3 1924 072 101 813 All books are subject to recall after two weeks Olin/Kroch Library DATE DUE (4/?^**^ ^Y7 ®^!^^fei.Jaft-'» Inteilibrary Luaii NOV 1 ^ US 1 1 QAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S.A. ^ 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/cu31924072101813 A HISTORY OF Ontario County, New York and Its People BY CHARLES F MILLIKEN ILLUSTRATED VOLUME 1 Lewis Historical Publishing Co. New York 1911 Copyright Lewis Historical Publishing Company 1911 Times Presses, CauRndaigua, New York. PREFACE. Whether through some fortuitous but beneficent combination of soil and water and climate, or on account of an advantage of location, or in furtherance of a Divine plan, the people who have possessed Western New York have had a large and important influence on the country as a whole. This was true when Columbus discovered the continent, and a handful of Iroquois savages dominated the whole vast wilderness. It was true during the three centuries that followed when not even the valor of the French at the North, the enterprise of the Dutch at New York, or the chivalry of the Spaniards at the South, with sword, or cross, or coin, could make progress toward the conquest of the coveted land. It was true when at last New England soldiery, opening the way for New England thrift and New England culture, broke the proud spirit of the Indian confederacy, and when New England from its new vantage ground in the Genesee Country diffused its tongue, its political principles, and its religious faith to the uttermost parts of the land. It is trvie today, even if what some of the New York papers used to call the "Canandaigua rule" in politics is broken, when a Western New York Congressman makes the tariff law for the country, when the State governs its elections and controls and taxes the liquor traffic under the laws drafted by an Ontario county legislator, when the preachers in famous pulpits, the editors of great metropolitan newspapers, and world-eminent scientists claim Western New York as their birth- place, and when its sons and grandsons, its daughters and grand- daughters, it may truthfully be said, play a not insignificant part in shaping the destinies of the Great West. The author of this History of Ontario County has made no attempt to glean the fields which have been covered by preceding writers, or to repeat in detail the story of discovery, settlement, and development. He has sought rather to give in narrative form account of the events which have served to connect the civil division known as Ontario county with the larger world, and thus to emphasize the honorable part Avhich it has had in the development of Western New York and the important influence it has exerted iv PREFACE. upon the political history of the State and Nation. For the facts upon which the narrative is founded, he is largely indebted to the original historian of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, Mr. O. Turner, to Dr. Noah T. Clarke, to Mr. George S. Conover, to Mr. Irving W. Coates, and to other writfers of local history, and also to the county newspapers whose files form a mine of information as invaluable as it is inexhaustible. To those who have assisted in preparing this record, either through material furnished, or in the writing of particular chapters or the several town histories, the author, or, more properly, editor, returns sincere thanks. Most of the portraits with which the volume is illustrated are reproductions of oil paintings which hang on the walls of the County Court room in Canandaigua, a collection of the greatest interest to the student of pioneer days and of the later political history of the county as well. The reproductions, though in some cases exposing too plainly the i^avages which time has wrought in the original pictures, depict the personal characteristics of the subjects with a faithfulness that no written description could equal. CHARLES F. MILLIKEN, Canandaigua, N. Y., September 15, 1911. CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. Page I. THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY. Origin of the Red Men Who Occupied Western New York at the Time ol the Discovery of America an Unsolved Mystery — The Legend of Bare Hill — Three Epochs — The Seneca Capital Kanadesaga and Other Principal Towns — Strength Broken by Sullivan's Expedition in 1799 1-11 II. COMING OF THE WHITE MAN. French Traders and Priests the First White Men to Enter the Seneca Country — French Explorers and French Soldiers Followed — Sullivan Opened the Way for the Pioneers — Settlement Delayed fey Disputes as to Title — The Phelps and Gorham Purchase — Sale of Land to Settlers 12-20 III. THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. A Party of Pioneers from Massachusetts Enter the Genesee Country by an Ail-Water Route — Their Settlement at Canandaigua — Israel Chapin Appointed Indian Agent by President Washington — A Period of Apprehension— The Pickering Treaty of 1794 21- 35 IV. "THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." The Organization of Ontario County Cotemporaneous with the Election of Washington as President of the United States — Its Original Princely Domain — Unsuccessful Efi'ort to Set It Off in a New State — Other Counties Erected from Its Original Territory — Rapid Settle- ment and Development 36- 50 V. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. They Reflect the People's Respect for Law and Regard for the Unfor- tunate — In the Court House Centers the County Consciousness — . Successive Jails — The County Alms House — The County Laboratory and the County Tuberculosis Hospital, the First Institutions of the Kind in the State 51-61 VI. ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. Her Politics and Politicians— Early Elections — Snap Methods — Ontario Firm in the Federalist Faith — The County's Representation in Con- gress and the Legislature — Succession of County Officers — Oliver Phelps a Candidate for Lieutenant-Governor 62- 69 VIL POLITICAL CRISES. Ontario County in the War of 1812 — Building of the Erie Canal — Western New York Rejoices at Completion of the Great Work — Abduction of William Morgan — Resulting Excitement in the "Infected District".. The Anti-Masonic Campaign — Francis Granger a Candidate for Governor 70-78 vi CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. Page VIII. RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. William H. Seward Defeated as the First Whig Candidate for Governor — "The Tippecanoe and Tyler Too'' Campaign of 1840 — The "Rais- ing" of a Log Cabin in Canandaigua — An Honored Ontario County Citizen Named as Postmaster-General in President Harrison's Cabinet 79-86 IX. POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. Ontario County's Protest against Repeal of the Missouri Compromise — — Conscience Whigs Obtain a Newspaper Organ — A Roll of Honor — Call for County Anti-Nebraska Convention — Delegates Elected to State Convention — Resolutions against Slavery Extension 87-96 X. MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. Mr. Clark's First Public Office That of Sheriff of Ontario County — Gained Prominence in the Senate as an Advocate of the Maine Law — Gubernatorial Nominee of the Seward Whigs, Free Soil Democrats, and Prohibitionists — Beginnings of the Republican Party 97-107 XL THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. The New Coalition of Free Soilers Adopt the Name Repuiblican — Men Identified with the Movement — ^A Tangled Local Campaign — Union Ticket Put in the Field by Republicans and Democrats — Opposing Know Nothing Candidates for County Offices Win at the Election. 108-117 XII. ONTARIO IN THE 18S6 CAMPAIGN. Growing Strength and Confidence of the New Party — Fremont the Stand- ard Bearer — Free Soil Democrats Unite with the New Political Organization — John C. Fremont Nominated for President — District and County Conventions — Republicans Name a Complete Ticket ..118-124 XIII. THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. The Campaign in Ontario County for "Free Speech, Free Press, Free Men, Free Labor, and Fremont" — Clubs Organized and Meetings Held — Joshua R. Giddings Speaks in Canandaigua, His Native Town — Success Won in the County and State, but the National Ticket Defeated 125-134 XIV. THE LINCOLN-HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. Ontario County a Center of Political Interest — Organization of the "Wideawakes" — One of the Candidates for the Presidency Formerly a Resident of Ontario County and a Student in the Canandaigua Academy — Speaks at a Big Meeting near Clifton -Springs — Loyal in the Hour of Defeat 135-141 XV. OLD ONTARIO IN WAR TIME. Twice Invaded by Armies of Civilized Powers, First by Denonville, then by General Sullivan and His Continentals — The Simcoe Scare — Ontario Militia in the War of 1812— The Whole County in a Tumult — Relief for the Refugees— The Troublous Days of 1861-5 142-148 contp:nts of volume i. vH Page XVI. THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. A Patriotic Pulpit — Citizens Make Large Financial Contributions in Sup- port of the Union Cause— Recruiting tlie Armies — Canandaigua Academy's Part — Treasonable Utterances — The Ontario Volunteers and Their Gallant Record — The County Represented in Twenty-nine Different Regiments 149-157 XVIL VICTORY CROWNS THE STRUGGLE. Ontario County Heroes — The Boy Who Never Returned to Claim His Scythe or His Betrothed — The Board of Supervisors in the War — The Women's Aid Organizations — The News of Richmond's Fall and How It Was Celebrated — Memorials of the Great Struggle 158-164 XVIII. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. Ontario County's Influence in State and National Politics Perpetuated — The State Statutes Known as the Blanket Ballot Law and Liquor Tax Law, and the National Tarifl; Act Known as the Payne Law, the Work of Its Representatives — The Later County Officers ....165-177 XIX. THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. By Major Charles A. Richardson. Their Organization— First Sessions Held at Patterson's Tavern in Geneva and at Sanborn's Tavern in Canandaigua — Anecdotes of Judges, Lawyers and Jurors — The Morgan Abduction — ^Fugitive Slave Law Case — Conviction of Susan B. Anthony — Other Celebrated Civil and Criminal Trials 178-204 XX. THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. By John H. Jewett, M. D. Dr. Moses Atwater, the First Physician to Settle on the Phelps and Gorham Purchase — A Pioneer Physician Who Took Strong Ground Against Bleeding-^A Physician's Diary — Dr. Edson Carr, Skilled in Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry, and an Excellent Musician as Well —The Later Physicians 20.5-220 XXI. THE COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. By William H. Warfield. Ontario County Settled by Men Attracted by Its Agricultural Opportuni- ties — The First Wheat Grown on the Genesee Tract — Pioneers Organize a County Agricultural Society in 1819 — The First County Fair, Cattle Show, and Plowing Match — List of the Ofifiicers— The Grange 221-228 XXII. THE TOWN OF BRISTOL. By Sarah G. P. Kent 229-242 XXIII. THE TOWN OF CANADICE. By Albert H. Tibbals. . .243-253 XXIV. THE TOWN OF CANANDAIGUA. By Charles F. Milli- ken 254-265 XXV. THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. By Charles F. Milliken 266-309 Vlll CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. Page XXVI. THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. By Carolyn Buell 310-320 XXVII. THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. By Albert H. Steven- son 321-327 XXVIII. THE TOWN OF GENEVA. By Sidney B. Reed 328-330 XXIX. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. By Charles D. Vail, L. H. D 331-379 XXX. THE TOWN OF GORHAM. By Lewis C. Lincoln 380-393 XXXI. THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. By Irving W. Coates .. 394-405 XXXII. THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. By John H. Pratt, M. D 406-424 XXXIII. THE TOWN OF NAPLES. By William R. Marks 42S-440 XXXIV. THE TOWN OF PHELPS. By Edwin F. Bussey 441-449 XXXV. THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. By George W. Patter- son, Jr 450-463 XXXV [. THE TOWN OF SENECA. By Levi A. Page 464-472 XXXVII. THE TOWN OF SOUTH BRISTOL. By George E. Richards 473-483 XXXVIII. THE TOWN OF VICTOR. By George Simonds 484-498 XXX IX. THE TOWN OF WEST BLOOMFIELD. By Rev. New- ton W. Bates 499-505 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page Bare Hill, Canandaigua Lake 3 Talk with the Indians at Buffalo Creek in 1793 25 Pickering Treaty Memorial 33 First Ontario County Court House 52 Old Ontario County Jail 58 Sullivan Memorial 143 MAPS. Page Map of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase 19 The Original County of Ontario, 1789-1796 37 The County of Ontario, 1796-1802 40 The County of Ontario, 1802-1821 42 The County of Ontario, 1821-1823 44 Present County of Ontario, 1823-1911 46 First Plotting of Canandaigua Village, 1789 269 CONTENTS OF VOLUME I. IX PORTRAITS. Page Adams, William H 161 Adams, William H., elder 18S Atwater, Dr. Moses 206 Barnard, Daniel D i97 Barlow, Abner 222 Beals, Thomas 59 Bemis, James D 289 Brooks, Micah 77 Brunson, Edward 122 Burnett, Jean L 172 Callister, John 202 Church, Captain Philip 69 Clark, Myron H 100 Clarke, Dr. Noah T 153 Cole, Henry S 194 Comstock, Harlow L 166 Dewey, Jedediah 94 Douglas, Stephen A 137 Duncan, Alexander 274 Dwight, Rev. Henry 361 Fitzhugh, William 223 Folger, Charles J 168 Foot, Samuel A 115 Garyan-wah-gah, or "Cornplanter". 29 Gibson, Henry B 282 Gorham, Nathaniel 17 Granger, Gideon 76 Granger, Francis 81 Granger, Gideon, 2nd 226 Greig, John 225 Hicks, Edwin 139 Howell, Nathaniel W 65 Howell, Alexander H 66 Howell, Thomas M 113 Howey, Joel M HI Hubbell, Walter 67 Page Lamport, William H 103 Lapham, Elbridge G 105 Lincoln, Cyrillo S 17S Marks, Walter 159 Mason, Francis 176 Matthews, Vincent 179 Mattison, Jacob J 116 McLouth, Thomas J 95 Metcalf, Jabez H 199 Milliken, Nathan J 88 Murray, Albert G 85 Parker, Stephen H 355 Parrish, Captain Jasper 27 Phelps, Oliver 15 Porter, Augustus 22 Porter, General Peter B 71 Pottle, Emory B 126 Raines, John 170 Rochester, Nathaniel 75 Sa-go-ye-wat-ha, or "Red Jacket". 31 Sherrill, Colonel Eliakim 155 Sibley, Mark H 64 Smith, James C 128 Smith, William H 131 Spencer, Ambrose 60 Spencer, John C 73 Stoddard, Robert W 191 Taylor, Henry W 119 Wadsworth, James 145 Wadsworth, William 224 Welle.s, Henry 55 Whiting, Bowen 189 Williams, George N 163 Williams, Dr. William A 209 Willson, Jared 84 Wood, William 56 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY. Origin of the Red Men Who Occupied Western New York at the Time of the Discovery of America an Unsolved Mystery — The Legend of Bare Hill — Three Epochs — The Seneca Capital Kanadesaga and Other Principal Towns — Strength Broken by Sullivan's Expedition in 1799. "In the unremerabered ages, Ages nearer the beginning, In the days that are forgotten, From a cloud above this mountain, Came the voice of Ha-wen-ne-ya, Came the call of the Great Spirit. Greatly seemed the earth to tremble, Trembled in the throes of labor. From her womb sprang forth a people. Sprang the brave Nun-do-wa-o-no. On her bosom then he nursed them, Till they grew a mighty nation, Taught them words to form a language, Raised up great men for their chieftains. Gave them totems for their tribe signs. Gave them names by which he knew them. Called them all the Great-Hill People." —Charles T. Mitchell. As to the origin of the people who first possessed the land which is now comprised in Ontario county, we know nothing. These first inhabitants left no record in mysteriously carved monu- ment or on clay tablet. We do not even know whether they came from the north and reaching what is now the county's geographical center caught the first glimpse of Canandaigua lake and its beauti- ful environs from the lowlands at its foot; or from the east and through the portal of what is now Vine Valley stood enraptured before the glories of a Canandaigua sunset ; or perchance from the west or south and from the foothills of the Alleghanies had spread before their eyes the marvelously beautiful vista of lake and valley and undulating hill and plain which make up its diversified area. 2 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY We do not know whence these mysterious people came, or by what way they came, hut we do know that the magic of the scene entered their souls as it has the souls of their pale-faced successors and that they afterwards made it their Chosen Spot. The only mementos we have of the red man's occupancy in this region are numerous flint arrow heads, plowed up here and there in the fields, remains of a number of forts, specimens of uniquely dec- orated pottery, pipe-bowls, pots of red ochre, strings of wampum — from which we may read that the original inhabitants lived by the chase, fought in deadly conflict one with another, had tasted of the fruit of good and evil that grows on the tobacco stem, had the com- mon human weakness for adornment and sought to tone down their high cheek bones and ornament the coppery sheen of their com- plexions by adventitious means, had food to store and wealth to barter. But it is doubtful if the oldest of these trivial records go back much before the time when the Spanish sovereigns, blind to the misfortunes which the enterprise was destined to bring upon their country, employed the Genoese navigator to explore the realms of Far Cathay. Tradition, the only form of history known to the red man, is unreliable as to dates, but the best authorities agree in placing the organization of the famous Iroquois confederacy at not earlier than the discovery of America by Columbus. Back of that was chaos — or, perhaps, the Mound Builders. Following it was a development among the Indians of what is now known as Central and Western New York that was nowhere else paralleled by men of their race. It was not until the beginning of the sixteenth century that the Iroquois, or Five Nations, became known to the European pioneers. They were then found occupying the whole of Northern New York, from the Hudson on the east to the Genesee on the west. By the year 1700, they had extended their dominion over half the continent, and, by the adoption of the Tuscaroras, had become the Six Nations. But, while we recognize the genius of the Iroquois for political organization, unique among savage peoples, and their prowess in war, we may safely doubt Avhether they would have ever developed a civilization worthy the name. However that might have been, we know that after carving out an empire from the red peoples of the continent, and after having for a century played French against English and English against THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 3 French with a skillful diplomacy, they easily succumbed to the white man's gold and the white man's rum, and, within twelve years after the close of the Revolutionary War, had been practically dis- possessed of their rich domain and were settled on widely scattered reservations. BARE HILL, CANANDAIGUA LAKE. Nun-da-wah, the Great Hill from which, Legend says, the Seneca nation of Indians had their origin. Hen-ce their name Nun-do-wa-o-no, or Great Hill People. Elevation, 855 feet above the lake, 1,540 feet above the sea. .Western New York was possessed by the Seneca branch of the Iroquois confederacy, their dominion, following the conquest of the Neuter and Erie tribes by the Six Nations about the year 1650, extending to the Niagara river at the west. They were the Keepers of the Western Door. They were the Nun-do-wah-gaah, or Nun- do-wa-o-no, the Great-Hill people, ascribing their origin to Nun-do- wah or Bare Hill, on the east shore of Canandaigua Lake, where their progenitors lived and where they were put in imminent peril of utter destruction by a monstrous serpent, which circling itself about the fort lay with its mouths open at the gate. The legend b)'^ which they thus e.Kplained their birth as a nation, constitutes one of the most interesting of the stories by which primitive peoples have sought to explain the why and how of existence. Handed down from father to son, and from father to son again, among the Senecas themselves, it has been as oft told by writers of the white race, in prose and in verse and with many variations. Some of the versions are romantic in the extreme, but 4 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY that given by Henry R. Schoolcraft, the eminent American anti- quarian, in his "Notes on the Iroquois," published in 1846, is vouched for by that author as from a native source and is probablj' as near to the original as any that has been written. Mr. School- craft wrote : "While the tribe had its seat and council fire on this hill, a woman and her son were living near it, when the boy one day caught a small two-headed serpent, called Kaistowanea, in the bushes. He brought it home as a pet to amuse himself, and put it in a box, where he fed it on bird's flesh and other dainties. After some time it had become so large it rested on the beam of the lodge, and the hunters were obliged to feed it with deer; but it soon went out and made its abode on a neighboring hill, where it maintained itself. It often went out and sported in the lake, and in time became so large and mischievous that the tribe were put in dread of it. "They consulted on the subject one evening, and determined to fly next morning; but with the light of the next morning the monster had circled the hill and lay with its double jaws extended before the gate. Some attempted to pass out, but were driven back ; others tried to climb over its body, but were unable. Hun- ger at last drove them to desperation, and they made a rush to pass, but only rushed into the monster's double jaws. All were devoured but a warrior and his sister, who waited in vain expec- tancy of relief. "At length the warrior had a dream, in which he was showed that if he would fledge his arrows with the hair of his sister, the charm would prevail over the enemy. He was warned not to heed the frightful heads and hissing tongues, but to shoot at the heart. Accordingly, the next morning he armed himself with his keenest weapons, charmed as directed, and boldly shot at the serpent's heart. The instantaneous recoiling of the monster proved that the wound Avas mortal. He began in great agony to roll down the hill, breaking down trees and uttering horrid noises, until he rolled into the lake. Here he slaked his thirst, and tried by water to mit- igate his agony, dashing about in fury. At length he vomited up all the people whom he had eaten, and immediately expired and sunk to the bottom. "The fort was immediately deserted, and all who had escaped THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 5 went with their deHverer to, and iixed their council fire on, the west shores of Seneca Lake, where Geneva now stands." There is usually added, in verification of the legend, mention of the fact that the blackened trunk of the oak tree from which the Seneca youth fashioned the arrow which was destined to save his people from entire destruction, stood an unimpeachable wit- ness on the otherwise barren crest of the hill within the memory of men yet living ; that the path which the dying reptile cut through the forest as in his death struggles he rolled down its side has never since borne tree or shrub, whence the name '"Bare Hill" ; and that the petrified heads of his victims, foolishly called geodes by modern scientists, are found to this day along the shores of the lake. Mr. Irving \V. Coates, tlie eminent Indianologist, divides the period of the Seneca occupancy of the territory now embraced in Ontario count)'- into three separate epoclis, which he designates as the Ancient, the Middle and the Recent. What particular period of time was covered by the Ancient epoch he does not attempt to state, but the fact of that epoch, he asserts, is attested by ruins of old fortifications, strange and often elaborate burial places, rude weapons that almost partake of the forms of the paleolithic, with faint traces of village sites in remote locations. To this epoch, says Mr. Coates, belong the old village site and burial place of Genundawah at the foot of Bare Hill on the east side of Canandaigiia lake ; the singular palisaded town on the Moffat farm, on a bend of the Canandaigua outlet in the town of Phelps, where portions of a ditch and earthworks yet remain; the ancient village, which was also palisaded, a short dis- tance south of Clifton Springs ; also the one about one mile west on the Jackson farm, slight traces of which are left; another, a small fishing village on the south bank of the outlet near the ham- let of Manchester Center in the town of Manchester. Also must we class in this early Indian occupancy the work described by Squier, situated about three and one-half miles northwest of Ge- neva, east of the Old Castle road, w-hich was three hundred feet long, built on high ground and easily defended. In addition to these, irregular works called "forts," on prominent elevations in many towns of the count)', as well as many camp sites more or less permanent' along nearly all the streams and lakes, have been discovered, while .skeletons of an early age, including many of un- 6 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY usual size, have been unearthed from gravel beds, and flint arrows, celts, and stone gouges, as well as many ornaments of stone, bone, and shell, scattered over whole townships, attest the pres- ence of the early red men in this favorite hunting grottnd. The Middle epoch of Indian occupancy of the county dates from the beginning of the period in which European intercourse with the aborigines of the State began. It differs vastly from the Ancient epoch in the fact that we have actual knowledge of the red inhabitants of the region from accounts written by white men who visited them in their homes and villages. Wentworth Green- halgh, by some termed an Englishman, by others a Dutch trader, in the spring and summer of 1677, visited all the Five Nations and the Senecas in particular, and made minute observations, not only counting the houses in the different villages and noting their sur- roundings, but also numbering the warriors. His account gives the Senecas, who at this time mostly resided within what are now the limits of Ontario county, 1,000 warriors, and named their four principal villages situated in the western part, as Canagora, Tioto- hatton, Canoenada, and Keinthe. Of these, Canagora, or, as it was called by the French Abbe Belmont, who accompanied DeNonville in his expedition of 1687, Gaensera, and by others Gan- nagaro, Gananagaro, or Canagora, according as different writers attempted to express or spell the Indian gutturals, was the capital and was situated on Boughton Hill in the present town of Victor. It had ISO houses and was the "St. James" of the Jesuit fathers. Totiakton, or Tiotohatton, or Tohaiton, or Sonnontonan, was on a bend of the Honeoye creek, where it makes a somewhat abrupt turn in a northeasterly direction, and was in what is now the town of Mendon, Monroe county. This was the "La Conception" of the Jesuit fathers, and numbered 120 houses, "being ye largest of all ye houses wee saw, ye ordinary being 50 to 60 foot long with 12 and 13 fires in one house." The town of Canoenada, Onnu- tague, or Gannogarae, was situated about four and one-half miles south of Gannagaro on the east bank of the Ganarqua or Mud creek in the extreme northeast corner of the present town of East Bloomfield. It was peopled chiefly by captive Hurons, and was, it is believed, the original "St. Michael" of the Jesuits, where Father Fremin labored from 1679 to 1681. It had 30 houses, according to Greenhalgh, and was "well furnished with Corne." Keint-he, or Onnennatu, or Gannondata, or Gandachioragon, the other Seneca THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 7 town spoken of by the French and Dutch traders of the period, was about a mile south of the present village of Honeoye Falls and had 24 houses. Here was the Jesuit Mission of "St. John." Following the invasion of the Seneca country by De Nonville in July, 1687, when he destroyed the capital Gannagaro, the inhab- itants of that settlement migrated eastward, settling in what is now the town of Hopewell and establishing there a town called Onna- ghee, the site of which has been given particular study by Mr. Coates and has been a prolific source of arrow heads, beads, Jestiit rings, crucifixes, and amulets and other interesting relics. Just north of this in the same town another small village sprang up, while Gannogarae, the village of the captive Hurons which De- Nonville also destroyed, was removed, according to the best evi- dence obtainable, first to the White Springs, two miles southwest of Geneva, and became known as Ganechstage. This settlement was visited in 1720 by Schuyler and Livingston and in 1726 by Capt. Evert Bancker. It in turn was broken up by an epidemic of smallpox in 1732, but later, in 1750, a New Ganechstage was found by the Moravian missionaries, Cammerhoff and Zeisberger, located at Slate Rock or Burrell's Creek, Jive miles further south. It was a few years later, following the abandonment of the settlement or "castle," of Onnaghee, which must have occurred previous to 1750, the time of the visit of Cammerhoff and Zeisber- ger, that Kanandarque, "Place Chosen for Settlement," or poeti- cally interpreted "The Chosen Spot," sprang into being at the foot of the beautiful lake of that name. Kanadesaga, or Ganundasaga, as given by Lewis H. Morgan, near the foot of Seneca Lake, the home of their most exalted chief, Sayenqueraghta, or "Old Smoke," as he was irreverently called by the whites, succeeded Gannagaro as the Seneca capital or "Chief Castle." This last settlement cen-^ tered about one of the palisade forts built by Sir Wm. Johnson in 1756 to attach the Iroquois to the British interest. Thus the Senecas, who prior to the De Nonville invasion had migrated to the westward, seem afterwards to have retraced their steps and founded new settlements in what is now the eastern part of Ontario county and soon had large and fertile corn fields there that rivaled those which the French had found and destroyed at their former homes. Up to this time the Senecas, unlike the other nations of the Iroquois confederacy, had been inclined to side with the French 8 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY in the contests which continually waged between that people and the English, but the victories gained by the latter in 1756 and 1759 won their favor, the French influence over them rapidly declined, and by 1763 the devoted Jesuit fathers had been supplanted by missionaries of the Protestant faith. In 1765, the Rev. Sam- uel Kirtland, with the approval of the influential representative of the English government. Sir William Johnson, settled at Kana- desaga, and surviving many vicissitudes thereafter exerted a large and civilizing influence over the Senecas. But while all of these missionai'ies, Jesuit and Protestant, labored zealously and at untold personal suffering and risk, and gained the respect and in some instances the full confidence of the children of the forest, they made little headway in their efforts to turn the Iroquois from their savage ways or convince them that they stood in need of a change of religious faith. Indeed the red man felt that he worshipped the same Great Spirit as did his white brother. Mr. Coates dates the beginning of what he calls the Recent epoch of the Indian occupancy of Ontario county from the first efforts of the Colonies to throw off the yoke of the English king. In this great struggle, the Iroquois, with the exception of a portion of the Oneidas and Tuscaroras, were adherents of the king, and the land of the Senecas, preserved as it had been from appropria- tion or settlement by either French or English, and suffering little permanent injury from the hostile incursion of De Nonville's army in 1687, was the grainery and the place of refuge of the predatory bands of warriors that under the lead of Col. John Butler and other British officers ravaged the border towns in the eastern part of the State and in Pennsylvania, the fame of whose bloody deeds at Cherry Valley and Wyoming carried terror to patriot settlers and soldiers alike. It was to destroy this base of supplies for destructive incur- sions that General John Sullivan, in August and September, 1779, acting under orders from General Washington, the commander of the Continental armies, led an invading force up the Susquehanna and Chemung vallej's and into the very heart of the Seneca coun- try. Having united the division which he personally led with an- other that had entered the region by way of Schenectady and the Mohawk, Sullivan engaged and defeated an alHed force of British regulars and Senecas, led by Col. Butler and the great war chief THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 9 Brant, in a pitched and decisive battle at Newtown (now Elmira), but otherwise he was able to carry out his purpose without .blood- shed, though not the less ruthlessly. In this brief summer campaign Sullivan and his 5000 Conti- nentals instilled into the Iroquois mind an appreciation of the strength of the Patriot cause and taught the red men that the arm of General Washington was long to reach and strong to punish those who chose to do the bloody work of the Tories. The destruction of forty or more populous and well built villages, numer- ous ripening fields of grain, and large orchards, to say nothing of the loss in fighting strength suffered at Newtown, taught a lesson never forgotten. Foremost among the villages destroyed was Kanadesaga, which is described in the diaries of some of Sullivan's officers as a place of some fifty houses, with thirty more at a little distance, ar- ranged in an irregular manner with the stockade and the block houses erected by Sir William Johnson in 1756 in the center. In this village, reached b)'^ the arm)' on September 7, and like most of the others visited found deserted, was located also the "council .house" spoken of by the Rev. Samuel Kirtland on the occasion of his first visit to the Senecas in 1765. It was the capital or chief "Castle" of the Seneca nation at this time, and surrounding it, to quote the language of the late Mr. George S. Conover, of Geneva, the well known local historian, "Svere large apple orchards and extensive fields of growing corn, while half a mile north was a large peach orchard. Wild plums, mulberries, hickory nuts, walnuts and butternuts likewise grew in abundance." From this important In- "dian town, which had been the rendezvous of many expeditions sent out to pillage the border settlements, led trails giving easy communication with the Seneca villages as far westward as the Genesee and Niagara and down the Chemung and Susquehanna valleys, as well as to their settlements at the north and east. The great trail leading westward followed substantially the coui-se of what is now the "Turnpike," with the exception of a slight variation from the present village of Flint Creek to Canan- daigua lake, in which distance it bore. to the south and came out on the east shore of the last named lake. Crossing the outlet and continuing along the foot of the lake, the trail wound up the hill- side in a northwest direction to what General Sullivan called "the elegant town" or Castle of .Kanandarque. This village consisted of 10 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY some thirty houses, which like those at Kanadesaga, together with the vegetable gardens near by and orchards in the vicinity, were "immediately burned" (Sept. 10), and the army marched on the next day to the west, to the foot of Honeoye Lake, where was located a village of ten houses with its corn fields and orchards. General Sullivan extended his march and his work of devastation westward to the Genesee, and returning left behind him nothing but ruins and desolation. The order of General Washington "to lay waste all the settle- ments around, so that the country may not only be overrun but destroyed," had been faithfully carried out. It was a ruthle^ss, cruel work, but one absolutely necessary for the protection of the patriot settlements, and it was effectual. While a few small Seneca villages had been overlooked, the power of the Iroquois confederacy was forever broken. The spirit of the bloodthirsty allies of the Tories was humbled by the destruction of their homes and the larger portion of them scattered to the west- ward and settled anew in villages west of the Genesee, near the shores of Lake Erie, along the Alleghany and Niagara. The period of the Indian occupancy of Ontario county had passed. But the territory now embraced in Ontario county was never "occupied" by the Indians in the sense which that word carries as applied to its present population. Although there is evidence of numerous Seneca settlements in the county, the fact should not be accepted as indicating any general occupancy of the land. The settlements heretofore mentioned and many others of lesser size were of different periods. The relics which are found on their sites, varying as they do from those exclusively of the stone age to those that show an admixture of glass beads, iron hatchets and copper ornaments, with religious tokens and remnants of old muskets and sabers, all of European manufacture, prove to the discriminating student that some of these settlements were of great age, their whole history antedating the appearance of either the white trader, priest or soldier, while others clearly were more recent and of various periods. As it has heretofore appeared, the Iroquois was prac- tically a nomad. The severe climate in which he lived necessitated somewhat substantial shelters, but his dwellings were simple and quickly constructed out of the bark and branches that strewed the forest. He was a gregarious being, and for companionship with his kind or for protection against enemies, located his homes in THE INDIAN OCCUPANCY 11 groups of some size, but his household belongings were exceedingly limited and easily moved and he had no domestic animal except the dog. He moved his home to new ground, as the game upon which he largely existed retreated, the soil on which he raised his crops was exhausted by repeated harvests, or the forest was cleared of the litter with which he built his hres. These removals occurred every few years,, averaging every ten years perhaps, but the great forests that covered the region of which this is written did not at any one time shelter as many people as now make their homes in k single village or township. The part which the Iroquois played not only in the imagina- tion of the early settlers, but actually in their lives and in the his- toric struggles that marked the advance of the rival forces destined finally to possess and use the land, might lead to the conclusion that they were a large and organized people. Organized they were in a confederation remarkably efifective for both offense and defense, but the entire Six Nations never probably exceeded 20,000 souls, nor had a fighting force of more than 4,000. Of this force, the Senecas cons'tituted. the larger number. Wentworth Green- halgh in 1677, after careful personal investigation, said the Sene- cas had 1,000 warriors. Sir William Johnson in 1763, reported they had 1050. Missionary Kirtland in 1783, following their very disas- trous wars with the French, estimated that the Senecas had no more than 600 warriors. Following the war of the Revolution, in 1794, the Government found that there were then, all told, 1780 Senecas. In 1818 Jasper Parish said officially, "The population of the Six Nations of Indians is 4.S75." According to the United States census of 1890 the number of Iroquois then living in the States had grown to. 7387, while there were 8483 in Canada, mak- ing a total of 15,870. Of this number 5,239 were Hving in New York State, and 2767 of these were Senecas. 12 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY II. COMING OF THE WHITE MAN. French Traders and Priests the First White Men to Enter the Seneca Country— French Explorers and French Soldiers Fol- lowed — Sullivan Opened the Way for the Pioneers — Settlement Delayed by Disputes as to Title — The Phelps and Gorham Purchase — Sale of Land to Settlers. The first white man to enter the country of the Genesee was a French trader or a F'rench priest. Champlain in his explorations of 1615 penetrated the Iroquois country, but did not come further west than Oneida lake. In 1669 La Salle, with Fathers De Casson and Galinee, visited the principal Seneca Indian village, then twenty miles south of Irondequoit bay, and continued his journey to a burning spring, supposed to be that which is located near Bristol Center, Ontario county. The Marquis De Nonville, in July, 1687, in a campaign which was undertaken with the intent of punishing the Senecas for their alleged inhospit- able treatment of French traders, and of stopping their warlike in- vasions into New France, marched down from Irondequoit bay into the very heart of the Seneca country, and ambushed by the Indians at Gannagaro (Boughton Hill) engaged there in the only actual battle between armed forces known to have occurred in what is now Ontario county. But before these French explorers had spied out the country or these French cavaliers had performed their bloody task, white traders had followed the Indian trails and bought for beads and bullets and for that yet more seductive and destructive medium of barter, rum, the peltries which they in turn exchanged in the eastern markets for good coin of the realm. Before the soldier alsr», and certainly close on his heels, marched the devoted Jesuit fathers. At least Father Chaumonot is known to have visited the .Seneca towns as early as 1657, and in 1668 Father Fremin became a resident missionary among them, built a COMING OF THE WHITE MAN 13 chapel at Gandougarae on the Ganarqua (Mud Creek), and labored to teach them the truths of the Christian religion. In 1765, follow- nig the rise of English influence, the Rev. Samuel Kirkland, the first Protestant missionary to visit the Senecas, had extended his labors to Kanadesaga. At Geneva some white traders had settled, and Jemima Wilkinson and a tew followers had established themselves on the west bank of Seneca lake. y\t Catharinestown at the head of that lake were one or two white families. All else were Indians. Western New York was yet a wilderness. So for nearly three hundred 3'ears following the discovery of America by Columbus, Western New York remained in possession practically undisputed of the Seneca branch of the Iroquois con- federacy. Traders had bought what the Indians had for sale, Jesuit missionaries had preached and taught and incidentally burned, and French soldiers had destroyed the homes and the stores of grain of the aboriginal possessors, but the "long house" of the Six Nations remained unshaken, and while the tides of conquest and settlement swung around to the north and further to the west, this "Great Western Wilderness," as it was spoken of in the books of the time, remained practically a terra incognita to the white man. Western New York, thus protected against appropriation by the French, was saved to English immigration, the English tongue and the English faith. At least the strength of the Iroquois and their ability to save their Eden from invasion and appropriation by the recurring tides of immigration from the Old World remained unbroken until after the Colonies had declared their independence and were in the throes of revolution. Then in 1779 the Sullivan expedition forced its way into the very heart of the region and accomplished the double purpose of humbling the power of the cruel allies of the English king and of informing the hard)^ Continentals of the possibilities of the so-called "Wilderness" for new home making. The men from the rocky hillsides of New England were only incidentally soldiers. They were first and finally farmers and home makers, and they saw in the beautifully situated and fertile lands of Western New York a field that promised the largest rewards for industry and enterprise. As a consequence they carried back with them to their homes, after the war was over and the vic- tory won, lively recollections of this land of promise and hopes that could only be satisfied by the transfer of themselves and their fam- ilies to the west. 14 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY But ten years elapsed after the strength of the Senecas had been broken and Sullivan's soldiers had gone back to their homes before the work of actual settlement could begin. Following the war of the Revolution came first the doubts involved in the rival claims of New York and Massachusetts. These were not settled until December 16, 1786, when under the terms of the agreement effected at a convention of commission- ers, representing the two states, held at Hartford, Conn., Massachu- setts formally acknowledged the sovereignity and jurisdiction of New York OA^er all territory" lying west of the present east line of that state; and New York ceded to Massachusetts the preemption right, or fee of the land, subject to the title of the natives, to all that part of the state lying west of a line beginning at the 82nd milestone in the Penns3dA'ania boundary and running due north to Lake Ontario. This was the Preemption line famous in the sub- sequent history of Western New York. The title to all land west of this line, excepting only a twenty-mile wide strip east of the Niagara river, was ceded to Massachusetts, though thereafter to be a part of the State of New York. Massachusetts had it to sell, New York to govern. In .the tract thus disposed of was about six million acres of land. The interests of the region were involved later in the attempts of the so-called Lessee companies to acquire possession of the Iro- quois lands by 999 year leases, but the unlawful attempt was hap- pily foiled, and although the Massachusetts purchasers thought it wiser, or, perhaps, cheaper, to grant the "lessees" some concessions in compromise, they had only to secure the consent of the Indians in order to enter upon legal possession and begin the settlement of the lands for which they had contracted. Oliver Phelps, of Massachusetts, who had acted as a commis- sariat of the Continental forces during the Revolution and who had become interested in the stories told b}' the soldiers of Sullivan's army, had the sagacity to foresee that a land of such natural beauty and yielding so bountifully under the rude agriculture of the Indians, was destined to be the seat of a vast civilized population. He accordingly made arrangements with a number of friends to purchase a tract of a million acres. Later he became associated with Nathaniel Gorham, a prominent citizen of Massachusetts, who had made plans to a similar effect. In 1788, yet more associates were admitted in order to avoid unprofitable rivalry, and the company COMING OF THE WHITE. MAN 15 agreed to purchase of Massachusetts all the lands embraced in the cession of the preemption right from New York, the stipulated consideration being 300,000 pounds sterling, or about $1,000,000 in the depreciated paper currency of the state. The purchase was subject to the Indian title, and with the pur- pose of extinguishing this,/ Mr. Phelps, in July, 1788, made his first visit to the Genesee country. In a treaty, concluded at Buffalo creek, he finally succeeded in getting the red men to rehnquish possession of a tract of about 2,- 600,000 acres. This tract was the eastern part of that for whose purchase he and his associates had contracted with the State of Massachusetts. It embraced the land lying between the Preemp- tion line on the east, and, gen- erally speaking, the Genesee river on the west. For this domain, which was thereafter known as the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, Mr. Phelps agreed to pay the Indians $5,000 in cash and an an- nuity of $500 forever. Mr. Phelps found the country to more than meet his expecta- tions. As the officers of Sulli- van's army had described it in their several diaries, it was a heavily timbered country, with occasional clearings and here and there an Indian orchard, and cultivated fields on which the In- dians raised corn, beans, squash and 'watermelons. Mr. Phelps wrote to his associates, "You may rely upon it that it is a good country." Colonel Hugh Maxwell, who OLIVER PHELPS. Oliver Phelps was a native of Windsor, Conn. He served in the commissary depart- ment of the Colonial Army, and settling at Suil[ield, Mass., at the close of the Revolution, he held successively the oi!ices of Member of Assembly, State Senator, arid Member of the Governor's Council. He assisted in the organization of the Phelps and Gorham syndi- cate in 1788 and acted as the representative of that company in the exploration of the Genesee country and in negotiations for the extinction of the Indian title to the land. He removed to Canandaigua in 1802, and though disappointed through the failure of the land enterprise to yield the expected returns, he had a large part in .the development of this region. He served as First Judge of the Coun- ty from the date of its organization, 1789, until 1793, and he represented the western district of the State in the Ninth Congress, 1803-05. Jesse Hawley wrote of Mr. Phelps that he was "the Secrops of the Genesee Coun- try. Its inhabitants owe a mausoleum to his memory in gratitude for his having pioneered for them the wilderness of this Canaan of the West." He died in Canandaigua in 1809, aged 60 years. 16 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY had come on with Mr. Phelps and had begun under the latter's direction to survey the newly acquired land into townships, wrote to his family in Massachusetts, "The land in this country is exceed- ing good, but it wants good inhabitants." The first stakes had thus been driven in the white occupancy of Western New York. But at this juncture, after having settled with the Indians and set surveyors at work, and engaged choppers to cut a road through the woods from Fort Stanwix, Phelps and Gorham found themselves unable to carry out the contract they had made with the State of Massachusetts. The paper currency of the state was worth, at the time they made the contract, only about 20 cents on a dollar, but before pay day arrived its value had risen to nearly par, and in 1789, with the consent of the Massachusetts legislature, they relinquished their claim to all the original purchase, except that in which they had been able to extinguish the Indian title. In the running of the Preemption line, in 1788, a blunder, or more probably a fraud, was committed which was the occasion of much subsequent controversy and embarrassment, and resulted in the selection by Phelps and Gorham for their headquarters, of "a beautiful situation and good ground for a town plot," west of Can- andaigua lake outlet, instead of at Kanadesaga as first intended. The line which was run from the south was deflected toward the west at a point south of Seneca lake. This was accomplished, at the instigation, it is believed, of unscrupulous lessees, during the tempo- rary absence of Col. Hugh Maxwell, the surveyor representing the Massachusetts purchasers, and when the line was brought back to due north, previous to or at Col. Maxwell's return to the work, it had been shifted enough to the west to pass westward of Geneva. Though it is generally conceded that Col. Maxwell was entirely unconscious of the deviation in the line, it was early suspected. Oliver Phelps, in a letter to William Walker, the agent who had been sent into the new country to open at Canandaigua what is entitled to be known as the first office for the sale of land to settlers ever established in America, wrote, September 19, 1788; "I am still dissatisfied about our east line. I am sure it cannot be right." But it was not corrected and Geneva brought back into Ontario county until 1793. The "gore" between the true and the fraudulent Preemption lines contained 85,896 acres of land, and as the State of New York had promptly sold or granted the land up to the line which it COMING OF THE WHITE MAN. 17 supposed marked the limit of the Massachusetts preemption, much trouble followed the discovery of the surveyor's "mistake." The State and Captain Williamson acting for the association of Massa- chusetts purchasers cooperated to extinguish the claims of the owners of the land in question, and later the State settled with the latter by giving them from one and a half to six acres of public lands for each acre surrendered in the "gore." In the spring of 1789 Nathan- iel Gorham, Jr., Israel Chapin and a number of other pioneers en- tered the purchase, Agent Walker opened his land office, the survey was under way, and the influx of settlers had fairly begun. In their letter of instruction to Agent Walker under date of August 21, 1788, the managers of the company wrote that they ex- pected that the townships on the east Hne of the Purchase would sell at an average of Is 5d lawful money of Massachusetts per acre, "but," they added, "of that we cannot be quite competent judges until the townships are further explored; therefore you are to dispose of them (if any purchasers present) in the best manner you can, provided that the poorest township is not sold under one- sixth of a dollar per acre, referring the purchasers to us for the mode of payment unless they pay the money down. The lands upon the Genesee river are to be con- sidered as more valuable, and we think that they will undoubtedly average one-third of a dollar per acre; but as those townships will probably differ much in their value, the price will accordingly differ. NATHANIEL GORHAM. Nathaniel Gorham, the elder, who was the associate of Mr. Phelps in ilie management of the Phelps and Gorham property, and acted for the company in conferences with the Massachusetts State authorities and in the negotiations for the establishment of the Pre- emption line, was never a resident upon the Purchase. His home was in Charleston. Mass., where he was born in 1738. He died in Boston, Mass., in 1769. His son, Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., of whom unfortunately no por- trait is known to exist, came to Canandaigua in 1789 and acted as the agent of his father in the immediate management of the busi- ness of the company. He was an early Supervisor of th'e town, was President of the Ontario bank for a number of years, and held other important positions in the community. 18 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY We suppose the best clear flat will bring one dollar per acre, while some of the adjoining land may be very ordinary, but we cannot entertain an idea but they will average the one-third of a dollar per acre." He wrote that a great number of the best surveyors could be obtained to go into the new country at 9s per day and take their pay in lands, or at 7s 6d in cash. On October 5 of the same year. Agent AValker reported that he had sold "to Gen'l Chapin & Capt. Dickinson No. 10 first tier at Is lOd per acre, to Gen'l Chapin & Capt. Noble No. 11 second tier at Is lOd, and to the same Gentlemen No. 10 second tier at Is 8d, all N. York currency; have likewise sold to Messrs. Talmage and Bartle in No. 14 in the first tier about half a township, at Is 7d, all the cash to be paid 1st next May; a number of other towns are exploring by different gent'm in view of purchasing, in fine the prospects of a rapid settlement is as great as could be reasonably expected." In the wild land speculations that marked the history of this region ten years later, good farm land brought as high as $5 per acre, an enormous price considering the condition of the country and the lack of all means of transportation except that afiforded by ox teams over execrable roads or by bateaux on unreliable water courses. The speculators knew the land, however. It only needed their gift of imagination, or the exalted faith of a Col. Maxwell, to picture the future realities of this country. To the men from New England's rocky farms, the rich and tillable lands of Western New York had possibilities that warranted the paying of even $5 an acre for them. Col. Maxwell while engaged in the surveys of 1788 had written his wife back in Massachusetts: "I have no doubt that in the course of a verjr few years there will be many worshipping assemblies of Christians where now the wild beasts howl, and that the time is not far distant when this wildness shall blossom as the rose." Col. Maxwell was a veteran of the Revolution, and 55 years old when he wrote thus enthusiastically. But before the value of the lands in their purchase came to be widely appreciated, and before, even, they could be advantaged by the wave of speculation referred to, Phelps and Gorham found them- selves unable from the proceeds of the sales to settlers to meet their maturing obligations and proceed with the allotment. The}' therefore availed themselves of the opportunity that offered in COMING OF THE WHITB: MAN. 19 MAP OF THE PHELPS AND GORHAM PURCHASE. This map shows the Phelps and Gorham purchase as it was between 1802 and 1806 It is a reduced facsimile of the rare original and is the n.ost correct map extant of the Phelps and Gorham purchase. 20 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY August, 1790, to dispose of the unsold part of their land, embracing something more than one-half the purchase, and reserving only two specified townships, No. 10 of the 3d Range and No. 9 of the 7th Range, the two comprising about 47,000 acres, to Robert Morris, the great financier of the Revolution. Mr. Morris paid for the 1,267,569 acres thus acquired at the rate of eight pence half penny per acre, Massachusetts currenc)^, or between eleven and twelve cents per acre in U. S. money. He sent his son, Thomas Morris, to Canandaigua to look after the property, but almost immediately his agent in London sold it entire to an English syndicate, composed of Sir William Pulteney, John Hornby, and Patrick Colquhoun. The latter paid 75.000 pounds sterling (about $333,000) for the land, a price that netted a good profit for Mr. Morris. The new owners placed the control and title of the property in the hands of Charles Williamson, a naturalized citizen, who settled in Bath and to whose wise and energetic management is due much of the credit for the subsequent development of the region. He was a member of the Legislature from Ontario county for three years following 1796, and in 1795 he was appointed a judge of the county. Almost simultaneously with this sale to the English company, Mr. Morris purchased of the .State of Massachusetts all the land west of the Genesee river which was embraced in the original purchase of Phelps and Gorham, but which the latter relinquished. He sold all but about 500,000 acres of the last mentioned tract to the Holland Company in 1792. and '93, conditioned upon the extinguishment of the Indian title. This last was brought about in 1797. Thus at last the title to all of Western New York had passed from Massachusetts to private ownership, and barring only about 3,500 square miles of reservation, the Indians had surrendered to the same interests their claim upon the land. The era of the aboriginal in Western New York had fina'ly closed and that of the white man had opened. thp: first settlement. 21 III. THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. A Party of Pioneers from Massachusetts Enter the Genesee Country by an All- Water Route — Their Settlement at Ganan- daigua — Israel Chapin Appointed Indian Agent by President Washington — A Period of Apprehension — The Pickering Treaty of 1794. Into the Great Western Wilderness, as Central and Western New York was then called, early in May, in 1789, there came a little party of New Englanders,. bent upon spying out the land and making homes and, mayhap, fortunes for themselves and their kin. Loading their goods into bateaux at Schenectady, they paddled and poled their rtide craft,- against the current, up the Mohawk to Fort Stan- wix (now Rome); then carried boats and goods over a portage of a n.ile to Wood creek; thence floated down this little stream to Oneida lake, and through the lake and down its outlet to the junc- tion with the Oswego river; then up stream again toward Onondaga lake, into and through the Seneca river, Clyde river, and finally into the Canandaigua lake outlet. At Little Falls, the flat-bottomed boats and their contents were carried around by wagons. They were again transported overland at the Fort Stanwix portage, and at Seneca Falls and Manchester there were yet other unloadings and carries. It was a picturesque and interesting, if an arduous, journey, and we may be sure that those who thus gained entry into the region through which Sullivan's army had ravaged ten years before, found in the forest that bordered the streams, the glades and marshes, tinged with the varying greens of bur.sting buds, and lighted by the pussy willow and the shad bush, and in the beautiful lake into which they finally floated, a panorama that met their fondest anticipations. Dr. Jabez Campfield, of the Sullivan expedition, had 22 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. not overdrawn the attractions of the country when he set down in his journal that it was "equal to any in ye world." Though this water route was deemed entirely practicable, or boatable, as it was expressed in a letter written at the time, having been explored by General Chapin and Agent Walker the Septem- ber previous, and a road having been cut yet later in the season, through the woods, for a carry around the rapids at Manchester, yet this is believed to have been the only part)'^ of immigrants who ever ascended through the outlet into the lake itself. Boats there- after came only as far as Man- chester, and thence their contents were transported overland to Can- andaigua. Augustus Porter, who had contracted with some of the purchasers of land to survey the same, and who came on ten or fifteen days later than the party above described, relates that it was a year of universal scarcity among the Indians. Indeed, he says, they were almost reduced to starvation, owing probably to an unusual fall of snow the winter previous and the consequent scarcity of game. Perhaps it was the flood following this snow that made the outlet, in the spring of 1789, unusually navigable. The leader of this party of pioneers, which included, also, Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., Frederick Saxton, Benjamin Gardner, Daniel Gates, and a number of others, was Israel Chapin, of Hat- iield, Mass., the man who was destined to become the strong man of the projected capital of the Phelps and Gorham purchase. Israel Chapin was of Welch ancestry, and belonged to a family that was numerously and prominently represented in Colonial life. AUGUSTUS PORTER. Augustus Porter first entered the Phelps and Gorham purchase in 1789, when he was about 20 years of age, for the purpose of making a survey of Township No. 10 in the Fourth Uange (now East Bloomfield). A year later he entered the service of Oliver Phelps as agent in making surveys and sales of lands, and in 1792 assisted Andrew Elli- cott: United States Surveyor General, in re- surveying and correcting the Preemption line. Mr. Porter moved to Niagara Falls about the year 1806 and died there in 1864. THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. 23 There were no less than one hundred and four Chapins who served in the War of the Revohition. Israel Chapin was born in Grafton, Mass., December 4, 1740. He subsequently became a resident of Hatfield, in the same county. As to his earlier years, little can be ascertained, but that they were such as to command the respect and confidence of his townspeople, is evidenced by the fact that from 1762, when he was only 22 years of age, to 1787, when he became interested in the Phelps and Gorham purchase, there was hardly a year but what he was elected to some town office. When Paul Revere carried the news from Lexington on a certain historic night, he was captain of a company of Minute Men who responded to the alarm, and though it does not appear that he stood among the embattled farmers at Concord the next day, it may be presumed that he wished he did. This irregular service lasted only seven days, but he enlisted in the Patriot army on the 27th of April, 1775. He was at Saratoga at the surrender of Burgoyne, in 1777, and the same year attained the rank of Major. In October of that year he became a Lieutenant Colonel, and, in February of the year following. Colonel in the Massachusetts militia ; then he acted as Brigadier General, was in the campaign against Quebec, and was honorably discharged November 21, 1779. Turner says that in addition to his services in the field during tlie Revolution, General Chapin was occasionally a sub-contractor, or agent of Oliver Phelps, in purchasing supplies for the army. On one occasion he was requested by Mr. Phelps to obtain a "fine yoke of fat cattle for General Washington's table." Following the purchase of western land from the State of Massachusetts, April 1, 1788, General Chapin was appointed by the associates in the enterprise to explore the country, and upon the return of Mr. Phelps from his journey to Kanadesaga and Niagara, in the early summer, and the purchase by Mr. Phelps from the Indians of the tract between the Preemption line and the Genesee river (the so-called Phelps and Gorham purchase), he came into the country for the first time. William Walker, appointed to the office of local agent, was here also, and the two men, in September, explored the practicability of the outlet as a means of communica- tion with the East, began the cutting of a road through the woods from Kanadesaga to Canandaigua and thence to the Genesee, started surveyors upon the work of mapping the tract, located the 24 HISTORY OP^ ONTARIO COUNTY. site of what was to become the village of Canandaigua, and erected a small log house there for the storage of supplies. Then, as Agent Walker reported, "the season being so far advanced, and the difliculty of erecting buildings in any degree comfortable for our- selves, and the large number of purchasers who present themselves so great," the)- decided to return east and wait until the next spring before establishing themselves on The Chosen Spot. The founding of the settlement at Canandaigua was made at a time of gravest danger. Pressed further and further into the wilderness by the constantly augmenting influx of white settlers, the Indians were naturally restless. As one of the squaws, per- mitted to participate in the Pickering Council, expressed it, they had been "pressed and squeezed together until it gave them a great pain at their hearts." Their passions were inflamed by the rum deait out to them in the clinching of every bargain and the negotia- tion of every treaty, as well as in the purchase of their peltry. They were confused by the conflicting claims of State and National governments. They were dissatisfied with the amount of money received in payment for their lands. They were urged by the unscrupulous lessees to repudiate their contracts with the whites, and they were made arrogant and unmanageable by news of the uprising of their brothers in the West. It was at this critical juncture, when council after council had been held without avail, and restlessness might at any time break out into open hostilities, that the Secretary of War, General Knox, selected General Chapin, then the leading citizen of the settlement at Canandaigua, as the man for the hour, and appointed him to the office of Deputy Superintendent of the Six Nations. His commission to this service was dated April, 1792. The letter from Secretary Knox appointing General Chapin to this highly responsible position urged the latter to impress upon the Indians that it was the "firm determination of the United States that the utmost fairness and kindness should be exhibited to them. That it was not only his desire to be at peace with all the Indian tribes, but to be their guardian and protector against all injustice." In a ."subsequent letter of instruction, the Secretary wrote that it was the ardent desire of the President that a "firm peace should be established with the neighboring tribes of Indiarjs, on such pure principles of justice and moderation as will enforce the approbation of the dispassionate and enlightened part of mankind." But, the THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. 25 t ' ' . k — :xi-~-^\ ^fy yf^-i^t a u in i/t ■2,u g _"S'3 ,5 > O 4) ^ C in . C J- w C « o oj: o .■pl- Mioses ^ 1- CO t3 «(/: ^ O S^- 8 a r .-1 C 4* " O > o H JiO o -* ■ 4) 4) j: ^ J3 j: m > „ i- . " U M * Z -o Eo c o articipated in various Indian councils, includ- ing that held in Canandaigua in 1794. Went on the war-path" for the British cause in 1779, and in the struggle of 1812 took the American side, b\it in neither garned fame as a wiarrior. Wore with pride a large silver medal presented to him by President Washington at Philadelphia in 1793. His remains now lie in Forest Lawn at Buffalo and above them stands a marble monument, which is surmounted by a bronze statue of "The Cicero of Indian Fame." a treaty satisfactory to all parties was duly signed and the gathering- dispersed. The treaty thus concluded brightened the two rusty places in the chain of friendship, as picturesquely described by the Indian i2 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. orators. It restored to the Senecas the land west of a hne drawn due south from the mouth of Buffalo creek and now embraced in Chautauqua and' portions of Cattaraugus and Erie counties. This made their western boundarj^ the shore of Lake Erie and the Niagara river, the Government onlv reserving the use of a strip along that river for a road between the lakes. The Senecas on their part surrendered claim to the triangle at Presque Isle, which it appeared their chief Cornplanter had disposed of without authority, and with- out accounting for the proceeds, to the State of Pennsylvania. They also had their annuity increased from $1,500 to $4,500, and there was distributed among them, at the conclusion of the council, goods valued at $10,000. The result, as we know, was entirely satisfactory. From that time on there was no serious disagreement between the whites and the people of the Six Nations. Throughout the Pickering Council, General Chapin was an important figure. He occupied a seat of honor beside the Com- missioner at every session. His home was the center of abounding hospitality. He was the recognized almoner of the Government. It is not recorded that he made a single speech, but at every step his great influence over the Indians was exerted to bring their vacillation to an end. to keep them in good humor, to straighten out their grievances, and finally to secure their signatures to the treaty. As an instance of what was constantly taking place in the Chapin door yard during the progress of this council, the following is quoted from P'riend Savery's journal: "14th of the Tenth month— -The party of Senecas, headed by the Farmer's Brother, Little Billy, etc., having arrived, last evening, within four miles, were expected this afternoon ; but having to paint and ornament themselves before their pubHc entry, they did not arrive till 3 o'clock this afternoon. The Oneidas, Cayugas, and Onondagas were drawn up, dressed, and painted, with their arms prepared for a salute, before General Chapin's door. The men able to bear arms marched in, assuming a good deal of importance, and drew up in a line facing the Oneidas, etc. Colonel Pickering, General Chapin, and many white people being present. The Indians fired three rounds which the other Indians answered by a like number, making a long and loud echo through the woods. Their commanders then ordered them to form a circle around the Commissioner and General Chapin ; then, sitting down on the THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. 33 ground, they delivered a speech, through the Farmer's Brother, and returned the strings of wampum which were sent them when they were requested to come to the treaty. Colonel Pickering answered PICKERING TREATY MEMORIAL. , This boulder monument, commemorating the council held by Colonel Timothy Pickering and other representatives of the United States Government' with the Six Nations, at Canandaigua, in the summer of 1794, was erected in 1902 by Dr. Dwight R. Burrell, an officer of the Ontario County Historical 'Society. It is a granitle boulder weighing approximately 30 tons, ajid is located on the Court House Square. them in the usual complimentary manner, and ordered several kettles of I'um to be brought, after drinking which they dispersed, and went to prepare their camp. Each chief delivered a bundle of sticks, answerable to the number of persons, men, women, and children, under his command, which amounted to 472. They made a truly terrific and warlike appearance." The following day 1,600. Indians had assembled, and this number was afterwards increased. It was indeed a remarkable gathering of red men, including not only those noted, but also Red Jacket, the famous orator; Corn- planter, equally famous as a war chief; Little Beard, Fish Carrier, Clear Sky, and many others. Jemima Wilkinson was dfawn to the settlement by the event, and with Colonel Pickering, William Savery and others, ■was entertained by young Thomas Morris. Jasper Parrish, as the official interpreter, was Superintendent Chapin's most efficient coadjutor^ 34 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The conferences of the Indians, clad in all their savage finery, about the big council fires: the repeated adjournments made necessary by the drunkenness of the chiefs and sachems ; the denounc- ing by Colonel Pickering of a white man named Johnson as a British spy; the bursts of eloquence by Red Jacket and other gifted sons of the forest; their visits of ceremony upon each other and upon the distinguished officers of the Government ; the busy life in the camps that were pitched in the woods surrounding the village and that consisted of rough tepees of bark and boughs ; the horse racing, dancing, and other sports that filled in many of the leisure hours; the meetings for worship and praise conducted in the forest by the Godly Quakers on every First day; the falling of seven or eight inches of snow on the 25th of October; the killing of a hundred deer in one day within a few miles of the village^these were some of the picturesque events of the great council. The treaty was written on parchment and signed in duplicate by about fifty of the sachems and war chiefs. In a letter to the Secretary of War in the month following the signing of the Pickering treaty, December, 1794, General Chapin wrote: "My journe)'^ to LeBoeuf, I shall ever believe, was the means of preventing the Six Nations from lending their assistance to their "Western brothers, as they term them ; and in which I got my present sickness, from which I am fearful I shall never recover. But, believe me, sir, to be useful to the frontier upon which I live and my country in general, has been the prevailing object of my pursuits." The forebodings of the patriot in reference to his health proved too well founded. He continued to decline until the 7th of March, 1795, when he breathed his last. He was 54 years of age. The news of his illness and death was received with profound sorrow, not only throughout the region to whose interests he had devoted six strenuous years of his life, but at the National Capital also, where his services to the country were known and appreciated. The Indians, too, grieved over his departure as that of a true friend. At a council held in Canandaigua soon after his death. Red Jacket made a speech, in the course of which, addressing Captain Israel Chapin, the General's son, and Captain Jasper Parrish, his inter- preter, he said : "I wish you to pay attention to what I have to say. We have lost a good friend ; the loss is as great to us as to you. We consider THE FIRST SETTLEMENT. 