, Rev., 548; Perez, 507, 508; Zenas, 546 Coburn, Theodore, 292, 475 Cochran, Samuel, 161, 187, 348, 531, 533, 535 Cochrane, A. G. C, 325 Cokerell, William, 491 Coe, Bela D., 304, 474, 475; Clifford, S. A., 486-488; Thomas, 494 Coffin, William, 370 Cofran, William, 582 Cogswell, G., 607 Cohen. Bernard, Dr., 748; J. L., 533 Coit, Benjamin B., Dr., 726; Frank S., 584; George, 170 and note, 270, 288, 292, 370; Gordon C, 834 Colburn, C. J., 523; Edwin M., Dr., 727; John C, 536;Orlin J., 524 Colby, Ezekiel, 161, 565; Harvey, 180, 565; Jefferson, 565; Jesse, 605; Jona- than, 161 ; Nathan, 565 866 INDEX. " Cold summer,' the, 257 Colden, gazetteer of, 521-524; in 1815-20, 276 ; list of supervisors of, 523 ; prog- ress in, 346; schools of, 662; settlers in, 178, 521 ; village, 522 Cole. George, 476; Hiram, 344; John, 274, 603, 605; John, Dr., 740; John P., Dr., 738; Miles, 605; Sidney W., Dr., 731 ;T., 581; William, 547 Colegrove, Bela H., Dr., 278, 354, 459, 480, 591, 592, 720, 722; James B., Dr., 738 Coleman, John, 456 Colie, Samuel D., 480, 481 Collier, C. W., Dr., 740 Collignon, Frank. 482, 483 Collingwood, William D. , 485, 486 Collins, first town offiers of, 524: gazet- teer of, 524-529; in 1815-20, 278; list of supervisors of, 525; progress in, 348, 349; schools of, 662; settlers in, 179, 225, 226, 529 Collins and North Collins, settlers in, 161; first births in, 179 Collins, Cattaraugus Reservation in, 526 Collins, Center, 528 Collins Farm Hospital, 805 Collins, A. N., Dr., 750; George S., 278, 354, 591, 592; John, 547; Thomas, 278, 354, 483, 484. 591 Colt, Judah, 131 Colton, A. J., Dr., 750; Manly, 348, 477, 532, 534, 684; & Badgely, 532 Coltrin, Asa, Dr., 168, 184; William, 150, 186, 537, 558 Colvin, Amos.andsons, 144, 537; Charles, 588; Henry, 588; Luther, 239; Poltis, 559; Sanford G., 186; Stephen, 145, 494 Commercial Advertiser, Buffalo, 814-817 "Commission of the Peace " in 1814, 687 Commissioners of the State Board of Charities from Erie county, 456 Common school system, outline of the act establishing the, 632 "Community of Inspiration," the, 606 Comptrollers from Erie county, 455; of Buffalo, 477 Comstock, Charles A., 478 Conant, George, 502, 637 Concord, gazetterof, 530-536; in 1815-20, 277; list of supervisors of, 532; prog- ress in, 347; setlers in, 178, 180, 530, 531 : (post-office), 536 Condon, Israel, Dr., 529, 349 Con*, Henry, 409 Congar, Horace M., Dr., 729, 733-735, 737-740, 753-756, 758-760 Congdon, Benjamin C, Dr., 719, 721, 722; Charles E., Dr., 748, 751; Israel, Dr., 721; J. M., 777 Conger, A. K, 527; Anson G., 459, 525: Moses L. , 526 Congressional districts, changes in, 453 Conkey, David S., Dr., 494, 496 Conklin, Miss (infant school), 643 Conley, Walter H., Dr., 783 Conly, Philip, 577; William R., 366 Conners, William J. , 824 and note Constantine, J. W.. 560, 831 Constitution of 1821, officers under the, 586; of 1846, changes made by the, in the election of officers, 367, 467 Constitutional Convention of 1867, changes effected by, 414 Convention opposed to the extension of slavery, at Buffalo, 468, 469 Cook, Albert E., 608; Eli, 384 and note, 386, 475, 476, 681, 694, 706; Ephraim, 649; Ezekiel, 239, 274, 538; E. G., Dr., 804; E. W., Col., 534; George W., 592, 593; Ira S., 591; John, 180, 591; Jona- than, 591 ; Joseph T. , Dr. , 805 ; Lean- der, 277, 565, 566; M. B., Dr., 748; Peter, and son Norman, 526; P. G, 360 note; Raphael, 169; Simson, Dr., 600 ; Sylvanus, 531; William, 155, 507, 550; William W., 390 Cooley, Elijah, 599 Coon, Ebenezer, 595 ; John, 187 ; Joseph, 496 Cooper, Arthur, 568; C. M., 677; Joseph, 180, 565 ; Lafayette, 570; Paige E., 565; Samuel, 161, 180, 186, 531, 565 Cooper's Mills, 568 Copeland, David, Rev., 535, 639 Corbin, David, 180, 550; Dewitt C, 499; Joslyn M., 522 Corliss, Mitchell, 568 ; Samuel, 568 Cornell, Cyrus, 524 Cornplanter, 120; Half Town and Great Tree, compliments of, to Washington, 117 Cornwall, Levinus W., Dr., 493, 605; Ly- man, 337, 499, 500 Cornwell, Benjamin, Dr., 748; E. J., 593; Francis E., 710; Hiram D., 591, 592; William C, 438 note; W. W., 354, 593 Coshway, R. M., Mrs., 600 Cothran, George W., 681 Cott, George F., Dr., 749, 750 Cotter, Timothy, 482, 483 Cottier, Robert, 395 Cotton, Rowland, 144, 146, 154, 159, 186 Coughlin, Cornelius, 460; Tohn T.. 487 INDEX. 867 Council of Appointment, member of, from Erie county, 456 Counties, erection of, in 1808, 157 ; orig- inal ten, in New York, 1 County and City Building, the, 699-698 County clerks, 684; officers, first, of Ni- agara county, 158; seat, location of, in 1808, 157; establishment of the, 686; treasurers, 460 Courier, Buffalo, 818-820, 824 Court, Circuit, 677 ; County, 679-681 ; the first, held in the county, 686, 687; for Correction of Errors and Appeals, 671 ; Municipal, of Buffalo, 681; of Ad- miralty, 670 ; of Appeals, 678 ; of Chan- cery, 670; of Common Pleas, colonial, 669, 672, 677, 687 ; of Oyer and Termin- er,670 ; of Sessions,677 ; Recorder's, 675 ; Superior, 675-677; Supreme, 672-674, justices from Erie county, 674; Surro- gate's, 682; system under Dutch rule, 665-669 Courts before the Revolution, 669-671 ; financial side of the. 685, 686; under English domination, 669-672 Court house and jail, completion of, in 1810, 168; the first, 159, 694; the second, 695 ; the third, 696 Courter, Ralph, 413, 477 Courtney, Maurice, 397 Coventry, Charles B., 390, 767, 771.; Wal- ter B., Dr., 782 Covey, Lorenzo D., 340, 459, 580, 582, 583; M., 607; & Wheeler, 585 Cowles, Alvin, Dr., 721 Cox, Elisha, 569 Cramer, John W., Capt., 596 Crandall, G. A, 566; James F., 533; Luke, 179, 525; Merritt, 597; William L., 818 Crane, L. D., Dr., 582; O. P., Dr., 582 Crary, L. P., publisher first city direc- tory, 306; Leonard P., 474 Crawford, Alonzo, 519; A. H., Dr., 742; Samuel M., Dr., 726 Crego, Floyd S., Dr., 745, 747, 748, 764, 779, 784, 785 Cressy, E. H., Mrs., 834 . Creswell, John A., 823 Cretsenger, George, and son George, 494 Creveling, J. P., Dr., 747 Criqui, William, 519 Crittenden, 491 Crocker, Andrew, 278; Charles, 523; James, 488, 705, 834; James, Mrs., 834; Samuel, 591; Thomas B., 593, 832 Crockett, M. A, Dr., 749, 751, 785 Cromwell, William, 273, 538 Cronin, Patrick, Rev., 825 Cronk, James, 176, 261, 272, 287, 517, 581, 684, 687 Cronyn, John, Dr., 418, 739, 740, 742-744, 751, 760, 761, 763, 764, 777, 784, 785; J. L. C. Dr., 744, 777 Crook, Asa, 568; Micah B., 239, 500; Si- mon, 500; William; 566 Crooker, James F., 456, 476, 649, 660; Michael, 607 Croop, H. H., 584 Crosby, Clark F., 593; Morton, 591, 592 Cross, E. T., 489; George, 497 Crout, L. F. , 498 Crow, John, 134, 142, 144 Crowder, Jacob, 480, 481 Crowe, Thomas M., Dr., 748 Crowell, Anna Fiijke, Dr., 799 Crowley, John L., 459 Crown, A. H., 600 Cruice, Daniel. 459, 482 Crump, Benjamin, 521; Robert G., 524 Cuddeback, William H., 476, 682 Cully, David, 136, 581 Culver, Noah, 531 Cumraings, F. H., 578; Harlow, 582; Henry P., 584; Hezekiah, 340, 580, 582, 584; John, 143, 144, 154, 478, 557; Lowell M., 533; Palmer, 584; Scott, 533; Uriah, 584; William M., 580, 582 Cummings Akron Cement Works, 584 Cunningham, Henry S., '518; John, 595 Curran, Hiram A., 508, 660; William, 508 Currier, Abner, 156, 261, 535, 640; Chauncey G., 567; William B., 460, 522, 524;&.Bolender, 522 Curry, Francis F., 476 Curtenius," John L., 710 Curtin, Thomas, 413 note Curtis, Charles G. , 363 note ; Luther, 179, 531; R. J., Dr., 740; Sylvester, 565: William, 571 Curtiss, A. M., Dr. 551, 805; Peter, 477, 478, 834 Cushing, Frank S. , 572 Custom house, effort to remove the, from Buffalo to Black Rock, 164-166; re- moval of, to Black Rock, 171 Cutler, Asher, 567.; Caleb, and son Will- iam C, 277, 565, 591; Ezekiel, 535, 639; G. W., Dr., 748, 853 Cutting, Harmon S.,413, 459, 475, 47.6, 681 Cwiklinski, Frank, 488 'Dabolt, George H., 532 Dagenais, Alphonse, Dr., 742, 764, 766 Daggett, Byron H., Dr., 477, 741, 749, 761, 779, 785 868 INDEX. Dahl, Peter, 600 Dailey, Morrill T., 583 Daily Journal, Buffalo, 814, 815 Dain, Thomas, 200 Dake, John, 340, 568 Daley, Martin, 292 Dalrymple, Hattie, Miss, 560 Dalton, John C, jr., Dr., 734, 771, 810 Damainville, Lucien, Dr., 794 Dambach, John, Dr., 743 Dana, Daniel H., 288 Danahy, Michael, 483 Dandy, James H., 394 Danforth, E., 660: Frederick L., 842; William. Dr., 551 Daniels, Charles, 438 note, 455, 674; Clayton, M., Dr., 745, 763, 777; Lyman A., 483,484 Dann, Edward S., 410, 479, 480 Danser, E. G., Dr., 749 Darbee & Peek, 503 Darby, Chester, 500; James G., 501; Jed- ediah, 274, 500; John C, 274, 500 Darcy, Charles, 373, 684 Darling, Russell, 177, 500 Darmstadter, William, 488 Darrow, Edward S., 500; Elijah, 500; Henry P., 506; Noyes, 477 Dart, Allen K., 557, 560; Clark, 557; Horace, 561 ; Joseph, 358, 359 and note, 657 ; Moses, 178, 559 Davidson, Augustus R., Dr., 744, 747, 749, 762, 763, 777, 778, 793; H. C, 593 Davies, Henry E., 474 Davis, Albert, 545 ; Augustine, 832 ; Gar- ritt, 128; George A., 456, 458, 570; Isaac, 163; J., 607; James, 546; James C, 545; Jarvis, 479; Lewis L., Dr., 508; Nathaniel P., 565 ;Thaddeus, 456; William, 302, 582, 677; William H., 501 Davy, John, 484-486 Daw, Henry, 363 note Dawes, Julius, 406 note Daws, William, 482 Day, Benjamin P., 565; Charles, 524; David F., 459, 461, 476, 658, 682; David M., 305, 477, 814, 815; Ebenezer, 853; Elijah, 600 ; Elijah Van Rensselaer 597 ; Rodney, 351, 576 Dayton, Charles L., Dr., 477, 482, 735, 740, 757; Herbert, 493; John, 276, 541; Lewis P., Dr., 418, 459, 475, 477, 479- 481, 684, 733, 738, 739, 741 Dean, Stephen, Dr., 722 Dearborn, Henry, Gen., 197, 211, 212, 214 Debus, Philip, 843 Decker, Joel, 342, 606 ; Smith, 505 Deckhart, Henry, 350 Dee, M. J., 823 Deeter, Daniel, 521 De Glopper, Peter, 556 De Graff, James H., 595, 596 De Haas, Carl, 613 De la Barre's administration, failure of, 55 56 Delaney, William E., 475 Delano, Jonathan, 341, 582, 583 De la Rochefoucauld-Liaincourt, exper- ience of, at Buffalo's first tavern, 122 Dellenbaugh, Frederick, Dr., 382, 477- 479, 612 Delong, James, 478 Delzer, William, 572 Denhiser, George, 589 Denio, Isaac, 162, 581 Denison, Misses (seminary), 643 Denner, George, 484, 485 Dennis, J. W., 482, 483 Dennison, Daniel, 351; Dudley, 577; Ellery E., 777 De Nonville's administration, and inva- sion of the Seneca country, 57 Densmore, Eliphalet, 514; Jay, 830 Dental Practitioner and Advertiser, the, 829 Denton, L. A., Dr., 750; Mary I., Dr., 750 ; Robert, 338 note Depew, 515, 574, 575 De Puy, W. R.. 533, 830 Derby, 553 Deshay, William, 138, 142, 581 Deshler, John D-, 397; John G., 459 Deuel, Ira, 607; Isaac, 557: James H., 540; William T.. 607 Deuel's Corners, 539 Devening, Daniel, 479; Daniel, jr., 459, 480; Daniel, Dr., 731, 738 Devil's Hole, tragedy at the, 102, 103 (note) Devlin, John, 406 note Dewey, Norman B., 570; Orville S., 391; Truman, 459 De Witt, Simeon, 268 De Young, , Dr., 571 Diamond, Abraham, 510, 511 Dibble, Ebenezer, 535; Hezekiah, 180, 550; Orange J., 550, 553, 554 Dick, Joseph B., 501 ; William, 600 Dickenherr, Martin; 842 Dickman, Charles, 483 Dickerman, Isaac, 339, 565; Marcellus L., 565, 566; Perry D., 566, 567, 569 Dickey, Benjamin, 482, 483 Dickinson, Robert. 491 INDEX. Diedrich, Christian, 600; Henry, 600 Diehl, Alfred E., Dr., 750, 785, 789; Con- rad, Dr., 475, 651, 741, 760, 761, 764, 782, 784, 786, 788 Die thorn, George, 530 Dietrich Brothers, 504, 829, & O'Brien, 563 ' Dietzer, John, 48a Dilcher, Henry, 482; Jacob, 438 note Dillingham. D. A., 590; Gurney O., 660 Dimond, Elias, 603 Dingens, Joseph A,, 406 note Discoveries of the Western Continent accidental, 41 District attorneys, 683 District Nursing Association, 848 Ditto, John A., 476 Doane, Betsey, 640 Dodge, Alvin, 154, 596, 645; E. C, 490, 831; Henry W., 497; Jonathan W., 570; J. Wayne, 496; Leonard, 495 Dods, A. W., Dr., 805 Dole, Benjamin, 480; Franklin, 542,545; Jacob, 607; John A., 350; Linus, 542 Dolph, Aaron, 151, 581 Domedian, Jacob, 613 Donaldson, John A., 485, 486 Doney, Henry, 186 Donohue, Cornelius, 460 Doolittle, Calvin, 155, 239, 507; Leland, 390 Dorland, E. T., Dr., 742, 744, 748; P. S., Dr., 739 Dormer, James H. , 844 Dorsheimer, Philip, 395, 456; William, 405, 417, 418, 455, 472 Dorst, John V. , 559 Dorr, E. P. , 363 note, 392, 405 note, 480 ; L. B., Dr., 749; Samuel G., Dr., 743 Dossert, John, 623 , Doty, Charles B., 484 Douglass, A. J.. 375; Benjamin, 187, 531; Christopher, 531; W. A, 534 Dowd, J. Henry, Dr., 751 Dowlman, William, Dr., 749 Downey, Thomas, 582 •Doyle, Thomas M., 485; John, 482, 483; Peter C, 364 note Drake, Jacob, 178, 531 ; John, 156, 531 ; Tohn J., 494, 750; Lyman, 531; Marcus M., 483 note, 475, 476, 483-485; OtisS., 391 Drescher, C. P., 483 Dresser, Amelia F., Dr., 751 Drew, C. H., 601, 830; J., 643; William H. , 387, 388 Driges, Roswell, 355, 597 ; Roswell W. , 597; Urial, 355, 597, 600 Drullard, George, 373, 533 Dubois, George M., 542; James B., 479- 481 Dudley, Gideon, 142, 150, 180, 187, 550, 558; Glen G., 600; John P., Dr., 732, 768; Joseph P., 784; Lieutenant, 211; Wesley C, 660 Duehrfeldt, Frederic and Gustav, 624 Duer, John, 186 Dummett, Andrew, 143 Dunbar; Charles F., 805; Robert, 359 Dunham, Elijah, 178, 531; F. E. & Co., 582; Jacob, 581; Robert, 581; Sydney A, Dr., 749 Dunn, Abram M., 495; John, 149 Dunnett & Co., 583 Dunning. Isaac, Dr., 721 Durbin, E. J., 574 575 Durboraw, Thomas, 517, 518 Durfee, Philo, 362, 363 note Durham, Jacob, 143 Durick, James, 477, 853 Duringer, Apollos, 514; Joseph, 513, 514 Durkee, Charles R., 460, 684; Edward J., Dr., 721; Ziba, 493 Durnet, Andrew, 516 Durr, Abram, 487 ; Adam, 486 Dustin, John, 565 ; Timothy, 180, 550, 565 Dutch aggressiveness in the fur trade, 45 ; claims in the new world, bases of, 42 : institutions, laws and customs, the basis of our present systems (note), 45 Dutton, Oliyer, 508 D wight, Theodore, on " oak openings," 2 ; Timothy, Rev. , Buffalo in 1804 pic- tured by, 146-148 Dwmell, J. W., 818 Dwyer, T. F., Dr., 748, 751 Dykstra, JohnG., 570 Eadie, A. B., Dr., 805 Eagan, Henry P., 583 Eames, Edward, 364 note Earl, Benjamin, 161, 177, 603; Isaac, 342, 606; John T, 574, 832; J. W., 535, 639; Orson, 551, 554; Rufus, 145; Taber, 145, 352, 353, 499, 545, 546; W. C, Dr., 743 East Aurora, Upper and Lower Villages of,. 338, '501-505; Clarence, 520, Con- cord, 536; Eden, 543; Elma. 548; Evans (Jerusalem), 553; Holland, 568; Lancaster, 575 ; Seneca, 608 East Hamburg, erection of, 377; first town officers of, 540 ; gazetteer of, 537- 540; land sales in, 143; list of super- visors of, 540; Quakers in, 154 schools of, 662; settlers in, 150, 177, 178, 537, 538 870 INDEX. Eastman, Sandford, Dr., 477, 734, 735, 737-742, 756-761, 773, 774, 782, 838 Easton, Francis, 180 Eaton, Augustin, 292; John B., 391; P. G., 348 532, 534; Rufus, 178, 180, 187, 531, 532, 534; Rufus C, 277, 531-534, 640; Samuel, 143, 507; Sylvester, 531; & Blake, 532; & Butterworth, 532; & Hall, 532 Ebbs, Alfred, 578 Ebenezer, Society, the, 376, 377, 606, 608 Ebersole, J. H , 518 Eckerson, Irving D., 584, 660 Eddy Aaron, 144, 537; Brace G., 489; David, 144, 151, 155, 186, 237, 273, 537, 538, 557, 687; Frank E.. 594; George W., & Co., 560; Jacob, 150, 537; Mary, 144, 155, 499, 521, 637; S. W., 535; Thomas, 268; Dr., 741 Eden, first town officers of, 544 ; gazetteer of, 540-545; in 1815-20, 275, progress in, 345; schools of , 663 ; settlers in, 161, 179, 541, 542 Eden Center, 542 Eden Valley, 543 Edmonds, H. M., 600; J. J., Dr., 734 Edsall, Samuel, 143, 183, 187, 581 Edson, H. H. & J. P., 491; John, 491 Edtication under the Dutch and English rule, 629, 630 Edwards, G. A., & Co., 503; William, 605 Eels, Charles, 491 Efner, Elijah, D., 292, 382, 474 Egberton, Lawson, 145 Eggert, Aaron W., 495, 496; Christian M., 597; Oliver J., 684 Eggertsville, 498 Eggleston, Alanson, 143; Alonzo, 569 Eichel, Robert. 625 Einsfield, J. P., 482,483 Eisbein, C. D., Dr., 744 Eldred, Almon, 517; H. B., 517 Eldridge, Adoniram, 187; George, 577; Solomon, 186 Elections, synopses of, from 1812 to 1896, 461-473 Elevator system, the, 358, 359 and note Ellas, Francis, 478 Ellicott, 539; Benjamin, 128, 261, 454, 462, 463, 494; Joseph, 13, 124, 126, 127, 128; appointment as local sales agent for the Holland company, and his resi- dence at Asa Ransom's 135; 136; dis- appointment of, at slow sales of lands, 137; statement regarding the site of Buffalo, 139 (note) ; fears the rivalry of Black Rock 140; 144, 192, 263, 268, 286, 516, 580 Ellicott' s Creek Slack Water Navigation Company, 355 Elliott, August G., 532; J. B., Lieut., brilliant exploit of, 198, 199; Jesse D., Capt., 220; John, 484 Ellis, George W., 535 Ellison, I. S., 613 Ellsworth, Frank W., 566, 567; Henry, 156; Isaac B., 566 Elwood, Henry S., Dr., 742; & Venn er, 560 Elma, erection of, 384 ; first town officers of, 549; gazetteer of, 545-549; list of supervisors of, 549; progress in, 352; settlers of, 545-547 ; village, 546, 547 Elma Center, 547 Elmendorf, Henry L., 328 note Ely, Calvin, 570; E. Selden, 513, 514; Ezra, 570; Israel N., 350, 459, 513, 514, 570; Israel, and sons Judah, Israel N. , E. Sterling and E. Selden, 335 ; Noyes, 570; Selden, 570; William S., Dr., 747 Emerdofer, George, 520 Emerson, A. J., 593; Henry P., 649 and note, 660; Nathaniel, 141, 145. 499 Emery, Edward K., 460, 681 Emigration westward after the Revo- lution t 118 Emmons, Carlos, Dr. , 348, 457, 458, 467, 533-535, 722, 726-729; Wales, 533, 688 Emory, sr., Josiah, 500 Emslie, Peter, 410, 476 Endres, Matthias, 460 Engel, George. 533 English capture of Manhattan and its consequences, 45; claims in the new world, basis of, 42 ; plans for the cam- paign of 1759, 91 ; William, 547 Enos, Benjamin, 186, 3.38, 500, 558; Laur- ens, 410 Enquirer, Buffalo, the, 823 Ensign, Charles, 328 note; Elisha, 159, 18&; Zerah, 143, 149, 516 Enterprise, Lancaster, the, 832 Epidemic in 1812, 209 "Era of prosperity," the, 361 Erb, Abram, 639; Albert E., Dr., 750 Erdmann, Diedrich, 391 Erie Canal,' celebration of the completion of, 285; construction of, begun, 284; inception and construction of, 267, 268; struggle over the western terminus of the, 268 ; success of, 293 and note Erie county, aboriginal occupants of the territory of, 23 ; boundaries of, 1 ; con- dition of, at the date of its formation, 336; condition of, general, at the close of the war of 1812, 256, 257 ; con- INDEX. 