35 that we of the Six Nations, as well as the United States, have met with a great loss. A person that we looked up to as a father, a person appointed to stand between us and the United States, we have lost, and it gives us great uneasiness. He has taken great pains to keep the chain of friendship bright between us and the United States; now that he has gone, let us prevent that agreeable- ness and friendship, which he has held up between us and the United States, from failing. "Brothers, it has been customary among the Six Nations, when they have lost a great chief, to throw a belt in his place after he is dead and gone. We have lost so many of late that we are destitute of a belt, and in its place present you with these strings of wampum. "Brothers, as it is a custom handed down to us by our fathers, to keep up the good old ancient rules ; now we visit the grave of our friend, we gather leaves and strew them over the grave, and endeavor to banish grief from our minds as much as we can." The chiefs then directed that a message be sent to the Presi- dent informing him that the "person whom he had appointed for us to communicate our minds to, has left us and gone to another world. He with greatest care communicated our minds to the great council fire." The message also asked that the General's son, Captain Israel Chapin, be appointed to the office made vacant by the former's death. This was done, and the son faithfully carried on the work laid dowm by the father. ■36 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. IV. " THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." The Organization of Ontario County Cotemporaneous with the Election of Washington as President of the United States — Its Original Princely Domain — Unsuccessful Effort to Set It Off in a New State — Other Counties Erected from Its Original Territory — Rapid Settlement and Development. The six hundred and fort)-^ square miles of territory now embraced in the county of Ontario has had a varied history. When first known to white men, it was, as we have seen, in the jealous and undisputed possession of the Seneca Indians. Then when the dis- putes growing out of the conflicting grants of the English kings had been settled, and the Indian title, by hook or crook, by sword or treat)', had been extinguished, which was cotemporaneous with the adoption of the Federal constitution, it found itself a part of the sovereign State of New York, but .owned by a syndicate of Massa- chusetts capitalists, the Phelps and Gorham Company. In 1789, within three weeks after the election of George Washington as the first President of the United States, the region referred to assumed the name Ontario and became the fifteenth county of the State of New York. Before that and since the adop- tion of the State constitution, it had been a part of Montgomery county, which, if Ontario is to be known as the Mother of Counties, should be hailed as the Grandmother of Counties, for it formerly constituted all the State west of the Delaware river and a line extending north through Schoharie and along the east lines of the present counties of Montgomery, Fulton and Hamilton, continued in a straight line to Canada. It included territory that is now comprised in not less than thirty-six counties. And to go back another generation, Albany was the great-grandmother of coun- ties. Up to 1772 it embraced everything within the colony of New 'THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES.' Z7 38 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. York north and west of its present limits, and at one time also the whole of Vermont. But to return to our subject. The Mother of Counties, Ontario, contained in 1789, all the State west of the Preemption hne, including both the Phelps and Gorham and the Morris or Holland purchases. It had an estimated area of six million acres, and a year later, in 1790, the Federal census showed that it had a total white population of 1075, or something less than one five- thousandth of a man, woman and child to the acre. The legislative act by which Ontario county was organized provided that "Whereas the County of Montgomery is so extensive as to be inconvenient to those who now are, or may hereafter settle, in the western part of the county," all that part described should thereafter be "one separate and distinct county, and be called and known b)' the name of Ontario." Whether there were heartburnings over this division of Mont- gomery county, or whether the citizens in its more thickly populated eastern portion resented, the presumption of the handful of pioneers who had settled in Canandaigua and other border towns and desired to set up by themselves, neither record nor tradition states. Prob- ably the easterners were quite content to let go a territory so remote, so difficult of access, and so much of a wilderness. But General Chapin and the other men who were directing the organi- zation of government in these border towns were soon holding elections, levying taxes, and erecting public buildings. Within three years after the organization of the new county, provision had been made for raising the sum of 600 pounds for building a court house and gaol at "Canadagua," with the additional sum of "one shilhng in the pound for collecting the same." One of the first and most threatening problems with which the organizers of the county of Ontario had to deal was that involved in the attempt to make it a part of a new and distinct common- wealth to be set ofif from New York State. This ambitious project was involved, it is believed, in the original operations of the lessee companies alluded to in a preced- ing chapter. The parent of these companies, "The New York Genesee Land Company," organized by men of wealth residing in the eastern part of the State, first sought to nulhfy the agreement made at the Hartford convention of December 16, 1786, through long term leases made with the unsophisticated sons of the forest "THE MOTHER Of COUNTIES." 39 then acknowledged to be in actual possession of the land. On November 30, at a council held at Kanadesaga, the land company- induced the sachems or chiefs of the .Six Nations to lease to it all the land in the State west of the Preemption line, for a period of 999 years, for an annual rental of two thousand Spanish milled dollars. By means of this lease the company sought to acquire and hold possession of the lands to which Massachusetts had been accorded the preemption right of purchase from the Indians. But the bcheme failed. The lease was at once pronounced null and void by Governor Clinton, and he was empowered to use the force of the State if necessary to prevent intrusion or settlement upon the lands claimed by the lessees. It was following this miscarriage of their plot, and after they had thankfully accepted in compromise a ten mile square grant on the Military tract in the northern part of the State, that the gentle- men of the land company revealed or revived what from the start was probably their real purpose. Then agents of the company sought to enlist the residents in the Genesee tract, title to which in the meantime had been lawfully acquired by the Phelps and Gorham Company, in a movement to set up a new State. John Livingston and Caleb Benton, two of the intriguers, issued a circular calling upon the people to hold meetings and sign petitions for the erection of a new State to embrace the whole of central and western New York, including the then existing counties of Otsego, Tioga, Herkimer, and Ontario. This attempt to organize a movement of secession met with no encouragement. At a meeting held at "Canandarqua," November 8, 1793, at which "all the Judges and Assistant Judges, and a large Majority of the Justices of the Peace, together with all the inhabi- tants, convened from different parts of the County on that Occasion," were present, and at which Hon. Timothy Hosmer, first judge of the county, acted as chairman and Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., as secretary, pubHc sentiment found expression in the adoption of resolutions resenting "the ill timed and improper attempt." These resolutions set forth "the impossibility of the proposed State's defraying expenses of the most moderate government that can be devised," pointed out "the impolic)'^ as well as injustice of raising by enormous taxes on uncultivated lands such a revenue or of devoting to those expenses property purchased under the faith of the States of New York and Massachusetts, and of drawing into 40 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. "THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." 41 our flourishing county people that such iniquitous measures would attract," recommended to the promoters of the scheme "to persuade some more laudable mode of gratifying their ambition and to desist from proceedings altogether hostile to our interests and welfare," and urged those intrusted with the administration of the State to take "the most vigorous measures to suppress any of the attempts made to destroy- the peace and quiet of this county." The attempt miserably failed, but naturally was for the time the subject of the most excited discussion both at Geneva and Canandaigua, then the most important villages in the western part of the State. As might be expected on the part of men of their temperament and their enterprise, the Ontario politicians opposed strenuously the attempts soon after made to subdivide the county, but despite their efforts to this end, carried into the Legislature itself, they were compelled to consent in 1796 to the setting ofif of Steuben county, in which Williamson, the enterprising agent of the Pulteney syndicate, had established his headquarters, and where he was laymg the foundations of what he planned to make the Metropolis of Western New York. Steuben county had a population at that time of not much over 1,000, but doubled it within the next four years. Ontario's first born was a lusty youngster, and like her younger sisters has continued to grow in comeliness and strength to this day. In March, 1802, Ontario was again deprived of a big slice of territory, it being then enacted that all that part of theState situated west of the main stream of the. Genesee river and the western boundary of Steuben should constitute the county of Genesee. Neither the local histories nor the legislative journals, so far as examined, contain mention of opposition to this dismemberment, but opposition there mvist have been, in the market place where tradesmen and politicians congregated, if not in more formal public assemblage. Here we may note the wonderful rapidity with which the western wilderness was being settled. Ontario had a population of only 1075 the year following her erection. Ten years later, in IcSOO, in spite of the loss of Steuben, she had 15,218. In 1802, as we have seen, Genesee was set off, but in 1810 what was left of Ontario's original territory bore a population of over 42,000 people, and 42 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. CM Qt 2S < 'S Oi-l & 15 "THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." 43 Genesee had 12,588. In ten years the territory embraced in the two counties had increased in population nearly 400 per cent. The next successful attempt to deliver Ontario of a county was made in 1821, when both Livingston and Monroe were formed from territory theretofore embraced in Ontario and Genesee, bvit in the meantime there had been one or more abortive attempts. One in 1806 elicited much discussion in the newspapers and at pubUc meetings, and presumably in the streets. A correspondent who signed himself "Civis," in the Ontario Repository of December 16, that year,, discussed a proposed organ- ization of a new county "to consist partly of territory which now belongs to this," referred to the fact that neighboring towns take different sides of the question, and stated that such discussions, especially when public, generally become "intemperate and result in bickerings and hatred." There was evidently discussion as to the most desirable shape for a county establishment, and "Civis" admitted that a square shape was the best, but argued that "circum- stances may exist in many cases of sufficient weight to render other shapes most convenient." It was proposed at this time that the western tier of towns of Ontario be separated and together with the eastern tier of Genesee be erected into a county, to contain it was estimated a population of 4,650. "Civis" referred to the fact that the year before a portion of the county applied to be incorpor- ated with Seneca, but he argued that it was "a misfortune to the peace of a free country to have those of ^ts civil divisions small which demand the appointment of numerous officers who have considerable authority and salaries." "Civis" went on to intimate that those who advocated the change did so for the advantage of the section where the court house is to be erected and county offices established, and said : "One fights for it because the turnpike crosses his lands, another because it does not cross his ; one because he has a grudge against his neighbor who opposes it, and many on account of the affability and condescension of their superiors who are interested in it." On the 23d of December in the same year, 1806, the Repository, under the heading "Another New County," reported that it was proposed to organize a county of "Williamson" out of the towns of Sodus and Phelps, Ontario county, and that part of Seneca lying north of the outlet of Seneca lake. In response to a published call, "a meeting of respectable 44 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. 3x:; 00 Mm*]- T-1 ^ E^jaT ri a ca « 1 2S w^ O ° « O ;:ftra < '-s ^^ H 0) -5ftt 2 wi ll^M o -^ 1;^; X SSk fe.S? '^r O i-J *?==?ji t3 IS O .H y -o i^^ WG sP^ ffi ffS?! H "THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." 45 inhabitants of Canandaigua and several other towns of the county of Ontario convened at Bates Hotel, Canandaigua, for the purpose of concerting measures to oppose the several apphcations v^^hich w^ere about to be made to the Legislature for divisions of said county. Thaddeus Chapin being voted chairman and Myron Holley clerk, it was resolved unanimously that any division of said county would be highly inexpedient arid therefore every plan to effect such division ought to be opposed." Nathaniel W. Howell, Peter B. Porter, and Myron HoUey were appointed a committee to draft a remonstrance to be presented to the Legislature. For nearly two decades following the erection of Genesee county in 1802, these attempts to further deprive Ontario county of terri- tory were unsuccessful. In 1821, A'ery likely through some bargain or combination of interests among the Rochester and Geneseo politicians, Monroe and Livingston were set ofif, each taking also some of the Genesee county territory. It is noteworthy, as indi- cating the probability of a combination, that the two enactments effecting this further shrinkage of Ontario's area were adopted on the same day, February 23, with the approval of the so-called Council of Revision (the Governor and the Chancellor and Judges of the Supreme Court). The Academy in Geneseo was designated as the court house of Livingston county, but the question of locat- ing the shire town in Monroe county was left to commissioners. At this time, 1821, it appears from the legislative journals, there was yet another attempt to deprive the county of territory, for we find that Assemblyman Charles E. Dudley, of Albany, chair- man of a select committee to which was referred a bill designed to erect a new county, to be. known as "Hancock," reported favorably to the proposition. This report argued that after the cession of the towns on the west side embraced in Monroe and Livingston, Ontario still had a population of 60,000 and that "the time must come at some period not distant if not here" when "for the convenience and interest of the inhabitants" other new counties should be created from its territory. This report went on to declare that "whene;ver a compact population, approximating 20,000 inhab- itants and with convenient territory, are unanimously in favor of organizing a new count)', a proper regard to the principles of Republican gGverrijnent and to the maxim that all citizens of such government are entitled to equal political privileges, requires that the Legislature should grant aid;" and, therefore, "the committee 46 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. "THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." 47 being convinced in spite of the remonstrances received that a majority of the people directly interested want the erection of a newr county," recommended that "the relief sought for several years" should then be granted. Gideon Granger, the senior, then one of the members of the State Senate from the western district, voted, and presumably talked, "No," and the bill was defeated in the upper house by a vote of 15 to 14 (February 24, 1821). / In 1823, however, two more sections of Ontario's shrunken area were cut off, a part on the southeast being erected into the county of Yates, and the towns of Lyons, Sodus, Williamson, Ontario, Palmyra and Macedon, and a part of Phelps were united to the Seneca towns of Wolcott and Galen to form the new county of Wayne (April 11, 1823). To make our record of the successive changes in the conforma- tion of Ontario county complete, we must not-neglect to state that it had two small accessions of territory in the earlier years of existence as an independent civil division. On February 21, 1791, while it still had the magnificent proportions of the original Mass- achusetts cession, a strip of Montgomery' county west of Seneca lake was annexed. This was the "Gore," which through a fault in the original survey was omitted from the first plotting of the county. The "Gore" now constitutes parts of Ontario, Yates and Schuyler ^counties. A small tract in the fork of Crooked, or Keuka lake, was taken back from Steuben county, February 25, 1814. This also is now a part of Yates county. The process of dismemberment, or division, so far as it related to- the territory that had succeeded through these many vicissitudes in retaining the name of Ontario county, was suspended with the birth of Wayne in 1823. The process, for the time at least, had gone far enough. Ontario was mother to enough daughters. In the period of thirty-four years in which it had been going on, not less than six counties had been erected directly, in whole or in part, from Ontario territory, and b}' 1854, when the youngest grand- daughter, Schuyler, was organized, the family group that calls her mother and grandmother had grown to the proportions it has since maintained — fourteen counties. That period of thirty-four years, ending with 1823, had been great with promise for the region under consideration. Its popu- lation had increased from a little more than a thousand in the year 48 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. following its organization as the county of Ontario to the great aggregate of 217,000; the beginnings of two of the country's great cities, Buffalo and Rochester, had been made within its limits, each being a village of something over 2,000 inhabitants in 1820; thriving villages, with churches, academies, public schools, banks, newspapers, and taverns, had sprung up in every part of the domain ; the forest had made way for grass and grain fields of large extent; mills for the grinding of their products were erected; high- ways were laid out ; a thriving, enterprising and growing population was established in comfortable homes; and the Erie canal, which was to provide means of transportation to the seaboard for the people of those homes and for the products of their mills and fields, had been brought to within two years of completion. In those thirty-four years the Great Western Wilderness had been subdued and was a wilderness no longer, but after all they were years of promise only, and the most prophetic eyes could hardly see in them the marvelous realization on which we look. In the ninety years that have since elapsed the population of what was the original Ontario county has grown to over a million and a quarter of people, a population exceeding that of the whole State of Maryland, and that of either one of eighteen other States of the Union ; the two villages of Buffalo and Rochester, with 2,000 inhabitants each, have become (1910) cities of 423,715 and 218,149, respectively; the Erie canal has been completed, and is now practically superseded by a railroad system that better serves the public need, but that in turn is threatened by the competition of the rapidly extending trolley lines; petroleum and electricity for lighting, the telegraph, the telephone, and a thousand other discov- eries and inventions, now so common that we forget our grand- fathers were without them, have all come within these few years. The present Ontario county, insignificant as are its proportions as compared with those it had at organization, is not by any means unworthy of the name it bears. Though shorn of so much of its original territory, it is still the Chosen Spot of Western New York, and deserves the honorable fame it is accorded, its population being 52,286, according to the Federal census of 1910. 'THE MOTHER OF COUNTIES." 49 The First Census. Under the statute of January 27, 1 789, by which Ontario was set off from Montgomery, the justices of the Court of Sessions were authorized to divide the county into districts as they should deem expedient. The primitive division, Turner states, constituted five districts, as follows : "District of Canandaigua," "District of Tol- land," "District of Sodus," "District of Seneca," and "District of Jerusalem." For one or two j'ears this division was little more than nominal, except in the district of Canandaigua whose organi- zation in efjfect included the entire county. At the time of the census of 1790, however, according to the returns of the Assistant United States Marshal, General Amos Hall, Ontario county included the four "towns" of Canandaigua, Erwin, Genesee, and Jerusalem, and had a total population of 1075, with an enumeration of 204 heads of families, including 11 slaves. Of this number the town or .district of Canandaigua, which must have comprised the greater part of what is now the county of Ontario, had 88 heads of families, two slaves, and a total population of 464. The heads of families as listed bv General Hall were as follows: Latty, James Benton, David Wheeton, Samuel Rice, Smith, David Pierce, Phineas Forsyth, Easther Smith, Thomas Smith, Harry Barden, Thomas Reed, Seth, Esq. Whitney, Jonathan Warner, Solomon Okes, Kilbourn, Joseph Whitcomb, John Stevens, Phineas Tuttle, Benjamin Robinson, John D. Granger, Pierce Briggs, Francis ; Pierce, Michael Tibbet, Benjamin Hall, William Potter, Arnold Gates, Daniel Sweets, Warren, Thomas Chapin, Israel, Jr. Piatt, Day, Sweet, Phelps, Ezza Gorham, Nathaniel, Jr., Esq. Sanbourne, Nathaniel Fellows, John Smith, Joseph Fish, James D. Chapin, Genl. Israel Clark, John Dudley, Martin Bates, Phineas Walker, Caleb Colt, Judah, Esqr. Barlow, Abner Brainard, Daniel Holcomb, Seth Brocklebank, James Castle, Lemuel Wells, Benjamin Freeman, John Lapum, Abraham Hathaway, Isaak Harrington, Nathan McCumber, John Harrington, Joshua Smith, Elijah Pane, John Smith, Jacob Russel, John Camstock, Nathan, Reed, Israel Allen, Reuben Herard, Webb White, Comstock, Daniel Smith, Jereme Wilder, Gamaliel Wilder, Ephraim Rice, Aaron Spencer, Aaron Goodwin, James Goodwin, William Fisher, Nathaniel Fellows, Genl. John Rice, Ephraim Rice, Lot Hubble, Matthew Barns, John Chapin, Oliver Norton, Nathaniel Addams, John Rogers, Michael Sage, Allen Boughton, Seymour Boughton, Gerard Norton, Zebulon Taylor, Elijah 50 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Formation of the Towns. The county of Ontario as now constituted contains sixteen towns and a city, as follows : Bristol, Canadice, Canandaigua, East Bloomfield, F'annington, Geneva, Gorham, Hopewell, Manchester, Naples, Phelps, Richmond, Seneca, South Bristol, Victor, and West Bloomfield, and the city of Geneva. The territory embraced in the present limits of the county was originally laid out in towns as follows : Bristol, Canandaigua, Bloomfield, Farmington, Easton, Burt, Middletown, Phelps, Pitts- town, and Seneca, all of which were formed under an act of the Legislature of 1789. Subsequent changes in the names and boundaries of the towns were as follows: The town of Easton became Lincoln in April, 1806, and Gorham one year later. Middletown was changed to Naples, April 6, 1808. Pittstown became Honeoye, April 6, 1808, and Richmond, April 11, 1815. Victor was formed from Bloomfield, May 26, 1812. Hopewell was formed from Gorham, March 29, 1822. Burt was renamed Manchester, April 6, 1822. Canadice was formed from Richmond, April 15, 1829; a part of it was returned to that town in 1836. South Bristol was taken from Bristol, March 8, 1838, and a part. was annexed to Richm'ond in 1848, but restored in 1852. West Bloomfield was formed from Bloomfield, February 11, 1833. The town of Geneva was erected by the Boardof Super- visors from Seneca, November 15, 1872. The city of Geneva was formed from the town of Geneva under act of the Legislature of 1897. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 51 V. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. They Reflect the People's Respect for Law and Regard for the Unfortunate — In the Court House Centers the County Con- sciousness — Successive Jails — The County Alms House — The County Laboratory and the County Tuberculosis Hospital, the First Institutions of the Kind in the State. As the record of church building and school building in towns affords an index to the moral and intellectual progress of the people, so the story of the buildings in which a county houses its courts, preserves its archives, confines its criminals, or cares for its poor, evidences its consciousness of a community of interests and its apprehension of its responsibility to the unfortunate. About the court house especially centers the county conscious- ness. In the history of its development may be found marks of the growing respect for law and order, respect for authority, respect for all that constitutes organized government. As the court house has fallen into decay or been enlarged or replaced, so is the attitude of the people toward the administration of justice. In Ontario county, development along these lines has been marked in striking measure by the successive steps taken to provide an appropriate house for the courts. The county had need of a court before it had time or money with which to erect a proper building for its use. The records show that the first court in the county was held in an unfinished room in Judge Atwater's house, in June, 1792, with Judge Oliver Phelps presiding. Subsequently and until a court house was erected provision was made by lease for the use by the courts, at. a yearly rental of 10 pounds, of the chambers in said house, which was located on the west side of Main street, on what is now the the postoffice corner. Previous to 1850, when the Atwater Hall building was erected on that corner, the old Atwater house was 52 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. moved some rods to the west, and at the demolition of that building in 1910, to the north, where faced around toward the east it now stands. FIRST ONTARIO COUNTY COURT HOUSE. Erected in 1794, in the public square in Cananclaigua, immediately south' of present court house. Was moved in 1825 to N. W. corner of Main and Cross streets, where it stood when this picture was made, and was used as a postoiHce ; was moved to Coach street in 1859, used as a store house and was demolished in 1899. Scene of the trial of many famous cases, including that of "Stiff Armed George," whom Red Jacket, the Indian orator, defended against the charge of murder. But the young- county, moved by a spirit of enterprise and liberality which has happily ever characterized its provision for public needs, lost no time in erecting a bviilding to be devoted to the use of the courts, and within five years after the first white men had settled in Canandaigua such a building, commodious, well proportioned and well furnished for that day, was completed and put into use. This was in 1794, when the entire population of the county did THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 53 not much exceed a thousand souls and when the tax entailed, 600 pounds, constituted a burden much larger in proportion than that involved in the recent $100,000 improvement. It marked the first step in the determination of the pioneers to keep abreast — nay, ahead^ — of the times in matters of public improvement. The first court house was a wooden structure and was located on the public square, immediately south of the present building. In it were held the courts of Common Pleas, presided over by the first judges of the county, Oliver Phelps, Timothy Hosmer, John 'Nicholas, and Nathaniel W. Howell, and at its bar practiced such lawyers as John C. Spencer, Peter B. Porter, Mark PI. Sibley, Jared Wilson, Franci.s Granger and John Greig. In it were con- ducted many of the famous trials of the early days, including that of Jemima Wilkinson, the "Universal Friend," who was brought here in the year 1800, from lier "New Jerusalem" on Keuka Lake, to answer the charge of blasphemy. The grand jury failed to find an indictment against her, and upon invitation she delivered a sermon before the presiding judge, Ambrose Spencer, and the jurors and others in attendance on the court. In this building also took place the trial of the Indian, "Stiff Armed George," on a charge of murder, when the famous .Seneca orator, Red Jacket, made an eloc|uent plea for the defense. This first court house served the purpose thirty years, and then to meet the demands of the county, rapidly developing in wealth and population, though already shrunken territorially to its present size, a new and more substantial building was erected. This was in 1824, the year following the county's last loss of terri- tory, that now embraced in Wayne and Yates counties. The corner stone was laid on July 4 of that year. This building marked the second step of progress and cost $6,000, four times as much as its predecessor. It was erected on the southwest corner of the public square, and there for the eighty- seven years which have .since elapsed it has stood unmoved, though barely avoiding collision with the intruding railroad. In it also were conducted many trials famous in the State's history, the most notable of which perhaps was that of the men implicated in the abduction of William Morgan, the renegade Mason. Today, as the town house of Canandaigua and maintained for the joint use of the town and village, it remains a useful and handsome public building. 54 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Upon the completion of this more substantial and dignified building, as stated, in 1825, the "old" or first court house was moved across the street and located at the northwest corner of Main street and Cross street, now West avenue. While in this location it was long used as the postoiifice and as lawyers' offices and its second floor as a lecture and concert hall. In July, 1859, after the completion of the third court house, and following the sale of the second court house to the town and village for a consid- eration of $4,000, it was concluded that the old "Star Building," as it had come to be called, had outlived its usefulness in the public service, and it. was sold to Thomas Beals, the banker, for $100, and moved by him to a vacant lot on Coach street, where it continued in use as a storehouse as lat^ as May, 1899, when it was torn down to make room for Mr. Anderson's big store building. After another thirty years, was taken the third step in the history of the county as marked by court house building. It was in November, 1856, after much discussion in the newspapers and otheiwise, and after sharp criticism of the second court house as antiquated and inadequate, that the supervisors finally resolved upon the erection of a new building, appropriated $15,000 therefor, and appointed as a buildmg committee, Evander Sly of Canan- daigua, James Soverhill of Seneca and William Clark of Victor. Mr. Searles of Rochester was employed as the architect. At this juncture the cooperation of the United States Government was secured and an appropriation of considerable amount obtained from Congress on condition that the new building should include quarters for the United States court and the village postoffice. On February 12, 1857, plans and designs were adopted, the cost of the proposed building being estimated at $40,000, and a few days later a section of the Gorham lot, north of the original square, was purchased at a cost of $6,000. There followed a serious contest over the question of just where the new building should be located and in which direction it should front. At first it was planned that it should face to the south; then the supervisors, moved by the agitation of the citizens of the village, ordered the front put to the west. Then followed threat of an injunction, public meetings and newspaper discussion, but in May, 1857, the matter was finally, and as it seems to us happily, settled by the adoption of a resolution at a special meeting of the board of supervisors, by a vote of 9 to 6, deciding that the THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 55 building should front toward Main street and be located partly on the square and partly on the newly acquired Gorham lot. Thereafter work on the third court house building was rapidly pushed, Kelsey & Wells of Canandaigua having the contract for the wood work and Thomas Crawford of Geneva that for the masonry. The corner stone was laid with appropriate ceremonies on July 4 of that j'ear, and on June 24 of the next year, 1858, the structure was so far completed as to permit the placing on top its handsomely proportioned dome of the statue of "Justice," which has since remained a distinguishing landmark, and which has been re- placed on the enlarged and fire- proofed building. On December 26, 1858, the board of supervisors met and ac- cepted the new court house, the resolutions adopted giving espec- ial credit to the chairman of the building committee, Evander Sly, who had had personal charge of the construction work and to whose ability and faithfulness was due its satisfactory and prompt completion. Then followed, early in the year 1'859, the removal of the postoffice from the "old" or first court house building and the re- moval of the clerk's and surro- gate's offices from the buildings formerly occupied by them on the west side of the square, which, it is interesting to note in passing, were sold to Joshua Tracy for $225, to be taken down and the material removed. On Monday, January 10, 1859, the court room in the new building was first put to its designed use, at a term of the circuit court, at which Hon. Henry Welles presided. It is reported that there was a large concourse of people present on this occasion and that Judge Welles made an appropriate address. The portraits JUDGE HENRY WELLES. Hon, Henry Welles, who presided at first term in the ''new" court house, Canandaigua, in January, 1859, was born at Kinderhook, N. Y., October 17, 1794, and died at his home in Penn Van in 1868. Distinguished himself as a soldier in the War of 1812. Dis- trict Attornejr of Steuben county from 1824 to 1829. Supreme Court Justice in the Seventh distri'ct from 1847 until his death at his home in Penn Yan, in 1868. 56 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. which had been bi^ought together in the old court house through the efforts of the indefatigable William Wood were rehung in the county court room in the new building and constituted the nucleus of the priceless collection which has in later years made that room ,a gallery mentioned widely in the public press and in historical publications, one that is viewed with interest by many visitors and with pride by all residents of the county. The collection contains the portraits not only of men fa- mous as pioneers or for the promi- nent part they had in the later historj'^of the county, but of those also who, born in or otherwise identified with the county, attain- ed high place in the State and Nation. A fourth great step in the de- velopment of Old Ontario was taken in the spring of 1908, when the board of supervisors, in re- sponse to a general public de- mand, decided to enlarge and reconstruct the court house to meet the need of additional room for the county officers and to pro- vide a thoroughly fire proof struc- ture for the safe keeping of the county's invaluable records. The resolution finally authorizing the improvement was adopted May 21, 1908. Messrs. Ralph M. Sim- mons, G. W. Powell, E. B. Rob- son, E. E. Caiman and E. E. a special committee to have charge of the work, and Architect J. Foster Warner of Rochester was employed to prepare plans and specifications. After advertisement for bids, the contract was awarded to A. W. Hope- man & Sons' Co. of Rochester. The corner stone of the recon- structed building was laid with due ceremony on September 25, WILLIAM WOOD. William Wood was a brother of Mrs. Nathaniel Gorhain, Jr., and was born in Charlestown, Mass., in 1777. Was for many years a resident of Canandaigua and it was through his efforts that the foundation was laid for the unique and valuable collection of portraits now hung on the walls of the Coi^nty Court room. He devoted his life to philan- thropic work, being particularly distinguished for the part he took in securing the establish- ment of the Mercantile Library in New York and of similar libraries in London, Liverpool, and other cities. The Wood Library in Can- andaigua was named in his honor. He died in Canandaigua, in 1857. Coykendall Avere named as THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 57 1908, in the presence of a large concourse of county officials and citizens, addresses being delivered by Lieutenant-Governor Lewis S. Chanler, President Charles F. Miiliken of the Ontario County Historical Society, County Judge Walter H. Knapp, Hon. John Colmey and others. The first court was held in the reconstructed building, June 7, 1909, by County Judge Robert F. Thompson, but the dedication exercises were not held until November 8, 1909, when in the presence of a large and I'epresentative audience this programme was carried out, with Supreme Court Justice James A. Robson presiding: Prayer, Rev. A. E. Temple; historical address, Elisha W. Gardner; address, Hon. Peter B. McLennan, Presiding Justice of the Appellate Division, Fourth Department; dedicatory prayer, Rev. James T. Dougherty; benediction. Rev. W. W. Weller. The total cost of the reconstruction work and a complete outfit of new furniture was $125,838.04. The first county jail, erected in the early daj'^s immediately after the organization of the county.'was a log structure and was located on or near the southwest corner of the public square in Canandaigua. its principal use probably was as a place of detention for drunken Indians. It is said to have had only one door, two small windows on each side, a couple of great chains to which the prisoners were fastened and plenty of straw on the floor for bedding. As the population of the county increased, this make-shift for a jail was abandoned, and the second story of the old Pitts tavern, afterwards the Franklin house, at the corner of Main and Coach streets, was fitted vip with cells and used for that purpose, which does not appear to have interfered with the business of entertaining paying and orderly guests as conducted on the lower floor. In 1815 the county had become rich enough to erect for itself a building specificall)' designed for jail purposes and this was done on the site on Jail street on which the present or "new" jail stands. The jail erected in 1815 was a substantial stone structure, with wards and cells for the prisoners, a high walled yard for their exer- cise and apartments for the family of the sheriff. For many years it was considered a model jail, the most secure to be found in the State west of L^tica, and was utilized by all the counties surrounding for the safe keeping of desperadoes. The new jail was opened by Sherift Nathaniel Allen, who was followed by Phineas P. Bates and Samuel Lawrence, the last sheriff of the county to hold office under the first constitution. The 58 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. first sheriff under the seconrl constitution, adopted in 1821, was Phineas P. Bates, who was followed by Joseph Garlinghouse, in 1825. Garlinghouse, who lived in Richmond, appointed a Mr. Hall as jailor, who resided in the jail and boarded the prisoners. It was from this jail on the 12th of September, 1826, that William Morgan, who had published a book pretending to reveal the secrets of Free Masonry, was abducted, never to be seen again alive or dead by his family or his friends, and in the same jail were OLD ONTARIO COUNTY JAIL. Erected in 1S15 ; demolished in September, 1895. The building from which William Mc'rgan, the renegade Mason, was kidnapped, September, 1826, confined for eighteen months several prominent citizens charged with being guilty of the crime. Among other noted occupants of cells in this jail was William Lyon McKenzie, who was charged with violating the neutrality laws in the Canadian rebellion of 1837: a famous mail robber by the name of Baux, who was convicted and sentenced to Auburn for fifteen years ; the counterfeiter Sim.s and the murderers Charles Eighmey and John Kelly. The executions by hanging of Eighmey and Kelly took place in the jail yard, the first on September 8, 1876, and the last on July 10, 1889, and were the only executions that have taken place in the county. This jail building was extensively repaired in the early 30's at a cost of $12,000. The present jail was built on ground immediately west of the building just described and was completed in 1895 at a cost of THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 59 $24,747.15. About the first of June of that year the sheriff moved his ofifice and residence to the new brick and steel structure, and the old jail so long an object of historic interest was torn down. From its wreckage was saved the iron framework of the cell in which, it was said, William Morgan was confined and the interesting relic was preserved for a time in the lodge room of the local Masonic body. The lock of the cell is still exhibit- ed there. The several towns of the county made provision for their own poor until October, 1825, when the board of supervisors ap- pointed Thomas Beals, Nathaniel Lewis and Moses Fairchild a com- mittee to purchase a county farm. Following an advertisement for proposals and an examination of the properties offered, a farm of 100 acres in the town of Hopewell, three miles east of Canandaigua, was purchased at a cost of $1,868.64. In the sunimer of 1826 a house for the accommodation of dependents and of the keeper and his family was erected, furniture, stock and implements purchased, making the total cost of the establishment at the time the house was opened, October 23, 1826, $7,023.84. Later the farm was enlarged by the purchase of 112 acres of additional land. Although the original alms- house still stands and is still in use, it has been enlarged and im- proved, large barns erected, orchards planted and other betterments from time to time effected, to adapt the property to changing condi- tions and keep it as far as possible a safe and comfortable refuge for those whom misfortune has compelled to depend on public support. THOMAS BEALS. Thomas Beals, eminent as a banker, was born in }^oston, Mass., November 13, 1783; settled in Canandaigua in 1803 and resided in that village until his death, April 30, 1864. Took charge of the Ontario Savings Bank in 1832 and upon its becoming a private bank in 1855, continued as manager. In 1814 succeeded ThaddeuS Chapin as County Treas- urer and held that office for. a period of twenty-seven years consecutively. Secretary of the Canandaigua Academy Board for nearly half a century. Trustee ot tne Con^reerational . Church society and membef of the committee having charge of the erec- tion of the church building in 1812. Was chairman of the committee that purchased the county farm and erected the poor house, and acted as County Superintendent of the Poor for several years. 60 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The establishment, however, is now considered out of date, unsafe, and unsanitary, and the county is facing the necessity of replacing it with a fire proof building which will mieasure up to modern standards for public institutions. wSuch a building would more fitly represent the country's standing in wealth and progressiveness and constitute a striking illustration of the advancement made since the time when the county house, in addition to being a refuge for dependent poor, was also the home of a considerable group of pauper children (removed to or- phan asylums about 1876), the place of confinement for insane people and imbeciles dependent on public support, who were removed to State institutions for the insane and feeble minded in 1893, and the home of pauper epileptics, who were removed fol- lowing the establishment of Craig Colony in 1896. Nothing has shown the enter- prise and liberality of spirit of the people of Ontario county more than the provision made in 1906, in response to the oflfer of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson to pro- vide a suitable building, for the maintenance of a county labora- tory for the use of the physicians and people in fighting preventable and epidemic diseases, the first county institution of the charac- ter to be established in the State. The laboratory building was erected on the grounds of the Thomp- son memorial hospital in Canandaigua, and is in charge of a bac- teriologist appointed by the board of supervisors and paid by the county. AMBROSE SPENCER. luiige Ambrose Spencer, who presided at tlie terin of court in the first Ontario county court house at wWeh it was sought to indict leniima Wilkinson for blasphemy, was born at Salisbury, Conn., December 13, 1765. Graduated from Harvard College in 1733 ; represented Columbia county in the .State Assembly of 1794; was a member of the State .Senate from 1796 to 1802; member of the Council of Appointment, 1797 ; Attorney Gen- eral, 1802-1804; Justice of the Supreme Court, 1819-1823 ; Representative in Congress, 1829-1831; Mayor of Albany one term; mem- ber of Constitutional Convention, 1821 ; chairman of National Whig Convention at IJaltimore, 1844. Died at Lyons, March 13, 1848. Judge Spencer was the father of John C. Spencer, Secretary of the Treasury under I'resident Tyler. THE COUNTY BUILDINGS. 61 In 1909 the county took another advance step in providing at a cost of $15,000 for the establishment of a county tuberculosis hospital, a step in which it again led the State. A beautiful grove on an eminence in the town of East Bloomfiield was selected as the site for this institution and its erection on plans approved by the State Commissioner of Health was brought to completion in the summer of 1910. Both these steps for securing and promoting the health of the people were altogether unprecedented and so unique as to require specific action by the Legislature, action which was properly made general in its character so as to permit other counties of the State to follow the lead of Ontario. The board of managers of the tuberculosis hospital, officially named "Oak-, mount," was appointed by the board of supervisors, as follows : Dr. C. C. Lytic, of Geneva, president: Rev. James T. Dougherty, of Canandaigua, vice president ; Heber E. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield, secretary; Dr. Wm. B. Clapper, of Victor; Levi A. Page, of Seneca Castle. The hospital was opened to patients in January, 1911, with Dr. S. R. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield, in charge as superintendent. 62 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. VI ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. Her Politics and Politicians — Early Elections — Snap Methods — Ontario Firm in the Federalist Faith — The County's Repre- sentation in Congress and the Legislature — Succession of County Officers — Oliver Phelps a Candidate for Lieutenant- Governor. The first settlement of Canandaigua was cotemporaneous with the adoption of the Federal constitution, in 1788. Ontario county was erected January 27, 1789. So that the county's first half cen- tury was practically the first half of the nineteenth century. In times of political quiet, when the affairs of government move on in the even tenor of their way, and turn upon questions of per- sonal or party interest, the words and acts of men in each center of population are but the reflex of those prominent in the public eye as leaders. This was especially true of the political history of the earlier part of the period under consideration. Parties had names, it is true, in those days, but they had no organization, and they represented persons rather than principles. The politicians were Clintonians, Lewisites, Burrites, or Jefifersonians, more than they were Federalists or Republicans. The restrictions on suffrage gave only a part of the people the right to vote, and but few of those having the right cared to exercise it. Only one voter in five reported at the polls at the first elections m the State, as compared with over 90 per cent, at our recent elec- tions. The simple but efficient system of caucuses and conventions which now enables every voter to exercise an influence, however distant it may sometimes seem, upon the naming of candidates and the enunciating of party principles, had no counterpart in those days. Nominations to Congress or the State Assembly were made by the candidates themselves, or by open conventions or "respecta- ble meetings" of such electors as cared to attend. Nominations to ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. 63 the Governorship were left to members of the Legislature to make, or to coteries of politicians at the State capital, like the famous "Albany Regency." It could not well be otherwise. Means of communication were few. Travel was slow, difficult, and expensive. It took longer to go from Canandaigua to Albany than it does now to cross the continent. Moreover, there were no contests over county officers in the earlier part of the period. Beyond the election of town officers, members of Assembly, and members of Congress, even the select few who had the right to vote had no voice. All the rest was man- aged at Albany — even to the vote of the State for candidates for President. The voters generally did not have the privilege to vote for presidential electors until 1825. From the time of the adoption of the State constitution until the first general revision of that instrument in 1821, the appoint- ment of all State officers except Governor, and for a part of the time Lieutenant-Governor, and of all -city and county officers, was in the hands of a Council of Appointment named by the Assembly from the members of the State Senate. Even auctioneers received their authority to do business from the Council. This powerful body was often at variance with the Governor, and it used its power unblushingly to reward friends or punish enemies of the dominant faction in the Legislature. As often as the Assembly changed its political complexion, from Clintonian to Federalist, or from Burrite to Lewisite, or vice versa, so often was every important public office in the State, and some that were not so important, changed. So it came about, for instance, that Peter B. Porter was summarily removed from the office of clerk of Ontario county in 1804, on account of his friendship for Colonel Burr, then just defeated of election for Governor. Mr. Porter's successor was Sylvester Tififany, a good Morgan Lewis Republican, but evidently a poor speller. At least the Ontario Repository of that date records the fact that protests had been signed and forwarded to Albany against his appointment as one which disgraced the county, and in a published address to the appointee, the Burr organ advised hirn to learn how to spell his own name before entering upon the duties of office. It added: "Know then. Clerk of Ontario, that the way to spell your Christian name is S-y-1-v-e-s-t-e-r, and not S-i-1-v-e-s-t-e-r, as you, like a blockhead, write it." 64 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. But it must not be hastily concluded that because political con- trol was confined so exclusively to the savants at Albany, Ontario qounty had no politicians in the days when it embraced all of Western New York from Geneva to the Niagara river. The founders of the settlement and the organizers af the county were doubtless Federalists. All patriots recognized in those days the leadership of President Wash- ington in national affairs, but the party in power at Albany was often in opposition to those who carried the same name at Wash- ington, and when the State was rent in twain, as it was early in the century by the contentions of Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, on one side, and Governor George Clinton, who had up to that time retained the office of chief magistrate unopposed, on the other side, the echoes at least must have reached the "folks in the woods" of Ontario county. But pictures of early politics must do without much local color. We cannot tell even to which party or faction some of the first office holders belonged. The first political incident of MARK H. SIBLEY, , r i • i i i Mark H. Sibley, prominent as a lawyer, a "^^te of whlch WC havC reCOrd aS jurist, and a legislator in the early history of „ __• _ • /"\ j. „■ j. Ontario countyf was bom at Great Barring- OCCUmng HI OutariO COUnty, grCW ton, Mass., in 1796. Coming to Canandaigua, . r.i f^ii, i^i i in 1814. lie studied law with Dudley Marvin OUt OI the tact that although HOt and was admitted to the bar. He succeeded ^-^111 • 1 • Oliver Phelps as a member of the State entitled bv itS pOpUlatlOll tO rCp- Assembly in 1834 and was re-elected in 1835; , " . , _ , . was a Representative in Congress from 1837 reseutatlOU 111 the State legislature to 1835; a State Senator in 1841, and County ° Judge from 1847 until 1851 Was a brilliant at SO early a pcriod, the COUUty by lawyer and an eifective public speaker. Died -^ ^ ' -' -^ in Canandaigua, September 8, 1852. ^ spCcial aCt waS given this fight in 1791. The fact was not known in Canandaigua or Geneva, but the politicians of a small settlement in what is now Steuben county, obtained possession of the secret, and, with an appreciation of the possibilities of snap methods not surpassed by their descendants, gathered a few backwoodsmen, went through the form of an elec- ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. 65 tion, and cast their votes for Col. Eleasor Lindsley, of that settle- ment, for the ofifice of Member of Assembly. The proceeding may have been somewhat irregular, but no one contested, and Mr. Lindsley took his seat. The year following, the people of the county, being awake to their rights, elected General Israel Chapin of Canandaigua to represent them at Albany. The chief political interest of those days naturally centered about the election of Members of Assembly, for as we have seen, it was the office through which alone the voters could express their will, though ever so indi- rectly, as to State politics or as to appointments to office, but the incident related is about the only knowledge we have of the recur- ring contests, except that con- tained in the list of incumbents of office. Even the local papers, so far as can be judged from the defective files remaining, throw little light on the subject. General Chapin was succeed- ed in the Assembly by Thomas Morris of Canandaigua, he by Lemuel Chipman, of Pittstown (now Honeoye),and Charles Wil- liamson, of Bath ; and among those elected in the following years were Amos Hall, of Canandaigua ; Nathaniel Norton, of Bloomfield; Peter B. Porter, Augustus Porter, and Thaddeus Chapin, of Canan- daigua; Polydore B. Wisner, of Seneca ; Daniel W. Lewis, of Sen- eca; Philetus Swift,of Phelps; WilHam Rumsey, of Bath; Gideon Pitts, of Honeoye ; Israel Chapin, Jr., and Reuben Hart, of Canandai- gua ; Myron Holley, Phineas P. Bates, and John C. Spencer, of Can- andaigua ; Bowen Whiting, of Geneva ; Francis Granger and Walter Hubbell, of Canandaigua ; John Dickson, of West Bloomfield ; Oli- NATHANIEL W. HOWELL. Born in Blooming Grove, Orange county, January 1, 1770; removed to Canandaigua in 1796; was elected President of the Board of Trustees upon the in-corporation of the Vil- lage in 1815 ; Assistant Attorney General for the Western Counties from 1799 to 1802; member of tlie Legislature in 1804; Representative in Congress m 1813 and 1814, and First Judge of Ontario county from 1819 to 1833. Died in Canandaigua, October 15, 1851. 66 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ver Phelps and Mark H. Sibley, of Canandaigua; Henry Pardee, of Victor; Henry W. Taylor, of Canandaigua; Jonathan Buell, Timothy Buell, and Josiah Porter, of East Bloomfield ; Alvah Worden, of Canandaigua; Lorenzo Clark and Emory B. Pottle, of Naples. In the office of clerk, Nathaniel Gorham was succeeded by John Wickham, Peter B. Porter, Syl- vester Tiffany, James B. Mower, Myron Holley, Hugh McNair, John VanFossen, Gavin L. Nich- olas, Ralph Lester, Charles Crane, John L. Dox, Thomas Hall, Alex- ander H. Howell and Reuben Murray, Jr. Judah Colt, the first sherifif, was succeeded by Nathaniel Nor- ton, Roger Sprague, Benjamin Barton, Stephen Bates, James R. Gurnsey, James Rees, Wm. Shep- ard, Nathaniel Allen, Phineas P. Bates, Samuel Lawrence, Joseph Garlinghouse, Jonathan Buell, Jonas M. Wheeler, Myron H. Clark, John Lamport, Eri Dens- more, Phineas Kent, and William H. Lamport. Oliver Phelps, the first county judge, was succeeded by Timothy Hosmer, John Nicholas, Nathan- iel W. Howell, Bowen Whiting, Charles J. Folger, E. Fitch Smith and Mark H. Sibley. The surrogates were John Cooper, Samuel Mellish, Israel Chapin, Jr., Amos Hall, Dudley Saltonstall, Reuben Hart, Eliphalet Taylor, Stephen Phelps, Ira Selby, Jared Wilson, Orson Benjamin, and George R. Parburt. The first district attorney was John C. Spencer. He was followed by Abraham P. Vosburg, Bowen Whiting, Henry F. Pen- ALKXANDKR H. HOWELL. Alexander Hamilton Howell, eldest son of Judge Nathaniel W, Howell, was born in Canandaigua, September 30, 1805, and died in that village on May 8, 1893. Officiated several terms as President of the Village and served a number of years as Chief of the Fire Department; was Clerk of Ontario county from 1844 to 1849 inclusive, also acted as a member of the Board of Trustees of Canandaigua Academy and as President of the Board of Trustees of the Ontario Orphan Asylum. ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. 67 field, George W. Clinton, Nathan Parke, Thomas M. Howell, Bar- zillai Slosson, James C. Brown, and Stephen R. Mallory. In the Senate, the district of which Ontario was a part, was represented by Thomas Morey, Lemuel Chipman, Philetus Swift, Amos Hall, Stephen Bates, Gideon Granger, John C. Spencer, William H. Seward, Mark H. Sibley, and Albert Lester. In Congress, during the fifty years under examination, the Ontario district had among its representatives Thomas Morris, Oliver Phelps, Peter B. Porter, Nathaniel W. Howell, John C. Spencer, John Dickson, Francis Mayer and John Greig. Through succeeding cam- paigns in which George Clinton was retired from the governor- ship in favor of Jay, and again elected to that office, John Adams was succeeded by Jefferson as President, and the RepubHcans of the time, of which our present day Democratic party is the direct de- scendant, controlled the State leg-islature, Ontario remained firm in the Federalist faith; and this continued true down to the excit- ing campaign of 1804, when there was a pretty general shifting of party lines in preparation for the gubernatorial election of the next April. Ontario rose to new prominence in this campaign, through the nomination of her distinguished citizen, Oliver Phelps, for the oflfice of Lieutenant-Governor, on the ticket headed by the fatally ambitious Aaron Burr. Burr and Phelps had the support of a large section of the Federalists and of many influential Republi- cans. But the Repviblican Legislative caucus, after much casting about, induced Morgan Lewis to accept its nomination for Governor, and almost to its own surprise carried the succeeding election. The same party elected also a majority of the Legislature, even including its candidates for the Senate in the Western district, Jedediah Peck WALTER HUBBELL. Walter Hubbell, a prominent member of> the early bar of Ontario county, was born in Brid|report, Conn., February 25, 1795, and settled in Canandaigua in 1814. Member of Assembly from Ontario county in 1829, was prominently identified with -the Canandaigua Academy, and active in church and Sunday school work. Died in Canandaigua, March 23, 1848. 68 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and Henry Huntington, and at least one of its candidates for the Assembly in Genesee and Ontario, then voting together in one Assembly district. That questionable methods were sometimes adopted to attain political ends in those days, is indicated by an address that was published in the Ontario Repository of March 20, 1804: To the Electors of Ontario County: A meeting of a few electors of the town of Phelps being called and held at the home of Samuel Oaks, inn keeper in said town, on Thursday evening, the ISth inst., in a very privat and clandestine manner with a view to make nomination of a character to represent this part of the county in the Legislature at the ensuing election, and the business conducted with so much secrecy as to preclude the attendance of the greatest part of the electors of the said town, we, the subscribers, being by accident present at the said meeting and witness- ing the irregularity with which it was conducted, think it a duty incumbent on us, in order that the general wish of the people should be known, to request that a general meeting of the electors of the town of Phelps and adjoining towns be held at the home of said Oaks on Thursday, the 29th instant, at 12 o'clock noon, for the purpose of nominating proper characters to be supported at the ensuing election to represent this Co. in the Legislature. Deputations from all the towns of the Co. are requested to attend with a view to determining on the county ticket. This address was signed by Thaddeus Oaks, John Bigelow, Sam'l Shekell, David Cook, and Elias Cost. A spectator of the Phelps meeting wrote that it "was opened, conducted and finished in a manner peculiarly appropriate to that foul spirit of Democracy, which seems destined to prostrate at the feet of faction the glory, the happiness, and independence of our country." Out of this and the preceding campaign, which had resulted in the defeat of Col. Burr's ambition to achieve distinction in State or National politics, grew bitter animosity between him and Hamil- ton, the Federal leader. The latter had not hesitated to denounce Burr for his alleged treachery to President Jefferson, and the quarrel ended in the fatal duel at Hoboken. Deep grief at the death of the brilliant Hamilton was expressed throughout the country. Myron Holley, on invitation of a committee of citizens, delivered an oration in eulogy of the great man in the court house at Canandaigua. The spirit of P. T. Barnum must have been abroad even in those days. At least no time was lost by one showman in availing him- self of the opportunity for profit afforded by public interest in the ONTARIO'S FIRST HALF CENTURY. 69 Hoboken tragedy. As early as June 4, 1805, he had penetrated the woods as far as Canandaigua, and in the Ontario Messenger "the ladies and gentlemen" of the vil- lage were notified that there was that day opened at the house of Mrs. Gooding, near the court house, "a new and elegant col- lection of wax figures, as large as life ;"' among which it was adver- tised that there was "a striking representation of the unfortunate duel between Gen. Alexander Hamilton and Col. Aaron Burr;" also Bonaparte, Nelson, a Pius Mother Instructing Her Children, and Samson Asleep in the Lap of Delilah, etc. The Republicans maintained their supremacy in the State until 1809, when the bad effects of the Embargo law furnished the Fed- eralists an opportunity to regain control, and for the first time since 1799 they elected a majority of the legislators. The represen- tatives of the Western district were Federalists, nominated in each case "at a respectable meet- ing of electors from various towns of the county." The Federalists, of course, made sweeping changes in county offices, but the next year the Republicans carried the election and reinstated their friends. 1778, CAPTAIN PHILIP CHURCH. Captain Philip Cliurch was born April 14, in Boston ; was a lawyer ; acted as second to his cousin, Phil Hamilton, in the latter's fatal duel with Eckei-t, on the ground at Weehawken where General Hamilton after- waidsfellin his duel with Colonel Burr ; in 1801 settled in what is now Allegany county ; founded the village of Angelica, so named in honor of his mother ; County Judge of Alle- gany county from 1807 to 1821 ; died at Belvi- dere, January 10. 1861. 70 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. VII. POLITICAL CRISES. Ontario County in the War of 1812 — Building of the Erie Canal — Western New York Rejoices at Completion of the Great Work — Abduction of William Morgan — Resulting Excitement in the "Infected District" — The Anti-Masonic Campaign — Francis Granger a Candidate for Governor. Fortunately for him who would attempt to write political history, there are crises which rise above the dead level of office seeking and oitice getting. There were three of these that especially aroused the citizens of Western New York in the first half century. First came the war of 1812, then the excitement over the abduction of Morgan in 1826, and lastly the "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" campaign of 1840. Canandaigua was uncomfortably near the frontier in the war of 1812. Judging from the newspapers of the day, the whole county must have been in a ferment. Alarm committees were organized in the various towns. Troops were enlisted, it being mentioned that ninety recruits had been enrolled in one month "in the small town of Canandaigua,'' and the village streets were the frequent scene of parades and other patriotic displays. On September 12, it is recorded that "a regiment of militia composed of 400 or 500 of the best blood of the country marched through the village," also that four wagons loaded with arms and ammunition from the arsenal here had been dispatched to the front. In 1814 the local committee of safety, of which Thaddeus Chapin was chairman and Myron Holley secretary, reported that it had received and distributed $13,473.10 for the relief of sufiferers on the Niagara frontier. And in November of the same year, as a recognition of the fact that the war was over, a public dinner was given at Mr. Barnard's, in honor of Major General Peter B. Porter, as a mark of the local appreciation of his services in protecting the frontier. POLITICAL CRISES. 71 Peter B. Porter may be fairly claimed as an Ontario county man. He came to Canandaigua with his brother Augustus in 1795, or thereabouts, and remained a resident of the village until 1806, when he removed to Niagara Falls, in the territory then recently set off from Ontario and erected into the county of Genesee. He had held the ofi&ce of county clerk and was a member of Assembly from this county, and after his removal served two terms in Congress. He was a major general of volun- teers in 1813, and commanded at the defense of Black Rock, now Butlalo, in July of that year. In 1815 he was offered, but declined, the post of Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army. He was one of the commissioners under the treaty of Ghent, Secre- tary of State under Governor Tompkins, and Secretary of War in the cabinet of the younger Adams. Political feeling ran high in the years preceding, during, and following the war. The Republi- cans, as the especial champions of President Madison, freely taunted their Federal enemies with being traitors. "The Friends of Peace" were accused of holding secret meetings. A Middlesex conven- tion is reported as having de- nounced certain ministers as "rebels against Heaven and trait- ors to their country," because of having, as alleged, abused from their pulpits the chief magistrate and other government officials. The Canandaigua Messenger charged that the Washington Benevolent Society of the village was "a political club of the most bitter and violent enemies of our government and country," and a society "composed of some of the most abandoned, desperate, and depraved political vagabonds in the GENERAL PETER B. PORTER. General Peter Buel Porter, a brother of Augustus Porter, the surveyor, was born in Suffield, Conn., in 1773. Settled in Canandai- gua in I79S. Was Clerk of Ontario County from 1797 t'o 1804, Member of Assembly from Ontario county in 1802, and after his removal to Niagara Falls about the year 1806 served tlwo terms in Congress. Was a Major General of Volunteers in the War of 1812 and commanded at the defense of Black Rock, now Buffalo, in July, 1813. Was offered and declined the command of the United States Army made by President Madison. Was one of the United States Commissioners under the Treaty of Ghent, Secretary of State under Governor Tomp- kins, and Secretary of War in the cabinet of the younger Adams. He died in Niagara Falls in March, 1844. 72 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. country." It is not strange, perhaps, that as one of the echoes of this fierce strife a suit was brought by Editor Bemis of the Reposi- toi-y against John C. Spencer, whom the plaintiff accused of being the author of an editorial in the Messenger referring to him as "a traitorous rascal." The incident was happily closed by the publica- tion of a card in which Mr. Spencer said that the offensive epithet was never intended to apply to Mr. Bemis. That the elections of these earlier years were often exciting, and involved the pulling of wires, back room conferences, and quiet cooperation with State and National leaders, goes without the saying. The local election of 1812 resulted, as the Messenger, the Madison organ, said, in the "election of two Federal lawyers to represent this agricultural district in the councils of the Nation." But the paper assumed to take comfort in the fact that the district would be well represented in the "glib of tongue." The Congress- men elect thus referred to were Samuel M. Hopkins and Nathaniel W. Howell. Stephen Bates and Chauncey Loomis were their unsuccessful Rep.ublican opponents. It was soon after the close of the war, in 1816, that the canal act was passed, and a distinguished Canandaiguan, Myron Holley, was named as a member of the commission to carry the great project into execution. The feeling in Western New York in favor of the proposed improvement was overwhelming, and upon its opening in October, 1825, pursuant to arrangements made at a meeting of citizens held in Blossom's "long room," a committee of prominent citizens, headed by Nathaniel W. Howell, intercepted the first boat through from Buffalo and presented the congratulations of the people here to its honored passengers. Moreover a ball was given at the hotel in honor of the occasion and a national salute was fired from Arsenal hill. The next issue of the Ontario Messenger contained an adver- tisement of the "Merchants Line for Freight and Passage," which announced that a boat belonging to that line "well fitted up for passengers and running night and day, with relays of horses every 12 miles, will leave Rochester for Albany every morning (Sundays excepted) at 7 o'clock, and every evening at 8 o'clock and will run through in less than five days, or at the rate of 60 miles every 24 hAurs." Think of that, ye people, who in this year of grace, 1911, POLITICAL CRISES. 73 icomplain that it takes as much as five hours to make that same trip from Rochester to Albany! The Erie canal was primarily designed as a means of transpor- tation for the products of New York State farms as well as those of the Far West, and the plans of its projectors included the con- struction of a number of laterals or feeders. One of these that was carried to completion was the Cayug-a and Seneca canal, and another, for the building of which a company was incorporated in 1821 with a capital stock of $100,- 000, but which was never built, was to connect Canandaigua lake with the Erie at Palmyra. Fol- lowing the development of the railroad as a means of travel and transportation, this and other pro- posed extensions of the canal sys- tem were given up and later the laterals which had been construct- ed, excepting the Black River and the Cayuga and Seneca lines, were abandoned. In 1817 slavery was abolished in the State by legislative enact- ment, to take efifect July 4, 1827, an act which probably somewhat affected Ontario, as the census just taken showed that the popu- lation of the county included 213 persons in bondage. In 1819 Gideon Granger was elected as a Clintonian Senator from the Western district, and in 1820 John C. Spencer was elected Speaker of the Assembly, the first and only time when that ofifice has been held by an Ontario member. The county then had seven members of Assembly, and included JOHN C. SPENCER. _ John Canfield Spen-cer, one of the most distinguished figures in the history of early Ontario county, was born at Hudson, N. Y.. in 1788., He took up his , residence in Can- andaigua following his admission to the bar and continued a resident here for thirty-six years. When only 19, became private secre- tary to Governor Tompkins ; was appointed Master in Chancery in 1811; was Brigade Judge Advocate on the frontier in 1812; was appointed Postmaster at Canandaigua in 1814; became Assistant Attorney General in 1815, and in 1816 was elected to Congress from the 21st district, of which Ontario county was a part. In 1821 he entered the State Assembly and became Speaker of fliat body ; was State Senator, 1824-1828; was appointed by Governor Van Buren in 1826 Special At- torney General in the prosecution of those implicated in the Morgan abduction; was again elected to the Assembly in 1830, and in 1839 was appointed Secretary of State by Governor Seward, serving also as State Super- intendent of Schools ; two years later was appointed a Regent of the State University. In October, 1841, was appointed Secretary of War by President Tyler, and in March, 1843, was transferred to the office of Secretary of Treasury, but resigned the position the fol- lowing year because of opposition to the annexation of Texas. Died at Albany, May 18, 1855. 74 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. territory now embraced in Monroe, Yates and Wayne counties. The Western district contributed materially to the reelection of Governor DeWitt Clinton in 1820 and in the years immediately succeeding made itself felt in the work of the Legislature by the election of Bowen Whiting and Francis Granger to the Assembly and of John C. Spencer to the Senate. They were all Clintonians and rendered efificient support to that great man, who, though the object of the most venomous opposition, gained for himself an enduring fame in the building of the Erie canal. Micah Brooks, John Price, Philetus Swift, David Sutherland and Joshua VanVleet represented the county in the constitutional convention of 1821 and helped bring about the abolition of State lotteries, the extension of the elective franchise to all white tax- payers, ministers, veterans, and firemen, and to colored men possessing $250 worth of property, and the abolition of the coimcil of appointment. As an indication of the political methods or manners in vogue in Oiltario county and elsewhere at this period. the following address, which appeared in a Canandaigua paper of 1825, is of interest : To the Electors of the County of Ontario: Fellovv Citizens: — Desirous of obtaining a situation that will enable me to earn the means of supporting a numerous family, I am induced to offer my- self as a candidate for your suflfrages at the ensuing election for the office of County Clerk. I am the less diffident in soliciting such an office from the consideration that the correct discharge of its duties does not require any peculiar experience or any legal or professional qualifications, and that the principal requisites are the faculty of writing a good hand and a faithful and punctual attention to the office. To the most zealous efi'ort for the performance of these duties, my char- acter, my necessities, and my gratitude to my fellow citizens, are the best pledges that can be given. Of my old friends the Farmers and Mechanics, to whom I am known, and of the electors generally, I respectfully solicit a cordial support. PUNDERSON B. UNDERHILL. Phelps, August 30, 182S. Mr. Underbill was not elected clerk, but his failure to obtain the "situation" could not have been due to the pubHcation of this card. Self-nomination was the common way of bringing a person's candidacy for ofifice to pubHc attention, and was resorted to by the most honored men in the community. The politics of Ontario county was never so stirred by any POLITICAL CRISES. 75 other event, either in the first or second half century, as it was by the Morgan abduction in 1826. This took place on September 12, from the jail in Canandaigua, in which William Morgan, a resident of Batavia, had been incarcerated on a trumped up charge of petit larceny. Morgan's real offense consisted in the publication of a book which treacherously revealed the secrets of the Masonic order, and the incident of his arrest and abduction had no possible politi- ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||gi^^ ^ cal bearing. Morgan disappeared never to be seen again by family or friends, and it came to be pretty generally believed that he had been drowned in the Niagara river. The trial and conviction for conspiracy and abduction of sev- eral members of the bar and other prominent Free Masons, and sub- sequent judicial proceedings, fail- ed to allay excitement in the so- called "infected district," because they failed to penetrate the mys- tery of Morgan's ultimate fate or adequately punish those responsi- ble for his disappearance and suspected murder. The Governor and Legislature were called upon to assist in the matter, and finally an act was passed, framed by the judiciary committee, of which Sen- ator John C. Spencer of Ontario county was chairman, and under which Daniel Mosley, of Onon- daga, was made a special State agent with Mr. Spencer as counsel, to probe the matter to the bottom. For three years the investigation was continued, but without practical result, and public feeling on the subject continued to extend and intensify. Those who had been prominent in efforts to bring the abduc- tors and suspected murderers to justice never held that the NATHANIEL ROCHESTER. i^athaniel l?ocliestpr was born in West Moreland County, Virginia, February ' 21, 1752; moved into New York State in 1810, firfl settling at Dansville, then in Ontario ■county. He later moved to the Falls of the Genesee and there assisted in founding the settlement which was named after him, first, in 1817, as the Village of Rochesterville, then in 1822, as the Village of Rochester, and finally on April 28, 1834, as the City of Rochester. He died in Rochester, May 17, 18J1. 76 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Masonic fraternity as a whole was responsible for the outrage, but rather attributed it to over-zealous and unscrupulous members of the order, and they had not contemplated political action in the matter. But at the town meetings in 1827, the citizens in some towns refused to vote for Masons as supervisors and justices of the peace, and the success of the Masons in defeating the reelection of Ur. Frederick F. Backus, as treasurer of the village of Roch- ester, because of his opposition to the order, resulted in a Monroe county convention of Anti-Masons in September, 1827, and the nom- ination and election in that comity of Anti-Masonic candidates to the Assembly. In the succeeding ses- sion, Francis Granger and Robert C. Nicholas of Ontario, and Mor- ris F. Sheppard of Yates, although not nominated as such, became identified with the movement. The Anti-Masons early be- came open and zealous supporters of the candidacy of President Adams for reelection. The Masons supported General Jackson. Mr. Weed and other influential Anti- Masons attempted to secure the nomination of P'rancis Granger for Governor by the National Republican or Adams State convention, but other counsel pre- vailed and Smith Thompson was nominated for the first place and Mr. Granger for Lieutenant-Governor. The Anti-Masonic paper at Canandaigua denounced the nomination of Judge Thompson, and feeling ran so high that an Anti-Masonic convention was held at Utica, and Francis Granger was nominated for Governor. Mr. Granger was thus placed in an embarrassing position. Both nomi- nations were from parties whose principles he supported and from political friends and associates. Finally, in a characteristically frank and manly letter, he accepted the nomination of the National Repub- GIDEON GRANGER. Gideon (iranger, eminent among the early settlers in Canandaigua, was a descendant of Launcciot Granger who came frqm England in 1652 and settled in the Massax^husetts Bay Colony. ?Ie was born at Suffield, Conn,, July 19, 1767; graduated fi-om Yale College in 1787 ; attained distinction at the bar and in politics, and in 1801 became Postmaster General, serving in that capacity through both of President Jefferson's terms and most of President Madison's. On his retirement from Washington in 1814, Mr. Granger set- tled in Canandaigua. In 1820-1 was a mem- ber of the State Senate from the Western District. Died in Canandaigua, December 31, 1822. POLITICAL CRISES. 