871 flicting claims of New York and Mass- achusetts to territory of, 8; erection of, 280; first combat involving white men in, 105 and note, 106 ; first newspapers in, 183-185; first railroad in, 318; ge- ology of, 4 ; genesis of, 1 ; immigration to, 317; importance of the period be- tween 1815 and 1821 to, 272; Indian rights and treaties relating to, 6-11 ; "oak openings'' in, 2, 3; officers in the national governmentfrom, 452-455; of- ficers in the State government from, 455-460 ; population of, 285 ; population of, 1825 to the present, 446 ; sovereign- ty and occupants of, 6 ; streams of, 5 ; summary of educational institutions in, outsideof Buffalo, 659, 660 ; topography of, 3; uneventful period in, betweeu 1821 and 1832, 293 Erie County Almshouse, the, 300 and note; Homoeopathic Medical Society, 802; Hospital, 784, 785 Erie Preserving Company, 511 Erie the old town of, 15, 16; first town meeting in the town of, 149 ; oblitera- tion of, 158, Eries, extinction of, by the Iroquois, 23 Ernest, C. E., Dr., 749; J. Glen, Dr., 751 Ernst, Godfrey, 460 Escherich, Michael, 350 Esenschied, Adam. 561 Eshleman, Jacob, 517, 518; John, 353, 517 519 Esser, John. 483, 484 Essliuger, Charles, 478 Estabrook, John, 488; Mehitable, 489; Nathaniel, 488; Seth, 272, 489 Estee, Silas, 179, 541, 545 Estes, W. H., 512 European claimants, three, for the West- ern Continent, 40 Eustaphieve, Alexis E., 388 Evangelical Lutheran St. John's Orphan Asylum, 840 Evans, gazetteer of, 549-554 ; in 1815-20, 275 ; list of supervisors of, 554 ; pleas- ure resorts in, 551; progress in, 345; schools of, 661; settlers in, 154, 161, 180, 550, 551 Evans Center, 551 Evans, Daniel E., 275, 296-298, 320, 494; Edward, 601; Edwin T., 418, 844; Hen- ry B., 495; J. C, 362; John R., 476, 479; Lewis, 477; Lewis M., 482; Schwinger & Co., 601 Evening News, Buffalo, the, 823 Evening Telegraph Buffalo, the, 823 Everson, William, 598 Ewell, Dexter, 493; E. H., 493; E. W., Dr., 572; Frederic S., 493; Joseph, 685; Joseph E., 493 Express, Buffalo, the, 820-822 Faber, George, 515 Fackler, Samuel, 156, 494 Fairbanks, Joshua, Lewiston, 131 ; Will- ard, 352, 545; William, Dr., 574 Fales, Henry, 291 Faling. David R., 596; Jeremiah, 596 Falk, Jacob M., 748 Fanner, Charles P., Dr., 738 Fanning. Rufus, 597 Fargo. Francis F., 475; Hannah, 841; James F., 805: Jerome F., 841; Will- iam G.,' 395, 475, 783, 820; William G., Mrs., 400 i Farmer, William, %83 Farmer's Brother, 36-39, 215-216 Farnham, 511 Farnham, J., 607; Leroy, 511, 607, 684; Thomas, 657, 834 Farnsworth, A. D., 490; Thomas, 342, 489, 490 Farquhar,. Johu M. , 455 Farrington, Burt E., 565; Dascomb. Dr., 568; Edward, Dr., 568; Ezra, 569; Ja- cob, 161, 565 Farthing, James, 607 Farwell, Eldridge, 513 Faude, Louis W., 487 Faulkner, Morgan L., 477 Fay, Benjamin, 180, 261, 531; Josiah, 179 531 Faxon, Charles, 817, 818; Henry W., 820: James, 817 Fechter, Louis, 487 Federspiel, George, 560; & Eckhardt, 560 Feldmann, Anton, 612; Charles L., 476, 682; Henry, Rev., 842 Felegmacher, Joseph, Dr., 732 Fell, George E., Dr., 745, 765 Felton, Charles E., 392, 480; H., 607; John, 145, 581 ; Levi, 137, 149, 160, 516 Fenian fiasco, the, 411, 412 Fenner, Seth, 397, 459 499 Fenno, Moses, 176, 186, 488 Fenton, E. G., 588 Ferner, James A. , 490 Ferrand, Henry L., 608 Ferrin, A. W.. 533, 829 Ferris, Peter J., 410, 438 note, 483, 842; Zebulon, 459, 683 Ferry, the old Black Rock, extract from Charles B. Norton concerning, 172, 173 Feyler, Ernest, 511 872 INDEX. Fidelity Trust and Guaranty Company, Buffalo, 438 note Fidinger, H., 519; John, 518 Fiegle, Augustus, 519; Conrad, 527; George, ajiA son John B. , 494 ; John B. , 495; Louis, 527 Field, Asahel. 533; F. H., Dr., 751; George S. , 438 note, 476 ; Henry, 389 ; Jesse, 572; Pliny A., 186 Fields, Asa, 186; Samuel H., 417, 697; Samuel J., 476; Solomon, 186, 531 Fillmore, Calvin, Col., 160, 261, 274, 324, 458, 500. 501, 637; Glezen, Rev., 160, 162, 257, 262. 263, 517, 688; Millard, 295, 301, 317 322, 338, 365, 382, 387, 405, 452, 454, 455, 458, 464-471, 502, 637, 646, 767, 768; Nathaniel, 338; Simeon, 286, 517; Hall & Haven, 694; & John- son, 542 Financial crash of 1836-37, 321, 322; crisis of 1857 and its causes, 384 ; mat- ters after the Rebellion, 406 ; panic of 1873. the, 415 Finnertv, J. J., Dr., 751 Finney,' Cyrus, 351, 576 Fischer, George, 481; J. H., 482, 483; Jonathan S., 481 Fish, Burton M., 559, 561; Edmund P., Mrs., 787; Emmons, 501; John T., 540; Jonathan, 156; Milford, 559; New- ton C, 760; S, H., 363 note; Thomas, 559 Fisher, A. S., 572; C. E., Dr., 751; Dan- iel, 583; E. A., Dr., 805; Francis, 397; Frank M., 485 ; Jacob, & Son (William), 496; James H., 684; John G, 547; J.. A. L., 690, 830; Philip, 565 Fisk, Ira, 178; John D., Dr., 721; Will- iam, 570 Fitch. Benjamin, 845, 846; Frank S., Rev., 854 Fitch Accident Hospital, the, 846;Cr§che, the, 846 : Institute, the, 845 ; Provident Dispensary, the, 846 Fithian, Freeman J., 683 Fitts, Franklin, Dr., 726 Fitzgerald, Alden, 399; Daniel, 481 Five Nations, subjugation of other tribes by the, 44 Fix, Joseph, 491 Flach, Richard, 417, 418, 459, 481 and note Flagg, John D.. Dr., 749, 786; Samuel D., Dr., 739, 794 Flay, J., 821 Fletcher, Cotton, 143, 186, 558 Flickenger, Michael, 508 Flint, Austin, Dr., 477, 727, 731, 738, 753-757, 767, 769, 770, 780-782, 789, 790, 810, 828; Austin, jr., Dr., 738, 757, 791, 828; Hiram, 593; John L., 511; Lewis, 511 Flood, Joseph, 351, 576, 579; Patrick, Dr., 733 Flynn, Albert J., 584 Fobes, William Dana, 405 note Fogelsonger, John, 494 Follett, Oran, 815 Folsom, Dexter, Dexter E., 507; Gil- man, 159, i86; Oscar, 710 Folwell, Bainbridge, Mrs., 787; M. B., Dr., 742-744, 748, 749, 762, 764, 774 Fones, Benjamin, 579 Foose, Martin, 588 Foote, George F., Dr., 804; Harry, 532; Jonathan, Dr., 721; Robert B., 459, 561, 685; Thomas M., 365, 370, 453, 560. 657, 677, 767, 769, 814, 816 and note; Thomas Y., 325 Forbes, Elizabeth A., Mrs., 657 Force, George W., Dr., 727 Ford, Almon, 580; Corydon L., Dr., 767, 773, 774; Elijah, 382, 459, 475, 477, 702; James E., 410; Lyman O., 578; Nelson, 677; Rensselaer D., 475, 477; Dr., 727 Forest Lawn Cemetery, 315 note Forman, George V., 438 note, 805; Joshua, 267. Fornes, Charles V., 406 note Forsyth, Edgar A., 485, 486, 749 Fort Bull, capture of, by the French, 79 Fort Duquesue, fall of, 88 Fort Erie, capture of, in 1814, 242, 243 Fort Frontenac, building of, 47; capture of, by the English,. 84-86 " Fort Humphrey," in Holland, 213 Fort Niagara, abandonment of, by the French in 1688, 60; activity of the French in strengthening (1755), 75; arrival of Captain Pouchot at, in 1759, 90; English account of the siege of, 98-100; erection of, by the French, 65, 66 ; final and full surrender of, by the British. 124; in 1744, 69; in 1756, 78; repaired by the English, 101 ; siege of, from Pouchot's Memoirs, 92-98; strengthening of, by Captain Pouchot, 80, 82; Vaudreuil's report on, 76 Fort Schlosser, building of, 101 Forward, Oliver, 169, 258, 269, 270, 286, 287, 295, 457, 458, 463, 474, 687, 701 Fosdick, John S., 410, 649, 660; Morris, 532, 533 Foss, Sidney A., Dr., 768 Foster, Benjamin C. , 179, 531 ; Egbert, 588; Hubbard, Dr., 804, 842; H. A, INDEX. 873 Dr., 805; Harrison F., 397-399, 577- 579; John, 596; Joseph, 557; William E.,816 Fourth, Thomas, 153, 644 Fowler, Edwin, 501; George R., Dr., 747; Joseph, Dr., 743, 762; Thomas, 533 Fox, Asa, 159; Christopher G., 649, 660, 697; Frank M., 534; Walter, 533 Francis, Daniel T., 524; Lathrop, 239; Nathan C, 524 Frank, Augustus, 783 ; Jacob, Dr. , 745 ; John, 482 Franklin, James, 459, 476, 485-488; Syl- vester, 579 ; William, 484, 485 Fraser, Donald, 173 and note, 296 Frauhauf, Jacob C, 498 Frazell, D. F., 381 Frear, Jane N., Dr., 751 Fredench, H., 607 Frederick, Carlton C, Dr., 745, 751, 764, 765, 785, 786 Freeland, Garret, 153, 644 Freeman, Amos, 540, 660; Elias, 537; Elisha, 538 ; Howard, 593 ; Joseph, 177, 342, 488, 489; W. H., 533 Freitag, Gustav, 600 French and English again at war (1744), 68 ; continued contention over territo- rial claims, 62 ; efforts of, to secure the feality of the Iroquois, 73; retaliatory measures of, 64; struggle for suprem- acy with the Iroquois, 55 ; vigilance and activity of (1726-44), 66-68 French and Iroquois, treaty of neutrality between the, 62 French claims in the new world, basis of, 41 ; colonization, slow growth of, up to Colbert's time, 44; deplorable con- dition of, in the spring of 1759, 89 ; de- spondency in 1758, 85, 86, 87; dominion in America, end of, 100 ; erect a small fort above the Falls, 72 ; memoir on the position of the French and English in January, 1759, 89, 90 ; strength of the, in 1748, 71 ; war with the Iroquois, 57-61 French, Daniel G., 511; Harlow, 478; James H., 394 Fresh Air Mission', the, 849 Frick, Christian, 494; Christian Z., 495; John, 494, 496, 639 Friedrich, Valentine, 624 Frierle, A. S.,561 Fries, George, 596 ; Jacob A. , 596 Frink, J. B., Dr., 743 Fritz, Frederick, 608 ; Louis, 484 ; Will- iam C, Dr., 150 Froehley, C, 560 Frohley, Joseph, 553 110 Frontenac, Governor, first administra- tion of, 47; second administration of, 61 Frost, Edward L., Dr., 750, 785; H. C, Dr., 785, 805; Henry P., Dr., 783 Frothingham, Frederick, Rev. , $53 Fry, Daniel Fry, 494 Frye, Abbott, 532; Enoch N., 532; Maud Josephine, Dr. , 750, 785, 800 Fuller, Abel, 186; Almon, 531; Charles, 568; Charles W., 570, 573; Chase, 566; F. H., 503; James H., 507; John C, 499; Timothy, 187, 239, 503; Turner, 604, 605; William B., 831 Fullerton, H. K., 493, 660; Joshua, 493 Fulton, C. N., 489 Fur trade, the, 43; a cause of trouble 71, 72 ; difficulties arising from the, 102 Gage, Alpheus, 570; Grove C, 490, 727 Gager, Edward L. , 748 Gail, A. D., 805; David, 512; Edward E. W., Dr., 734; josiah, 179, 541; Samuel, 603; William, Dr., 748; William H., Dr., 503, 742, 749, 750, 796 Gaines, Edmund P., Gen., 248, 251, 252 Gale, Isaac, 548 Gallagher, Edward, 459, 460; Francis W., Dr., 744 Galley, Joseph, 483 Gallup, George, 517 Galusha, Elon, Rev., 292 Gansevoort, Peter, Col., 110 Ganson, James M., 380, 381; John, 395, 454, 457, 708 Gardenier, Abiel, 535, Fred, Dr., 757 Gardenville, 607, 608 Gardner, Abiel, 187; Benjamin, 142, 187, 494, 531, 534; F. W., Dr., 503, 735; John, 138; Noah H., 382, 478, 657; R. P. . 387 Garfield, Chauncey, 536 Garnham, George B., 583 Garnsey, Daniel G. , 464 Garretsee, John O., 573 Garrison, A., 502, 637 Gartner, William, Dr., 789 Garvin, H. D., Dr., 477, 649, 660, 733, 768; J. D., Dr., 734 Gasper, Anthony. 5d9; John, 508 Gass, George, 612 Gatchell, George A., 476; Nathan B., 570, 571 Gates, Elijah, 550; Elizabeth, Miss, 782 George B., 481; George B., Mrs., 782 Horatio, 817, 818; Ira. 351, 576, 577 Justus B.,351, 576,577 Gaudy, Peter J., 831 Gavin, Joseph E., 477 874 INDEX Gay, C. C. F., Dr., 477, 735, 738-743, 758, 777, 782 Gaylord, John, jr., 186; Joseph, 533 Gazette, Buffalo, and its successors, 813— 817 Gazetteer of the town of Alden, 488-493 ; Amherst, 493-498; Aurora, 498-506; Boston, 506-509 ; Brant, 509-512 ; Cheek- towaga, 512-515; Clarence, 515-520; Colden, 521-524; Collins, 524-529; Con- cord, 530-536 ; East Hamburg, 537-540 ; Eden, 540-545 ; Elma, 545-549; Evans, 549-554; Grand Island, 554-556; Hani- burg, 557-564; Holland, 564-569; Lan- caster, 569-576; Marilla, 576-579; New- stead, 579-586; North Collins, 586-590; Sardinia, 590-594; Tonawanda, 594- 602; Wales, 602-605; West Seneca, 605- 609 Geddes, James, 268 Geer, Elisha, 156 Gehm, Henry, 492 Geib, F., 613 Gelbke, Johannes, 624, 625 Gelston, Samuel F., 838 Generals in the Regular army from Erie county, 455 Genesee country, description of, by a traveler in 1792, 129 Genesee county, formed from Ontario, 136 Gentsch, Bernard F., 459 George, Joel, 570 Georgen, Miss (boarding school), 642 Georger, F. A., 626 Gerber, Alois, 514; Isaac, 608 Germain, Ira V., 388; Reuben I., Rev., 858; Rollin, 708 German educational and benevolent in- stitutions, 625-628; element, increase in the, 375 ; element in politics, begin- ning of the, 466 ; elements, amalgama- tion of different, 614; emigration, cause of, 610; immigrants, the first, 611; im- migration, statistics of, 611 ; musical societies, 623-625; population, extent of, 610; press, the, 612-614 and note; religious organizations, 615-623; set- tlers in the county outside of Buffalo, 612 German Deaconess's Home and Hos- pital, 788, 789; Evangelical Church Home, 843; Hospital Association, the, 852 ; Hospital and Dispensary, the, 78"? Rfcman Catholic Orphan Asylum, 842 Young Men's Association, 626 German, James, 302 Germans, characteristics of, 610 Gerst, Philip, 460, 476 Gerstenhauer, Ed., 624 Getz, Joseph, 498 Getzville, 498 Gibson, Byron, D., 499, 503; Chisman, 503 ; & Hammond, 503 Giese, Frank M., 460 Gifford, Abraham, 179. 587; Benjamin 490; Giles, 590; Joseph, 526 Gilbert, Abner, 144, 146; E. F, 474', Family, narrative of the (note), 114, 115; Frank T., 684; William B., 476 Gill, Thomas, 539 Gillett, Joel, 521; Joshua, 154, 186, 644; William H., 411 Gillespie, George W., 476 Gillie, George P., 600; William M., 599 Gillig, Lorenz, 479 Gillman, Christian, 542 Gilmore, John, Dr. , 738 Gilray, E. J., Dr., 750 Ginther, Jacob, 484 Gipple, F. M., Dr., 749 Gisel, John, 482 Gittere, Jacob, 460 note Glasser, John, 481 Gleason, George B,, 291, 478; , Dr., 740 Glenny, William H., 382 and note Glenwood, 523 Glor, jr., Peter, 484 Godard, Edward, 533; Seth W., 459, 532 Godfrey, Edwin W., 459, 526, 588, 590; Henry, 141, 145, 180, 499, 591 Goembel, Paul, 480-482 Goetz, George, 612 Goff, Sylvester, 583 Goldberg, Jacob, Dr., 460, 748; S., Dr., 748, 787 Goltra, J. M., Dr., 749 Goodemote, Philip, 536 Goodell, Jabez, 159, 657, 769; L. M., 536 Goodman, Charles F., 511 Goodrich, Aaron, 477 ; Ebenezer, 186, 272 558; Guy H., 291, 298; Henry A., 480; Horace, 512; Levi H., 517; Russell, 150, 558 Goddspeed, O. P., 593 Goodyear, Bradley, 493, 567, 604; P., Dr., 740 Gorenflo, William, 608 Gorman, Michael, 484 Gorski, A. Frank, 487 Gorton, Oscar H., 595, 600 Goslin, Ezra P., 459, 580, 582 Gotwalt, Alexander, 495 Gould, Amos, 565; Amos W., 521, 522- Emmons S., Dr., 722; John D., 521 INDEX. 875 Merritt, 565; Smith, 522; Sylvanus O., 710; William, Dr., 734, 738, 739, 742- 744, 758, 759-761; William B., Dr., 783 Governor from Erie county, 455 Gowanda. 527, 528 Graban, August, 614, 617, 619 Grace, James J., 545; Joseph, 545 Graf, Jacob, 494 Graham, Christopher, 397 Grain receipts, 356, 374, 416 Gram, Franklin C, Dr., 750, 751 Grand Army of the Republic posts in Buffalo, 440 Grand Island, erection of, 377; gazetteer of, 554-556 ; list of supervisors of, 556 ; purchase of, by the State, 278 Graney, John, 574, 575 Granger, Erastus, 142, 144, 149, 158, 164, 190, 215, 262, 686; William D., Dr., 745, 763 Grannis, Robert, 277, 510; William, 277, 510 Grant, Henry Y., Dr., 749, 787; Homer ' J., Dr., 751; Vincent, 142, 144, 186 Grass, Andrew, 480 Gratwick, W. H., 805 Graves, Jane, Miss, 532; John C, 364 note, 677; L. W., 502; Quartus, 818, 820 Gray, David, 819. 820, 844; Ernest G., 382; E. R, Dr., 477, 733, 734, 795; John P., Dr., 783; John R., Dr., 750; Na- thaniel, 553, 554; P. W., Dr., 802 Graybiel, David, 496, 639 Greany, David, 511 Green, Benjamin F., 674; Edward, 515; Hiram, 505; James, 541, 545; John, 186, 350, 558; Louis F., 600; Manly C. 675; Obadiah J., 413, 459, 684 Greene, Dewitt C, Dr., 748; John B., 476, 682; Joseph C , Dr.. 406 note, 484, 485, 740, 743-745, 748; Mary T., Dr., 750- S. S., Dr.. 743, 796; Walter D., Dr., 477, 745, 749, 785; William A., Dr., 726; William H., 405 note, 658, 707 Greenwood, Lerov S., 529 Gregg, Hattie E., Mrs., 805. 841; Roll-in R., Dr., 803 Gregory, Willis G., Dr., 745 Greiner, John, 612; John, jr., 418; Philip, 350 Gressman, Albert H, 545 Grey, E. G., 611 ; Gail, 594 "Griffin," the, story of its building, by Father Hennepin, 50-52 ; final fate of, 55 Griffin, Ebenezer, 693; Edwin, Dr., 726; Henry A., 823; James, 274; 506; John B., 369 note, 805. 841; John W., 545; Obadiah, 274, 506; Oliver, 538; P. Henry, 438 note; Robert, 274, 338, 506; Zachariah, 154 Griffin's Mills, 505 Griffith, Allen, 507, 508; Archibald, 534, .639; Elbert W., 535; Elisha A., 508 Griffith Institute, the, 534, 640 Griggs, Ichabod, 545, 569 Grimes, William H., 571, 572 Grinnell, I. P., Rev., 620 Grise, Michael, 545 Griswold, A. S., Dr., 734; Cyrus, 532; E. L., 572; Stephen, 288 Groben, Charles, 438 note, 482 Groell, Blasius, 514 Gross, George, 639; Thomas, 270, 271, 286, 350 » Grosvenor, Abel M., 170, 184, 186, 208; G. H., 390; J. W., Dr., 748; Seth, 241, 410; Stephen K., 474; Stephen N., 477 Grosvenor Library, the, 410 Grove, Benjamin H., Dr., 745, 749-751; Charles C, 398, 494, 495; Wellington G., Dr., 751 Grover, John, 494, 496, 497; Nathan, 276, 541, 443; Orlo, 603; Peter, 495 Gruetzner, Edward, Rev., 620 Grumbach, P., Rev., 617 Guenther, F. H., Rev., 616; Henry H., 460 Guess, Carl H., Dr., 745 Guise, John, 518 Gumaer, A. G., Dr., 747 Gumbell, Joseph, Rev., 615 Gunville, 520 Gundelach, William, Rev., 622, 842 Gurney, William H., 709 Guth, Franz, Rev., 621 Guthrie, Edward E., 476; Joseph, 595; Solomon S., 363 note and note, 481, 482,842 Gwinn, William, 303 ; William R. , 381 Haas, Nauert & Kline, 614 Haberer, John G., 588; Sylvester, 511, 528 Haberstro, Joseph L., 476, 481, 612, 684, 744, 749 Hackett, Henry, 531 Hadley, George, Dr., 738; James, 638, 767; W. A. M., Dr., 805 Haddock, C. C, Dr., 755; HerbertH., 394 Haffner, John, 624 Hagan, Michael, 479, 480 Hagar, August, 481, 842 876 INDEX. Hagerman, Norman, 479 Haggart, James, 173, 479 Haight, Albert, 674, 679, 681 ; Henry, 505 Haines, Emmor, 405 note ; Emmor, Mrs. , 841; John, 137; Samuel, 478 Hakes Bridge, 536 Halbert, John S., Dr., 743, 805 Hale, Albert, 592 Hall, Amos, Gen., 198, 339; B. F., 526; Daniel, 180, 591; Edward, 599; Eli, 603; Ephraim C, 535, 639; E. R., 493; Frederick P., 784; Harding W., 603; Ira, 603 ; Isaac, 177, 275, 603, 604 ; James A., Dr., 392; JamesT.,392; Jonathan, 344, 604; M. L., 533; Nathan K., 338, 365, 382, 395, 405, 453, 454, 459, 469, 476, 477, 502, 637, 646, 657, 658, 681, 704, 767; Otis A., 545; Solomon, 155, 499; Sylvester R., 603, 605; William, sketch of Buffalo in 1804 by, 148; 582 Halliday & Mills, 578 Halsey. Stephen Y., 570 Ham, L. J., Dr., 733, 734, 738, 739 Hambleton, Amos C, 538; A. T., 503; Christopher, 538-540 ; John, 274, 500; Jonas, 537; Robert S., Dr., 750; Will- iam, 538 Hamburg (and East Hamburg), progress in, 343, 344 Hamburg cheese, 344 Hamburg, first town meeting in, 185 ; first town officers of, 557; first settler in, 144; gazetteer of , 557-564; in 1815- 20, 273 ; 1: st of supervisors of. 557 ; schools of, 663; settlers in, 150, 154, 178, 557- 559; summer resorts in, 564; village, 559—562 Hamilton, C. A., 504; C. C, 829; Frank Hastings, Dr., 731, 734-738, 753-758, 767, 768, 771, 780-782, 789, 790, 795, 809, 828 ; George, 239 ; Henry, 292, 298, 834 ; Jpsiah C, 551; Theodore B., 388 Hamlin, Cicero J., 501, 503; David, 553, 569, David, sr., 151, 516; David, jr., 145, 516; John W., 502; William, Mrs.", 782, 787, 850 Hammond, Clarence W., 438 note; Clin- ton, 533; Eli, 151, 581; William W., 511, 512, 681 Hamp, Fred, 600 Hampton, Aaron, 276, 507 Hanavan, John, 476, 480, 481, 483 Hanbach, John C, 484, 485 Hance, Samuel T. , 737 Haachett, Hiram, early school teacher, 153; 641, 645; J., Capt, 531; Joseph, 186, 687 Hancock, A. S., Dr., 745 Handel, Francis J., 382 Hanford, John, 278, 526 Hanley, Lawrence J., Dr., 751, 785 Hannan, Thomas, 595 Hanrahan, Dennis, 484; James, 486,487; Patrick, 459 Harborimprovements at Buffalo, 269-272, 281, 328, 329, 424 Hard, E. B., 551 Harding, E. G., Dr., 742; Lemuel, 143, 516 Hardleben, William, & Co., 1 600 Hardy, Ezekiel, 591; John, Dr., 768 Harkness, H. M., 590 Harlow Brothers, 573; James M., Rev., 502, 637 Harmon, Elias, Rev., 177; Judson, 657; Ransom, 186 Harrington, D. W., Dr., 744, 745, 785; Henry D.. 578, 579; Isaac R., 475, 478; James, 582; John, Dr., 342, 489,723; Spencer S., 340, 582, 583; Whitford, 579 Harris, Asa, 156, 160, 184, 516; Edward' R., 529; Erastus, 529; Francis L., Dr., 477, 725-727, 729, 731, 732, 743, 753; George W. , 572 ; Hiram. , 499, 549 ; John T., Dr., 600, 750; Samuel, 353, 546; Hill (Shimerville), 519 Harrison, James C, 360 note, 479; Jonas, 241, 258, 262, 269, 293, 474, 687, 689, 699; William H, Gen., 195, 222 Harroun, Gilbert K., 819 Hart, Eli, 168, 169, 241, 495; John C, 502, 637 Hartt, Charles Frederic, Mrs., 657 Hartman, Frank T., 438 note Hartung, Anthony, 574 Hartwig, Marcel, Dr., 744, 751, 785, 787 Harty, John D., 300 Harugari Frohsin, the, 625 and note Harvey, Alexander, 395; Charles W., Dr., 733, 756; George T., 505; Joel, 144. 154, 550; Leon F., Dr., 739-741, 761 Hascall, Daniel, 177 ; Jonathan, 347, 683 ; Jonathan, jr., 510, 512, 554 Haskell, Daniel, 186, 187,500; John, 570; William, 366 Haskins, George W., 821; Roswell W., 304, 315, 647, 815 and note, 818, 821 Hasselbeck, Jacob, 484 Hastings, Chauncey, 278, 354, 591-593- Seymour P. , 592, 593 Hatch, Charles S., 677 ; Dorastus, 180, 186, 508 ; Edward, 180, 508 ; Edward W. , 675, 683; Elias, 351, 577; E. P., 347, 522; George W., 548; I. T., 298, 383, 454, INDEX. 877 456, 459, 471, 683, 705, 817; Jason, 514; Lemuel, 546; Leonard, 351, 358, 548, 577; L. N., 503; Philip, 533; Roswell, 514; Willard, 351, 352, 545; William, 577 Hathaway, Burt W., 529 ; Isaac, 161, 586 ; L. Lewis, 525, 529 Hauck, Jacob, & Co., 560 Hauenstein, John, Dr., 612, 626, 730, 734, 739, 741, 742, 745, 747, 751, 761, 762 Haupt, Charles L., 495, 497 Hausberger, John, Dr., 749 Havens, Alonzo, 605; Ephraim S., 478; George, 639; J. S., Dr., 740; Peleg, 162, 602 ; Simon Z. , Dr. , 802 ; Solomon G., 454, 470, 471, 475, 683, 694, 704 Hawks Brothers, 568: Edward C, 476, 682; Lawrence W., 565; Lewis, 565 Hawkins, Edwin, 582; Henry S., 580; Ivory C. , 540 ; Joseph, 178, 538 ; Samuel ; 186, 278, 344. 591 ; Theodore. 273, 538 ; W. B., Dr , 748; William M., 460 Hawkins's Corners, 586 Hawley, Bryan, 501, 637; Elias, 460, 649; Elias S., 405 note, 482, 660; H. L., 830; Jesse, 267 ; James Edwin, Dr. , 724, 726, 727, 734, 735, 752, 753; James S., Dr., 733, 737-739, 756, 838; M. S., 363 note; Seth C, 325, 382, 459, 821 Haxsteen, J. J. C, Dr., 733 Hay, William, 599 Hayd, Herman E., Dr., 745, 765; H. H., Dr., 750 Hayden, N., 362 Hayen, E. H., Dr., 741 Hayes, Burritt, 565; F. W., Dr., 751;. George B., 456: George E., 325, 477; James V. , 476 ; W. H. , 521 ; William J. , 438 note Haynes, Moses, 500; Pliny A., 499, 500 Hayward, Billings, 295,814; George W., 417, 486, 487; Stephen O., 597, 600, 830 JHaywood, Russell, 298 Hazard, G. S., 363 note, 405 note, 781 ttieacock, G. R., Rev. Dr., 841; Reuben B-, 170 and note, 272, 297, 300, 304, 458, 645 Healey, Michael J., 476 Hearne, George J., Dr., 750 . Hearty, John D., 475 Heath, Hosea, 560; Nehemiah, 526; Philip, 518; William H., Dr., 748, 764, 777, 779. 784 Hebrew element of population, 430 Hedges, John, 522, 523, 532 Hedstrom, Eric L., 364 note Heerwagen, Frederick W. M. , 487, 488 Hefford, Robert R., 364 note, 483, 484 Heffron, Edward, 597 Hein, Peter, 532 Heilman, Anton, 624 Heineman & Smith, 503 Heinrich, Diebold J., 508 Heiser, Gottfried, 611 Held, Caroline, Mrs., 824; Fred, 613 Heller, Jonathan, 572 Hellriegel, William, 479, 480 Helwig, A. F., Dr., 747 Hemstreet, Abram, 476; Zina, 545; Zina A., 548, 549 Hendee, E. W. , 490 ; Homer, 489 ; Joshua, 489 Hendler, George, 488 Hengerer, William, 627 Henman, James, 531 Hennepin, Father Louis/ allusions of. to the Iroquois, 53 ; extracts from the journal of, relating to La Salle's ex- pedition, 48-52 Hennig, Herman, 476. 682 Henrich, William, 482, 483 Henry, Elisha, 527; E. W., 525; John L., 525 Henshaw, D., 522; H. L, 501; James, 499; James S., 155; Joseph M., 500, 505; Joshua, 186, 687; Nathaniel, 186; Theo- dore, 506 Hensler, Emanuel, 595 Hepp, G. B., Dr., 751; Louis, 562, 563 Hepworth, Wiliam, 600 Herald, Akron, the, 832 ; Depew, the, 832; Tonawanda, the, 830 Herbold, Philip, 533, 534 Hermann, Louis, 482, 483 Herr, Emanuel, 495; Henrv, 495; John, 497 Herrick, Amos, 489 Hersee, Harry, 480; Thompson, 478 and note Hershey, Abraham, 146; David W., 660, 737; Isaac, 494, 496, 639; Jacob, 494, 495; James, 156, 494; John, 151, 187, 495, 497, 595, 639; Jonas, 517; Joseph, 595, 687; Peter, Dr., 496 Hewitt, Charles H, 483; E. H., 600; J. M., Dr., 750 Hey wood, R. H, 362, 363 note, 383, 514, 781, 834 note Hi,bbard, Arunah, 177, 261, 488; G. C, Dr., 804; Henry, 155; Luther, 188, 531; Samuel P., 150, 558; Thomas Scoville, 587 Hickey, Eugene H., Dr., 742 Hickman, Arthur W., 459. 460 Hickox, Elisha C. , 288, 292 Hicks, John B., 474 878 INDEX. Hiemenz, Jacob, 483 Higgins, James, 474; Jeremiah, 459, 460 Higham, John, 483, 484 Hill. Amos, 566; Anthonv, Dr., 778, 779; Charles, Dr., 604;' C. J., Dr., 748; Elisha, 583; F. E., Dr., 750; George E., 598; Henry, 497, 506, 599; Henry W., 456, 460; Herbert M., 775; Jehial, 348, 526; John, 138, 179, 541; and sons, John and Roswell, 542; 581, 687; John D., Dr., 477, 733, 734, 748, 749, 791, 834 note; L. T.. 605; Milo W.. 478, 479; Samuel, 138, 194; Samuel, jr., 149. 162, 176, 186, 517, 581 ; Silas, 145, 581: Thomas, 145, 581, 603; Thomas, Dr., 778: William, Dr., 275, 345, 541 Hillery, William J., 485, 486 Himmelsbach, George A., Dr., 750, 785 Hinchy, John, 514 Hinckley, A. S., Dr., 802, 803 Hines, Rev , Father, 839 Hinkel, F. W., Dr., 748 Hinman, Hiram, 276, 541 Hinson, Charles W. , 459, 681 Hirsch, George, 624 Historical Society, the Buffalo, 404, 405 and note Hitchcock, Alexander, 334, 350, 513, 514, 570; Apollos, 160, 514, 570; Henry, Dr., 751; James, 350, 570; James H., 514; John, 350, 570 Hoag, A. C, 607; B. D., 607; H., 607; I., 607; J. Crawford, 583; Robert, 538; Wilbur N., 582; Wilson R, 583 Hobbie, George S., 601, 830; I. S., 599 Hodapp E., 625 Hoddick, William A., Dr., 748 Hodge, Alfred, 232; Benjamin, 279, 641, 657; Benjamin, jr., 237; Joseph, "Black Joe," 120; Loren and Velorous, 153; William, 142, 149, 237, 305 note, 645 Hadges, George H., 526, 529; Lewis L., 383, 478 Hoerner, John, 607 Hoffield, Rudolph F. W., 571 Hoffman, Jacob F., 519; John, 495, 497; John T., 495; John T., Gov., 782, 783; Milton J., 495 Hoffmann, Hermann, 625 Hoffmeyer, J. A., Dr., 745 Hoist, Michael, 612 Holland, first town officers of, 568 ; gazet- teer of, 564-569; in 1815-20, 277; list of supervisors of, 568; progress of, 339, 340; schools of, 662; settlers in, 156, 161, 180, 565; village, 566-568 Holland Land Company, list of lots sold by, in Buffalo, 307-312 ; new system of collecting payments adopted by the, 285; opposition to, 296, 333, 334: sale of pre emption right of, to the Ogden Company, 168 Holland Company slands, difficulty in dis- posing of, 136, 137 ; sales in 1801, 137 Holland Land Company's Purchase, the, 11-13; reorganization of divisions of, in 1808, 5 ; survey of the 124, 125 ; ter- ritorial changes in, in 1808, 157 Holland, George, 491 ; Nelson, 834 note Holley, Myron, 268, 282; Samuel J., 363 note Hollister, F. M., 844; James, 362, 365, 382, 657; Robert 361 and note; Will- iam, 292, 304, 474; William, jr., 477 Holman, Alfred L, 830; A. P., 532; Frank, 533 Holmes, Allen, 505; Ebenezer, 186, 602, 605, 660, 687 ; Ebenezer and John M. 156; Edward L., Dr., 738; Elkanah, Rev., 153; George W., 660; H. N. A., 333; John, 239, 602; Philip M., 687; Stephen, 338, 501, 502, 637; Thomas, 239, 501; Wheeler C, 2d,. 505 Holt, Arnold, 347, 522; Elijah, 154, 159, 174 Holway, Joseph R., 595, 596 Home for the Friendless, the, 840 Homoeopathic practice of medicine in Erie county, history of, 800-808 Hooker, H. N., 349, 527 Hoover. George W., 494; Henry S., 494 Hopkins, AsaT., 834; A. T., Mrs., 834; Cyrus, 145, 580, 581; Dudley, 591; Henry R., Dr., 741-751, 762, 764; James, 591, 592; Nelson K., 383, 455, 480, 481; Orlando, 136, 145, 581; Otis R., 163, 186,300, 517, 682; Robert, 592, 593; Samuel M., 461; Thomas, 591, 592; Timothy A., 459, 494-497, 684; Timothy S., 128, 137, 145, 158, 184, 494, 495, 516, 580; Walter G., 427 Hoppemann, F. W., Rev., 620 Hopper, George, 342, 606 Horan, William C, 819 Horner & Daniels, 498 Horton, Austin J., 543; F. W., 536' Hi- ram, 508; H. B., Dr., 740; Irving M., 536 Hosmer, G. W., Rev., 405, 853 Hospitals, 779-789 Hotchkiss, William, 680, 687 Houghton, Andrew J., Dr., 740; George W., 476, 675, 681, 709 Hough, E. H., 533, 829; & Webster, 533 House, Charles, Dr., 533, 782; Frederick, 186 ; John, Dr., 533, 737, 728, 734, 735, 737 INDEX. 879 Hovey, Eleazer, 146 Hourigan, P. H., Dr., 751 Howard, Austin A., 392, 480; C. F., Dr., 560, 748; Charles ].-, 5S7; Daniel, jr., 503, 637; Ethan, 155, 507, 779; Ethan H., 819; George, 834 note; Henry C, 438 note; H. E., 363 note; Joseph, jr., 324, 338, 501, 502, 637; Rufus L., 328 note ; Silas, 180, 526 ; & Riley, 566 Howe, Cary W., Dr., 396. 518, 796; D. B., 580; John D., 459. 493; Leman, 526; Lucien, Dr., 743, 749, 762-764, 787, 793 Howell, Charles W., Dr. 748; John, 459; Nathaniel, 461 ; Stephen C, 781 ; Steph- en W., 479, 480; Stephen Y., Dr., 748; William, Dr., 738, 757 Howells, James, 476 Hoxsie, Anna Poole, Mrs., 805, 841; Au- gustus C, Dr., 80* Hoyer, Frederick F., Dr., 600, 738, 744, 745, 747, 748 Hoysington, Job, 232 Hoyt, Azor H., 394; Horace, Dr., 503; James G., 674, 707; James M., Dr., 727; Jonathan, Dr., 338, 499, 502, 719, 721, 726, 729: Joseph D., 474; J., Mrs., 834; Nathaniel B., 481, 482; Orson C, 480, 481; Samuel, 547, 600; William, 155, 339, 566, 602; William B., 651; & Adams, 566; & Flinn, 566 Hubbard, A. K., 582; George L., 479; H. A., Dr., 726; Joseph, 347, 510; Silas, Dr., 729, 754, 756; Thaddeus, Dr., 721 Hubbell. Alvin A., Dr., 745, 764, 777, 784; Clifford, 438 note; John, 476, 681, 709; MarkS., 475 Hubman, John G., 600 Hudson, Clark, 605; Elmer E., 528; Henry, discoveries of, 42; John T., 456, 477 Huff, James B., 600, John, 565 Hughes, Robert W. , 535 Huis, C, 623 Hulbert. Gideon, 599 Hull, Edmund, 295, 458, 465 ; General, at Detroit, 195; Warren, 145,569; Will- iam, 153, 159, 217,. 644 Humbert, Jacob F., 518; & Kibler, 519 Humphrey, Arthur, 156, 272, 565, 568; Isaac, 567, 568; James M., 339, 454, 457, 472, 502, 676, 683; Pascal S., 596; William, 488 HumphreyVille, T., 607 Hunt, Edward, 563; G. G., 517; Howard L., Dr., 749; Sanford B., extract from paper by, on commercial affairs, 375 note; 649, 660, 735, 756; S. B., Dr., 757, 773, 774, 790, 791, 795, 816, 821, 828 Hunter, J. W. S., Dr., 745; Michael, 588, 590; Millard, 588; Robert, 575; Silas, 602 Huntington, Samuel, 176, 488 Huntley, L. E., Mrs.. 552; "Squire," 340 Hunsicker, Joseph, Mrs., 787 Hurd, Arthur W., Dr., 748, 783; Cyrus, 545, 549; C. W., 547; Harvey J., 459; Sheldon, 550; S. W., Dr., 582; Thad- deus, 545 Hurdman. R. F., Dr., 743 Hurlburt, Isaac, 142; Jonathan, Dr., 719 Hurst, Alexander, 535, 639 Huss, I. B., Rev., 621 Hussey, E. P., Dr., 805; Jonathan, 155, 499; Reuben, 277, 510; Sylvanus, 161, 586 Hutchins, Chauncey B., Dr., 395, 735, 738, 739, 757, 795 Hutchinson, Anna Earl, Dr., 797; Ed- ward H. , 485 ; John. 352, 495, 496 ; John, Rev., 570; John M., 838; Joseph, 497; Thomas, 570 Huyck, Henry L. , 534 Hyde, Charles A., Dr., 560, 726; Charles B.. 563; JabezB., Rev., 174, 175, 260, 606 Hyer, Jacob Henry, 543 Ibeck, Charles, 553 Ide, Charles A., 660; David, and son Charles, 542 Immigration, 317, 427-431 ; German, 375 Imus, Sidney P., 550, 552 Independent, Erie County, the, 831 Indian archaeology, 22 ; burial places at Buffalo and vicinity, 26-28; forays in, 1780, 113; history, local, 23; pottery, 33; relics, various, 34, 35; reservations, 12 Indians, characteristics of the, 20; the, condition of, after the war of 1812, 260 ; councils with, by both French and Eng- lish, 1756-57, 82, 83; discontent among the, in 1759, 90; famous, 36-39; final submission of, 124 ; in the war of 1744- 48, 69, 70 ; missionaries to the, at Buf- falo Creek, 174; the, and their associa- tion with the settlers, 36-39; the, and the war of 1812, 190 Industries of Williamsville, 496 Ingalls, Daniel, Dr., 277, 533, 719; Var- ney, 277, 532, 533; Otis, 128, 136, 156, 162, 580; Otis K., 518; Rufus, 508 Ingersoll, Ebenezer, 178, 550, 558; Ed- ward, Rev., 838; families, the, 178 880 INDEX. Ingleside Home for Reclaiming the Err- ing, 840 Ingraham, Henry D., Dr., 745, 777, 779, 784, 785 Inspector of State prisons from Erie coun- ty, 456 International Gazette, the, 825 Irish element of population, 430 Irish, Ira E., 459, 560; Joel, 508 Iron Bridge (hamlet), 578 Irr, Victor, 606, 607 Ives, James, Dr., 338, 506, 604, 727; Will- iam, 325 note Jackman Warren, 547 Jacobs, sr., J. Louis, 406 note Jacobson, Hy., 624 Jackson, H. D., 584; Robert I., 607; Sax- ton K , 565; William, 580, 582; William B., 566-569; William H., Dr., 533, 745, 750; Timothy W., 460, 580 Jahn, Herman, 578 James, Alonzo R., 364 note; Charles A., 606; F. H, 570-572; Silas, Dr., 727 Jamison, James, 485, 548 Jansen, Augustus, Dr., 738, 742 Jarrett, William, 838 Jarvis. Albert H., 389 Jayne,- Timothy, 136, 581 Jefferson, Willis, 509 Jenkins, Lewis, 325 note; Oliver A., 684 Jennings, C. R., Dr., 749; W. E., Dr., 748 Jenks, B. W., 325 note; Demas, 509; J. L., 531; J. P., 531, 532 Jerge, Joseph, 483 Jergee, John, 545 Jesse Ketchum Memorial Fund, the, 650 Jessemin, Charles, 482, 483, 476 Jesuits, the, as an element in French colonization, 43; activity of , 62 Jesup, Major, 247, 249 Jewell, J. I., 564 Tewett, Charles C, Dr., 734; Charles S., Dr., 750, 785; Carlton R., Dr., 747; Ed- gar B., 438 note, 439, 475; Elam R., 814-816, and note; H. C, 501, 506; Jes- sie Holland, 784; Josiah, 438 note, 501, 506; J. L. C, 459; Sherman S.. 328 note, 417, 418, 478 and note ; & Coch- ran, 532 Jewettville, 506 Jeyte, John A., Dr., 735, 738 Jimeson, George, 606; Thomas, 606 Johnson, Ambrose C, 539, 540; A. K., 533; Bartholomew, 570; Benjamin, 582; Charles, 186, 187, 261 ; Charles and Ol- iver, 143, 507; C. B., Dr., 750; Ebenez- er, Dr., 163, 186, 187, 242, 269, 284, 291, 305, 313, 354, 474, 475, 596, 612, 715, 719; Elihu, 508, 559; E. E., Dr., 748; Free- love (Mrs. Amos Robinson), 570, 638; George, Dr., 733; George W., 392, 466, 502, 637; Henry, 186,458; Hiram, 291; Jacob, 486; James, 232; James M., 819; John, 591, 644; John, Sir, 108-110, 113; John H., 525, 526; Joshua, 526; Lieu- tenant, 115; RayH., Dr., 751; Samuel, 277, 565; Selden G., 595, 597, 600; Thomas M., Dr., 739-745, 759-61; Wal- ter H., 834 note; Sir William, 70, 73, 74, 92, 99, 101, 102, 104, 105. 106; land grant to, 107; death of, 107; William A., 459, 525, 526, 529; William C, 502; & Huson, 560 Johnsons, flight of the, 109 Johnston, William, settler in Buffalo in 1794, 121 ; first land owner in, 122, 123 ; Ketcham'sinformation concerning, 123 ; 130, 144, 153 note Jokle, A., Dr., 787 Joncaires, the (note), 94 Jones, Allen A., Dr., 749; Charles S. Dr., 787; David, 396: Frederick, 508 George, 410, 781; H. Corwin, Dr., 750 Henry R.. 460; J. Gr.afton, Dr., 751 Joseplj R., Dr., 724; Miles, 479, 480 Nathaniel, 480; Ransom, 538 Jordan, Samuel, 305 Joslin, Henry, 525 Joslyn, D. B., 534; Simeon H., 513 Jost, F., Dr., 607 Joy, Walter, 370, 477 Joyce, H. L., 597 Journal and Herald, Springville, the, 830 Judges, list of county, 680 Judicial administration under the Eng- lish, 669-672 Judiciary as affected by the sovereign's prerogative, 671; system, growth of the, under Dutch rule, 665-669 Judson, Benjamin, 512; Thomas, 512 Juergens, Philip, 561 Justices of the Supreme Court from Erie county, 674 Kaltenegger, A., 624 Kamerling, Andrew, Dr., 741 Kappler, Ferdinand, 606 Karner, A. L., 600 Kassler, Joseph, 488 Kast, George, 561 ; Henry F. , 559 ; Mich- ael, and son George, 559; Peter, 559, 561 Kean, Thomas, 820 Keane, Robert, 144 INDEX. 