77 licans for Lieutenant-Governor and declined that of the Anti- Masons for Governor. Solomon Southwick was thereupon placed in nomination by the Anti-Ma- sons. The election, as an outcome of this three-sided contest, resulted in the choice of the Jackson or Democratic candidate, Martin Van Buren. The election of the following year, 1828, strengthened the Anti-Masonic party in the Legislature, John Dickson, Wal- ter Hubbell, and Robert C. Nicho- las being elected as its exponents from Ontario county. By 1832, the movement had become national in its extent, but the efifort to unite the Anti-Ma- sonic party with the National Republicans in favor of Henry Clay for President failed, and, as a result, in the estimation of so good a judge as Thurlow Weed, Mr. Clay was for a second time defeated of his supreme ambition. William Wirt was the third-party Anti-Masonic candidate. In the meantime, in 1830, Wil- liam H. Seward had come into public life as an Anti-Masonic State Senator from the Seventh district. Francis Granger of Ontario county was the Anti-Masonic candidate for Governor in that year, but Enos T. Throop was elected by a majority of something over eight thousand. In W^est- ern and Central New York, Mr. Granger was largely in majority. In 1832 he was again the Anti-Masonic candidate for Governor, and was again defeated at the polls, this time by the treachery of impor- tant interests in the Chenango valley, which were bound by all hon- orable considerations to his support. In the Legislature of 1832, Mr. Granger was a member of MICAH BROOKS. Micah Brooks was born in Cheshire, Conn., in 1775, removing with his parents to West- ern New York and settHng with them on a farm in the town of Bloomfield in 1799. He was for twenty years an Associate Judge of the Ontario County Court of Common Pleas : represented this county in the State Assembly in 1808 and 1809; was a member of the Fourteenth Congress, 1815-1817; was a delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1821, and in 1824 was chosen a I'residential Elector. He died in Livingston county, July 7, 1857. 78 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Assembly and the candidate of the thirty-one Anti-Masonic mem- bers for Speaker of that body, but was defeated by the Jackson Democratic candidate. With the Presidential election of 1832, Anti-Masonry as a polit- ical force began to disintegrate. The supposed necessity for the movement had been done, away with by the quite general surrender of the charters of lodges of the Masonic order in Western New Y^ork, and in some other States. In 1833 the election showed that Anti-Masonry had lost its hold. The party was practically dissolved, and, under the lead of Mr. Weed, its elements, uniting with other forces opposed to the Jackson or Democratic party, largely assisted in the organization of what was to become the Whig party. RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. 79 VIII RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. William H. Seward Defeated as the First Whig Candidate for Gov- ernor — "The Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" Campaign of 1840— The "Raising" of a Log Cabin in Canandaigua — An Honored Ontario County Citizen Named as Postmaster-General in President Harrison's Cabinet. We cannot follow,, even briefly, the politics of the succeeding few years. The Republican party, now become 'Democratic in name, continued in ascendency, while the opposition in 1834, assuming the name of "Whig," nominated William H. Seward as its candidate for Governor, but he was defeated at the polls. Mark H. Sibley, of Ontario, was a prominent Whig in the Assembly of that year and received the Whig vote for Speaker. The Anti-Slavery feeling- began to find expression through public meetings in Ontario as elsewhere. In 1836, the year in which Martin Van Buren was elected President and Mr. Marcy, Governor, both as Democratic candidates, the Whigs of New York made little noise in the cam- paign and small showing at the polls, and in State and local elec- tions of succeeding years the tide seemed to be running in favor of the Democratic party, but the Whigs rallied in 1838 and elected William H. Seward, Governor. He received large majorities in all the Western counties. Henry W. Taylor was elected Member of Assembly on the Whig ticket in Ontario that year. The Presidential campaign in 1840 was a milestone in the his- tory of Ontario county, as it was in that of every other section of the country. The nomination of William PTenry Harrison for President, while a disappointment to the friends of Henry Clay, aroused the greatest popular enthusiasm. The campaign was marked by many unusual features, the building of log cabins, the singing of campaign songs as they had never been sung before and so HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. have never been sung since, and the assembhng of great mass meetings. In Ontario county the feeling ran high ; and, not to be outdone in work for the cause, the Whigs, as early in the campaign as the middle of April, arranged a great ratilication meeting or "Raising" in Canandaigua. The following account of the afifair, condensed from the report in the local Whig organ, the Repository, affords a graphic picture : The Log Cabin Raising. When Victory hung o'er our Flag proudly waving And the battle was fought by our valiant and true; For our homes and our loved ones our enemy braving. Oh! then stood the soldier of Tippecanoe, The iron-armed soldier, the true hearted soldier. The gallant old soldier of Tippecanoe. —Old Song. Last Thursday was indeed a proud day for the Whigs of Canandaigua, as v.-ell as for Ontario county. Agreeable to previous invitation by the Tippecanoe Club, the Whigs of the neighboring towns assembled in this village, to assist in raising a Log Cabin, to be used as a committee room. The first procession which appeared was seen approaching from the southern part of the town and consisted of some thirty or forty wagons, loaded with material for the building, with banners flying; a fine canoe, well manned by the hardy friends of the old hero, exhibitmg a large flag with the word "Tippecanoe" painted on it, accompanied with a fine band of music. We extracted the following from some of the banners which were carried by the wagons: "He is honest" "He is capable" "He is the man'' "No Sub-Treasury'' The procession, made up of delegates from the south part of this town, Hopewell and Gorham, was joined near the Court House by delegates from East Bloomfield and Bristol and that from Manchester, and moved in fine style across the square to the site of the intended cabin. The side walks crowded with animated spectators — the air rending with cheers and shouts for the hero of Tippecanoe. Before eleven o'clock logs had been collected enough to build a cabin two or three times the size of the one planned. At 10 a. m., a numerous delegation from West Bloomfield came down Main street in admirable style with banners flying. The West Bloomfield delegation carried these mottoes: "West Bloomfield will give 230 majority for Harrison & Tyler.'' "William Henry Harrison, the Log Cabin Candidate for President — the string always out." "Fourth March, 1841 — Matty, clear the White House for old Tippecanoe." RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. 81 The following was borne by an old sailor: "William H. Harrison, the mainstay — Matty, the flying jib." The Farmington delegation was large and furnished some of the best timber on the ground. The scene now became highly interesting and aii.'mating. The street where the cabin was to be erected was literally blocked up with teams unloading the ma- terials they had borne. The large piazzas of the Ontario House were crowded with spectators, many of whom were ladies. The excellent band of music belonging to this village enliven- ed the scene with spirited strains. Per- haps never before has this village presented such a mingled scene of active bustle, good feeling, and enthusiastic de- light, as was evinced on this occasion. At 11 o'clock, the first log, which was of live oak, and furnished by our worthy friend, Mr. Joel S. Hart, of Hopewell, was laid with appropriate ceremonies by our venerable and highly esteemed fel- low citizen, Abner Barlow, Esq., assisted by several of our oldest and most re- spected citizens. Mr. Barlow is now eighty-nine years old, and assisted in putting up some of the first log cabins ever erected in Ontario county and plant- ed the first field of wheat west of Utica, which was some fifty y^ars ago. The concourse was briefly addressed, in a happy manner, by E. P. Parrish, the marshal of the day, after which the building began rapidly to rise. Let us look now into the dining room of our host, Mr. Powers, and watch the busy note of preparation going on there. Long tables were spread out groaning under the weight of substan- tial articles which had been sent by ladies from the several towns, consisting of boiled ham, pork and beans, acres of Johnny cake and mince pies, pickles, doughnuts, and other articles too numer- ous to mention. At the hour of 12, the dinner horn was heard at the door, and soon after the room was filled with the hardy sons who had been at work on the cabin, who partook bountifully of the fare and occasionally regaled themselves upon hard cider, the only beverage the use of which custom has sanctioned on such FRANCIS GRANGER. Francis Granger, son of Gideon Granger, was born in Suffield, Conn., December 1, 1792; graduated from Yale College in 1811; removed with his father to Canandaigua in 1814 ; was a Member of Assembly from On- tario county from 1826 to 1828 and from 1830 to 1332; the unsuccessful anti-Masonic nominee for Governor of the State in 1830 and again in 1832, and in 1836 was the can- didate for Vice President on the imsticcessful Whig ticket headed by General William H. Harrison ; elected to Congress in 1835, and being returned at successive elections, continued to hold that office until in 1841, when he was called by President Har- rison to serve as Postmaster General, a posi- tion which he filled until, upon the death of his chief, Tyler became President and the Harrison cabinet was disrupted. _ Declining an appointment to a foreign mission and invitations to take other public office, he spent the rest of his life in comparative retirement in Canandaigua. • It was from Mr. Granger's beautiful gray locks that the administration branch of the Whig party derived its name of "Silver Grays." Mr. Granger died in Canandaigua, August 31, 1868. 82 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. occasions, and which had been abundantly furnished by the committees of arrangements. At one o'clock a long procession appeared from Naples. To the Democratic Whigs of Naples belongs the honor of furnishing the flag staff to the log cabin; and a noble one it is, being nearly one hundred feet in length. The building went up rapidly and by four o'clock was ready to receive the flag staflf, etc. The Messenger, which was the Democratic or Van Buren organ, in describing the meeting, said that "One of the many odd contriv- ances to make up a show for the occasion was a large canoe, which was mounted on wagon wheels and drawn up and down the street by four horses. It was filled, continued the opposition organ, "with some thirty or forty assorted specimens of Whiggery." The Messenger saw a discouraging omen to the Whigs in the breaking of the cord just as the flag was being run up on a fine liberty po^e. Then after referring to the speeches, it said that "a Connecticut singing master" came out on the platform of the tavern, and taking a pitch pipe from his pocket, commenced a song as follows : "Come, all ye Log Cabin boys, we're going to have a raisin'. We've got a job on hand that we think will be pleasin'; We'll turn out and build old Tip a new Cabin, And finish it off with chinkin' and daubin'." In response to an encore, the singer then rendered a very classical parody on "Auld Lang Syne,"' beginning as follows : "Should gude old cider be forgot, And never brought to mind." The canoe mentioned was afterwards carried all over the county, its passengers always including a glee club. Singing was a feature of all the meetings, and the songs had a swing and pepper that set the whole country afire and that earned for them immor- tality in the Walhalla of campaign literature. The Democratic opposition vainly attempted to offset the Whig's singing campaign, and one of their efforts, written by a local bard, was a- song, "The Gathering of the Factions," to be sung at Canandaigua, on the 23rd of April, the date of the log cabin raising heretofore described, or, as the heading stated, "At the Raising of the Grocery for retailing old Federalism and hard cider." It read as follows : RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. 83 The Gathering of the Factions. "Little wat ye wha's coming, Pierson's coming, Bemis's coming. Stout is coming, Worden's coming, Philpot's coming, Dwight is coming. Major General Granger's coming, Log Cabin Folks are a coming. "Little wat ye wha's coming, Farnum's coming, Northrup's coming, John is coming, Paul is coming, Til and Jonas both are coming. Farmer Willson, too, is coming, A' the Working Men are coming. "Little wat ye wha's coming, Orson's coming, Kibbe's coming, Hall is coming, Clark is coming, Hudson's coming, Jones is coming, Ottley's coming, Johnson's coming, Office Holders a' are coming. "Little wat ye wha's coming, — Codding's coming, Frisbie's coming, The Doctor o' the cloak's coming, Pitts and Garlinghouse are coming, Robinson and Royce are coming, A' the Darkies sure are coming. "Little wat we wha's coming, — Feds of ev'ry hue are coming; — They gloom, they glower, they look sae big". At ilka lift, they'll take a swig, Tin cider stills each Tory Whig; — Their gude old frien', the De'il's, coming." A Tippecanoe muse furnished the Repository the following additional stanza to this song: "Ah, little wat we wha's coming, — Stanch old Jackson men are coming, — With sturdy teams they onward jog, Each mounted on a hickory log; And what is more, they've tucked a slab in, To help the Whigs build Old Tip's Cabin." The young men's Whig committee in this campaign was headed by John S. Bates, and included Albert G. Murray, LeDran Brown, 84 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Sidney S. Lampman, G. W. Bemis, George L. Whitney, and E. B. Northrup. Excitement grew as election day approached. The fact that Francis Granger and Jared AVillson, the Whig and Democratic candidates respectively for Congress, were both residents of Canan- daigua, and that Alvah Worden, r^^SM^^^ of Canandaigua, whom the Mess- y^^B/jBK^^ enger contemptuously referred to '^^^^^^^^^^^ as "the brother-in-law of W H. Seward," the Whig candidate for Governor, ran on the same ticket as a candidate for the Assembly, must have made the county a veritable storm center. In the success that crowned the '"Tippecanoe and Tyler, too," campaign, Ontario had its share. It gave Harrison 4,828 votes, as compared with 3,451 for Van Buren and 152 for the Abolition ticket. The county gave William H. Seward for Governor 1,294 plurality, and Mr. Granger led his popular opponent by 843 majority. Upon the inauguration of President Harrison in 1841, On- tario was again given notable recognition in National politics by the appointment of its honored citizen, Francis Granger, as Post- master General in the cabinet of which Daniel Webster was at the head as Secretary of State. Mr. Granger retired from ofifice, with the other members of the cabinet, a few months later, upon the death of President Harrison, but in this distinction he was accorded an honor that rounded out a political career of great activity and usefulness. The son of Gideon Granger, who previous to his removal from Connecticut to Canandaigua had served successively in the cabinets of Jefferson and Madison as Postmaster General, Francis Granger had a laudable political ambition, and, as we have seen, took a prominent part in the politics JARED WILLSON. Jared V/illson, a prominent membei- of the early Ontario county bar, was born in West Stockbndge, Mass., May 23, 1786. Settled in Canandaigua in 1811, immediately after gradu- ation from tlie University of Vermont, and studied law with. John C. Spencer. Served as a lieutenant of militia in the War of 1812 and was taken prisoner at the Battle of Queens- town. Died in Canandaigua, April 8, 1851. RISE OF ANTI-SLAVERY FEELING. 85 of the county and State. He was a recognized leader in the Clintonian, Anti-Masonic, and Whig parties, and was repeatedly honored by his political associates with support for the highest public offices, including those of Governor, United States Senator, and Vice President. Unfortunately his candidacy was several tinjes unsuccessful, through the mis- chance of events or the treachery of pretended friends, but through all the years he maintained in eminent degree the confidence of the people of the State, as well as of his immediate constituents. President Tyler, in his re- organized cabinet, had also an Ontario county statesman in the person of John C. Spencer, whom he made Secretary of War, and later Secretary of the Treasury. Mr. Spencer had been a prominent figure in Western New York and for a long time had a very large influence in shaping State politics. He was Secretary of State through the two administrations of Gov- ernor Seward, and, as we have seen, was repeatedly elected to the Legislature and Congress. The closing years of the fifty-year period which we have been considering saw the beginning of what was to be a complete re-organization of party lines. Slavery had become an imminent issue. The Free Soil slogan was raised by Mr. Seward in this State, and was winning recruits from both the old parties. The recently victorious .Whigs were irretrievably divided, the opposing factions being known as "Silver Grays" and "Woolly Heads," the latter con- stituting the Seward wing. The Free Soil Democrats became "Barnburners" and the old liners became "Hunkers," "Hard" or "Soft" as their prejudices or interests inclined. The times were changing. The leaders-iaf neither of the old parties seem to have had the sagacity to discern or the courage to ALBERT G. MURRAY. .Albert Guthrie Murray was born in Pompey, Onondaga county, in 1810. Removed to Can- andaigua when a young man, engaged in merchandise, and took an active and influert- tial part in politics as an Anti-Slavery Whig. Appointed Postmaster at Canandaigua by President Lincoln in 1861, and continued in that olilice until succeeded by Major F. O. Chamberlain in 1878. Died April 15, 1879. 86 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. meet the ground swell of the more aggressive political force at hand. They were most of them patriots, and theirs likely the wiser way to deal with the generally recognized evils of slavery. But it was not to prevail. Opposition to the "Institution" was no longer confined to the cranks or radicals. The young, forceful men all through the North, inspired by high principle, were impatient of delay. The new occasion was breeding new leaders. Neither prestige nor birth could stand in the way. The day for temporiz- ing and compromising was almost passed, and be it said in honor of many of those who had held high positions in one or the other of the old party organizations, that while they hesitated, with the conservatism of experience, to make the plunge, forseeing perhaps the long train of war and sectional dissension that was to follow, they finally allied themselves with the new political movement and gave loyal adherence to the policy enunciated by the Pittsburgh and Philadelphia conventions and to the new duties typified in the leadership of Seward, Fremont and Lincoln. So it was all through the North. So it was in Ontario county, and thus was ushered in the second half century of Ontario county politics, a half century fraught with new and momentous issues. POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. 87 IX POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. Ontario County's Protest against Repeal of the Missouri Compro- mise — Conscience Whigs Obtain a Newspaper Organ — A Roll of Honor — Call for County Anti-Nebraska Convention — Dele- gates Elected to State Convention — Resolutions against Slavery Extension. Through the refusal, in 1851, of the conservative or Silver Gray wing of the Whig party to follow the leadership of William H. Seward, and the consequent defection of the Whig organ of Ontario county, the Repository, the way opened for the establish- ment in Canandaigua of a new paper to voice the sentiments of the Anti-Slavery or Conscience Whigs, and Nathan J. Milliken, of Seneca Falls, was called to undertake the task. These were but the local expressions of a ferment that was permeating the North. The people of the Free States, both Whigs and Democrats, had become determined to prevent the extension of the area of slavery, as had been shown as early as 1846 by the votes of their represen- tatives in Congress in support of the Wilmot Proviso excluding slavery from new acrjuisitions of territory. Although those repre- sentatives had supinely retreated from their position the following year and the Whigs had nominated General Taylor on a platform silent on the slavery question, public sentiment at the North was crystalizing .and intensifying, the people of the North were becom- ing impatient and disgusted at the cowardly attitude of both the old parties, and, even as early as 1852, the portents heralded the comiplete reorganization of political forces. The editor of the new paper at Canandaigua aggressively declared that "without seeking to enhst the interference of govern- ment with the afifairs of slavery, as now existing in the several States, it will firmly and earnestly oppose its extension over terri- tory now free, and resist by all honorable means the admission of 88 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. new slave States and the encroachments of the slave pov^^er upon the rights and mterests of the people. Regarding the present law, providing for the recovery of fugitive slaves, as unnecessarily stringent in its provisions, and unjust in its practical operation, it will claim, and on all proper occasions exercise, the privilege of urging its entire repeal or essential modification, and of expos- ing to public condemnation the shameful and dangerous abuses by which its execution is often characterized." This editorial, expressingthe sentiments of the Conscience Whigs of 1852, shows that the young men of that time were ani- mated by a spirit of liberty and supported principles of govern- ment that were not only destined to create a new political organiza- tion, but that were to direct the policy of that orgajiization for years to come. The election of General Pierce, the Democratic candidate for the Presidency in 1852, was on a platform that solemnly promised the country repose from slavery agitation, on the basis of the so- called Missouri compromise, but Archibald Dixon, Henry Clay's successor in the Senate, appearing as the champion of the arrogant slave oligarchy of the South, in December, 1853, proposed that when the bill to organize the territory of Nebraska should come before that body he would move that "the Missouri compromise be repealed, and that the citizens of the several States shall be at liberty to take and hold their slaves within any of the territories." The bill when reported from the committee, of which Senator Stephen A.. Douglas, of Illinois, was chairman, proposed the organization of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. It specifi- NATHAN J. MILLIKEN. Nathan J. MilHken, founder of the Anti- Slavery organ at Canandaigua, was born at Keene, N. H., September 27, 1821. Worked at his trade of printing at Burlington, Vt., and Keesville, N. Y. ; editor and proprietor of the Seneca Falls Courier, 1845-48; estab- lished The Times at Canandaigua in Janu- ary, 1852; Ontario County Clerk, 1865-67; postmaster at Canandaigua, 1890-94. Died in Canandaigua, November 26, 1902. POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. 89 cally declared the Missouri compromise inoperative and void and that "its true intent and meaning v\'as not to legislate slavery into any Territory or State and not to exclude it therefrom, but to leave the people perfectly free to regulate their domestic institutions in their own v\^ay." This was a fire brand that aroused the people of the Free States. To express the feeling of the people in Ontario county, a public meeting was held, the call for which appeared in The Times of February 23, 1854, and read as follows: Freedom to the Territories. The citizens ot Ontario county, opposed to the Repeal of the Missouri Compromise and the extension of Slavery into the new territories of Nebraska and Kansas, as contemplated by the bill lately introduced in the United States Senate, by Mr. Douglas, are invited, irrespective of party, to meet at the Court House, in Canandaigua, on Tuesday, the 28th of Feb. instant, for the purpose of protesting against thai proposed violation of plighted faith. Hiram Metcalf, J. B. Sands, E. W. Gardner, Jr., Gideon Granger, John Reznor, John S. Bates, Wm. Hildreth. Henry Howe, Wm. H. Lamport, Harlow Munson, S. R. Wheeler, R. Simmons, 2d, P. P. Bates. N. W. Randall, Benj. Gauss, John B. Cooley, H. N. Jarvis, David Picket, Wm. Demming, Jas. S. Cooley, J. P. Faurot, John J. Lyon, S. V. R. Mallory, D. A. Robinson, Jr., T. J. McLouth, Reuben Murray, Jr., A. N. Hudson, T. E. Hart, A. G. Murray, James M. Bull, John P. Hudson, Charles Coy, W. Failing, Edward Brunson, S. Corson, L. B. Gaylord, Harry Ward, Orson Benjamin, N. J. Milliken, Henry W. Taylor, Owen Edmonston, Francis Mason, Solomon Goodale, Jr., Geo. L. Whitney, Wm. F. Reed, Wm. G. Lapham, Wilmouth Smith, Nelson Parmalee, E. G. Lapham, Seth C. Hart, Amos Jones, Waldo Curtiss. Of the men whose names appear on the above roll of honor, only one, E. W. Gardner, Esq., of Canandaigua, survives at this writing, but they embraced representatives of both Whig and Democratic parties, were from all parts of the county, and for the most part were prominent in political movements of the succeeding months and in the organisation of the new party. This first Anti-Nebraska meeting must have been a notable gathering. It is recorded that it was attended by "a large number of the most influential and respectable citizens of the county." Hon. 90 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Albert Lester, presided; and there were six vice presidents: Henry W. Taylor, of Canandaigua ; Amos Jones, Esq., of Hopewell ; Amos A. Post, Esq., of Seneca; Hon. John Lapham, of Farmington; Z. Barton Stout, Esq., of Richmond; and Judge Lyman Clark, of Manchester. T. Hinckley and J. C. Shelton acted as secretaries. A committee of five, consisting of E. G. Lapham, Gideon Granger, Orson Benjamin, M. A. Wilson, and Peter S. Bonesteel, offered the following resolution : Resolved, That we, the citizens of Ontario county, standing upon all the compromises of the Constitution, and willing to abide by all the reserved rights of the States, have viewed with regret the proposition now pending before the American Congress to repeal the Missouri Compromise, and thus open the vast territories of Nebraska and Kansas to the incursions of slavery; and we enter our SOLEMN PROTEST against this violation of plighted faith. The speeches which followed were evidently not couched in as moderate language as that of the resolution. Judge Taylor denounced the Douglas fraud; Hon. Alvah Worden appealed to the audience whether they would submit if the bill became a law, and was responded to in a spirit and manner the most emphatic and enthusiastic; E. G. Lapham spoke eloquently and most earnestly against the Nebraska bill and urged all parties of the North to unite and resist the further extension of slavery; M. O. Wilder urged the necessity of acting then, if the whole of the United States was not to be surrendered to slavery; Hon. Joshua A. Spencer, of Utica, present as a spectator, declared that Canandaigua was the place of all others where a meeting of this kind should be held. It being the former home of Stephen A. Douglas, he should know of this meeting, and know what his early friends and neighbors thought of "fraud, dishonest)', and falsehood." Ontario county should speak out in such tones as to cause his knees to knock together with fear. So the speeches were mentioned in the succeeding issue of the local Anti-Slavery organ, and the reporter added these comments : "The meeting, composed as it was, of all parties, and nearly a third of it composed of gray-haired men who were voters and active citizens when the Missouri compromise was passed, was one of the most solemn and earnest protests against its repeal that there yet has been. If it has no influence at Washington, it will have a good efTect here. In response to the earnest and powerful appeals of the speakers, the people will be aroused to act. They will hereafter POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. 91 prevent the election of 'Northern men with Southern principles,' and take the forsaken position of our forefathers that slavery, instead of being extended, shall be abolished wherever Congress has the power to do it. So mote it be." Political revolution was in the air ! The "domestic institution" of the South had overstepped the bounds of safety. The meeting held in Canandaigua, February 23, 1854, was not a political convention in the usual sense of that term. Neither the men who called it nor those who participated in its proceedings had any clear conception of what was to result from the movement on which they had embarked. They assembled simply as citizens to protest against a threatened violation of what was considered throughout the North as the plighted faith of the Nation, but that the issue was recognized as a momentous one and as likely to lead to a serious division between the North and South is evidenced in the report we have of the speeches made at the meeting. The events of the succeeding weeks in that pregnant year of 1854 intensified the feeling of the people. Upon the passage by Congress of the bill for the organization of the territories of Nebraska and Kansas, with the proviso that slavery might be extended to those territories, public indignation over the matter increased. The demand for organized action by the friends of liberty became more and more insistent, and finally it was deter- mined to call an "Anti-Nebraska" State convention, to be held in Saratoga, August 16. This was really the first step taken in New York State toward the organization of the Republican party. Similar conventions were held in all the Free States. In Michigan, Wisconsin, Maine, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Towa, the coalitionists adopted the name "Republican." But in New York the call was not for a convention at which to organize a new party. It is true the National Whig party was practically dead, "died of an attempt to swallow the Fugitive Slave law" according to the popular verdict. It could neither speak nor keep silence on what had become the paramount issue, slavery extension. But under the inspiring leadership of William H. Seward, its dominant or "Woolly Head" faction in this State was holding its forces together and its leaders were reluctant to surrender its organization or confess it a wreck. They yet hoped to rally the opponents to slavery extension under the Whig banner and so unite the North. 92 ONTARIO COUNTY HISTORY. The call for a county mass meeting at which to elect delegates to this proposed State convention read as follows : Mass Convention. The undersigned respectfully invite the electors of the County of Ontario, without distinction of party, who disapprove of the late pro-slavery legislation of the present Congress, and who are in favor of the repeal or modification of the Nebraska and Kansas bill, and likewise of the fugitive slave law of 1850, the rejection of new States applying for admission to the Union with slavery tolerating constitutions, and the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia and in all the territories of the United States, to assemble in Convention at the Court House in Canandaigua on Saturday, the iifth day of August, at 12 o'clock M., for the purpose of appointing five delegates from each Assembly district to the great State convention, to be held at the village of Saratoga Springs, on Wednesday, the' 16th day of August next, and for the purpose of expressing their views in relation to the growing assumptions and aggressions of the slave power. Thos. Terry, J. F. Cue, A!Ien Wood, C. C. Green, H. Padelford, J. Dewey, Jr., E. P. Cue, David Wood, Z. Paddleford, M. Finley, Rob't Royce, Aaron Pomeroy, A. Spencer Wolcott, W. Doolittle, E. Swan, G. Brown, J. A. Heazlit, L. B. Stout, J. Garlinghouse, H. Ashley, John Ogden, G. Willson, S. Willson, M. Hunger, R. Stevens, Theodore E. Hart, John Warfield, D. F. Alverson, J. C. Fairchild, Jesse Campbell, Edward C. Grififith, John Mosher, L. B. Antisdale, Jas. Anderson, Jr., D. A. Anderson, W. Kurd, J. S. Dunham, M. A. Robinson, Lorenzo E. Clark, Thos. H. Stringham, N. J. Milliken, Chester Stoddard, Edwin Barnard, Enos Kent, W. F. Curry, .Andrew Merrell, Isaac Piatt, I. R. Peck, H. Kendall, E. P. Pomeroy, John W. Taylor, A. S. Buel, Chas. C. Murphy, William P. Judd, Andrew Peez, Frederick Judd, N. Parmele, Samuel Hough, H. E. Bostwick, Josiah Porter, Abram Pierce, R. C. Munson, J. D. Thompson, F. F. Wilson, L. K. Betts, J. F. Salmon, R. C. Stiles, C. W. Higby, A. Bagley, H. S. Wilkinson, B. F. Adams, Luther Munson, Joseph S. Steele, Joseph Butler, J. A. Goss, W. P. Speaker, C. H. Seymour, John Bement, H. H. Titus, L C. Webster, P. D. Horton, Oliver H. Royce, S. V. R. Mallory, J. Morse. Jr., Peter Pitts, G. W. Pitts, N. Hicks, N. H. Lee, L. Hawes, N. Ashley, Gideon Pitts, W. C. Stout, D. A. Pierpont, S. T. Seward, Orson Benjamin, John Lamport, W. Childs, Charles Jones. J. H. Bunnel, Cornelius Davis, Daniel Spring, Orrin Hart, W. M. Chipman, Austin Persons, Wm. Tozer, POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. 93 Seneca Smith, Thos. C. Burling, Isaac O'Dell, Reuben Murray, Jr., J. M. Howey, Francis J. Lamb, Henry W. Taylor, Frederic Munson, A. D. Piatt, G. C. Seelye, Abraham Fish, W. N. Smith, D. W. Martz, Wm. Collins, Horace Simmons, C. H. Marsh, Wm. Woolston, Phineas Fabes, Geo. T. Wheaton, Harlow Munson, Thayer Gauss, A. H. Bradley, G. N. Allen, Augustus Buell, F.dward Brunson, L. H. Brunson, E. J. Brunson, Charles L. Leete, H. W. Hamlin, H. Fifield, T. H. Kellogg, Jr., Morris Newton, Wm. Hobart, Seely Sergent, John Moulton, E. M. Bradley, H. Beach, John Willey, John C. Beach, Daniel T. Webster, William Bradley, Reuben Norton, Charles Williams, Thomas Smith, Z. J. Wheeler, George Allen, Samuel How, M. Tooker, S. B. Pond, Franklin Edgerton, David Sherrell, G. W. Barber, John H. Stothoff, Milton Edmonston, James Snow, Albert Banta, W. C. Shear. H. K. Cornell, Joseph June, Edward Wilcox, Timothy Howley, J. Q. Adams, Daniel Stewart, George Plumer, Samuel Parker, Linus M. Goodwin, John J. Stone, Isaac N. Hart, H. O'Dell, David Carlough, Harris Andrews, Lewis Coller, L. Miles, Richmond Case, Jr. Isaac D. Peck. Wm. Pickett, Samuel H. Bush, N. G. Wilson, J. H. Mason, S. F. Ambler, John Wood, Stephen Saxton, A. J. Pierce, J. W. Hawly, I. R. Parcel!, J. B. Sands, Jesse Mason, John S. Bates, Henry Pardee, Curtiss Bennett, William Smith, M. Lewis, .Albert Simonds, Hezekiah Ferguson, Geo. W. Clark, Geo. N. West, J. Cronk, B. B. Trask, Wm. I. Tromer, M. A. Norton, B. Newman, H. Peck, T. O. Smith, P. S. Richardson, S. F. Fowler, Wm. Gallup, A. L. Peet, Oliver H. Grow, E. W. Frisbie, T. M. Biddleconi, Alver Warren, V. V. Draper, C. S. Wright, V. R. W. Horton, M. O. Wilder, R. VanVranken, S. C. Hersey, Charles Monroe, C. S. Morris, G. W. Atchlcy, Benj. Gates, B. M. Padget, John Frazer, Conrad Cline, John W. June, Charles E. Jones, Daniel Upright, I. R. Snow, W. A. Smith, Zenas Wheeler, T. E. Hurlrick, Thomas Padden, A. Y. Peck, John Arnold, W. D. Gregory, M. Q. McFarland, John Depue, Harry Gregory, Jonathan Herriot, John B. Coller, Chester A. Coller, John Peck, Welcome Arnold, Liberty Hayden, George Dunkel, John S. Chapin, E. N. Green, C. Remington, Wm. W. Warren, L. O. Lampman, Wm. McGines, E. E. Clark, W. G. Antis, L. J. Sutherland, J. L. Adams, L. C. Aylsworth, P. P. Bates, Samuel Tallmadge, James Walling, Marcus Bickford, A. H. Parks, John Stockwell, D. W. Fish, Joseph Bristol, Andrew Rowley, Ansel Perkins, W. D. Norton, T. R. Grow, Elijah Eaton, David Heath, Wm. B. Lynch, 94 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Jonathan West, F. Sale, Wm. W. Marsh, J. M. Beaver, J. Greenman, John Q. Howe, Chester Gaylord, Wm. Whiting, Harvey Rice, H. W. Jones, James Covert, S. C. Brown. Not all those who signed the call for the county mass meeting of February 23, endorsed the progressive step embraced in this supplementary movement. Among the signers of the first call were a number of "Silver Grays," as that faction of the Whig party was called which had taken the ground that to- reopen the slavery agitation would be to disrupt the Union. Alvah Worden, one of the local leaders of that faction, had spoken eloquently in support of the resolution adopted. But the Silver Grays, many of whom were sincere opponents of slavery extension, distrusted Seward's leadership, and refrained from identifying themselves with a movement that had in it the possi- bilities of disunion. Some of the Democrats, too, who had partici- pated in the earlier meeting held aloof from this. It was hard for the leaders of either party to take a step that meant the loosening of old political ties. Francis Granger and Alvah Worden, like many other Whig leaders, never came into the Re- pubHcan party, though Mr. Grang- er at least rendered \aliant service to the Union as a War Democrat. E. G. Lapham, on the other hand, was a type of theyounger leaders of the Northern Democracy who, after a little natural hesitation at the leap, identified themselves with the new political organization and gained recognition as among its most earnest supporters and advisers. The Ontario county Anti-Nebraska convention was held in the court house at Canandaigua on the daj'^ appointed, Saturday, Avigust 5. Ira R. Peck, of East Bloomfield acted as temporary chairman JEDEDIAH DEWEY. Jederliah Dewey was born April 15, 1807, in Farmington, now town of Manchester. A Member of the Legislature from the East- ern District in 1843, member of the Board of Supervisors in 1852, and Loan Commis- sioner for a number of years. Chairman of the Ontario county Anti-Nebraska convention. Died October 2, 1876. POLITICAL REVOLUTION AT HAND. 95 and Orson Benjamin, of Canandaigua, as secretary. Committees were appointed as follows: On organization — Jedediah Dewey, Jr., Frederick W. Collins, John S. Bates, S. A. Codding and Thomas Stringham ; on resolutions — N. J. Milliken, Silas C. Brown, Orlando Morse, Edward Brunson, and E. W. Simmons. Upon recommen- dation of the committee on organization, permanent ofificers of the convention were chosen as fol- lows : President, Henry Pardee, of Victor. Vice-Presidents, J. H. Mason, of Canandaigua ; T. J. McLouth, of Farmington; Piatt Reynolds, of Manchester; Zebina Lucas, of Canandaigua; A. J. Shannon, of Seneca. Secretaries, Myron Adams, of East Bloom- field ; E. .W. Simmons, of Bristol, and John Mosher, of Canandai- gvia. Mr. Pardee declined to act as chairman of the meeting and Jedediah Dewey, Jr., of Manches- ter, was elected in his place. Committees were appointed to nominate delegates to the Sara- toga convention, as follows: For the Eastern district, William D. Gregory, Lucius How, and Alfred Dewey; and for the Western dis- trict, Joseph Garlinghouse, A. G. Murray, and Silas C. Brown. On recommendation of these commit- tees, delegates were elected as follow : For the Eastern district, John M. Bradford, Charles W. Sabin, Hiram Odell, Thomas J. McLouth, and John Q. Howe : for the Western district, Lyman Hawes, Asa Ball, E. W Simmons, Ira R. Peck, and John Mosher. Resolutions were adopted declaring that the South, in procur- ing an organization of the territories of Nebraska and Kansas under laws designed to eflfect the establishment of slavery therein, had released the North from obligations to sustain or respect any com- promises save those of the Constitution ; pledging the members of the convention to use all constitutional means to defeat the unhal- THOMAS J. McLOUTH. Thomas J. McLouth was born in Farming- ton, October 3, 1803. Was a member of the Hoard of Supervisors in 1844, 1846, 1847, 184S, and 1849. Was a member of the Legis- lature of 18.'il, and took an influential part in the events leading to the organization of the Republican party. Died in Farmington, IMay 16, 1876. 96 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. lowed project of slavery extension, to ensure the repeal or modifi- cation of the Nebraska and Kansas IdIII, to procure the repeal or modification of the Fugitive Slave law of 1850, the rejection of new States applying- for admission to the Union with slavery tolerating constitutions, and the abolition of slavery in the District of Colum- bia and in all the territories of the United States; pledging them, irrespective of party, to support no candidate for Congress who was not fully committed to an active and vigorous advocacy of the measures and policy herewith set forth ; tendering thanks to Hon. Andrew Oliver, representative in Congress from this district, for his manly and determined opposition to the infamous Nebraska swindle ; approving of the organization and object of the Emigrant Aid Society; and deprecating the proposition to nominate a State ticket at the Saratoga convention. The Saratoga convention of the I5th of August was notable for the resolutions adopted upon the recommendation of a committee of which Horace Greeley was chairman. These resolutions declared the right of the general Government to prohibit "the extension, establishment, or perpetuation of human slavery in any and every territory of the United States," denounced the doctrine of Popular Sovereignty as a surrender to the slave power, asserted that "free labor and slave labor cannot co-exist on the same soil," and approved the efforts then in progress for the colonization "with free souls and strong arms" of Kansas and other territories. The con- vention then adjourned until September 26, for the purpose of taking action in regard to the nomination of candidates for State offices. MYRON H. CLARK ELFXTED GOVERNOR. 97 X MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. Mr. Clark's First Public Office That of Sheriff of Ontario County- Gained Prominence in the Senate as an Advocate of the Maine Law — Gubernatorial Nominee of the Seward Whigs, Free Soil Democrats, and Prohibitionists — Beginnings of the Republican Party. As pointed out in the last chapter, the conventions held in this State in 1854, to voice the aroused sentiment of the people against slavery extension, were not called "Republican." The only excep- tion to this was in the case of Allegany county, where it is claimed that, at a convention held at Friendship in May of that year, the name Republican, first suggested by Horace Greeley, was formally adopted and at a subsequent date a county ticket was nominated and sup- ported under that name. James G. Blaine, in a speech at Strong, Maine, August 19, 1884, where and when occurred one of the several celebrations of the thirtieth anniversary of the organization of the Republican party, aptly said : "The place and the time where the Republican party was first organized will, I presume,, remain, like the birthplace of Homer, a subject of unending dispute. Seven cities claimed the latter, and seven States may claim the former. It could hardly be doubted that a great thought, common to the minds of a million of men, would find expression at the same time at places widely separated." But it is pretty generally conceded now that the first Republican State convention, Republican in name as well as in fact, was that held "under the oaks" at Jackson, Michigan, July 6, 1854. Republican conventions were held and RepubHcan tickets nominated that year in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Maine. In New York State, as we have seen, as in all the Eastern States, except Maine, it was known as the Anti-Nebraska move- 98 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ment, and its conventions made no independent nominations, IduI it represented here the same coalition and voiced the same princi- ples that in other states raised the Republican flag, and in endorsing Myron H. Clark, and his associates on the Whig ticket, it made them in fact the first Republican candidates for State office. Governor Clark recognized this in the follownng letter written to A. N. Cole, of Allegany county, known widely as "the Father of the Reptiblican party" from the fact that he called the Allegany county convention above referred to : Hon. A. N. Cole, Canandaigua, August 12th, 1884. Wellsville, My long time, Dear Friend: Your note of the 9th instant, and a copy of the Genesee Valley Free Press of the same date, were both received by me yesterday. You request me to give my recollections about the origin and organization of the Republican party; and to corroborate your statement in relation thereto, published in the paper you send me, so far as I am able. It affords me pleasure to comply with your request; and to vindicate "the truth of history,'' for the benefit of the present generation of our citizens; many of whom can have but little appreciation of the stirring times, politically, you and I passed through in those early days of the party. The organization of the Republican party in this State, was effected in 1854. It was made up of the old Whigs, in large part; Temperance men, or Prohibitionists; Free Soil Dem- ocrats; and the "Anti-Nebraska" party. The nominating State Conventions in this State of each of those parties were held as follows: The Whig party, September 20, 1854, at Syracuse; the Free Democratic, September 25, '54; the Anti-Nebraska party, September 26, and the Temperance, or Prohibition State Convention, September 27, '54. The last three at Auburn. At each of these four State Conventions. I received the nomination for Governor; each of which I formally accepted, as the platforms of principles expressed and passed by the several Conventions, taken altogether, were in accordance with my political principles. These nominations, and my acceptance constituted, in effect, the formation and beginning of the Republican party in this State; although not then designated as such, I believe, by any of them, except the Free Democrat-c. There has been no Whig State Convention or party, in this State, since that time. The Republican name may have been, and probably was, used in local, town, or county conventions, previous to that time; but not by any State or National conventions. My recollection coincides with your statement, that the name for the new party, "Republican, no prefix! no suffix; but plain Republican," was suggested by Horace Greeley. The name began to be used in the papers very soon; whether in the New York Tribune first, I do not remember. But the Evening Chronicle, a Temperance and Anti-Slavery newspaper, published at Pough- keepsie, dated October 3, 1854, six days after my nomination, published "the Republican Platform," upon which (in connection with the Temperance plat- form), I stood and was elected. I send you a slip from that paper containing the platform, and editorial comments upon the nomination, etc. My political platform of principles, like your own, then and ever since has MYRON I-I. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. 99 consisted, mainly, of two planks; viz; opposition to negro Slavery in the Nation; and Anti-rum, in the State. Hence I have always been opposed to the Demo- cratic party, although occasionally I have supported Democratic candidates for local otifices, when they have been better men than their Republican opponents. The Republican party, thus made up and organized, on the principles and platforms originally adopted,, has, with the aid of Providence made good begin- ning and much progress in the National branch of its work; whilst it has almost wholly ignored the temperance question, in its subsequent State Conventions; which I have very much regretted, believing it to be of paramount importance to the people, and the party. I have, however, advised against the Prohibition- ist party making a National ticket, believing it would be more practical, and useful, to confine its efforts to local, municipal, and State politics. I neverthe- less hope, and trust, that the Republican nominees for President and Vice-Presi- dent, may be elected. I shall give them my vote, and influence, to bring about that result. With sincere regard and respect, I am. Very truly yours, MYRON H. CLARK. Governor Clark erred in saj'ing that the Republican name had not been used prior to the time mentioned by any State conven- tion, but otherwise his review summarizes the 1854 campaign in this State. The cooperation of the several parties mentioned in support of his candidacy for the governorship constituted in effect the beginning of the Republican party in this State. Myron H. Clark was serving his second term in the State Senate, as the representative of the 29th, or Ontario-Livingston, district, at the opening of the year 1854. Born in Naples, October 22), 1806, and a merchant by occupation, he had been elected sherifif of Ontario county on the Whig ticket in 1837, and having become a resident of Canandaigua had been elected in 1851 and again in 1853 as State Senator. He had gained recognition as a competent, conscientious. legislator, was one of the leaders of the Seward wing of the Whig party, and as chairman of the special committee which reported the Maine bill, designed to prohibit the sale of liquor in the State except for medicinal purposes, had gained State prominence. The temperance question was a burning one in the State at that time, being hardly inferior in popular interest to the slavery question. It was the subject of heated debates in both houses of the Legislature. Senator Clark made a telling speech in support of the Maine measure, and it was finally passed, but to the great disap- pointment of the mass of the people it was vetoed by Governor Seymour. Following the adjournment of the Legislature, the press con- 100 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. tinued the discussion, and almost immediately there were suggestions that Senator Clark would be an available candidate for the governorship. "The Carson League," published in New York, an organ of a State temperance organization of the same name, strongly urged his nomination. Not only did The Times, the local Free Soil organ, commend the suggestion as gratifying to its editor personally and as pleasing to the community in general, but the Ontario Messenger, an ultra Democratic paper, declared: "Since Mr. Clark has been a member of the Legislature, he has proved him- self to be one of the most able, consistent, and dignified temper- ance advocates in that body, and has won the confidence and esteem of men of all parties." "Here at home," the Messenger continued, "where Mr. Clai-k is known, it need hardly be said that the com- pliment intended by such a nomi- nation is fully appreciated and could not be bestowed on a more worthy and deserving gentleman." The Carson League of On- tario county, which was an organ- ization for the enforcement of the then existing excise law and was ofi'icered by Jesse Campbell, of Canandaigua, as president ; Hiram H. Seelye, of Seneca, as vice presi- dent ; A. D. Piatt, of Seneca ; T. E. Hart, of Canandaigua, and Israel Washburn, of Phelps, as executive committee ; John Raines, of Can- andaigua, grandfather of the late Senator John Raines, author of the present Liquor Tax law, as treasurer, and Francis J. Lamb, of Canandaigua (now of Madison, Wisconsin), as secretary and agent, sent delegates to the State tem- perance convention instructed to favor Senator Clark's candidacy. The Whig convention for the Second Assembly district, held at Hicks's inn, in Bristol, September 16, was presided over by MYRON H. CLARK. Governor Myron H. Clark was born in Naples, October 23, 1806. Elected Sheriff of Ontario county on the Whig ticket in 1837. At close of term engaged in the hardware business in Canandaigua. In 1851 and again in 1853 elected State Senator. Was an active Anti-Slavery or Seward Whig. In 1854, elected Governor of the State on the Whig- Free Soil-Temperance ticket. Served as U. S. Collector of Internal Revenue under Presi- dent Lincoln. Died in Canandaigua. August 23, 1892. MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. 101 Hiram Ashley, of Richmond, as chairman, and Alexander H. Howell, of Canandaigua, as secretary. N. J. Milliken, editor of The Times, was elected delegate to the State convention and Solomon Goodale, Jr., was nominated for member of Assembly. The First district convention, held at Clifton Springs the same day, nominated William H. Lamport, up to that time a Silver Gray or anti-Seward Whig, for member of Assembly. There is no record as to who was the delegate elected to the State convention. At this last named convention held in Syracuse, September 20, an informal ballot developed ten gubernatorial candidates, but Mr. Clark led from the first and on the third formal ballot he received a majority of the votes cast and was declared the nominee. Henry J. Raymond, editor of the New Yoi'k Times, was nominated to the office of Lieutenant-Governor. The resolutions declared that in their struggles against the principles involved in the Nebraska bill, the Whigs of New York invited "the cooperation, on terms of equality and fraternity, of all sincere and earnest champions of Free Labor and Free Soil." The Times, voicing the sentiment at least of the Seward Whigs of Ontario county, said this in its issue of the following week : "Myron H. Clark, the nominee for Governor, is a citizen of this place, with whom most of our readers are personally acquainted. He is a man of excellent judgment, and large experience in public affairs. Plain and unassuming in his language and deport- ment, he is yet possessed of great energy and decision of character — is sound to the core on al! the prominent political questions of the day, and firm as a rock in support of whatever he believes to be right. It has been truly said that he is a self-made man, but he is none the less well made for all that ; and whoever has observed his course in the Senate, where he now holds a seat on his second term, will be a witness to the statesmanlike qualities he has displayed in that body, and to the enlarged and liberal views which have ever governed his legislative action." It is interesting to note in passing that the local Whig ticket of that year was completed by the nomination of James L. Seeley, for member of Congress, George Rice for superintendent of poor, Lyman Clarke for justice of sessions, and Buell S. Bartlett for coroner. Mr. Clark's nomination to the governorship was immediately endorsed by the Anti-Nebraska convention at its adjourned session. 102 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and successively, as stated in Governor Clark's letter above quoted, by the Free Soil Democratic convention and the Temperance convention. The succeeding canvass was a bitter one and doubtful to the end, the Silver Gray wing of the Whig party being in open alliance with the Know Nothings in support of the latter's candidate, Daniel Ullman; the Soft Shell Democrats rallying to the support of their party candidate, Horatio Seymour, and the Hard Shell Democrats having a candidate, also, in the person of Greene C. Bronson. The four-cornered hght ended in the election of the VVhig- Anti-Nebraska-I'"ree Soil-Temperance candidate by a small but sufficient plurality, the vote being as follows: Myron H. Clark, 156,804; Horatio Seymour, 156,495; Daniel Ullman, 122,282; Greene C. Bronson, 33,850. Ontario county gave Clark 2,431, Seymour 1,280, Ullman 3,148, and Bronson 348 votes. William H. Lamport was elected to the Assembly in the First district by 486 plurality, but Solomon Goodale, the Whig candidate in the Second district, was defeated by Oliver Case, his Democratic or Locofoco opponent. There was great rejoicing in Canandaigiia when it was finally known that its distinguished citizen, Myron H. Clark, had ijeen elected Governor of the State. A celebration, opening with a salute of one hundred guns, and closing with a banquet at the Canan- daigua hotel, was held on the evening of November 29. A'bout one hundred guests participated in the affair, Orson Benjamin acting as toastmaster and chairman. Speeches were made by J. J. Chambers, of Albany; Emory B. Pottle, of Naples; Stafford C. Cleveland, of Penn Yan, and Ira R. Peck, of East Bloomfield. Sentiments were offered by several of the guests. Thurlow Weed, the great Albany politician, sent a letter of regret in which he proposed the following toast ; Canandaigua— A village equally distinguished for its picturesque beauties and its social refinements. The executive honors so long anticipated by its eminent citizens have finally revi^arded unostentatious personal worth and unswerving political fidelity. The opposition made fun of the celebration, but it may be presumed that the Woolly Heads and their friends of the coalition read the jibes with equanimity. They had won. Their Candidate for Governor, standing on a platform declaring for Free Labor and Free Soil, had been elected. The Republican party of New York State, in effect, had been born, though not yet named. MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. 103 The political pot had boiled furiously in 1854. While party leader.s clung to the old names, they participated in coalition movements. The party voters divided into antagonistic and openly recognized factions — the Democrats into Hard Sliells and Soft Shells, as they resisted or acquiesed in the disposition manifested by their party organization to yield to the demands of the Southern slave power — the Whigs into Woolly Heads and Silver Grays, the former being the appellation derisively given those who sympathized with William H. Seward in his opposition to slave power aggressions, and the latter that which was appHed to those who, following the lead of Francis Granger of Canandaigua, from whose beautiful silver gray hair the faction derived its name, deprecated any reopening of agitation over slavery ques- tions. The masses of the people, thoroughly aroused by the heated discussions in Congress and in the press over the passage of the Fug- itive Slave law and that admitting slavery to the territories of Kan- sas and Nebraska, had learned to exercise the right of bolting the "regular" party nominations. But, as we have seen, the men who in New York State opposed the ag- gressions of the slave power, and who in 1854 had united to elect Myron H. Clark to the governor- ship on a Free Soil and Free Labor platform, had not as yet been willing to admit that they were anything but Whigs or Democrats or Prohibitionists. The year 1855 was to see another step in advance taken by the New York State Free Spilers — a step already taken, as we have seen, in several other Northern States. Mr. Clark, for political reasons, did not resign the office of Senator until the close of the year, and then a county "People's Convention'' of electors wdio were "in favor of restricting slavery" WILLIAM H. LAMPORT. William H. Lamport was born in Bruns- wi'ck, Rensselaer county, in May, 1818. Moved with his parents to Gorham in 1826. Served as Siipervisoj in 1845 and 1846, and as Sheriff of the county for the term be- ginning January 1, 1850. Mr. Lamport, originally a Whig, identified himself with the Republican party upon its organization ; in 1854, he was elected on the Wliig ticket as ■Member of Assembly for the Eastern district. Became a resident of Canandaigua in 1864; Member of Congress. 1871-75. Died July 2i, 1891. 104. HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. was called to elect delegates to a district convention which would nominate his successor. It will be noted that the Free Soilers had reached a point where they were ready to stand up and be counted independent of former party affiliations. This "People's Convention" was held in Canandaigua, January 20, 1855. Officers were elected as follows: President, Charles H. Loomi's; vice presidents, Dr. Webster, of East Bloomfield; George Dunkle, of Hopewell; Elnathan W. Simmons, of Bristol; E. Blodgett, of Gorham; and E. S. Gregory, of Canandaigua; secre- taries, Harvey Stone, Charles B. Johnson, and Sereno French. Eighteen delegates were elected "to confer with a like number from Livingston county," as follows: First district — Staats Green, of Hopewell ; Lebbeus Knapp, of Hopewell ; Harry Gregory, of Hope- well ; Thomas J. McLouth, of Farmington ; Cornelius Horton, of Phelps ; Dr. J. H. Plowell, of Phelps ; E. Dickinson, of Seneca ; Samuel Morrison, of Seneca ; Hiram Axtell, of Manchester. Sec- ond district — Nathan J. Milliken, of Canandaigua ; Henry Wilson, of Canandaigua; Ira R. Peck, of East Bloomfield; Lyman Hawes, of Richmond; Francis Mason, of Bristol: Asahel Gooding, of Bristol; William C. Dryer, of Victor ; Emory B. Pottle, of Naples ; Silas C. Brown, of West Bloomfield. This county convention was held on Saturday. On the follow- ing Monday, January 22, the Twenty-ninth district convention to nominate a candidate to the vacancy was held, this also in Canandaigua. Owing to a misunderstanding, the other county of the district, Livingston, was not represented by delegates, but S. C. Brown, William Carter, and Ira Godfrey, of that county, present as spectators, were invited to take seats in the convention. Lyman Hawes, of Richmond, was elected chairman, and J. Q. Howe, of Phelps, and Ira R. Peck; of East Bloomfield, officiated as secretaries. An informal vote for candidates for the State senatorship resulted as follows : Chester Loomis received 7 votes ; S. Foote, 2 ; E. W. Simmons, 4; Charles J. Folger, 1; blank, 1. On a second ballot, Judge Loomis received 1 1 votes, Dr. Simmons 3, and Judge Folger 1. Judge Loomis was thereupon declared the nominee, and upon motion the following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That we regard all .secret political organizations as anti-Republi- can in their tendency and dangerous to the institutions of our country, and that we will not hold political fellowship with those whom we have reason to believe are connected in any way with such orders; nor will we support for office any candidate who holds any connection with such organization. MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. 105 The resolution thus adopted by the People's convention was an indication of the local revulsion against the secret methods of the American or Know Nothing party, which had then reached the culmination of its strength as a National political organization. This party had its origin in 1852, under the name of "The Sons of 76," or "The Order of the Star Spangled Banner," and was an oath-bound society designed to exclude Roman Catholics and all foreigners from public office. Its real name and object were not revealed to a member until he took the higher degrees, and as a result when asked questions regarding the order he naturally and invariably replied, "I don't know." So in common parlance the members of the organization were called Know Nothings. The order increased with wonderful rapidity. The general political unrest, the widespread disgust with the management of the Whig and Democratic parties, and the innate love of man for the mysterious, contributed to its growth. It became a power in 1854 in local and State elections, a fact that was evidenced by the 122,282 votes cast for Daniel Ull- man, its candidate for Governor of New York, in that year. But the slave power was destined to be the cause of its disruption, as it had been that of other parties. When its National council at Philadelphia, June 5, 1855, adopted resolutions supporting the Fitgitive Slave law and the Southern contentions generally, its fate was sealed. The council thereupon split, and though the order lived to embarrass Republican candidates in the National campaign of the ELBRIDGE G. LAPHAM. lilbridge Gerry Lapham was born in the town of Farmington, Ontario county, Octo- ber 18, 1814 ; educated in the Canandaigua .Academy. Was admitted to the bar in 1844, and early won distinction as an advocate : originally a Democrat in politics, belonging to the Barn Burner or Anti-Slavery wing of that party, but in 1856 identified himself with the recently organized Republican party. Elected to the Constitutional Convention of 1867, to Congress in 1874, 1876, 1878, and 1880, and in 1881 was chosen by the Legis- lature to the seat in the United States Sen- ate from which Roscoe Conlcling had resigned. Died at his summer home on the shore of Canandaigua lake, January 8, 1890. 106 HISTORY OF OxNTARIO COUNTY. next year and at various local elections intervening, it rapidly disin- tegrated. As before stated, the election of a successor to Senator Clark in the Ontario-Livingston district took place at the time when the Americans, Know Nothings, or Hindoos, as they were variously known, were at the height of their power. Elisha ,W. Gardner, of Canandaigua, who wa.'; an active participant in the exciting- political events of that year and assisted in the organization of the bogus lodges that were instituted to break the strength of that most un-American of parties and to disclose to the people the true inwardness of its promoters, states that the convention or "coun- cil" at which it nominated a candidate in opposition to Judge Loomis was held in secret, the Saturday before the Tuesday on which election was held. He recalls that this council, as was the case with all meetings of the party, was called, not by public notice, but by means of pieces of paper, cut in cabalistic forms, whose meaning was known only to members of the order, and posted or scattered on the streets. Judge Loomis, the People's candidate, had already served one four-years' term, .1835-1838, in the State Senate, as one of the rep- resentatives of the old Seventh district, under the constitution of 1821, and was a well known and highly respected citizen. The Know Nothing candidate was Rev. William H. Goodwin, a Methodist Episcopal clergyman then living at Geneva, and though the Ontario Messenger, the Democratic organ, and The' Times, speaking for the Seward Whigs, united iii hurling hot shot at his candidacy, he Avas elected over Judge Loomis. The Reposi- tory, as the local organ of the Silver Grays, supported the Know Nothing candidate, and it is manifest that most of that wing of what had been the Whig party voted for him. In Ontario county, Mr. Goodwin received 3,i37 votes as against 2,257 for Judge Loomis. This special election was held on 'J'uesday, January 30, 1855, and under authority of a special act of the Legislature the vote was canvassed and Senator Goodwin took his seat in time to vote against the reelection of \'Villiam H. Seward to the United States Senate. On the night preceding this election, at a public meeting in the coun house in Canandaigua, Elbridge G. Lapham, then a prominent Democrat, but destined to rise to prominence in the MYRON H. CLARK ELECTED GOVERNOR. 107 Republican party, made a strong speech in support of the People's candidate, the beginning, if we are correctly informed, of the cus- tom that he afterward followed as a Republican campaigner in making the closing speech of each succeeding campaign to his own townspeople. In the town elections held in this county in April of that year, the issue presented by the surprising growth of Know Nothingism united with the ever insistent question of slavery extension to make an extremely exciting campaign. As an indication of the trend of public sentiment at that time, it is interesting to note that the call for the Cheshirej or No. 9, caucus, to be held at the home of N. R. iioswell, March 28, was for a meeting of "all citizens opposed to the violation of solemn compromises to the extension of slavery, and to all secret and irresponsible societies." The calls for caucuses to nominate candidates for town offices in other towns were couched in erjually significant language. The Know Nothings won out in Canandaigua, their nominee, Ebenezer Hale, being elected, but the "Antis" carried eight of the towns of the county as compared with a Know Nothing, or Hindoo, list of six. In Bristol the vote on supervisor was a tie, and Francis Mason, the Whig incumbent, held over. The county board of supervisors of that year was as follow.^ : Anti-Hindoos — Thomas' R. Peck, West Bloomfield; Henry W. Hamlin, East Bloomfield ; Francis Mason, Bristol ; David A. Pier- pont, Richmond; Nathaniel G. Austin, Canadice ; David Coye, South Bristol; David Pickett, Gorham ; Daniel Arnold, Farmington ; N. K. Cole, Manchester. Know Nothings — Ebenezer Hale, Canandaigua; William S. Clark, Victor; A. T-. Nelson, Naples; Robert Chapin, Hopewell; S. B. Pond, Phelps; James M. Soverhill, Seneca. 108 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XI THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. The New Coalition of Free Soilers Adopt the Name Republican — Men Identified with the Movement — ^A Tangled Local Cam- paign — Union Ticket Put in the Field by Republicans and Democrats — Opposing Know Nothing Candidates for County Offices Win at the Election. With the opening of the State campaign of 1855, the Free Soil coalitionists became a distinct political organization. The names with which they had been popularly christened, in entire disregard of their old-time party affiliations as Whigs or Democrats, were dropped. Barnburners, Hard Shells,. Woolly Heads, Sewardites, and Anti-Hindoos became Republicans. The work of party organization under the Republican name, begun the year before in the West and in Maine, extended rapidly throughout the North during 1855. The struggle in which the emigrants from the Free States had engaged to save Kansas from slavery, the fight which the obscure rail splitter of Illinois was making against Douglas and squatter sovereignty, his proclama- tion of the truth that this Nation could not exist one-half slave and one-half free, and the success of the Anti-Nebraskans at the open- ing of the Thirty-fourth Congress in electing Nathaniel P. Banks, Speaker of the House of Representatives, were under the Repub- lican banner. In New York State, steps were taken early in the summer to organize the new party. The first Republican State convention was called to meet in Syracuse, September 26, to nominate a ticket for State offices to be filled at the November election. Each Assembly district was to be represented by two delegates. The Whig party, dominated by its Seward or Free Soil wing, called its convention for the same date and city. In the Ontario county districts, the same plan was pursued — THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. 109 the Republican and Whig conventions being called for the same date, with the evident intention of merging one in the other. The calls for the Republican district conventions read as fol- lows ; First District Republican Convention. The electors of the Eastern Assembly District of Ontario county, who are in favor of the Republican organization, will meet at the Town Hall in the Village of Phelps, on Saturday, September 8th, at 2 o'clock p. m., for the pur- pose of selecting two delegates to represent said district in the Republican State Convention, to be held at Syracuse on the 26th September next, and to transact such other business as may legitimately come before the convention. — August 25, 18SS. Chauncey Musselman, J. A. Wader, Harry Robison, James Robison, Joseph Jane, Thomas Smith, George Mack, V. V. Draper, Lyman Catlin, W. W. Woodworth, Caleb Bannister, Elihu Stone, Wm. Whiting, M. B. Bannister, H. K. Connell, H. H. Hopkins, James Brown, Levi Case, Rial V. Wheeler, Jonathan Burt, Second District Republican Convention. The Independent Electors of the several towns, in the Second Assembly District of Ontario county, who are opposed to the further subjugation of our government to the interests of Slave Power, to the extension of Slavery into our National domain, and to any further strengthening of the Slave Power by the admission of Slave States into the Confederacy, are requested to meet in their several towns, irrespective of former party associations, and select twice the usual number of Delegates to a District Convention, to meet at Hicks's Hotel in Bristol on Saturday, the 22d of September, for the purpose of select- ing two Delegates to the State Republican Convention, to meet at Syracuse on the 26th inst., and to trans.act such other business as may be found necessary. September 6, 1855. By Order of the Committee. The calls of three Republican town caucuses appeared in the September 13 issue of the local Free Soil organ. That for Canan- daigua was called to meet in the town hall and to it were invited "all citizens who are opposed to the aggressions of the slave power, and in favor of political action with reference to that question." That for Bristol was held at the house of S. C. Hicks and included electors who were "in favor of the Republican organization." That for Richmond was held at Hazen's tavern in Honeoye, and included all who were "in favor of forming a Republican party, in opposition 110 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. to the extension of slavery on free soil and also opposed to secret societies for political purpose?." The only report we have of these first gatherings of men who. were willing to be known as Repu1)licans is the following from The Times of September 20, 1855: Town Convention. At ,1 meeting of the Republican.s of the Town of Canandaigua, announced at the Town Hall on Monday, the 17th inst., according to previous notice, Stephen Parrish, 2nd, was elected chairman, and J. C. Fairchild, secretary. The following gentlemen were elected Delegates to the district convention to be held at Bristol on the 22d inst.: Evander Sly, W. W. McClure, Charles Hall, Edwin Hicks, R. B. Johnson, Joel M. Howey, Stephen Parrish, 2d, E. W. Gardner, Henry Willson, E. S. Gregory, ' Stephen Saxton, C. Remington. H. C. Lucas, " M. Remington, On motion, Resolved that the delegates be authorized to appoint substi- tutes, in case of their inability to attend. On motion. Col. W. Millor, E. W. Gardner, and Joel M. Howey were appointed Town Committee tor the ensuing year. It is a matter to be much regretted that the reporter did not give more of the details of this first Republican caucus in the town of Canandaigua, that we have no list of the voters present, or record of the speeches made. We have l:)een informed by one of those who was present that there was a very small attendance, barely enough for officers of the meeting and to forward its business. Not all of those elected delegates to the district convention were pres- ent at the caucus, but it is fair to presume it was known that they were in sympathy with the movement. Perhaps no speeches were made. Not always do the men who meet to initiate a movement of such far-reaching significance make much noise. They act rather than talk. The only survivor of the delegates elected at this historic gather- ing is EHsha W. Gardner, of Canandaigua. Joel M. Howey, an honored agriculturist, survived until 1909, when he died at the ripe age of 91 years. Evander Sly, who headed the delegation, was then and for many years afterward one of the most prominent business menof the village. Stephen Parrish was superintendent of the Canan- daigua Gas Light Company and later became a resident of Jersey City. Edwin Hicks, who had only been a resident of the village since the THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. Ill preceding" January, was a young attorney, whose anti-slavery senti- ments, imbibed as a boy among the Bristol hills, naturally led to his .identification with the new party at its very beginning. E. S. Gregory had been the partner of Myron H. Clark in the hardware business and later engaged in banking. H. C. Lucas was for many years prominently identified -with the produce business. Stephen Saxton was a lumber merchant. R. B. Johnson was a farmer living at Centerfield. Henry Willson, son of Jared Willson, later met his death as a soldier while fighting in support of the principles which he espoused at this caucus. Charles Hall was a prominent farmer of Cheshire, and the father of Lorenzo C. and John B. Hall. Chauncey Remington was a lead- ing druggist and M. Remington, his nephew, was a farmer. W W. McClure was for a long time a leading stone mason. Willson Mil- lor was the man to whom "in an evil hour," as Mr. Milliken later told readers of the paper, the latter sold The Times in the summer of .1854, and who remained its pro- prietor until February of the next year, when the office was burned out. The paper was reestablished by Mr. Milliken in May, 1856. The first "Republican" convention in the county was that called as above noted for the First or Eastern Asseml)ly district and held at Phelps on September 8. E. W Frisbie acted as its chairman, and Edward W. Henderson, and B. H. Bartlett as its secretaries. Thomas McLouth. formerly a Whig, and Lyman Catlin, an ex-Democrat of the Hard Shell school, were elected delgates to the State convention. Delegates to district conventions were elected as follows : Senatorial — Robert Royce, of Hopewell ; Thomas M. Terry, of JOEL M. HOWEY. Joel M, Howey, elected a delegate at first Republican cauctis in Canandaigua, Septem- ber 17. 1855, and a member of the first iiepnblican town committee, was born in Canandaigua, January 30, 1819. Commis- .sioner of Excise of the town for a number of , years ; a member of Board of Supervisors, 1887. Died in Canandaigua, October 1, 19n<'. 