881 Kearn, J. S., 600 Kearney, Edward, 569, 570 Keating, Robert, 842, 844 Keays, William J., 390 Keeler, John E., 834 Keem, George, 603; Martin J., 603, 605 Keenan, Michael, 482, 483 Keene, J. W., Dr., 744, 763; Robert, 183 Keeney, E. D., 572 Kehe, Charles H., 560 Keith, Thomas J. , 599 Keller, Andrew J., 487; Edward F., 507; Frederick, 545; George M., 543; Henry, 346; Henry D., 476; Martin, 346, 501- 509 Kelley, Monroe, 527 Kellogg, Alexander, 493; A. B., 828; Enos, commissioner for organizing town of Batavia, 140 ; Samuel S. , 394 Kelly, Fayette, 557, 560; John, jr., 481, 482; R. K., 519; Timothy W.. 397 Kelner, Frederick, 468, 608 Kelsey, Ephraim, 351, 576,596, 640 ; Frank, 503; Melville, 834; Thomas, 351, 576 Kelsy, Samuel, 142, 494 Kelver, Frederick, 486 Kendall, Frederick, 436, 485; Hiram A., Dr., 751 Kenmore, 602 Kenefick, Daniel J., 683 Kennedy, James, 607; John A., 438 note; John J., 484-488; Martin, 577 Kennett, Thomas, 168, 821 Kent, A. G., 597; Elbridge, 604; E. G., 547 Kenyon, L. M., Dr., 802, 803; M. A., Mrs., 841; Varnum, 177, 187, 603 Kerr, Alexander, 350, 587; Edwin S., 529 ; James, 438 note ; John, 276, 350, 541, 587 Kester. Benjamin, 508; Jeremiah, 508; John, 276, 508; Stephen, 177, 276, 507- 509 Ketcham, A. R., 370, 371 note; Henry, 153, 154; Jesse, 154, 769; John, Dr., 748; Zebulon, 154 Ketchum. Edward M., 389; William, 298, 304, 314, 475, 477 Keyser, Henry, 503 Keves, Julius, 143, 149, 516; & Sons, 527 Kibbe, Gaius, 292; George R., 476; Isaac, 257,258; Mary, 642 Kibler, Charles F., 596; Christian H., 596; Jacob, 597; William, 595, 600 Kick, John, 486-488 Kidder, Walter M., 751 Kiefer, Charles 487, 488; Martin, 574; M. T, Dr., 745 111 Kihm, Henry, 547 Kilgallon, Andrew, 485-487, 515, 684 Killinger, Matthias, 492; Michael, 491, 493 Killom, George, 531, 534 Kimball, Augustine, 477; Daniel F., 477; DelossW. , and James, 565; Norman, 570 Kimberly, Benjamin K., 388; John L. , 362 and note, 382 King, Allen, 179, 525; Arnold, 179, 525; Captain, 204, 205; Frank C, Dr., 741; George, 492; Horace, 490; James E. , Dr., 732, 768; Job, 486; John, 151, 179, 525, 526, 595, 607, 640; John S., 459, 495; Major, 217, 218; Marcius E., 582; M. J. & R. G., 528; Nathan, 278. 349, 526, 528, 531; Rufus L., 381; William, 397; William, Dr., 733; & Letson, 528; & Murray, 584 Kingley, Darius, 513 Kingman, George N., 830; Mahlon, 358 note Kingsley, Charles F., 823; Calvin C, 582; Sidney D., 593; Silas, 643, 649; Sylva- mis, 531 ; Theodore N. , 527 ; & Cook, 593 Kinne, Henry M., 362, 395 Kinney, Didymus C, 143, 537; Stephen, 187 Kinsley, Alpheus F., 834; Charles A., 552 Kip, Gardner J., 513, 570 Kirby, Charles C, 590; F. M., 853; Silas C.,587 Kirchholter, Frederick, 570 Kirkland, Samuel, Rev., on the frontier, 119 ; mission of, among the Senecas, 107 Kirkover, Henry, 606; Henry D., 436 Kissinger, Jacob, 485-487 Kith, George, 153, 645 Kittenger, Martin S., Dr., 394 Klapp, Almon, 604 Kleeburg, D., Mrs., 548 Klinck, Christian. 481, 487, 488 Kline, Brothers, 496; John H., 495 Klipfel, W. & G., 505 Klump, Christopher, 612 Knapp, Arad, 531; Comfort, 508, 531; Louis H., 371 note; Samuel, 151, 537 Knauber, Joseph, 570, 572 Knell, Louis, 483, 484 Kniest, J. B., Dr., 611 Knight, Avery, 526; Charles, 156, 582, 582; Erastus C, 477; Nathaniel, 278, 458, 465, 525, 526; O. J., 526, 528 Knislev, A. B., Dr., 750 882 INDEX. Knob, Philip, 588 Knothe, Frederick, 595 Knott, Ezra, 239; H. C, Mrs.. 834 Know Nothing party, the, 470 Knox, Isaac, 187, 531 Koch, Adam, 607; Harry H., 484, 684; Robert, 598; Robert L., 597 Koehler, David, 595; E. E., Dr., 751, 787; George W., 510; Gotlieb, 552 Koenig, H. B., & Co., 600 Koffler, F. X.,Rev., 842 Kohler, Charles, 596; J. H., 600 Kolo, Jacob, 350 Koons, Henry, 574 Kopelowich & Smith, 583 Kopf, John, 588 Kopp, George, jr., 561 Korzelius, Jacob, 406 note Kraemer, H. A., Rev., 618 Kraise, John, 350 Kraus, John, 460, 518 Krause, Albert, 476; Alexander, 613; Christian, 406 note; L. F. E., 614 Krauss, E. M., 831 ; J. M., Dr., 749, 787; William C, Dr., 749, 751, 766, 785-787, 789 Krebs, George H, 529; Peter, 511 Krech, Gotthard and Karl, 624 Krehbiel, Theodore, 518 Kreinheder, Henry J., 483, 486, 487 Kreitner, John, 485 " Kremlin Junta," the, 261, 462 Krohn, J., Mrs., 583 Kronenburg, Joseph and William, 560 Kroner, Alexander, 544 Krug, Julius F, Dr., 744, 750 Krumholz, Joseph, 406 note Kuecherer, John, 611 Kuehn, G. Richard, 485 Kuehne, Hugo, Rev., Dr., 617 Kuenze,- Henry, 511 Kuepper, John H., 485 Kuhlman, Helene J. C, Dr., 750, 783, 798 Kunze, Rev. Father, 621 Kurtz, Charles, 570, 572 Kyser, Horace, 545-547 Lacy, John T., 475; William H., 325 La Fayette, General, visit of, to Buffalo, 287 Laible, ChristoDher, 482, 483 Laing, David, 276, 507 Lake commerce, 130, 131, 264-266, 356, 374, 416, 420 Lake, Camden C, 534; David, 560; Henry, 142, 494; Leslie W., 503, 638, 660; Samuel, 349, 528, 532; Wesley, 529; & Eddy, 560 Lancaster, gazetteer of, 569-576; land sales in, 143, 145 ; list of supervisors of, 570; progress in, 350; schools of, 662; settlers in, 160, 176, 569, 570; village of, 571-574 Lanckton, H. W., 593 Land Companies, the New York and Genesee, and the Niagara Genesee, 8, 9; sale, first, by the Holland Company, 137; sales in Buffalo in 1806, 154; in 1808, 159; in 1810-11, 168-171; sale in 1799 to Ellicott and Thompson, 128; sales in 1804, 143-146; and prices in 1803, 142, 143 Landel, Frederick, 596 Landon, H. S., 552; Joseph, 135, 144, 153, 158, 160, 184, 241, 259, 474, 644, 695; Stephen, 552, 553, 832; Weston N., 553, 832 Lane, A. F., 831; Ezekiel, early settler at Buffalo, 121; Frank L., 601, 831; Moses, 535, 639, 660 Lang, Abram, 542; George, 612; Ger- hard, 437, 483. 484; Jacob, 852; John, 522; J., 600; Michael, 482 Langford, 589 Langdon, Andrew, 406 note, 438 note Langner, John G., 459, 606 Lanigan, John G., Dr., 744 Laning, Albert P., 417, 457, 459, 696, 708 Lansing, Henry M., 395 Lamb, Charles, E., 503; Clarence, 503; George, 563; Henry, 478-479 Lampman, Warren, 478 Lampson, Perrin, 534 Lamy, Charles, 458; George H, 684 Lapham, Abraham, 179. 526, 587 ; George H., Dr., 338, 502, 727, 729, 731, 743 ; Gideon, 179, 186, 274, 587; Ira, 179, 526, 587 ; Stephen, 186, 525 Lapp, Bishop, 517; Henry, Dr., 518, 658, 660, 741, 744, 749-751 ; John, 354; Sam, uel E., 519 Larkin, Burt, 518; Jonathan, 493; Rich- ard W., 518 Lamed, J. O., 690; J. N., 328 note, 821, 844; J. R., 673; John S., 262; Josephus N.,649 Larzalere, Abraham, 474 La Salle and his success, 46-54 ; career of, after building the Griffin (note), 52; genius and capability of, 53; opera- tions of, on Niagara River, 50-52 ; royal grants to, 47 La Salle's "company" and its expe- dition, 48, 49; shipyard, dispute con- cerning site of, 54 and note Lasuer, Samuel, 186 INDEX. 883 Lathrop, Ada C, 570; D., Mrs., 834; George, Dr., 726; Jedediah H., 595, 816; Solon H., 816; Thomas, 649 Lattin, Cora B., Dr., 751; H. W., Dr., 751 Laughlin, Frank C, 476, 675, 682; John, 458, 798; John M., 485 Lautz, Fred C. M., 438 note, 805 Laux, John A., 571 Lawrence, W. H., 508 Lawson, George D., 600; William W., 459, 684 Lawton, 589 Lawton, E. H., 589; Henry W., 589; John, 278, 525, 526, 587, 589; W. S., 588 Lay, John, 321; J. C, Dr., 737; Natha- niel, 550 Laycock, Oliver S., 438 note Lazelle, John A. , 292 Leach, D. R., Dr., 560 Leahy. Patrick J., 515 Leake, Isaac Q., 358, 262, 293 Le Couteulx, Louis, 144 and note, 158, 186, 283. 301, 684, 835, 837 Le Couteulx St. Mary's Benevolent So- ciety for the Deaf and Dumb, 837 Lederer, Charles M., 484 Lee, Charles Alfred, Dr., 767; Cyrus T., 383; Daniel, Dr., 459, 774, 8l5, 816; Frank, 571 ; John R., 325, 362, 383, 475, 476, 478, 834; N. H., 483; R. Porter, 484; William, Capt., early lake navi- gator, 130, 131 ; Zebina, 353, 546 Leech, Elijah, 144, 153, 287, 300, 684; Irene, 642 Leffler, Joseph, and son, Joseph, 494 Leger, Louis, 548 Leggett, Benjamin, 179, 587; Pulaski, L., 660 Lehley, George, 511. 512, 588; Julius, 511 Lehn, Henry, 352, 495; John, 496 Lehning, Frederick, 507 Leib, Charles, 638; John D., 440 Leibig, Valentine, 608 Leible, John, 486 Leigh, Edward, 605; Nathaniel, 162 Leininger, Henry, 570 ; John, 572 ; John G., 570 ;T. D., 572 Leland Brothers, 533; E. O., H. G., and William O., 534 Le Moine, Father, mention of wild ani- mals by, 3 Lemon, Benjamin H., Dr., 738, 739, 757, 774 Lemmon, John C, 389 Lenhard, Joseph, 460 Lenfhan, Peter, 517. Lentz, John J., 660 Leonard, Andrew, 607; Captain, 225 and note; F., Mrs., 834; William C, 490 Leonhardt, H. C, Dr., 750 Leopard, William, 517 Leroy, David, 531 Le Seur, John, Elder, 176; Samuel, 514 Lester, Garret K. , 638, 660 Letchworth, Josiah, 842; Ogden P., 842; William P., 405 note, 456, 841, 842 Letson, Erastus, Dr., 529; Rowland, 177 Lettau, Michael, 410 Le Van, C. B., Dr., 749 Lewi. M. J., Dr., 747 Lewis, Charlotte E., Mrs., 805, 841; Dan- iel, 183, 186; Dio, Dr., 802; F. D., Dr., 805; F. Park, Dr., 805; George A, 681, 787; George H., Mrs., 786; George Howard, Mrs., 850; George W., Dr., 802, 803; G. W.fjr., Dr., 785; George W. T., Dr., 749, 778, 779; John L.,, 570; Loran L. , 457, 674, 805, 841 ; Martin, 582; Morgan, Gen., 211,212; Morgan G., Dr., 727, 729; Peter, 239; Silas, 521, 523; William, 142, 494, 523; William, Rev. , 521 Lexington Heights Hospital, 806 Libraries in Buffalo, 328 note Library, the Buffalo, 292 Liget, William, 142 Liederkranz, the, 623 Liedertafel, the, 623 Liesenhopp, A., 624 Lieutenant governors from Erie county, 455 Lindow, Frederick J. , 588 Lindsay, Aaron, 525 Lindsey, Darius, 577 Undsley, F. W., 585 Linquist, M. F. , Dr. , 805 Litchfield, Harvey, 489 Literary and Scientific Academy, Buf- falo, 643 Lithrop, George H.. Dr.. 543 Little, Edward, Dr., 740; Elbridge, 582; Henry, 823; Henry H., 485; William H.,483, 484 Littlefield, Calvin, 502, 637; Darwin S., 538; Lansing B., 540; Wray S., 646, 684 Livermore, Ira W. , 529 Livingston, Alfred T., Dr., 743 Lock, James, 349, 527 Locke, Jesse F., 355, 599, 600, 728, 730; Simon J., 600 Lockman, E. R., Dr., 742 Lockrow, Harmon M., 483, 484 Lockwood, Alonzo, 507; Daniel N.. 346, 454, 455, 584, 683; Jesse, 346, 508; John F., 479; N. S., Dr., 738; Orrin, 340, 507, 884 INDEX. 508, 684 ; Seymour J. , 508 ; Stephen, 346, 681; T. T., Dr., 346, 475, 477, 728, -731, 759, 760 Logan, Alexander, 151, 595 ; Bartley, 479 ; Peter, 607 Long, Abram, 343, 559; B. G., Dr., 747, 751; Benjamin H., 459, 595; Charles, 591, 593; Charles E., Dr., 750; Chris- tian, 495; David, 303, 495; D. H., 600; Edward, 580; Eli H., Dr., 745, 749-751 ; Frank E., 593; H. S., 638; Isaac, 559; Joachim, 556; John, 159, 494; John, sr., 514; John D., 495; J. O., 575; Joseph, 514, 591; L. A., Dr., 743 Loomis, Chauncey, 258; Horatio N., Dr., 726-729, 731-734, 740, 753, 755, 770, 771, 789 Looney, Robert, 570 Looneyville, 576 Loosen, Frederick, 513 Lord, James H., 545; John C, Mrs., 834 Lothridge, A. L., 483 Lothrop, Benjamin L. , Dr., 743; Earl P., Dr., 751, 785, 786, 789; Joshua R., Dr., 739-742, 760, 761, 774; Paul B., 549; Thomas, Dr., 739, 741. 743, 744, 749, 760, 762-764, 777, 784-786, 793, 842 Lotz, Melchoir, 483 Lounsbury, R. H., Dr., 751 Love, A. L., 638; George M., 388, 395; Harlow S.. 476, 681; John, murder of, by the three Thayers, 508; Samnel B., 277, 346, 347, 521-524; Thomas C, 305, 454, 477, 680, 683, 693, 700; William H., 649 Lovejoy, David R., Dr., 741 ; Henry, 166, 476; Joshua, 159 Loveland, Mitchell R., 592 Lovering, William, 476 Lowe, Chester J., 532; Sarah Bond, Miss, 785; WillliamC, 830 Lowet, Ebenezer (Ebenezer village) 608 Lowry, C. C, 567 Loy, Eliza, Miss, 788 Lucas, William, Dr., 719 Luce, Truman, 570 Luders, John, 549 Lum, Dyer D., 389 Lumley, Frederick, 536 Lund, John, 624 Lush, Daniel, Ezra, Hira and Isaac, 531 ' Lusk, Marcus, 580; William Henry, 517 Lustig, Emil, Dr., 748 Lutes, John, 495 Lifther, Adolph, 600; Barney L., 389 Lutheran Church Home for Aged and Infirm, 852 Lux, Martin, and son Peter, 514 Lyford, Frank, 568 Lyman, John T., 574; Nathan, 834; Misses (Seminarv), 643 Lynam, John T, 8'32 Lynde, Uri C, Dr., 395, 523, 740, 743, 795 Lyon George, 641; James S., 397, 398 Lyth, Alfred, 484, 485; John, & Sons, 552 Lytle, A. H., 511 ; Albert T., 750 McAllister, Eleanor, Dr., 750, 798 McAlpine, William J., 370 McArtey, John R., Dr., 744, 751 McArthur, Arthur, 755, 834; Mrs., 834; Moses, 568, 569, 605 McBeth, John, Dr., 604. 605, 729, 745 McCall, Abijah, 605 McCarthy, Moses, 339, 565; Timothy, 584 McCleary, Daniel, 186, 257, 458, 687 McClure, George, Gen., 222, 224, 226, 227; Joseph, 458; Joseph, Col., 221 McConkey, Thomas, 556 McConnell, Samuel, 144-146, 160, 494 McConvey, James, 397 McCormick, Samuel, 539 McCrea, P. A., Dr., 805 McCuller, Franklin T., 599 McCullough, John J., Dr.. 749 McCune, Charles W., 820 and note McDonald, Charles, C, 805, 841 McDonnell, John Q., 438 note McDougall, John A., & Co. 597 McFarland, T. S., 438 note; William L, Dr., 748 McFaul, Thomas, 828 McGee, Joseph, 559 ; Thomas, 531 McGerald, Samuel, 824 Mclntyre, James H., 510, 512; John C, 511- McKay, Alexander, 479, 602; Charles, 602; James, 643, 657, 821; Seth, 501; Sylvester, 337, 500 McKean, Daniel, 180, 565; Robert, 353, 546 McKeen, John, 186 McKillip, Robert. 353, 517, 519 McKinnon, John, Dr., 739 McKnight, James, 298, 304 McLean, John W., 572 McLeish, Archibald, 482, 483 McLeod. Norman, 105 McLowth, Charles, Dr., 719 McMahon, John E., 397 McManus, John, 437 McMaster, Alexander, 438 note, 484, 485 McMichael, George H., Dr., 749 McMillan, Daniel H., 456, 458, 784; Hugh, 179, 587; James H., 525, 527; John, 566; INDEX. 885 Joseph, 527, 535; Robert P., 527; Will- iam, 418 and note McMullen, James, 341, 582 McNeal, Benjamin F., 660; Marcus, 459, 580, 582; Milton, 459, 570; Norman B., 460 McNett, Andrew J., 459, 466, 479, 681 McPherson, Angus, 481, 482; George W., Dr., 572, 743, 749, 751 McVean, Hugh, Dr., 734 McVickar, Brock., Dr., 726, 727, 753 McWilliams, Esther K., 784; J. J., Mrs., 841 Mabon, William, 565 Macbeth, A. H., Dr., 751 Mack Elisha, 348, 532-534; Norman E., 823 and note Mackay, Edward, Dr., 733; G. C, Dr., 477; James, 477; G. A., Dr., 741 Mackenzie, William Lyon, 330 Mackmer, Henry, 560 Macomb, John, 200 Macomber, Charles S.. 475 Macniel, Dugal, Dr.. 742, 763 Macy, J. B , Mrs., 834 Madden, Edward, 481, 482, 607 Madison, William, 834; W., Mrs., 834; Corners, 594 Magher, Michael, 476 Magoffin, Frank, 583; J. O., 518; John M., 495; William T. 580, 582 Mahany, Rowland B., 455 Mahoney, Jeremiah, 399, 476; John, 476; Timothy J., 427, 477, 651 Mahar, John, 600 Maher, Martin, 476, 486, 481 Mail routes and post-offices, 258, 272 Maischoss, Frank, 486-488 Mallory, Isaac, 491 ; Sterling, 563 Maloney, William, 460 Maltby, Benjamin, 346, 347, 459, 522, 524; George, 523; Jonathan, 553; Will- iam, 156. 494; Zacharias, 553 Manchester, B. A., 814 and note, 818 Mang, John, 485, 486 Manges, M., Dr., 805 Mann, Arthur, 625; C. J., 363 note; George E., 476; Matthew D., Dr., 745, 747, 771, 775, 785, 789, 793; Nathan, 177; Nathan M., 344, 503, 603, 605; Richard, 153, 644; William H.. 503 Manning, John B., 363 note and note, 475 Mansfield, Orange, 517 Mapes, L. D., 503 Maples, Joseph, 501 March, John, Dr., 179, 186, 541, 545 Marcley, J. I., Dr., 743 Marcus, Lucius W., 683 Marcy, Daniel G., 476; W. H., Dr., 805 Marilla, erection of, 377; first town offi- cers of, 579 ; gazetteer of, 576-579 ; list of supervisors of, 579 ; progress in, 351 ; settlers of, 576, 577; village, 577, 578 Markham, Erastus, 547; Walter, 351, 577 Marsh, Edwin A., 593; Marian, Dr., 751; PhineasS., 363 note, 481 Marshall, Charles R., 475; Elizabeth C, Miss, 848; John E., Dr., 170, 261, 314, 461, 684, 716, 717, 719-721, 752, 753; John H., Dr., 462, 477; Josiah T., S61 and note; Orsamus H., 42 note, 405, 410, 646, 657, 767 ; Parker, 491 Marshfield, 589 Martin, Charles G., 600; David, 517; George, 354; G. C, 592; Henry, 381 and note, 383, 480, 781; H. N., Dr., 804; Ira R., 491; John, 476; John P., 695; Michael, Dr., 722; T. G., Dr., 805: Truman J., Dr., 805; & Thacher, 564 Martzloff, Philip, 572 Marvel, Alfred, 546, 549 Mary, Mother Superior, of St. Joseph Schaefer, 838 Mason, Elias, 351, 577; F. H., 578; H. F., 577; R. B., 577; William H., Dr., 739 Masonry in the city and county, 450 note Masten, James G., 365; Joseph G., 366, 410, 475, 676, 706, 767 Mather, David, 146; description of Buf- falo in 1806 by, 152; 159 Mathews, A. I., 792: John D., Dr., 743 Matteson, George E., 483, 484; Harry H., 478; Price A., 399, 476, 682 Matthews, George E., 822; James, 528, 529, 590; James N., 790, 816, 822; Syl- vester, 315, 476, 477 Matthewson,- Hale, 531; Joshua, 531 Matzinger, H. G., Dr., 748, 787 Maul, John, 600 Maute, John N., 572 Maybee, Lewis, 122; Sylvanus, 123, 144, 146, 644 Maycock, B. J., Dr., 805, 808; Joseph, 484 Maynard, E. A., 820; Robert H., 834 Mayors of Buffalo, 475 Mead, Charles, Dr., 738; Henry, Dr., 150 Meadows, William, 438 note, 363 note Meahl, Charles H., Dr., 749; John H., 584, 831, 832 Meatyard, Robert,' 538 Medical advancement of the century, summary of, 808-817; colleges, 767- 886 INDEX. 779 ; Department of Buffalo University, list of the alumnae of, 797; Department Niagara University, 777-779; history, early, 711; Journal, Buffalo, the, 828; journals, 789-794 ; officers in the war of the Rebellion, 794-796 ; Press of West- ern New York, 793, 794; Society of the County of Erie, 717-751 Meech, John H. 805 Meeting house, first in the county, 154 Mehl, Peter V., 519 Meidenbauer, J. G., Dr., 748, 787 Meisberger, William, Dr., 747, 750, 787 Mellish, John, 175 Melyin, J; H., 533, 830 Members of Congress, 454 Menge, Frederick A., 486, 487 Menker, H. A., 438 note Mercer, Colonel, at the capture of Oswe- go, 81 Merchants' Exchange, the, Buffalo, 364 note Merriam, E. D., Dr., 734, 735; Samuel, 186 Merrigan, Thomas, 479, 480 Merrill, Albert S., 476, 478; David E., 475; Frederick, 211; Frederick B., 297, 462, 689; Frederick E., 684; George E., 567 Merritt, Charles W., 502, 503, 637, Jesse, Dr., 726 Merz, Nicholas, Father, 301 Mesmer, Michael, 612 Messing, William, 480 Metcalf, Albert W., 389; Francis T., Dr., 750, 751 ; Reuben, 531 Methodism, 263, 264 and note Methodist societv, first on the Purchase, 156 Metz, Abram, 495; Adrian, f 06; Andrew, 519; Christian, 517; Christian, jr., 460; Christian C, 495; Godfrey, 346, 542; Jacob, 495 Metzger, George, 612; John, 608; P., 607 Meyer, Alphonse J., 476; J. A. M., 480; JohnM., 613 Meyerhoffer, Peter, 611 Meyers, Daniel, 401 ; Fred G., 533; J. F.. 830; Philip G., 486 Michael, Christian, and son Philip, 495; Henry, 560 Mickle, Herbert, Dr., 748, 785 Middaugh, Martin, early settler at Buf- falo, 121 Middleditch, Matthew, 276, 507 Middleton, John, Dr., 749 Milburn, John G., 844 Mile Strip, the State, laid out in lots, 171 and note Mileham, J. N., 483 Miles, Peter E., 646; Samuel, 581 Militia, the, in 1818, 261; officers appoint- ed in the, in 1812, 187 Mill Grove, 491 Millar, Henry B., 499, 503; T. & T. S., 503 Miller, Abraham, 300; Abraham Dr., 726, 753; A. J., 578; Benjamin, 399, 495-497, 639; Charles F., 478; Charles G., 560, 831; Christian, 600; Edward B., 495; Emanuel D., 495; Frederick 154, 160, 172 and note, 184, 259, 645; George B., 483; G. P., & Co., 578; Henry, 459, 572; Henry B., 459,479, 480, 613; Herman, 588; Jacob, Dr., 751; James, 276, 410, 477, 507; James, Col., 247, 252, 253; John, Dr., 805; John A., Dr., 778, 484; John G., Dr., 542, 744; John H., 538; Joseph B., 560, 831; Lewis D.; 495; Nicholas J., 460; Peter P., 482; R. E, Dr., 748; Robert H., 579; R. S. 571; Samuel, 180. 565; Thomas, 578; William, Dr., 604; W. B. 805; William P., Capt., 298; William T, 474; W. V., Dr., 744 Millerman, John, 162 Millersport, 520 Milliner, F. H., Dr., 751 Millis, John, 526 Mills, Ueorge H., 593; John T., 343, 559- Robert, 480, 481; R. S., 583; William, 288, 303, 317, 458, 582, 646; William I., 481; & Anderson, 532 Milring, E. A., Dr., 749 Miner. Julius F., 737, 739, 742, 744, 745, 758-762, 771, 792, 793; W. W., Dr., 743, 762 Ministers, foreign, from Erie county, 453 Minkle, John, 604 Minor, Asa, 642 Misner, Peter, 596 Missert, Jacob, 488 Mitchell, John, Dr., 728 Mix, Ebenezer, Jacob, 355; Joel, 570 Mixer, , Sylvester F., Dr., 477, 728, 729 731, 732, 741, 742, 744, 753, 755, 757 Moddesit, Welton M., Rev., 396 Moehlau, Ferdinand G., Dr., 750 Moeser, Wilhelm, 624 Moffat, Parley, 558 Mohring, John C, 460 Moll, Michael, 527 Monahan, Bernard, Dr., 738 Monchow, Gustavus C, 577, 578 Money, scarcity of, before 1812, 182 INDEX. 887 Monroe, Allen, 561 ; Henry, 603 Montcalm, Marquis tie, 79-83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 90, 100 Montcalm's apprehensions and warnings, 86, 87: gloomy prophecy, 1759, 91 Montgomery, Alva, 552; George W., Rev., 853; Henry, 484; James, 583; Robert, 483; W. A. D., Dr., 747; Will- iam White, Rev., 838 Moody, Mary Blair, Dr., 796; Mary J., Dr., 744 Mook, Philip, 570, 572 Moon, Asher, 582; Nathan, 602 Mooney, James, 418, 476 Moore, A. C, 853; E. M., Dr., 771; Gif- ford J., 501 ; Henry, and son Henry F., 501; Jeremiah, 501; Reuben, 538; Wel- come, 162, 602; William, 475 Moores, William P. , 481 "Moral Society," the, of Buffalo, 173, 174 Moran, Martin, 413 note Morey, Andrew C, Dr., 738; Benjamin, 578; Benjamin H., 490, 831: Evan A., 831; Evan H., 490; Homer, 567, 569; Jerome B., 566; John F., 566, 569; Na- than, 567, 569; Norris, 389; Vinal L., 566 Morgan, David, 556; Lodowick, Major, 250; William, affair of, 294; William J., 436, 456 Morganstern, Daniel, 413 note Morris, David J., 546, 547; George, 179, 526; Gouverneur, 267, 268; Horton, Dr., 543; Lorenzo, 783; Robert, Pur- chase, the, 11; Sidney, R., Dr., 721 Morrison, D. A. , Dr. , 748 ; James, 161 Morrow, Caspian, R., Dr., 506, 743 Morse, Charles E., 390; David R., 483; Henry, 481, 482; Milton, 334, 347, 510 Morton, Alanson, Elijah and Jeremiah, 277; A. P., 536; O. C, 532; Wendall, 536; William G. T., Dr., 741 Morton's Corners, 536 Moseley, George T., Dr.,' 785, 805; Will- iam A., 322, 454, 457, 458, 466, 467, 476, 681, 689, 700 Moshel, Henry, 399 Mosher, C. L., Dr., 805; John, 551; Will- iam, 535, 639 Moshier, Gideon, 153; Hezekiah, 499 Moss, R. E.,Dr., 749 Mossman, James, 583 Moulton, James M., 272; John, 366; John F., 370 note; Warren, 595 Mountpleasant, sr., Captain, statement of, relative to the Holland Company's surveyors, 132 Moyer, John, 350 Muffitt, Horatio P., 510, 512 Mugridge, Edward C.,529; Joseph, 528 Mulford, Henry J., Dr., 749, 785 Mulhall, Thomas, 600 Mullett, James, 476, 681, 704; John, 168, 183 Mumbach, William, 543 Munch, Frederick, 596; Nicholas, 596 Munger, Fowler, 577, 578; Riley, 145, 516, 570 Munn, Asa, 493' Munro, Josiah G. , 844 Munson, H. N., Dr., 725; Jesse, 514 Munter. David, 583 Murbach, John. 607 Murder, first, in Buffalo, of John Hewitt, 138; of James Burba. 688; of John Love by the three Thayers, 288, 692 Murder trial, firs* in the county, 688; of the Three Thayers, 692, 693; of "Tom- my Jinning " (Indian), 689-691 Murphy, E. J., Dr., 748, 778, 779; John C, 832; John W„ 459 Murray, H. B., Dr., 600, 742; John C, 585; Peter, 508. 509; William D., Dr., 394, 600, 741, 795 Myer, Albert J., Gen., 455, 776, 795; Charles, 376; Edward J., Dr., 750, 785 Myers, Michael, 604; R. S., Dr., 519, 740, 743, 749 Mynter, Herman, Dr., 743, 778, 784, 785, 787, 789, 793 Naber, Joseph, jr., 589 Nagel, Alexander G., 514 Nash, Daniel, 533, Moses, 582; Samuel, Dr., 532 Nassoy, Eugene, 488 Natural gas as fuel, 437 Nauert, Henry, 481 ; Heinrich, 624 Neal, Alfred H., 483; Robert, 570 Nedham, Oliver, 532; O. H., Dr., 733 Neidhardt, Karl, 626 Nelson. Richard W., Dr., 735, 738; Will- iam S., 561; Nesbitt, George W., Dr„ 741 Nettleton, Daniel, 351, 577 Neutral Nation, Kaw Kwahs, the, 24 Neuter Nation, the, as descr.bed in the Jesuit Relations, 44 "New Amsterdam," survey of the vil- lage of, 138 New Oregon, 589 Newell, Hiram, 459, 599; William A., Dr., 735 News, Springville, the, 830 ; Tonawanda, the, 830 "Newsboys' and Bootblacks' Home," 842 INDEX. Newspaper, first in the county, 182, 188- 185 ; second, in Buffalo, 256 Newspapers and periodicals, trade, 828; defunct, 825-827; German and Polish, 825; in 1815, 461; in 1818, 462; in 1827, 464; 1828, 465; medical, 828; Polish, Buffalo, 429; of Akron, 584, 832; of Al- den, 490, 831; of Amherst, 832; of An- gola, 552, 832; of Aurora, 338, 504, 829; of Depew, 574, 832; of Erie county, influence of, 812; of Hamburg, 560, 831; of Holland, 567. 83J: of Lancas- ter, 572, 831 ; of Marilla, 578, 831 ; of Sardinia, 593, 832 ; of Springville, 533, 829 ; of Tonawanda, 600, 830 ; of Will- iamsville, 496 Newstead, erection of* as Erie, 286; first settlers of, 136 ; gazetteer of, 579- 586 ; land sales in, 143; list of supervisors of, 580; progress of, 340, 341; schools of, 662 ; settlers in, in 1802, 138 ; 145, 151, 156, 162, 176. 580-582 Newman, Amos, 583; E. J., 580, 583; Enos, 583 ; George G. , 482 ; Henry L. , 584; James M., Dr., 477, 732-739, 755- 757. 782; Leroy, 583; William C, 584; William H. H., 405 note, 410 Newton, Harvey H, 580, 582, 583; J. R., 550; J. S„ 557; Obadiah, 160, 538; Reu- ben, 160, 538, 562 Niagara county, erection of, 15, 157 ; first officers of, 158; pititable conditon of, in September, 1812, 198; population of, in 1810, 168 Niagara County Agricultural Society, 272; Medical Society in 1811, 184 Niagara, establishment of port at, 57-59; frontier, peace on (1764-75), 106 ; the, in 1812, 196, 197; Police District, 413; reoccupation of by the French, 64 Nice, John, 417, 459, 556, 596, 696; & Hickey, 600 Nichell, C. F. A., Dr., 741; Henry, Dr., 738, 742, 744, 745, 758, 759 Nichol, C. F. A., Dr., 760 Nichols, Asher P., 417, 455, 457, 476, 681, 697, 706, 783; Austin W., Dr., 735, 757; David, 337, 500; George W., 524: John, Dr., 741; L. B., 532; Merritt, 483,484; Reuben, 278, 591 Nicholson, John, 390 Niemand, C, Dr., 747 Niles, H., 363 note; & Crandall, 533 Noah, Mordecai M., and his Grand Island scheme, 287, 555, 556 Noble, Major, 153 Nolte, William, 495 Nolton, H. G., 370 note Norris, John, 389; Theodore B., 534 North, Charles, 852; C. J., Mrs., 805; Olive, Miss, 560; William, 268 North Boston, 509 North Collins, erection of, 377 ; gazetteer of, 586-590; in 1815-20, 278; list of sup- ervisors of,590 ; progress in, 349 ; schools of, 661; settlers in, 179, 586; (village, 587 North Evans, 553 Northrup, Eli B., 547, 549; Lewis, 546, 547; Stephen, 547 Norton, Anson, 566; Charles B., 172; Charles D., 405, 476, 681, 683, 707: David, 275; Ebenezer F., 258, 269, 295, 454, 458, 464, 700 ; Eugene, 604, 605 ; E. D., 603; E. H., Dr., 748; F., Dr., 582; Joshua, 542; M. B., Dr., 734 Nott, EdwardS., 560; Ezra, 161, 261 590; S. E. S. H., Dr., 560, 733, 745, 747 Noyes, Samuel, Dr., 588 Numan, John F ., 392 Nunan, James E., 436 Nutting, Abner, 275 Nuwer, John, 570 "Oak openings," 23 Oatman, David C, 552-554, 685, 832; Ly- man, 459, 550, 552-554 O'Bail, Henry (Cornplanter), 215 Oberdrifter, Edward, 608 O'Brian, James, 476, 479, 480; John, 459 O'Brien, E. C. W., Dr., 477, 749, 750, 762, 784; John P., 481; J. W., 535; Jules, 459 O'Connell, M. J., Dr., 749 O'Connor, Joseph, 820, 824 O'Day, Daniel, 437, 438 note Odell, Darius, 511; D. H., 512 Odojewski, John, 428 Oehm, Englehart, 570, 573 Oehmig. Robert, 476 Ogden Company, effects of the sale of land to the, 337 Ogden Company's purchase of Indian reservation lands, 17, 18 ; second pur- chase of reservation lands, 19, 20 Ogden Purchase; completion of the, 357 O'Grady, Thomas, 480 O'Hara, A. T, Dr., 751 Old Settlers' Festival, 835 and note Olin, Matthew R., 592; William, 508 Olmstead, Charles G., 293, 683, 687, 688, 700; Frederick Law, 418; Nathaniel R., Dr., 721 Onondagas, ezpedition against the, in 1779, 112 Ontario county, erection of, 119 INDEX. Orchard Park, 539 Orcott, Daniel H., Dr., 721 Ordner, John, 389, 497 Oriskany, battle of, 111 Orpheus, the Buffalo, 624 Orr, Abner, 566,569; Alvin, 277: A. M. , 566, 567; Charles A, 459, 569, 685; George, 482; Robert, 277, 566 Orton, Charles S., 600; S. G., Mrs., 83!t Osborn, A. C, Dr., 568, 605; Elias, 186, 257, 261, 458, 463, 499,500; Frank, Dr., 605; Morris, 557; Stephen, 346, 458, 459, 522, 582, 684 Orborne, Harrison. 340, 582; Lemuel, 156, 581, 585; Mitchell, 340,582; Nehe- miah, Dr., 796, 803 . Osgood, D. R., 572; Thaddeus, Rev., 164 Osthues, Henry, Dr., 751, 786, 787 Ostrander, Amasa K., 559; Peter, 579 Oswald. J. N., 574 Oswego, capture and destruction of, by Montcalm, 80-82; establishment of a fort at, by the English, 65 ; importance of the post at, 73 Otis, Calvin N., 393 Otto, Charles, 578; Jacob S., 286 , Ovens. W. S., 482; Overstocks, Peter, 200 Owen, Jerome P., 438 note Packard, S. S., 600 Packwood, W. J., Dr., 744 Paddock, Julia, Miss, 387 Page, A., Miss, 642; David, 642 Paige, Wilkenson W., 380 Paine, Edward, 261, 324, 499, 501,637; Ira, 155 500 ; Nehemiah, 531 ; Timothy, 499; Persons & Co., 502; Walter, 155, 500 Palmer, Asa, 177; Everard, 480; Innis, B., 187; George, 362, 380, 381, 382 and note, 834 note; George S., Dr., 748; Job. 155, 186, 507, 550; John, first ho- tel-keeper in Buffalo, 122, 138; Joseph, 587; Joseph R., 643; Rufus C, 362, 383 Palmerton, Durand A., 529; Henry, 17" 525; Joseph A., 526; Joshua, 179, 52, r "Panic meeting," in 1837, 321 Pankow, Charles G.. 476, 484 Parcell, Isaac, Dr., 340, 582 Pardee, Charles W. , Mrs., 782, 787 ; Clark, 582 Park, Harrison, 478, 479; Roswell, Dr., 747, 749, 764, 766, 771, 775, 785, 789, 793 Parker, Charles G., 518; Harrison, 542, 543; Homer, 345; H. G., 588; Jared, 1X2 Dr., 314, 518, 639; J., 363 note, 570; Lyman, 518; L. P. L.. Dr., 582, 741; Orlando K., Dr., 518, 638, 734, 740, 742; Perry G, 709; Stephen, 277, 565; T. W., Dr., 742; Washburn, 490; W.,'Dr., 570; William W.,' 600; Zerah, 351, 577; , Dr., first physician in Holland, 340 ; & Harrington, 583 Parkhill, James S., 557 Parkhurst, George, Mrs., 787 Parkinson, William H, 525 Parks, Perry, 560 Parmalee, Joel, 145, 569, 582; Theodore N., 816,821 Parmely, Lemuel, 180, 508. 545 Parmenter, Elijah, 531; John, Dr., 748, 750, 774, 775, 785, 787 Parsell, Isaac, Dr., 730-732 Parsons, Comfort, *605 ; Galusha. 572; Gideon, 186, 531; James W., 481, 482; Johnson, 572; Lorenzo, 535, 639; Ly- man, 183; Samuel V., 484, 505 Partridge & Son, 588 Pask, William, Dr., 748 Patch, Oliver, 275, 344, 604; Stephen, 275, 344, 603, 604; Stephen W., 275; Thompson, 275 Patchen, Aaron D., 365, 370, 769; Almus T., 482; Talcott„276, 508 Patchin (Boston Center), 508 Patridge, George W., 484, 485 "Patriot war," the, 329-333 Pattengill, Oliver, 155, 190, 499 Patterson, A. C, Rev., 852; George T., 490, 493 Patteson, R. E., Dr., 749 Pattison, George W.. Dr., 742 Patton, John K., 460, 595, 600 Paul, Abijah, 274, 500; Adam, 274, 338, 506; David, 500, 566; Frederick, 511; James W., 500; Jonathan, 566; Peter. 406 note, 842; Zoroaster, Dr., 340, 567 Pauley, Nicholas, and son Nicholas, 560 Pavement (hamlet), 575 Paxon, James E, 583; William, 345, 542; William L., 583 Paxson, Abraham, 541 ; James, 178, 179, 537, 541 Payne, Garret W., 596; L. S., Col., 597 Peabody, Frank, 536; Joseph, Dr., 733 Peacock, William, description of Buffalo in 1799 by, 128 ; 138, 270 and note, 297 Peck, John, 186; Joseph, 547; Nelson, Dr., 726 Peckham, Pardon, 160, 569; Philip, Capt., 570 ; Thomas Nye, 569 Peek, Christopher, 499, 549 ; John S. , 542 Peevers, Benjamin A., 460 890 INDEX. Pemberton, William, 542 Penfold, Henry J., 552, 832 Pennell, Emma, Mrs., 583; Ezra, Dr., 583 Pentelow, John, 575 Perigo, Elijah, 531 Perkins, Frank R. , 476, 682 ; Spencer L. , 538 Perley, F. M., 560, 831 Perrine, C. O., 600 Perry, Almon, 491 ; Edgar H , 571 ; J. H., Dr., 751; Miles, 479; Oliver H., Com., 211, 312, 219-222; William J., 491; Winslow, 150, 558 ■ Persch, Henry C, 481 Persons, A. E., Dr., 748, 749, 786; Byron D., 504; Charles, 483; Charles P., 339, 502, 637, 684; Gideon, jr., 187: H. C, & Son, 503; Harry H., 501 ; Henry H., 458, 499, 504; Henry Z., 499, 502, 504; L. F., & Co., 503; Robert, 274, 300, 324, 366, 500, 502, 637 Peters, George, 495; James W., 550; J. A., Dr., 388, 740, 741, 758, 759. 794; Nathan, 144, 537; Samuel G., 482; Stephen, 179, 525; Theodore C, 475, 476, 681, 814 Peters's Corners, 49.1 Peterson, Frederick, Dr., 745, 764; Stephen, 525 Pettifoggers, 688, 689 Pettingill, Hiram, 352, 545 Pettit, John A., Dr., 743 Pfanner Brothers, 600 Pfeifer, George F., 480, 612, 626 Pfeil, John, 483 Pfohl, E. N., Dr., 749; Jacob H., 481 Phanner, Frederick, 596 Phelps, Darwin, 502, 637; George E.. 572; Isaac, 458; Isaac, jr., 260,462,466, 499, 500; Israel, 187; Israel, jr., 186; Ledyard R., 338; Medyard R., 501; Orson, 777; William C, Dr., 741-745, 761, 764, 774, 785; Zerah. 135, 144, 146; & Gorham Purchase, the, 9-11 Phillips, J. H., 595, 596; William A., 413 note Physicians, women, 796-800 Pickard, Charles, 519 Pickens, William, 587 Pierce, Aaron, 606, 607, Arnold, 606, 607 ; Arnold, & Son, 563; Caleb, 273, 558; Charles S., 477, 479; George, 607; George M., 557, 560, 561; George N., B42; H. W., 478; Jerome, 805; John, 413 note, 481, 482; Loren, 314, 315, 474; O. C, 560, 563; Pardon, 178, 186, 538, 558; Ray V., 454, 457; W. M., 497 Pierson, Andrew T., 389; Daniel, 501 Pike, Isaiah, 531; James, 531: Stafford, 604; Uriah D., 531; Zebulon, Gen., 211 Pingrey, Elbert, 533 Pinner, James A., 600 Pitass, John, Rev., 428 and note Pitcher, Leman H., 526; Milton H., 593 Pitkin, John T., Dr., 748 Pitt, William H., Dr., 778 Pittz, Philip, 514 Pletscher, George, 608 Plimpton, Leman K., 478 Plumb, Joseph H., 399, 459, 525; Ralph, 349, 458, 525, 527, 584 Plumiey, A. S., 479, 480 Pohi; Gustave, Dr., 748, 751, 787 Pohlman, Julius, Dr., 748, 763,775 Politics as affected by the Erie Canal, ■268 ; during the Auti Masonic crusade, 295, 296; just before the war of 1812, 185-187; m 1812, 194; in 1818, 260; in 1836, 322; 361 Political parties, changes in, 452 Pollard, Benjamin F., 604; Captain, 215, 243 Pollitt, William, 591 Polish immigrants, 427-430 Pomeroy, C. R., Rev., 535, 639; Ralph M., 169, 207-209, 240; Robert, 382, 475 Pompelly, H., 381 Pond, Loren, 497 Pontiac's war, 103-105; 553 Pool, S. & E. C, 532 Poole, Cyrus O., 476, 681 ; Rushmore, 325 ; S. N., Dr., 522 Pope, Thomas, 521 Popple, William, 528 Population, slow increase in after the fi- nancial crisis of 1836-37, 356; 361, 373, 374, 419, 420, 446 Porter, Archibald. 351,576,578; August- us. 125. 130, 131, 136, 158, 164, 257, 297, 456, 680, 686 ; Barton & Co. , 173 ; George W., 572; James S. 456, 748, 750; John, 563; Moses, Col., 204, 206, 208, 22'2; Peter B., Maj., 135, 164, 204-206, 212, 215,216, 217, 219, 221, 222, 240, 242-253, 268, 269, 278, 281, 282, 296, 453-456, 458, 460, 464, 646; Sanford; 180, 565 Porterville, 578 Post, Abram, 583; E. R., Dr., 572' Postmaster-general from Erie county, 453 Post-offices, new, 285, 286. 30:? Potter, Allen. 344, 417, 456, 538, 540, 658, 696;Bina A., Dr., 748; Cephas L, 540; E. B., Dr., 743; Frank Hamilton, Dr., INDEX. 891 745, 747, 764, 779, 793; George S., 488; Heman B., 171, 174, 241, 242, 258, 269, 272, 298, 304, 365, 382, 474, 645, 683, 689, 693, 699, 781, 834 note; H. Evans, 532; Irving W., Dr., 750, 751; Isaac, 554; Jacob. 537, 540, 557; John, 559; Joseph, 559; Joshua, 538; Julius H., Dr.. 747, 750; Levi, 459, 539, 540; Milton G., Dr.. 741, 742, 773; Nathan- iel, 537; Reuben, 588; Reuben, and sons Joseph and Reuben, 559 ; Samuel, Dr., 572, 741; Theodore, 508, 532; William Warren, Dr., 392, 745, 747, 750, 764, 765, 775, 785, 793, 794, 828 Pouchot, Captain, 76, 78, 80, 82, 83, 90, 92-99 Pound, James, 179; John E., 784; Will- iam, 276, 507 Powell, Captain, 115, 118, 120; F. H., Dr., 749; Frederick W., 583; Joseph, 600 Powers, Asahel, 143, 581 ; James, 186 ; Thomas J., 660 Pratt, Benjamin W., 287; Byron, 660; F. M., 480; Gorham F., Dr., 724, 726- 728 734,738,742,753,754; Hiram, 231, 298, 325, 474, 475. 531, 834; Jacob, 582; John C, 337, 499, 502; J. C, jr., 637; Lucius H., 383. 478: Luther, 531; Ly- man, 345, 542, 543, 545; Pascal P., 287, 381, 417, 418, 657, 690; Peter, 145, 516, 569; Samuel, Capt., and the Indians, 36, 37 ; arrival of, at Buffalo, 148 and note, 144, 644, 645; Samuel, jr., 163, 164, 684; Samuel F., 369, 478, 657, 834; Samuel F., Mrs., 834; William A., 606; William H., Dr.. 345, 459, 543, 545, 719, 721, 726; & Bond, 503 Prattham, 594 Preiss, Frederick, Dr., 750 Prenatt, A., 482, 483 Prendergast, Martin, 257 Prentice, Judson, 502 Presby, Otis F., 475 Prescott, William C, 479 President of the U. S. from Erie county, 452 Price, Albert, 522 Pride, J. B., 490, 493, 727-729, 732 Prideaux, John, Gen., 92,93; death of, 94 Prince, Alpheus, Dr., 459. 