112 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Farmington; John McKaj', of Seneca ;R. N. Ferguson, of Phelps ; J. Dewey, Jr., of Manchester, and H. Metcalf, of Gorham ; C. Bannister, A. J. Shannon, and T. Pomeroy, at large. Judicial — G. W. Duesbury, Jacob Wader, and Jonathan Pratt. The Whig convention for the First district elected J. M. Bradford, of Geneva, as its representative to the Whig State convention. The Republican convention for the Second Assembly district was held, pursuant to the call, at the home of S. C. Hicks in Bristol, on the 22nd of September, 1855. The convention organized by the election of Josiah Porter, of East Bloomfield, as chairman, and Zoroaster Paul, of Richmond, and Edwin Hicks, of Canandaigua, as secretaries. The towns were represented by these delegates : Canandaigua — Edwin Hicks, Stephen Parrish, 2nd., M. Rem- ington, Charles Hall, Joel M. Howey, and Willson Millor (not all those elected at the caucus above reported being present). Richmond — Zoroaster Paul, D. L. Hamilton, Hiram Ashley, W. A. Reed, Willard Doolittle, Alfred Franklin. Victor — B. B. Trask, L. Dewey. East Bloomfield — J. Porter, Myron Adams, C. W. Higby, H. Gains, Thayer Gauss. West Bloomfield— O. Wade, Silas C. Brown, E. F. Leech, G. A. Wendell, Henry L. Taft, Sireno French. Bristol — John Mason, W. S. Hicks, Stephen A. Codding, Aru- nah Jones, W. Scott Hicks, Orestus Case. South Bristol— S. Collins, C. L. Crandall, O. H. Sheldon, S. Powell, L. Lincoln, Isaac Trembl)''. A committee, consisting of Messrs. Brown, Ashley, Jones, Hamilton, Higby, Codding, and French, reported resolutions declaring that "we have to require of public servants only intelli- gence, honesty and fidelity in the discharge of the duties confided to their care, without reference to the stars predominating at their birth, or the distance between their own and the natal place of their neighbors ;" that "to proscribe any of our fellow citizens on account of their religious faith and make a polemical doctrine the test of citizenship, is to attack the fundamental elements of our Republican form of government," and that the members of the convention, as Republicans, asserted unequivocally: "1st, That no more slave states shall be admitted into the .Union ; 2nd, That no slavery shall THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. 113 be permitted under any pretence in any territory in the United States ; 3d, That slavery shall be abolished in all places within the jurisdiction of the Federal Government ; 4th, That the Fugitive Slave law shall be repealed; 5th, That the influence of the general government shall, under all circumstances, be exerted to discounte- nance and restrain slaverj;^, and to extend and promote the blessings of Freedom." The resolutions were adopt- ed, and Willson Millor'and Zo- roaster Paul were elected dele- gates to the State convention, and Edwin Hicks, Elnathan W Sim- mons, and Hiram Ashley delegates to the Judicial convention. Colo- nel Millor, Sireno French, and Orestus Case were appointed as the central committee. The Repubhcan and Whig conventions at Syracuse, Septem- ber 26, through conference com- mittees, united upon resolutions and upon a ticket of candidates for State offices, and the Whig con- vention dissolved and repaired in a body to the hall where the Re- publicans held their meeting. The Republican ticket thus nominated was headed by Preston King, of St. Lawrence county, as a candi- date for Secretary of State. But not all of those identified with the Free Soil movement had yet enrolled themselves in the new party. Not all of those who expressed themselves as in sympathy with its purposes cared yet to commit their political fortunes to its keeping. Not all of those who were destined to engage in its cause and participate in its early triumphs were yet fighting under its banner. Old party ties were then, as they are now, difficult to throw oflf. It was not until the next year that party lines finally adjusted themselves to the new THOMAS M. HOWELL. Thomas Morris Howell, second son of Judge Nathaniel W. Howell, was born in Canandaigua, December 7, 1811; graduated from Amherst College in 1831 ; admitted to the bar in 1834 ; District Attorney for On- tario courty from 1840 to 1847 inclusive ; unsuccessful as the Democratic nominee for Justice of the Supreme Court, Representative in Congress, and Member of Assembly ; Police Justice of the Village of Canandaigua from 1871 to 1874. Died in Canandaigua, October 27, 1892. 114 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. conditions. It required the hot fires of a Presidential contest to bring the men, who believed that the time for temporizing with the monstrous evil of human slavery had passed, to see that they must make open profession of the faith that was in them, and, sinking personal differences, pushing aside considerations of selfish interest, and forgetting past political associations, give to the cause of Freedom, as represented by the Republican party, the support of their names and ^'otes as well as of their consciences. So through the later campaign, that for the nomination and election of county and district oflicers, as had been the case in that for the election of delegates to the State convention, the Whig- leaders kept up their organization and many of the Free Soil Dem- ocrats continued in active afHliation with the party to which they had so long acknowledged allegiance. The local campaign, there- fore, was a tangled one, and it is difficult, after this length of time, to follow its turnings. Both the Repul)lican and Democratic county conventions were held on October 13, with a view to bringing about a union between the Republicans and Democrats in the nomination of a ticket of candidates for county offices. Upon recommendation of a confer- ence committee, it was decided that each convention should nomi- nate a full ticket and then appoint another committee of conference, with power to make up from the two sets of candidates a union ticket. The Republican convention thereupon nominated the following candidates, constituting the frst ticket put in the field by the Republican organization of Ontario county: For county judge, Samuel A. Foot, of Geneva ; for county clerk, Nathan J. Milliken, of Canandaigua; for sheriflF, William A. Willson, of Manchester; for district attorney, Emory B. Pottle, of Naples ; for county treas- urer,- John Mosher, of Canandaigua ; for justice of sessions, Arunah Jones, of Bristol; for superintendent of the poor, George Dunkle, of Hopewell. The Democratic convention first nominated Charles J. Folger as county judge, but he peremptorily declined, and the ticket was made up as follows : For county judge, Albert Lester ; for county clerk, Elnathan W^. Simmons: for sheriff. Dexter H. Hawks; for district attorney, Elisha W. Gardner: for county treasurer, Jacob J. Mattison; for surrogate, John N. Whiting; for superintendent THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. 115 of poor, George Gooding : for justice of sessions, George W. Stearns. Myron H. Peck, Elbridge G. Lapham, William C. Dryer, Eli- sha W Gardner and Henry O. Chesebro, appointed to confer with a similar committee from the Republican convention as to a union ticket, reported that they could not reach a satisfactory agreement as to the matter. But the effort to unite on a tic- ket was not given up and finally, when only one working day remained before election, there was a compromise effected by which the following union ticket was agreed upon : For county judge, Emory B. Pottle (Rep.); for .sheriff, Nathan J. Milliken (Rep.); for county clerk, Elna- than W. Simmons (Dem.) ; for district attorney, Dolphin Steph- enson ( Rep. ) ; for surrogate, John Whiting (Dem.) ; for county treasurer, Jacob J. Mattison (Dem.') ; for superintendent of poor, Henry Mott (Dem.) ; for justice of sessions, Arunah Jones (Rep.) The opposing Know Nothing ticket was made up as follows : For county judge, Peter M. Dox, of Geneva; for sheriff, Henry C. Swift, of Phelps ; for county clerk, John J. Lyon, of Canandaigua; for county treasurer, George Will- son, of Canandaigua; for district attorney, T. O. Perkins, of Can- andaigua ; for superintendent of poor, J. Q. Groesbeck ; for surro- gate, Samuel Salisbury, of Canandaigua; for justice of sessions, James M. Pulver, of Gorham. There was also a "Hard Shell" ticket, on which Thomas M. Howell ran as a candidate for county judge ; Edgar W. Dennis, for SAMUEL A. FOOT. Samuel Alfred Foot was born at Water- town, Connecticut ; graduated from Union College in 1811; admitted to the bar in 1813; District Attorney of Albany county, 1819- 1821 ; appointed to vacancy on Court of Appeals bench, 1851, and was the Whig can- didate for the position that year, but was defeated at the polls. Having become a resi- dent of Geneva, was elected Member of Assembly from the Eastern district of On- tario county in 1855 and was reelected to that office in 1856. Died at Geneva, May 11, 187S. 116 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. district attorney ; Nathaniel K. Cole, for county clerk ; Justus H. Dawley, for sheriff, and William H. Phelps, for county treasurer. The county election resulted in the success of the entire Know Nothing ticket, excepting its candidates for county treasurer and surrogate, to both of which offices the coalition candidates (both of them Democrats) were elected by small majorities. ****** At the Eastern or Second Assembly district Republican con- vention, held at the Canandaigua hotel, October 13, 1855, and at which Silas C. Brown, of West Bloomfield, acted as chairman, and Arunah Jones, of Bristol, as secre- tary. Judge Henry W. Taylor, of Canandaigua, was nominated to the ofifice of member of Assembly. At an adjourned meeting of the First district Republican con- vention, held at Clifton Springs, October 6, Samuel A. Foot, of Geneva, was placed in nomination for the Assembly. Judge Foot was elected over his Know Nothing opponent, Corydon Wheat, by 48 plurality, while Stephen H. Parker, the Hard Shell candidate, received 745 votes. Judge Taylor was de- feated by Oliver Case, renominat- ed by the Know Nothings, by 197 plurality. The Hard Shell candi- date, Myron H. Peck, received 202 votes. For Senator of the Twenty- ninth district, the Republicans had presented John Wiley and the Know Nothings Sidney Sweet. The latter was elected. For Justice of the Supreme Court, E. Darwin Smith, the Know Nothing nominee, defeated Addison T. Knox, Republican. Preston King, who headed the Republican ticket as a candi- JACOB J. MATTISON. Jacob J. Mattison, editor and proprietor of the Democratic newspaper org:an at the county seat for thirty-four years, was born in New Jersey, July 19, 1813. Became a resi- dent of Canandaigrua when seventeen years of age, and entered upon an apprenticeship in the ofEce of the Ontario Repository then owned by Chauncey M. Morse; in 1845 be- came owner of the Ontario Messenger; in 1862, bought the Repository and consolidated the two papers ; was Ontario County Treas- urer, 1856-58. Died in Canandaigua, July 28, 1879. THE FIRST FREE SOIL CONVENTIONS. 117 date for Secretary of State, was defeated by a small plurality by Joel T. Headley, the Know Nothing or American party candidate. The other nominees were Aaron Ward, National Democrat, and Israel T. Hatch, Soft Shell Democrat. Notwithstanding these successes in State and local elec- tions, the day of Know Nothingism had ended. Many of those who had voted its tickets had never become members of the order, and had no sympathy with its secret purposes. They had used it as a weapon with which to wreak vengeance on the old leaders. That accomplished, there was another shift of the political kaleidoscope. Even in New York State hope of resuscitating the Whig party was abandoned. The various movements that had masqueraded under the guise of Anti-Nebraskaism, People's convention, Anti-Hin- dooism, etc., had become Republican in name — "Republican, no prefix, no sufifix; but plain Republican." But by one of those strange mutations that occur in politics, not all those who had identified themselves in the various independent and protesting movements were to join the new party — some of those who opposed those movements were to become active and influential in its councils. In these imperfect sketches of the movements out of which was organized the Republican party in Ontario county, the writer has gone into particulars as far as possible as to the members and ofificers oi conventions and committees, realizing that such details Tiiay not be interesting to the general reader, but believing that in them is contained the most valuable record of the party's beginnings here. They embrace the names of some, not all by any means, of those to whom belong the honor of guiding and uniting the antiT slavery sentiment of the time, and to whom should go the credit for organizing and setting in motion the party machinery. 118 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XII ONTARIO IN THE 1856 CAMPAIGN. Growing Strength arid Confidence of the New Party — Fremont the Standard Bearer — Free Soil Democrats Unite with the New Political Organization — John C. Fremont Nominated for Presi- dent — District and County Conventions — Republicans Name a Complete Ticket. The Republican party gained its first victory of a national character in the election of the Speaker of the House of Represen- tatives, at the opening of the Thirty-fourth Congress in December, 1855. After a protracted contest, in which no less than twenty candidates were voted for, the Republicans, Anti-Slavery Whigs, Anti-Slavery Democrats, Anti-Slavery Americans, and other Free Soilers, united and elected Nathaniel P. Banks to the office. Bleed- ing Kansas, through the settlement of emigrants from the East, was slowly materializing into a Free and Republican State. The attack upon Charles Sumner in the United States Senate also helped to make the men of the North who thought alike realize that they must act alike, if they were to successfully oppose, the aggressions of the slave power. The first movement toward the organization of a national Republican campaign was that voiced in the call, signed by the chairmen of the Republican State committees of 'Maine, Vermont, •Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin, for an informal convention of the Republicans of the Union to be held at Pittsburg, February 22, 1856. Of the cau- cuses and conventions held in Ontario county preliminary to this convention we have no record, as the Times ofiice, then under the management of Willson Millor, was burned out on February 6th of that year and the paper was not reestablished, except through the occasional issue of leaflets, until the first of the following May. The other village papers did not attempt to report the primaries of the new party, the Repository being wedded to the Know Nothing ONTARIO IN THE 1856 CAMPAIGN. 119 cause and the Alessenger flying the Democratic colors. We learn from the latter, however, that the delegates elected to repre- sent the Ontario-Seneca-Yates Congressional district in the Pitts- burg convention were ex-State Senator William M. Oliver, of Penn Yan, and ex-Congressman William A. Sackett, of Seneca Falls. The Pittsburg convention named a national executive commit- tee of which Edwin D. Morgan, of New York, was chairman, and adopted resolutions demanding repeal of laws favorable to the extension of slavery, favoring the admission of Kansas as a Free State, and declaring the national administration of President Pierce to be identified with the progress, of the slave power to national su- premacy. The executive committee ap- pointed at this convention prompt- ly issued a call to the friends' of freedom to send de'egates to a convention to be he'd at Philade'- phia, June 17, "for the purpose of recommending candidates to be supported for the offices of Presi- dent and Vice President of the United States." Thus was inaug- urated the first national campaign by the Republican party. The Republican State con- vention was called to meet in Syracuse, May 28. The convention for the West- ern Assembly district of Ontario county was held at Collins's hotel, in East Blodmfield, May 16, and was presided over by Myron Adams, of East Bloomfield, as chairman. Francis J. Lamb, of Canandaigua, acted as its secretary. Roswell C. Munson, of East Bloomfield, and Shotwell Powell, of South Bristol, were elected delegates to the State convention. HENRY W. TAYLOR. Henry W. Taylor, one of the Vice Presi- dents and a speaker at the original Anti- Nebraska meeting, in Canandaigua, Febru- ary 28, 1854. Born February 2, 1796, at J3eeriield, Mass. Became a resident of Ontario county in 1816. Member of the New Yorl< Assembly in 1837, 1838, 1839, and 1840. Removed to Michigan in 1840; a member of the Michigan Senate in 1846. Returned to Canandaigua in 1848. Appointed Justice of the Supreme Court in 1850; County Judge, 1858-1860. Originally a Whig, then a Republican. Died in Can- andaigua, December 17, 1888. 120 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. At the convention for the Eastern district, held at Clifton Springs, May 24, Jedediah Dewey, Jr., of Manchester, acted as chairman, and Dolphin Stephenson, of Phelps, as secretary. Thomas U. Bradbury, of Farmington, and Cuyler F. Greene, of Gorham, were elected delegates to the State convention, and Dolphin Stephenson, of Phelps, and G. B. Sears, of Seneca, alternates. Resolutions were adopted declaring, in addition to opposition to slavery extension, that the delegates felt "impelled to discard all former political differences and to unite for the common gocxl," etc. D. Stephen- son, A. S. Crittenden, and William Johnson were named as a district committee. Thomas J. McLouth, of Ontario, John E. Seeley, of Seneca, and M. H. Lawrence, of Yates, were selected as delegates, and Henry W. Taylor, James K. Richardson, and A. V. Harpend- ing, as alternates, to represent the Twenty-seventh district in the National convention. The Times had been established in Canandaigua as the organ of that faction of the Whig party which hailed William H. Seward, then representing the State in the Senate of the United States, as their leader, and who supported him in his effort to make the party independent of slavery dictation. It had urged the importance of his reelection to the Senate and rejoiced when he was reelected, but previous to that, at the time when the repeal of the Missouri Compromise had stirred the North to indignation and protest, as early as June, 1854, it had put at the head of its editorial columns this legend : For President, WJLLIAM H. SEWARD, of New York. And it had kept the declaration in place all through the Free Soil campaign of that year, through the campaign of the next year, in which the party was organized and adopted the name Repubhcan, and into the Presidential campaign of 1856. William H. Seward, able, statesmanlike, eloquent, who had led the van in the fight for Free Soil during the preceding years, became the leader of the Republican party in New York State as he had been the leader of the dominant faction of the old Whig party. He was the choice of the New York delegates for the Presidency in the National conven- tion at Philadelphia, June 17, 1856. He probably could have been nominated. There was no strife among candidates. It was too ONTARIO IN THE 1856 CAMPAIGN. 121 clearly shown that the contest must be fought for the sake of future good, not for present success. Thurlow Weed and other New York admirers of the great statesman wanted to avoid his sacrifice. His name was therefore withdrawn, and he received only one vote in the balloting on the second day of that historic gathering. The first formal ballot determined the result. John C. Fremont, "the Pathfinder," was chosen to lead the Republican army, yet ignorant of its own strength, doubtful of its future, but inspired by a noble purpose, in its first campaign for the Presidency. William L. Dayton, of New Jersey, was selected as its candidate for Vice President. Though the leaders of the Republican party in the 1856 cam^ paign had little hope of electing their candidate for President, they believed they could carry most of the Northern States and so organize and establish the new party that the Free Soil sentiment of the Nation could successfully assert itself in succeeding contests. The Democrats who were opposed to the extension of slavery into free territory and to the outrages committed upon the free settlers of Kansas, had been finally alienated from the Democratic party by the pro-slavery principles enunciated by the Cincinnati convention, which had nominated James Buchanan for the Presidency, and were ready now to take the step that should make them members of the Republican party in full and regular standing. In Ontario county they held a convention, at the court house in Canandaigua, July 19. Chester Loomis, of Gorham, the year before the unsuccessful People's candidate for State Senator, acted as chairman, and E. W. Gardner, of Canandaigua, as secretary. James C. Smith, Elnathan W. Simmons, David Paul, Chester Loomis, Charles J. Folger, and Thomas U. Bradbury, were elected delegates to a State convention of the "Democratic-Republican" party, and James C. Smith and Elbridge G. Lapham made speeches, which, the secretary reported, were able and eloquent, and "served up the Cincinnati platform and its candidates in true Democratic style." The men mentioned as active participants in this meeting, like thousands of Free Soil Democrats throughout the North, immedi- ately took an active and influential part in support of the Republican party. In New York as in other States, that party nominated full State and local tickets and conducted a most aggressive and success- 122 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ful campaign. The convention for selecting candidates for the State offices to be filled was called to meet in Syracuse, September 17. At the convention for the First Assembly district of this county, held at Clifton Springs on September 13, 1856, David Pickett, of Gorham, acted as chairman, and George B. Dusenberre, of Geneva, as secretary. Thomas Hillhouse, of Geneva, afterwards State Comp- troller, State Senator, and Assistant Treasurer of the United States, and Jedediah Dewey, Jr., of Man- chester, already mentioned as most active and prominent in the earliest movements toward the organization of the party, were elected delegates to the State convention, and George B. Dusen- berre, of Geneva, county judge from 1861 to 1868, and A. G. Crittenden, of Manchester, alter- nates. Delegates to the Congres- sional convention were elected as fol'ows: Hon. John Lapham, of P'armington ; Piatt C. Reynolds, of Manchester; Jonathan Pratt, of Hoyjewell; Dolphin Stephenson, of Phelps, and A. J. Shannon, of Seneca. The Second district conven- tion, held at Canandaigua, August 30, was presided over by Doctor Z. Paul, of Richmond, as chair- man, and Myron S. Hall, of West Bloomfield, as secretary. The Canandaigua delegates were Charles Coy, Evander Sly, Joel M. Howey, Elisha W. Gardner, and John H. Morse. Elbridge G. Lapham, afterwards member of Congress and United States Senator, and Edward Brunson, after- wards member of Assembly, were elected delgates to the State convention, and Josiah Porter, of Naples ; Richmond Simmons, 2nd, of Bristol; Z. Paul, of-Richmond; Myron S. Hall, of West Bloom- field, and Charles Coy, of Canandaigua, delegates to the Congres- EDWARD BRUNSON. Edward Brunson, member of Committee on Resolutions of the Anti-Nebraska con- vention at Canandaigua, August 5, 1854. liarly became prominent in the Republican party and was for many years one of its most influential county leaders. Born in East Bloomfield, August 14, 1824; repre- sented that town in the Board of Supervisors in 1859, '60 and '61 ; Member of Assembly in 1865 and 1865. Removed in 1879 to Solo- mon City, Kansas, and was postmaster at that place at the time of his death, August 5, 1890. ONTARIO IN THE 1856 CAMPAIGN. 123 sional convention. Charles Coy, Edwin Hicks and Lanson Dewey were named as a campaign committee. The State convention made tiiese nominations: P'or Governor, John A. King; for Lieutenant- Governor, Henry R. Selden; for Canal Commissioner, Charles H. Sherrill; for Inspector of State Prisons, Wesley Bailey; for Clerk of the Court of Appeals, Russell F. Hicks. The Twenty-ninth Congressional district convention was held at Geneva, in Linden Hall, October 4, Hon. John Lapham acting as chairman, and A. T. Knox, and M. S. Hall, as secretaries. The three counties of the district — Ontario, Yates, and Seneca — were -fully rep- resented. On the first formal ballot for candidates for member of Congress, Emory B. Pottle, of Naples, received thirteen votes, to six cast for Addison T. Knox, and one for J. E. Seeley, and was declared the nominee. J. V. Van Allen, of Yates; Isaac Fuller, of Seneca, and Henry W. Taylor and Thomas Hillhouse, of Ontario, were named as the central committee for the campaign. The county nominating convention was held at Cahandaigua, October 14, 1856, Simri Collins acting as chairman and William H. Smith and William Carson, as secretaries. Candidates for county offices were nominated as follows : For county judge, Henry W. Taylor; justice of sessions, George W. Stearns; super- intendent of poor, John Lapham ; coroners, John Q. Howe and Rollin Gregg. An apportionment of delegates to represent the several towns in future conventions was made as follows: Canan- daigua, 7; Phelps, 7; Manchester, 5; Farmington, 5; Gorham, 5; Victor, 4; East Bloomfield, 4; Bristol, 4; Naples, 4; Hopewell, 4; West Bloomfield, 3; South Bristol, 3; Seneca, 9; Richmond, 3; Canadice, 3. Nathan j. Milliken, James C. Smith, Albert G. Murray, Ira R. Peck and A. J. Shannon, were named as the county com- mittee for the ensuing year. The nominating convention for the Eastern district named the Hon. Samuel A. Foot, of Geneva, for reelection to the Assembly. That for the Western district placed Zoroaster Paul in the field as its candidate for membership in that body. Elnathan W. Simmons acted as chairman of the convention last named and Elisha W. Gardner and Martin Remington as secretaries. The delegates were as follows : Canandaigua — Willson Millor, Elisha W. Gardner, Spencer Gooding, Ansel Debow, Martin Remington, Holmes C. Lucas, and Charles P. Johnson. 124 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Victor — Asa Wilson, Rufus Humphrey, Hiram Ladd, Melanc- ton Lewis. East Bloomfield — Nelson Parmele, Henry W. Hamlin, Joseph Steele, Loren H. Brunson. West Bloomfield— James H. Hall, S. C. Brown, John Wood. Richmond — Parley Brown, D. L. Hamilton, Zoroaster Paul. Bristol — Elnathan W. Simmons, WilHam A. Reed, Seymour Reed, Richmond Simmons, 2d. South Bristol — Simri Collins, Theron Buell, Amos Crandall, Jr. The work of this convention, held on the 24th of October, completed the Republican ticket. The party had presented candi- dates for the Presidency, State offices. Congress, county offices, and the Assembly. These were opposed by two full tickets, one nominated by the Americans or Know Nothings, who were trying to save their now rapidly disintegrating party from complete extinction, and the other nominated by the Democratic party. This last was made up of those members of the old Democratic party who had resisted the call to unite in the formation of a new political organization and was destined eventually to absorb the anti-Seward Whigs and that portion of the American party which deprecated any action that might lead to a break with the South. The canvass of 1856 was a lively one, and beyond the substan- tial victories gained in State and local elections, served the all- important purpose of welding the diverse Free Soil elements that had been theretofore clinging to their old party names into one compact organization — "Republican, no prefix, no suffix ; but plain Republican." THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. 125 XIII THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. The Campaign in Ontario County for "Free Speech, Free Press, Free Men, Free Labor, ahd Fremont" — Clubs Organized and Meetings Held — ^Joshua R. Giddings Speaks in Canandaigua, His Native Town — Success Won in the County and State, but the National Ticket Defeated. "New occasions teach new duties" and discover new men. The crisis into which the country was plunged by the repeal of the Missouri Compromise brought new leaders to the fore in every community. Men who, like Wilham H. Seward and Abraham Lincoln, were quick to feel the approach of the tidal wave of public indignation against the slavery propaganda and had the courage to cast off old party ties for conscience sake, came in 1856 to the front of the new Republican party. The old party leaders, many of them not less patriotic, but more timid, and perhaps less discern- ing, stepped one after another to the rear. As it was in the arena of National and State politics, so it was in Ontario county. The older, more experienced, and up to that time most trusted leaders in both the Whig and Democratic parties failed to see, or, seeing, lacked the courage to grasp, the opportunity presented in the new political organization. Men younger in years, untrained in party management, and compara- tively obscure, became the Republican leaders. Nathan J. Milliken, James C. Smith and Albert G. Murray, the Canandaigua members of the Republican central committee of the county in that year, were only thirty-five, thirty-nine and forty-six years old respectively. Myron H. Clark, elected Governor in 1854 by a coalition of the political forces that were later destined to form the new party, was fifty years of age. Elbridge G. Lapham, who became one of its first "spellbinders," was forty-five. Edward Brunson was thirty- two, Edwin Hicks was only twenty-six, and William H. Smith only 126 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. twenty-seven. Emory B. Pottle, its first candidate for Congress, was forty-one. The campaign of the Republican party in the memorable year of 1856 was one that appealed to the noblest emotions. Men engaged in it because they hated slavery and loved freedom, because they felt that the destiny of the Nation was at stake, because they esteemed principle before party. Its rallying cry — "Free Speech, Free Press, Free Men, Free La- bor, and Fremont" — was in itself an inspiration. In Ontario county the lines were closely drawn, and the tri- angular contest fought out with unflinching courage. The Repub- lican ticket, headed by the names of Fremont and Dayton, bore that of John A. King, as the candidate for Governor of the State. Its local candidates, as we have seen, were as follows : For Congress, Emory B. Pottle ; for county judge, Henry W. Taylor; for jus- tice of sessions, George W. Stearns ; for superintendent of the poor, John Lapham ; for coroners, John O. Howe and Rollin Gregg; for member of Assembly, First district, Samuel A. Foot; for member of Assembly, Second dis- trict, Zoroaster Paul. The American ticket, headed 1)y the name of Millard Fillmore, its candidate for the Presidency, carried that of Erastus Brooks, for Governor; Andrew Oliver, for Congress; Ambrose L. Van Dusen, for Assembly, First district; and William S. Clark, for Assembly, Second district. The Democratic candidate for President was James Buchanan ; for Governor, Amasa J. Parker ; for Congress, Darius A. Ogden ; for county judge, Jabez H. Metcalf; for Assembly, First district, Cor- nelius Horton; for Assembly, Second district, Henry Munson. EMORY B. POTTLE. Emory B. I'ottle was born in Naples, July 4, 1815; elected to Assembly in 1846 on the Whig ticket ; elected to Congress as a Re- publican in 1856; studied law with Sibley & Worden in Canandatgua and later engaged in practice as a partner of Alexander H. Uo'.vell ; died in Naples, April 18, 1891. THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. 127 The work of the Republican campaign was pursued along three lines — through the newspapers, through the organization of clubs, and through public meetings. The Times at Canandaigua and the Geneva Courier were the local newspaper organs of the party, and it is needless to say that both were vigilant and aggressive in argument and retort. The former fairly bristled with exhortations to the voter, devoting at least one full page and sometimes two full pages of every issue during the campaign to the cause it had so deeply at heart, its editorials being emphasized by italic and capital type, quite differ- ent from the quieter style of modern newspaper typography. The call for the organization of a .Fremont and Dayton club in Canandaigua was published June 26, as follows : Meeting for Organization. All electors of the town of Canandaigua, without regard to past political differences, who are opposed to the Slavery extension border ruffian policy of the Pierce administration, and in favor of the election of Fremont and Dayton, are invited to meet at the Town Hall, Saturday evening, June 28th, 1856, for the purpose of organizing preparatory to the opening of the Presidential cam- paign. O. Benjamin, N. J. Milliken, F. W. Alverson, J. C. Fairchild, Isaac Parrish, D. F. Alverson, Geo. Cook, A. O. Kellogg, 0. M. Smith, -M. A. Olds, 1. W. Mitchell, A. Hills, Joel Dailey, John Howey, L. B. True, H. S. tousley, R. B. Cravvford, Cornelius Davis, Addison Stearns, J. C. Holmes, J. S. Hendershot, J. W. Barnes, Wm. Tozer, J. J. Stebbins W. E. Williams, Charles Coy, R. C. Pratt, B. R. Pratt, Levi Herendeen, L. R. Whittaker, J. H. Chamberlain, Edwin Hicks, H. C. Lucas, J. Hotchkiss, L. Warrick, Zebina Lucas, Warren Brown, William Warrick, A. A. Brown, W. .Brown, Jr., Thos. Cochran, S. K. Doolittle, R. L. Huntley, Otis K. Parshall, John Johnson, John S. Mullen, Andrew Van Wie, Abram Van Wie, R. G. Chamberlain, Stephen Harris, John Hutchins, F. O. Mason, E. W. Gardner, Jr., S. S. Briggs, Wm. H. Bennett, John Mosher, T. E. Hart, S. Parrish, 2d, Joel M. Howey, Ansel Debow, Robert McBride, R. Stevens, Thos. C. Burling, Stephen Saxton. At the meeting thus held, Orson Benjamin was called to the chair and Elihu M. Morse acted as secretary. Elisha W. Gard- 128 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ner, John Mosher, Riley Stevens, Joel M. Howey, and Holmes C. Lucas were named as a committee to arrange with the county com- mittee for a mass meeting, and Nathan J. Milliken, Stephen Saxton, Elisha W. Gardner, Willson Millor, and Chauncey Remington, a committee to draft a constitution and name permanent officers. Edwin Hicks made a happy and elifective speech. At an adjourned meeting, upon nomination of the committee named, these officers were elected : President, Orson Benjamin; vice presidents, Chaun- cey Remington, George Cook and Robert McBride ; treasurer, John Mosher ; secretaries, Edwin Hicks and Elihu M. Morse. At a subsequent meeting, in August, there was another shuf- fle, and the list of officers was revised as follows: President, James C. Smith ; vice presi- dents, Evander Sly, Charles Coy^ Holmes C. Lucas, Charles P. Johnson, George Cook, H. N. Jarvis, Chauncey Remington, and Joel M. Howey ; treasurer, John Mosher ; executive committee, John Mosher, John Morse, and Allen .Wood ; secretaries, Elihu M. Morse and G. G. Cornell. The Canandaigua club raised a pole on September 24. The local paper declared : "It is an undeniable fact that the Fremont and Dayton flag in Canandaigua floats from a taller pole, waves over a bigger party, and represents a nobler cause than any other in town." The club's headquarters was established on the second floor of the Bemis block, in the room now occupied by E. Chapin Church as an insurance office, and was open daily, Sundays excepted, with JAMES C. SMITH. .lamts C. Smith was born at Phelps, N. Y., August 14, 1817; graduated from Union Col- lege, 1835; admitted to the bar in 1838, entering upon the practice of his profession at Lyons ; appointed Surrogate of Wayne county, April, 1842. Removed to Canandai- gua, 1854, becoming a partner of Elbridge G. Laphani ; State Commissioner to the Peace Congress of 1861 ; Justice of the Supreme Court, 1863-1887. Mr. Smith was originally a Free Soil Democrat, but became a Repub- lican upon the organization of that party, and in ' 1856 and suY:ceeding campaigns was one of its most persuasive stumpers." Died at his home in Canandaigua, September 26, 1900. THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. 129 newspapers and documents, a warm fire, and comfortable seats, for the use of "all true Republicans." Other Fremont and Dayton clubs were noted as having been organized as follows : Rushville — President, Chester Loomis ; vice presidents, John Wisewell, Hiram Torrey, Joseph Blodgett, George W. Stearns, David Christie, Guy Shaw, Smith Bostwick, David Redout ; secre- taries, S. S. Catlin, D. Morris, J. Sayer. This club raised a white oak pole, one hundred feet high and only ten inches in diameter at the base, and challenged the State to produce a finer one. Later the young Republicans of Rushville organized a club, with these officers : President, Forest Harwood ; vice presidents. James Delevan, J. O. Fanning, Lyman Washburn; secretaries, F. B. Seelye and C. F. Green ; treasurer, S. S. Catlin. This club put up a Fremont cabin. Bristol — President, Stephen A. Codding; vice presidents. Elna- than W. Simmons and Elijah Jones ; secretary, Washington L. Hicks ; treasurer, B. T. Case. Gorham — President, David Pickett; vice presidents, George B. Cook, J. Bloomingdale, O. J. Rice : secretary, Isaac Moor ; treas- urer, O. J. Rice; executive committee, J. H. Van Osdale, Jr., Isaac Moor, A. Brown, Robert Moody, Henry Douglass, William Squires, Jonathan Phillips, E. Darwin Bainbridge, Henry Mapes. Farmington — President, John H. Nichols ; secretary, Elias H. Knight ; executive committee, J. R. Dennis, J. Blackmore, and E. H. Aldridge; treasurer, E. H. Aldridge. East Bloomfield — President, Myron Adams; vice presidents, Edward Brunson and Roswell C. Munson ; secretary, R. C. Stiles ; treasurer, William P. Judd ; business committee, Ira R. Peck, Edward Brunson, C. .W. Higby, Henry W. Hamlin, Henry Gains, David A. Rainsford, and Elisha Steele. Cheshire — President, John Johnson ; vice presidents, Holmes C. Lucas, Philander Stiles, and R. L. Huntley ; treasurer, J. Hutch- ens ; secretary, R. L. Huntley ; corresponding secretary. Holmes C. Lucas. Mr. Pottle was the speaker at a pole raising in Cheshire, September 13. Naples — President, Alfred Griswold ; vice presidents, David G. Teets and S. H. Sutton; secretaries, A. T. Nelson and L. Sprague. 130 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Perhaps the most notable meeting of the campaign in this county was that advertised as follows : PEOPLE'S COUNTY MEETING A Convention of the FRIENDS OF FREEDOM In Ontario County, will be held at the COURT HOUSE IN THE VlLiLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA on SATURDAY, AUGUST 30th. HON. JOSHUA R. GIDDINGS, Of Ohio, the eloquent and faithful champion of Human Liberty, will address the meeting. GEN. JAMES W. NYE, And several other speakers of celebrity have been invited and are expected to attend. The people of Ontario County are invited to come up and hear this dis- cussion of the great question of FREEDOM IN KANSAS Freedom on our Great Highways of Commerce; Freedom of the Ballot Box and of the Press; and Freedom of Conscience and Speech in the Senate of the Nation. They are invited cordially, without distinction of former party pref- erences, or present predilections, to hear a candid investigation of the great issues that affect the American People at the present crisis. The names of the Speakers announced guarantee a rare treat and good time. By Order of Com. This meeting was postponed, on account of the prolongation of the term of the Congress of which Mr. Giddings was a member, but it was finally held in .Bemis hall, October 22, and that eminent Anti-Slavery orator, himself a native of Canandaigua, spoke to a THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. 131 full house; General B. F. Bruce also delivered addresses, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The afternoon meeting was first organized in the park, but the weather was bad and it was finally adjourned to the hall. Owing to these unfavorable cir- cumstances, the attendance failed to meet the expectations of the ardent Canandaigua Republicans Other speakers from outside the county assisted in the cam- paign, but it is evident that the main reliance was on home tal- ent. Led by Emory B. Pottle, of Naples, the nominee for member of Congress, and truthfully de- scribed by the local Republican newspaper of that day as "one of the most accomplished and forci- ble speakers in this part of the State," the county "spellbinders" included such speakers as Henry W. Taylor, James C. Smith, Elbridge G. Lapham, Edwin Hicks, William H. Smith, Francis J. Lamb and EHsha W. Gardner. The meetings were every- where well attended ; great enthu- siasm was shown; Fremont and Dayton poles were raised and in two instances (in Gorham and Bristol) were cut down by political opponents; glee clubs sang: Arise! Your country bids you rise, Her faithful champions be, And herald wide, "Free Soil, Free Men, Fremont and victory." WILLIAM H. SMITH. William H. Smith was born in the town of Varmington, Ontario county, January 23, 1829; educated at Macedon and Canandaigua academies i studied law with Mark H. Sib- ley and entered practice in Canandaigua in 1'852; District Attorney, 1858-63; County Judge, 1870-72, 1879-84; secretary of the Renublican County Nominating convention in 1856; member of the Republican National convention that nominated Abraham Lin- coln for a second term as President, 1864. Died in Canandaigua, November 30, 1902. Or this: We go for Free Kansas, Free Press and Free Speech And many great things that Freedom doth teach— We want no old fogies to crush us with wrong. So clear out *he way for Jesse and John. 132 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Thus the RepubHcans of old Ontario organized the first Nation- al campaign of their party. They fought a good fight, those fathers of ours ! They kept the faith. Alas, that so many of them have finished their course. The attack upon Charles Sumner in the United States Senate, in May, 1856, aroused the indignation of the North regardless of party, and Silver Grays, Democrats, and Know Nothings vied with Republicans in expressing condemnation. Meetings were held for that purpose both in Canandaigua and Geneva, and many who had until then held aloof from the new organization, entered its ranks never to return to their old party affihations. The outrages in Kansas provided constant food for public excitement. Virulent attacks were made upon General Fremont, by Know Nothing (American) and Buccaneer (Democratic) newspapers. He was charged with being a Roman Catholic and a slave holder, but these canards had small efifect with the voters. Republican enthusiasm and Republican confidence increased as the campaign proceeded. Newspaper after newspaper came over into the Republican camp. Straw votes taken on the railroad trains, hereabouts as elsewhere in the .State, showed a large preponderance of Fremont and Dayton sentiment. And these wisps proved correct indicators of the way the political wind was blowing. The Republicans carried the State for their National ticket by a vote of 276,007, as compared with that of 195,878 for Buchanan and 124,604 for Fillmore. They elected their candidates for State ofifices, and were generally successful in the local contests. In Ontario county and in the Ontario- Yates-Seneca congres- sional district, the party that a year before had struggled bravely for bare existence and, despite its combination with political foes, had gone down in defeat at the polls, now developed conquering strength, obtaining a clear majoritj' over both the opposing tickets. The Times used five columns of its editorial page to report the local result, as follows: New York for Freedom! ONTARIO COUNTY. Fremont 2,437 ahead of Fillmore! Fremont 2,813 ahead of Buchanan! ! CLEAN REPUBLICAN MAJORITY OVER ALL, 719. The Republicans of this county have achieved a glorious triumph. Old Ontario once more stands proudly by the flag of Freedom, having given Fre- THE NEW POLITICAL LEADERS. 133 mont and Dayton an overwhelming majority over the combined forces of Buchanan and Fillmore. The vote in the several towns for Presidential elec- tors was as follows: Fremont Fillmore Buchanan Canandaigua 578 393 281 Bristol 253 70 53 Victor 230 153 84 Farmington 260 61 27 Hopewell 180 132 42 South Bristol 136 87 24 Richmond 223 36 49 Canadice 129 48 20 Naples 309 101 48 Gorham 281 163 62 Phelps 419 267 368 Seneca 754 340 366 Manchester 352 129 176 West Bloomfield 197 81 32 East Bloomfield 250 133 56 Total 4,551 2,194 1,638 We have not done quite as well for the Republican State ticket, but have probably given it about 2,000 over its leading opponent. Our candidates for county offices and for Members of Assembly run about even with those for State offices, and of course ARE ALL ELECTED! Hon. S. A. Foot represents the 1st and Zoroaster Paul the 2d Assembly district. Hon. Henry W. Taylor is the County Judge elect; John Lapham, Esq., Superintendent of the Poor; and RoUin R. Gregg and John Q. Howe, Coroners. The Hinoos are completely "whipped" and laid out IN EVERY TOWN IN THE COUNTY. Mr. Pottle leads Oliver for Congress in this county about 2,000 and in Yates about 2,100. He is likewise ahead in Seneca County. His plurality over Oliver will not be far from 4,500. THE STATE. New York, true to her ancient faith and to the teachings of her patriotic statesmen, has declared for Freedom and Fremont with decided emphasis. She has given the Republican electoral ticket a plurality of many thousands, and ELECTED ALL THE REPUBLICAN CANDIDATES for State offices and likewise a large majority of Republican Members of Assem- bly, v/hich with the existing Republican Senate secures the election of a Repub- lican United States Senator. Our noble Empire State is thus triumphantly redeemed. Evidently the new party had come to stay and to conquer, but for once the Union did not go as did New York. Buchanan received 134 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the electoral vote of all the slave States and also of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Indiana, Illinois, and California, and was elected. The Republicans were defeated in the National contest, but they had gained such substantial victories throughout the North and had welded themselves into so compact a party organization, that they could look to the future with confidence. As the Young Men's Fremont and Dayton club, of Canandai- gua, declared, in resolutions adopted at a meeting held immediately after election, they were determined to "fight on, fight ever" in defence of the principles enunciated in the platform adopted at their party's first National convention. The club reelected its officers at this meeting and appointed Francis J. Lamb, Chauncey Remington, and John Mosher a committee to arrange for a series of political lectures "for the purpose of enlightening the public mind in regard to the principles and intentions of the party." Fremont, the gallant Pathfinder, had been defeated at the polls, but the cause of Free Speech, Free Press, Free Men, Free Soil, and Free Labor was to march on to victory. THE LINCOLN HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. 135 XIV THE LINCOLN - HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. Ontario County a Center of Political Interest — Organization of the "Wideawakes" — One of the Candidates for the Presidency Formerly a Resident of Ontario County and a Student in the Canandaigua Academy — Speaks at a Big Meeting near Clifton Springs — Loyal in the Hour of Defeat. The campaign of 1860 marked the cuhnination of the political movement whose rise we have been following. In the election of Lincoln and Hamlin as against candidates representing every shade of dissenting political opinion, the people saw their will in a way to be obeyed and the aggressions of the slave power at last finally checked. In the intervening years the Republicans of New York had retained the control which they had won in 1856. Governor John A. King had been succeeded in 1858 by Governor Edwin D. Morgan, for whom Ontario county gave a majority of 1,640. Truman Board- man, of Seneca county, had been elected State Senator from the Twenty-sixth district, consisting of Ontario, Yates and Seneca counties, over W. W. Wright (Democrat) and William H. Lamport (American), and Emory B. Pottle had been elected to Congress from a district having the same numerical number and the same constituent counties. Members of Assembly from Ontario county had been elected as follows: 1857, Volney Edgerton (Rep.), of Manchester, and Ira R. Peck (Rep.), of East Bloomfield; 1858, Ulysses Warner (Dem.), of Phelps, and Shotwell Powell (Rep.), of South Bristol; 1859, Lewis Peck (Rep.), of Phelps, and Shotwell Powell (Rep.), of South Bristol. In county offices, Elnathan W. Simmons had succeeded John J. Lyon as county clerk ; Orson Benja- min had succeeded John N. Whiting as surrogate; William Hildreth had succeeded Henry C. Swift as sheriff; Edwin Hicks, by appoint- ment, and subsequently William H. Smith, by election, had followed Thomas O.. Perkins as district attorney; Spencer Gooding had 136 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. succeeded Jacob J. Mattison as county treasurer, and Simeon R. Wheeler in 1857, Jonathan Pratt in 1858, and Daniel Arnold in 1859, had been elected superintendents of the poor. The Republicans in the 1857 and 1858 campaigns met two opposing tickets, one nominated b)^ the Democratic and one by the American party. In 1859 the opposing forces fused and put union tickets in the field for State, district, and county offices, but even then could not defeat the Republican ticket or check the growth of that party. So the opening of the year 1860 found the Repubhcans in posses- sion of every county office and represented at Albany and at Washington by men of their own political faith. Confident of success at the approaching National election and hopeful that the brilliant leader of their own State, William H. Seward, would be the nominee for the Presidency, they entered upon that campaign with the greatest enthusiasm. They fired the first gun in A'pril, when they carried twelve of the fifteen towns of the county by largely increased majorities. The supervisors elected were as follows : Canandaigua, Charles Coy ; Canadice, Walling Armstrong; Bristol, Stephen A. Codding; East Bloomfield, Edward Brunson ; Farmington, George S. Allen ; Gorham, James M. Pulver; Hopewell, Robert Chapin ; Manchester, Andrew J. Hanna ; Naples, Lester Sprague ; Richmond, Willard Doolittle; South Bristol, Charles Sheldon; Seneca, Perez H. Field; Phelps, Ambrose L. Van Dusen ; Victor, Lanson Dewey ; West Bloomfield, Elisha F. Leech. The minority members were Messrs. Pulver, Chapin and Sheldon. Charles J. Folger and Charles P Johnson, of the First district, and Nathan J. ATilliken and Stephen A. Codding, of the Second district, represented the county at the State convention, held in Syracuse, and there assisted in electing a delegation to the National' convention pledged to the support of Mr. Seward's candidacy. Mr. Seward led on the first and second ballots, at the convention held in Chicago, May 16, 17, 18, but on the third ballot his Illinois opponent, Abraham Lincoln, who had sprung into prominence two years before through his debate with Stephen A. Douglas, received a large majority of the votes and was declared the nominee of the conven- tion. Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, was named for the Vice Presidency. The news of the nomination of Lincoln and Hamlin was THE LINCOLN HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. 137 received in Ontario county and elsewhere through the State with feeling of great disappointment, but the nominees were recognized as worthy exponents of the Republican cause and their nomination was ratified in a loyal spirit. The campaign was opened in Ontario county by a big ratifica- tion meeting held in Bemis hall, Canandaigua, at which General B. F. Bruce and Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham made the speeches, and resolutions were adopted endors- ing the platform and the candi- dates of the Chicago convention. Republican clubs were organized throughout the county, pole rais- ings took place in many places, and a new force in campaign work appeared in the shape of uniform- ed clubs under a name destined to become historic — "Wideawakes." Charles Coy acted as chairman and George N. Williams as secre- tary of a meeting at which the first organization of this kind was formed in Canandaigua, and Ly- man O. Lampman was elected as captain. The Wideawakes made their first appearance in the county at a meeting held in Canandaigua on August 10, at which Henry W. Taylor and James C. Smith were the speakers. The new organiza- tion numbered one hundred men, were uniformed in black oil cloth capes and caps, and carried torches. At the Republican State convention held in Syracuse, at which Governor Edwin D. Morgan and Lieutenant Governor Robert Campbell were nominated for reelection, James C. Smith, Esq., of Canandaigua, acted as temporary chairman and made an opening speech that was widely quoted. STEPHEN A. DOUGLAS. Stephen Arnold Douglas, known as "The Little Giant" in the political struggles pre- ceding the War of the Rebellion, was born at Brandon, Vermont, April 23, 1813 ; student at the Canandaigua Academy, 1831-33; ad- mitted to the bar in Illinois, 1834 ; Attorney General of that State, 1835 ; Member of the Legislature, 1836 ; Secretary of State of Illi- nois, 1840; Judge of the Supreme Court of that State, 1841-43 ; Member of Congress, 1844-47; United States Senator from 1847 until his death, Abraham Lincoln being his opponent in 1858; candidate of the Northern Democracy for President of the United States in 1860; died at Chicago, June 3, 1861. 138 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. At the Republican county nominating convention, held in Can- andaigua on Thursday, September 27, Hon. Charles J. Folger, of Geneva, acted as chairman and W. S. Clark, of Victor, and Harvey Stone, of Gorham, as secretaries. The ticket nominated was as follovi^s: For county judge, George B. Dusenberre, of Geneva; for district attorney, William H. Smith, of Canandaigua; for county superintendents of the poor, Simeon R. Wheeler, of East Bloom- field, and Daniel Arnold, of Farmington; for justice of sessions, William Seavey, of Victor; for coroners, Anson Wheeler, of Geneva, and Daniel P. Webster, of East Bloomfield; for member of Assembly in the First or Eastern district, Perez H. Field, of Seneca, and for member of Assembly in the Second or Western district, Stephen H. Ainsworth, of West Bloomfield; for school commis- sioners, Luther B. Antisdale, of Phelps, and David E. Wilson, of Bristol. The Republican nominee for Congress in the Twenty-sixth district was Hon. Jacob P. Chamberlain, of Seneca Falls. While there were four Presidential tickets in the field, the contest for local offices was between the Republican ticket as above named and a Democratic ticket made up as follows: For county judge, Jabez H. Metcalf; for district attorney, Charles W. Gulick; for superintendents of the poor, George Rice and Edward Heren- deen.; for justice of sessions, Ezra Pierce; for members of Assembly, Amos Jones and William G. Laphani ; for school commissioners, John B. Hosford and Horatio B. Brace. John L. Lewis was the .Democratic candidate for Congress in this district, and John G. Clark was the candidate of the Breckenridge faction for the same office. The campaign was an exciting one from beginning to end. The Southern Democrats, enraged and alarmed by the growing anti-slavery feehng at the North, withdrew from the National con- vention of their party when they found themselves unable to con- trol its action. Two Presidential tickets resulted, one representing the Northern Democracy and headed by Stephen A. Douglas and Herschel V. Johnson ; the other representing the Southern wing of the party and headed by John C. Breckenridge and Joseph Lane. A fourth organization, styling itself the Constitutional- Union party, and assuming to represent the old Whigs and Amer- icans, nominated John Bell for President and Edward Everett for Vice President. The most noteworthy demonstration of the campaign in THE LINCOLN HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. 139 Ontario county was that held at Canandaigua, on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 23, when United States Senator Doolittle, of Wisconsin, made the principal speech in Bemis hall, in which were crowded, it was reported, over one thousand people. James C. Smith, F^sq., presided, and Albert Lester, Jedediah Dewey and R. C. Stiles were named as vice presidents. Cooke's glee club led in singing campaign songs. So many people were unable to gain admittance to the hall that an overflow meeting was organized on the square in front of the court house, Hon. Henry W. Taylor acting as its chairman and Har- vey Stone, Marshall McLouth and Andrew J. Hanna as vice presidents. A handsome banner was then presented to the Wide- awakes of Canandaigua by Judge Taylor, speaking in behalf of the ladies, and Elisha W. Gardner, Jr., made the speech of accept- ance. Following this ceremony, Judge Jessup, of Pennsylvania, was introduced and spoke until a rain storm compelled the adjournment of the meeting. In the evening the Wide- awakes of the several towns pa- raded the streets under the direc- tion of Marshal Hildreth and his aids. Among the displays made by the paraders was a log cabin on wheels, drawn by four horses, decorated with emblems of frontier life and the inscription "Uncle Abe at Home," and escorted by companies of Wideawakes from Rtishville and Gorham. The local speakers of the campaign included James C. Smith, Elbridge G. Lapham, Edwin Hicks, Elisha W. Gardner, Emory B. Pottle, .William H. Smith, and William H. Lamport. The latter had been affiliated with the American party and in 1856 its unsuc- cessful candidate for the State Senate. At the election held on the memorable 6th of November, 1860, EDWIN HICKS. Edwin Hicks, one of the delegates elected at the first Republican caucus in Canandaigua, September 17th, 1855. Had been a resident of the village since January preceding; was Vice President of the first Republican club organized here. Born in Bristol, February 14, 1830. District Attorney of the county, 1857, 1864-75 ; the Ontario-Seneca- Yates mem- ber of the State Senate in 1876-7; United States Referee in Bankruptcy from 1898 to date of his death, November 30, 1902. This portrait is from a photograph made about 1865. 140 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the Lincoln ticket carried every free State, with the exception of New Jersey, where there was a fusion of the opposition forces, and as a consquence it secured only four of the seven electoral votes, the other three going to the Douglas ticket, which obtained beside these only the nine votes of Missouri. Mr. Breckenridge carried the Southern States with the exception of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, which went to Mr. Bell. Ontai-io county, doubling her majority for Fremont four years before, gave Lincoln 2,100 plurality. Mr. Chamberlain was elected member of Congress in the Ontario-Yates-Seneca district by 3,800 majority, and the entire Republican ticket for county ofifices was elected. In the National contest, party lines had been forgotten and the people of the county had ralHed magnificently to the .sup- port of the cause of union and freedom. The news of the election of Lincoln was received in Ontario county with rejoicing, but the demonstrations were of a compara- tively moderate character, owing to the feeling of apprehension as to the future. During the campaign the expressions of Southern new.spapers and orators had plainly indicated that in the event of the election of the Republican ticket the Southern States would attempt to secede from the Union, and if this threat was carried out the people realized it would mean nothing less than war. As a consequence the election was follbwed by an expectant hush, which was first disturbed by the withdrawal of Southern members from Congress and by the action of Southern legislatures in assum- ing to withdraw their States from the Union, and which was finally broken by the attack upon Fort Sumter. Stephen A. Douglas, though winning only twelve electoral votes, had received a splendid endorsement, his popular vote exceeding that given Breckenridge by SO per cent, and falling less than 500,000 below Lincoln. His vote in Ontario county was 3,634 as compared to Lincoln's 5,764. That he did not receive a larger vote or carry the county shows how thoroughly public senti- ment had been aroused over the question of slavery and how con- vincingly the arguments of Lincoln had appealed to loyal citizens. Mr. Douglas was personally known to many of the people of the county. He had been a student at the Canandaigua academy from 1831 to 1833, spending his spare time in the law oflfice of Walter Hubbell, Esq., and absorbing there and in the court room where practiced such lawyers as John C. Spencer, Jared Wilson, Dudley THE LINCOLN HAMLIN CAMPAIGN. 141 Marvin, and Mark H. Sibley, much of the knowledge of the law and of public affairs that later made him an eminent lawyer and a great politician. His mother lived at Clifton Springs with her sec- ond husband, Gahasa Granger, and there, in the campaign of 1860, on September 15, he addressed one of the largest public meetings ever assembled in the county. Newspapers of the time reported that there were at least six thousand people present. But while the Ontario county voters had followed Mr. Doug- las's career with much interest and admired his brilliancy of intel- lect and his great ability as a public speaker, they were not misled by his specious arguments in support of "Popular Sovereignty." That the "Little Giant," as he was afifectionately called, declined to follow the reactionary elements of his party in their efforts to embarrass the new administration, and generously gave his allegiance to his successful rival, Mr. Lincoln, in furtherance of the latter's determination to save the Union, confirmed their faith in his statesmanship and his patriotism. 142 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XV OLD ONTARIO IN WAR TIME. Twice Invaded by Armies of Civilized Powers, First by DeNonville, then by General Sullivan and His Continentals — The Simcoe Scare— Ontario Militia in the War of 1812 — The Whole County in a Tumult — Relief for the Refugees — The Troublous Days of 1861-5. Wartime, as the word is commonly understood, means the days of '61-'65. But Ontario county has been through other war times than that. Twice within the period of written history was the terri- tory now embraced within its boundaries invaded by armies of civilized powers. First came the invasion by the French General De Nonville, in 1687, undertaken to punish the Iroquois for their incursions into New France. Landing- his force of two thousand men at Irondequoit bay, he penetrated the forest as far as Victor, and there fought a bloody battle with the red possessors of the soil, destroyed great stores of their grain, and marched back again to liis ships, all within a few days. The territory referred to again echoed to the tramp of hostile forces in 1779, when the army led by General Sullivan, and commis- sioned by General Washington to break the strength of the Iroquois confederacy, then the cruel ally of King George, marched around the foot of Seneca lake, and proceeding westward visited and destroyed the Seneca villages of Kanadesaga, Canandaigua, and Honeoye. No battles were fought in the territory on this or on the returning march, but the horrors of war are not confined to battles. In the bin-ning of well-built homes, in the cutting down of orchards, in the destruction of great fields of maize and vegetables, the cruel though necessary object of the invasion was attained, and no more did forces of red men issue from the lake-studded forests of Western OLD ONTARIO IN WAR TIME. 143 New York to harry and massacre the patriot settlements on the frontier. These were tlie only occasions when the territory now embraced iji the county was actually the scene of warlike demonstrations, and both were previous to the time of white settlement, but the county since its organization, which was cotemporaneous with the adoption of the Federal constitution in 1789, has not been entirely free from the alarm of war. ■ ,:^^- "^^^.^ S2.F . « • A* .»j£-««r? "-Tsamr'Jm^ i t» ii. ^ ■" ^^m^u 'j^^^^mmm^B^f'M^^mi^ ■ ■'*" . i '%SSSSSm. J^ »)«^ifp^;'" ^"^'^^i^^^Hn r K^^ xS^^*^ - <.-'-.ft^...,' t -. -,, ■■''•n ^ ' SULLIVAN MEMORIAL. Erected by Dr. Dwight R. Burrell, at corner of Bristol and Thad Qiapin streets, Canandaigua. in memory of General John C. Sullivan and the Continental army, who passed near the spot, September 11 and 18, 1779. In August, 1794, Governor Simcoe, of Canada, in an interview with Captain Charles Williamson, the great promoter of enterprise and settlement in Western New York in those early days, gave formal notice, in the presence of Thomas Morris and Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., the representatives of the pioneer settlement at Can- andaigua, that the white settlers must move out of the Indian territory in Western New York. The country had been excited for months previous on account of the acts of British officers and agents and with the alarming conduct of the latter's former allies, the 144 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Indians. President Washington protested through Minister John Jay against this "irregular and high handed proceeding," charging that the agents of the Crown kept ''in irritation the tribes that are hostile to us, and are instigating those who know little of us, or we of them, to unite in the war against us, and whilst it is an undeniable fact that they are furnishing the whole with arms, ammunition, clothing and even provisions to carry on the war. I might go farther, and, if they are not much belied, add, men also in disguise." War seemed to be at the very gates of the young county. General Knox, Secretary of .War, issued an order in favor of the Governor of New York for 1,000 muskets, cartridge boxes, and bayonets. The Legislature, in appropriating money for fortifica- tions at New York city, made provision also to the amount of 12,000 pounds for the building and equipping of one or more floating- batteries, or other vessels of force, for the security of the western and northern frontiers of the State. Governor George Clinton, as early as May 29, ordered that "one thousand weight of powder and a proportionate quantity of lead" be deposited at "Canadaqua" in Ontario county, also the same for Onondaga county, the militia of which counties, he stated, had been represented to him as destitute of ammunition. Lieutenant-Colonel Othniel Taylor was directed to take charge of the supply for Ontario county. Active prepara- tions were made for the erection of palisades and block houses at Bath, Geneva, and Canandaigua, at the head of Canandaigua lake, and at Mud Creek, as witness the following proposals : Mr. Johnson — I will contract to get five Hundred Stickes of Palesades 13 feet Long and one foot Square and Deliver them on the Hill at Geneva for Six pence per foot as Witness My hand. Geneva, July 11th, 1794. DEODAT ALLEN. Gentlemen — We will engage to git one Thouthan Stickes of Palleasadeas Thirteen feet Long and one feet Square and Deliver them on the Hill at Geneva for Six pence per feet and Will ask no pay till one half of the timber Is delivered on the Spot as witness our hands. Geneva, July 12th, 1794. DEODAT ALLEN, PETER BORTLE, JRS. The Charles Williamson, Thomas Morris, Esquires. Gentlemen — We shall contract with you according to your Advertisement for One Thousand Pallisades Thirteen futt in length one futt square at Sixpence Pr futt to be delivered upon the hill at Geneva. To bear inspection By two men which you shall chuse yourselves. OLD ONTARIO IN WAR TIME. 145 If your Honnors thinks that we are capable of Serving you we will from time to time have acation to draw upon you for a Little Cash as the wak is done. With Esteem we are your Hu'ble Serv't. LUTHER SANFORD, ALEXANDER BIRNEY. Geneva, IS July, 1794. But SO far as known the block houses were never built. The lesson which General Wayne administered to the Western Indians made the Senecas quite amenable to proposals for peace, and at the conclusion of the Pickering coun- cil, November 11, 1794, which during the six weeks of its pro- longed deliberations must have given Canandaigua the appear- ance of a war-time camp, they con- cluded a treaty which was never broken, and the county after- wards remained secure from fear of invasion by the Indians. The Simcoe scare had happily blown over, but while it lasted the pio- neers endured real and constant alarm of war. In the war time of 1812, that alarm took yet more tangible shape. Most of the leading citi- zens, at the county seat at least, were Federalists and being such were probably not over enthusi- astic supporters of the war, but having frankly expressed their sentiments by the adoption of resolutions (September 10, 1812), they gave no further public signs of opposition. Canandaigua had been made a depository for military supplies, including arms and ammunition, the year before the outbreak of the war ; an arsenal had been built on an eminence on the western boundaries of the village, and it is safe to assume that the annual muster of the militia in that year had particular interest. The forts at Niagara and Oswego remained in the . hands of JAMES WADSWORTH. James Wadsworth, nephew of Major General Jeremiah Wadsworth of the Continental army, was born in Durham, Connecti'cut, April 20, 1768; settled at Geneseo, then called Big Tree, in 1790, as the manager of a large tract of land owned by his uncle ; the an- cestor of all the Wadsworths now living in the Genesee valley ; died at Geneseo in 1844. 146 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the English from the close of the Revolution to 1796, and were naturally the center of much anxious thought to the people of Western New York, and made Ontario county not only the scene of much military activity on the part of its own citizens, but a high- way for troops marching' from the east to the front. At the out- break of hostilities, one of its own honored citizens. General Amos Hall, of Bloomfield, was for a short time in command of the forces on the frontier, as major-general of this division of the State mihtia, and not a few of its yeomanry, as the old cemeteries of the county testify, saw active service in the succeeding campaign. General Hall, in 1813, as the result of the review of his force at Bufifalo, reported that it included one hundred and twenty-nine mounted volunteers from Ontario county, under command of Colonel Seymour Boughton ; also four hundred and thirty-three Ontario county vohmteers commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Blakesle. The county then included the territory now embraced in Ontario, Livingston, Monroe, Yates and part of Wayne. The Federalists were right in one respect, the country was totally unprepared for war, and on the Niagara frontier as else- where blunder succeeded blunder. The militia, at the battle of Black Rock, although unfitted and untrained for the realities of' war, acquitted themselves creditably, until, forced to retreat before the veteran Roj'^al Scots, a cry of "Indians are coming!" filled them with terror and they fled in confusion. As a result, Bufifalo village was burned and its inhabitants and those of the region about sought safety in flight to the villages at the east. Forty of Colonel Blakesle's regiment were captured, a number of the Ontario volun- teers were killed or wounded, and the whole county was thrown into a tumult. Moreover, the refugees were suffering for want of food and clothing, and it was incumbent upon the people to relieve their necessities. They did so promptly and generously. The citizens of Canandaigua appointed a relief committee, through whose efltorts a considerable fund was raised, and with aid voted by the Legislature the needs of the refugees were relieved during the anxious winter of 1813-1814. One of the appeals issued read as follows: Canandaigua, January 8, 1814. Gentlemen- — Niagara County and that part of Genesee which lies west of Batavia, . ar« completely depopulated. All the settlements in a section forty OLD ONTARIO IN WAR TIME. 147 miles square, and which contained more than twelve thousand souls, are effect- ually broken up. These facts you are undoubtedly acquainted with; but the distresses they have produced none but an eye witness can thoroughly appre- ciate. Our roads are filled with people, many of whom have been reduced from a state of competency and good prospects to the last degree of want and sorrow. So sudden was the blow by which they have been crushed that no provision could be made either to elude or meet it. The fugitives from Niagara county especially were dispersed under circumstances of so much terror that in some cases mothers find themselves wandering with strange children, and children are seen accompanied by such as have no other sympathies with them than those of common sufferings. Of the families thus separated, all the members can never again meet in this life; for the same violence which has made them beggars has forever deprived them of their heads, and others of their branches. Afflictions of the mind, so deep as has been allotted to these unhappy people, we cannot cure. They can probably be subdued only by His power who can wipe away all tears. But shall we not endeavor to assuage them? To their bodily wants we can certainly administer. The inhabitants of this village have made large contributions for their relief, in provisions, clothing and money, and we have been appointed, among other things, to solicit further relief for them from our wealthy and liberal-minded fellow-citizens. In pursuance of this appointment we may ask you, gentlemen, to interest yourselves particularly in their behalf. We believe that no occasion has ever occurred in our country which presented stronger claims upon individual benevolence, and we humbly trust that whoever is willing to answer these claims will always entitle himself to the precious reward of active charity. We are, gentlemen, with great respect. WILLIAM SHEPARD, THADDEUS CHAPIN, MOSES ATWATER, N. GORHAM, MYRON HOLLEY, THOMAS BEALS, PHINEAS P. BATES, Committee of Safety and Relief at Canandaigua. In the more skillfully managed and more successful campaign of the succeeding summer, the Ontario county militia found them- selves members of the brigade of volunteers under General Peter B. Porter (a few years before a resident of Canandaigua), cooper- ating with the regulars under General Winfield Scott, and had part in retrieving the blunders of the earlier campaign, participating in the capture of Fort Erie, the battles of Chippewa and Lundy's Lane, and the defense of Fort Erie. General Porter was accorded unstinted credit for the persuasiveness of his eloquence in enlisting recruits, and for his gallantry and skill in leading them against the foe. The Governor made him a major general, Congress voted him a gold medal, and Canandaigua, according to the good old fash- ioned custom, gave him a banquet. With the raising of the siege of Fort Erie, September 17, 1814, the campaign on the New York 148 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. frontier was ended, and soon after the great victory at New Orleans finally closed the episode. But enough of these old time soldiers: "Their swords are rust, Their bodies dust; Their souls are with the saints, we trust." Although twice have armies of civilized States invaded the terri- tory now embraced in the county of Ontario and swept its peaceful vales with war's besom, and although twice since the county has been recognized as a civil division of the State of New York have defenses been erected here and arms and ammunition assembled with which to repel the attack of hostile forces, neither the deeds of the French Cavaliers under De Nonville, nor those of the Ragged Continentals under Sullivan, constitute more than interesting catch words for study of aboriginal and colonial history. And Simcoe's scare was soon over, and the scars of 1812 were long ago obliterated. When we of the Twentieth century picture Ontario county in war time our thoughts inevitably turn to the troublous days of 1861-65. Their poignant memories survive. Reminders of the pas- sions of those days, the joys, the griefs, are in every home. Here a picture on the wall or in an old album, there a sword or a musket, recalls deeds of sacrifice and valor in which children and grand- children take .sacred pride. On Memorial day, empty sleeves, or G. A. R. buttons, growing rapidly fewer now, tell us that some of those who had a part in the mighty struggle are still with us. THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 149 XVI THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. A Patriotic Pulpit — Citizens Make Large Financial Contributions in Support of the Union Cause — Recruiting the Annies — Canandaigua Academy's Part — Treasonable Utterances^ — The Ontario Volunteers and Their Gallant Record — ^The County Represented in Twenty-nine Different Regiments. Most of the local pulpits eloquently supported the cause of Freedom in the years, immediately preceding the war, and when they did not or were suspected of pro-slavery sympathy, the congrega- tions dwindled. As during the war of 1812, Sheriff Phineas Bates had severed his connection with the Congregational church in Canan- daigua becavise . of the sentiments expressed by its Federalist minister, and took sittings in St. John's where at least the rector was required to pray for the President of the United States and all associated with him in authority, so as civil war was threatened men of the intenser character transferred their church connection to the Congregational fold, where the scholarly and eloquent Dr. Oliver E. Daggett let no .Sunday pass without enforcing a lesson of patriotism, or to the Methodist Episcopal fold, where Rev. K. P. Jervis was thundering forth such anathemas against the South and those who upheld in any way its peculiar institution as to bring down upon his head the sharp criticism of one of the conservative papers of the village. Whereupon, the editor of a rival sheet, coming to 'the preacher's defense with more vigor and passion than discre- tion, involved himself in a prosecution for libel. The people of Ontario county had not realized any more clearly than those elsewhere in the North that the inauguration -as President of the rail splitter of Illinois would be followed by actual war, but they met the crisis firmly. They Retreated not one whit from the position they had taken months before in opposition to the designs of the slave power. Their stations on the Underground Railroad, never closed to the ebony-hued travelers who trudged in 150 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. increasing numbers to freedom in the North, attempted little of concealment now. They assembled in many so-called relief meet- ings, and there expressed .sympathy with their brothers in bleeding Kansas and adopted plans looking to the practical support of the cause for which they prayed and labored. But they felt that the South would stop at actual rebellion, or at least delay the irrevocable step for yet other months. Perhaps they thought that the peace convention called to meet in Wash- ington in February, 1861, would solve the problem. Two of their most prominent citizens, the Hon. Francis Granger, a man then of National reputation, and the recognized leader among the Silver Grays or Anti-Slavery Whigs, and James C. Smith, in the prime of his yoimg manhood and a leader in the six-year-old Republican party, had been chosen by the Legislature to represent the State in that body, but the peace convention came to naught. Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated President of the United States, and then in the fast-turning kaleidoscope of time came that never-to-be-forgotten 12th of April, 1861, when Sumter was fired upon. The shot was heard in Ontario county, as it was in every loyal community of the North, with mingled feelings of surprise and dismay, but not of fear. The call of President Lincoln for 75,000 volunteers to aid in suppressing the rebellion met its prompt response here, as is evidenced by the following notice published in the local papers : Our Country Now and Ever. The citizens of Canandaigua and vicinity are requested to meet at the Town House in Canandaigua, Saturday afternoon, April 20th, at 2 p. m., to adopt such measures as shall be necessary to unite with our fellow countrymen to sustain the government of the United States, defend our country and protect the honor of our national flag. The government calls upon us for aid in this hour of peril; patriotism, honor and duty demand that we respond to the call. The noblest, wisest and best government ever instituted by man, must not be struck down by rebellion, and the glorious memories of the Revolution effaced, without a struggle which shall be worthy of our Revolutionary fathers. The time for action has come. The government calls. Let every man respond. By Order of the Meeting. JOHN A. GRANGER, WILLIAM G. LAPHAM, HENRY O. CHESEBRO, WILLIAM H. SMITH, WILLIAM HILDRETH, Committee. THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 151 At the meeting called as described, the town hall, it is reported in a newspaper of the time, was crowded almost to suffocation. Immense enthusiasm prevailed and as one and another went for- ward and their subscriptions were announced, had the building been one of modern date, it would certainly have been shaken down by the cheering. Every one present seemed anxious to do some- thing. Noah T. Clarke, the beloved principal of Canandaigua Academy, besides his own subscription of $100, made a proposition to the meeting to put down "something for each one of his sons to be repaid to him by means of their own little earnings, so that they might have it to remember that the first money they ever gave in their lives was for the cause of liberty — for the good of their native country." This proposition M^as received with applause and was immediately acted upon by othei's, some putting down for their children and others for their wives. The subscription list was headed by Francis Granger, who put down his name for $500, and Henry B. Gibson gave a like amount, John A. and Albert Granger gave $300, and Mrs. Clarissa Greig $200. Chester Coleman, Thomas Beals, Gideon Granger, Alexander McKechnie, James McKechnie, Merrick and M. Dwight Munger, N. J. Messenger, James C. Smith, William H. Smith, George Cook, Hiram Metcalf, Nahum Grimes, Henry O. Chesebro, Elbridge G. Lapham, John Johnson, Frank C Bennett, Thomas M. Howell, Albert Lester, Levi Tillotson, Richardson & Draper, William Hildreth, and others, subscribed $100 each. Then followed a long list of citizens, each pledging himself according to his ability. The whole subscrip- tion amounted to the sum of $7,131.50. General John A. Granger presided at this meeting and addresses were made by Francis Granger, Elbridge G. Lapham, Alexander H. Howell, Elihu M. Morse, and James C. Smith. Resolutions were adopted and a committee of fifteen appointed to look after the enrollment of volunteers and raising of funds and all matters con- nected with the public defense. This committee of fifteen consisted of Alexander H. Howell, James M. Bull, Gideon Granger, Albert G. Murray, William Hil- dreth, Elnathan W. Simmons, Henry O. Chesebro, J. Harvey Mason, Lyman O. Lampman. Henry C. Swift, William G. Lapham, Charles Coy, Dr. Matthew R. Carson, John W. Holberton, and James L. Palmer. It is notev/orthy that in the first burst of enthusiasm party lines 152 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. were forgotten, and that indeed the men who were most prominent in this meeting, while the natural leaders of the community, were men who in the political controversies preceding the actual out- break of war, had taken counsel for compromise. At the close of the meeting, it is related, "Yankee Doodle" was played by the band, the "Star Spangled Banner" was sung by John S. Robinson, the audience joining enthusiastically in the chorus, and three cheers were given for the President and three more for "The Constitution and Enforcement of the Laws." The military spirit of the people of the county was thoroughly aroused. The local newspapers reported that martial bands were constantly parading the streets, two companies of volunteers were formed, and efiforts were made to establish a rifle company and a company of flying artillery. The principal recruiting station was at the town house in Canandaigua and was in charge of Owen Edmonston, who a few years before had been sheriff of the county. Preparations were made to have the recruits camp out on the fair grounds. The ladies were to assemble in the town house on Thurs- day to make bedding. War, it was said, was the only topic of conversation in the streets, nearly everybody was ready to enlist, the National flag waved from almost every accessible place, and boys by the hundreds carried it in miniature in the streets. In the days following, the village streets were the scene of many military displays, a number of companies stopping over to change from the New York Central to the Northern Central rail- road, and other companies being organized from among the young, men of the village and neighboring country. Meetings were held in Geneva, Phelps, Naples, Clifton Springs, Victor, and other towns, and steps were everywhere taken to give practical expression to the aroused patriotisjn of the people. The women, too, lost no time in organizing to provide hospital comforts and necessities for the soldiers. The villages and towns were canvassed by them for supplies and other steps taken to show their sympathy with the prevailing movement in defense of the Union. The women of Canandaigua made a beautiful banner, 7x4 feet 4, of blue silk, which was to be presented to a yet problematical Ontario county regiment. But the feeling of patriotism did not fill all hearts. Treason presented its ugly head even in Ontario county, in the early days of the war, and one man at least earned general condemnation. THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 153 It was reported, on the evidence of citizens of unimpeachable reliability, that a man of some prominence in business circles at the county seat, upon hearing- of the death of the gallant young Colonel Ellsworth, declared that all who took up arms under the call of President Lincoln deserved a similar fate. The indignation aroused by this expression of treasonable sentiment was intense. A public meeting was held, and resolutions were adopted denouncing as traitors all persons entertaining such sentiments, but some of the more impulsive young men of the village were not satisfied with so orderly a procedure, and it re- quired the counsel of older and wiser heads to prevent them from getting out the hand fire engine and attempting to soak the treason out of the man. This was the only expression of disloyal sentiment, made by a citizen of the county during the war, of which public notice was taken, and it is entirely to the credit of the community that the stigma fixed upon the man who uttered it by the meeting referred to was never removed. He was a produce buyer, and it is related that even in the years after the close of the war he was often re- buffed by sturdy farmers who had erain to sell but who wanted none of his money. On one occasion he approached a heavily loaded , ,..,,. ,.,., . • ^ ^ leaching; succeeded Marcius Wilson as princi- Wa^On. askine the driver what he pal of Canandalgua academy in 1853 and con- t» ' o tinned at tlie head of that institution until liarl fnr salp Rpreivino- no renlv 18S2; president of the New York State liaCl lOl Saie. l\CLClvni^ HU lC\Jiy .^^.^^^,^;^. Association, 1875; president of the p-vrpnt a rnld stare he started to Village of Canandaigua, 1865-66. Died at excepi a CUIl.l SLdic, uc sudiucu lu Canandaima, September 16, 1898. climb up on the wheel, asking, "Is it wheat?" At this the farmer arose and with uplifted whip sternly commanded, "Ge-e-t down-er-off of that wa-a-agon ! Get down of¥ that wagon!" He got down. No account of the war time events of the county wou'd be complete that did not include some words about the part which the DR. NOAH T. CLARKE. Noah T. Clarke, for twenty-nine years principal of the Canandaigua academy, was l.>oi-n in Naples, April 8, 1817; educated in the district schools and at the Franklin and Canandaigua academies ; devoted his life to 154 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Canandaigua Academy, then at the zenith of its fame, had in the work of filling the ranks of the Union army. Dr. Noah T. Clarke, the principal, in his morning talks in the chapel, could not refrain from' voicing his ardent patriotism and the students were soon aroused to the highest degree of enthusiasm. As early as June, 1861, that enthusiasm found expression in the raising of a National flag upon the Academy building and the holding of a meeting on the' campus. General John A. Granger presided, "The Star Spangled Banner" was sung by a choir led by Dr. A. G. Coleman, and Dr. Clarke made a stirring and patriotic address. Gideon Granger, James C. Smith, and Elihu M. Morse also spoke. The girls of the Ontario Female Seminary, with many ladies of the village, graced the occasion by their presence. The Academy was pretty nearly closed by the enlistment of students and teachers. One class, which Dr. Clarke had formed with great satisfaction, enlisted bodily, with the exception of a single member, and he only stayed at his books because he was so young that he could not be accepted. The Academy catalogue of 1864 contained a roll of honor, which embraced the names of one hun- dred twenty-five young men who had been students of the institu- tion during Dr. Clarke's principalship and who had enrolled themselves in the Union armies, but these. Dr. Clarke wrote, were probably not more than half of the total number of soldiers who had at one time or another been students in the institution. ' Though temporarily crippled by the enlistment of its young men, the close of the war saw. the Academy fairly overwhelmed with pupils, two of the members of the faculty in 1866 and twenty- three of the pupils being returned soldiers. New York responded promptly and cordially to President Lincoln's first call for 75,000 volunteers, as it did to those succeed- ing. Ontario county was prominent in the work done for the Union in the Legislature, Thomas Hillhouse, afterwards Adjutant General of the State, State Comptroller, and Assistant United States Treasurer at New York, being the representative of this Senate district, and Perez H. Field and Stephen H. Ainsworth representing the county in the Assembly. Mr. Hillhouse was suc- ceeded in the Senate on January 1, 1862, by Charles J. Folger, and David Pickett and Francis O. Mason were the Assemblymen that year, and the following yearthe)'^ were succeeded by Perez H. Field and Lanson Dewey, who were reelected and served through 1864 THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 155 also. In 1865, Volney Edgerton and Edward Brunson represented the county in the Assembly. All these were nominees of the Repub- lican party, then and later swelled by the accession of many so-called ".War Democi-ats." There is no exact record of the number of men who enlisted from Old Ontario, but it appears that the county was represented in at least twenty-nine different regiments, and probably furnished five thousand recruits. The 18th Regiment of Infantry, known as the New York State Rifles, contained one company, G., that was recruited at Canan- daigua early in 1861. Henry Faurot was made its captain, James H. Morgan, first lieutenant, and William H. Ellis, Jr., ensign. Company E., of the 28th Regi- ment of Infantry, or the Niagara Rifles, was recruited at Canandai- gua, and had for its ofifiicers, Theo- dore Fitzgerald, captain; J. J. Whitney, first lieutenant, and Harvey Padelford, ensign. The 33d Regiment of Infan- try, mustered in July 3, 1861, was known particularly as the "On- tario regiment." Its ranks includ- ed three companies recruited principally in Ontario county. One company, D., was recruited at Canandaigua, under Captain John R. Cutler, and two at Geneva, under Captains Walker and Waterford. Company H., of the 38th Regiment, was recruited at Geneva, with W. H. Baird as captain. The county furnished two companies to the 85th Regiment, mustered into service in the fall of 1861. One company, B., enlisted at Canandaigua, with William W. Clarke, of Naples, as captain, and C. S. Aldrich and Amos Brunson as first and second lieutenants, and Company G., at Geneva, with John Raines as captain, and George W. Hunger and Thomas Alsop as first and second lieuten- COLONEL ELIAKIM SHERRILL. Eliakim Sherrill was born in Greenville, Greene county, N. Y., February 16, 1813; elected Member of Congress in the Ulster dis- trict, 1847; State Senator, 1855-56; removed to Geneva in 1860 ; became Colonel of the 126th Regiment, New York Volunteers, in 1862; led the Third corps at the battle of Gettysburg, and there on the 3rd of July. 1863, received a wound which resulted in his death the following day. 156 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ants. This regiment was a part of the Third brigade that was compelled to surrender at Plymouth, in April, 1864. Company K., of the 98th New York Infantry^ of which George N. Wilhams, of Canandaigua, was captain, and Company I., in the same regiment, of which William H. Adams, was captain, were also recruited in this county. Company B., of the lOOth Regiment Infantry, was recruited largely at Victor, late in 1861, and continued in service throughout the war. The 126th Regiment is one of the two regiments to which the mind most quickly reverts when reference is made to the part which Ontario county had in the war. Recruited in Ontario, Seneca, and Vates counties, it was mustered into service at Geneva, August 22, 1862, for a term of three years, under command of Colonel Eliakim Sherrill, of Geneva. Companies D., H., and K., were recruited wholly in this county; and E., F., and G., partly in this county. Company D. gained the prize for the first company to be recruited for this regiment in Ontario county, and had for its ofificers, Philo D. Phillips, captain; Charles A. Richardson, first lieutenant, and Spencer F. Lincoln, second lieutenant. Company H. was officered by Orin J. Herendeen, captain ; George N. Redfield, first lieutenant, and Alfred R. Clapp, second lieutenant; and Company K., by Charles M. Wheeler, captain; H. Clay Lawrence, first lieutenant, and Isaac A. Seamans, second lieutenant. Henry D. Kipp was captain of Company E. : Isaac Shinier, captain, and Ira Munson and Ten E^lyck Munson, lieutenants, of Company F., and John F. Aiken, captain of Company G. This regiment had a most notable and romantic career. Pro- ceeding to the front in August, 1862, and hurried to the defense of Washington, it was surrounded and captured with 11,000 other Union troops in the disaster of Harper's Ferry; was charged with cowardice, paroled, exchanged, and then reentered active service, and later, as part of the Second army corps, bravely removed the stigma it had so unjustly borne. Its work at Gettysburg was par- ticularly fine. The other regiment especially remembered in this connection was the 148th. Ontario furnished a larger proportion of its material than it did of that of any other regimental organization. Its col- onel was William Johnson; its lieutenant-colonel, George M. Guion; and its major, John B. Murray, all of Seneca Falls. Dr. Elnathan THE COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR. 157 W. Simmons, of Canandaigua, was its surgeon; C. H. Carpenter, of Phelps, its first assistant surgeon, and Frank Seeley, of Rushville, second assistant surgeon. Its battles began with Gwynn's Island, in November, 1863. and it remained in active and important service until the surrender at Appomatox, in April, 1865. Canandaigua, East Bloomfield, Bristol and Geneva contributed recruits to Company E., of the 160th Regiment ; Hopewell and Phelps, to Company K., of the 179th: Pheips, Victor and Naples, to Company B. ; Richmond, Farmington, and Seneca, to Company E. ; Canandaigua, to Company F. ; and Phelps to Company I., of the 184th, mustered in October, 1864. Men from these and other towns were registered as members of the 188th and 194th Regiments Infantry, the 8th and 9th Cavalry, the 15th and 24th Cavalry, the 1st Mounted Rifles, the 1st and 2nd Cavalry, the 4th, 9th, 13th and 16th Heavy Artillery, and in other regimental organizations also. 158 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XVII VICTORY CROWNS THE STRUGGLE. Ontario County Heroes — The Boy Who Never Returned to Claim His Scythe or His Betrothed — The Board of Supervisors in the War — The Women's Aid Organizations — The News of Rich- mond's Fall and How It Was Celebrated — Memorials of the Great Struggle. Ontario county was not without its heroes in this war time. Not a few perished in tiie striving. Others returned home to receive honors and offices in recognition of the part they bravely played. Yet others, as worthy, as brave, and participants in actions as thrilling and as romantic, have continued to go quietly in and out before us in their regular vocations without a claim on their part to any mead of praise, without a thought on the part of others that in these matter-of-fact, hard working citizens is the stuff of which stern war created heroes. For instance, Herman F. Fox, recently representing the city of Geneva in the county board of supervisors, was shot from his horse in a mad charge at Sutherland's Station, but, though surrounded by the enemy, refused to surrender either himself or the brigade flag which he carried, and only gave up the latter when forced to do so by blows and bayonet thrusts. He was rescued by his comrades from death or capture, but sacrificed a hand. Ontario boys fell into prison and died there, as did Lieutenant Albert M. Murray, or taking desperate chances, escaped as did Captain C. S. Aldrich. Others, like A. Eugene Cooley, of Canandaigua, could if they would, relate experiences stranger than those of fiction. Mr. Cooley, wounded and disabled at the battle of Spottsylvania Court House, discovered that the youth who was helping him to the improvised hospital was a young woman attired in boy's clothing the better to facilitate her work of relief. Then after two days of torturing pain, VICTORY CROWNS THE STRUGGLE. 159 he held the candle by light of which a surgeon cut the bullet out of his leg, and for ten other days was thrown, as it were, from pillar to post, from hospital tent to ambulance, then to peach orchard, to boat, to Washington, and finally in a freight car to Philadelphia. And he lives to tell the story, but — he married another girl! The fibre of the men is indi- cated by the case of Edward H. Frary, of Canandaigua, who suf- fered in the Wilderness a shot through the lungs, and not only without the aid , of antiseptic surgery, but without any skilled attention, and compelled to spend days and nights on the ground or on a hard floor, and then bear transportation in a rough army wagon, yet survives to act well his part as a citizen in the re- deemed Republic. ,What days were those, when, as after the awful Gettysburg fight, succeeding mails brought news of the death on the battle- field of favorite sons like Colonel Sherrill, Captain Wheeler, Cap- tain Herendeen, and many others, who at the call of their country had given up comfortable homes and bright prospects to face the WALTER MARKS. Waller Marks, member of the County War Committee, was born in Hopewell. Ontario county. September 6, 1819 ; member of the Board of Supervisors. 1862-69. and chair- man of 1871-73. 1895. the Board, 1869; County Clerk. Died in Hopewell. October 12. Many Ontario on the highway east of perils of war. county homes were thus made desolate. A tree in front of a farm house, Geneva, bears a unique memorial to the spirit that animated one of the young soldiers who lost his life at Gettysburg, and, as it is fitly decorated with the National colors on each succeeding Memorial day, it typifies the patriotism which animated the sons of Old Ontario as they rallied in support of the colors at President Lin- coln's call. The memorial referred to is the point of an old scythe which projects from the tree and which has been there ever since the implement was hung in the crotch by Tyler J. Snyder as he 160 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. came in from the hay field one day in y\iio-ust, 1862, and announced his purpose to enlist in the Union army. His request to his betrothed, the daughter of the household, to let the scythe hang- there until his return, has not been forgotten. Firmly imbedded in the tree's fibre, it yet waits his home coming, which is never to be, for the gallant boy Avas killed at Gettysburg. The county board of supervisors was prompt, energetic, and generous in its efforts to raise tlie quota of troops assigned to the county under succeeding calls of the President. Bounties to encourage en'istments and to avoid the necessity of drafts were offered by National and State Governments and by the counfy, and, while starting at the modest sum of $20, rose in the last years of the struggle to over $1,000 per man. The county, to pay these bounties, sold its 7 per cent bonds to the amount of a million and a half dollars, the war committee ni charge of this work being G. W. Nicholas, of Geneva: Walter Marks, of Hopewell, and William H. Lamport, of Canandaigua. The last of the war bonds were paid in advance of the date on which they came due, during the term of Captain George N. Williams as county treasurer, probabV in 1871. Another efficient aid to the work of the soldiers was that afforded by the organizations of patriotic and self-sacrificing women. Cotemporaneous with the first enrollment of recrtiits, there was organized at the county seat the Ladies' Hospital Aid Society, of which Mrs. Margaret Raiikine was the first president and Miss Antoinette Pierson, secretary. Later Mrs. William Hildreth became president of this organization. Mrs. Jabez H. Metcalf, Mrs. Nathan J. Milliken, Mrs. William M. McLaughlin acted successively as secretary, and Mrs. F. M. Lester was the treasurer. This society, by means of monthly dues paid by its members, contributions by generous-hearted citizens, and receipts from fairs and other entertainments, raised many hundreds of dollars for the relief of the sulTering on battlefield and in hospital. The ladies were given free use, at fair time, of the refreshment stalls in the wonderful old amphitheater building on the County Agricultural Society's grounds, and thereby made much money for the cause. Their fair in Bemis hall in February, 1864, netted $1,893, to which was added a purse of $100 contributed by the village fire depart- ment, through its chief engineer, Rardwell Billings. Their fair in VICTORY CROWNS THE STRUGGLE. 161 the town hall in January, 1865, after deducting expenses and $42.76 bad money, netted the goodly sum of $1,6.S8.61. To these money contributions were added boxes upon boxes, barrels upon barrels, of such luxuries as shirts, and sheets and quilts, and pillows, dressing gowns, slippers, handkerchiefs and towels, contributed by citizens in all parts of the county, or made by the ladies of the society. Large quan- tities of lint and bandages also were forwarded, together with barrels of dried apples, onions, canned fruit, wine, raspberry vinegar, jelly, pickles, and in fact everything that the generous hearts and ready wits of the wo- men could suggest for the com- fort and welfare of the boys at the front. An outpouring of such supplies was gathered and for- warded under charge of Dr. W. Fitch Cheney and his associates on the committee designated to go to the relief of the wounded after the battle of Gettysburg, in July, 1863. The Young Ladies' Aid Society, of which Miss Susan Daggett was president, was a valuable ally of the older organi- zation of women and crowned a most efificient record by raising the money for the beautiful me- morial tablet now affixed to a wall of the county court house. The Rear Guard, as the peo- ple at home were often facetiously called, not only provided thus generously of money and supplies, but they speeded the parting recruits with gifts of banners, swords, and revolvers, and welcomed those returning with speeches, music, and dinners. Upon the return of the 33d, the so-called Ontario regiment, on May 25th, 1863, at the completion of its two years' term of enlistment, there was an WILLIAM H. ADAMS. William H. Adams was born at Lyons, Wayne county, in 1841 ; studied law with Smith & Lapham in Canandaigua; enlisted in the Ij'nion army in 1861, serving first as Lieutenant, then as Captain, and then as Brigadier Adjutant General; married Miss Charlotte Lapham, daughter of Hon. El- hridge G. Lapham, in 1865; elected Supreme Court Justice in 1887; appointed a member of the" Appellate Division, Fourth Depart- ment, in 1896; and became its presiding officer on January 1, 1900, Died in Canandai- gua, October 12, 1903. 162 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. enthusiastic demonstration of this kind and the flag- was returned to the donors "stained, battle rent, and covered with glory," as Colonel Taylor said. Political feeling ran high throughout the war here as else- where, the new alignment of parties not yet thoroughly adjusted, resulting in strange coalitions and calling forth on occasion bitter criminations and recriminations. The Republicans were generally successful, but diversions of Union men who trusted not the leaders of the new party, nor liked its name too well, sometimes overturned calculations and now and then gave their better organized oppo- nents a temporary advantage. The campaign of 1864, upon which depended the reelection of President Lincoln and the future conduct of the war, was fought between the "Union" and Democratic parties, the friends of the administration by the adoption of the name Union hoping to secure the support of all men of all parties who were resolved to fight it out. And they did secure them. Lincoln was reelected by a tremendous vote, carrying every State that took part in the election except New Jersey, Delaware and Kentucky. Reuben E. Fenton was elected Governor of New York. The Lincoln majority in Ontario county was over 1,400, and the entire Union county ticket, including George B. Dusenberre, the candidate for county judge; John Whitwell, for sheriff; Nathan J. Milliken, for county clerk; Charles A. Richardson, for treasurer; Ambrose L. Van Dusen, for superintendent of the poor ; and Volney Edgerton and Edward Brunson, for members of Assembly, was elected. The Republican or Union "stumpers" in that notable cam- paign were Elbridge G. Lapham, Charles J. Folger, Edwin Hicks, William H. Lamport, Captain Edgar W. Dennis, and Rev. L. W. Gage, all of whom are now with the majority. Then followed swiftly the closing events of the war. The battles of the Wilderness, Cold Harbor, Petersburg, the capture of Savannah and Charleston, Sherman's march to the sea, Farragut's victory at Mobile, and then ("April 9, 1865), Appomattox and the end! Those last exciting, strenuous, joyous days at the front had their reflex at home. In Ontario count)- the people relaxed no efifort in support of their beloved Father Abraham and his great military lieutenants. Money and supplies were provided without stint. Recruiting was hastened to fill the quotas of the several towns under the President's last call. Hardly a day passed without its news of VICTORY CROWNS THE STRUGGLE. 163 victories gained for the Union arms, though each day also brought its list of dead and wounded — casualties, the newspapers called them. And, finally, on the 3d of April, the fall of Richmond, and six days later, the surrender of Lee, electrified the people. On Saturday the old gun was brought down from the arsenal, and, at imminent risk to those who manned it, made to do service once again in the firing of a salute of thirty-six guns, in celebration of the event first mentioned, and there were fireworks, illuminations, and a bonfire ; but on Monday, when the news of Lee's surrender came, there was "a spontaneous out- burst of popular jollification of a most extraordinary and uproar- ious character," as one of the vil- lage papers reported. Business was suspended, stores, shops, and oiifices all being closed by common consent, while old and young, male and female (to quote again) thronged the sidewalks, extend- ing mutual congratulations upon the glorious news. The enthu- siasm grew until it found vent in the blowing of horns, ringing of bells, sounding of gongs, raising of flags, and firing of guns. An impromptu procession, in which marched some of the most prominent and usually the most staid citizens, paraded the streets; and, finally, the people assembled in front of the court house, where after a beautiful and impressive prayer by Rev. Dr. Daggett, the venerable Francis Granger stepped forward and voiced in eloquent phrase his joy in the victory and his thankfulness that the cause of Union and Freedom was at last triumphant. As his commanding and striking figure stood forth upon the portico, and, his hat being removed, the glory of his famous crown of silver-gray hair was revealed, not a few in the throng, recalling the events of his distinguished career, reaHzed that GEORGE N. WILLIAMS. George N. Williams was born in Canan- daigua, March 11, 1837; served as Lieuten- ant and Captain of Co. K., 98th Regt., N. Y. Inf., 1861-63; admitted to the bar, 1864; practiced law for four years, then engaged in the banking business ; Treasurer of Ontario county, 1871-76; married Abigail Stanley Clark, daughter of ex-Governor Myron H. Clark, in 1866. Died in Canan- daigna, January 13, 1907. 164 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. here was a man who, although precluded by reason of advanced age from active participation in the political movements of war time, had played a heroic part in the controversies out of which the struggle grew. They must have recalled, too, that Mr. Granger had sufifered not a little in the pursuit of his laudable ambition for public service, on account of convictions fearlessly expressed as to the iniquity of human bondage, for they could remember that the apologists for the institution had gone so far as to attempt to defeat in the Senate the confirmation of his appointment to a place in Presi- dent Harrison's cabinet, though happily without success. Now living in the retirement of his home, he was the first and most beloved citizen of the community. Other speakers at this impromptu meeting were Elbridge G. Lapham and Tames C. Smith. The occasion was fittingly celebrated, also, by the nailing of a flag to the statue of Justice on the court house dome, and in the evening there was a torch light procession and a general illumination. On Saturday came the awful news that the night before President Lincoln had been assassinated. From the height of joy the community was plunged into the profoimdest depths of sorrow. The flags were run up again, but only to half mast ; the bells that rang so recently in happy discord, now solemnly tolled. Business was again at a standstill. It seemed as if death had entered every home. On Sunday a memorial service was held in the Congregational church, Canandaigua, at which Dr. Daggett preached a characteristically timely sermon and paid a touching- tribute to the dead statesman, whose greatness all now gladly recognized. And on Wednesday, at the hour of the funeral, the people united in another solemn service in the same church, and, forgetting the rancorous political dififerences that had distracted the community in the years before and during the war, expressed their common sorrow at the Nation's loss. .War time was at last over, and out of its passions, from its fadeless griefs, had come the compensation of a quickened patriotism, the consciousness of a real brotherhood. Then, after only a few days, was raised the memorial tablet in the court house for which the young women raised the funds. Then was realized, through the efforts of Mrs. Caroline B. Cook and her earnest associates, the beautiful thought that had had its birth in the stressful war time and was now crystalized in the Ontario Orphan Asylum. There was anew, a higher, a better life in the community. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 165 XVIII THE LAST HALF CENTURY. Ontario County's Influence in State and National Politics Perpetu- ated — The State Statutes Known as the Blanket Ballot Law and Liquor Tax Law, and the National Tariff Act Known as the Payne Law, the Work of Its Representatives — The Later County Officers. In the years which have elapsed since the suppression of the Rebellion and the assassination of President Lincoln, no war alarm has disturbed the people of Ontario county. The rumors of war which reached its contented and prosperous vales from the Fenian raid on Canada in 1867 and from the sinking of the Maine in Havana harbor in 1898 hardly rnflled the even tenor of their lives. A number of the over zealous Irish patriots were brought to the Ontario county jail for safe keeping and were indicted at a session of the United States Court held here in June, 1868, and there was an inspiring rallying about the colors and a few enlistments as the armies of the Nation were recruited and marched away to the rescue of Cuba. And as these martial events were but a whisper as compared with those which had aroused and excited the people of the county in 1812 and again in 1861, the succeeding political events have been marked by little of the bitterness that involved the people at the time of the anti-Masonic excitement, or in the Tippecanoe and Tyler Too campaign of 1840, or through the controversies between the North and South that preceded the Civil war. The succeeding elections have come and gone, arousing enthusiasm and eliciting each its own measure of discord, but in each campaign the excitement has been of a temporary character and as the years have passed has failed in intensity and somewhat in interest. The appeals of the campaigners have been directed more and more to the reason and less and less to the passion of voters. In the main the Republican party has maintained its control 166 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. of the local offices, and through its policy of continuing in service representatives of ability and experience, the county, and the Sen- ale and Congressional districts of which it has been a constituent part, have continued to exercise an influence in the afifairs of State and Nation hardly equalled by any other rural community in the commonv^ealth. For a number of years following the close of the Civil war the., honors of office were distributed generously among veterans of that conflict. Among these was Frederick W. Prince, of Geneva, elected county clerk in 1867; Washington L. Hicks, of Bristol, elected to the same office in 1873, and Deroy J. Harkness, of Gorham, elected county clerk in 1891. Major Charles A. Rich- ardson was elected county treas- urer in 1864, and surrogate of the county in 1873. Sheriff WiUiam W. Clarke, of Naples, elected in 1867, and Sherifif Avery Ingra- ham, of South Bristol, elected in 1891, had served in the Union army, while County Treasurers George N. Williams, elected in 1870, and Harrison B. Ferguson, in 1876, had similar claims to public consideration. The county elected and reelected John Raines, a veteran, to represent it in the Assembly, and accorded the same honor to Captain Hiram Schutt and Major Frank O. Chamberlain. The growing division between the followers of United States Senator Roscoe Conkling and the leaders of the independent ele- ments of the Republican party found its most significant local expression in 1874, in the election of Elbridge G. Lapham, who was a most effective campaigner and a trial lawyer of great ability, to the position of Representative in Congress from the Twenty-sev- enth, or Ontario-Livingston-Yates, district, and in his reelection in HARLOW L. COMSTOCK. Harlow L. Comstock was born in Groton, Tompkins county, in 1821. Settled in War- saw, Wyoming county ; practiced law and was elected District Attorney and County Judge of Wyoming county. In 1868, became a resident of Canandaigua, where he con- tinued the practice of his profession in partnership with his brother-in-law, Thomas H. Bennett, until his death, September 24, 1883. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 167 1876 and again in 1878 to the same office. Mr. Lapham was identi- fied with the Conkling wing of the party and his nomination was strongly opposed in the first two campaigns mentioned. The Hon. WilHam H. Lamport, while serving his second term in Congress, had earned popular disfavor by voting for a salary increase bill, and it was expected that his successor would come from one of the other counties in the district. Mr. Lapham's friends, however, forestalled such a result by a well-planned coup, anticipating action in the primaries by means of a petition urging his candidacy, which was circulated simultaneously, without previous announcement, in the several towns. A large proportion of Republican voters were thus committed to his support and his nomination assured. In the first campaign, Mr. Lapham had for his Democratic opponent, David O. Pierpont, of Richmond, Chitario county, and in the second, the Hon. Harlow L. Comstock, of Canandaigua. Mr. Lapham was destined to rise to yet higher honors through another turn of the political wheel. Following the inauguration of President Garfield in 1881, Ontario county was represented in the Assembly, which was called upon to elect successors to Roscoe Conkling and Thomas C. Piatt, resigned, by John Raines, then in his first year of Legislative service. Assemblyman Raines was identified with the Conkling or Stalwart wing of the party, and in the preliminary skirmishes of that year memorable in politics had stood with that element in voting against resolutions congratulat- ing the Hon. William H. Robertson on his nomination to the office of Collector of the Port of New York. The feeHng among Republicans in Ontario county ran high and was almost unanimous in support of President Garfield. It finally found expression in a public meeting held in the town hall in Canandaigua, on the afternoon of May 21. This was attended by representative Republicans from every town of the county. Hon. Cyrillo S. Lincoln, of Naples, who had himself served the then unprecedented term of four years (1872-75) in the Assembly, and had gained wide reputation as an able debater and parliamen- tarian, acted as chairman of the meeting and made the opening speech. Other speakers were the Hon. George B. Dusenberre, of Geneva, Frank H. Hamlin, William H. Adams, William H. Smith and Edwin Hicks, of Canandaigua. Assemblyman Raines was pres^it and heard his course sharply criticized. With the fearless- ness characteristic of his public career, he took the floor to answer his critics, defending his course in regard to the Robertson resolu- 168 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. tions. When interrupted by questions, he declared that the New York Senators were but exercising their rightful prerogative in voting against Robertson's confirmation, and declared himself to be "a stalwart Republican ' and ready to "stand by the decisions of the Republican party caucuses and vote uniformly for Republican candidates." He then stated that it was his intention to vote for Congressman Lapham as the suc- cessor of one of the retiring Sena- tors. Resolutions expressing con- fidence in the ability, integrity, and patriotism of President Gar- field, denouncing the course of Conkling and Piatt, and calling upon the representatives of the county in the Legislature to vote for the election as their success- ors of men who would cordially cooperate with the National ad- ministration, were unanimously adopted. Assemblyman Raines was as good as his word. He voted on the first ballot for Congressman Lapham for one of the vacancies and continued to so vote through- out the prolonged contest which followed and which resulted finally, late in July, in the election of Mr. Lapham to succeed Sena- tor Conkling and in the election of Warner Miller to succeed Sen- ator Piatt. In the meantime, on July 2, President Garfield had been shot. The election of the Ontario Congressman to the United States Senate gave Assemblyman Raines, through whose efforts largely it had been accomplished, immediate prominence, but the personal representatives of the new Senator, by whose clever aid he had first been brought into public life and had been assured of renominations and reelections in the face of much popular opposition, had no dis- CHARLES J. FOLGER. Clyarles J. Folger was born in Nantucket, Mass., April 16, 1818; became a resident of Geneva, 1830; County Judge, 1844-55; mem- ber of the State Senate, 1862-69; delegate to the Constitutional Convention of 1867; elected Judge of the Court of Appeals in 1870 and Cliief Judge of that Court in 1880; appointed Secretary of the Treasury by Pres- ident Arthur in October, 1881 ; unsuccessful Republican candidate for Governor in 1882. Y)\ed in Geneva, September 4, 1884. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 169 position to permit the ambitious young Assemblyman to carry off any undue honor. At least, in the arrangements for the public reception held in the Senator's honor in Bemis hall, they gave him scant courtesy and ignored him in their succeeding counsels. This led to another shifting of forces in the local political field and to the early assertion by Captain Raines of the leadership for which his genius for political organization soon gained recognition and which he held undisputed to the day of his death. A great reversal of political control in the county occurred in the campaign of the following year, 1882, when Grover Cleveland was elected Governor of the State over Charles J. Folger, long an honored resident of Geneva, Ontario county. Mr. Folger was a man of great ability, had filled the offices of county judge. State senator and that of Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals with distinction, was then filling the office of Secretary of the Treasury in President Arthur's cabinet, and was well equipped for the duties of the chief executive of the State. But his nomination was effected at a time when feeling ran high between the so-called "Stalwart" and "Half Breed" factions of the party, and under circumstances that raised doubt as to the fairness of those who by the narrow margin of eight votes controlled the State convention. The friends of the Hon. Alonzo B. Cornell, who had filled the office with ability the preceding term, controlled the Ontario county convention held in Canandaigua, September 16, 1882, which was presided over by Dr. W. Scott Hicks, of Bristol. United States Senator Lapham appeared in this convention to urge the endorsement of Mr. Folger, and appeals were made by others to the same effect, but the conven- tion was firm in its stand for the renomination of Cornell, and a delegation, headed by Edwin Hicks and instructed to vote for the renomination of the Governor, was elected by a vote of 50 to 28. At the succeeding election, Ontario county gave the Democratic noiTiinee for Governor 596 majority and elected every candidate on the Democratic ticket for county offices, including the Hon. Frank Rice as member of Assembly. Mr. Rice, who had been elected district attorney in 1875 and again in 1878, held the office of Assemblyman for two years and then was nominated and elected to the office of county judge, in which he was succeeded in 1891 by another prominent member of the Democratic organization, J. Henry Metcalf. Judge Rice him- self was given a place at the head of the State ticket of his party in 170 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. 1S89, as a candidate for Secretary of State, and was elected to that ofifice and was reelected in 1891. He carried Ontario county by 759 plurality in 1889, and in 1891 only lacked 102 votes of accomplishing the feat again. Involved in the controversies growing out of the effort of Governor Hill to seize control of the State Senate for the Democratic party, Mr. Rice re- tired from active politics and returned to the practice of his profession in Canandaigua, soon gaining and holding recognition as the leading trial lawyer at the county bar. Captain John Raines, who had been elected to the Assembly in 1880 and again in 1881 was in- duced to accept- the Republican nomination for the ofifice again in 1883, when Mr. Rice was a candi- date for a second term, and as a consequence suffered defeat at the polls, but this campaign, gallantly though unsuccessfully fought, proved the stepping stone to a career of great public useful- ness and distinction. Taking the nomination for the Assembly again in 1884, Captain Raines was elected over the Democratic can- didate, Hon. Nathan Oaks, and in the following year was nominated and elected to represent the Ontario - Schuyler - Wayne - Yates district in the State Senate. He was reelected to this ofifice in 1887 and with the exception of a service of two terms in Congress, from 1890 to 1894, he continued a member of the upper house of the Legislature until his death, in December, 1909. Mr. Raines not only surpassed all records for length of service in that body and also in his election for three successive terms as the president of the Senate, but his name is identified as author with some of the most valuable constructive JOHN RAINES. .Folin Raines, the third John Raines in line of descent, his fatlier and grandfatlier, both Methodist clergymen, having been so bap- tized, was born in Canandaigua, May 6, 1840; edncated in the common schools, and the .Albany Law School ; practiced law in Geneva : captain of Company G., 85th N. Y. Inf., 1861-63; settled in Canandaigua, 1867; Member of Assembly, 1881-82, and 1885 : State Senator, 1887-90; Member of Congress, 1891-94; State Senator, 1895 to the date of his death; President Canandaigua Board of Education, 1887-1909; died in Canandaigua, December 16, 1909. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 171 leg-jslation of the State, including the blanket ballot law and the liquor tax law. He was for eight years the floor leader of the Repub- lican majority in the Senate. The factional division in the ranks of the Republican party between the so-called Stalwarts, as the followers of Senator Conkling styled themselves, and the independent element, more commonly known as the Half Breeds, who were for the most part supporters of James G. Blaine, had had its reflex in Ontario county politics, as we have seen, as early as 1874. It reached its climax in 1880, when after a bitter contest, carried through county, dis- trict and State conventions over the odious "unit rule," James A. Garfield was nominated for the Presidency. Senator Conkling and his friends had urged the nomination of ex-President Grant for a third term, and of the "Immortal 306" who voted for him in the National convention to the end, two were from the Twenty-seventh Congressional district of this State, ex-County Judge Francis O. Mason, of Geneva, Ontario county, and George N. Hicks, of Yates county. The effect of the struggle between the factions was seen in 1884, when James G. Blaine was nominated for the Presidency in opposi- tion to the Democratic candidate, Grover Cleveland. The office holders and others interested in securing a nomination for President Arthur made a quiet but well-nigh successful canvass for delegates, and it was only by a combination between the Blaine and Edmunds forces in the county convention that an opposition delegation, headed by Mr. Frank H. Hamlin, an ardent advocate of Mr. Edmunds's nomination, was elected to the State convention. There were bitter contests in the ensuing district conventions, and, Mr. Blaine having been nominated, there was undisguised indifference on the part of the Stalwart leaders in the ensuing canvass. Although it was known that many voters before affiliated with the Democratic party supported the Republican nominee, the county gave him a majority of only 739. Had Ontario county given its normal Repub- lican majority, Mr. Blaine might have been elected, the adverse plurality in the State being only 1149 and the election finally depending upon the vote of New York State. The Republican nominees for local offices were elected, except the Hon. William H. Smith, the candidate for county judge, who was defeated by his .Democratic opponent, the Hon. Frank Rice. The career of another Ontario county representative that 172 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. promised the attainment of the highest usefuhiess and the highest honor was that of the Hon. Jean L. Burnett, which was suddenly cut off by death. Mr. Burnett was elected member of Assembly from Ontario county in November, 1898, when he was only 27 years of age, and he continued a member of that body until his death, having been accorded eight successive unanimous renominations, r.^B|^ and he was as often reelected by ^^^^^^H^^ large majorities. He held posi- -.^^KK^^^^^Km^ tions at different times during this long term of service on the Rail- road, Excise, General Laws, Ways and Means, and other im- portant committees, and for a number of years he held the posi- tion of chairman of the Cities committee of that body. Other Ontario county citi- zens who have risen to promi- nence as public officials are the Hon. Thomas Hillhouse, of Ge- neva, who represented the Twenty-sixth (Ontario- Seneca- Yates) district in the State Senate of 1860 and 1861, was appointed Adjutant General on the staff of Governor Morgan in August, 1861, was elected to the office of State Comptroller in November, 1865, and held the highly respon- sible ofHce of Assistant Treasurer of the United States at New York, from 1870 to 1881 ; James C. Smith, of Canandaigua, who was a State Commissioner to the Peace Congress in 1861, was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 1862, and held that office by suc- cessive elections until 1887, when he retired from the bench by reason of the age limitation ; William H. Adams, of Canandaigua, who was elected a Justice of the Supreme Court for the Seventh Judicial district in 1887, was elevated to the bench of the Appellate Division of the Fourth Department in January, 1896, and at the time of his death, October 12, 1903, was the presiding justice of that department ; Henry S. Pierce, who held the office of United States JEAN L. BURNETT. Jean LaRue Burnett was born in Canandai- gua in 187] ; studied law with Hon. Walter H. Knapp; admitted to the bar in 1892; Member of v\ssembly from Ontario county, from Janu- ary I, 1S99, to the time of his death, which occurred in Albany, February 26, 1907. THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 173 Internal Revenue Collector for the Western district of New York, from 1882 to 1886; Major Charles A. Richardson, who has been a member of the United States Gettysburg Battlefield Commission since 1886. Among those who have held responsible State office in recent years are the Hon. James A. Robson, of Gorham, appointed Supreme Court Justice for the Seventh judicial district by Governor Odell in 1903, and elected to serve a full term of fourteen years in that position on November 8, 1904; Maynard N. Clement, appointed Deputy State Commissioner of Excise immediately after the passage of the liquor tax law in 1896, and appointed- State Commissioner of Excise by Governor Higgins in 1906, serving in that ofifice until May 1, 1911; Hon. William L. Parkhurst, appointed a member of the State Commission in Lunacy by Governor Black in February, 1897, holding that ofifice until February, 1910; Charles F. Milliken, appointed by Governor Odell a member of the State Civil Service Commission in May, 1903, and elected president of that body in January, 1905, serving as such until January, 1911; Albert B. Sackett, stenographer of the State Senate from 1900 to 1905. Ontario county, during the fifty years period which we have Deen considering, has been represented in the National Congress as follows : In association with Seneca and Yates, constituting the Twenty-sixth district, 1861-62. by Jacob P. Chamberlain, R., of Seneca. With Livingston and Yates, constituting the Twenty-fifth district, from 1863 to 1867, by Daniei Morris, R., of Yates county; 1867-71, by William H. Kelsey. R., of Livingston county; and, 1871-75, by Wilham H. Lamport, R., of Ontario county. With the same counties, in the Twenty-seventh district, from 1875 to 1881, by Elbridge G. Lapham, R., of Ontario county, and from 1881 to 1885, by James W. Wadsworth, R., of Livingston county. . With Steuben and Yates counties, in the Twenty-ninth district, 1885-89, by Ira Davenport, R., of Steuben county, and 1889-93, by John Raines, R., of Ontario county. With Cayuga, Cortland, Wayne, and Yates counties, in the Twenty-eighth district, from 1893 to 1901 ; and with Cayuga, Wayne, and Yates, in the Thirty-first district, from 1902 to 1912, by Sereno E. Payne, R., of Cayuga county. In the State Senate, the county has been represented as follows: In association with Seneca and Yates, in the Twenty- sixth district, 1862-69, by Charles J. Folger, R., of Ontario county; 1870-71, by A. V. Harpending, R., of Yates county; 1872-75, by William Johnson, D., of Seneca county; 1876-77, by Stephen H. 174 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Hammond, D., of Ontario county; 1878-79, by Edwin Hicks, R., of Ontario county. With Schuyler, Wayne and Yates, in the Twenty- eighth district, 1880-83, by George P. Lord, R., of Yates county; 1884-85, by Thomas Robinson, R., of Wayne county; 1886-89, by John Raines, R., of Ontario county; 1890-94, by Charles T. Saxton, R., of Wayne county. W'ith Wayne county only, in the Forty- second district, from 1895 to 1909, and with Wayne and Yates counties, in the Forty-second district, from 1908 to 1909, by John Raines, R., of Ontario county; and in the same district, 1910-12, by Frederick W Griffith, R., of Wayne county. Ontario county had two representatives in the State Assembly until 1880, but since that date it has been only entitled to one. The list during the fifty year period from 1860 has been as follows: First or Eastern district: 1861, Perez H. Field, R., of Geneva; 1862. David Pickett, R., of Gorham; 1863 and 1864, Perez H. Field. R., of Geneva; 1865, Volney Edgerton.R., of Manchester ; 1866 and 1867, Hiram Schutt. R., of Manchester; 1868, 1869, and 1870, Henry Ray, R., of Phelps; 1871, George W. Nicholas, D., of Geneva; 1872 and 1873, Ambrose L. VanDusen, R., of Phelps; 1874 and 1875, Stephen H. Hammond, I)., of Geneva; 1876, Seth Stanley, D., of Seneca; 1877, Dwight B. Backenstose, R., of Geneva; 1878, David Cosad, Jr., D., of Phelps ; 1879, John Robson, R., of Gorham. Second or Western district: 1861, Stephen H. Ainsworth, R., of West Bloomfield ; 1862, Francis O. Mason, Fusion, of Bristol; 1863 and 1864, Lanson Dewey, R., of Victor; 1865 and 1866, Edward Brunson, R., of East Bloomfield; 1867 and 1868, Samuel H. Torrey, R., of Naples; 1869, George Cook, R., of Canandaigua; 1870-71, David E. Wilson, R., of Bristol ; 1872-75, Cyrillo S. Lincoln, R., of Naples; 1876, Hiram Maxfield, D., of Naples; 1877-78, Amasa T. Winch, R., of Canadice ; 1879, Charles R. Case, R., of West Bloom- field. Representing the whole county : 1880, Charles R. Case, R., of West Bloomfield; 1881-82, John Raines, R., of Canandaigua; 1883- 84, Frank Rice, D., of Canandaigua; 1885, John Raines, R., of Can- andaigua; 1886-87, Edward P. Babcock, R., of Naples; l§88-89, Robert Moody, R., of Halls Corners; 1890, Sanford W. Abbey, D., of Richmond ; 1891-92, Frank O. Chamberlain, R., of Canandaigua ; 1893-94, William L. Parkhurst, R., of Clifton Springs; 1895, Walter A. Clark, R., of Geneva; 1896, Charles A. Steele, R., of Geneva; 1897, Murray Benharn, R., of Hopewell Center; 1898, Robert B. Simmons, R., of Allen's Hill; 1899-1907, Jean L. Burnett, R., of THE LAST HALF CENTURY. 175 Canandaigua; 1908-09, George B. Hemenway, R., of Naples; 1910, Sanford W. Abbey, D., of Eanandaigua; 1911, Thomas B. Wilson, R., of Seneca. The County Clerks, with date of their election, have been as follows : Jefiferson Whitney, Fusion, of Hopewell, 1861 ; Nathan J. Milliken, R., of Canan- daigua, 1864; Frederick W. Prince, R., of Geneva, 1867; Wal- ter Marks, R., of Hopewell, 1870 ; Washington L. Hicks, R., of Bris- tol, 1873; Myron S. Hall, R., of West Bloomfield, 1876; William G. Dove, R., of Geneva, 1879; Bolivar ElHs, D., of Victor, 1882; Martin H. Smith, R., of Geneva, 1885; William R. Marks, R., of Naples, 1888; Deroy J. Harkness, R., of Gorham, 1891 ; Frederick R. Hoag, R., of Phelps, 1894-97; Porter F. Leech, R., of West Bloomfield, 1900 and 1903; J. Morgan Stoddard, R., of Shorts- ville, 1905 and 1909. The Sheriffs, with date of their election, have been as fol- lows : Harlow Munson, Fusion, of East Bloomfield, 1861 ; John Whitwell, R., of Geneva, 1864; William W. Clarke, R., of Naples, 1867; Darwin Cheney, R., of Can- andaigua, 1870; Nathaniel R. Boswell, D., of Canandaigua, 1873 ; David V. Benham, R., of Man- chester, 1876; Orin S. Bacon, R., of Victor, 1879; Hiram Peck, D., of Phelps, 1882 ; Robert H. Wheeler, R., of East Bloomfield, 1885 ; Irving Corwin, R., of Phelps, 1888; Avery Ingraham, R., of South Bristol, 1891; .William B. Osborne, R., of Victor, 1894; George A. Peel, R., of Geneva, 1897; William C. Edmonston, R., of Phelps, 1900; P>ancis Flynn, R., of Geneva, 1903; George L. Van Voorhis, R., of Victor, 1906; Ehas J. Gooding, R., of Bristol, 1909. CYRILLO S. LINCOLN. Cyrillo S. Lincoln was born in South Bristol, Ontario county, July 18, 1830; graduated from Union college with honors in 1858; successful as a farmer, lawyer, and legislator; voted for Fremont in 1856 and became prominently identified with the Republican party ; represented the Second district of Ontario county in the Assembly for four terms beginning in 1872. Died at Naples, August 17, 1900. 176 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The County Judges, with date of their election, have been as follows: George B. Dusenberre, R., of Geneva, 1860-64; William li. Smith, R., of Canandaigua, 1869; Francis O. Mason, R., of Geneva, 1872; William H. Smith, R., of Canandaigua, 1878; Frank Rice, D., of Canandaigua, 1884; J. Henry Metcalf, D., of Canan- daigua, 1890; Walter H. Knapp, R., of Canandaigua, 1896 and 1902 ; Robert F. Thompson, R., of Can- andaigua, 1908. The Surrogates, with date of their election, have been as fol- lows : Elihu M. Morse, R., of Can- andaigua, 1861 ; Isaac R. Parcell, R., of Canandaigua, 1869; Charles A. Richardson, R., of Canandai- gua, .1873; Edward- P. Babcock, R., of Naples, 1879; David G. Lapham, R., of Canandaigua, 1885 ; Oliver C. Armstrong, R., of Canadice, 1891 ; John Colmey, D., of Canandaigua, appointed vice Armstrong, deceased, 1892 ; David G. Lapham, R., of Canandaigua, 1892; George F. Ditmars, R., of Geneva, 1898 and 1904; Harry I. Dunton, R., of Canandaigua, 1910. The District Attorneys, with date of their election, have been as follows: William H. Smith, R., of Canandaigua, 1860; Edwin Hicks, R., of Canandaigua, 1863, 1866, 1869, and 1872; Frank Rice, D., of Canandaigua, 1875 ; Oliver C. Armstrong, R., of Canadice, 1881 and 1884; Maynard N. Clement, R., of Canandaigua, 1887 and 1890; Royal R. Scott, R., of Canandaigua, 1893 and 1896; Robert F. Thompson, R., of Canandaigua, 1899 and 1902; Myron D. Short, R., of Geneva, 1905 and 1908. The County Treasurers, with date of their election, have been as follows : Spencer Gooding, R., of Canandaigua, 1861 ; Charles FRANCIS O. MASON. Francis O. Mason was born in the town of Bristol, Ontario county, May 12, 1832; became a prominent member of the bar ; Member of Assembly, 1862; Assi.stant Adjut- ant General of the State during the closing years of the Civil War, at the close of which he engaged in the practice of his profession at Geneva; County Judge, 1873-78; delegate to National Republican Convention of 1880 and one of the 306 who voted for Grant ; sup- ported Grover Cleveland for President in the campaign of 1884, and was thereafter allied with the Democratic party; died at Geneva, July 25, 1900. THE LAST HALF CENTURY- 177 A. Richardson, R., of Canandaigua, '1864 and 1867; George N. Williams, R., of Canandaigua, 1870 and 1873; Harrison B. Fergu- son, R., of Canandaigua, 1876 and 1879; Ira B. Howe, D., of Canan- daigua, 1882; E. Chapin Church, R., of Canandaigua, 1885 and 1888; Jesse B. Coutant, R., of Geneva, 1891; George N. Parmele, R., of Canandaigua, 1894, 1897, and 1900; Heber E. Wheeler, R., of East Bloomfield, 1903 and 1906; Peter R. Cole, R., of Geneva, 1909. The Superintendents of the Poor, Avith date of tiieir election, have been as follows: Simeon R. Wheeler, R., of East Bloomfield, 1860, '63, '66, '69, '72, and '78; Daniel Arnold, R., of Farmington. 1860; Ambrose L. Van Dusen, R., of Phelps, 1861, '64, '67, and '70; Luman P. Miller, R., of Victor, 1863, '66, and '68; John H. Ben- ham, R., of Hopewell, 1871, '74, and 17; Warren B. Whitter, R., of Gorham, 1873, '76 and '79; Charles E. Shepard, D., of Canan- daigua, 1875 ; i-emuel Herendeen, R., of Geneva, 1880, '83, '86, and '89; John P. Frazer, R., of Victor, 1881 and '84; Clinton Wat- kins, D., of Hopewell, 1882; James B. Gardner, R., of Hopewell, 1885 and '88; Daniel Short, R., of Richmond, 1887; Elkanah Andrews, R., of Bristol, 1889 and '90; Levi A. Page, R., of Seneca, 1891, '94, '97, and 1900; Ralph S. Wisner, R., of Victor, 1903 and '06; Fred W. Hollis, R., of Hopewell, 1909. 178 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XIX THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. Their Organization — First Sessions Held at Patterson's Tavern in Geneva and at Sanborn's Tavern in Canandaigua — Anecdotes of Judges, Lawyers and Jurors — The Morgan Abduction — Fugitive Slave Law Case — Conviction of Susan B. Anthony — Other Celebrated Civil and Criminal Trials. By Major Charles A. Richardson. The county of Ontario was organized out of the county of Montgomery, by act of the Legislature passed the 27th of February, 1789, whereby it was enacted, "That all that part of the County of Montgomery which lies to the westward of a line drawn due north to Lake Ontario from the mile-stone or monument marked 82, and standing on the line of division between this State and the Common- wealth of Pennsylvania, shall be one separate and distinct county and called and known by the name of Ontario." The third section of the act provided that, until other legislation should be had in the premises, it "shall be lawful for the Justices of the Court of Sessions for the said County of Ontario to divide the said county into two or more districts, as they shall deem expedient and convenient to the inhabitants." Under the provisions of this act, the districts of Bristol, Bloom- field, Canandaigua, Farmington, Gorham, and Middletown (Naples), were established, each containing more territory than the present towns so named. The following county oflficials were appointed : Oliver Phelps, judge of the Common Pleas; John Cooper, surrogate; Nathaniel Gorham, county clerk; and, the following year (1790), Judah Colt, sheriff. Judge Phelps was so wholly absorbed in the business connected with the settlement and sales of land in the new county that no courts were held by him. The first term of Oyer and Terminer and general gaol delivery THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 179 was held at Patterson's tavern, in Geneva, on Tuesday, the 18th of June. 1793. Present: Hon. John Storrs Hol)art, oneof the Justices of the Supreme Court of Judicature of the State of New York. Ebenezer Lindley and Timothy Hosmer were Associate Justices at this court. Othniel Taylor was appointed foreman of the grand jury, but there being no business for that body it was discharged the next day. No jury trial was had at this term. The next court held in the county was the court of Common Pleas and General Sessions, held at Canandaigua, in November, 1794, by Judge Timothy Hosmer, a physician, father of George Hos- mer, afterwards a distinguished lawyer of Livingston county, and grandfather of the "Bard of Avon." This term was held at the tavern of Nathaniel Sanborn, situated on the west side of Main street, where the Atwater block was later erected. The principal business was the organization of the court. The Associate Justices were Charles Williamson and Enos Boughton. The lawyers present were Vincent Matthews, James Wadsworth, John Wick- ham, and Thomas Morris. Sever- al causes were on the calendar, but no jury cases were tried. Silas Marsh was admitted to practice in this court on production of a license from the Supreme court. Peter B. Porter and Nathaniel W. Howell were also admitted to practice in this court, they having previously been admitted to prac- tice in the Supreme court. The next term of Common Pleas was held in June, 1795. At this term, the first jury trial west of Herkimer county took place, that of the People vs. Luther Haskins ; indictment for stealing a VINCENT MATTHEWS. Vincent Matthews, associated with Thomas Morris. Peter B. Porter, and Nathaniel W. r-Iowell in the practice of law at the first terms of court held in Ontario county, in 1794 and 1795, was born in Orange county. He renresented the Western district in the State Senate from 1797 to 1803, and in 1826 was elected to the lower house of the Leg- islature from Monroe -county, having in the meantime become a resident of Rochester. Was District Attorney of Monroe county in 1831, and died at his home in Rochester in 1846. 180 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. bell (said to have been a cow-bell). The culprit was defended by Vincent Matthews and Peter 13. Porter. The prosecution was con- ducted by Nathaniel W. Plowell. The accused was acquitted. It may not be amiss to make a digression here to show the character of the judge who presided at the first jury trial in Ontario county. Judge Hosmer, or Doctor Hosmer, as he may be called with equal propriety, was not bred to the bar, but his good sense and general information well qualified him for his judicial position in what was then the wilds of Western New York, and his decisions were always respected by the bar and the public. The following case illustrates his character and sense of jus- tice. During one of the terms of his court, a woman was on trial under an indictment for .assault and battery upon a man by the name of Scrope. The man had intruded himself into the kitchen of the woman and grossly insulted her. Seizing an old splint broom, which was usually a hickory club with splints at one end, she drove him from the house, inflicting severe blows on his head with con- siderable injury. The District Attorney proved the assault and battery, and the injury resulting from it, and rested. Her counsel, taking the same view of the case, made little effort in her behalf. Judge Hosmer, refined and chivalrous, believed the woman was fully justified, and charged the jury substantially as follows: "Gentlemen of the jurj?^, the evidence in this case clearly shows that an assault and battery has been committed upon this man, and unless there is some justification for the assault, you must convict the defendant. "But, gentlemen, there are, in my view, extenuating circum- stances in the case which you must take into consideration, among which are the sex of the defendant, the place where the assault was committed, and the circumstances which led to the assault. "Gentlemen, bear in mind that the kitchen is a woman's empire, the broom-stick the legalized and therefore her legitimate weapon, her honor the corner-stone of society, nay, its superstructure. The wretch who invades her empire and there wantonly insults her should never complain if quick, heavy, repeated blows, given with her proper weapon, should in fury descend upon his head. If he escapes with his life, he should make no other demonstration than thanking God for it. "But when he goes further, as in this case, and asks redress from a jury; if there is a juror in the box who has a wife, mother. THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 181 daughter, or other female friend, who cannot see in the provocation a justification of this act, and of the whole act, his name ought to be stricken from the jury roll foreven Go out, gentlemen, and return with such a verdict as will not, when you go to your homes, bring upon you the condemnation of every virtuous woman." This charge, though not in accord with legal rules, rendered the Judge very popular, especially with the ladies. Judge Hosmer's son, George, studied law in the office of Hon. Nathaniel W. Howell, was admitted to the bar, and commenced the practice of law in Canandaigua. He tried his first cause before his father, who, during the trial, sometimes forgot the newly acquired dignity of the young barrister and would say, "George, you are wrong." "George, see here! You misapprehend the point." And if the young lawyer became persistent, the Judge would say, "George, sit down !" George Hosmer became distinguished as a lawyer, and was engaged in many noted trials in the courts of Western New York, f-le was noted for his earnestness and eloquence in defending the persons charged with the abduction of Morgan, and the editor of the "Craftsman," a Masonic journal, indicted for libel. At the February term, 1795, a rule was made requiring lawyers residing out of the county to have agents within the county on whom papers could be served, and providing that, in default thereof, papers to be served on them could be left at the Clerk's office, and the service would be good. The second term of the court of Oyer and Terminer held in the county was held in the court house at Canandaigua, September 1, 1795 — the court house having been erected in 179^1 — Hon. John Lansing, Jr., one of the Judges of the Supreme court, presiding. A term of the court of Common Pleas was held on the first Tuesday in June, 1796, and the first jury trial held in the Common Pleas. The defendant not appearing, the plaintiff proceeded to prove his case. The next term of the court was held at the court house in Canandaigua, on the 6th of June, 1797. Present: Hon. Egbert Benson, one of the Judges of the Supreme court. At this term the first trial in the Oyer and Terminer in this county was had : The People vs. John Nelson; indictment for forgery; William Stuart, Assistant Attorney General, for the prosecution. The jury rendered a verdict of "not guilty." At this term a fine of $5 was imposed on 182 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Epenetus Hart, of Seneca, gentleman, and William Moons, of Bloomfield, yeoman, for not attending as grand jurors. On Friday, June 19, 1798, the court of Common Pleas fixed the jail limits. The fourth term of the court of Oyer and Terminer was held at the court house, June 19, 1798, Hon. James Kent, one of the Justice of the Supreme .court, presiding. The Associate Justices were Timothy Hosmer, Moses Atwater, and William A. Williamson. Two indictments were found. One of the prisoners was tried and found not guilty. William Stuart acted as Assistant Attorney General. The fifth term was held June 18, 1799, Hon. Jacob Radcliflf, Justice Supreme court, presiding. Augustus Porter was foreman and Nathaniel W. Howell, Assistant Attorney General, he having been appointed February 9, 1797. Nothing of special interest occurred at the sixth and seventh terms of the court. At the term of the court of Common Pleas, held on the 7th of June, 1799, a hcense was granted to Polly Benny, to erect and keep a ferry across the Genesee river at the town of Hartford, on the State road from Canandaigua to Niagara, for one year. The fees from April 1st to December 1st were fixed as follows: For every man and horse, 6}4c. ; for every footman, 3c.; for every wagon, cart, sleigh, with one span of horses or one yoke of cattle, 2Sc. ; for other horses and horned cattle, 3c.; for sheep or swine, Ic. From the 1st of December to the 1st of April, double these rates. At this term of the court, the Clerk was ordered thereafter to prepare a calendar of the cases. At the eighth term of the court of Oyer and Terminer, held June 15, 18Q2, Hon. James Kent, Justice, presiding; Timothy Hosmer and Moses Atwater, Associate Justices; William Stuart, District Attorney. In the People vs. William Stuart; indictment for neglect of duty in the offifce of Assistant Attorney General. The defendant, being arraigned, pleaded not guilty. He then "produced and read a writ of certiorari for removing the proceedings in this cause to the Supreme court. Allowed by his Honor, Judge Kent. Thereupon, ordered, that the said certiorari be received, and that the indictment and other proceedings be accordingly certified to the Supreme court." The ninth term was held February 21, 1803, Hon. Brockholst THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 183 Livingston, Justice, presiding; Associate Justices, Timothy Hosmer and Moses Atwater, Judges of the court of Common Pleas. On the next day the grand jury presented the following indict- ment: The People vs. George, a Seneca Indian, otherwise called "Stiff-armed George;" for the murder of John Hewitt, of North- ampton, Ontario county. The indictment charges that the said George, a Seneca Indian, otherwise called "Stiff-armed George," "not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, on the 25th day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and two, with force and arms, at the town aforesaid, in the county aforesaid, in and upon one John Hewitt, in the Peace of God and of the People of the State of New York, then and there being feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did make an assault, and that he * * * * with a certain knife, which in his right hand he then and there held, the said John Hewitt, in and upon the right side of the heart of him, the said John Hewitt, then and there feloniously, wilfully, and of malice aforethought, did strike and thrust, giving to the said John Hewitt then and there with the knife aforesaid, in and upon the right side of the breast of him, the said John Hewitt, one mortal wound of the breadth of two inches and of the depth of six inches, of which said mortal wound the said John Hewitt from the hour of seven o'clock of the said 25th day of July aforesaid until the hour of seven o'clock and two minutes of the same day * * * did languish, and languishing did live, on which said 25th day of July and at the day last mentioned * * the said John Hewitt * * of the said mortal wound died, and so the jurors aforesaid upon their oaths aforesaid do say that the said George, otherwise called Stiff-armed George, the said John Hewitt in manner and form aforesaid, feloniousty, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did kill and murder against the peace of the People of the State of New York and their dignity." On the following day, February 23, the prisoner being arraigned, and William John being sworn to interpret the indictment truly to the prisoner in the Indian language, which was accordingly done, pleaded "not guilty." On motion of Mr. Stuart, District Attorney, it was ordered that the Sheriff return the venire and that the prisoner be brought to trial, whereupon, the prisoner being assisted by counsel, the jurors were called and sworn. Witnesses sworn for prosecution : Horatio Jones, Joseph Palmer, William Ward, John 184 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Palmer, Vincent Grant. The jury, after being charged by his Honor, Judge Livingston, and having retired a short time under the charge of a sworn constable, returned into court and said that the prisoner was guilty of the felony whereof he was charged. The defendant was remanded to prison, and afterwards being brought into court and called upon to show cause, if any, why judg- ment should not be passed upon him, and having nothing to show against it, the Court thereupon gave judgment that the said George, a Seneca Indian, otherwise called Stiff-armed George, be taken from hence to the place whence he last came, and that he be hanged by the neck by the Sherifi' of the county of Ontario, on Friday, the fifteenth day of April next, between the hours of one and three in the afternoon of that dav, until he be dead; It has been said that as a matter of policy the Governor pardoned him. In 1805, Augustus Porter was indicted and found guilty of a nuisance in maintaining a dam over the outlet. In 1806, Samuel Dungan was indicted for murder and a nolle prosequi was entered. In 1807, Nelson, a negro slave, was indicted for murder and con- victed of manslaughter. In 1813, John Decker was indicted for murder and convicted of manslaughter, and sentenced to four years in Auburn prison. In 1814, at the May term, Nathaniel W. Howell being the prose- cuting attorney, Sanford Williams was indicted for challenging to fight a duel ; and a woman named Cassa Waters was indicted for murder, and in June convicted and sentenced to be executed on the fourth day of November then next, and at the September term of the same year, this verdict was set aside for some irregularity on the part of the jury during their deliberations and a new trial ordered. The prisoner was again convicted and sentenced to be hung in February following. Perhaps in all the annals of the State of New York no one event created so widespread interest or so embittered public feeling, or darkened political and social relations, or so divided and distracted parties, churches, and families, as the abduction of William Morgan in 1826. The mystery of his taking off, like the fate of the beautiful Theodosia Burr, the abduction of Charlie Ross, or the murder of Dr. Burrell, and many others, will never be solved. This is not the place to discuss the singular circumstances that surrounded the violation of the sacred rights of citizenship, or to speculate upon the exhibition of fanaticism that involved so many THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 185 people or so disturbed the elemeri'ts, political and social, in this and some neighboring States. Those who were conversant with the circumstances of this most extraordinary case have all departed. It would be out of place to refer at length to the many interesting circumstances connected with the case, further than to refer to the trials, conducted in Canandaigua, that grew out of the abduction. The case that created the profoundest interest was tried on an indictment found by the grand jury of Ontario county, in Novem- ber, 1826, against Nicholas G. Chesebro, Edward Sawyer, Loton Lawson, and John Sheldon, for a conspiracy to kidnap William Morgan and to carry him to foreign parts and to secrete and confine him there ; and, on a secoiid indictment, for carrying the conspiracy into execution. The court of Oyer and Term- iner convened on the fourth day of January, 1827, for the trial of these indictments. Governor De- Witt Clinton requested the At- torney General, Samuel A. Tal- cott, to be present and assist in the trial, but he declined to attend. Hon. Enos T. Throop, one of the Circuit Judges of the State, pre- sided. Hon. Nathaniel W. How- ell, First Judge of the county, and Aaron Younglove, Micah Brooks, and Moses Atwater were Asso- ciate Judges. The prosecution was conducted by Bowen Whit- ing, District Attorney, assisted by John Dixon, William H. Adams, Jared Wilson, Theodore F. Talbert, Henry W. Taylor, and B. & C. Butler. The counsel for the defendants were John C. Spencer, Mark H. Sibley, Henry F. Penfield, and Walter Hubbell. Certainly an array of eminent lawyers such as few counties in the State could equal. WILLIAM H. ADAMS. William H. Adams was born in Berkshire, Mass., in May, 1787. He began the prac- tice of the law in Canandaigua ; served as an officer through the War of 1812, and moving to Lyons, served successively as District Attorney and County Judge of Wayne county. He died while in Albany on business connected with his profession, .April 7, 1865. 186 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. More than one hundred witnesses and a great number of people crowded the court house. On being arraigned, the defend- ants pleaded not guilty ; but, on the fifth day of January, when the trials were moved, much to the surprise of the Court and those in attendance, three of the defendants, Nicholas G. Chesebro, Edward Sawyer, and Loton Lawson, withdrew their plea of not guilty to the indictment for conspiracy and pleaded guilty to that indictment. Sheldon alone defended, on the ground that, admitting the facts charged in the indictment to be true, he did not participate in the crime. The case was submitted, and the jury, after some hours' deliberation, returned a verdict of guilty. The Court sentenced the defendants as follows : Loton Lawson, to imprisonment in the county jail for two years: Nicholas G. Chesebro, one year; John Sheldon, three months, and Edward Sawyer, one month. As to the indictment for kidnapping against the same persons, and also against one James Gillis, the Court directed a nolle prosequi to be entered. It subsequently appeared that Sheldon was innocent. One of the most atrocious crimes ever committed in the county was that of Paul B. Torrey, a merchant of Naples, in whipping his son to death, in July, 1831. The excitement it created and the hor- ror with which it struck the community exceeded anything which occurred before or since. Torrey was indicted for murder on the 12th of June, 1832, and on the next day the prisoner was arraigned for trial in the court of Oyer and Terminer. Hon. Daniel Mosely, Circuit Judge; Nathaniel ,W. Howell, First Judge of the county; John Price, Ches- ter Loomis, Samuel Rawson, David McNeil, Associate Justices ; H. F. Penfield, District Attorney, for the people, and John C. Spen- cer, Jared Wilson, and Mark H. Sibley, for the prisoner. The nature of the crime can be judged from the indictment, which contained six counts, or six dififerent ways of stating the facts constituting the grime. I will give the substance of two of the counts, which will show the facts: The first count states that Paul B. Torrejr, late of the town of Naples, in the county of Ontario, mer- chant, "not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the devil, on the I5th day of July, in the year 1831, with force and arms at the town of Naples, in and upon Jedediah L. Torrey, in the Peace of God and of the People of the State of New York, then and there being feloniously, wil- fully, and of malice aforethought, did make an assault, and that the THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 187 said Paul B. Torrey * * did strike, beat, and kick the said Jede- diah L. Torrey, with his hands, fists, and feet, in and upon the head, breast, back, belly, and sides, and other parts of the body of him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, and did then and there * * cast and throw the said Jedediah L. Torrey down unto and upon the floor and against the sides and walls of the room in which the said Jedediah L. Torrey then and there was, with great force and vio- lence, there giving unto the said Jedediah L. Torrey, then and there, as well by the beating, striking, and kicking of him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, in manner and form aforesaid, as by the cast- ing and throwing of him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, down against the sides and walls of the room aforesaid, several mortal strokes, wounds, and bruises in and upon the head, breast, back, belly, sides, and other parts of the body of him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, to-wit : One mortal wound in the top of the head * * of the length of six inches, of the breadth of six inches, and of the depth of one inch — one other wound on the left side of the head * * of the length of six inches, of the breadth of four inches, and of the depth of one inch — one other mortal wound on the forehead and face * * of the length of six inches, of the breadth of six inches, and of the depth of one inch — and one other mortal wound on the back * * of the length of twelve inches, of the breadth of six inches and of the depth of two inches; of which said mortal strokes, wounds, and bruises, he, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, from the 15th day of July, in the year aforesaid * * * until the 18th day of July, in the year aforesaid, did languish, and languishing did - live, on which said eighteenth day of July, in the year aforesaid, the said Jedediah L. Torrey * * * of the said mortal strokes, wounds, and bruises, aforesaid, died. "And so the jurors aforesaid, upon their oath, aforesaid, do say that the said Paul B. Torrey, him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, in manner and by the means aforesaid, feloniously, wilfully, and of malice aforethought, did kill and murder, against the peace of the People of the State of New York and their dignity." In other counts the prisoner was charged with striking, wound- ing and bruising the victim with a large stick, and thereby inflicting mortal wounds. The sixth and last count charged that the prisoner, on the 18th day of July, 1831, "with force and arms, feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did make an assault, and that the said 188 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Paul B. Torrey, a certain cotton cambrick half handkerchief of the value of twenty cents, about the neck, nose and mouth of him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, then and there, feloniously, wilfully and of his malice aforethought, did fix, tie, and fasten, and Paul B. Torrey with said half handkerchief, him, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, then and there, feloniously, wilfully, and of his malice aforethought, did choak, suffocate, and strangle, of which said suffocating, choaking, and strangling, he, the said Jedediah L. Torrey, then and there instantly died." This count then closes with the charge of killing and murdering in the manner aforesaid by the means herein stated. To the surprise of most people, the jury failed to find the pris- oner guilty of murder, but found him guilty of manslaughter, and he was sentenced to the State prison at Auburn for seven years. It is apparent that the prisoner's eminent counsel, Spencer, Sibley, and Wilson, must have exercised most extraordinary power oyer the jury in behalf of their client. Many years ago, soon after Hon. Alfred ConkHng had been appointed United States Judge for the Northern District of New York, a United States Circuit court was held in Canandaigua, Judge Thompson presiding, with Judge Conkling as Associate Judge ; at which term a young man, son of Judge Gilbert, postmaster at Albion, was tried for robbing the mail, in taking one hundred dol- lars in marked ten dollar bills therefrom. One of the bills was found on the person of the young man. Judge Gilbert stood high in the estimation of the people of his village, and it is said that his friends to the number of three hundred attended the trial, which lasted three or four days in the hot month of July. The case was summed up by eminent counsel on each side, consuming in their efforts several hours until night, when Judge Thompson began his charge to the jury. While on the point of identifying the money, which he said was so clear that there could scarcely be any doubt, he was so overcome with the heat and exhaustion that he fainted. Restoratives were applied and he began again. Again he fainted, and was taken near a window, where he again regained enough consciousness to hear Judge Conkling, con- tinuing the charge, take up the question of identifying the money, which he made difficult. As he was on this point. Judge Thompson, who thoroughly believed in the guilt of the young man, exclaimed, in a deprecating tone: "Oh, dear! Hear that charge; he will surely be acquitted. Oh, dear!" THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 189 The case was given to the jury about 10 o'clock, Saturday night. On going to church Sunday morning, a wag reported that the jury had acquitted the young man, but told him not to do it again. In the early forties, a man by the name of Booth was indicted for bigamy, and the case was brought to trial by the District Attorney, Thomas M. Howell, Ksq., in the court of Sessions, Judge Bowen Whiting presiding. Alvah Worden, Esq., appeared for the defendant. Mr. Howell had made a thorough preparation of the case, and wrote the name of the first wife in the indictment as it ap- peared in the marriage certificate, "Mary Ann," when, in fact it was "Mary Angeline." The jury was empaneled, and the trial proceeded until the pros- ecuting attorney had made out a case. At this point, Mr. Worden, counsel for the defendant, moved that" the indictment be quashed, on the ground that the defendant could not be held, on account of the mistake in the name of the first wife in the indictment. The point was argued per- sistently by both sides, Mr. How- ell insisting that the law did not regard the middle name in the de- scription of a person. The Judge decided that he could not hold the defendant. The District At- torney asked until morning to produce authorities, as it was then nearly 6 o'clock. This the Judge refused, and directed the jury to acquit and the clerk to demand the verdict. To the question by the clerk, "Gentlemen, have you agreed upon a verdict ?" The foreman responded, "Not guilty !" Here, the District Attorney, rising, said: "Please the Court, I request that the jury be polled." To this request the Judge said : "Please BOWEN WHITING. l>oweii Whiting, a prominent member of the early Ontario county bar, was born in Norwich, Conn., January 16, 1790; moved to Geneva, Ontario county, in 1816 ; District Attorney from 1823 to 1832 ; a member of the Legislature in 1824 and 1825 ; County Judge from 1838 to 1844, and appointed _ a Supreme Court Judge for the Seventh dis- trict, April 7, 1844. He died in Geneva, December 28, 1850. 190 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. take your seat, sir. The question is a legal one and has been decided by the Court." And turning to the clerk, he said: "Take the verdict from the full jury." The clerk responded, "So say you all?" There was a feeble "Yes" from the foreman, when the voice of Edward Herendeen, a Quaker from Farmington, was heard, "Not my verdict." Judge Whiting, turning in an excited manner toward the jury, stated again : "Gentlemen, the question as to the error of the name is a question of law, not of fact, and the jury is bound to follow the direction of the Court, which is, that it must find a verdict of not guilty." And he again directed the clerk to take the verdict. "Not guilty," was the response of the foreman. At the question, "So say you all?" the District Attorney, again rising, said : "If it please the Court, the District Attorney has the legal right to, and does, demand that the jury be polled." Judge Whiting exclaimed, "Take your seat, sir! Mr. Clerk; take that verdict." The clerk: "So say you all?" Then suddenly the short but very broad figure of Edward Herendeen was seen rising, and, stand- ing on tiptoe, he exclaimed, bringing his fist down on the front of his seat, "Not my verdict, and I want to go out." "Well," said the Judge, "if the juryman takes that stand, the trial must proceed," and thereupon he adjourned the court till morning. In the morning, on the cause being called, the District Attorney, with authorities on the table before him, requested permission to submit them. Judge Whiting then frankly stated that on exami- nation he had ascertained he was wrong, and, commending the stand taken by the juror, Herendeen, directed that the trial proceed and witnesses be examined for the defendant. Friend Herendeen was proud of the stand he had taken, and afterward said to the District Attorney: "Friend Howell, I stood by thee on the Booth trial, and I think I taught the Judge and Law)''er Worden that, while man made common law, God made common sense." The trial of Henry Wooden, in January, 1851,. for the murder of his wife, on the 17th or 18th of August, 1844, at Victor, created a good deal of interest, and was hotly contested. S. V. R. Mallory and Mr. Chatfield appeared for the People, and Alvah Worden, Elbridge G. Lapham, and Jacob P. Faurot for the prisoner. The trial began January 19, 1851. THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 191 It appeared that the deceased was the prisoner's second wife, and he h,er second husband ; that they had married the fall before ; that both had some property; that they had quarreled; that on the 17lh of August they were seen sitting at a table in their room, one on one side and the other on the other side ; that in the morning her body was found floating in the well, and that from the appearance of the bed where both usually slept there was the appearance of only one person having lain there. The trial lasted till the 24th, when the jury disagreed, and the case was never again tried. The People vs. Esmond V. DeGrafif — The defendant was in- dicted in 1858 or 1859 for an assault and battery upon one Mil- ler, both highly esteemed in the town of Gorham, both teachers and both very much in love with a very intelligent young lady in the same town. Miller was found gagged and bound by strong cords, in his bedroom at the Web- ster House, Canandaigua, and while in this condition he swore that he was compelled to re- nounce all claim to the hand of the young lady by a paper pre- sented to him for that purpose and which he signed. His rival was one of the persons engaged in it, at least so he swore at the trial. The paper, it was said, was mysteriously found, and the young lady was very kindly so informed; no delay was made in putting her in possession of the story of the outrage that had been done by the defendant. This settled the matter against the defend- ant in the mind of the young lady, and she subsequently married Miller. The trial lasted over a week, and the court house was crowded all the time with Gorham people. The most prominent people of ROBERT W. STODDARD. liobert W. Stoddard, a member of the early Ontario county bar, was born in Con- necticut in 1777; came into the Genesee country when quite a young man, settling at Geneva; attained distinction as a lawyer; died at Geneva, March 16, 1849. 192 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. that town took sides, and did so with great bitterness. In the early morning the highway as far as could be seen from this village was black with carriages filled with excited people. DeGrafif was ably defended by Hiram Metcalf and Mr. Raymond, of Rochester. Elbridge G. Lapham assisted the District Attorney. The senior opposing counsel almost came to blows, and the trial waxed hotter and hotter to the end. The jury disagreed, standing nine for conviction and three against. The cause was not retried. Miller subsequently confessed that there was no truth in his story, told under oath on the trial, and that the defendant was in no wise guilty. He had tied the cords and arranged the gag himself. Several important ejectment cases created much general interest at the time they were pending, and locally caused great excitement. One was that of Packard against Wilder, a Bristol case, which was tried first at the February, 1856, Circuit. The trial lasted six days. The jury disagreed. Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham for the plaintiff, and Hon. S. V. R. Mallory for the defendant. Tlie case was again tried at the May, 1856, Circuit, at which Mr. Lapham was assisted by Hon. Janies C. Smith, then his law partner. This trial lasted five days, resulting in a verdict for the defendant. A new trial was granted and the case was again tried at the November Circuit, in 1857, after the death of Mr. Mallory, Thomas M. Howell appearing for the defendant. The trial lasted three days, and resulted in a verdict for the plaintiff. The defendant, Wilder, died soon after. On the trial the giving of a certain deed of the property was most positively denied by the person who gave it. The plaintiff could not procure the deed, but produced witnesses who swore positively that they had seen it. Some years after the death of the defendant, a copy of the deed was found spread on one of the books of record in the County Clerk's oflfice, but the certificate of record had not been signed by the County Clerk, nor hjid it been indexed, for the reason that it was not entitled to record by reason of an imperfection in its acknowledgment or execution. Another ejectment suit which was quite sensational was tried at a Circuit in 1855 or 1856. The question involved was whether a child, who had died some years before, inherited the property from his reputed father, who died before the child was born. If he so inherited, then, on his death, his mother inherited from him, and her THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 193 grantee, the plaintiff, was entitled to the farm, a valuable piece of land near Geneva. If the child was not the real heir; then the brothers and sisters of the decedent were the heirs. The real question involved came first before the court of Ses- sions in August, 1840, when William Kimber, Dolly Crittenden, Sally Kimball, Fanny Fulton, and Abijah Hawley were indicted for producing a pretended heir. The case was tried in May, 1841, before Hon. Daniel Mosely, Circuit Judge, and Hon. Bowen Whiting, County Judge; John Lapham, Peter Mitchell, Jeremiah B. Parrish. and Amos Jones, Associate Judges. The trial lasted two days. The facts brought out were as startling and sensational as if found in a work of fiction. The prisoners, William Kimber, Dolly Crittenden, and Sally Kimball were found guilty, and the other two were acquitted. Sentence was suspended, and their bail was estreated the following year. It was after the lapse of nearly fifteen years from the time the criminal case was tried, when substantially the same questions came before the Court to be tried in a civil suit. Hon. S. V. R. Mallory conducted the case for the plaintiff, and Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham for the defendant, resulting in a verdict for the defendant, sub- stantially the same finding as to the facts as in the criminal case, fifteen years before. In August, 1856, a remarkable case was tried in the court of Sessions, Hon. John M. Bradford, County Judge, presiding. Asahel Gooding, of the town of Bristol, had been indicted for forgery. He was charged with forging the names of George Gooding, Elnathan W. Simmons, and others, as endorsers on certain promissory notes given by him to certain banks for a large amount. Suits against the persons whose names were signed on the notes had been commenced to enforce collection, but the defense of forgery had been interposed by the indorsers, and the trials had been postponed to await the result of the criminal prosecution. The District Attorney, Thomas O. Perkins, Esq., was assisted in the prosecution by Hon. Elbridge G. Lapham and Hon. James C. Smith, who were the attorneys of the defendants in the civil cases in which forgery was alleged. Hon. S. V. R. Mallory and Hon. E. VanBuren defended the prisoner. The trial lasted six days. Every point in issue and every material fact was fought over by the attorneys most fiercely and with much bitterness. The material witnesses were subjected to the most searching and perplexing 194 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. cross-examination, one of them being kept on the stand for nearly two days. Two of the witnesses who alleged forgery were shown signa- tures, purporting to be their own, on papers folded in envelopes, with a slit cut out just large enough to disclose the signature without revealing any other portion of the paper. It is said some of them denied the genuineness of their signatures to official papers duly acknowledged, and admitted fic- titious ones to be genuine. One of them admitted endorsing notes in blank, to be filled up as to amount, date, and time of pay- ment. The ordeal they were sub- jected to was most trying. The character of the witnesses for the prosecution was beyond question. They were among the best citi- zens of the town of Bristol, and their honesty and veracity were unquestioned. The jury evidently believed them to be mistaken and acquitted the prisoner. As a con- sequence, the civil suits were thereafter settled by the defend- ants therein. At the February, 1853, term of the Oyer and Terminer, Asa B. Smith was indicted with William R. Smith and Thomas Wright for kidnapping his own daughter, Eliza Bell Bennett, who was claimed by one Addison J. Ben- nett to be his wife, and the case was sent to the court of Sessions for trial. Another indictment against the same parties was found at the April term of the court of Sessions, in the same year, for assault and battery upon Addison J. Bennett and EHza Bell Bennett. Both indictments were based on the same transaction. The facts were, in substance, that Bennett, a young man of little education and no refinei^ient, was a farm hand working by the HENRY S. COLE. Henry S. Cole was born in Canandaigua, September 23, 1800; admitted to practice at the Ontario county bar, 1821 ; removed to Michigan, where he became prominent in the practice of his profession and held the oCfice of Judge of the Probate Court; died at Detroit, June 10, 1836. THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 195 month for Asa B. Smith, a well-to-do farmer and member of the Society of Friends — commonly called Quakers — residing in the town of Macedon, whose daughter, an innocent, simple-minded girl, about sixteen years old, kept in child-like ignorance of nearly every- thing outside the monotony of home life on her father's farm, became impressed with what she thought Avas manliness and worth in the person of this hired man, who had acquired much influence over her, unsuspected by her parents. One Sunday, or First Day, as the Friends call it, the parents went to meeting, leaving their daughter at home. Bennett induced the girl to go with him in a buggy to some magistrate or preacher and get married, promising to bring her directly back home to her parents. On the return of the parents, they learned that Bennett had driven away with their daughter. The three men who were indicted started after Bennett and the girl, and soon met them, when the father and one of the other men jumped from their carriage and seized Bennett's horse, and, with threats to Bennett, the father took his daughter from Bennett's buggy, and, putting her into their carriage, drove home. Bennett being determined to regain his v/ife, her father sent her to Philadelphia, to be kept by some of the Society of Friends there of his acquaintance and placed in school. It having come to the knowledge of the father that Bennett had learned where his wife was, she was sent to England, where she became an educated and accomplished lady. The indictment for kidnapping was quashed on the day follow- ing the indictment for assault and battery, and the parties, being immediately tried on the latter indictment and found guilty, were fined $100 each. There was much about this trial that was sensa- tional, and the court room was crowded during the five days that it lasted.. Jacob P. Faurot was District Attorney. Mr. Husbands, of Rochester, and Henry O. Chesebro, of Canandaigua, appeared for the defendants. Bennett was still persistent, and. commenced a civil action against the same defendants for loss of services of his wife, alleging the kidnapping, etc., in aggravation. This was tried in February, 1854, and resulted in a verdict in Bennett's favor for $1,250. Joshua A. Spencer, of Utica, and S. V. R. Mallory, of Canandaigua, two very able lawyers, were for the plaintiff. Worden and Chesebro were for the defendants. This trial lasted two days, and the public interest in it kept up. 196 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. A new trial was granted, and the case was retried, I think, in 1855, S. V. R. Mallory for the plaintiff, and Smith & Lapham for the defendants, and resulted in a verdict for the defendants. This ended the litigation between the parties. The daughter was a witness on this trial, and appeared ladylike, accomplished, and self- composed. She afterwards secured a divorce and was married to a gentleman in every way suitable to her character and station in life. Among the many celebrated causes which have been tried in Ontario county on the civil calendar, the one that consumed the largest period of time in the actual trial, and created the greatest interest, local and public, was the case of Ross Wynans vs. the New York and Erie Railway Co., impleaded with some other railroad corporations of the various parts of the Northern States. Ross Wynans, the plaintiff, was a miUionaire inventor and manufacturer of the city of Baltimore, Maryland. He had, before this, built the great railroad in Russia, extending from St. Peters- burg to the Crimea, under a contract by which he received a small per cent., as royalty, upon all freight transported over the road for a period of years. The unforeseen Crimean war required the trans- portation of immense supplies for the Russian army, and the royalty received under this contract and paid by the Russian government amounted to a very large sum. He had secured valuable patents relating to the construction of railways cars, the principal one being what was known as the swinging bolster. Many of the large rail- road corporations had appropriated his inventions and were using them in defiance of Wynans's claims, and, as he contended, in violation of his rights. His cause of action was founded upon the alleged infringement of his patents. The action was brought in the United States Circuit court for the Northern District of New York. It came on for trial at the June term, in 1856, at Canandaigua, Hon. N. K. Ball, of Buffalo, District Judge, presiding. The trial occupied six or seven weeks, and was conducted with singular pertinacity, as millions of dollars were involved. It brought into the court some of the most learned and eloquent lawyers of this country, as well as some who were famous for their knowledge of mechanics and their skill in the technicalities of the patent laws. Among them were Mr. Whiting, of Boston ; Mr. Keller and Mr. Stoughton, of New York City ; Mr. Clarence Seward, of Auburn ; and other eminent lawyers from THE ONTARIO COUNTY COURTS. 197 Baltimore, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, making an array of legal talent such as was never seen in our old court house, before or since. Scientific men from all parts of the country were called as expert witnesses. Among them was Professor Mapes, of Princeton. Such was the severe cross-examination of this distinguished man by Mr. Whiting that he actually swooned in the witness box. The case did not reach the jur}^ as it was determined by the Court against the plaintifif on a question of law, but the long trial gave an opportunity for some of the lawyers to enjoy the pleasures of country life. Especially Mr. Stoughton, who brought here his family and his horses, carriage, coachman, and took advantage of the beautiful drives about Canan- daigua in his stylish turnout. Soon after the Fugitive Slave law was passed, a slave by the name of Jerry escaped and got as far north as Syracuse on his way to Canada. He was caught in Syracuse by Government officers, and an effort was made to return him to slavery, as provided by this law. This was too much for the Free Soil men of Syracuse. So, with the determination of the men of Boston who threw the tea over- board, they rescued Jerry and scattered the men who had start- ed with him for Dixie. The trial of the rescuers was attempted here at our court house, in the United States Circuit court. Here was the jury. Here was the grave and honorable United States Judge, with all the glamour and pomp formerly in evidence in that court. Here, too, was Ger- rit Smith and John P. Hale, of New Hampshire. A stand was im- provised where Dr. Beahan's hospital now is. A meeting was called to be addressed by Gerrit Smith at 1 p. m., on the Fiigitive Slave Mk^-'-'M ^ ^P^"^ ^1 ^^■k*^ M /* !>« / JJ /cX 3' ir Vrf» a X' >«_ 7m .1/ w\ M ay Hf f f/o ^ A //f e% a*- W , »k pn .^if (1 [TT !»;■ s> /s -^/ T' « ?Jr Jf "'f- >>f y ri- w 3£ K -if r* .^f «f - A [ftT] -^ Z / i ' ^^a.*- '^f/' ^^ ^w^^t- >i/ ^*i^ O'f /Ac / FIRST PLOTTING OF VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA— 1789. Dotted line probably indicates the Indian trail which, extended west from Kanadesaga to Canalidaigua and the Genesee — the trail which Sullivan followed in his expedition of 1779. 270 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. lotted. In the instructions to Agent .Walker concerning the laying out of the location first selected at Kanadesaga, Phelps and Gorham had directed that "the most suitable place within the Township and as near the Harbovir as will be convenient for a town plot" be laid out into lots, and had specified that "the streets are to be wide and regular," and when Mr. Walker, having satisfied himself that Kanadesaga was not within the Purchase, had located the proposed settlement at the foot of Canandaigua lake, he was careful to observe these directions of the proprietors, a fact to which the Canandaigua of the present day owes much of its beauty of situation, and the width and regularity of its streets. Among the papers of Agent Walker, which are in the custody of his great grandson, Mr. Robert C. Rockwell, of Lenox, Massachu- setts, is a preliminary sketch of a "Plan of Town Plot, Canadarqua." Another more careful map of a "Plott of a Town or City on the North end of Canandarqua Lake, being in the town No. 10, Third range. Main Street 6 rods wide, runing North 25 deg's west — the streets parrellel to the Main is 4 rods wide, the other Main street at rite angle, 6 rods wide — all the other streets East and Westward 3 rods wd. Each Lot, 16 rods by 10, and Contains one Acre." The total number of lots laid out and numbered on this plotting is two hundred and eighty. This plotting is reproduced herewith under permission of Mr. Rockwell, by whom the original is carefully preserved. Another of the Walker papers is endorsed "Draught of the Proprietors." It contains a "List of the City Lots," with the names and the numbers of the lots drawn by each. Gen'l Chapin, Capt. Bacon, Mr. Chaplin, Mr. Hamilton, Gen'l Ashley, and Mr. Lee, Major Judd, Mr. Fowler, Mr. Sedgwick, Mr. Strong, John Lowel, James Parker, Mr. Corbet, John WilHams & Saxton, and Saml. Phillips, Esq., each drew two lots; William Walker, Esq., Judge Sullivan, Thompson J. Skinner, and Colo. Butler, each had four lots ; Samuel Street had thirty lots, and Phelps and Gorham on« hundred sixty-six lots. "Voted that the Main street be widened Two rods by carrying all the Lots on the west side 2 Rods further to the westward." Another map is entitled "A Plot of 2nd Allotment in Town No. 10 in 3rd Range, Each lot con- taining 20 acres," the most of the lots being 80 by 40 rods. THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 271 Early Views of the Village. The hard conditions of life in the new settlement did not discourage the pioneers. They were optimists. In 1795, Dudley Saltonstall wrote back to his father in Connecticut that "Canan- daigua, named from a lake at the bottom of which it stands, contains sjxty houses, more elegant in their structure than those of any village I know in Connecticut, Litchfield excepted. * * * * This country is no longer a wilderness ; here are good inhabitants — far better than those in New London — and fine farms, the cleared parts of which are clothed with the most luxuriant herbage." Duke Liancourt, in writing of his rambles through the Genesee country in June, 1795, described the Canandaigua of that date as follows: "The houses, although built of wood, are much better than any of that description I have hitherto seen. They consist mostly of joiner's work, and are prettily painted. In^ont of some of them are small courts, surrounded with neat railings. There are two Inns in the town, and several shops, where commodities are sold, and shoes and other articles made. The price of land here is three dollars per acre without the town, and fifteen dollars within." Speaking of a visit to "Mr. Chipping" (Chapin), he says he found him surrounded by a dozen Seneca Indians (among whom was Red Jacket), who had come to partake of his whiskey and meat." Some of the travelers who passed this way were not so favor- ably impressed. "The settlement of this Town" (Canandaigua), says Mr. Spafiford in his Gazetteer, "commenced in 1790, and in 1797 I found it but feeble, contending with innumerable embarrassments and difificulties. The spring of that year was uncommonly wet and cold. Besides a good deal of sickness, mud knee-deep, musquetoes and gnats so thick that you could hardly breathe without swallow- ing them, rattle-snakes, and the ten thousand discouragements every where incident to new settlements, surrounded by all these, in June of that year, I saw, with wonder, that these people, all Yankees, from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont, were perfectly undismayed, 'looking forward in hope,' 'sure and stedfast.' They talked to me of what the country would be, by and by, as if it were history, and I received it as all fable. In order to see the whole 'power of the county,' a Militia Muster of all the men capable of bearing arms, I waited a day or two, and attended 'the training.' Major Wadsworth was the commanding officer, and, including the 272 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. men who had guns, and who had not, the boys, women, and children, it was supposed that near 200 persons were collected. This training, one of the first, was held at Capt. Pitts's, on the Honeoye, and lasted all day and all night." Time demonstrated that the pioneers' confidence in the future of Canandaigua was' well founded, as the same writer made haste to acknowledge. In 1824, Mr. Spafiford reported that "in point of beautv and elegance of position, as well as in the style of its build- ings, Canandaigua is excelled by no place of the same extent in the United States. It contains about 350 houses and stores, and 2000 inhabitants." The Square and Streets. The village square as originally laid out was quartered by Main and Cross streets and contained six acres of land. Its south line was what is now the north face of the Hubbell block; on its east line the Canandaigua hotel now fronts ; its north line was what is now the north line of the street known as Atwater place. Court street and Atwater place, therefore, both occupy land and the New York Central railroad tracks occupy land originally included in the square. The property was conveyed by Phelps and Gorham in 1800, for a consideration of $1.00, to the county of Ontario, it being provided in the deed that nothing but a court house should be built in the northeast corner, that the southeast corner should be devoted exclusively to park purposes, and that that portion lying west of Main street should be occupied only by buildings used by the county, excepting that no building should be erected that would obstruct the light or obscure the view of the school house then .standing thereon. The extension of the square to the north, on the east side of Main street, where the present court house stands, came into possession of the county at the time of the erection of that building in 1857, the conveyance having been from Samuel Brush, for a consideration of $6,000. The deed provided that no building should ever be erected on the land therein conveyed, within twenty feet of Gorham street. In the square have been grouped a succession of noble public buildings, beginning with the first court house erected in 1794, including the second court house erected in 1824 and now known as THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 273 the town house, and culminating in the splendid county building- erected in 1858 and recently rebuilt and enlarged. Facing the square on the north and south were located origi- nally the dwellings of four of the most prominent citizens of the village. On the south side, east of Main street, stood the house of Oliver Phelps, the head of the Phelps and Gorham land company. This continued to be the residence of the family until after the con- struction of the Canandaigua and Jefiferson railroad in 1849, when it was utilized for the business offices of that company. A few years later it was destroyed by fire. Facing the square on the north was the dwelling of Nathaniel Gorham, Ji"-, which upon the opening of Gorham street in 1849 was moved to a location on the north side of that street, where it now stands, the joint property of Dr. A. L. Beahan and John H. Hicks, Esq. Across Main street, on the north side of the square, stood the house of Dr. Moses Atwater, which, in 1850, in preparation for the erection of the office building known as Atwater hall, was moved to a site further west, and was for many years the residence and studio of Marshall Finley, the pioneer photographer of the village. On the south side of the square, west of Main street, was located the house of Thaddeus Chapin, son of General Israel Chapin. This was later adapted to business uses, and about the year 1865 was destroyed by fire. Among the buildings facing the square as now constituted are the Red Jacket building, erected about the year 1812 by Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., long occupied by the Red Jacket Club, and now serv- ing a useful purpose as an office building; the stately Canandaigua Jiotel, erected in 1852-53, on the site originally occupied by the Blossom house ; The Hallenbeck, an office building erected in 1895 by Dr. Orlando J. Hallenbeck, on ground where formerly stood the historic Ontario hotel: the large High School building, erected in 1876, and the Canandaigua Hospital of Physicians and Surgeons, erected by Dr. A. L. Beahan in 1898. To this group is to be added a fine example of modern architecture in the shape of a postoffice building, now in course of erection on the old Atwater corner, which was purchased and donated to the government for the pur- pose by Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson. The King Lumber Com- pany, of Charlottesville, Virginia, has the contract for the construc- tion of this building on its bid of $67,225. Below the square, on Main street, have been centered the business interests of the village in a number of two and three story 274 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. blocks that do credit to the enterprise both of the capitalists who erected Ihem and of the merchants who occupy them. Along the street are located "the Thompson Memorial hospital, the Canan- daigua Academy, and the handsome church edifices belonging to the Baptist, Congregational, Pres- byterian, Roman Catholic, Meth- odist Episcopal, and Protestant Episcopal societies, and it is bor- dered on either side, particularly in its upper portion, by handsome private dwellings. Among these are many of historic interest. In the upper part of the street there stands, restored to its original beautiful proportions, the Gideon Granger mansion built about the year 1814, later occupied by Francis Gran- ger, and now the home of the lat- ter's granddaughters, the Misses Granger ; the Alexander Duncan house, which became the property of Judge Oliver Phelps (3d), in 1852 and which has since remained the family homestead, being now occupied by his daughter. Miss Elizabeth Phelps; the Jared Will- son house, built in 1829, and re- modeled l)y Assemblyman Jean L. Burnett ; the house erected near the head of the street on the east side by Rev. Timothy Field, the first pastor of the Congregational church, and now the property of the Stowe estate, and "the house adjoining en the north, built by one of his early successors, Parson Johns; the house erected by Peter B. Porter about the year 1800, subsequently occupied by the distinguished John C. Spencer and by United States Senator Elbridge G. Lapham, and now by Mrs. John D. McKechnie; the Mark H. Sibley house, built in 1845, later ALEXANDER DUNCAN. iVIexander Duncan, a prominent figure in the social and professional life of the county seat in early days, was born in Arbroth, Scotland, May 26, 1804, and coming to America when fourteen years of age made his iTomc in Canandaigua with his father's friend, John Greig; graduated from Yale Col- lege ; studied law with Nathaniel W. Howell ; admitted to practice at the bar in 1828 ; continued a resident of Canandaigua for a number of years, then removing to Providence and later, about 1855, to New York city, where in association with Henry li. Gibson's son-in-law, Watts Sherman, he founded the banking house of Duncan & Sherman ; re- turned to England about the year 1868, and died there in 1886. THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 275 ihe home of Lucius Wilcox and now of Alexander Davidson; the General John A. Granger mansion, now St. Mary's convent ; the house built by James Sibley, jeweler, in 1808, and now owned and occupied by the Misses Paul, the first brick house built in the village ; the house erected by Myron Holley, an early county clerk and later one of the State commissioners who had charge of the building of the Erie canal, now the residence of Dr. George W. McCiellan; the Utica Branch Bank building, now the home of the local Y. M. C. A. ; the Daniels house, credited with being one of the oldest frame structures in the village and the first store. In the lower part of the street are still found, near the lake on the west side, the house built by one of the early surveyors, James Smedley, and now the property of Michael Moran; on the east side, the ruins of the Dudley tavern, recently known as the Foster house ; at the north corner of Main and Parrish streets, the Jasper Parrish house, built in 1824. Other mansions of historic associations once stood along this Main street, but have been demolished to make room for structures of more modern, not more beautiful, proportions. Among the most notable of these were the Thomas Morris house, located at what is now the entrance of West Gibson street ; the John Greig place, which stood opposite the Academy on upper Main street, and the Gibson house, next south of the Congregational church, where the Ontario bank was long located. Just off Main street, a short distance west on Coy street, still stands the house of General Israel Chapin, the Government Indian agent, and the old structure attached to the building on the north was the General's first home in Canandaigua, the second or third frame building to be erected here and now undoubtedly the oldest structure in the village. In its front yard, where stand the Bennett and Maggs blocks, were held many of the pow-wows with the Indians that characterized the early days of the settlement. On the lateral streets, which also are laid out on liberal plan, are to be found interesting landmarks in the shape of dwellings whose frame work at least constituted a part of some of the first houses erected in the village, but which as remodeled evidence little of the plainness of those earher habitations. Added to these are handsome residences of recent construction, chief among which is that known as "Sonnenberg," the summer home of Mrsi. Frederick F. Thompson, of New York city. This has been developed r 276 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. to the highest state of fruitfulness and beauty, and opened; to the public, as it is on stated days throughout the summer, is visited each season by people from all parts of the country. As the settlement grew, the Main and Cross streets were supple- mented, first, by the opening of streets along the lines of travel that led to the villages at the east or west, or toward the north, and these were followed by those laid out for the purpose of opening the land to settlement. Among the first streets laid out were those bounding the village. East street. West street, and North street. Bufifalo street was one of the first streets, being so named because it led to the village of Bufifalo. The road opposite it, east of Main street, was first named Marvin street, after Dudley Marvin, an emi- nent lawyer, thus setting the example later followed of naming streets in honor of prominent citizens; but Marvin street became Chapel street, when, in 1816, the Methodists erected a sanctuary there. Fort Hill avenue, first known as Mechanic street, was opened previous to 1800, and Parrish street, opened about the same time, was named after the Indian interpreter, Jasper Parrish. Another street was that named after Dudley Saltonstall, the first principal of the Academy, and running through a farm owned by him. Granger street was opened, as Butcher street, previous to 1814. Bristol street was first called Antis lane, because of the fact that it led to the home of William Antis, the settlement's first gunsmith. The small street which now bears his name was opened about 1844. Gibson street was opened in 1828, by Henry B. Gibson, the banker, and first named Barlow street from the fact that it extended through the Barlow farm ; Wood street named after William Wood, was opened the same "year ; Beeman street, named after Marvin Beeman, a merchant, was also opened about the same time; Gorham street was opened in 1849 by Nathaniel Gorham, 3rd. Howell street was opened in 1852, through the center of the farm owned by Nathaniel W. Howell. In the same year, Dungan street was opened and named after Dr. Samuel Dungan; Hubbell street, named after Walter Hubbell, and Park street, so named because it started from the Gibson street park. Greig street, named for John Greig, was opened in 1839. Coy's lane was widened into a street in 1850 and called Coy street in honor of Charles Coy, a prominent harness maker, who then occupied the Israel Chapin house on that street. Bemis street, opened previous to 1835, was named after James D. Bemis, the early printer; Clark street, opened in 1841 and named THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 277 after Eldad Clark, the cabinet maker ; Foster street, opened in 1849, and named after .William K. Foster, shoe merchant; Phelps street, opened in 1846, and named after Judge Oliver Phelps; Chapin street, opened in 1850, and named after General Israel Chapin; Mason street, opened in 1876, and named after Jesse Mason, the tanner; Beals street, opened in 1873, and named for Thomas Beals, the early banker; Charlotte street, opened in 1873, named for a daughter of Governor Clark; Catherine street, opened in 1849, named for Catherine Chesebro. The first public necessity for a pioneer settlement like that of Canandaigua, attracting as it did visitors and settlers who must perforce eat and sleep, were hotels or taverns, and then came a cemetery, for death would not delay in exacting toll. Schools were provided also in the first years of the settlement, for the people from the New England hills did not propose to allow their children to go long without instruction in the three r's, readin', 'ritin', and 'rithmatick. The building of churches could wait a few years, the worship of God in the meantime taking place in the hospitable homes, or in the forest cathedrals that surrounded the settlement. Newspapers could wait a while, as must also libraries; but these all appeared in the early development of the white man's Canandaigua. The Hotels. The first entertainment for man and beast, as we have seen, was provided by Joseph Smith, who, with an eye to business, got his log house erected and in order early in the season after the selection of Canandaigua as the headquarters of Phelps and Gor- ham, 1788, and by the time General Chapin and his company of pioneers reached here in May of the following spring he was ready to furnish bread and beds^ such as they were, to all who needed and could pay the price. General Chapin's own house, which was erected that season on his lot west of Main street, on the north side of what is now Coy street, was to all intents and purposes a public hostelry, for as the recognized leader of the Httle commun- ity and the Government Agent he was called upon to entertain every visitor of influence, be his skin white or red. The first regitlar tavern, however, was that which was opened by Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Sanborn in 1790, in a house erected on the site recently appropriated for the new postofifice building. Here 278 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and at Captain Martin Dudley's tavern, which was erected in 1796 on the east side of lower Main street, and which was burned early the present year, 1911, were entertained travelers and prospectors in large numbers and here gathered the belles and beaus of the town for many a banquet and dance. Another early tavern was that which was built on the west side of upper Main street, about the year 1791, by Phineas Bates, and which became particularly popular during the war of 1812. The first big hotel of the village was the Blossom House, which was built in 1814, east of the square, on the site of the pres- ent Canandaigua hotel. This was the favorite stopping place for the Concord coaches that furnished communication to and from the settlements at the east and those also to the westward. This hotel was destroyed by fire on the night of December 2, 1851. Early the next 3'ear a stock company, consisting of John Greig, Francis Granger, Henry B. Gibson, John A. Granger, Mark H. Sibley, Leander H. Drury, and Gideon Granger, provided means, in conjunction with Thomas Beals and John Benham, the owners of the land, for the building of a new hotel. This was completed and opened in the summer of 1853 and constitutes the Canandaigua hotel of the present day. In 1827, Thomas Beals, who had recently purchased the prop- erty on the west side of Main street south of Coach street, the site of the Pitts tavern in wliich was located the old jail, began the erection of the Franklin House, which was completed the follow- ing season. This building, which was of brick, was burned in March, 1860, but was immediately replaced by what is now known as the Webster House block. The Northern Retreat, standing at the corner of upper Main and Bufifalo streets, was built in the early years of the century and burned in 1867; the Southern Retreat, now known as the Lake Breeze hotel, at the foot of Main street, was an old time tavern. The Ontario House, on the east side of the public square, v/as more notable among these early hostelries, but the date of its erection is not known beyond the fact that it was in the first years of the century. It was torn down in 1895 to make way for the erection of the Hallenbeck office building. The Washington hotel, still standing on Ontario street, was built about the year 1814, and the old Niagara House, erected as an adjunct to the station of the Canandaigua and Elmira railroad, about the year 1851. The Mas- THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 279 seth House, now the Imperial hotel, was erected on contiguous ground in 1875. This does not complete the list, but it makes a record of the hostelries best known in the history of the village. The Burying Grounds. Although no minute of the fact appears in the ofificial record, either in the village clerk's ofifice or in the county clerk's ofififce, it is safe to assume that the village plotting made by direction of the original purchasers, Phelps and Gorham, set apart' the piece of ground on the south side of what was then Cross street, but is now known as West avenue, for the purposes of burial. It was in this lot, consisting of one acre, that the remains of the first white man who died in the infant settlement, Captain Caleb Walker, brother of Agent William Walker, were interred. This was in August, 1790. There were only eighteen families in the setl le- nient at that time, but as the quaint old head-stones of this historic Godsacre abundantly testify, the Walker grave did not remain long- alone. Within a few years it was surrounded by a score or more of memorials recording the death of other pioneers. In January, 1826, the addition located immediately east of what had even then become the "old" burial place was purchased and plotted for graves by representatives of prominent families in town. Fifteen years later, August 14, 1841, the trustees of the village acquired possession of a plot of three and one-half acres lying north of Cross street "nearly opposite," the deed recites, "to the present burying ground," and laid it out for purposes of burial. To this "new" biu-ying ground additions were made in 1860 and in 1871. The Roman Catholic burial place, now known as Calvary cemetery, was laid out in 18.S0 mider the pastorate of Father Edmund O'Connor. Additions to this were made in 1856 and in 1902. Woodlawn cemetery was opened in 1884 by a private corpora- tion known as the Canandaigua Cemetery Association, having the following named trustees: Oscar N. Crane, chairman; Harrison B. Ferguson, secretary; George B. Anderson, William Hayton, Hugh King, John B. Robertson, Abel Richmond, Rollin L. Beecher, Hilem S. Bennett, John Gillette, Charles A. Richardson, and Frank O. Chamberlain. Woodlawn was laid out upon the most liberal and 280 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. artistic plan. With the permanent improvements and additional lands, making the cemetery area now include sixty-five acres, and counting in the expense of maintenance, the property has cost, from the organization in 1884 to June 1, 1911, the sum of $119,- 224.40, which with the exception of an indebtedness of $3,163.56, representing the cost of the boulder entrance recently erected, has all been met by the sale of lots, without the aid of bequests or contributions. The cost as thus figured, however, does not include the handsome stone chapel completed in 1910 at the sole expense of Mrs. Frederick F. Thompson. The Schools. The village of Canandaigua has been famed from the earliest years for its educational facilities. These were comprised at first of neighborhood schools, housed it may be guessed in log buildings, and these were supplemented at a very early date by private schools of greater or less prominence. Whether as an actual fact one of these was conducted in a wing of the old Morris house by Louis Philippe, aftei-wards the "Citizen" King of France, during the time he was a fugitive in this country between 1746 and 1800, as tradition saith, it is a fact that William Williams conducted a school in Judge Howell's office, and that Miss Sybil Mosely, credited with having conducted the first Sunday school in the village. Miss Mary Baker, who conducted a school for girls in the house since occupied by the Paul family, Mr. .Warren Bundy, and others, acted as instructors in such schools in the early days. At the time the public square was deeded to the county in 1800, certain reservations were made for the protection of the log school house then standing on the west side of Main street, which was evidently private property, as it was provided that the owners of said school might rebuild the same from time to time on said square. Following the establishment of the public school system of the State, in 1813, the village was divided into three school districts, and brick school buildings erected as follows: In No. 11, changed to No. 10, on the west side of lower Main street just below the Walker blacksmith shop; in No. 12, changed to No. 11, on the north side of Cross street, or West avenue, about opposite the old burying ground, supplanted in 1851 by a larger building erected on Greig street, now tised as the boiler house for the High School building; THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 281 in No. 13, on Chapel street, on the site of the present branch school building. But the disposition of the founders of the village in regard to the matter of education had its first significant manifestation when, as early as January, 1791, Nathaniel Gorham and Oliver Phelps, for the purpose of establishing and supporting an Academy or Seminary of learning, deeded to trustees certain tracts of land aggregating six thousand acres, situated as followrs: 3,000 acres in lot No. 9 in the third range, 2,000 acres in lot No. 7 in the fifth range, 500 acres in lot No. 11 in the second range, and 500 acres in lot No. 10 in the third range, "which said township lies at the north end of Canandaigua lake and adjoining thereon," in which it was stipulated the proposed ''Academy or Seminary of learning" should be situated. In 1795, the Canandaigua Academy was formally incorporated, and steps were taken to raise by subscription the funds needed to erect the Academy building. This was of wooden construction and was completed and opened for use in 1804. The first board of trustees was made up as follows : Dudley Saltonstall (substituted for Nathaniel Gorham), Oliver Phelps, Nathaniel W. Howell (substituted for Israel Chapin), Nathaniel Gorham, Jr., Thomas Morris, Arnold Potter, John Smith, Timothy Hosmer, Charles .Williamson, James Wadsworth, Oliver L. Phelps, Daniel Penfield, Ambrose Hill, John Codding, John Wickham, Moses Atwater, Judah Colt, Israel Chapin, Jr., and Amos Hall. A separate paper, annexed to and recorded with the last deed, provided that the trustees should annually appropriate the sum of twenty dollars as a premium to the student writing and publicly delivering the best oration on "The Transcendent Excellence of a Genuine Representative Republican Government effectually secur- ing equal liberty founded on the Rights of Man," and that certain part of the income should be expended in "educating such young men as having bright intellect and amiable dispositions bid fair to be useful members of the community, but from the incompetency of their resources are unable without assistance from the fund, hereby appropriated, to acquire a suitable share of literary informa- tion to enable them to do extensive good to their fellow men." Canandaigua Academy at once took a position as a leading educational institution and under a succession of able principals rendered a service to the young men in this part of the State of incalculable benefit and that enabled many of them to attain high 2S2 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. places in the world of business and politics. The first principal was Dudley Saltonstall. A few years later came Rev. James Stevenson, who received a yearly stipend of $800, but, not unlike his predecessors or successors in that respect, was unable to make the school pay its way. Later came Mr. George Willson, who was the author of Willson's Arithmetic and .Willson's Class Reader. Henry Howe was the principal, from 1828 until 1849, and under his management the institution be- came self supporting for the first time, and the building, in 1834-5, was entirely remodeled, being en- closed with brick and enlarged by spacious additions. Marcius Will- son, who later won recognition as a historian of ability, became the principal in 1849, and upon 'his resignation in 1853, Dr. Noah T. Clarke assumed the responsibility of the management, a position which he continued to hold to the great advantage of the school and its students for a period of thirty years, or until 1882. Finally, all efforts to endow the institution having failed, it was compelled to yield to the progressive rivalry of the public high school and trans- ferred its property, with the trust funds heretofore mentioned, to the village board of education. Another Canandaigua school that gained national reputation, and that was in fact a pioneer in the movement for higher education for women, was the Ontario Female Seminary. This institution was incorporated in 1824, and in 1825 the building was erected on land deeded by Henry B. Gibson. After several years of varying history, the principalship in 1830 passed to Miss Hannah Upham and Miss Arabella Smith, under whose management the institution was greatly prospered. Miss Smith died in the summer of 1842, after HENRY B. GIBSON. Henry B. Gibson was born in Reading, Pa., April 13, 1783. Educated at Saratoga, N. Y. Began business career at Cooperstown, then moved to Utica, where on December 9, 1812, he married Miss Sarah, daughter of Watts Sherman, the famous banker, with whom he was afterwards associated in business. Came to Canandaigua in 1820 to take charge of the Ontario Bank, which he managed with signal success until the expiration of its charter in 1856, when he retired with a fortune estimated at $1,000,000. Was elected President of the Rochester and Auburn Railroad upon its com- pletion in 1840. Continued to reside in Can- andaigua until his death, November 20, 1863, in the 81st year of his age. THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 283 which Miss Upham was in sole charge until July, 1848, when she resigned to return to her New England home. Miss Uphani was succeeded by Mr. and Mrs. -Edward G. Tyler, who came to Canan- daigua from Pittstield, Massachusetts, and under their management the capacity of the Seminary was enlarged so that it accommodated some eighty boarding pupils, with a dozen or more teachers and a large day school. In 1854, Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Richards became interested in the institution and continued associated in its manage- ment until the competition of richly endowed rivals brought about the suspension of its work, in the year 1875. The traditions of the village for educational work, especially for women, were destined, however, to be maintained for a time. The year 1876 saw the inauguration of two important undertakings in this line. The Upham .School for Girls, so named in honor of th.e beloved Miss Hannah Upham, was founded in that year, by Mrs. Samuel D. Backus, and entered upon a highly appreciated service, first as a day and then as a day and boarding school, that continued until 1891. In the same year, 1876, the Granger Place School was opened, in the old Francis Granger homestead. This institution was organ- ized by a number of experienced teachers, including Miss Caroline A. Comstock, Miss Jane M. Slocum, Mrs. Charlotte P. Crocker, and Miss Harriet J. Hasbrouck, and it did a large and useful work under their management and later under the principalship of Mr. Samuel Cole Fairley, but it was not financially successful and in June, 1906, finally closed its doors. For several years beginning with 1884, the Fort Hill School, a boarding and day school for boys, was conducted by the Rev. J. Hatrick Lee, a former rector of St. John's church, in the old Ran- kine place in the northeast part of the village. The history of the public schools of the village has been one of constant progress. In 1874, school districts No. 10 and 11 were brought together in a union district and a massive school house erected on a lot near the public square. This building was com- pleted in 1876. In 1886, after a struggle in which the interests of the private schools were a leading factor. No. 13 was brought into the union district, and as a result of another exciting contest, an academic department was added to the school system, which was thereafter developed on broad lines and included in the central management primary or branch schools located en Saltonstall 284 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. street, Adelaide avenue, and Chapel streets. At last, in 1900, the old Canandaigua Academy trustees turned over the property and trust funds of that institution to the Union School and Academj', as heretofore stated, and the latter organization, in 1906-7, follow- ing a vote of the taxpayers authorizing an expenditure of $80,000 for the purpose, built a magnificent new Canandaigua Academy on ground made historic as the site of the first "academy of learning" erected on the Genesee tract. To the sum voted by the people, Mr. Grant Schley, a native of the village and a former student of the Academy, added $10,000 to enable the Board of Education to complete the building on the plan originally designed. The Churches. ' The first religious service held in the village of Canandaigua was that at the funeral of Captain Caleb Walker, in August, 1790, and consisted simply of the reading of the church of England burial service. In the same year meetings were held in the log barn on Judge Phelps's place, and at these services, it is related, sermons were read by John Call and the singing was led by Mr. Nathaniel San- born, husband of the good mistress of the Sanborn tavern. It is also recorded that "at a meeting of a number of the inhabitants of the town of Canandarqua on the evening of the 17th day of December, 1792, for the purpose of taking the minds of the inhabi- tants whether it is their wish to hire a clergyman to preach with us the ensuing season, Othniel Taylor, Judah Colt, and Abner Barlow were appointed a committee to hire a clergyman," and it is probable that religious services were thereafter held in the settle- ment with more or less regularity. But the first real step toward organizing religious work in the village, which sees its fruition in the strong church organiza- tions and the splendid houses of worship of the present day, was taken when the First Congregational church of Canandaigua was organized, on February 25, 1799. A Protestant Episcopal church, known as St. Matthews, had been formed a few days earlier, but for reasons unknown it had only a short life and the people of that and other denominations united cordially in supporting the Con- gregational organization. This had for its first minister, Rev. Timothy Field, at a salary of $500 per annum. In the interval between the retirement of his successor. Rev. Henry Channing, THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 285 "A man of learning, a great stickler for liberty and independence," who "came when he pleased and went when he pleased," and the coming to the pastorate of the Rev. William T. Torrey, there was erected the meeting house which, with various enlargements and improvements, has continued in service and now constitutes a most characteristic and dignified example of the Colonial architecture for which the village is distinguished. The Gothic chapel, now included in the very complete plant belonging to this church organ- ization, was erected in 1872-73, during the pastorate of the Rev. Frederick B. Allen. Among the longer pastorates in the church were those of Rev. Ansel D. Eddy, extending from 1823 to 1835, and that of Rev. Oliver E. Daggett, which covered a period of twenty-two years, from 1845 to 1867. The present pastor is the Rev. Livingston L. Taylor. The organization of this historic church, like that of the Con- gregational churches of East Bloomfield (1796), South Bristol (1796), Bristol (1799), West Bloomfield (1799), Victor (1799), Naples (1800), Honeoye (1801), and Rushville (1802), is to be credited largely to the work of the Rev. Zadock Hunn, who had settled in the town in 1795, and who, though lacking, we are told, elements of popularity as a preacher, was most earnest and suc- cessful in forwarding the religious development of the region. St. John's Episcopal church was organized in 1814, its first rectors. Rev. Alanson W. Welton and Rev. Dr. Onderdonk, con- ducting services in the town hall until the fall of 1816, when it entered into possession of its own church edifice, a well propor- tioned wooden structure on upper Main street. The church con- tinued to increase in strength under a succession of devoted rec- tors until 1872, when the erection of the present handsome stone edifice was imdertaken. The consecration of the new building, which was delayed for fourteen years after its erection in order that it might be freed of indebtedness, took place on May 6, 1886, which by a singular coincidence was the seventieth anniversary of the day on which the foundation of the first church building was laid. The present rector is the Rev. Herbert L. Gaylord. A Methodist "class" had been formed west of the village as early as 1796, but it was not until 1816 that a formal organization was efifected by that denomination in either the village or the town of Canandaigua. In that year, under appointment of the Ontario circuit, Rev. William Barlow set about raising funds for the erec- 286 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. lion of a church, and, a lot on Chapel street having been purchased, the work of building was begun. On July 26, 1818, the "chapel" was dedicated. On h'ebruary 4, 1823, the society became an incor- porated body under the name of "The First Society of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church in the village of Canandaigua." The soci- ety grew rapidly in strength and numbers and in 1834 arranged to establish itself in a more central position, purchasing the site on the west side of Main street where the present church is located. The old building M'as moved to this site from Chapel street the following summer. In 1855-56 it was enlarged and improved: during the pastorate of Rev. John Allabasfer, 1867-to 1869, it was further improved and a pipe organ provided; yet again, under the pastorate of Rev. Dr. L. C. Oueal, 1880-83, the church was reseated and refurnished and a parsonage built ; and, finally, in 1902-3, under the pastorate' of Rev. William W. Webb, the present splendid stone edifice was erected at a cost of $50,000. The present pastor is Rev. Arthur Copeland, D. D. A Baptist church was organized at Centerfield, west of the village, in 1826, but the working center of the denomination 'was transferred to Canandaigua in January, 1833. The first services held here were in the town house, but a lot centrally located on the east side of Main street, south of the square, was immediately pur- chased and steps were taken toward the erection of a house of worship. This was completed and dedicated in December, 1835, the original building being of brick and 41 by 50 feet in size. In 1879, under the pastorate of Rev. W. H. Sloan, the house was rebuilt and enlarged, and in 1906, under the pastorate of Rev. J. Scott Ebersole, it was further enlarged and improved, at a cost of more than $12,000, the improvements including the building of new Sunday school rooms and the thorough modernizing of the interior. The present pastor is Rev. G. Rector Dye. The Presbyterian church was organized, in 1870, by members of that faith who had formerly been connected with the Congrega- tional church, the first public meeting in reference to the enter- prise being held in the court house on April 26. The first public preaching service was held on Sunday, May 8, and on May 15 the church was formally organized with a membership of fifty-seven. In November, 1870, the Rev. Samuel H. Thompson became the pastor, and on the 30th of May, Decoration day, the following year, the corner-stone of the church edifice was laid, on the lot at the THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 287 corner of Main and Gibson streets. The church was completed and dedicated on January 26, 1872. Under a succession of able pastors, with men of prominence as leaders and a devoted membership, the Presbyterian church soon gained and has maintained an important place in the religious life of the community. The Sunday school chapel was built in the summer of 1875, and in 1900 this was enlarged and the church edifice was redecorated and refurnished. The present pastor is the Rev. Guy L. Morrill. The "Black Robes," as the Jesuit missionaries were called, were the first men to teach the Christian religion in the territory which is now embraced in Western New York, but their devoted and self sacrificing labors were among the Indians of the forest, pre- ceding by many years the coming of the white settlers. The latter were for the most part Protestants in religion, and it was not until nearly the middle of the eighteenth century that the adherents of the Roman church had assembled here in numbers to warrant eiTort to form an organization and erect a church building. Priests had visited the communit)'^ in earlier j^ears and had held services in private houses or other buildings, but it was not until 1848 and '49 that the people of the church were provided with a house of wor- ship. The original building was of brick, but of small dimensions, and stood on the lot at the corner of lower Main street and Salton- stall street, and after a few years it was incorporated in a much larger structure. In 1861-62 the church was still further enlarged, but with the advancing growth in numbers and increase in pros- perity of the people who worshiped there, it in time became inad- equate in size and otherwise unsuited to the needs of the congre- gation. The first settled pastor of the church was Father Edmund O'Connor, who served in that capacity from 1849 until 1858, and he was followed in succession by Rev. Charles McMullen, 1858-59; Rev. Michael Purcell, 1859-61; Rev. James M. Earley, 1861-62; Rev. Joseph McKenna, 1862-69; Rev. Denis EngHsh, 1869-1901; Rev. James T. Dougherty, 1901-11. The St. Mary's Orphan Asy- lum and Academy, organized under the auspices of St. Mary's church, was incorporated in 1855 and first occupied houses on Saltonstall street, but in 1873, following the purchase for the church of the John A. Granger property, at the corner of Main and Gibson .streets, it was transferred to the mansion there, where it was con- tinued in connection with the convent until, following the settle- ment of Rev. Father Dougherty as pastor, the children were trans- 288 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ferred to an institution in Rochester. In the meantime, in 1880, a school building was erected on the new property, and during the past year this has been enlarged by the erection of an addition, including a commodious public hall on the second floor. In 1903, following the paying off of the indebtedness incurred in the pur- chase of the Granger property, the congregation, vmder the leader- ship of Father Dougherty, erected the handsome brown stone edi- fice in which the stately worship of the church is now conducted. This involved an expenditure of over $90,000, but the burden of indebtedness thereby incurred was being so rapidly reduced that in 1908 the handsome brick and stone rectory was erected, to be followed soon by the addition to the school building above men- tioned, completing a plant that, including the real estate, has cost more than $160,000. The Wesleyan Methodist church, erected on Bristol street, in 1888, through the generosity of John Carrington, houses a small but earnest congregation now under the pastoral charge of the Rev. Sanford D. Wilcox. All Souls Universalist church, recently organized, holds regular Sunday afternoon services, with Rev. E. P. Wood, of the Victor church of that denomination, officiating, in the Congregational chapel, and the same sanctuary, on Sunday evenings, houses a small congregation of colored people, to which a visiting clergyman from Rochester ministers. The Newspapers. The earlier newspaper history of Canandaigua is not easy to trace. The first attenipt at printing a paper was made in 1799, when Lucius Cary moved here the "Ontario Gazette and Gene- see Advertiser," which he had started at Geneva a year or so before. This publication did not long survive, but was succeeded early in 1802 by the "Western Repository and Genesee Advertiser," published by James K. Gould. The following year the name of the paper was changed to the "Western Repository," and in 1804 James D. Bemis became interested in its management. Mr. Gould dying in March, 1808, the enterprise was continued by Mr. Bemis, who soon developed a large publishing business and made the paper the leading and most influential publication of its kind in the western country, richly earning the title of the "Father of the Western New York Press." The earliest copies of the paper access- ible show that Morse & Bemis published the Repository in 1805 ; THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 289 Morse, Ward & Co., in 1830: Morse & Harvey in 1835; George L. Whitney in 1840; Orson Benjamin in 1845. The name of the paper was changed from "Western Repository" to "The Ontario Reposi- tory" in 1830. In 1857, George L. Whitney & Son became the proprietors and they were suc- ceeded in 1861 by George W. French, by whom it was sold, in February, 1862, to Jacob J. Matti- son, who consolidated it with the Messenger. Politically the Re- pository was a supporter of Fill- more, the American Presidential candidate, in 1856, and Bell, the National Union nominee, in 1860, both representing the struggles of the remnants of the Silver Gray Whigs for a separate existence. The Ontario Messenger, established in 1803 as the Ontario Freeman, by Isaac Tiffany, was taken over and rechristened in 1806, by John A. Stevens, who continued in charge of the publi- cation until about 1830, following which the publishers were, first. Day & Morse, then T. B. Hahn, then Hubbell & Turner, again T. B. Hahn, and finally, in 1845, Jacob J. Mattison became inter- ested in the enterprise and al- though from time to time associated with others in the management continued at its hejvd until his death, in August, 1879. In the mean- time the paper had absorbed its old-time rival, the Repository. Politically the old Messenger was a straight Democratic organ, as its successor, the Repository and Messenger, has continued to be to this date. After Mr. Mattison's death, the Repository and Messenger was sold to W^illiam H. Underbill, of Bath, following whose death in 1883 it was continued for a time by his father, A. L. Underbill, and then, in December, 1885, it became the property of Herbert Hunt- ington. The paper was continued under the latter's management JAMES D. BKMIS. James D. Bemis was born in Spencer, Massa- chusetts, July 1, 1783 ; learned the printing trade in Boston and Albany. Opened a book store in Canandaigua in 1804. Became editor and proprietor of the Ontario Repository, and later started papers and book stores in Wayne, Livingston, Erie, and Onondaga coun- ties, winning recognition as "The Father of the Western New York Press." Died . No- vember 2, 1857. 