582, 638, 748; John, 477 Pringle, Charles, Dr., 719, 721 Prior, Frank, 532; James, 533 Proctor, Thomas, Col., mission of, to the western Indians, 120, 121; 130 Propeller, the first, in Buffalo harbor, 360 Property Line, the, 7 Prosser, Erastus S. , 457 Protection, village of, 568 Proudfoot, W. P.. Dr., 721 Providence Retreat, the, 784, 839 Provident Loan Association, the, 846 Prudden. Samuel S., Dr., 730 Pryor, John H., Dr., 745, 750, 784 Public improvements in 1821-25, 287, 288 ; school in Buffalo, important relic relat- ing to the, 644 Pugeot, George, 410 Purcell, Robert, 353, 519 Purdy, S., 362 Pussikofer, G., Dr., 734 Putnam, Harvey W., 456; Jesse, 531; James O., 453, 457, 767, 782, 783, 844; James Wright, Dr., 745, 766, 784, 785, 789; Richard, 538 Pytz, A. S., 542 Quakers in East Hamburg, 154 Quebec, expedition against, 91 Queen Anne's war, 63 Quigley, James E., Rev., 368 and note Radcliffe, Misses (young ladies seminary), 642 Radford, George Kent, 418 Railroad building after the Rebellion, 407, 408, extension, 1870-80, 419, 421, 422; first, in the county, 318; grade crossings, abolition of, in Buffalo, 436; strikes, 431-433 Railroads, building of, 356; first steps towards building, 303; list of, center- ing at Buffalo, 422 note ; organization and construction of, 378, 379 ; project- ed, 324 Ramsperger, S. J., 485,486 Rand, Benjamin L.. 601; George F., 601 Randall, Lillian C. Dr., 150; Nelson, 478 Rankin, Sylvester, Dr., 738, 795 Rano, Charles N., 485 Ransom, Asa, 124, 127 and note; com- missioned first justice of the peace in Erie county, 136; 144, 145, 151, 156, 158, 226, 499, 516, 556, 684; Asa, jr., 516; David, 369 note; Elias, 138, 151, 160, 272, 474, 494, 516, 645; Henry B., first white child born in Erie county, 128: Harry B., Col., 332, 459, 556; Le- vant, 556; Warren G., 534 Rapen, Samuel, 514 Rathbone, J. Henry, Dr., 739; Philan- der, 559, 561, 563 Rathbun, Benjamin, 298, 320, 321 and note, 474; C. F., 542; Charles S., 542, 545 ; James, 508 INDEX. Rathburn, C. S., 545 Rawson, Daniel, 186, 687 Ray, Thomas S., 484, 485 Raymond, Charles H., Dr., 325, 477, 726- 729, 731; E. R, 551; Irad, 550; Ly- man R., Dr., 552 Raynor, Alonzo, 477; Augustus, 459; John, 571 Rea, Alexander, 259 Read, Edwin M., 584; 832; Lawrence, 274, 505 Real estale, activity in, 425-427; specula- tion in 1834-36, 318-321 Rechtenwalt, Peter, 410, 479, 480, 482 Record. Angola, the, 832 Red Jacket, opposition of, to the sale of reservation lands, 17, 18; 36-38, 120, 138, 192, 193; opposition of, to mis- sionaries to the Indians, 174; 193, 240, 243, 690, 691 Redfield, J., and Merrill C, 545 Reed, Charles, 571; Isaac, 162, 602; Israel, 500; John, 533; Nelson 606, 607; SamuelS., 538 Reese, Chester, 587; David, 152 and note, 183, 186 Reeve, John, 550 Regan, Matthew F., Dr., 397 Regents of the University from Erie county, 456 Rehm, George J., 479 Reichert, Charles, 548; L. P., 482 Reid, John, 494, 532 Reiman, Stephen, 842 Reinecke, Fred, 613; & Zesch. 613 Reinheimer, George, 482, 483 Reisch, Peter, and son John, 514 Reist, Daniel, Elias and Jacob, 496; John, 352, 494, 496, 497; Marvin L., 572, 832 Reister, Ferdinand J., 406 note Religious organizations from 1815 to 1820, 262, 263 Remington, George L., 685 Renner, W. Scott, Dr., 748, 764, 785, 787, 789 Republican, Buffalo, the, 817 Republication party, organization of the, 471 Reserve (hamlet), 608 Retel, M., Dr., 749 Review, Holland, the, 832 Revolution, close of the, 116 Revolutionary war, causes leading to the, T08; results of, 117 Reynolds, A., 369 note; C. H., Dr., 753 Charles J., Dr., 750; David S., 413 George E., 532; Herbert A., 529 James, 273, 538; N. G., 338, 502; & Caldwell, 523 Rhebaum, George, 824 Rhodes, Anthony, Daniel, and Peter, Rev., 517 Rice, Alfred, 591; Charles S., 565; D. Clark, 438 note; Elihu, 180, 187, 239, 261, 591, 592, 640; Israel, 565; Lloyd, 502, 638; Victor M., 456, 459, 649; William S.. 649, 660 Rich, Andrew J., 781; C. B., 459, 582; F. M., Dr., 748; Gaius B,, 358, 865, 383, 384 note, 767; Isaac, 566; Israel, ■ 340 Richards, Arba, Dr., 724; Charles B., Dr., 735; C. W.. 560; Jesse I., Dr., 738 Richardson, Alanson, 536; Alfred, 533; Arnos, 350; A. E., 543; Elijah, 536; Increase, 180, 565; Harvey W., 501, 504; James H., Dr., 718; Jeremiah, 536; John, 570; William, 384, 394, 485 Richmond, Alonzo, 363 note; Anna, Miss, 179, 531, 639; Dean, 328 note, 382; Frederick, 187, 239,' 261, 277, 532, 592, 640; George, 530, 534; George and sons George and Frederick, 160, 590; Jacob, 535; James M., 532; jewett M., 363 note and note, 486, 487, 805 Rickert, John, 553 Rider, Charles M., 592; James, 459, 592, 593; Jerome, 591; Horace, 180, 591 Riebling, Martin, 624 Riegle, William, 353, 519 Riehl, Walter J., Dr., 149 Riesterer Martin, 596, 601; Martin & Son, 599 Rifle, H. A., 594 Riley, Aaron, Gen., 324, 459, 500-502, 506, 637; Adam, 366; Bennett, Gen., 455; Dayton. 565; Dennis, 239; James, and sons, James, Joseph, John O. and Philip D., 565; John O., 566, 569; Joseph, 324, 338, 353, 501, 502, 546, 548; J. & J. O., 502; Philip D., 399, 567-569 Rinebolt, Alsace, 596 Rinewalt, Adam, 495: Adam L., 495- 497, 831, 832 Ring, Charles A., Dr., 744, 750; Will- iam, Dr., 399, 734, 735, 737-743, 756, 758, 759, 765, 784; William G., Dr., 748 Ripley, Eleazer W., 240; General, 242- 253 Risins, J. H., 600 Ritman, John, 561 Rittman, Mathias, and son Abram, 559 Ritten, J., 560 INDEX. 893 Road, Middle, or Big Tree, opening of, 141; the State, opening of, 126 Roads and bridges, 287, 288 Roads, effort to improve, in 1811, 184; first, 126, 127; improvement /of, 335; plank, 365-367; 1815-17, 259 Robbins, Walter G., 438 note; William, early blacksmith in Buffalo, 126, 144; W. E., Dr., 748,785 Robert, John O. G., 487 Roberts, Elijah, 475; Elijah J., 815; James A., 455, 459; John, 277, 510; Leander J., 521, 523; Paul, 478, 479, 595 Robie, John E., Rev., 388, 824 Robinson, Amos, 350; Daniel, 145, 516, 569; Erasmus D., 478; James, 596; William, Dr., 740; William E., 821 Robley, Charles C. , 593 R-cbester, Delancey, Dr., 748, 764, 766, 785, 789; Nathaniel Mrs., 787; Thomas F., Dr., 658, 735-737, 744, 757-759, 761- 763, 772 782, 842; William B., 297 Rochevot, George, 437, 482; Henry, 484 Rockwood, Amos, 508; Ebenezer A., 842 Rodenbach, C. , 369 note, 480 ; Louis, sr. , 485 Roeller, George P., 542 Roesch, Louis, 485 Rogers. Albert S., Dr., 742; Bradley D., 484 ; B. F. , Dr. , 748 ; Caleb, 145, 494, 496, 639: Eugene B., 497; E. H., 596; Fill- more, 589; Franklin, 392; G. A., Dr., 738; Henry W., 370 and note, 371 note, 392, 395, 405, 683, 694, 706; James, 484; John, 580; John C, 489, 491; Rich- ard, 596; S. G., Dr., 768; Sherman S., 417, 457, 472, 487, 697, 842, 844; Thomas J., 476; William F., Col., 387, 417, 418, 454, 475, 477; William J., 595, 600; William H., Rev., 535, 639; W. W., Rev., 535; Wilson, 459, 590 Romer. Alexander, 570; John L., 572; N. & J. P., 527 Romler, John, 563 Rood, Charles E. , 573 Rooker & White, 527 Roop, Henry, 478 ; John, 159 Roos, Jacob, 612 Root. Adrian R., Lieut. -Col., 388; Ed- ward, 478; Elias, 600; Francis H., 382, 658, 805, 844; Francis H., Mrs., 848; Henry, 298, 305, 475,477; John, 171, 687, 689, 700; John Dr., 477, 734, 738, 782; John C.,517, 519; King, 150, 558; Miranda, 495; R. M., Dr., 747 Rooth, H. C, Dr., 751 Rose, Chester, 349; 1. M., 600; J., 607 Ross, T. Haven, Dr., 749 Roth, John, 608 Rothenmeyer, John H., 518 Rowan, James C. , 176 Rowe, J. G., 604 Rowell, R., 345, 553 Rowley. Daniel, 501; David, 162, 500; Joseph, 350; Oliver G., 567, 569 Rudd, J. C, Mrs., 834 Rudolph, Wilhelm, 626 Rulison, E. T., Dr., 751 Rumsey, Aaron, 478, 500, 657; Bronson C, 381, ( 781 ; Dexter P.. 418, 844; Dex- ter P., Mrs., 787; Fayette. 479 Runckle, Charles H., 394 Runner, Mary E., Dr., 745 Rupp, Charles A., 484 Rusch, Frederich and Sebastian, 612 Rusche, Jacob, 625 Rushmore & Bradley, 534 Russell, Charles B., 591, 592; Charles H., 529; Henry, 151, 581 ; Humphrey, 526; John, 186, 187, 531, 534, 603; John, Deacon, 161, 531: John E., 838; Jona- than, 582; Riley A., 551 ; Robert, 478; Samuel, 258, 304, 456, 687; Samuel, Mrs., 834; Smith, 531; Thomas, 525. 526, 590; Warren K., 551; Washington, 480; Williard F., 660; William W., 526 Rush, A. F., Mrs., 532; Hubert, Dr., 613 Rutt, Christian, 497, 639 Rutter, Thomas, 480 Ryan, James, 371 note, 436, 481, 483; Ste- phen Vincent, Rt. Rev., 368, 777, 825, 836, 842. 849 Ryneck, William A., 550; William H., 552 Ryther, James F., 660; Solon J., 542 Sackett, John B., 460, 483. 649, 660; Reu- ben, 342, 606; Tyler, 150, 558 Sadler, Christopher, 516; Henry, 491; James B., 518; L. M., 515 Saengerbund, the Buffalo, 623 Safford, EJisha, 482; Elijah M., 570, 572; George, 573; Henry, 573; John M., 572 Sage, Clinton A., Dr., 749; Giles, 186, 558 Sahm, Nicholas, 391 St. Francis's Asylum, 786, 839 St. Jerome, Mother, 838 St. John, Gamaliel, 156, 168, 214, 494, 644; Orson S., Dr., 723, 724, 752; Mrs., at the burning of Buffalo, 233, 234 St. John's Protectory, 609, 839 St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum, 836 St. Leger's futile expedition, 110 St. Mary's Asylum for Widows and Chil- dren, 786 894 INDEX. St. Mary's Infant Asylum and Lying-in Hospital, 837 St. Molitor, Stephen. 612 St. Vincent's Female Roman Catholic Orphan Asylum and Industrial School, 836 Salisbury, Aaron, 161, 239, 456. 458, 550, 553, 554, 708; Boroman, 178: E., 607; Guy H., comparison of Buffalo in 1836 and 1862 by, 323; 405, 814, 819; Heze- kiah. 183, 462, 813, 814, 818; J. W., 560; Samuel, jr., Dr., 726; Smith H., 183, 186, 293, 296, 462, 813, 817 Salter, Joseph, 298; William T., 832 Samo, James B., Dr., 729, 730, 732, 734, 735, 737-745, 747-749, 753, 755, 758, 759- 764 Sample, John, 186 Sanders, Asa, and Moses, 532 Sanford, Anson, 570; James H., 819; John M., 570 Sandmann, Jacob, 491 Sandrock, George, 363 note, 436, 486, 487 Sardinia, gazetteer of, 590-594; in 1815- 20, 278 ; list of supervisors of, 592 ; prog- ress in, 354; schools of, 662; settlers in, 161, 180, 590, 591 ; village, 592, 593 Sargeant, Nathan, 646 Satterfield, John, 438 note Satterlee, Richard H., Dr., 751 Sauer, Charles, 482 Saunders, Elisha, 489; L. D., 533, 829; William E., 489 Sauter, John, 620 Savage, R. W. , 592, 594 ; Thomas, 480 Savings Bank, Buffalo, 382 Sawin, Albert, 339, 502, 683, 694, 707; Silas, 477 Saw mill first at Williamsville, 136 Sawyer, Earl, 261 ; George P., 844; James D., 410, 481; James G., 363 note Saxe, John, 377, 607; J. B., 533, 829 Saxton, Asher, 272; Elijah R., 483; Silas, 582 Scatcherd, James N. , 364 note and note ; John N., 364 note Schade. Louis, Dr., 744, 788 Schaefer Brothers, 572; Edward J. G., 487 Schaner, E. F., Rev., 842 Schanzlein, Jacob, 612 Schellback, Charles J., 488 Schelle, Frederick, Rev., 617, 843 Schenck, Jacob, 495; John, 352, 498; Michael, 495 Schenkelberger, Jacob, 391 Scherer, F. X., Rev., 622 Schermerhorn, M. K., Rev., 853 Scheu, Augustus F., 436; Jacob, 480-482; Nicholas, 589; Solomon, 436, 456, 475, 479, 481, 615, 844; Solomon, jr., 484-487 Schier, William, 484 Schild, C. L, Rev., 627, 788 Schitzer, Emil, 597 Schladermundt, C. A., Dr., 749 Schlagder, Adam, 626 Schlender, Henry C. , 552 Schliebs, Charles. 572 Schmals, John, 545 Schmidt, Augustus, 589; Carlo, Dr.. 732; Christopher, 391; Frederick, 589; George A. , Dr. , 560, 561 ; Hugo, Dr. , 749 Schmitz, Hubert, 600 Schneider, Germain, 589; Joseph, 390- Theodore, 597 Schoelles, John, 495 Schoellkopf, Jacob F., 363 note and note, 369 note, 615, 627, 788, 842 Schoepfliu, Charles, 606, 607; Charles F. 460, 608; John, & Son, 607 School books, free, 651; commissioners, list of, 660; debt of Buffalo, 655; dis- tricts in Buffalo, 645, 646 ; examiners, board of, in Buffalo, 651 ; first public, in Buffalo, 643-645 ; first steps towards establishing a, in Buffalo, 133, 134- house, first in Buffalo, 153, 644, 645; house, first, under the reorganization, 648; system, legislation affecting the, from 1812 to the present, 632-636; property, taxable valuation of, in Buf- falo, 655; records, lack of early, 628; registration, 655; superintendent in Buffalo, 647; superintendents of Buf- falo, list of, 649; system, the common, beginning of, 630, 631 ; teachers, early, 637 ; teachers' training, 651 ; State Nor- mal, at Buffalo, 657 Schools and school buildings of Buffalo, 652-655; before the Revolution, 629, 630; country, 661-664; course of study for Buffalo, 651 ; early, in Buffalo, 641- 646; early, in the towns, 637-640; early private, 642, 643; evening, in Buffalo, 656; free, establishment of, 635; growth in, in Buffalo, between 1838 and 1853, 650 ; in Buffalo after the war of 1812, 642, 643 ; in Buffalo, legislative action concerning, 647 ; in Erie county, before 1812, 636, 637; kindergarten, in Buf- falo, 656; made free in Buffalo, 648 nationality of pupils of Buffalo, 656 peculiarities of early country, 640, 641 primitive, 181 Schornstein, Rev. Mr., 618 Schrader, Philip, 517 INDEX. 895 Schrankel, John, 570, 572 Schroeder, Emil, Dr., 749 Schroeter, Ludwig, Dr., 750, 787 Schuch, Charles E., Dr., 803 Schudt, William, 607, 608 Schuetler, John, 519 Schuler, Adam, 597 Schumacher, Conrad, 597 Schumer, Frank, 560 Schunerman, William, 350 Schurr, Jacob G., 519 Schuyler, Charles B., Dr., 741; Philip, Maj.,84 Schwarm, J. R.. 572 Schwartz, J. F., 480; Matthias, 570, 572 Schweckhart, James, 545 Schweizer, Frederick, 533 Schwert, Marcus, 559, 560; Pius, 511 Schwinger, Christopher, 595, 600 ; George C, 597 Schworm, George W., 585 Scoby, Madison, 534 Scott, Edwin A., 533; Jared, 156, 565; John, 292, 474, 539; Thomas, 607; Will- iam K., 476, 478, 729, 730, 732, 757, 758; Winfield, Gen., 199, 212, 219, 222, 240, 242-253, 331, 332 Scoville, Charles H., 600; Erastus, 410; Jonathan, 454, 475 ; Orville C. , 403 note Scran ton, Hamlet D., 475 Scrase, Harry, 519 Scroggs. Gustavus A., Gen., 337, 393, 470, 684 Scudeer, Eben, 539 Seaman, C. E., Dr., 805 Seamans, Marvin, 513 Searls, M. B., Dr., 604, 748; Samuel, 161, 603; Silas Wright, 604 Sears, Frank A., 482; Harry, 180, 531; Israel P., 570; Joseph, 145; Richard, 478; Seward H., 567 Seaton, John, 582; Lewis, 582 Seaver, Joseph V., 681; W. A, 819 Secretary of war from Erie county, 453 Seeley, John, 687 : Nehemiah, 186 Seeter, Charles, 572 Seib, Jacob, 596 Seibert, Simon, 458, 460 Sein, Charles, 518 Selkirk, George H, 393, 821, 822 Sell, J. F., Dr., 749 Selleck, Horace, 567 Sellew, Ashbel R., 349, 527 Sellstedt, L. G., 768 Seneca Indian villages, 25, Indians taken to Europe, 258; relics and remains, 25, 26 Senecas, animosity of, towards the Eng- lish after the extinction of French power, 101-103; submission of, to the English, 106; Sullivan's expedition against the, 112; the first settlement of, at Buffalo Creek, 814 Sentell, Charles, 295, 814 Senter, A. Walter, Dr., 747 note Sergeant, Henry, 578; Phineas, 325 note Sergil, Leonard, 565 Setter, Alonzo G., 528; Antone J., 528; Joseph A., 528 Settlement in the county in 1804. 144; on the frontier before the Revolution, 107 Settlements, meager, before 1800, 129, 130 Settlers, characteristics of the, dpwn to the war of 1812, 181 ; in. various towns, 1805-07, 150-157; in 1808, 159-162 Sever, Nathan W», 143, 146, 644 Severance, Charles C, 348, 459, 532, 533, 683, 694 Sexton, Jason, 392, 834 note Seymour, Abby J., Dr., 804; Henry, 282; Henry R., 305, 474, 475; Henry W., 467; Horatio, 459, 683; Horatio, jr., 475, 706; J. A., 482; Polydore, 502 Shafer, Edward C, 477 Shank, George, 491 Shannon, George, 583; M., 483 Shattuck, Alvin, Dr., 803 Shaw, D. H, 594; Edgar A., 526; Malon B., Dr., 543; M., Dr., 759; M. E., Dr., 741, 795; Merritt H, Dr., 739, 740; O. C, Dr., 743 ; S. H., Dr., 588 Shay, George, 577 Shearer, Joseph H, 502 Shears, John, 553 Shedd, Ira, Dr., 722 Sheehan, John, 487; John C, 477; Will- iam F., 455, 460, 482, 798; Thomas G., Dr., 748 Sheesley, David, 495 Sheldon, Ezekiel, 187; Harriet E., Dr., 749; Harry D., Rev., 854; James, sr., 687, 689, 700; James, 261, 295, 405, 462, 475, 476, 676, 681, 697; Joseph, 151, 537; William, 143,569 Shelley, Richard, 522 Shelton, William, Rev., 324, 838 Shenier, John, 519 Shepard, C. Sidney, 787; James M., 413 note"; Jessie, Dr., 799, 805; John D., 767; John H, 481, 482; Ralph. 343, 559 ; Sidney, 362, 381 Sheriffs. 683, 684 Sherman, Benjamin W., 525, 526; Billa, 153, 644: C. A. W., 476; Charles E., 589; David, 588; Dewitt H, Dr., 750, 896 INDEX. 787; E. M., 594; George, 516; Isaac, 365, 370, 382, 767; John, 587; Milton B., 528; Reuben C, 587; Richard, 510; Shubael, 178; William P., 588; & Campbell, 600 ; & Knight, 588 Sherrill, David, Mrs., 805; & Sears, 534 Sherwood, 363 note; Thomas, 533, 694, 703 Shilley, William W.. 522 Shipman & Southwick, 588 Shire, Moses, 677 Shirley, 588; William, Gen., 74, 77 Shisler, Isaac, and son Jacob, 495 Shoemaker, Edson G. . 409 ; Joseph, 560 Shope, Abraham, 138, 516, 518; Jacob, 143,»516 Shroeder, M., 536 Shultus, David, George and William, 531 Shumway, Horatio, 304, 370, 459, 648, 657, 701 Shurley, E. R. P., 387 Shu'ttleworth, C. J., 522, 534; John, 607; J. E., 533; & Bloomfield, 534 Sibley, John F., 533; W. A., Dr., 349, 529 Sickels, George H., 427 Sidway, Franklin, 403 note; James H., 411 Sidwell, Thomas, 146 Sieber. Conrad, 401 Siebold, Jacob, 382; John, 611 Siegfried, C. S., Dr., 750 Siehl, Frederick, 508 Siekman, Charles, 560, 831; Charles W., 600 Sigel, John, 343, 559 Sikes, George W., 559 Sill, Charles A., 605; Charles M., 567, 569; Deloss A., 504, 829; Joseph, 302; Nathaniel, 186, 684; Seth E'., 467, 476, 674, 681. 694, 705 Silliman, Willard S., 390 Silverstone, L., 600 Simondon, Henry, 596 Simons, Elmer, 593; Julian S., 593; Mar- cius, Dr., 726; Nathan C, 409, 483; Roderick, 592; Warren W., 593 Simpson, Clarence D., 483; John, 355; Robert, 176, 595 Simson, John, 597; J. R., Dr., 600; Will- iam B., 597, 599, 600; Woolson & Whaley, 597 Sinclair, David, 502, 638; Duncan, Dr., 60CT, 750 Sipp, Frank, 495, 460, 482 Sippel, George, 589; G. Paul, 589; John. 589 Sirret, William B., 460, 482 Sisson, Ambrose, 529; Benjamin, 586; George H.. Dr., 749; Nathaniel, 586; Stephen, 161, 525. 586; William, 586 Six Nations, the, in the Revolutionary war, 108 Sizer, Henry H., 834 Skeels, D. C, 490 Skinner, Aaron W., 508; Isaac W., 325; J. B., 658: Palmer, 507 Slacer, William H., Dr., 743 Slade, Henry, 459, 702; Samuel, 479, 488, 649, 660; William, 493 Slater, Edward, 399 Sleeper, Ira, 572; John, 565; John and Rufus, 277, 565; Sidney S., 565 Slender, Henry, 511 Slicer, Thomas R., Rev., 853 Sloan, 515 Sloan, James, Dr., 200, 742-745;. Will- iam M., 364 note Slocum, Dyer, Dr., 742 Smalley, A. L., Rev., 854 Smeeding, Charles G, 488 Smiley, Benjamin D., 570; Samuel H., 495, 570 Smith, Abram, 274, 337, 500, 505; Amasa. 559, 687; Amos, 187; Andrew, 588; An- sel, 277, 510; Asa B., 579; Augustus, 525; Charles D., 583; Charles E., 824; Christopher, 460, 483; Christopher E., 572, 660; C. M., Dr., 749; Daniel, 150, 160, 178, 558; David, 659; E. C, 532; Edward D., 497; Elisha, 458, 459, 538, 557, 719; Elisha T., Dr., 409, 748; E. J., 572; E. M., Dr., 742; E. Peshine, 816; Elijah P., 552; Ellery P., Dr., 735; Emorv, 591, 594; Eugene A., Dr., 750, 766, 785, 786, 788. 789; Ezekiel, and sons, 144, 537; Frank D., 460, 532; Frank G., 584; 832; Frank N, 603; Frederick, 597; F. 0..534; George A, 593, 832; George E., 497; George H., 588; Gilman, 475; Greenman, 605; Henry, 347, 508, 522; H. D., 533; Hen- ry K., 325, 331, 382, 475, 675, 683, 694, 704, 817; Henry P., 355, 597. 599, 601 ; Humphrey, 155, 162, 278, 499, 500 587 ; IsaacS., 298, 304, 305, 477, 817; James, 487, 488 ; James M. , 405 note, 417, 676, 696, 697, 721 ; James N. , Dr. , 752 ; James R., 364 note; James S., Dr., 740, 742, 786; John, 491; John Garret, 529 ; John M., 478; Joseph R., Dr., 735; Joseph W., 398, 459; Lewis. 560; Lewis C, Dr., 750; Lewis E., 561; Lyman B., 460; Mordecai E., 587; Mortimer F., 538; Nathaniel IC, 347, 510, 512, 550; INDEX. 897 Nehemiah, 275; Oliver, 532; Oliver, Mrs., 582; Oziel, 187, 352, 355.458,464, 495, 496; Patrick, 476, 478; Philander, 543; Pliny, jr., 535; Richard, 178, 186, 458, 462, 557-559, 687; Rufus, Dr., 719, 721, 726; Russell D., 579; Sheldon, 477, 693, 702; Silas, 725; Simeon, jr., 542; Stephen W., 526, 532, 534; T. Guilford, 456, 844; Theodore, 535; Walter B. , 508 ; William, 178, 531 ; Will- iam, jr., 532; William B , 482; William L. G., 475, 476; William T., 344, 538; Zenas, 186, 588 ; & Wells, 583 Smither, Robert K., 486, 487 Smyth, Alexander, Gen., 198, 201 Snashell, John, 505 Snell, E. J., 586 Snetsinger, Josephine, Miss, 805 Snow, Irving M., Dr., 745, 789, 808; Reu- ben G., 410; William, 177, 488; Will- iam S., 817 Snyder, Abraham, 495 ; John J. , 505 ; John P., 495; Louis, 495; Michael, 352. 495, 498 ; Michael H. , 522 ; Philip, 608 ; Philip J., 495, 497; William A., 389; & Helf- ter 495 Snyd'erville, 498 Society for Deaconess Work, the, 851 Sole, S. W., Dr., 732 Sommer, Schaefer & Co., 599 Sonneck, Philip, Dr., 743 Sonnick, Peter L., Dr., 401 Sorg, Joseph, Rev., 614, 622 Soule, G. L., 529; S. Lewis, 525; S. W., 660 Southall, A. W., 575 Southwick, Edmund Z., 550, 554; Enos, 179, 586; F. L., 588; George, 179, and sons Enos, George, Jonathan and Job, 586; Jesse, 521; Job, 460,512, 590 Jon- athan, 179; Josiah; 554; Stephen, 521; & Smith, 588 Southworth, Job, 550; John H., 552 South Buffalo, or Winchester, 609 South Newstead, 585 "South Sea," hope of discovering a route to the (notes), 47 South' Wales, 605 Souverhill, James M., 583 Sowerby, George F.', 360 note Spalding, Lyman A., 297 Spang, Adam, 485 Sparling, Salmon and George, 151 Spaulding, Bert R., 532; Elbridge G., 357 and note, 381, 385, 454, 456, 459, 467, 469, 471, 475, 478, 769; George, 581; G. W., 533; Henry, 567; John P., 559; Luther, Dr., 724; Parley B., Dr., 721; Samuel, 581; S. S., Mrs., 787 113 Spearman, Alfreds., Dr., 734 Speculative operations in real estate, 425-427 Spencer, Chester, 533; Gardner, 138; Harvey S., 557, 560, 561; Horace, 533; John, "Father," 177, 255. 262,274, 509, 540; John C, 261, 463; Thomas, 533; William. 527 Spitznagel, Gustav, 624 Spoeri, Francis, 842 Spohr, Conrad, 556 Spooner, Dorr, 499 ; Gardner, 516 ; Lem- uel, 337; Leonard, 500; Samuel, 605; & Gundlack, 503 Spoor, William, 518 , Sprague, Alvin S. Dr., 477, 723, 726, 727, 731-734, 752-754, 789; Asa, 150, 537; E. C. , extract from address by, relative to Buffalo in 1832, 307; 417, 457,467, 697, 842, 844; Henry W., 787; Martin, 162, 550; Noah P., 298, 684, 834, 852; Noah P., Mrs., 834; Norman B., 540, 647; Seth, 162. 550; Welcome, 511 Springville, 532-536 ; settlers at, 155, 180 Springville Academy, 534 Spring Brook, 547 Springweiler, Philip W., 456, 460. Sprout, Eden, 535, 639 Squatters, expulsion of, from Grand Island, 278, 279 Squier, Miles P., Rev., 225, 257, 274, 293, 540, 688 Staats, Barent I., 291; Barnett, Mrs., 834; Jeremiah, 477 Staffen, Jacob, 590 Staffin, William A., 660 Stafford families, the, in Aurora, 177; James B., 842; Lilly, 587 Stagg, Henry R., Dr., 477, 722, 726, 752, 753, 815 Staley, John H. W., 556; Sutliff, 556 Stambach, William P. , 607 Stamler, Henry, 556 Stamp, John, 607 Stanard, Walter S., 478; Walter W., 459, 478 Stanbro, Almon W., 432, 533; Brothers, 533; Charles C, 532, 536; W. A.. 533 Stanchff, John 586, 588 ; Willard, 587 Standard, Oliver, 186, 595 Standart, Salina, 638 Stanley, David, 277, 533; F. G., Dr., 741; Henry B., 597; Henry B., Mrs., 597; Horace, 342. 489; J. M., Dr., 748; Ly- man G., 600 Stannard, Asa, Capt., 183, 380; David, 531, 532 Stanton, James M., 565 Staples, Loren H., Dr., 750, 787 INDEX. Stark, B. B., 643 Starkey, Orlando F., Rev., 838 Starkweather, G., 607 Starr, Elmer, Dr., 748 State commissioner- of prisons from Erie county, 456; constitutional conven- tions, members of, from Erie county, 456; election, first on the Purchase, 141; Normal School at Buffalo, 657; Reservation, survey of the, 13; road, first settlements on the, 127 ; senators, 456-458 ; treasurers from Erie county, 455 Staunton, Phineas, Lieut., 217, 218, 393 Steadman, John, 101, 102, 103 (note) Steadwell, John B., 347 Steamboat, first on Lake Erie, 266, 267 Steamship lines, 423 Stearns, George R. , Dr. , 805 Stebbins, Henry S., 660 Stedman, James R. , 577; Jonathan, 579 Steele, Aaron J., Dr., 794; C. G., Dr., 748, 764; Epaphras, 507; Horace, 817; Oliver G., 325, 369, 370, 405 note, 478, 641, 644, 647, 649, 658, 834 Steelbinger, Lewis, 607 Steelwheuer, Nicholas, 607, 608 Stegmeier, J. J., 597 Stein, Andrei, 557, 560 Steiner, Henry L., 460, 580 Steingoetter, Philip, 460 Stephan C, 607; Frederick, 514; Jacob, 570; Philip, 514; Michael, and sons Anthony C, George L., Jacob P. and MichaelS., 508 Stephenson, Edward L.,477 Stephens, James M., 500; Phineas, Major, 155, 190, 209, 337, 499 Stern, Jacob, 683 ; Louis, 438 note Sternberg, C. W.. 388; P. B., 360 note Stettenbenz, Anthony, 476, 481, 482; Ed- ward F., 485, 486 Steul, Henry J. , 487 . Stevens, Albert G., 369 note; E. T., Dr., 748; Frederick P., 325, 459, 475,479, 681, 703; George B., Rev., 854; G. D., 181; Harry A., 603, 605; Henry B., 275; James M., 186, 239; James W., 259, 497, 639; J. Fletcher, Dr., 738; Lawrence S., Rev., 838; Milo, 819; Mortimer, 603; Willard, 604 Stevenson, Samuel D., 392 Stewart Brothers, 563; C. T., Dr., 751; Edward S., 687; Elliott W., Prof., 559; James. 153; Samuel, 351, 531; Simeon, 576 ; Robert G. , 409 ; Thomas, 144 ; T. S.. Dr., 749 Stickler, David, 518; John, Rev., 517 Stickney, Austin A., 565; Austin N., 566, 569; David, 531, 532; Jerome J., 489; Jonas, 488; Lester P., 489 Stiles, Daniel D., 499; James W., 500 Stillman, Robbins, 501 Stillwell, Giles E., 476, 682; Horace, 539 Stock, John H., 514; yards, 423 Stockades and block-houses in war of 1812, 213 Stocking, Elijah, 553; Joseph, 170, 297, 298, 474; Thomas R., 477 Stockton, Charles G, Dr., 744, 764, 773, 775 777 785 Stoddard,' Alexander, 574; B. C, 575; E. V., Dr., 774; Samuel, 607 Stoddart, James., v Dr., 750 Stokes, Thomas, 603 Stolting, Alexander C. 560, 831 Stone age, the, 29 Stone. Christopher, 155, 187, 530; Spen- cer, 489, 493 Stonebraker, John, 491 Stoneway, John H., 556 Storck, Charles, Dr., 738; Edward, 392, 480, 482, 735, 739, 740, 743-745, 747- 750, 786; E. E., Dr., 744 Storrs, Juba, 163, 164, 242, 684, 695 note; Juba, & Co., 494-496; Lucius, 477 Stow, Charles, 821; Horatio J., 456, 675. 703 Stranahan, G., 186; John, 186; John S., 176; Peleg, 366 Stratford, H. S., 639 Stratmeier, Rudolph, 561 Stratton, James, 531 ; Mary, 638 Straub, Joseph, 527 Strauss, Mathias, 486, 487; John J., 522 Stray, James, 553 Street, Benjamin F., 390 Street commissioners of Buffalo, 476 Streeter, Eliab, 155 Streets and their nomenclature in New Amsterdam, 139 Streifler, Henry, 460 Strickland, Samue], 582; William, 582 Striker, George H., 488 Stringer, George A., 438 note Stringham, Joseph, 475, 818, 819 Strong, B. M., Dr., 748; George W., 593; John C, 708; Levi, 153, 644. 645; Orvel C, Dr., 505, 523, 748; Phineas H., Dr., 732, 734, 735, 738, 741, 742, 744, 756-758, 760-762; Thomas D., Dr., 775, 783 Strope, Minor, 505 Stryker, James, 304, 680, 705, 817 Stuart, Sylvanus S., Dr., 719 Stumpf, D. B., Dr., 805 INDEX. 899 Sturnerville, 520 Stutter, George, 570 Sucher, John, 536 Sullivan, Dennis, 603; John, Gen., 112; John P., 486-488; Thomas A., 456 Sulpitians, the, 46 Summers, William, 484-488 Sumner, Daniel, 178, 538; John, 144; Josiah. 591 Sunday Morning News, Buffalo, the, 822, 823 Sunday Times, Buffalo, the, 823 Superintendent of government printing office from Erie county, 453 Superintendents of public instruction from Erie county, 45fi Supervisors, new basis of representation in the, 404 Surrogates, list of, 682 Sutherland, A. R., Dr., 743; T. J., 330, 332 Sutton, John, 607; William A., 480, 481 Swahlen, Johann, Rev., 620 Swartz, Abram S., 479; Henry A., 481 Sweeney, James, 168, 288 Sweet, Charles G., 363 note. 364 note, 336; Charles H., 540, 547, 549; Chester, 538; James, 521; J. B., 543, 834 note; Richard, 531; William S., 186 Sweetland, F. W., Dr., 747; George, Dr., 345, 550, 551; Nelson, Dr., 551, 726 Swetland, Horace, 511 Swift, Cushing, 563; Harlan J., 392; James. 586; Julius, 341, 586; Luman P., 586; Simon P., 459 Swift's Mills, 586 Swigert, Daniel, 544 Sworm, Adam, 519 Swormville, 498, 519 Sykes, George E., 553 Symonds, J. S., 354 Szanichrowicz, Michael, 428 Taber Brothers. 533; Helim,275; Hiram, Dr., 743, 578; Martin, 352, 353, 545, 546; R. C, Dr., 600; Walter J., 567; W. J. & N. A., 566; Wells, Dr., 768 Tabor, Charles F., 455, 459, 570-572; Seth P. , 579 ; & Wiltsie, bankers, 584 Taft, H. S., Dr., 741 Taintor, Charles, 298 Talbot, Michael F, Dr., 742; W. S., Dr., 742 Talcott, John L.,476, 681, 683, 694 Talman, Elijah, 553 Tanner, Alonzo, 477, 480; Isaac W., 526; Joseph, 533; R. W. & J. C, 532; W. T., Dr., 748 Tarbox, James L., 536 Tavern, first, in Buffalo, 121, 122 Tax roll, first, made for territory west of Genesee River, 132, 133 Taylor, Anderson, 550, 551; Euoch, 526; E. S., 501: George, L., Dr., 743; George W., 526; Jacob, 155, 161, 286, 348, 525, 526; James, 561; James A.. 539; Job, 539; Joel, 570; John, 516; Peter, 288, 354, 596, 597; Rodney M., 480, 481; William E. P., 477; William G., Dr., 750; William O., Dr., 742; Zachary, Capt., 195 Tefft, E. B., Dr., 740, 741; James, 545; Pardon, 545 Tenney, Festus, 493 Terry, Albert E., 570 Thatcher, Fred, 489 , Thayer, Edwin, 476, 479, 480, 572, 681, 710 ; Hiram P. , 382, 479, 480 ; W. W. , 600 Theaters in Buffalo, 291 note Theisen, Peter, 842 Thiel, John, 560; Joseph, 588; Louis L., 589 Thorn, Leslie, 823; Perry M., 561 Thoma, Fridolin, Dr., 749, 787; Otto, Dr., 743. 749 Thomas, Alden, Dr., 724; Brothers, 583; Colvin F. S., 816, 828; Horace, 478; Richard, 842; Simon, 351, 576 Thompson, Amos F., 542 ; Archibald, 517 ; Benoni, 459, 478, 707; Calvin, 541; Daniel B., 542; Edmund, 151, 516; F. C, 505; I. F., Mrs., 552; John, 494; John, surveyor, 125, 128, 136; Justin G., Dr., 551, 744, 749, 751, 796; Moses, 177, 500; M. La Rue P., Rev., 657; Sheldon, 262, 288, 297, 304, 475; Syl- vanus B., 502; S. B. & N. K., 532; & Hoyt, 503 Thorn. Abram, 560, 683; Frank M., 538- 540 ; Joseph, 179, 187, 541 ; Perry M. , 560 Thornbury, Frank J., Dr., 750 Thornton, William H., Dr., 747-749; & Chester, 600 Thram, Frederick, 548 Thurber, Frank, 533; James, 531; N. H., 533, 830 ;N. H, & Son, 830 Thurston, Daniel, 687; Daniel, jr., 186, 500; E. P., 561, 831; Thomas, 274, 499, 500 Thurstone, William, 364 note Ticknor, Coarles W., 660; W. H., 532, 533 Tiffany, Augustus J., 459; Jared, 605; Lucius F.. 478, 479 Tifft, Elijah, 552; George H., 411 ; George W., 382 and note, 383, 410, 657, 769, 900 INDEX. 840; Lilly Lord, 651 Tillinghast, Dyre, 304, 305, 333, 392, 405 note, 475, 677, 694, 701 Tillou, James, 545,' 549; Joseph, 546; Harrison, 547 Times, Lancaster, the, 831 Timon, John, Rt. Rev., 368, 780, 835, 837 Titus t Nathaniel, 150, 558; Robert B., 560; Robert C, 458, 557, 675, 676, 683; William, jr., 562 Tobie, Edward, Dr., 477. 737, 740 Tobschall, Miss (Sister Ida), 788 Toles, Nathan, 168 .Tolls, Benjamin, 542 Tonawanda, erection of town of, 334; first town officers of, 595 ; gazetteer of, 594-602; list of supervisors of, 595; lumber dealer of, 599; progress in, 354; schools of, 663; settlers in, 175, 595, 596; statistics of the lumber trade in, 598; village, beginning of, 284; 597-601 Tong, George W., 830 Torrance, Cyrenius C, 525, 527 683; Jared S., 677; Sidney, 528 Torry, Erastus, 273, 346, 508, 509; fam- ily, the, in Boston, 276; Uriah, Col., 508; Uriel, 646 Town and village growth, features of, 336; formations, chronological list of (note), 16, 17; meeting, first held on the Purchase, 140, 141; meeting in 1807, 156; of.Batavia, division of, in 1804, 143 ; officers, list of, chosen at the first town meeting, 141 ; organizations in 1805. 149 ; John, 200 Town Line (railroad station), 492, 576 Towner, H. L., Dr., 805 Towns, erection of, 185, 260, 286, 377; formation of, in 1808, 15: improve- ments in, in 1808, 159-162; progress in, up to 1812, 175-181; settlers in various, 1805-07, 150-157 Townsend, Charles, 169 and note, 222, 241, 258, 269. 270, 284, 288, 293, 297, 299, 304, 354, 382, 474, 597, 646, 087, 701 ; George W., 438 note, 842; Harriet A., Mrs., 798; H. S., Dr., 749; Jon- athan, 179, 531 ; Uzial, 531 Townships, completion of the survey into,128; erectionof and changes in, 158 Townsley, L. B., 532 Tows, F. H, 383 Toynbee, Charles W., and John, 575 Tracy, Albert H., 260. 261, 269, 284, 295, 2#7, 322, 354, 365, 370 note, 382, 418, 454, 457, 461-466, 597, 648, 658, 680, 689, 700, 769, 834 note; Alson S., 511; Kes- ter, 512 Trade on the lakes previous to the Revo- lution, 106 Transit Line, the East, 13; the West, 14 Transit Station, 498 Transportation firms in 1832, 317 Traut, Amelia Earl, Dr.. 799 Trapp, John, 511 Trask, Cutler, 551 Trautmanu, F. J., 485, 486 Treat, Timothy and Oren, 162, 500; Will- iam, Dr.. 7*9, 730, 732-735, 737-739, 754, 756, 758 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, 71; of Fort Stanwix, 117; of Ghent, the, 255; of Paris, the, 101; of peace, 1782, 116; of Ryswick, 61; of Utrecht, settlement of boundaries neglected in the, 63 Tremaine, William S., Dr., 777, 785 Trescott, George A., Mrs., 850 Trevallee, Orrin A. , 545 Trevitt. Chauncey, and Lewis, 531 Trew, Andrew R.. 597 Trier, George P., 608 Trimble, J. S., Dr., 723 Tripp, Noah, 179, 587 Trippett & Curtis, 543 Trowbridge, Josiah, Dr., 169, 211, 222, 258, 262, 293, 300, 474, 475, 715, 719, 721, 726-728, 731-735, 752-755, 780, 781; John S., 476, 477, 730-734, 742, 753, 759 True, M. J., 828 Trull, Hiram P., Dr., 496, 744, 751 Trumbull. Mark, 550 Truman, Thomas, 480 Truscott, George, 382; George, Mrs., 787 Tubbs, Benjamin, 187; Samuel, Deacon, 161, 186, 541 Tucker, Abraham, 161, 586; Chauncey 710; George, 179, 586; Herman A., 767; Henry, 179, 586; H. J., 390; Moses, 510; Samuel, 179, 586; William C.,489 Tupper, Horace, Dr., 740; Samuel, 142, 149, 158, 241, 262, 680, 686, 695 Turley, W. W., 575 Turner, Chester P., 838; Jacob, 156, 177, 285, 602, 603 ; James G. , 840 ; Otis. 303 ; William, 456; W. H, Dr., 726 Turnverein, the Buffalo, 624 Tuttle, Benoni, 592; David W., 396; Henry, 551; John W., 583 Tweedy, E. H, Dr., 749; William, 382 Twichell, C. A., 588; Henry H., 483-184; Samuel, jr., 479 Twining, John, 180; lohn C, 545, 507, 508; Stephen, 179, 587; Thomas, 507; Thomas, jr., 276, 507 Twohey, John J., Dr., 749 INDEX. 901 Tyler, Clarence A., Dr., 750; John, 156; Joseph C, 476 Tyrer, W., 607 Ullman, Julius, Dr., 787 Ultsch, Andrew, 600 Underhill, Amos. 177,500; Cyrus, 500; Don Carlos, 501; James P.. Rev., 500; Joel, Dr., 735; John P., 524 Union, Alden, the, 831 University of Buffalo, founding of the, 365 ; list of alumnae of the Medical De- partment of, 797 Undegraff, William, 138, 516 Urban. George, 612; & Blocher, 496 Ures, John, 531 Utley, Charles B., 538; Charles H., 487, 488; Horace, 409 Valleau. William, 477 Van Allen, Isaac I.. 482, 483 Vanatta, Jacob, 145, 494 Van Brocklin, S. A , 600 Van Buren, James, 482, 483 Vance, Samuel D., 536, 588 Van Cleve, James, Capt., 361 Van Cotter, William, 577 Vandenburgh, F. P., Dr., 748 Vander Kemp, John J., 13 Vanderpoel, David M., 478; Isaac V., 339, 456, 502 Vandervoort, Andrew P., 493; G. F., 490 Vandeventer, C, 303; Hugh B., Dr., 733, 774; Peter, 136, 140, 149, 156, 160, 499, 581, 687 Vandusen, Matthew, 350 Van Duzer, William, 550, 551, 554 Van Fredenberg, Henry A., 828 Vanguysling, H., Dr., 740, 741 Van Horn, Philip, 179, 531 Van Namee, John, 558 Vanorman, Isaac, 145, 516 Van Pelt, William, Dr., 495, 496, 532, 727, 728, 734, 735, 737, 738 Van Peyma, Jacob, Dr., 572; John W., 495, 742; P. W., Dr., 743, 745, 747-749, 764, 793, 808 ; Worp, 570 Van Rensselaer, Rensselaer, Gen., 330, 332; Solomon, Col., 201, 203; Stephen, Gen., 197-199, 201-203, 268, 282 VanSlyck, C. A., 478 Van Slyke, Garret. 