290 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. until January, 1907, when he retired and it became the property of the Messenger Printing Company, of which W. A. Patton was president and general manager. On December 9, 1907, it began publication as a daily. The Ontario County Times was established by Nathan J. Milliken, in January, 1852, jas the organ of the anti-slavery wing of the Whig party. It took an active part in the events leading up to the organization of the Republican party, and under the manage- ment of its founder and his sons has continued an exponent of that party's principles. Mr. Milliken took his oldest son, Charles F. Milliken, into partnership on January 1, 1891, and upon the for- mer's death in December, 1902, the paper passed to the manage- ment of his two sons, C. F. & R. B. Milliken, by whom its publi- cation was continued until the death of the junior member of the firm on January 2, 1911. Charles F. Milliken is now the editor and manager. The Ontario County Journal was established in 1874 by George D. A. Bridgman, as an Independent or Liberal Republican paper, but its policy was soon changed to that of a party organ and it has so continued under the management of successive proprietors. In May, 1886, it became the property of William G. David, but in September of the following year he sold it back to its founder, Mr. Bridgman, by whom it was conducted until July, 1891, when it became the property of Edwin P. Gardner and William H. Ham- ' lin. In May, 1899, Mr. Hamlin retired and Mr. Gardner has since continued sole proprietor and editor. In addition to the papers which have survived the vicissitudes of the years as above related, there have been numerous unsuccess- ful ventures in the field. The Ontario Phoenix, which was established in 1827 by W. W. Phelps, and later conducted by R. Royce, was united with the Repository in 1836. The Clay Club was the name of a campaign paper printed at Canandaigua during the campaign of 1844. In April, 1882, the Ontario Independant ^yas established by William C. Hydon and Edward A. Wader. In December, 1883, Mr. Hydon retired, and the publication was continued by Mr. Wader "until February, 1885, when it was discontinued and its subscription list sold to Mr. Bridgman of the Ontario County Journal. In August, 1898, the publication of a paper known as The Daily Chronicle was undertaken by A. R. Mickie, but after a THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 291 precarious existence of forty-six days the venture was given up and the press and other materials shijDped to another field. In August, 1900, W. A. Brown and W. D. Powers began the publication of the Canandaigua Chronicle. In January, 1903, Mr. Powers retired from the firm, and .Mr. Brown thereafter conducted the business until, in December, 1903, he effected a sale to Leonard A. Parkhurst and John L. McLaughlin, by whom it was continued until December, 1907, when upon the failure of the Lisk Manu- facturing Company, of which the two proprietors were directors, it went into the hands of a receiver and soon after suspended publication. Library and Historical Associations. In a community like Canandaigua, where was centered a popu- lation of unusual intelhgence and educational institutions of high standing, and where resided a citizen like William Wood who was inspired by an ambition to provide the people means of knowledge and liberal culture, the founding of a public library association could not have been long delayed. As to just when the first step to this end was taken there is no information at hand, but the records show that in November, 1826, plans for "the Canandaigua Merchants' Clerks Library, to consist of every merchant's clerk in the village who chooses to join,'' were laid, and the organization started out with a nucleus of fifty books contributed by Mr. Wood. What became of this library and what was its history is not known, but it appears that it had a shoi't life, for a new library movement was inaugurated in 1859. On May 6 in that year there was organized the Wood Librar)'^ Association, so named in memory of the village philanthropist whose death had occurred two years before. The first officers were as follows: President, H. Bennett; vice president, S. C. Bennett; secretary, J. G. Gregory; treasurer, H. J. Messenger; trustees, Francis Granger, H. O. Chesebro, Lucius Wilcox, Chester Coleman, and O. H. Sn;iith. ■ The Wood Library Association was incorporated in 1868 and was re-incorporated as a Free Public Library in 1896. The present officers are as follows : President, Miss Isaphine P. Granger ; vice president, Miss Ray Levy; secretary. Miss Elizabeth G. Coleman; treasurer, Miss Grace E. Carson; trustees, Mrs. Frank W. Chesebro, Miss Mary Voak, Mrs. Henry Kelly, Mrs. Frank E. Howe, Miss Frances M. Brunson, Miss Louise H. Field, Mrs._John Scott, Miss 292 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Jessie E. Freeman, Miss Isaphine P Granger, Miss Ray Levy, Miss Grace Carson, and Miss Elizabeth G. Coleman. The Ontario County Historical Society, incorporated in 1902, established its museum in the little office building on the Atwater lot, first occupied by Mark H. Sibley and later by John Callister and other eminent lawyers. It has since gathered a large collection of relics illustrating the Indian occupancy and the pioneer hfe of the region and has from time to time provided public lectures on subjects relating to the early history of the western part of the State. The ground on which its museum building stood was appropriated ill 1910 by the Government as a part of the site for the new post- office, and the historic building, with its contents, was removed to a temporary location on Ontario street, east of the Canandaigua hotel. The society is now seeking a location on which to erect a larger building which shall be fire proof and better adapted to its purposes. A bequest of $1500 from Walter S. Hubbell, who died on December 29, 1909, is contingent on the erection of such a build- ing within a period of five years from that date. Many other associations designed to enlarge the knpwledge of their members or to promote the welfare of the community have characterized the development of the village, like "The Canan- daigua Society of Literature and Science," organized in 1840; "The Ontario Literary and Scientific Social Union," organized in 1874; "The Canandaigua Scientific Association," organized as a Miscro- scopical Society in 1880; "The Young Men's Christian Association," incorporated in 1904; "The Canandaigua Improvement Associa- tion," organized in 1902, and several Board of Trade or Chamber of Commerce organizations. The order of Masoniy obtained an early foothold in Canan- daigua, Ontario lodge No. 23, with Timothy Hosmer as master, receiving its warrant on October 12, 1792. In that and the Mark- masters lodge established in 1809 were included the most prominent men in the young settlement, but in the excitement following the Morgan abduction in 1826, the lodges here were dissolved, and the order had no local organization until the institution of the present Canandaigua lodge, No. 294, on the 8th of January, 1853, since which time it has steadily grown in strength. The Independent Order of Odd Fellows organized Ontario lodge here in 1844. but this was disbanded in 1857, and that order was thereafter without a local organization until May 18, 1870, when its present Canan- THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 293 daigua lodge, No. 236, was instituted. Other secret and beneficial organizations were formed in Canandaigua in the succeeding years and have flotirishing lodges here at the present time. Asylums and Hospitals. The first blossom of the splendid fruitage which Canandaigua has come into in the way of eleemosynary institutions, except the noble but limited work in that direction by St. Mary's church in the establishment of its orphan asylum in 1855, was that Comprised in the founding of the Ontario Orphan Asylum. The movement for this institution had its inception in the brain and heart of Mrs. George Cook and was prompted by the especial need that became apparent as the ravages of the Civil war were felt in the community. The first meeting at which steps were taken to organize "a society for the care of orphan and destitute children of Ontario county" was held at the chapel of the Congregational church, early in May, 1863. The Asylum was formally incorporated in July, 1863, and vipon the purchase of the Samuel Greenleaf property at the head of Main street entered at once upon its beautiful work of mercy, the formal opening taking place October 27, 1863. The first officers were as follows: President, Mrs. Caroline B. Cook; treasurer, Miss Antoinette Pierson ; secretary. Miss Catherine Chesebro ; directors, Mrs. Jane Howe, Mrs. James whorrell, Mrs. Emily Smith, Mrs. A. H. Lung. Mrs. Cook was continued by successive elections presi- dent of the board of managers until her death, November 11, 1891. Mrs. Charles S. Hoyt succeeded to the office the following year and was continued at the head of the institution until the year 1900, when she was succeeded by Mrs. Frank H. Hamlin. The latter insisted upon retiring from the office in 1909, and Miss Isaphine P. Granger was elected as her successor. The present officers are as follows : President, Miss Isaphine P. Granger ; vice president. Miss L. EHzabeth Clarke; recording secretary, Mrs. Robert G. Cook; corresponding secretary, Mrs. Augustine S. Cooley; treasurer, Mrs. Sarah E. Case ; directors, Mrs, John Reznor, Miss Antoinette P. Granger, Mrs. Orlando J. Hallenbeck, Mrs. F. J. Nichols. The Asylum from the start commanded the interest and generous support of the people of the county, its annual donation days providing the opportunity for friends in the several towns to replenish its treasury and refill its larder. Several generous bequests, including one of $80,000 received from the estate of Commodore 294 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. James Glynn of the United States Navy, following his death at New Haven, May 13, 1871, have given the institution an endowinent that happily assures its support for the years to come. The Asylum's permanent funds were reported at the annual meeting, October 4, 1910, as aggregating the siim of $130,026.58. The family had included during the preceding year an average of fifty-four children. The board of trustees of which General John A. Granger, Alexander H. Howell, James C. Smith, Henry M. Field, and David G. Lapham have successively officiated as presidents, now consists of David G. Lapham, president; Charles A. Richardson, secretary; Frank H. Hamlin, treasurer; Frank A. Christian, Charles G. Sackett, and Robert F. Thompson. The Clark Manor House, founded in July, 1899, by Mrs. Mary Clark Thompson, in loving memory of her parents, Myron HoUey Clark and Zilpha Watkins Clark, provides a home for aged men and women of the county that is supported at the cost of its founder and is doing a most gracious work. Its original board of managers consisted of the following named persons: Dwight R. Biirrell, John H. Jewett, William H. Adams, George N. Williams, Edward G. Hayes, Charles C. Sackett, Charles F. Milliken, Harriet J. Gillette, Zilpha C. Backus, Charlotte E. Clark, Mary C. Williams, Elizabeth C. Phelps, Clara G. Coleman, Clara F. Clement, and Louise H. Field. Dr. Biirrell was president of the board from its oi'ganization until 1908, when he was succeeded by Mr. Milliken. The Frederick Ferris Thompson Hospital was founded by Mrs. Thompson, in memory of her husband, the late Frederick Ferris Thompson. It was opened for the reception of patients on September 1, 1904. The main hospital building, which is located on the site formerly occupied by the Ontario Female Seminary, is a handsome three-story structure built of Canandaigua pressed brick, with a steel frame, concrete and slate roof, and copper cornice, and is absolutely fire proof. It is equipped with all modern appli- ances for the treatment .of disease and injuries and has accommoda- tions for forty-five patients. A pavilion for cases of contagious disease located on the same property contains beds for ten patients. The hospital's original board of directors Avas made up as fol- lows : Edward G. Ha3fes, Dwight R. Burrell, John H. Jewett, Frank A. Christian, Clark W^illiams, Orlando J. Hallenbeck, Frank- lin P. Warner, Matthew R. Carson, Albert L. Beahan; Fred E. McClellan, Harry C. Euell, Jean L. Burnett, Leonard A. Parkhurst, THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 295 Peter P. Turner, Charles F. Milliken, John H. Pratt, and Alfred M. Mead. Mr. Hayes has been president of the board since its first organization and Mr. Christian has held the office of secre- tary. The office of treasurer has been held successively by William J. Donovan, Dr. Harry C. Buell, and Timothy W. Lynch. In the deed of gift, Mrs. Thompson provided that no discrimination should be shown in the admission of patients because of their creed or pecuniary condition, and she has made generous provision for its maintenance. A training school for nurses was opened in connection with the Thompson hospital on April 1, 1908, and was registered by the State Regents, April 1, 1909. It is under the direct supervision of the superintendent of the hospital, Miss Elin Karlson Kraemer. The Ontario County Bacteriological Laboratory, built and equipped by Mrs. Thompson in 1906, is located on the hospital grounds and is operated at public expense, for the benefit of the physicians and people of Ontario county. The Canandaigua Hospital of Physicians and Surgeons, estab- lished as the Beahan Plospital in 1898 and incorporated under its present name in 1904, was established by Dr. A. L. Beahan, and has been conducted by him in association with other physicians of the village and county. Dr. Beahan is the president and treasurer of the mstitution, and Dr. Orlando J. Hallenbeck is its secretai^y. The directors are as follows: Dr. Matthew R. Carson, Dr. Orlando J. Hallenbeck, Dr. Frederick E. McClellan, Dr. S. R. Wheeler, and Dr. A. L. Beahan. Its nurses training school was organized in 1903 and is registered by the Regents. Brigham Hall, a hospital for the treatment of mental and nerv- ous disorders, was founded in 1855, by Dr. George Cook and Mr. Robert D. Cook. In May, I860, Dr. John B. Chapin became asso- ciated with the management, but retired in October, 1869, to become superintendent of the newly established State hospital at Willard. Dr. Cook continued thereafter in charge until his death as the result of a murderous attack by a patient, June 12, 1876. Dr. Cook was succeeded by Dr. Dwight R. Burrell, and he, in 1908, by Dr. Robert G. Cook, the present resident physician. In its act of incorporation the name "hospital" was apphed for the first time in the State to an institution for the insane, and founded on the most liberal and. progressive lines, and enlarged and improved from time to time, it is recognized as one of the most successful private hospitals- in the country. 296 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Public Improvements. The men who made the original plotting- of the village of Can- andaigua acted perhaps wiser than they knew. The 8-rods wide Main street, which they laid our through the woods, extending two and one-half miles from the foot of the lake in a northerly direction, and which, at its intersection midway with the 6-rods wide Cross street, had provision for a large public square, did not become the main artery of the metropolis of their dreams, but it has lent itself to a development that illustrates the taste and enterprise of the community and that has made it notable among the handsomest village streets in America. The first systematic attempt to give the village a lighting system was in 1853, when the Canandaigua Gas Light Company was organized and extended its wooden mains through Main street. From time to time these were replaced or supplemented by iron pipes, and the company, of which Elbridge G. Lapham was president and Myron H. Clark, James McKechnie, and other enterprising citizens were members, continued to serve the village in street light- ing as well as in house lighting without competition until 1886, when an electric lighting system was introduced by a company of outside capitalists, of which Frank B. Merrill, then a resident of Canandaigua, acted as president and manager. This company soon took over the lighting of the village streets, which was first accom- plished on November 9, 1886. The competition resulted in a combination of interests, though the two corporations were never actually consohdated. In 1893 the electric lighting and street railroad properties amalgamated under the management of M. Dwight Munger, a prominent local banker, who bought and devel- oped the water power at Littleville and used it for the generation of electricity with which to Hght the village and operate the railroad. In the year 1900, under a foreclosure sale, these interests went into the hands of out-of-town capitalists, oi-ganized under the name of the Ontario Light and Traction Company, a corporation which has since continued to hold the electric lighting franchise of the village. The demand of the growing population for a more adequate fire protection than that afforded by the public wells, and for a more wholesome water supply for domestic purposes than that of the private wells, resulted in the granting of a franchise in 1884 to a company of eastern capitalists for the construction of a pumping THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 297 plant and the laying of water mains in the village streets. This company, of which M. Dwight Munger, Frank B. Merrill, and J. Henry Metcalf were successively the local managers, erected a power plant near the lake on the west side of Main street, extended a suction pipe for a distance of 2500 feet into the lake to a point south of Squaw island, laid mains through the principal village streets, and undertook to supply the public and private needs of the village for water. The over-capitalization of the enterprise, and its consequent failure to make both ends meet and to satisfy the just demands of the citizens for efficient service at reasonable rates, led to the construction, in 1895, of a municipal water system, which soon supplanted that of the private company and finally resulted in its dissolution. The pumping station of the municipal system is located on the west shore of the lake, some two miles from the foot of Main street, and by means of two powerful engines, which have supplanted the electrical transmission system first installed, the water is elevated to a reservoir constructed on a nearby eminence, and from there it is distributed by gravity to all parts of the village, under a pressure that affords abundant and efficient service. The street railroad was laid from the lake dock through Main street to a point above the Buffalo street corner in 1887, by a company of which Major Frank O. Chamberlain was president and in which Charles C. Sackett, Augustine S. Cooley, Maynard N. Clement, and Charles F. Milliken, all residents of Canandaigua, held the controlling interest. It was first operated by horse power, but upon its absorption by the Canandaigua Electric Light Company in 1893, was equipped with electricity. In 1900 the combined "property was sold under foreclosure to H. C. Mandeville and others and became the property of the Ontario Light and Traction Company. The sewer system of the village was inaugurated in the year 1883, when a trunk sewer was constructed through Main street under municipal direction and at the cost of the property benefited. In 1887, "fot the purpose of obtaining drainage and sewerage for the Village of Canandaigua," the corporation named acquired possession of the dam across the outlet at Chapinville and the control of the so-called "feeder," an artificial channel, which had been opened in 1855 by the "Ontario Hydraulic Company" from the lake direct to a point on the outlet something over two miles distant from its mouth, for the purpose of regulating the discharge of the 298 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. waters for the benefit of the mills and factories lower down on the stream. The village, upon acquiring possession as stated, removed the dam and deepened the channel, making the stream substantially a part of the village sewer system. In succeeding years sewers were laid through the lateral streets, the cost in each case being assessed and collected on the property benefited. Except for some fairly good gravel roads, bordered by cobble- stone gutters, the village streets were without permanent improve- ments until 1899, when a brick pavement was laid on Chapin street, from Main street to Sucker brook bridge, a distance of 1300 feet. In 1901 a Telford macadam pavement, 30 feet wide with cement curbs and gutters, was constructed on Howell street and the following year a similar improvement was laid on the east end of Gibson sti^eet. In 1903, after much agitation of the need of the village for permanent street construction and of the futility and wastefulness of expending large sums annually for temporary repairs, the village board of trustees, of which Dr. Cornelius J. Andruss was president, submitted to the taxpayers the- question of bonding the corporation in the sum of $200,000 for paving. This proposition was adopted, and with an advisory committee of citizens, consisting of Messrs. Franklin P. Warner, George W. Hamlin, Michael J. Moran, and IJewellyn L. Smith, the board employed Legrand Brown of Rochester as engineer in charge and proceeded with the task of paving Main street, from the lake to Chapel street, with shale brick. In the following yeai", under authority conferred by special act of the Legislature, the work of street construction and repair was transferred to a board of street commissioners, which ,was appointed as follows: Franklin P. Warner, president; Charles J. Brady, Leonard A. Parkhurst, Thomas Johnson, and Fred G. Douglass. George W. Hamlin was elected secretary of the new board. The work of laying permanent pavements was continued thereafter with such industry that within two years all the principal streets of the village were paved with brick or macadam, with sandstone curbs and storm sewers, and the work has been pursued in subsequent )'^ears with a result that most of the residential as well as the business .streets have been provided with permanent improvements of this character. Their total length aggregates four- teen miles and their cost $500,000, which, excepting in the case of parts of Main street, Charlotte street. Fort Hill avenue, and East street, has been borne one-half by assessment on the village at large THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 299 and one-half on the abutting property. In the case of Main street, one-third of the cost of the improvement was borne by the abutting property, the balance being assessed upon the village at lai-ge. Two additional features which may be counted as public improvements, although established and maintained by the same generous woman who has provided the village with a hospital and other beneficent institutions, are the recreation grounds on Howell street and the swimming school on the lake front, at the foot of Main street, both of which are fitted with the most complete equip- ment and are in charge of trained instructors. Transportation Facilities. The trails which formed the avenues of travel and traffic for the original possessors of the soil gave place, following the opening of the country to settlement by the whites, to so-called turnpikes or state roads, of which Canandaigua was the center of an extensive system. These highways were in time supplemented and in some respects supplanted, first by the canal and then by the railroad. The Erie canal, completed in 1825, did not come nearer the village than Palmyra; in 1829, it was brought as near as Geneva by the com- pletion of the Ca)aiga and Seneca branch; an effort in 1820 to put the village and lake in direct connection with the "Grand Canal" then in course of building, was made through the formation of "The Ontario Canal Company" and $50,000 was raised toward the $100,000 which it was estimated the enterprise would cost, but this proposed waterway was not dug. -Canandaigua, however, was brought into direct and rapid communication with the rest of the country by the building of the Auburn and Rochester railroad, an enterprise in which two of its leading citizens, Francis Granger and Oliver Phelps, 3d, took an active part, and upon the organization of which Henry B. Gibson, of Canandaigua, became its president. After varied incidents and accidents the road was completed between Canandaigua and Rochester, and on Saturday, September 12, 1840, a locomotive and three cars came through to Canandaigua and made the return trip the Monday following. Within a few days a rude station house was built west of Mr. Gibson's residence, near where Greig terrace now intersects the Auburn branch, and there was opened, as the first time table advertised, "for freight and passage three daily lines." The work of construction toward the east was carried 300 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. rapidly forward, and on July 4, 1841, was so far completed as to warrant the running of an excursion train to Seneca Falls. The bridge over Cayuga lake was completed the same fall and in November trains were running the entire length of the road, between Rochester and Auburn. Some years later the Auburn and Rochester road was consolidated with the Auburn and Syracuse road, and in 1853 a direct line between Rochester and Syracuse was completed, a step preparatory to the general consolidation of the lines through the State in a corporation thereafter to be known as the New York Centi-al and Hudson River Railroad Company. The building of a road connecting Canandaigua with the country to the south was undertaken by Mark H. Sibley, Jonas M. Wheeler, Jared Willson, John A. Granger, and Oliver Phelps, 3d, in 1845, and, an act of incorporation having been secured and after much efioi't the requisite funds provided, the work of construction was begun in 1850. The road was opened between Canandaigua and Jefferson (now Watkins) in September, 1851. Known first as the Canandaigua and Corning railroad, it became on September 11, 1852, the Canandaigua and Elmira railroad. WiUiam G. Lapham was its superintendent, and its two passenger trains and two freight trains made the round trip between the two villages, daily. The road was sold to outside capitalists in 1857 for $35,000, subject to a bonded indebtedness of half a million dollars, and the name was changed to the Elmira, Canandaigua, and Niagara Falls Railroad. The road is now operated under lease by the Northern Central Compan)r, constituting the northern terminal of the Pennsylvania Railroad system, and afifords Canandaigua direct connection with Washington, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. The railroad now known as the B-atavia branch of the New York Central was built in 1853 by a corporation known as the Canandaigua and Niagara Falls Railroad Company. The first passenger train was run over the completed road on July 28, 1853. It is now operated by the New York Central under a long lease. Tentative efiforts were made subsequently to build railroads to connect Canandaigua by routes on the east and west sides of the lake with Naples and with the east and west trunk lines in the southern part of the State, also northward to Palmyra and Lake Ontario, but none of the projects were carried much beyond the prospectus stage. In May, 1904, however, the village saw the successful com- THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 301 pletion of an electric trolley line, the Rochester and Eastern Rapid Railway, connecting it with Rochester at the west and with Geneva at the east by an hourly car service. The company which built this road took over the franchise and property of the street railroad heretofore mentioned. The control of the Rochester and Eastern road was transferred in 1905 to a company of eastern capitalists representing the Vanderbilt or New York Central interests. Canandaigua Lake. The beautiful lake lying south of Canandaigua was from the earliest settlement a means of transportation bj' row and sail boats to and from the farms and woodlands lying about its headwaters, but the first steam craft to travel the lake was a boat called "The Lady of the Lake," which was built through the enterprise of Francis Granger, John Greig, Jared Willson, James D. Bemis, and other prominent citizens of the village, and which was launched in the summer of 1S27. The launching took place on the west shore of the lake, opposite the island, in the presence of a brilliant party of village people and under the eyes of the officers of the 12th regiment of militia, assembled by order of their commander. Colonel John A. Granger, for their annual drill. The "light infantry," the local militia company, was also out in their natty uniforms and with their fine martial music. The speech of the occasion was made by Mr. John Greig and the boat was christened with a bottle of wine broken by Miss Sally Morris, the daughter of Hon. Thomas Morris, a former prominent resident of the village. Isaac Parrish was the captain of the wonderful craft, which, however, was not a financial success and had but a brief career. The next lake steamboat, called "The Ontario," was built by a company of Naples capitalists and was launched in the fall of 1845. Her skeleton, too, was after a few years embedded in the sand at the bottom of the lake. This first "Ontario's" immediate successor was the "Joseph Wood," built by Allen and David Wood and for a long time successfully managed by the Standish brothers. About the year 1858, Captain John Robinson built the steamer "Henry B. Gibson," which after being enlarged and renamed "The Naples" passed into the hands first of Wood & Holcomb and then of the Warner brothers. She was later destroyed in the ice at Canan- daigua. In 1865 the W&rner brothers built as her successor a boat which was christened "The Canandaigua," and which for a number 302 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. of years was owned and operated by J. & A. McKechnie, the Canandaigua brewers. In September, 1867, the Standish brothers completed the construction of a new boat christened the "Ontario," the second Canandaigua lake craft to bear that name, and on the 25th of the month she was launched at Woodville with appropriate ceremonies, the traditional bottle being broken over the bow by Miss Julia Phelps of Canandaigua. Mr. Manning C. Wells delivered the address. A sharp rivalry ensued between the "Canandaigua," under the management of the McKechnies, and the "Ontario," of which Henry Standish succeeded to the captaincy. This rivalry continued for several years and until the McKechnies purchased the competing line. In 1880 the steamboat and dock properties of the lake were taken over by a corporation known as the Canan- daigua Lake Steam Navigation Company, of which Mr. M. Dwight Munger was the first president and Mr. James McKechnie his successor. This company, following the burning of the steamer "Ontario," at the dock in Canandaigua in July, 1887, began the construction of a new boat, which was launched May 19, 1888, and christened the "Onnalinda," by Miss Maude Sayer. The' address was delivered by Hon. John Raines. The "Onnalinda," 142 feet in length over all, with a deck 40 feet wide, is the largest boat that has been run on the lake. The following year, the same company built a second and smaller steamboat, the "Ogarita," to take the place of the worn-out "Canandaigua," whose engine, however, was trans- ferred and used in the new boat. In 1889, also, a rival or inde- pendent boat was built by the People's Line Company, in which Captain John M. McCormack, Captain James Menteth, and other lake boatmen were interested. This boat was launched May 5, Oliver Armstrong, Esq., making the speech and Miss Philadelphia Menteth giving it the name "Geuundewah." This boat was destroyed by fire at her dock at Woodville on December 8,- 1894. In July, 1899, the remaining steamboat interests of the lake went into the possession of a new corporation, the Canandaigua Lake Transportation Company, of which John Raines was made president and Louis Sayer became general manager. This company continues to operate the "Onnalinda," the "Ogarita," and also a smaller boat known as the "Oriana," which has been enlarged and fitted with a gasoline engine the present season. Much interest was manifested for a number of years in sailing craft, the Canandaigua Yacht Club, under the leadership of Commo- THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 303 dore Louis Sayer, having on its roster a score or more of fast boats and its annual regattas constituting an attractive feature of the succeeding summers. More recently the development of the gasoline pi-opelled launch has operated to discourage interest in sailing,- and the lake men have equipped themselves with motor boats representing the widest variety in size and equipment. At least one hundred and fifty of these boats are now in use on the lake. Manufacturing and Business Interests. Canandaigua, as the geographical and political center of a rich farming district, but without water jjOAA'er or other natural resources, has been compelled to develop its business along lines that would supply the needs of the farmers rather than depend upon the more stimulating if less reliable support of large manufacturing interests. It has, however, been the location of a number of ventures in manufacturing lines. First of these were, of course, the grist mills and the saw mills upon which the settlers had to depend for the flour with which to make their bread and the lumber with which to build their houses. Following the establishment of the grist mill on the outlet at Chapinville came a more extensive enterprise at the foot of Main street, but the water power available here was not sufificient and after several renewed attempts to make the enterprise a success it was abandoned and in 1828 the buildings were destroyed by fire. The J. & A. McKechnie Brewing Company was founded by James and Alexander McKechnie in 1843 and early became an extensive and profitable business, making millionaires of the owners. Following the death of the McKechnie bi-others, the enterprise was continued for a time by a company in which the younger members of the family were largely interested, but it is now operated by outside capital. The name and fam:e of Canandaigua ale is widely disseminated. Another successful enterprise has been that of the Lisk Manu- facturing Company, which v/as brought to Canandaigua from Clifton Springs in 1892, and here developed a large business in the manu- facture of anti-rust tin. Later the company greatly enlarged its plant and engaged in the manufacture of enameled steel ware, and notwithstanding a financial difficulty which it suffered, as the result of experiments in "high finance" by its directors, in 1907, it has gained recognition as one of the largest concerns in the country. 304 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Several ambitious attempts to build up successful manufactui"- iiig in other lines have been made, but outside of the two large roller flour mills of Smith Brothers & Co. and Fenton & Haw^kins, the planing mills of George T. Thompson and Frank R. Beecher, and the brick and tile works of Alfred M. Hollis, they have not met with success. The enterprises thus called to mind include the Robinson Chill Plow Works, established in 1876, following the invention of an improved process for chilling the mould boards of plows ; the sash, door and blind factory, established on Chapin street in 1887, by Johnson & Crowly; the Ontario Iron Works, established in 1883, by H. L. Howe and continued under the name of Howe & Dayton and Howe & Beard for several years; The Vanderbilt Sash Balance Company, organized in 1892; The Canandaigua Tin Ware Company, incorporated May 25, 1892; The Hydraulic Press Brick Company, established in 1892; the canning factory, a paper pail factory, etc. But while these attempts to transform Canandaigua from a business community, dependent very largely upon the trade of the surrounding agricultural population, to a pushing manufacturing community, have not been altogether successful, the business interests of the village have developed along substantial lines, and its financial and mercantile facilities have grown in strength and scope to an extent that makes it a favorite trading center, even in the face of the rivalry of the nearby city of Rochester. The Ontario Bank established in 1813, the Utica Branch Bank established in 1815, and the Ontario Savings Bank established in 1830, were the early banking institutions of the village, and under the management of Hem"y B. Gibson and Thomas Beals, men of unusual financial ability, and public spirited and influential citizens as well, gave the business of the community a stability that with the single exception of the distress resulting from the failure of the H. J. Messenger bank in Maj^, 1868, has not been disturbed. The financial interests of the community are now in the hands of two substantial institutions, The Canandaigua National Bank and the Ontario National Bank, which together have a capitalization of $200,000, a surplus of $165,000, and individual deposits aggregating a million and a half dollars. The business circles of the village now include two auctioneers, four dealers in agricultural implements, three bakers, ten barbers, five automobile garages, eight blacksmith shops, two book binder- THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 305 ies, two bookstores, five boot and shoe stores, five carriage dealers, eight clothing stores, seven coal and wood yards, nine confectionery and nevi^s stores, one crockery and china store, four drug stores, four dry goods stores, four florists, three furniture stores, ten grocery stores, two gunsmith shops, five hardware stores, seven harness shops, three hitch and feed barns, one ice dealer, eleven insurance agencies, four jewelry stores, two steam laundries, four livery stables, three lumber yards, one machine shop, six meat mar- kets, three merchant tailors, ten millinery shops, one music store, three photograph galleries, eight plumbers and steam fitters, six printing offices, eight produce dealers, four restaurants. Bell and Interlake telephone exchanges. Western Union and Postal tele- graph offices, four undertaking establishments, four variety stores, five hotels, and sixteen liquor saloons. There are also twenty-two lawyers, two civil engineers, eight dentists, three veterinarians, eigh- teen physicians, two broom manufacturers, two cigar manufactur- ers, twelve contractors and builders, three electricians, six hair dressers and manicurists, two monument dealers, one opera house, and two moving picture theaters. Municipal Organization. The settlement continued to grow in population and gain in property until it became evident that its proper government and development demanded its organization as an incorporated village. This was efifected by an act of the Legislature, passed April 18, 1815, and in accordance with the provisions of this act the first election was held on the first Tuesday in June thereafter, resulting in the election of the following named officers : Trustees, J^^mes Smedley, Thaddeus Chapin, Dr. Moses Atwater, Nathaniel W. Howell, and Phineas P. Bates ; assessors, Jasper Parrish, Asa Stanley, Freeman Atwater, Abner Barlow, and John A. Stevens ; treasurer, Thomas Beals; collector, Benjamin Waldron. At the meeting of the trustees on Jtine 13, 1815, Judge Howell was elected president of the board, and Myron Holley, clerk. The original charter of the village, enacted as above, and amended from time to time to meet the changing conditions, con- tinued without thorough revision until in 1893, when the instru- ment was redrafted and re-enacted on lines that divided the village into four wards, to each of which were given two representatives in the village board, while the office of President of the Village was 306 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. formally created and provision made for his election and that of three assessors, a treasurer, and a clerk, from the village at large. In 1904, in view^ of the inauguration of a system of extensive street improvement, the exclusive control and management of the parks, streets, and sidewalks was placed in the hands of a new board of five members known as the board of street commissioners. In 1905, the offices of collector and treasurer were combined, and the village government took the form in which it has continued to this date. The succession of Presidents of the Village from its first incor- poration has been as follows: 1815, Nathaniel W. Howell; 1816, Eliphalet Taylor; 1817-18, Jeremiah F. Jenkins; 1819-20, James D. Bemis; 1821, William H. Adams; 1822-23, Francis Granger; 1824, Henry B. Gibson; 1825, John W. Beals; 1826-27, Phineas P. Bates; 1828-29, James L5^on ; 1830, William Kibbe; 1831-32, Nathan Bar- low; 1833, William Blossom; 1834, Alexander H. Howell; 1835, Phineas P. Bates ; 1836-39, Nicholas G. Chesebro ; 1840, Phineas P. Bates; 1841-43, Nicholas G. Chesebro; 1844, Jabez H. Metcalf; 1845-46, George W. Bemis; 1847-49, John A. Granger; 1850-51, Myron H. Clark; 1852. Alexander H. Howell; 1853, Thomas F. Brown; 1854, Cyrus Townsend ; 1855, Alexander H. Howell; 1856-59, John J. Lyon; 1860-61, Henry C. Swift; 1862, Gideon Granger; 1863-64, Alexander McKechnie; 1865-66, Noah T. Clarke; 1867, John C. Draper; 1868. William H. Lamport; 1869-71, Jacob J. Mattison; 1872, Edward G. Tyler; 1873-74, Marshall Finley; 1875-76, Rollin L. Beecher; 1877, Hilem F. Bennett; 1878, J. Har- vey Mason; 1879, WilHam T. Swart; 1880, Amos H. Gillett; 1881-82, Rollin L. Beecher; 1883, Lyman C. North; 1884-85, John B. Robertson; 1886, Alexander Grieve; 1887, Frank H. Hamlin; 1888-89, Mattison L. Parkhurst; 1890, AV. M. Spangle; 1891, Charles F. Roberston; 1892-93, Lyman C. North; 1894, Mack S. Smith; 1895-98, Daniel M. Hulse ; 1899-1902, William H. Warfield: 1903-4, Cornelius J. Andruss; 1905-10, Maynard N. Clement; 1911, Peter P. Turner. The Village Clerks have been as follows: 1815-16, Myron Holley; 1817-18, George H. Boughton; 1819-28, Mark H. Sibley; 1829-30, Jeffrey Chipman; 1831-33, Albert Lester; 1834, Ebenezer S. Cobb; 1835-39, Ansel Munn; 1840, Ralph Chapin; 1841-44, Elbridge G. Lapham; 1845-46, George A. Leete; 1847-52, Hiram Metcalf; 1853, Myron H. Peck; 1854, Hiram Metcalf; 1855-57, THE VILLAGE OF CANANDAIGUA. 307 Cornelius Younglove; 1858-59, Fred A. Lyon; 1860-64, Cornelius Younglove; 1865, Walter Heard; 1866-68, George W. Bemis; 1869-71, Horatio B. Brace; 1872. George Couch; 1873-76, H. B. Brace; 1877, Charles H. Paddock; 1878-79, Charles B. Laphani ; 1880-83, Charles H. Paddock; 1884-85, Maynard N. Clement; 1886, Charles H. Paddock; 1887, Maynard N. Clement; 1888-89, C. E. Crandall; 1890-91, Samuel F. Wader; 1892-93, J. Stanley Smith; 1894-95, Mark T. Powell; 1896-98. George G. Smith; 1899-1901, George A. MacGreevey; 1902-04, Will E. Martin; 1905-07, James L. Bates; 1908-11, William N. Brooks. Present Village Officials. The present list of village officials includes many representa- tive citizens and is as follows : President of the Village. Peter P. Turner; Trustees, First ward, Acey W. Sutherland, Charles H. Caple ; Second ward, Pat- , rick Linehan, Peter O'Brien; Third ward, John J. Mattison, Har- ley Hancock; Fourth ward, Edward H. Hawkins, Robert D. Pater- son. The other elective officers are as follows : PoHce Justice, John J. Dwyer ; Treasurer-Collector, Henry Senglaub ; Assessors, Groat A. DeGrafif, Henry G. Higley, William M.Crowly. The Board of Street Commissioners is made up as follows : Thomas Johnson, president ; W. A. Salladin, Charles J. Brady, James J. Ward, Myron B. Lindsley. Board of Water Commissioners — Alexander Davidson, presi- dent; Clarence W. Mead, secretary; Chester Boyce, William R. Marks, William Garratt. Board of I-ight Commissioners — Thomas P. Murray, presi- dent; Willis H. Tuttle, secretary; Frank Bates, Manning W. Levy James J. Fogarty. Board of PoHce Commissioners — Edward G. Hayes, president; Edward W. Simmons, Edward J. Tracy. Board of Health — Michael W. Tuohey, president; Howard J. Moore, secretary; Matthew C. O'Brien. Fire Department — Chief Engineer, William H. Townsend ; First Assistant Engineer, Fred Kershaw: Second Assistant Engi- neer, Frank B. Cox; Secretary and Treasurer, Howard J. Moore. The members of the village board and the members of the 308 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. commissions having control of the several departments named serve without pay. The only paid officials in the village government are those holding the elective positions of Police Justice, Treasurer-Collector, and Assessor; the Village Clerk, the Village Attorney, and minor offilcials appointed by the Board of Trustees ; and the executive employees appointed by and serving under the several commis- sions, like the street superintendent, the superintendent of the water works, etc. Supplementing the work of the several boards and officials elected or appointed under the provisions of the charter, and con- stituting in reality a department of the village government, though in a legal sense entirely independent of it, is the Board of Educa- tion, the members of M'hich are elected by the voters of the union district, embracing a territory practically the same as the village. The members of this board are as follows : Thomas H. Bennett, president ; Charles F. Robertson, vice president ; John H. Kelly, , Orlando J. Hallenbeck, Walter H. Knapp, John Colmey, John H. Jewett, Edgar S. Wheaton, Antoinette P. Granger. Another organization which may be properly considered an auxiliary of the village government is the Canandaigua Cemetery Association. This association is organized as follows : Alexander Davidson, president ; Charles F. Robertson, vice president ; Clarence W. Mead, treasurer; Harrison B. Ferguson, secretary; trustees — Matthew R. Carson, Orlando J. Hallenbeck, George B. Anderson, Abram C. Cappon, O. S. Bacon, Walter H. Knapp, Grant M. Kennedy, James D. Park. Canandaigua was one of the seven larger villages of the State to which the operation of the Civil Service law and rules was extended in March, 1910. The Village Fire Department. The first fire fighting organization of the village was known as the Canandaigua Fire Company and was recognized by the Village Board of Trustees on April 22, 1816, as containing the following members: John W Beals, Charles Underbill, Walter Hubbell, Punderson B. Underhill, Ebenezer Ely, Spencer Chapin, Nicholas Chesebro, Charles Hill, Manning Goodwin, Joseph Bull, George H. Boughton, George Clark, James Lyon, Mark H. Sibley, Simeon T. Kibbe, Hiram T. Day, Jeremiah F. Jenkins, W. N. THE VILLAGE OF. CANANDAIGUA. 309 Jenkins, John Clark, and Abraham H. Bennett. This company was equipped with a hand engine, which has been preserved as a sample of the best fire fighting apparatus of the time. In 1830, Fire Company No. 2 was organized, in 1832 the Can- andaigua Hook and Ladder Company, and in 1843, Ontario Fire Company, No. 3. The present representatives of these old organi- zations are kiiown respectively as The Ei'ina Hose Company, The Merrill Hose Company, The Mutual Hook & Ladder Company, and The Ontario Hose Company. The evolution in the buildings and equipment of the Fire Department has kept pace with the times, and housed in substantial brick buildings and supplied with steam fire engine, chemical fire wagons, and hook and ladder truck, supplementing the municipal system of water supply, it constitutes an efficient and in all respects modern department, although still maintained by an entirely vol- unteer and unpaid service. The records of the department previous to 1858 have been lost. Since that date the executive control has been vested in the following succession of Chief Engineers: 1858, .William McGin- niss; 1859-1860, Moses Twist: 1861, Stephen L. Sterling; 1862, Bardwell S. Billings; 1863, Thomas F. Brown; 1864-66, Bardwell S. Billings; 1867-68, Hugh King: 1869, E. McGorey; 1870, John S. Robinson; 1871, L. 6. Lampman; 1872, A. D. Paul; 1873-75, Thomas H. Bennett; 1876-89, O. N. Crane; 1890-92, William Mc- Cabe, Jr.; 1893-95, James Fogarty; 1896-1900, James M. McCabe; 1901-05, Thomas E. Murphy; 1906-07, Robert Ranney; 1908, James Cummings; 1909, Peter Mack: 1910-11, William H. Townsend. Musical Development. In later years Canandaigua has witnessed a most encouraging development of musical interest and ability, as evidenced by the work of the "Tuesday Musicale," an organization of ladies which holds bi-monthly programme meetings, and by that of "The Singers," a choral society. Both of these organizations have been sustained through a series of years with increasing interest. "The Singers," under the direction of their president, the Hon. Harry I. Dunton, and their director, the Hon. Robert F Thompson, have presented at their yearly May Festivals, with great popular success, musical compositions of the highest merit, that for the present year having been Mendelssohn's "Elijah." 310 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XXVI THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. The Indian Village of Gannogarae — Organization of the Town and Its First Settlers — The First White Woman Honored as a Good Bread Maker — Early Manufacturing Enterprises — Schools and Churches — Soldiers' Monument — The First Town Meeting. By Carolyn Bubll. Throughout all the years since the region now known as East Bloomfield was a wilderness, inhabitated only by a tribe of the primeval Indian race, down to the present time of organized living, of prosperity and peace, much has been written, recorded, and pre- served of its history. From time to time as the years have gone by, papers have been prepared and written, societies have been formed, and histories compiled, in order that the things accom- plished here, and the glorious lives of the men and women who faithfully lived and toiled here for its advancement, might not be forgotten by the generations coming after. For those who have spent their lives or a part of their lives in East Bloomfield and who have followed with interest and appre- ciation its beginning, growth, and development, as recorded in written history, and who are still following with the same interest and appreciation its growth and development now, this little review is made. The first that was recorded about this region is that it was inhabited by the Seneca Indians. They built their wigwams on the banks of Mud creek and of other smaller streams 'round about. Among the tall, strong forest trees which completely enveloped these picturesque homes of our predecessors, were found the oak, walnut, and wild chestnut. Some of these were cut down and large tracts of land cleared to make room for fields of maize and apple THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. 311 orchards; narrow Indian trails, blazed countless years before, led the way beside dense jungles; domestic animals roamed about at wilJ, the whole presenting a landscape charming and beautiful. To the little village on Mud creek called Gannogarae, situated about three miles northeast of what is now East Bloomfield village, came the Frenchman, known as the Marquis Denonville one day in July, 1687, with his army of thousands, all bent on destruction. They had just come from Boughton hill near Victor, where they had been successful in laying the ashes of another Indian village, and with this inspiration to put new vigor into them, they fell upon the little Gannogarae. We read with some pleasure that they barely escaped ignoble defeat at the hands of those few hundred warriors, but in the end the survival of the fittest was evidenced. We pass quickly by what followed, of homes destroyed, maize fields trampled into the ground, and animals put to death, a ruin swift as it was complete. Thus was the curtain drawn over the first chapter of our history. Next we read that in December, 1786, what is now Ontario county, together with the present counties of Steuben, Genesee, Allegany, Niagara, Chautauqua, Monroe, Livingston, Erie, Yates, and the western half of Orleans and Wayne, was included in the tract of land ceded by New York to the commonwealth of Massa- chusetts, svibject to the claims of the Seneca Indians. In July, 1788, Oliver Phelps purchased the Indian title to the territory, and in November of the same year. Mr. Phelps and Nathaniel Gor- ham, as agents for an association for the purpose, purchased of Massachusetts its claim upon the same lands. The township of what is now East Bloomfield was purchased from Phelps and Gorham in 1789 by Captain William Bacon, Gen- eral John Fellows, General John Ashley, Elisha Lee, and Dr. Joshua Porter, from Sheffield, Massachusetts, and Deacon John Adams, from Alford, a village near Sheffield, and by them parceled out to the early settlers. The town of Bloomfield, so named because of the beauty of its landscape and foliage, was formed January 27, 1789, and included what is now Victor, Mendon, East and West Bloomfield. Victor and Mendon were taken from it in 1812, and in 1833 it was again divided into East and West Bloomfield. To many of us the names of the first settlers and the incidents connected with their advent and of their estabhshment here are familiar. Especially prominent is the name of Deacon John Adams, 312 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. owing to the fact that he was the pioneer settler. He came to know the country around here when driving cattle from Massachu- setts to Fort Niagara to supply the troops stationed there. He came in the spring of 1789, bringing with him his sons, Jonathan, John, William, Abner, and Joseph, his sons-in-law, Lorin Hull, Mr. Wilcox, and Ephraim Rew, with their wives ; three unmarried daughters, and Elijah Rose, a brother-in-law, his wife and a son. Some came by water, bringing their farming implements and house- hold utensils up the Mohawk river. Wood creek, Oneida lake, Seneca river, and through the outlet of Canandaigua lake to Can- andaigua. Others came on horseback, following as far as possible the old Indian trails. At the same time came Nathaniel and Eber Norton, Benjamin Gauss, Moses Gunn, John Barnes, Asa Hickox, Lot Rew, Roger Sprague, John and Thaddeus Keyes, and Joel Steele. The first thing of importance which was done was the erection of a log cabin, thirty by forty feet, by Deacon Adams. His family being somewhat numerous for such restricted quarters, sleeping places were provided by means of berths fastened one above another to wooden pins driven into the wall, a highly ingenious if not exactly hygienic method. This abode stood upon the east side of Mud creek, a little south of the old Indian village before men- tioned, and it bore the distinction of being the first dwelling west of Canandaigua put up by white settlers. Near by were soon built two smaller log structures for the use of the others of these early settlers not belonging to Deacon Adams's family. The kindly hospitality which has always been a ^characteristic of the people of East Bloomfield showed itself even in those trying days of primitive living, for we read that when Judge Augustus Porter, a youth of twenty years, came on to survey the town into lots of suitable size for farms, he was entertained at the home of Deacon Adams. We cannot help wondering if an opening had to be made in the roof in order to find a place for his sleeping berth. It was his first experience of backwoods life, but he liked it, for it is said that in later years he used often to speak with animation of the hours spent in the little log house, of the charm and warmth and fascination of the crackling, blazing logs in its enormous fire place, and especially of the excellent bread which Mrs. Elijah Rosi; baked in the ashes of this fire. This Mrs. Rose was a sister of Deacon Adams and the first THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. 313 white woman to enter this town as a resident, receiving as a mark of honor, fifty acres of land. Thus has her name been handed down through the generations following, because she made good bread and was courageous. As these virtues are appreciated by the strong sex rather than the fair, we may conclude that chivalry can be added to hospitahty as life-long virtues of our people. In 1790 a census was taken registering ten families in what is now East Bloomfield, containing sixty-five people. No town of the county had more females and no town excepting Canandaigua more inhabitants. The first children born in the town were Mary and OHve Hamlin. They were born in 1791 and 1792 respectively and were the daughters of Elijah Hamlin, Mr. John S. Hamlin's grandfather. Much could be written of the trials and hardships of this brave little pioneer company; flies, gnats, and mosquitoes were numer- ous, and malarial fevers prevalent. The price of grain and flour was high, Eber Norton paying in June, 1790, $2.25 for fifty pounds of flour, and in addition to this he was obliged to go to Geneva for it. It was no uncommon occurrence for a band of wolves to enter a flock of sheep at night and destroy them all ; bears also were very troublesome, as they would often destroy the hogs which had to be allowed to run at large in order to find enough to eat and thus were at their mercy. But surely and steadilv these difficulties were met and over- come. At the first town meeting held at the home of Asher Sax- ton, April 5, 1796, seven years after the first settlement, it was voted that "a bounty of ten dollars should be paid by the town to any person (being an inhabitant of the town) who should kill and destroyiE wolf within the limits of the town." We are reheved to read a httle later that Asahel Sprague caught ten in Bloomfield, which had the efifect to pretty much stop their ravages in that quar- ter. This bounty was kept up for fifteen years. In 1818 it was voted "that William Root be. struck ofif to the lowest bidder to support him comfortably the coming year." Thus the poor were provided for. In 1830 a penalty of fifty cents was imposed for every hog allowed to run at large, twelve and one-half cents for every sheep, and two dollars for every horse. Twelve dollars was the amount which was imposed upon the unlucky man 314 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. who permitted Canada thistles to go to seed on any portion of his domain. The inhabitants of the three original log cabins soon left them and bought farms for thenjselves and built suitable homes. Order was made out of the chaos. Other settlers were coming- in all the time, and life began to take on a different aspect. We hope that the merry quilting, husking, and apple paring bees, the jolly sing- ing schools from which happy lovers walked home hand in hand, whimpering of the future, the sleighride parties taken on frosty, starry nights bearing loads of care-free youngsters, were a part of the lives of these first home makers as well as of those of later years. To General John Fellows, one of the original purchasers of the town, is accorded the honor of having erected the first frame barn west of Canandaigua. The first frame house which was built in the village is still in existence, although many changes have been made in it. It is the one now occupied by the Misses Stiles and was built in 1794. In 1790 General John Fellows and Augustus Porter built the first saw mill in town on the bank of Mud creek. This was the third saw mill on the Phelps find Gorham Purchase. The need of some manufacturing facilities was soon felt and not long after the first settlement two ox cart and wagon shops were in operation in the town. The superior work done in these shops and in those of a later date drew orders from New York city and from States outside of New York. The names of Taft, Hayes, Mead, and Swift are among those who were connected with this work. As early as 1804 the manufacture of brick was begun. It was said to be of a superior quality, which for twenty years was used in the construction of stores, halls, and dwellings. About twenty buildings Avere put up in this time. In 1811, there were five flour mills in town, the first being built by Joel Steele on Mud creek. This did away with the long trips with ox team and sled which were necessary before in order to obtain flour. No better flour could be had in eastern markets than that sent out from these mills. It was marked "Genesee Flour, Bloomfield." In 1805, there were three wool carding and cloth dressing machines in the town, all having extensive patronage in Western New York. Three clock factories were doing business in 1811. Wooden THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. 315 one-day clocks were made by one James Blake in the northern part of the town. Eight-day brass clocks were manufactured, some of them giving the changes of the moon and the day of the month, selHng for ninety dollars. Andirons and candle sticks of brass were made, also sleigh bells from two to five inches in diameter, the ringing of which, it was said, could be heard at least two miles away. Hats of fur and wool were made here. Gun shops, cooper and blacksmith shops, and tanneries, abounded. To give a little idea of the condition of things in 1813, we quote from an article published in the "Gazetteer of the State of New York" of that time : "This is the most populous town in the county and one of the best farming towns in the State. The inhab- itants are wealthy, enjoying all the ease of independence, derived from agricultural industry and economy. The soil is of the best quality of loam, good for grain and grass, and the surface but gently undulated." The demand for some educational facilities was met in 1792 by the building of a school house at the place of the first settlement. Laura Adams was the first teacher to give instruction here. To her came the children through the forest paths from every direc- tion within a radius of three miles. Three years later, the second one was built. It was composed of logs having a fire place almost the entire width of the interior. The window was formed by means of a hole cut in the logs and covered over with greased paper. The roof was of clapboards held in place by means of heavy poles and the low door was hung on wooden hinges. In the fall of 1797, a young man carrying his worldly possessions upon his back arrived in town, and introducing himself as a teacher from Con- necticut suggested that a new school district be formed with his services as teacher. The proposition was accepted and another log school house went up. In an article written by one of our townsmen about the district schools of 1825 and 1830, he states that men were usually employed to teach the winter terms and women the summer terms. This arrangement was probably deemed expedient because it was during the winter months that the large boys flocked in. It seems to have been the custom of these young men to test the ability of their instructor, the first day, by an attempt to put him out. If they failed in accomplishing this feat, as we are told they frequently did, they retired gracefully and gave no more trouble during that winter 316 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. at least. Men teachers were paid from twelve to eighteen dollars a month with board, and women from one to two dollars a week and board. These last were expected to teach the art of needle- work and of embroidery in addition to their other work. The boys of these schools were taught to acknowledge their teacher upon entering the school room by making a low bow, hat in hand, the girls by making a low courtesy. They were also instructed to acknowledge every one whom they chanced to meet on their way to and from school, and most people were polite enough to recognize and to return this salutation. It was also the duty of the long suffering teacher to make and to keep in repair the goose quill pens, metal pens being, of course, an unheard of thing in those days. The paper in the writing books was of unruled foolscap and those learning to write were obliged to rule their own paper with a plummet made of lead. When this was done the copy was written by the teacher. In many of the schools it was the custom, at stated times every week, to repeat in unison the multiplication table, the ten commandments, the Lord's prayer, or passages from the New England primer. On the ninth of April, 1838, an act passed the Legislature, incorporating the East Bloomfield Academy. Accordingly, a three story brick building was erected, capable of seating two hundred pupils. School was opened in May, 1839, having three depart- ments: a primary, a higher English, and a classical. In 1840 the school became subject to the Board of Regents and the Academy was converted into a vinion school. June of 1909 marked the close of the career of the old brick building as a school house, which it had held for seventy years. Thirteen hundred dollars was voted to buy the lot for the fine new building of pressed brick on Main street, twenty-five thousand to put it up, and twenty-five hundred to furnish it. This building was completed and made ready .for occupancy in the fall of 1909. It is fitted with modern, scientific appliances for heating, lighting, and ventilating, and apparently is considered in every way thoroughly satisfactory. At one time Miss Sophia Adams, sister of Myron Adams, kept a select school in the house now occupied by the Rev. Mr. Howard. This was the first of its kind in East Bloomfield to take up more than the common branches. This school must have been famous for its beauty as well as its learning, for we read that when Miss Adams appeared in Canandaigua with her young charges, at a THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. 317 reception given at the home of Judge Taylor in honor of General Lafayette, the latter, after meeting one of them. Miss Julia Parrish, kissed her and remarked that she was the handsomest lady he had met in America! In the midst of this period of creation and of toil came the desire and the need for a way to express the religion that was in these people, and on September 8, 1795, six years after the first settlement, the first religious society in the town was formed. It was called the Independent Congregational society. The first step taken after organizing the society was to purchase a "burying ground and a meeting house green." With this end in view, six acres of land were purchased of Benjamin Keyes on October first, 1798. Upon the west half of this lot, in 1801, was erected the first church this side of Clinton, Oneida county. It was completed six years later, 1807, and was regularly incorporated in 1811. This building was fitted with galleries on three sides, with square pews both above and below, in which not more than one-third of the audience could face the minister. It faced the south, having a high pulpit at the opposite end, and it stood just a little north of the present building. Twenty-nine years later, in January, 1836, it was decided, rather than to remodel the old edifice, to raise four thousand dollars to build a new one. Thus the present Congregational church was built. The Methodist church was first established on Mud creek, in the northeast part of the town, and the first church was built there. The .society was organized May 12, 1834, as the "First Methodist Church of East Bloomfield." In 1840 the church was reorganized and the first church edifice built. This building was afterwards moved and used as a dwelling house. In 1859 the church was reorganized a second time, Avhen the building put up by the Univers- alists was bought from the Episcopalians for $2,000, together with the parsonage. This church is in use at the present time. An Episcopal church society was organized in 1830, taking the name of St. Peter's. The services were held at first in private houses and in the Universalist church previously mentioned. As far as can be learned, the present edifice was built in 1859, after the society sold the Universalist building to the Methodist society. The church now has an endowment of $8,000 bequeathed by Mrs. Hiram Holcomb. The first Catholic church was erected in 1851, the parish at this 318 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. time numbering sixteen families and about seventy persons. On the twenty-first of August, 1874, the corner stone of the present church was laid. It stands in the north part of the village and is a substantial brick building, containing a fine organ in the gallery and a number of rich memorial windows. The history of East Bloomfield would not be complete without some mention of the pretty little park which lies between the Methodist and Congregational churches. It was originally called the "square" and was a part of six acres of land deeded . by Benjamin Keyes to the Congregational church in 1798 for one hundred and eight dollars. For many years it was a rough, uneven plot of ground, full of old stumps and fallen trees. Cattle, sheep, and swine wandered about, and the ducks and geese of the neighbor- hood found amusement in the small pond contained in it. Finally, in 1848, the ground was graded, seeded, and fenced, and, a few years later, planted to trees. Dr. Murphy planted the elms, Luther Barber the chestnuts, S. Emmons the locusts, and the Rev. Luther Conklin the wild cherry trees. In 1868, a fund of $6,000 was raised by subscription, entertain- ments, and bazars, to erect a monument in this park to commem- orate the lives of those who went from East Bloomfield to fight for the Union cause in the Civil war. Of the one hundred and fifty- eight young men who enlisted at this time, thirty-one never returned. Of the five men named as a finance committee to whom the subscriptions were to be paid, Mr. Charles Bttell, of Canan- daigua, alone is living. This monument is of brown granite and stands in the center of the park. It is surmounted by the figure of a soldier in fatigue uniform, looking toward the sovvth. Upon the four sides of the shaft is carved the war record of the town. On the front is the roll of honor of the 85th regiment. New York Volunteers, and above, the names of battles. On the base is this inscription : "East Bloomfield. To the memory of her sons who died in the defense of the Union, 1861-65." The column is forty-five feet in height, and stands on a stone foundation which is ten or twelve feet below the base. Its weight is estimated at one hundred and fifty tons. The heaviest stone, weighing nine tons, was drawn from the depot by twelve horses. The work of erection was begun in December, 1866, and was completed in January of the year following. The dedication took place on the fourteenth of October, 1868, at which a famous dinner was served beneath a large tent in THE TOWN OF EAST BLOOMFIELD. 319 the park. Three thousand were served at this dinner and it was said that at its close enough of provision was left to feed a small army. This was followed by music, prayer, an oration by an Auburn resi- dent, the reading of an original poem by one of our townsmen, and an address by the Rev. Luther Conklin, pastor of the Congregational church. In the evening a large audience assembled in the Congre- gatioiial church to listen to an oration given by Col. W. H. C. Hosmer, of Avon. The cannon at the base of the monument were presented by the Government in 1884. A few years ago, Mr. James Elton of Waterbury, Connecticut, erected an arch in front of the park and gave the sum of $1,000, the interest of which is to be used toward keeping the park in order. This was done in memory of his wife who died some years previous At the same time it was named Elton park. In 1898 the vvork of laying crushed stone roads was begun. At present there are about fifteen miles of stone road in East Bloom- field. Natural gas obtained from nearby wells was piped into the village in 1904. There are about five miles of cement walks in the village at present, the first being laid in 1905. The first county tuberculosis hospital in New York State has just been erected on a high rise of ground in the south part of the town, a location admirabh' adapted in every way for such an institution. Fifteen thousand dollars was appropriated for this building and for its equipment. At its^ completion, the building committee turned it over to the board of managers, which consists of Father Dougherty, of Canandaigua ; Dr. C. C. Lytle, of Geneva : Dr. W. B. Clapper, of Victor ; Mr. Levi A. Page, of Seneca, and Mr. Heber E. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield. Dr. S. R. Wheeler, of East Bloomfield, is the superintendent. The population of the town, according to the census of 1910. is 1,892. At the first town meeting in April, 1796, officials were chosen as follows : Supervisor, Amos Hall ; town clerk, Jared Boughton : assessors and commissioners of schools, Asa Hickox, John Adams, David Parsons, Samuel Starling, Roger Sprague ; commissioners of highways, Jonathan Adams, David Parsons, Joseph Brace: over- seers of poor, Jasper Peck Sears, Asher Saxton ; constables, Daniel Bronson, Clark Peck, Seymour Boughton; collectors, Nicholas Smith,' Philander Saxton, Julius Curtis. The tpAvn has been of its present proportions since 1833, when 320 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. it was established as East Bloomfield and West Bloomfield was set ofif as a separate town. The succession of supervisors since 1838 has been as follows: Timothy Buell, Jr., 1838-41; Philo Hamlin, 1842-45; Josiah Porter, 1846; Edwin W. Fairchild, 1847; Moses Shepard, 1848-49; Guy Collins, 1850-52; Henry W. Hamlin, 1853-55 Elisha Steele, 1856-58; Edward Brunson, 1859-61 ; Frederic Munson 1862-66; Edward Brunson, 1867-69; Reuben E. French, 1870-71 Henry ,W. Hamlin, 1872; Reuben E. French, 1873; Cholett Collins 1874-76; Harley Hamlin, 1877-80; George AV. Hamlin, 1881-82 Daniel R. Bostwick, 1883 ; John S. Hamlin, 1884-86; Myron Mariner 1887; Frank W. Page, 1888-89; John M. Norton, 1890-91; Harry G Chapin, 1892; Peter Neenan, 1893-95; Roswell M. Lee, 1896-1903 Edward F. Burt, 1904-05 ; James Flynn, 1906-07; Edward E. Rigney, 1908-11. THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. 321 NO. XXVII. THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. Named After a Connecticut Town— Purchased by a Company of "Friends" from Massachusetts — Names of the Pioneers — Early Houses of Worship — The School Districts and Their Settlers — Survivors of the Union Armies of 1861-65 — Decrease in Population Noted — Present Town Officers. By Albert H. Stevenson. Farmington, which was named after Farmington, Connecticut, is happily situated in the heart of a beautiful, prosperous, and healthful, farming region, as the chance traveler can testify. The soil in the northern and central part of the town is a gravelly loam and is very productive, while a strip of land across the southern part has a heavy clay soil which is also very productive of certain crops, and there are many splendid meadow and grazing lands throughout the town. The villages are New Salem, hereafter men- tioned, Brownsville, and Mertensia, and the streams. Black brook, Beaver creek or Trap brook, and the Ganargua or Mud creek. The township now known as Farmington constituted the first sale of land made from the Phelps and Gcrham tract, it being township No. 11, range 3, of the great tract. It was purchased in 1789 by members of the Society of Friends, or Quakers, from Berkshire, Massachusetts, their purchase embracing also the terri- tory now comprised in the town of Manchester. The two town- ships continued to be known as Farmington until 1821, when Man- chester (township No. 11, 2nd range) was set oflF. The names of the purchasers were Nathan Comstock, Ben- jamin Russelj, Abraham Lapham, Edmund Jenks, Jeremiah Brown, Ephraim Fish, Nathan Herendeen, Nathan Aldrich, Stephen Smith, Benjamin Rickenson, William Baker, and Dr. Daniel Brown. The deed was given to Messrs. Comstock and Russell as representatives 322 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. of the company. A settlement was commenced in 1789 by Nathan Comstock, with his sons Otis and Darius, and Robert Hathaway, these pioneers accomplishing their journey by both land and water routes. They made a clearing in the wilderness, near where now stands the little hamlet of New Salem, familiarly known as Pump- kin Hook, built a cabin, and sowed a small piece of wheat. The little company brought but one horse with them and that they had the misfortune to lose, so they were obliged to walk to Geneva, some twenty miles or more distant, for their weekly provisions and household supplies. When fall came, all returned to Massachusetts, except Otis Comstock, who was left alone in the new country, with no neighbors nearer than Canandaigua and Boughton Hill, excepting, indeed, the wild animals inhabiting the forest, or the Indians. Truly, his must have been a brave and dauntless spirit, nor had he the solace of a daily, nor yet a weekly paper. However, in the spring of 1790, Nathan Comstock, Nathan Aldrich, Isaac Hathaway, Nathan Her- endeen, and others started to join Otis, traveling with ox teams and making a camp-fire where night overtook them. After weary days they reached the little clearing and soon had erected cabins, and before fall had sowed several fields of wheat, the soil having received no further preparation than the clearing away of trees and the raking in of the seed. During this first summer, owing to decaying vegetation, these pioneers sufiFered greatly from the disagreeable disease known as fever and ague. The cabin of Nathan Aldrich was the second built in the town. In it, in the year 1797, was held the first town meeting in the town, and there Mr. Aldrich died in 1818. Nathan Herendeen built the third cabin and raised the first barn in town in 1794, in what is now known as District No. 1, and on the farm known to many now as the Mercereau place. Here, in 1807, Herendeen died. In 1790 the first white child, Welcome Herendeen, was born in Farmington. The first house of worship was erected by the Friends near New Salem, in 1796. It was built of logs and was the first house of worship west of Clinton, Oneida county. Destroyed by fire in 1803, it was replaced in 1804 by a frame building, for which Nathan Comstock drew the timbers to Smith's mill, which had been built in 1795. This building, in its turn, was destroyed by fire, in 1875. It was again rebuilt, the first service in the new building being held in June, 1876. At this meeting spoke Thomas Kimber and THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. 