176, 597; Robert, 595 'Van Tine, C.G., 517; David, 162, 353, 517, 519; George K., 517; Henry K., 353, 518; Matthias, 162, 517 Van Vliet, Henry P., 274, 500, 501 Vanwey, Jonas, 156, 489 Vaudreuil's plans for 1756, 77 Vaughan, E. R., 831; James, 161, 531; Jesse, 350; Russell J., 660 Vaughn, F. O., Dr., 745 Veeder, John R. , 579 Veile, Henry K., 649 Veling, Joseph C, 487, 488 Velten, V., Rev., 622 Venner, William, 560 Verplanck, Isaac, 706; Isaac A., 456, 675, 676, 838 Vessels enrolled at Buffalo in 1817-18, 261-65 note Vice-president of the U. S. from Erie county, 452 Viele, Sheldon T, 814 Virgil, Elon, 275, 605 Voegele, Joseph,*5l4 Voght, F. B., Dr., 749 Vogt, George S., Rev., 843 Volker, Louis C, Dr., 745 Vollmer, Adam, 176, 494 Volts, John S., 438 note Von Berge, George, 476 Von Arx, James, 624 Von Puttkammer, Alexander, 620 Vosburgh, Nathaniel, 474, 477; Peter M., 338, 477, 502, 683, 684, 705 Vote of the county at the election of 1812, 187, 209 Voting, primitive methods of, 140 Vought, John H., 363 note, 369 note Vroman, Dow, 600 Wachter E. William, Dr., 401 Wadsworth, George, 438 note. 476, 681 ; James, 297, 457, 471, 375, 476; James S., 365; John B., Gen., 536; Richard, 292; William, Gen., 192, 202 Wagner, Chrysostomus, Rev., 622; Ja- cob, 517 Wagoner, George, 565 ; Jacob, 565 Waite, Levi, 599 Waith, William, Rev., 571 Wainwright; John, 340, 582 Wakelee, Clement, 570; Orlando, Dr., 518, 722, 727, 730, 731; Piatt, 570 Walbridge, George B., 363 note, 657; Wells D., 382 Walden, Ebenezer, 153, 154, 185, 230 note, 234, 235, 241, 258, 269, 272, 304, 305, 447, 458, 474, 475, 680 and note, 687, 689, 693, 698 Waldo, Shubael, 503; S. P., 491 Wales, first town officers of. 605 ; gazet- teer of, 602-605; in 1815-20, 274; list of supervisors of, 605; progress, in, 344; 902 INDEX schools of, 662; settlers in, 155 160, 162, 177, 602; village, 604 Wales.Center. 604 Walker, A., Capt, 374 note; Charles, 577; C. A., 575; Elihu, 258, 501, 502, 637; George H., 511; Jesse, 475, 681, 706; Nathaniel, 145, 499; Randall, 180, 591; Samuel, 476; Samuel G, 478 Wall, C. A., Dr., 744; John C, Dr., 397 Wallace", Erastus, 366; J. W., Dr., 804; William, 324, 407. 501 Wallash,' Edmund C., 567 Waller Peter 517 Wallis,' Erastus, Dr., 338, 502, 722, 726, 727, 729, 733, 756 Walls, John, 481 Walsh, Daniel, Rev., 849; John, 478, 479, 487,488; John J., Dr., 742, 750,761; Patrick, 481, 482; Peter, 480; William, 483, 484 Walter, John, 570; John R., 484, 485 Walters, B. A. 536 Walthers, Frederick, 127 Waltz, George, 574 War declared in 1756, 78 War of 1812, acceptance of Indians in the military service in, 214 ; military activ- ity on the frontier in 1812 in, 190, 191 ; abandonment of Fort George in, 224; American successes, and their influ- ence in, 221 ; attempt to capture Bur- lington Heights in, 219; attitude of President Madison in, 189; battle of Chippewa in, 243-245; " battle of Con- jockety Creek" in, 249, 250; battle of Dundy's Lane in, 246-249; battle of Queenston in, 201-203; Boerstler's ex- pedition and surrender in, 2 1 3, 214; bombardment of Fort Niagara in, 204 ; Brittish attack on Black Rock in, 215- 218; British superiority on the lakes at the beginning of the, 192; British troops on the frontier in 1812 in, 190, 191 ; building of a fleet for the lakes in, 210, 211; building of stockades in, 212; burning of Newark in, 224; capture of Fort George in, 212 ; capture of Toronto in, 211; causes leading up to the, 188, 189; Chapin's expedition, capture and escape in, 213, 214; close of, 254; war committees of the county in 1812 in, 186: Dearborn succeeded by General Wilkinson in, 214; Dearborn's armis- tice- in, 197, 198; duel between Gens. Smyth and Porter in, 206; Elliott's brilliant exploit in, 198, 199; militia en- listments in, 190; executions of desert- ers in, 240; first man killed in, in Erie county, 200 ; Fort Erie, capture of in, 242, 243 ; Fort Erie, occupation of, by Lieutenant-Colonel Preston in, 212; Fort Niagara, surrender of in, 224, 225 ; frontier, dismay on the in, 192; front- ier, the, at the opening of the campaign of 1814, in, 239; frontiers, operations on the northern and Niagara in, 196, 197 ; General Smyth's bombastic procla- mations in, 203 and note; Hall, Gen- eral, in command in, 227-230; inci- dents of the British attack on the frontier in, 226-227; incidents of the burning of Buffalo in, 231-238; In- dian neutrality in, 192, 193; Lake On- tario, operations on, in, 196; Lewiston, sacking of, in, 226; navy, operations of the, in, 209; Niagara frontier, oper- ations on, in 1812 in, 196; opening of the campaign of 1813 in, 210 ; operations just before the battle of Lundy's Lane in, 244, 245; operations on the northern frontier in, 211, 253, 254; operations under General Smyth, and their ridic- ulous failure in, 203-206; opposition to, 190; Perry's battle and victory in, 219- 221; preparations for War in 1812 in, 186 ; public meeting in Buffalo on the critical situation of the frontier in, 197; riot in Buffalo in, 207-209; Ri.pley, Gen., disobedience of in, 248, 249; rout and flight of the Americans in, 230- 236; Sackett's Harbor, attack on, in, 196; sacking of the frontier by the Brit- ish in, 226-230; siege of Fort Erie in, 250-253; troops at Fort George in, 223; troops on the frontier in 1814 in, 240; Wilkinson's orders from Washington in, 222; withdrawal of troops from the Niagara frontier and its effects in, 221- 223 War of the Rebellion, bounties paid in, 396^400; bounty committee in, report of, 401 ; cavalry, the, in the service, in, 390 note ; Central Fair to raise funds for volunteer purposes in, 400; close of the war in, 402; Committee on the De- fense of the Union in Buffalo in, 392; draft, the first in, 399 ; Eleventh Regi- ment of cavalry in, 389; enlistment committee in 1862 in, 395; enlistments, difficulty in securing, in 1863, in, S98; first call for troops in, 386; first com- pany raised for the, 387 ; first war meet- ing in, 386; Fort Sumter, bombard- ment of, in, 386; Fourteenth Regiment of cavalry, 389 ; Forty-fourth Regiment of infantry in, 388 ; Porty-ninth Regi- INDEX. 903 ment of infantry in, 393, 396; One Hundredth Regiment of infantry in, 393, 394; One Hundred and Sixteenth Regiment of infantry in, 395, 392; One Hundred and Fifty-fifth Regiment of infantry in, 397; One Hundred and Sixty fourth Regiment of infantry in, 397; One Hundred and Eighty-seventh Regiment of infantry in, 401; recruit- ing in 1864 in, 400, 401 ; relief funds voted by the Common Council in, 387; rumors of rebel invasion from Canada in, 400; second draft, the, in, 402; Second Mounted Rifles in, 392; Six- teenth Regiment of cavalry in, 390; total enlistments from Erie county in, 402; Tenth Regiment of cavalry in, 389; Twelfth Regiment of cavalry in, 389 ; Twenty-first Regiment of inf antrv in, 387, 388; Thirty third Regiment o'f infantry in, 388; Tweuty-ihird Light Battery in, 391 ; Twenty fourth Regi- ment of cavalry in. 390; Twenty- seventh Light Battery in, 391 ; Union Continentals in, 387; war meetings in 1862 in, 395; Wiedrich's Battery in, 391 Ward, Francis G., 371 note; Hiram L., 502, 637; Ira, 565; James H., 505, 546; Roger D., 565; Thomas, 565; W. M., 588; W. M., Dr., 748 Wardwell, George S., 681, 696; George S., 417, 475, 476, 682; William T., 781 Warner, Aaron, 605; A. J., 697; Clark, 605; C. C, Mrs., 841; David S., 344, 605; Gad, 149; James, 513; Nelson, 350; N. H., Dr., 801-803; Samuel, 350; William H., 532 Warren, Asa, 239, 261, 273, 276, 345, 458, 466, 500, 541, 542, 545, 591, 604; A. J., 417; Deloss, 3^4, 501, 502; E. S..395, 438, 480, 481, 704, 838; Francis, 591; Jabez, 141, 151, 499; James D., 460, "517, 816 and note, 822; John, 138, 516; Joseph, 417, 418 649, 658, 660, 783, 819 and note, 820; Leroy D.,522; Lieuten- ant-Colonel,227-229 ; Lodisa,640 ; Obed, 276, 541; Orsamus, 344, 353, 517; Or- son, 585; O., & Co., 518; S. H., Dr., 745; Seth W., Mrs., 805; Sumner, 180, 239,261, 500, 591; William, 141, 186, 637; William, Gen., 151 and note, 155, 159, 187, 257, 261, 272, 277, 499, 500, 565 ; William Y., 805; & French, 522 Warriner, Noah H., Dr., 727; William, 187, 558; William, Dr., 178, 186, 563 Washburn, A. L., 390; Elisha, 526; Smith B., 526 Wasson, Lemuel. 557, 684; Samuel, 607; W. A., Dr., 743 Washington Benevolent Society in Buffa- loin 1811, 174 Water Valley, 563 Waters, Irving E., 438 note; J. W., 603; Levi J., 470, 479; William S., 475 Watkins, F. L., 750; John, 186 Watson, D. J., 491; Henry. Mrs., 787; Ira G., Dr., 177, 344, 500, 603, 605, 719, 721; Isaac M., 351, 576; John, Dr., 177, 186, 500, 719; Stephen V. R., 328 note, 381 and note, 383, 403 note, 459, 619 Watt, A. J., 552; George W., 585 Way, Nathan, Dr., 727 Wayfare, The, 852 Wayne, Anthony, Gen., campaign of, against the Indians, 124 Weaver, John, 603 Webb, F. C, 578, 831; George A., 489; Joseph, 183; J. A., 831; T. E., 600 Weber, Anthony, 509; Herman, 624; John B., 39 i, 436, 454, 684; John C, 483, 484; John J., 479, 482; William, 533 Webster, Alanson, 476; Charles H., 828; Daniel, 541, 545; Davis, 543; Edward, 541; Ellis, 482. 483; Erasmus D., S29; Erastus D. , 533 ; Frank S. , 542 ; George B., 291, 298, 304, 362, 477; Gideon, 527; , Hugh, 399, 410; James, Dr., 767; John, 488; Joseph, 537, 543; Julius, 516; Jus- tice, 156; Marvin, 853; Marvin, Dr., 721 ; Samuel, 179, 537, 541 ; William, 541 Webster's Corners, 539 Weed, Eli, jr., 177, 603; Thaddeus, 292; - William W., 459 Wehrle, Demeter, 495, 497 Weil, Charles, Dr., 745 Weill, Henry, 438 note Weiss, Carl, Dr., 612 Welcome Hall, 851 Weld, Sabin, 563 Welch, A. R., 543; Benjamin', jr., 455; Benjamin C, 820; Elisha, 161, 541; James, 541; John, 179; John M., 286, 541; J. T., 542; Nathan, 542; Nelson, 459, 541, 545; Thomas C, 708 Wells, Charles, 591; C. J.. 371 note, 475, 479, 480; Henry, 392; John, 342, 606; John A., 660 ; Joseph, 142, 154. 159, 644 ; Levi,, 533; Marmaduke, 163; William, 330, 359 note; W, H., 390 Wenborne, Charles A., 828 Wende, 492; Bernard A., 493; Ernest, Dr., 477, 660, 748-750, 784, 787; G. W., Dr., 750, 785, 787; Herman A, 492, 493; Otto H., 493, 685 904 INDEX. "Wendell, Philip, 595, 597 Wendling, Charles, 608; Edward. 608; Frederick. 608; Frederick, jr., 608 Wendover, B. S., 348, 533; Peter V. S., 535 Wentworth, David, 821 Wenz. Julius, Dr., 572, 742 Weppner, Frank, 406 note ; Jacob, 410 Werick, John, 389, 482; Joseph, and son Henry P., 514 Wernecke, H. M., Dr., 744 West, Charles E., Dr., 657; Fillmore H., 551; John, 277, 510; Stephen, 347 West Alden, 490 West Falls, 505 West Seneca, erection of, 377 ; gazetteer of, 605-609 ; list of supervisors of, .606 ; progress in, 342 ; schools of. 664 ; set- tlers of, 606, 607; (Limestone Hill), 699 West Wood, 498 Westcott, Jesse, 344, 604, 607; Reuben, 344 Western Elevating Association, the, 356, 360 note ; statistics of, 420 ; Insurance Company, 298 Westinghouse, George H., Dr., 748 Westland, Stephen A., 495 Westminster Club, 850 Westminster House, 850 Wetherbee, Asa, 347; John, 512 Wetherill, E. M., Dr., 748 Wetherlow, Chauncey, 593; John, 591 Wetmore, S. W., Dr., 740-742, 760, 761, 774, 829 Wetzel, Charles H., Dr., 748, 789; J. C, Dr., 744 Wey, William C, Dr., 747 Weyland, M., 625 Whaley, Benjamin, 155, 507; Frank N., 503, 504; Frank R., 499, 504; James. 607 Whalen, Thomas, 481 Wheat, the first, raised on the Purchase, 128 Wheeldon, John H., Dr., 742 Wheeler, Asher; 582; A. B., 583; Alger M., 391; A. T.. 536; Charles B., Mrs., 787; E. S., 369 note; Edward D., 438 note; Freeman P., 489; I. G., Dr., 578; Joel, 480, 481; John R., 599; Josiah, 186; J. S., 533; Lester, Mrs., 786; Resolved G., 138, 516; R. Grosvenor, 186; Rufus, 471, 816, 821; Sister Elizabeth, 837; Stephen, jr., 538; William F., 483 Wheelock, Addison, 591, 592; Jesse, 570; JohnT., 459, 570; Otis, 239 Whipple, Electa B.. Dr., 749, 799 White, Adam, 528; Albert A., 538; A. G. 605; A. R., Dr., 741; B., 607; C, 607 Charles C, 528; D. P., 300, 501, 637 Edward E., 529; Francis, 531; George 563; George C, 365, 381, 383, 475; Har vey, 501; Henry, 304, 305, 477, 702 818; Henry B., 693; Horace, 559; Hor ace W., 557, 559; James P., Dr., 405 725, 727, 729, 731, 737, 738, 744, 753, 754 758, 759, 761-763, 767, 770, 771, 775 782, 783, 786, 789, 790, 809, 838, 842 John, 483-486; John PL. 525; Lewis T. 273, 343, 558, 559; Moses, 347, 531 Nathan, 351, 576.; Newell M., 504 Noel, 557; Paul H., 526; Stephen, 179 525, 587; Stephen J., 529; Stephen T. 525; Thomas T., 343, 557, 559; Truman 261, 531; Truman C, 675, 676; & Waggoner, 504 Whitefield, Henry, 600 Whitehead, Ira C, Dr., 794; J. Condict, Dr., 738 Whiting, J. A., Dr., 768; Mark, 660; Samuel, Rev., 645; Silas, 261 Whitley, William, 582 Whitmore, J. E., Dr., 749 Whitney, BenajahT., Dr., 735 ; Brothers, 522; Morgan L., 607; W. G, 503; Will- iam H., 389 Whitticer, Lansing, 273, 558; Nelson, 558; Seymour, 273, 558 Whittaker, J., Dr., 477, 739 Whittet, Joseph L., 460 Whitwell, J. F., Dr., 750; J. G., Dr., 748 Wick, Adam, 842 Wickwire, N. B., 583, 584 Widing, Jacob, 533 Wiedrich. Michael, 391 Wier, Thomas E., 545 Wightman, Isaac, 274, 603 Wilber, Charles, 149 ; Cyrenius, 458 ; Job, 528; John, 526; Stephen, 179, 525; & Palmerton, 528 Wilcox, Ansley, 844; A. J., Rev., 560; Birdseye, 315, 477; Charles H., Dr., 729, 732-734, 737, 738, 754, 756, 758. 782, 794; David J., 460, 533; Dewitt GH Dr., 785, 805,806; George, 552; Jere- miah, 591 ; John, 591 Wild, John, 842 Wilder, John, 584; Joseph, Dr., 727; Julius, 578; Rice, 576; Rose, Dr., 79& 805 Wile, Robert, Dr., 740 Wiley, John M., 455, 459, 522 • Wilgus, Louis L., 480; Nathaniel, 291, 477, 834 Wilhelm, 575 INDEX. 905 Wilkeson, James, Gen., commissioned to open a road between Lakes Erie and Ontario, 135, 136; John, 382, 395, 478; John, jr., 394; Samuel, 280 note, 258, 267, 269 note, 270, 282, 284, 304, 329, 354, 457, 458, 474, 475, 596, 680 and note, 687, 688, 701; Samuel, jr., 476, 681; Samuel H., 389 Wilkinson, Major-General, 214, 221-223 Willey, John, 505 Williams, A. B., 595, 597, 600; A. G., 360 note; Benjamin H., 458, 476, 682, 683; Carlos, 459; Charles H. S., 683; D. J., Dr., 506, 723; Edwin E., 535 639; E. W., Dr., 742; Frank, 484, 844; Gibson T., 328 note, 383 and note, 418; Gibson T., Mrs., 786, 850; G. L., 787; Henry R. , 325 ; H. U. ; Dr. , 750, 785, 789 ; John, 517, 525; John L., Mrs., 787; Jonas, founder of Williamsville, 144, 151, 159, 186, 257, 458, 494-497, 687, 695 ; Martha T., Miss, 786,. 787, 850; Sanford, and son Addis E.,.559; Watkins, 478; Will- iam, 288, 362, 381, 414. 454, 459, 475, 478, 595; William K., 487 Williamsville, 495-497 Williamson, Charles, State road commis- sioner, 126, 127; Theodore, 485, 486 Willett, Eugene, 588; James M., 708; Marinus, Col., 110; Phoebe, Dr., 744; P. A., 529; William R., 587 Willink, first town meeting in the town of, 149; reduction of the territory of, 185 ; taverns in the town of, in 1807, 157 Willis, Charles, 578 ; Eugene, 578 ; James, 492, 578, 579; John. 578; Nathan, 488, 493; R. G., 577, 578; Robert L., 594 Williston, 578 Willoughby, M., Dr., 741, 743 Willyoung, John, 514 Wilson, Abner, 557; A. B., Dr., 748; Benjamin, 180, 591; G. R., 381; Jacob, 591; J. P., Dr., 749; Lewis, 545; Thomas, early builder of vessels, 131 ; Walter T., 484, 485 Wiltse, Buradore, 660; Livingston G., 518 Winans, D. H., 409 Winborn, George, 517, 519 Winch, Jay, 578 Windom, 539, 563 Winder, William H., Col., 204-206 Wing, Charles, 477; George, 600; Halsey R., 325; Matthew, 145, 569 Winne, Charles, 325; Charles, Dr.. 477, 724 726-728, 731-733, 740, 753; Charles K., Dr., 739, 794 114 Winner, Charles T., 533 Winney, Cornelius, first permanent set- tler at Buffalo, 119 Winship, Walter C, 475 Winslow, L. M., 553; Myron D., 554 Winspear, James, 514; Pennock,. 514; Robert, 366; William, 549 Winsperger, Julius, 390 Winters, John, 510 Wire, Jacob, 595 Wirth, J., 607 Wiser, Edward R., Dr., 750; H., 623 Witmer, Tobias, 495, 497, 639 Witte, August M., 484 Witthaus, R. A., Dr., 747 Woehuert, A. E., Dr., 751 Wolcott, James, 687; Samuel, 500 Wolcottsburg (West Prussia), 519 Wolf, sr., Geor$e, 495; George J., 495, 497; Jacob, 495; Joseph & Son, 600 Wolfe, William J. , 413 note Wolff, W., Dr., 749 Wolsey, C. T., Dr., 749 Woltz, Charles P., 487, 488 Women physicians, 796-800 Women's Christian Association, the, 841 ; Educational and Industrial Union, 847, 848 Wood, Charles, 587; Charles H., 561, 590; David, 276, 542; Harry A., Dr., 748, 784, 785; H. B., 528; James, 177, 275, 344, 459, 602, 603, 605, 640; L. D., 545; T. W., Dr., 735; Walter C, 504, 829 and note ; William P. M. , 817 Woodard, Epsom, 545 Woodbury, William H., Dr., 749 Woodruff, Ephraim, 155, 186, 190, 277, 500,565; JohnV., 751; Lawrence J., 499, 501, 637 Woods, J. D., 391; William V., 483 ' Woodward, Ambrose, 507; Amos, 143, 146; Asa. 569; Charles H., Dr., 749; David, 518; James, 145, 569; James, Dr., 719; Levi, 179, 587; Philo, 536 Woodward's Hollow (Wyandale P. O.), 536 Wool, John E., Capt., 201, 202 Woolsey, Lieutenant, 196 Woolson, Theodore W., 595; Theron W., 599 Wordsworth, Richard, 535 Workhouse, establishment of, 365 and note Working Boys' Home, 849 Works, Arthur, 830; J. W., 830 Worth, William J., Col., 331, 333 Worthington, William F., 476, 682 Wright Albert J., 363 note, 364 note; 906 INDEX. Alfred P., 363 note; Amos, 456, 459, 517; A. R., Dr., 582, 802, 805, 808; Charles, 51,5 ; Edwin, 533 ; Henry, 547 ; Jacob, 154, 558, 562; William, 531, 551 Wrightman, A. R., 535; Daniel, 543; Heman A., 543; Herman, 543 Wunderlin, A., 623 Wurst, Jacob, 566, 567, 569; John, 514; Paul J., 566, 567, 832 Wurtz, Philip, 485 Wyckoff. Cornelius C, Dr., 477, 733, 738- 740, 742-744, 751, 756, 757, 759, 762, 763, 769, 782 Wyoming massacre,' the, 111 Yaw, George R., 480, 481, 783; Hiram, 508; Joseph, 155, 161, 185, 499, 507, 531 Yeomans, James D., 499, 501 York, George W., Dr., 745 Young, Anthony, 485, 486; Charles A., 660; C. E., 398, 410; E. H., Dr., 749; Jacob, 545, 570; James and Luther, 146; Peter, 406 note; Samuel, 268, 282; W. D., Dr., 805 Young King (Indian), 215, 218 Young Men's Association, Buffalo, 324, 325 and note Young Men's Christian Association, Buf- falo, 411 Yonngs, James F., 495; James S., 186, 494; Jasper B., 417, 459, 494, 495, 696; Jasper T., 476; John G., 543 Yund, Emile, 491, 493 Zahm, George, 612, 613 Zeller, G. Fred, 438 note, 483 Zent, George, 599; Philip J., 495, 497 Zeny, Carl, 401 Ziegele, sr., Albert, 615, 627 Zimmerman, George, 410; Godfrey, 514 G. A., Rev., 618; James B., 595, 597 Levi, 597; Martin, 597; Martin J., 597 William, 595 Zink, George W., 482, 483 Zipp, Henry, 487, 488 Zittel, Wadsworth J., 460 Zoeller, George, 487, 488 Zuckmaier Brothers, 600 Zurbrick, Franklin, 575; John, 514, 574; Philip, 514 '