323 wife, of Philadelphia; Elwood Scott, of Iowa; Mary Knowles, Margaret Hathaway, and Jarvis Rider. PYom the beginning of the settlement, the Friends held regular meetings, increased in num- bers, and lived in peace and unity, which continued until the year 1828, when one Elias Hicks was moved to expound a new doctrine, which caused a division in the society. Thereafter the seceders were called Hicksites, while those adhering to the original doc- trines of the society were called Orthodox Friends. About the year 1816, a large meeting house had been erected to accommodate the increasing congregation, the old house of 1804 being left standing, and in this new building remained the Hicksites, while the Orthodox returned to the old building. The church built in 1816 is now standing and is a well preserved building, being one of Farmington's quaintest landmarks. The first speaker of the Friends in this town was Caleb McCumber, who died in 1850. The following is a list of the ministers of the Orthodox Friends church to the present time, as nearly correct as it is possible to obtain: Bersheba Herendeen, Lydia McCumber, Margaret Hath- away, Jarvis M. Rider, Adelaide H. Wood, Mary S. Knowles, Edwin P. Wood, Thomas E. Williams, George B. Evans, Leverett J. Rugg, James Renfrew. Of the Hicksites we may mention John J. Cornell, Sunderland P. Gardner, a resident minister, Isaac Wil- son, and others. It can be truthfully said of the Friends that they were honest. God-fearing, peace abiding citizens, and we of later days must look well to it that we preserve that integrity of life and purpose so nobly set before us by our respected Quaker ancestors. The Friends were not the only religious society which started churches in Farmington. In 1817, a Presbyterian society was organized, but it lived but fifteen short years. In 1846 the Wes- leyan Methodist church was built in the village and enjoyed a prosperous life about forty years. The first pastor of this church was Thomas Burrows. After the dissolution of this society, the edifice was sold to the trustees representing Farmington Grange, No. 431, viz: George E. Lapham, Ellery G. Allen, and Albert H. Stevenson, said society taking possession in 1892. The German Lutheran denomination built a neat edifice in the village of New Salem in 1894 and now has a prosperous and growing society here. The first resident pastor was Rev. Herman Leibich, who was fol- lowed by Ernest Resseig, E. Saul, W. Siedel, and J. Flierl. 324 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. We would not leave the subject of the settlement of Farming- ton without recording the first death, that of Elijah Smith, in 1793, or the first marriage, that of Otis Comstock and Huldah Freeman, in 1792. Other interesting facts to note are the building of the first grist mill, by Jacob and Joseph Smith, in 1793, and that Otis Hathaway was the founder of New Salem, a quiet little village of one hundred inhabitants, and in 1810 erected there the first store building of which Jonathan Batty was the keeper for about ten years. An ax factory was established by Lewis Lombard in 1825, and a wagon shop by George Hoag in 1823. Walter Whipple established an iron foundry in 1843. Matthew Windsor was the pioneer shoemaker, and Waters and Cook the pioneer hatters. The first inn keeper was Daniel Allen, who was followed by several others ; but here as always the Friends' society manifested its purity of thought and motive by purchasing the last hotel and closing it, and to this day there is no place in Farmington where intoxicating liquors can be legally purchased. The schools of Farmington rank well with the schools of other towns. The Friends, in the year 1838, established a manual and labor training school, which, however, did not prove as decided a success as did the good old district school. In order to be more definite, we will now take up the history of Farmington by the school districts. Commencing with District No. 1, Abraham Lapham was a resident in that district in 1790, and in the spring of 1790 John Payne came from Massachusetts. Jona- than Reed, the pioneer blacksmith, and a son-in-law of Nathan Herendeen, moved upon the farm now owned by the Trenfield sis- ters. Another son-in-law of Nathan Herendeen settled upon and cleared the land where Richard Broomfield now lives, and was the pioneer cabinet maker. John Dillon was also a pioneer settler in this district. Joseph Smith and James Smith started an ashery in 1793 and Thomas Herendeen a tannery in 1800. District No. 2 had for its pioneer settlers Adam Nichols, Joseph Wells, and Jacob Smith. It is recorded that during the year of 1806, made memorable by the great eclipse, one Elam Crane taught the district school and upon that day took his pupils to the road, pointed out to them the dark body passing^ slowly across the face of the sun, and taught such a lesson as may never be forgotten. Schoolmaster and pupils have all passed away. In this district, the present town hall is situated. THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. 325 District No. 3 had for its pioneer settler Arthur Power, who cleared and fitted for cultivation the farm now owned by Dr. W. G. Dodds, of Canandaigua. District No. 4 borders upon Victor and is traversed by the Ganargua river and contains the hamlet of Mertensia. Upon this stream McMillan built the first flour mill in the town for Jacob Smith, in 1793, and two years later a saw mill was erected on the opposite side of the stream. It is claimed that the site of these mills was a familiar hunting and fishing place of the Indians, and that to Mr. Smith's mill they came to trade their fish and game for flour and feed. David Smith, Farmington's first constable, lived for many years in this locality. District No. 5 had for some of its pioneer settlers Gideon Grin- nell, Germond Ketcham, and a man by the name of Pratt, all of whom have passed away. District No. 6 had for its pioneer settler Isaac Hathaway, from Adams, Massachusetts, who located at what has since been known as Hathaway's corners. A framed barn built by Ananias McMillan for Mr. Hathaway in 1793 was the first building of its kind in the town. In this district, at the home of Isaac Hathaway, occurred the first marriage in town, that of Otis Comstock and Huldah Free- man. The ceremony was performed by Dr. Moses . Atwater, of Canandaigua. Asa- Wilmarth lived near the corners and was one of the first justices of the peace. Robert Power settled near the corners and was said to have been an excellent carpenter and joiner and was the workman employed upon the woodwork of the Yale college buildings. The Aldriches were also pioneer settlers in this district. In the early days of the settlement, the district had a log school house and Lydia Smith was one of its teachers. District No. 7, a joint district in Farmington and Macedon, had among its early settlers, Asa Smith, father of Gideon Smith, who survives at the advanced age of ninety years and is a resident of the district at the present time, and Samuel Everett, whose descendants have resided in the district until the past year or two. District No. 8 had for its pioneer settlers John Pound and Elijah; his brother, from New Jersey, who settled upon and cleared the land now owned by Albon G. Sheldon, Sr., and James Hoag, who settled here and carried on a shoe shop. Among the pioneers in District No. 9 was Job Howland, who located here in 1790 and within a short time built a saw mill on 326 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Black brook. In this district were planted some of the first orchards in the town. The first white settler in this section was Major Smith, who had a good orchard as early as 1800. In 1803, Smith sold to Benjamin Hance, from Maryland, who brought some slaives with him. The pioneer settlers in District No. 10 were Peter Pratt and Lawrence McLouth, an old time pedagogue, who had served as a sergeant in the Revolutionary war. Percy Antisdale was also a Revolutionary soldier. District No. 11 was settled by Moses Power in 1798. This district compared with others in the town was late of settlement. District No. 12, known as New Salem, or "Pumpkin Hook," is Farmington's primary settlement, made by Nathan Comstock and his sons, Otis and Darius, heretofore mentioned. Theirs was the first white men's cabin in town. Besides those mentioned, four other sons came west with Mr. Comstock : Nathan, Jr., Jared, Joseph, and John. Jared settled back in the field and built a house, which was standing bttt a few years ago on the farm now owned by Andrew Bowe. Isaac Hathaway, Jr., son of pioneer Isaac, settled on the farm now occupied by his grandson, Frederick Hath- away, and was engaged in piling brush in one of the fields at the time of the eclipse in 1806. Otis Hathaway, Isaac's brother, was the founder of New Salem and built the first store buildings there. Other interesting facts in connection with the history of this dis- trict have been mentioned previously and we pass to the early settlement of District No. 13. The pioneer settler in District No; 13 was Dr. Stephen Aldrich. He was the first physician in the town and settled on the farm now known as the Isaac Cotton farm. Gideon Herendeen was also an early settler in this district, owning and residing on the farm now belonging to John A. Scribner. Others were Turner Aldrich, who held office as early as 1797, and Ebenezer Horton, an eccentric character who claimed control of the weather. Manufacturing was carried on quite extensively in this district in early days. Talcott and B'atty built an ashery near the site of the present school house in 1817. Previous to that, about 1815, Reuben Hayt built a small tannery. A tavern was kept at Stevenson's corners in those early days by John Sheffield. A part of the original building is now standing and is at present owned by Myron G. Cotton. Isaac and Richard Colvin had a hattery in this locality, and not far from the THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON. 327 school, presumably where John A. Scribner's orchard now stands, Augustus Bingham erected a blacksmith shop. The timbers of this shop are in a good state of preservation, having been moved across the road to the farm of A. H. Stevenson, where they were remod- eled into a corn-crib, which is now in useful condition. In closing this brief history of the town of Farmington, it would be but fitting to mention our soldier heroes of the great Rebellion. Eighty-six soldiers enlisted from old Farmington. Many of these have answered to their last roll call, and gone to their long home. Others are scattered east and west, north and south. Those resid- ing in the town at the present time are James A. Young, Ambrose A. Young, Edward Cotton, John Nussbaumer, William Stevenson, Horace Shefifer, Henry J. .Whipple, Charles Joslin, Sylvester Gard- ner, Daniel W. Bronk, and George Bortel. The first census of the town was taken in 1830 and the popu- lation at that time was 1,773; in 1840 it was 2,122; in 1860, 1,858; in 1870, 1,896; in 1880, 1,978; in 1890, 1,703; in 1900, 1,607; in 1910. 1,568. The first supervisor of the town was Jared Comstock ; the first town clerk was Isaac Hathaway. They were elected in the spring of 1797. The present town officers follow: Supervisor, Joseph VV. Tuttle ; town clerk, Frank O. Power ; justices of the peace, Edwin J. Gardner, A. B. Katkamier, Henry C. Osborn, H. H. Collins; assessors, John A. Scribner, Lewis F. Allen, Louis H. McLouth; highway commissioner, Charles H. Gardner; overseer of poor, Thomas R. Baker; collector, Fred Robbins; constables, Henry J. Whipple, George Whittaker; school directors, Levi A. Redfield, George Loomis; truant officer, Norman Norris. The resident physician is Dr. O. J. Mason. 328 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. NO. XXVIII. THE TOWN OF GENEVA. The Youngest and the Smallest Town in Ontario County — Nursier- ies, Fruit Growing, and General Farming, Its Only Industries — Descendants of the Pioneers now Prominent Citizens — "Kashong" on Seneca Lake, the Gateway for the First White Settlers. By Sidney B. Reed. The township of Geneva was created by a resolution of the Ontario county board of supervisors, adopted October 11, 1872, dividing the town of Seneca, and giving the new town the follow- ing boundaries: "All that part of the town of Seneca lying east of the west line of the first tier of township lots, next west of the old Preemption line." This included the then village of Geneva, and the original form of the new town was continued until January 1st, 1898, when an act of the State Legislature, passed in_ May, 1897, incorporating the city of Geneva, became eflfective. The city boundary was extended beyond the bounds of the village, taking in several hun- dred acres of farm land. The city and town still have the same boundaries, though nearly every year the city's common council makes an effort to have the charter amended, so as to take a con- siderable part of the town's valuable farm land into the city. The smallest town in the county, having but eighteen square miles of area, Geneva carries the highest per acre assessed valua- tion. Adjoining the city of Geneva as it does, there is not a ham- let, a store, postofiSce, or church in the town. Nurseries, fruit growing, and general farming are the only industries. Many of the prominent families of the town are descendants of the settlers of more than a hundred years ago. William Ansley came from Pennsylvania and located in Geneva in 1786. The third THE TOWN OF GENEVA. 329 and fourth generation of his descendants now live where he settled. George Wilkie came from Scotland, early in the last century, and was the ancestor of a number of the most successful citizens. John Scoon, also from. Scotland, came to the village of Geneva in 1800, and later lived and died in the town. A number of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren are permanently located here. In 1788, Jerome Loomis located in the northwestern part of the town, coming here from Connecticut, a veteran of the Revolu- tionary war. His son, Henry H. Loomis, now past ninety years of age, is an active citizen of Geneva city. George Bennett early located in the northern part of the town. His son, Horace D., a former supervisor, though more than four score years of age, is an active and influential resident on a farm near where he was born. Seneca lake borders the town for more than seven miles on the east. A branch of the New York Central railroad, from Lyons to Corning, parallels the lake. At the mouth of Kashong creek, very near the line between Ontario and Yates counties, a point of land projects into the lake, occupied by about twenty summer cottages. This colony is named Kashong, as is the railroad station close by. The following sketch of Kashong is taken from S. C. Cleve- land's "History of Yates County": "The first white settlers at this place were the French traders, De Bartzch and Poudre. Kas- hong was the gateway by which settlers entered that part of the country. It w^as known for many years as 'Ben Barton's Landing.' It was a beautiful spot, where a fine Indian village had been destroyed by Sullivan's men. Some of the Indian apple trees, it is said, remained over fifty years after the first settlement of the country. "Major Barton, who was interested in the Niagara Lessee Company, and agent for the same, bought of Dominick De Bartzch a farm of seven hundred acres at Kashong. He resided here about twenty years, and married a daughter of James Latta, an early settler of the town of Seneca. From 1802 to 1806, he was sherifif of Ontario county, by appointment of Governor George Clinton, and was a man of high consideration in the country. About 1796 or 1797, he commenced the erection of a large square two-story frame house. Owing to adverse circumstances, one of which was the failure of the contractor, he lost three hundred dollars, a large sum at that time. Another was that his lumber, after being well dried and fit for use, caught fire in the kiln and was destroyed. 330 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. These retarded the work for many years. At length it was com- pleted, and the event was celebrated by the most rousing house warming the new country ever saw." This house now stands about an eighth of a mile south of the county line, almost exactly as it was built. The first election for the town, after the incorporation of the city, was held in November, 1897, when the following offijcers were elected: Samuel McBlain, supervisor; James W. Holland, town' clerk; Charles W. Smith, justice of peace; William A. Merritt, justice of peace; Chauncey Sheffield, commissioner of highways; George W. Black, collector; G. Grove Long, constable. Mr. McBlain served one term as supervisor, and was succeeded by Robert Bilsborrow, who died during his first term. Horace D, Bennett was appointed for the unexpired term and was reelected. Sidney D. Reed was the next incumbent, and is now serving his fourth term as supervisor, and the fourth year as chairman of the coiunty board. The present officers of the town are : E. L. Holcomb, town clerk ; Willard G. McKelvie, justice of peace ; E. G. Nellis, justice of peace; George McBlain, town superintendent; Leo De Melle, constable; Sam H. Morrison, constable; Herbert H. Wyatt, collec- tor. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 331 XXIX VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. Its Origin, Its Development, and Its First Hundred Years of Corporate Life — Its Early Coign of Vantage — Circum- stances of Settlement — Pioneer Families — Unique Character- istics — Chronicle of Happenings — Incorporation as City — Centennial Celebration. Compiled from Materials Furnished by Charles Delamater Vail, L. H. D., by Whom All Rights Are ResERVED, also Revised and Corrected by Him. As a bit of earth, Geneva, as seen today, has much to plume itself upon, but in the early days the coign of vantage of Geneva as a place was not so much its beautiful surroundings as the fact that it shared vvrith Bath the honor of being the gateway to the Genesee country, and by the Genesee country is meant here not merely the geographical valley of the Genesee river, but, in a larger, freer sense then current, the entire portion of the Empire State from Seneca lake to lake Erie, a country which, coming suddenly to the attention of the world through Sullivan's Raid in 1779, at once dazzled its imagination as a new earthly paradise, and to this day remains a magnet of undiminished attraction — a country to which, if traditions may be believed, no less a one than Washington once made a flying visit with his friend. Colonel William Fitzhugh, to verify its charm — a legend worthy to be true even if it be not so. As already stated, the early coign of vantage of Geneva was that it shared with Bath the honor of being the gateway to the Genesee country, but happily for Geneva and unhappily for Bath, it was not a case of sharing equally. To the coveted Genesee country, there were, it is true, in the early time but two approaches from the seaboard, one from the Hudson river by waterways to Geneva, the other from the Chesapeake bay by waterways to Bath ; but since to the bulk of the seaboard population sighing for new demesnes the 332 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. approach from the Hudson river was the more convenient, it resulted that practically Geneva was the gateway to the Genesee country, and, further, that as between Bath and Geneva the star of empire never took its way beyond Geneva. Fortunate in its geographical situation and surroundings, Geneva was equally fortunate in the exceptional character of its early settlers as a body — a peculiarity for good which came not to Geneva only, but in differing degrees to all the old towns of the Genesee country. The circumstances attending the settlement of the Genesee country were unusual, indeed were entirely unique. It was not a case of scattering and squatter settlement, hap-hazard, on lands owned by the State, without any attempt whatever at sifting or selection ; contrariwise, it was a case of organized settlement under great proprietaries, to whom the character as well as the number of the settlers mattered, and to whom at the same time rapidity of settlement was a consideration of moment. It must be remembered that, while by the celebrated conven- tion of December 16, 1786, held at Hartford, Connecticut, by the State of New York and Massachusetts, to settle their rival terri- torial claims under their Colonial charters, the rights of sovereignty over that portion of the State of New York west of the meridian of the eighty-second milestone in the boundary line between .New York and Pennsylvania, i. e., over the Genesee country, was reserved to the State of New York, the fee simple, together with the right of pre-emption or first purchase from the native Indians of the soil of the same, was given to the State of Massachusetts ; and that subsequently the State of Massachusetts, not caring to interest itself as proprietary in any plans for disposing of the lands of the Genesee country to actual settlers, sold its pre-emption rights, April 1, 1788, to two of its citizens, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, representing an association. This passed the lands of Westein New York from State proprietaryship to the proprietary- ship of private individuals and the advantages that naturally follow private ownership and management. The intimate particulars of the creation of the Phelps and Gorham proprietaryship over the Genesee country, and how two years later, in 1790 and 1791, this proprietaryship passed to Robert Morris, and how, April 11, 1792, that portion of this proprietaryship lying between Seneca lake and the Genesee river passed under the VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 333 name of the "Genesee tract" to Sir William Pulteney and the Pulteney Associates, it is not pertinent to recount in this connection ; nor is it pertinent to pass in review the various proprietaryships which later arose in the western half of the Genesee country, by purchase from Robert Morris or from the Morris estate. It is perti- nent, however, or at least it will gratify a laudable curiosity, to fix the first cost of the territory which today constitutes the city of Geneva, being twenty-four hundred acres more or less. To Massa- chusetts, for the right of pre-emption of the lands of the Genesee country, Phelps and Gorham paid, or contracted to pay, one million dollars, being an average per acre of about twelve cents ; and to the native Indians, in satisfaction of their claims on the "Genesee tract" in which Geneva is located, twelve thousand dollars, being an average per acre of about half a cent. If these figures are correct, the first cost of the territory now included in the city of Geneva was but three hundred dollars ! The First Settlers, The first proprietaries, Phelps and Gorham, 1788-1790, did not content themselves with efiforts to secure acceptable settlers from the eastern portion of New York State only, or from Pennsylvania and New Jersey, the States geographically nearest, but being Massa- chusetts men made special efforts to secure settlers from Massachu- setts and from New England generally, and the roll of early settlers in the "Genesee tract" shows many names from that portion of our country. But the proprietaryship of Phelps and Gorham, two years, was too short for any particularly significant results to be accom- plished. Of these first proprietaries, however, Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, it will ever be the historian's privilege and. duty to record that both were men of elevated character and marked intelligence, and in particular of Mr. Phelps that in all business matters he was conspicuously remarkable for capacity, energy, and shrewdness, and that throughout the territory embraced in the Phelps and Gorham Purchase his memory has been cherished with profound respect, and that the system of land survey into townships and ranges, organized by him in Canandaigua in 1789, was after- ward, with slight modification, adopted by the United States Government. Under the next proprietary, Robert Morris, 1790-1792, no special efiforts at actual settlement within the "Genesee tract" seem 334 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. to have been made, as Mr. Morris had apparently purchased the great domain for speculative purposes only, but though during this proprietaryship the work of settlement was not pushed, it did not by any means cease, settlers continuing to come from geographical sections brought into touch with the "Genesee tract" by Phelps and Gorham. When, however, in 1792 Sir WiHiam Pulteney, representing the Pulteney Associates, became proprietary of the "Genesee tract," a new and memorable chapter began in the settlement of the country which had so recently been thrown open to the knowledge of the world. There appeared on the scene, as the agent of Sir William Pulteney and the Pulteney Associates, Captain Charles Williamson, a Scotchman by birth, an Englishman by adoption, an American by naturahzation, a Bostonian by marriage, but above all a man of genius, a man of extraordinary energy and resource, peculiarly fitted to promote large enterprises, even if he was to an extent over-sanguine of results and prodigal in expenditures to achieve the determined end. Immediately, by advertisements, by publica- tions; by personal visits to important centers, and by correspond- ence. Captain Williamson with masterly tact concentrated atten- tion abroad as well as at home on the new paradise. Especially he utilized with great success the interest in the Genesee country which had been kindled by the very laudatory reports of that country which had been spreading in every direction since the return of Sullivan's army from its triumphant but devastating raid through the land of the Senecas to the Genesee river, in 1779. In no long time it resulted that on both sides of the Atlantic and on this side in Maryland and Virginia, as well as in the Eastern States, well-to-do families became interested, and soon the "Genesee tract" was invaded, so to speak, by ladies and gentlemen, many of whom came with their servants and slaves. But the invaders were resolute men and high spirited women, and the terrors and hardships of subduing a wilderness did not afifright them or drive them back. They came into the wilderness to make it blossom like the rose and they stayed and triumphed. A Social Center. But more remarkable even than the presence of a certain number of families of culture and prominence in Geneva at its very beginning, is the extent to which Geneva became and still VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 335 is a center for families of that class, and the cumulative effect it has had in lifting the tone of the whole place, and in making Geneva a cultured home of industry and order and prosperity, as well as of letters and the gentle arts. When passing in review the century of events in Geneva, one is struck with the high character of the things attempted and achieved by its professional men, its business men, and its captains of industry. Quite as striking as the number of Geneva's famihes of culture and prominence, is the extent to which in the history of Geneva they have been constant and continuing forces. It is to be regretted that a table prepared to illustrate this peculiarity and to exhibit the historic families of Geneva, in groups as determined by birth and marriage combined, is too long to be incorporated in this historic sketch, but a few words by way of summary may be allowed. Altogether there is a total of twenty-eight groups, with one hundred and fifty-two families, not counting any family twice, the various Roses, for example, who are related, counting as only one family. Of these groups, eight began before 1800, four between 1800 and 1810, three between 1810 and 1820, four between 1820 and 1830, four between 1830 and 1840; the remainder, excluding the present generation (five), at various dates between 1840 and 1870. The largest of the groups is the Lawson group, beginning 1796 with Jacob W. Hallett and including twenty-one different families, among which are, for example, the familiar names of Rose, Nicholas, Dox, Bogert, Gallagher, Mellen, Cammann, Patterson. Besides the historic families in groups, one finds also about the same number oi prominent single or unrelated families, the grouped and ungrouped families making a total that is certainly remarkable in, any place the size of Geneva. Religious Characteristics. The religious characteristics presented by Geneva are quite as remarkable as its social characteristics. In the earliest period, strange as it may seem, the Episcopalians in numbers and influence practically balanced the Presbyterians — a phenomenon not paral- leled probably in any other part of the country, but explicable by reference to the sources whence the original population of Geneva was drawn. Again, and this coincidence should be writ large, for it is quite as striking as the fact just noted, Geneva is relatively the strongest center in the United States of both the Episcopalians and 336 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the Presbyterians. And last of all, but perhaps more remarkable and more complimentary to Geneva than either of the two facts already mentioned, the total membership of the Christian bodies in Geneva compared with the total population shows as large a percentage as is shown anywhere else in our country and possibly larger. A unique characteristic remains to be noticed. Years and years ago Geneva was conspicuous for its large number of retired clergy- men, also its large number of unmarried women and a Geneva wit won immortality by this epigram : "Ah ! Yes,' Geneva is equally the saints' retreat and the old maids' paradise !" This epigram is mtroduced not in the way of veiled disparagement of a certain class of Geneva's clergy and a certain class of Geneva's women, but to give a legitimate occasion for emphasizing the fact that in the long history of Geneva nothing is lovelier than the shining record of its unmarried women, not only in acts of Christian charity and benefi- cence, but in lives of high and noble example, and nothing more wholesome or gratifying than the quiet but elevated influence of its retired clergy. Chronicle of Geneva. I come now to the chronicle of Geneva. The events before 1800 are, in a way, but a prelude to the events after 1800, and are comprised in two formative periods, a shorter and a longer, both full-charged with occurrences of moment, but each subject to a domination entirely different from the other. The shorter period embraces the years from 1787 to 1792 inclusive. Period 1787 to 1792. The story of the civic life of Geneva opens in June, 1787, with "a solitary log house, and that not finished, inhabited by one Jennings." This house, soon enlarged by Jennings,,, Elark Jennings, into a tavern and presumablj' the first tavern within Geneva's borders, stood a little south of what is now the junction of Washington and Exchange streets, on what was then the Indian trail leading south- ward to Kashong from round the lake, the trail breaking over the top of the shore-bank at or about the spot where now stands Trinity church. Within a year several huts or log houses, bark- covered, arose along this street or trail, among them one bark- covered structure, more ambitious than the rest, the framed tavern VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. ZZ7 and trading establishment erected by the so-called Lessee company in the summer or early autumn of 1787 and occupied by Dr. Caleb Benton as representative of that company. This straggling line of bark-covered structures, overtopped by the lake-bank, formed the distant prospect of Geneva for the first wayfarers from the ea.st into the Genesee countrj^ a contrast to the distant prospect of the beauti- ful and busy Geneva of the Tv^^entieth century. As the gateway of the Genesee country, and to an extent identical geographically with Kanadesaga, the famous but fallen capital of the Senecas, and at the same time as the headquarters of the Lessee company, i. e., the New York Genesee Land Company, a company organized early in the first year of Geneva, 1787, Geneva had, of course, from the beginning a floating population of varying numbers, a population made up mostly of explorers, land speculators, Indian traders, and of pioneers passing through to the westward ; but, along with these and such as these, there were those who had come to Geneva to become permanent settlers, or who, arriving there, had found it to their interest to become such. The number of permanent settlers in Geneva during the shorter formative period grew, but not rapidly, for in 1790, Geneva is spoken of as a place of only ten or twelve families. The Earliest Comers. No complete list exists, nor probably can ever be made, of the various persons who were in Geneva for a longer or shorter time during the first formative period (1787-1792), either as temporary residents or permanent settlers, but the following confessedly imperfect list, gathered from Mr. Conover's historical papers, is not without interest and value : Elark Jennings, at once first inn keeper and first recorded, inhabitant; Peter Bartle, Indian trader; Horatio Jones, Indian interpreter; Asa Ransom, maker of Indian trinkets; Gilbert R. Berry, silversmith ; John Widner, farmer at the foot of the lake and ferry keeper; Daniel Earl and Solomon Earl, his son, farmers over the outlet ; Captain Timothy Allyn and one Hickox, merchants ; Jacob and Joseph Backenstose, tailors, who by their skill created in time a State-wide ambition to wear clothes made by a "Geneva tailor;" one Butler, the first carpenter; James Tallmage, a black- smith, and EHsha Tallmage, merchant ; Ezra Patterson, inn keeper, presumably on site of the CarroUton; Joshua Fairbanks, inn keeper. 338 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. site not certain; Dr. Caleb Benton, representative of the Lessee company, with headquarters in their tavern and trading establish- ment; Colonel Seth Reed and Peter Ryckman, first holders of important land patents in Geneva; Major Benjamin Biarton, Major Adam Hoops, Jacob Hart, Joseph Annin, William (aga (Geneva), in behalf of the Senecas, a letter of renunciation to the State of New York of all claims by them to lands east of the old Massachusetts Pre-emption line, a reasonable compensation therefor to be made to the Cayugas. This cession of. the Senecas, by letter of renunciation, completed the extinguishment of any and all Indian claims to the land within Geneva and placed the owner- 346 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ship of the land in the State of New York. At last the acquisition and passing of legal titles within Geneva had become possible. The First Land Patents. Subsequently two notable patents were issued by the State of New York covering the lands in southern and northern Geneva. So notable are these patents and so prominent a part have they played in Geneva's history and life that at least a passing notice of them cannot be omitted. February 15, 1790, the land ofifice of the State of New York ordered to be issued to Colonel Seth Reed for military services in the Revolution a patent of 2000 acres, bounded as follows : on the south, by the Reed and Ryckman line ; on the west, by the (old) Pre-emption line, and on the east, by the Military line (afterwards known as the Old MiHtary line), which, beginning at the eastern point of the Reed and Ryckman line, ran north, 3 degrees, 45 minutes east. And in May of the same year, 1790, the "Seth Reed location," as it was called, was surveyed, plotted, and mapped by Jacob Hart, and the plan then developed and adopted remains with slight changes the plan of the northern part of Geneva today. November 2, 1790, a patent of greater importance and interest in the history of Geneva, as covering the southern half of the place, was issued by the land office of the State to Peter Ryckman and Seth Reed, as tenants in common of the tract of 16,000 acres of land ceded by the Cayugas, as before recited, to Peter Ryckman. This patent was issued to Peter Ryckman and Seth Reed as compensa- tion for their services in effecting a meeting betvveen the Cayugas and the commissioners for holding treaties with the Indians within the State. The northeastern portion of Geneva lying east of the (old) Military line, the original western boundary of the Military tract set apart by the .State of New York for soldiers of the Revolution, was within the Military tract and was patented by the State to different parties, the Indian claims having been extinguished by the two cessions that extinguished the Indian claims to the southern and northern portions of Geneva. Thus slowly, but surely, Geneva was opened up to civilization and made a theater of action for the settler and the land speculator. But, alas, for the inconstancy of things human ! The cloud which from the beginning had lowered over the first formative VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 347 period did not rise ; contrariwise, it settled down in darkest gloom, when at the close of the period the Pre-emption line was re-sur- veyed and it was found that Geneva was part and parcel of the "Genesee tract" and that all titles that had been acquired to lands within its borders were void ! Period 1792 to 180L The second and longer of the two formative periods indicated as opening Geneva's history embraces the years from 1792 to 180L To this period belong the real beginnings of Geneva, and from first to last the dominant spirit in it was Captain Charles Williamson, agent of the Pulteney Associates, and one of the most remarkable and picturesque characters in the history of Western New York — a sort of Robin Hood and Medieval baron combined, as one bio- grapher has felicitously described him. It might be interesting to pause here and present briefly the story of Captain Williamson's reign over the great Pulteney purchase, of his earlier life, and of his death at sea in 1808, when returning from the .West Indies, whither he had been sent as Governor of one of the islands there, but the limits of this sketch forbid it. Captain Williamson first came into the Genesee country in February, 1792, coming by the Geneva approach. No sooner had he entered upon duty in his princely domain than throughout it events of interest and import followed thick and fast. When in February, 1792, Captain W^illiamson passed through Geneva, Geneva according to the Pre-emption line as then established was not, as we have seen, part of the Pulteney purchase ; but in November and December of that year the doubt that had existed from the first as to the correctness of the original Pre-emption line was dissolved. A re-survey showed that Geneva was part of the Pulteney purchase and that the true or new Pre-emption line which of course became the true Military line, ran about as much to the east of Geneva as the old or false Pre-emption line ran to the west of it. What happened? Later it developed that "The Gore" as it came to be called, i. e., the wedge-shaped tract between the two Pre-emption lines — for these two lines beginning at the same point in the boundary line between New York and Pennsylvania ended several miles apart at Lake Ontario — embraced not only the much coveted 2,400 acres more or less of the future city of Geneva, but a 348 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. grand total of 85,896 acres in one of the most desirable portions of the State. "The Gore" was, therefore, from any point of view, a valuable property, and as it belonged to the Pulteney Purchase, immediately Captain Williamson, as agent of the pi-incipality, proceeded to reclaim it. There was consternation now in the camps of the Lessee company and in the hearts of all who held titles in "The Gore," since their titles as previously pointed out had become void. But in becoming void, the titles had not become worthless, for the titles rested on patents granted by the State of New York, and the great State of New York did not close its eyes to its duty, but honorably met the exigency with generous grants of "compensation lands" in the unassigned territory of the State, east of the Pre-emption line, for west of that line all territory belonged to Massachusetts and its pi-oprietaries. On his part, Captain Williamson, recognizing the poignancy of the financial situation, handled it not merely with the irresistible promptitude habitual to him, but with masterly fairness and liberality and skill, and the war of "The Gore" ended amicably, if not to the entire satisfaction of all concerned. In 1796, the State formally adopted and ratified the new Pre-emption line and thenceforth Geneva's claim to be part of the "Genesee tract" was never assailed. Meanwhile, history had been making, and among other occur- rences, in 1792, the first school was taught by Samuel Wheaton. In 1793 the town of Seneca was organized and Ezra Patterson was elected supervisor, thus becoming not only the first supervisor of the civic province to which Geneva belonged, but the first public official therein acquiring authority by local election. This first local election was held in the house of Joshua Fairbanks, inn keeper. The full list of officers elected is preserved in the first record book of the town of Seneca. Also, in this year (1793), the first Court of Oyer and Terminer in Ontario county was held in Geneva, Judge John Sloss Hobart presiding, and one of Geneva's first manufac- tories, a saw mil!, is supposed to have been erected on the banks of Castle creek, though as it is said to have been erected by Polydore B. Wisner, probably it is more correct to say that it was erected in 1798, the year of Mr. Wisner's coming, which happens to be quite certainly the year in which the first grist mill was erected by Cor- nehus Roberts. It is to be noted, however, that the natural home of the grist mil! and the saw mil! in this region was Kashong creek and lake Keuka outlet, and that the existence in those sections of the VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 349 twain foundation stones of civilization antedates their appearance within Geneva's limits. But most notable of all, in this year, 1793, Captain Williamson took formal possession of the Reed and Ryckman reservation, and by his direction a survey and plotting- of the southern half of Geneva into lots and tracts was made by Joseph Annin, which became the basis of titles for this portion of Geneva, just as the Hart survey and plotting made in 1790 became the basis for titles in the northern portion of Geneva, as already described. A Year of Events. The year 1796, the Pre-emption line having been settled, fairly bristles with events, and in a way is the true beginning for Geneva of individuality and of its claims to distinction. In this year the village was laid out under the eye of Captain Williamson, and in particular Main street, the just pride of our hearts and the envy, not perhaps of the world, but of our neighbors, sprang into existence with ifs promise of residences on the west side only and on the east side gardens dropping in terraces to the lake. The Geneva hotel, in its day the wonder and admiration of all travelers, preserved as a part of what is now known as the Hygienic Institute Sanitarium, was built and equipped at an expense of little less thari $10,000, an enormous sum at that early date. The Mile Point house, intended for the residence of Captain Williamson's brother, a private mansion ais notable in its way as the Geneva hotel itself, and costing when completed $5,000 nearly,, was begun, though not finished till three or four years later. The first sloop ever built at Geneva to sail the "silver Seneca," a vessel of thirty-eight and one- half tons burthen, constructed by Brown & Sheffield, was launched with great ceremony before a vast crowd drawn from all over the Genesee country and the vicinage, and with shoutings was baptized "Alexander." In the launching of the "Alexander," there was a moment of dramatic intensity worth preserving in its integrity. Just as the blocks were broke, unnoticed a hardy mariner sped to the top of the towering mast, and as the "Alexander" shot down the ways and took the water, immediately she began to sway violently and the hardy m.ariner was whipped through the air from side to side. A cry of horror went up from the assembled thousands, som.e closed their eyes that they might not see a dire tragedy enacted, while others for the opposite reason kept their eyes wide open, but fortune ever favors the brave and at last amid huzzas the 350 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. doughty tar slid down to the deck unharmed and the land lubbers went below to ponder the terrors of the sea. December 16 of this memorable year, Lucius Carey published at Geneva the first number of the "Ontario Gazette or Western Chronicle," Geneva's first newspaper, later removed to Canan- daigua. Also a postoffice was opened with .Walter Grieve, afterward General Grieve, as postmaster; and School Commissioners were appointed, James Rice, Oliver Whitmore, and Phinea's Pierce, who were empowered to receive the money granted by the State for the use of schools under the act of 1795. Further, the Geneva Water Works Company, destined to last under one form or another till 1896, just one hundred years, was organized. And to close the year with eclat, the Geneva hotel being finished, Geneva's first notable ball was given in celebration of the event, and thereto came all the wealth and beauty of the Genesee country. In 1797 the work of laying the foundation of the city went merrily on. A brewery, in the interests of temperance, was opened at Mile point, by John Moffat, a Scotchman ; the Pulteney street cemetery was laid out and the first burial therein was made, being that of a child of Polydore B. Wisner. A fairly good road from Utica to the Genesee, known as the great Genesee road, was perfected through funds obtained principally by a lottery, and the Genesee Mail stage, Utica to Geneva, once a week, commenced September 30th. In 1798 the formative work continued, and Geneva's first library association was created, the creation of public libraries being counted in the "Genesee tract" an object of prime importance deserving the earliest possible attention. Among those in Geneva who interested themselves in promoting this public titility, the leading spirit was Polj'^dore B. .Wisner, already mentioned, a lawyer, who from this time till his sudden and deeply mourned death in 1814 continued instant in all movements for benefiting Geneva. In the same year the Presbyterian church was organized and the first step taken toward the establishment of religious bodies, a movement destined to be continued with conspicuous zeal. The Passing of Captain Williamson. At last the time was come when the man who had been back of all this rapid and Avonderful development was to disappear from the scene. In 1800 dififerences of opinion, which had been develop- ing between the Pulteney Associates and their agent, Captain VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 351 Williamson, as to certain details of administration, especially the lavishness of expenditure demanded by his plans, culminated, and on May 16th, 1801, Captain Williamson, deeding to the Pulteney Associates, as already mentioned, the princely estate which he had held in his own name since April 11th, 1792, retired. This is not the place to discuss the merits of the differences, but the sober second thought of the Genesee country has substantially approved the administration of Captain Williamson, for the rapidity of settle- ment it engendered and the high character of the settlers it so abundantly attracted, and without reservation is pleased to remember and applaud the manliness and honesty, the geniality, the unquenchable enthusiasm, the faculty for organization, and the marvelous industry of Captain Charles Williamson. The successors in Geneva of Captain Williamson in the agency of the Pulteney estate, an ever lessening estate and now near extinction, have all been men of high character: Colonel Robert Troup, 1801-1832; Joseph Fellows, 1832-1871; Edward A. Kings- land, 1871-1894; and 1894 to 1900, Mason and Rose, and since the lamented death of Judge Mason in 1900, Mr. Rose alone. Colonel Robert Troup, appointed general agent in 1801, was not able to assume the duties of the office in person till 1814. and in the interim was represented worthily by John Johnstone, John Heslop, and Robert Scott, successively, as sub-agents. Growth during Williamson Period. During the longer formative period, that is during the reign of Captain Williamson, Geneva made substantial progress. There is a dearth of exact figures, but there are estimates which even if not exact give a satisfactory idea of Geneva's growth and development during that interesting period. At the beginning of the period, the population of Geneva was estimated as we have seen at ten or twelve families. Mrs. Bradford, in her careful history, written in 1862, speaks of Geneva's population in 1798 as about thirty families, too small an estimate perhaps. In 1800, the English traveler Maude, makes the number of families sixty, probably a somewhat generous estimate, for evidently Mr. Maude was not a little fascinated with the splendid "Geneva hotel" and the manner in which he was treated there by Captain Williamson and the Genevans, iand possi- bly Geneva looked to him larger than it was. A recension made in 1805, the year before the incorporation of the village, showed 352 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. sixty-eight houses and three hundred and twenty-five inhabitants. In any view, however, the growth made under Captain Williamson was substantial and can with difficulty be measured by figures. The taste shown by Captain Williamson in laying out the future city and particularly his provision of a grand avenue, Main street, along the banks of the lake, and the erection by him of two such advanced and imposing buildings for their time as the Geneva hotel and the Mile Point mansion, the latter to be approached through rows of Lombard)' poplars, whether profitable to the Pulteney Associates or not, at once lifted Geneva out of the commonplace and invested it with an "imperial air" which it was destined never to lose. In the presence of fame, figures become voiceless. The rights of local history demand that it be noted that although of Geneva's first two great buildings the name of the architect has not survived, the carpenter work was cared for by David Abbey and the mason work by John Woods, while the materials and supplies were furnished chiefly by Grieve and Mofifatt, the leading mercantile firm of the second formative period — chiefly by Grieve and Mofitatt, not exclusively, for Captain Williamson dispensed the patronage of his principality with princely impartiality. Again it is largely due to Captain Williamson that during this period, almost completeh^ controlled by him, Geneva's population was so augmented by settlers of a really desirable character, and that so many gentlemen of social importance and of professional or business capacity made Geneva their home and became founders of families destined to render Geneva noteworthy and some of them to continue to the present time. Examples are : Judge Jacob W. Hallett, whose descendants are by connection members of many of Geneva's leading families of today, one daughter having married a Rees, another a Rose, and another a Colt ; Major James Rees, who first came into the Genesee country as the private secretary and representative of Robert Morris, one of the proprietaries, Caroline C. Rees, his daughter, later marrying Baron William Steuben De Zeng, one of vx^hose daughters in turn married a De Lancey and a second a Seward ; Herman H. Bogert, lawyer, whose youngest daughter was afterward married to Godfrey J. Grosvenor, a talented and distinguished lawyer in Geneva; Judge Elijah H. Gorden, Robert W. Stoddard, Daniel W. Lewis, David Hudson, John Collins, Henry Beekman, all lawyers and all promi- nent in the history of Geneva; John Hemiup, born in Strassburg, VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 353 Germany, who, a warm friend and admirer of Lafayette, crossed the ocean with him and took part under him in the war of the Revolution, and came to Geneva in 1799, grandfather of the well known brothers, Morris and Charles L. Hemiup; Dr. John Henry and Dr. Daniel Goodwin, Geneva's first permanent physicians; Samuel Colt, Thomas Goundry, Nathaniel Merrill, Colonel Walter Grieve, W. Houten (Houghton?), Thomas and James Barden, Richard M. Williams, William Tappan, Colonel Richard M. Bailey, John Moftatt, Richard I-arzalere, John and Abram Hall, business men; Isaac Mullender, land owner; John Johnstone and Charles Cameron, assistants to Captain Williamson, who came over with him in 1791 ; and Thomas Powell, long connected with the celebrated "Thatched Cottage" in London, the resort of "statesmen, politicians and wits," but after his coming to this country induced by Captain Williamson to take charge of the Geneva hotel, Mdiich he conducted with honor and success, an esteemed citizen with varied interests other than the hotel and one of the first vestrymen of Trinity church. To this list must be added the names of the following gentlemen, first trustees of the Presbyterian church of Geneva, elected 1798: Oliver Whitmore, Elijah Wilder, Septimus Evans, Ezra Patterson, wSamuel Latta, W^illiam Smith, Jr., and Polydore B. Wisner, though Ezra Patterson was an influential citizen before Captain .Williamson came upon the scene. Of the mechanics attracted to Geneva during the Williamson period, a word is to be said of one of the most prominent of them, Moses Hall. It was to him that Geneva owed its first iron foundry) which he established on the north side of Castle street, a little west of Exchange street. Before his establishment of his foundry on Castle street, Mr. Hall had maintained for years a blacksmith's shop on the east side of Main street, opposite the south end of the park, for though now the center of Geneva's activities is the corner of Seneca and Exchange streets, at the level of the lake, in the beginning the center of activities was around Pulteney park, eighty or ninety feet above the level of the lake, and Mr. Hall's change of site was an early instance of what Geneva's forefathers picturesquely styled the "Hill" going to the "Bottom," "Hill" and "B,ottom" being the popular designations of the rival sections of the village. Mr. Hall was born in 1776 and died in 1867. It is not known when he first came to Geneva, but by Abraham Dox he was spoken of as an "old resident" in 1805. In her history of Geneva, Mrs. Bradford 354 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. records of him that he was "one of the earHest and most respectable settlers of Geneva," always esteemed as "an honest man and a faithful Christian." Quite in a class by himself, but belonging to the Williamson period, is Major James Cochran, "who fiddled his way into Congress," as he with great zest stated in speaking of the impromptu but indescribably valuable and deeply appreciated services he rendered at Geneva's famous ball in 1796. This list, imperfect as it is, attests the interest that Geneva should feel in the character and career of Captain Williamson. Geneva's happenings since 1800 constitute a century of events, of exits and of entrances of persons and of families, so numerous and so deserving of remembrance here that, were an attempt made to do them all that even and exact justice which would make them real to the mind, the result would be not a brief chronicle such as this work requires, but a ponderous volume meet only for coteries of men and women of endless leisure, so that apparently the one course left is to run lightly along the mountain tops of Geneva's story as it reveals itself in the successive decades of the century. Decade, 1800-1810. The principal events of the decade, 1800-1810, are in a way, nearly all of them, monumental. 1802: The Mile Point mansion was occupied for the first and last time. 1803 : The two great farms, "The White Springs Farm" and "The Rose Hill Farm," were established, the one by Judge John Nicholas, the other by the Hon. Robert L. Rose, two men who were of signal prominence in the early development of Geneva, men whose cultured influence has happily been continued to the place to this day through their many descendants. They were sons-in-law of Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Lawson, who built and resided in what is now known as "The Pillars." 1804: The first regular passenger stage Hne, Utica to Canan- daigua, was opened, the first stages used thereon being the coaches in which Mr. Lawson and his sons-in-law with their families journeyed to Geneva from "Hampstead," their plantation in Virginia where these coaches were made by their own workmen. 1806: Three events present themselves for record: — the village was incorporated; Trinity church was organized; and the "Exposi- tor," the first permanent village paper, was established by Colonel VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 355 James Bogert, who first came to Geneva this year. Three years later, Colonel Bogert changed the name of his paper to "Geneva Gazette," which as such has survived to the present time, but since 1902 under the title "Geneva Advertiser-Gazette." 1807: The first secret society organization was formed, Ark lodge. No. 33 of Free and Accepted Masons, the lodge finding its first home in the splendid old Colonial building on Exchange (then Water) street, erected in 1804 by Colonel Pearly Phillips, which some years later, 1813, be- came the home of the Tillman family and the scene of many bril- liant social affairs. January 30 of this year (1807), twenty-three free-holders of Geneva petitioned the Regents of the University of the State of New York for the in- corporation of Geneva Academy, but the petition was not granted and the Academy remained with- out a charter till 1813. August 5, 1807, in anticipation of a war with England, Captain Walter Grieve's company of artillery and Captain Septimus Evans's troop of horse tendered their services to the commander-in-chief to be held in readiness for active service. De- cember 29, 1807, at 2 A. M., oc- curred the first fire of any im- portance of which there is record, being the still-houses of Daniel Benton and the Messrs. Reed; loss, eighteen hundred dollars; origin, incendiary. 1809: The first church edifices, the Presbyterian and the Episcopalian, were erected, Jonathan Doane, the father of the late Bishop Doane of New Jersey, builder. Of the Presbyterian church, the Rev. Jedediah Chapman was the first permanent pastor, 1800- 1812; and of the Episcopal church, the Rev. Davenport Phelps was STEPHEN H. PARKER. Stephen H. Parker, for many years prom- inent as a newspaper publisher in Geneva, was born in the town of Hector, Seneca county, October 29, 1822; became editor and proprietor of the Geneva Gazette, the Demo- cratic organ of Eastern Ontario, in 1844; and continued at its head until his death ; postmaster of Geneva under President Bu- chanan, 1856-60 ; State Canal Commissioner, I(i61-ti5 ; served also as President of the Village of Geneva; died at Geneva, October 25, 1901. 356 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. missionary, 1803-1806, and first permanent rector, 1806-1813. June 10 of this year (1809), Geneva celebrated with grand enthusiasm the restoration of commercial relations between Great Britain and America, the last gun of the Federal salute fired on that occasion being wadded with "The Non-importation Act, Jefferson's Procla- mation, Embargo Act, Supplementary Embargo Act, and Enforcing Act." The orator for the day was Daniel W. Lewis, Esq., "a sound and learned lawyer." In this same year (1809), the first horse races were held, October 11th and 12th, in connection with the Genesee Semi-annual Fair on the Colt meadows, which were situated west of Genesee street and north of Castle street, and for many years were the scene of the annual military festival, or "General Training." 1810: A dancing school, the first probably of note, was opened by Alexis de St. Felix, and about this time, or more exactly, February 6th, 1811, a Mr. Moore advertises a military school at Powell's hotel, for broad-sword exercise, for thus in these early days mili- tarism and the dance, as may be observed, held the scene hand in hand. In this year, 1810, Geneva's first important manufacturing interest, the Ontario glass factory, lending distinction to the names of De Zeng and Dox as founders, was established, capital $100,- 000, and to this day an interesting specimen of its work remains in the glass of exquisite amber hue to be seen in the older windows of Trinity church. The charter of the company, bearing the great seal of the State and the masterful signature of Daniel D. Tompkins, Governor, is extant, having been presented to Hobart college library by the late Henry Lawrence DeZeng. The Honorable Abraham Dox, the largest stockholder of the Ontario glass factory, was from his coming to Geneva in 1805 till his death at Hopeton in 1862, a conspicuous figure in the life of Geneva. His business interests were large and varied and appreci- ably promoted the prosperity of the place. He was a leader in religious and educational undertakings, a liberal contributor to the funds for the erection of the first church buildings of both the Presbyterian and Episcopalian churches, and also to the establish- ing funds of the Geneva Academy and of Geneva (now Hobart) College, and was made a member of the first board of trustees of the college. He served as an officer in the war of 1812, was the aid of General Stephen Van Rensselaer at the battle of Queenstown, and was the bearer of that General's dispatches to the headquarters of VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 357 the army at Albany. Also, he served one time as a member of the Legislature of the State, and was a stockholder and director of the old Ontario bank of Canandaigua, whose charter he helped to procure. The Ontario bank of Canandaigua was the first bank chartered west of Utica. Incorporation of Village. Some of the events of this decade call for more than mere mention. In its act of incorporation, 1806, Geneva antedates all neighboring villages and cities, the dates of its neighbors being: Buffalo, 1813; Canandaigua, 1815; Bath, 1816; Rochester, 1817; Auburn, 1815; Elmira, 1815; Syracuse, 1825.- The corporate life of Geneva, both as village, 1806-1898, and as city, 1898 to the pres- ent time, has consistently and continuously been of the most advanced type. The Two Historic Farms. The White Springs and The Rose Hill farms, Geneva's two famous farms, originally 1,600 acres each in extent, but now by creation of smaller farms only about 400 acres each, have from the beginning been of more than local interest. Both came to be known all over the State as centers of advanced or scientific farming. In the fifties and sixties both attained remarkable distinction. The Rose Hill farm, under the intelligent and painstaking direction of Robert J. Swan, who acquired it by purchase in 1850, was hon- ored with the award of both the famous prizes offered by the State Agricultural Society, the one in 1853, for the most perfect drainage, the other in 1858, for the best farm. Under James O. Sheldon, the White Springs farm, purchased bv him in 1857, became more widely known if possible than the Rose Hill farm, not, however, so much for improved methods of farm- ing, as for the herd of Short Horn Durhams collected by him, the finest and most celebrated herd in the world. The prices brought by some animals of the herd seem incredible, the 8th Duchess of Geneva selling for $40,600. Both the owners of these farms during this period, Mr. Swan and Mr. Sheldon, had the honor to be elected to the presidency of the New York State Agricultural Society. In the beginning both farms maintained each a flock of sheep numbering about 1,200, and in 1808 or 1809, on the .White Springs farm, a 358 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. woolen factory was built b}' Cephas Hawkes, at first a success, but later a failure. The factory building was finally converted into a grist mill, whose career was terminated by fire. A little later than Hawkes's woolen factory, Vreeland's carding and fulling mill, near the outlet, was established. These woolen or fulling mills in their day promoted the interests of the two great farms. Today, the two farms, the Rose Hill under Martin H. Smith, and the White Springs under Alfred G. Lewis, have as their specialty dairy products, and both excel; but in addition, Mr. Lewis is successfully renewing the reputation of the White Springs farm for stock breeding. A Third Farm. The same year, 1803, that the two great historic farms were established, a third farm, hardly less famous than the others, was established in the northern part of Geneva. It is best known to local history as the Burrall place. Here, from 1814 to 1856, Thomas D. Burrall, one of Geneva's honored and distinguished citizens, lived, his home a social center noted for a refined and generous hospitality. The farm, originally of 370 acres, was established in 1803 by Robert Scott, who came to Geneva in 1798, and later was connected with the land office of the Pulteney estate. Two of his granddaughters, Mrs. Thomas B. Reed and Miss Hall, are still residents of Geneva in the house which Mr. Scott's widow erected not long after the sale of the farm to Mr. Burrall in 1814. In her history of Geneva, Mrs. Bradford characterizes Mr. Scott as "a very agreeable Scotch- man, of fine wit, and cultivated literary taste" and mentions that he was an intimate friend of John Greig, of Canandaigua. Suc- ceeding owners of the farm were : William Black, Colonel Eliakim Sherrill, later killed at Gettysburg, and successively the brothers, Reuben S. and the Hon. Samuel H. Torrey. It then passed to Mr. William Smith and was broken up, one portion of it becoming, in 1891, Torrey park. During the ownership of Mr. Burrall, Joseph Smith ("Joe Smith") was for a while a foreman, but in the end being ignominiously discharged as an arrant rogue and a con- scienceless swindler, the future prophet vindicated himself by discovering the "Golden Plates of Mormon" and becoming the founder of a new religion. An Early Romance. From farming to romance is only a step. Father Conover, the Herodotus of Geneva, patient in research almost beyond belief, VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 359 died, alas ! without knowledge or suspicion of the romance which attended the brief Hfe of the Mile Point house. In 1800, Mr. William Pulteney Dana, nephew of Sir William Pulteney, came to Geneva. He met Ann Fitzhugh, daughter of Colonel Peregrin Fitzhugh. He fell in love, his suit prospered, the twain were married, and for two years beginning in 1802, they lived right royally in the Mile Point palace. The young wife died sud- denly, but an infant daughter survived her. In 1805, overcome with grief, Mr. Dana, after entrusting his infant daughter to her mother's kindred at their earnest request, to be reared, returned to England, but, ah! the pity of it! his daughter he was fated never to see again. Reverting to the first horse race and first dancing school, it throws light on the ideals of our forefathers that the advertise- ments close respectively as follows : "All dogs that appear on the ground will be killed" ; "The waltzes will not be taught except with the consent of parents or guardians." Decade, 1810-1820. The events of the next decade, 1810-1820, though not as fun- damental as those of the decade just reviewed, are none the less quite as interesting. 1812: This year came to Geneva its first great capta'in of industry, Thomas D. Burrall. For sixty years, apart from the inspiring example of his public-spirited and indus- trious life, his career as an inventor and manufacturer of agricul- tural implements sheds honor upon the municipality. It is not too much to say that his corn-sheller, the invention by which he is best known, like England's drum beat, followed the sun 'round the world. It was his reaper, also, that in 1852 took first prize in the celebrated competitive trial of reapers of different United States makes — a trial held in Geneva. Female Bible Society. 1813: The Female Bible Society of Geneva, an organization equally remarkable and efficient, was formed and its roster pre- sents in their own signatures the names of all the women who made Geneva society notable in its early years The roster is on deposit in the library of Hobart college, and while the number of names is too great for recital here, the enumeration of the first dozen or more may be allowed if for no other reason than their felicity: Jennet McKay, Maria Wisner, Dolly Bogert, A>nn Colt, Eunice 360 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Hal], Elizabeth Rees, Sarah Gordon, Susanna Lawson, Sarah Stoddard, Margaret Rose, Anne Nicholas, Jane L. Rose, Agnes Barton, Hannah Gregory, Sally Barnard, Frances Wilson, Sarah Rubpert, Hannah Axtell, Asenath Noble, Eleanor Naglee, Jane Scott, Hannah Field, Cynthia Stow, Elizabeth Henry, Sally Carter, Hannah Cook, Julia M. Hogarth, Roxalinda Goundry, Theodora Phelps, Barbara Black, Theodosia Hall, Sally Lum. 1815: The first public school in Geneva under the act of 1812, creating the common school system, was apparently established. 1816: The foundations of Geneva's fire department were securely laid in the organization of the first fire company, the best men of the town who were able bodied becoming members. But the true beginning of ihe fire department was probably in 1811, when a village ordinance provided that on or before May 1st of that year, every householder must procure and have ready for use, one bucket for one fire-place, two btickets for two or three fire- places, three buckets for five or six fire-places, and four buckets for seven fire-places or more. This year, 1816, Bowen Whiting established himself in Geneva and began his successful and distinguished career as a lawyer and judge. He became District Attorney in 1823, was a Member of the Legislature, 1824-1825; County Judge, 1838-1844, and Judge of the Supreme Court, 1844-1850. He was a member of the first board of trustees of Hobart College and was a man of influence in all public matters. His son, John Nicholas Whiting, after a brief practice in Geneva, became a prominent member of the bar in New York city. The First Bank. 1817: This year occurred the most important event of this decade, the founding of the Bank of Geneva, now the Geneva National Bank — most important because it attracted to Geneva a great man, the Reverend Henry Dwight, who as president of its first bank brought into its administration the highest and purest methods, as well as a business intelligence of extraordinary acumen and force. The Bank of Geneva under his goverance made Geneva famous throughout the State, and to this day the traditions of the bank are preserved in their integrity by its present president, Samuel Hopkins ver Planck. Indeed, the noblest monument to the Rev. Henry Dwight, whose Hfe was many sided and always influen- tial, is the high level which under the stimulus of his example VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 361 banking in Geneva has attained and maintained. Today, 1911, there are in Geneva beside the Geneva National Bank (i. e. the Bank of Geneva), established bj' Mr. Dwight, two other banking institutions. One of these is "The First National Bank of Geneva," organized in 1863, which stands beside the "Geneva National Bank" in its reputation for solidity and success, representing the financial genius and integrity of Mr. Alexander Lafayette Chew. The other bank- ing institution is the private bank- ing house of Samuel Southworth, established in 1868, which has al- ways enjoyed public esteem as conservative and safe. In company with Mr. Dwight came in 1817 his step-son, William Eaton Sill, born in Utica, 1806, destined to become an exception- ally esteemed and valued citizen of Geneva. In his chosen profes- sion, the law, 'he rapidly rose to a place in the front rank and finally achieved for himself an absolutely unique position and reputation as a referee, insomuch that his ser- vices as referee were widely sought, and as the highest com- pliment to his success it came to be considered inadvisable to appeal from a decision made by him. It is eminently characteristic of him, both as attorney and referee, that he never charged for his brilliant services other than the most mod- est fee and that his persistent ad- vice to persons appealing to the law was to settle without suit. Mr. Sill was president of the Bank of Geneva, August, 1854, to January, 1857. 1818: The Methodist church was organized; and the next year Geneva's first church bell, the prized property of the Presby- terian church, pealed on the banks of the Seneca. In 1859, when REV. HENRY DWIGHT. Rev. Henry Dwight, the founder of the Bank of Geneva, now the Geneva National Bank, was born in Springfield, Massachu- setts, June 25, 1783; graduated from Yale College in 1801 and later from the Prince- ton Theological Seminary ; pastor of a church in Utica, N. Y., 1813 to 1817, following which he retired , from the ministry and moved to Geneva ; President of the Bank of Geneva for twenty-two years ; one of the founders of the American Home Missionary Society, and its President, 1837 to 1857; died at Geneva, September 6, 1857. 362 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. church bells had multiplied, the Reverend Hubbard Winslow, D, D., pastor then of the First Presbyterian church, happily wrote, but, of course, without ecclesiastical prejudice : "There are several fine bells in Geneva, and they do good service. Especially the deep alternate tones of the Dutch and Methodist bells, chimed into by the distinct silvery notes from the Presbyterian tower, all in close proximity, together with the majestic thumps upon the great iron kettle on the Episcopal tower, make the going to church on Sunday morning, in Main street, anything but a stupid affair." The year 1818 marks also the establishment on William street, by Mr. Eli Eddy, of Geneva's first private school for boys. The year 1819 saw the publication in Geneva by Colonel James Bogert of an edition of Watt's Psalms and Hymns, possibly Geneva's first ven- ture in the publishing field. Lovers of music will be delighted to learn that to this decade belongs not only our first church bell but also the Handelian band, which we may conjecture was the first brass band to gladden Genevans' hearts, Perez Hastings, secretary. During this decade and the decade immediately preceding and the decade immediately following, many accessions to Geneva's noted families were made : Dox, Field, Hogarth, Lum, McKay, Hastings, Hortsen, Colonel John Sweeney, Tippets, Barnard, Pease, Pow, Doane, Cole, Cannon, Cook, Axtell, Carter, Low- throp, Burns, Rubpert, Watson, Prouty, Tillman, Rev. Dr. Orin Clark, Schermerhorn, Parke, Holly, Woods, Whiting, Ayrault, Stow, Porter, Truman Hart, envied for his family of beautiful daughters, McLaren, Parker, Langilon, Rumney, Bahnanno, Ricord, Kirk- land, Seelye, Webster, Hopkins, Shathar, Mizner, Bronson, Sover- hill, Skaats, Coddington, Merrell, and last the Kip family, an old family one of whose forbears, erected for himself in New York in 1641 what is supposed to have been its first brick residence. Decade, 1820-1830. The decade that we now enter upon, 1820-1830, is peculiarly notable. In 1821, John Johnston purchased the farm next south of Rose hill and originally a part of it, and was the first to introduce into this country tile draining, with a result that made his farm a Mecca for scientific agriculturists. An authority on agri- culture, writing in 1893, says: "The Johnston farm and Rose hill VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 363 are together perhaps the most important historic spot in American agriculture." Hobart College. In 1822, Geneva, now Hobart College, successor to the Geneva Academy incorporated in 1813, but in existence unincorporated for a number of years before that, received from the University of the State of New York, a provisional charter, and February 8, 1825, a permanent charter, the conditions of the provisional charter hav- ing been complied with. Never a large institution, but always an institution noted for the dignity of its aims, the severity of its standards, the encouragement extended to the pursuit of the class- ical languages and literatures, and for the high character of those whom it called to its professorial chairs and its presidential control, Geneva or Hobart College has been an active factor in giving Geneva its ideal distinction, a factor whose importance can- not easily be exaggerated. It is due also to Geneva, or rather to the prevalence throughout the Genesee country including Geneva, of certain views as to the fundamental relation of colleges to the higher educational wants that the charter o! Geneva (Hobart) College, issued only on the condition that the college should pledge itself to maintain, in addition to the usual classical course, an Eng- lish or scientific course in direct reference to the practical business life, thus making Geneva (Hobart) College the pioneer, though in a humble way, in an educational movement which since that time has metamorphosed the curricula of universities and colleges alike. The history of Hobart College is an important chapter in the history of Geneva, but too long for presentation here. It must suffice to mention two or three facts in the opening of the story. The first professor elected by the college corporation in 1825, who was at the same time made the first acting president of the college, was the Rev. Daniel McDonald, S. T. D., to whose energy and perseverance and executive ability the college is largely indebted for its formation. Another professor elected by the corporation the same year, 1825, was one who both for himself and his family has ever been very dear to the people of Geneva, Horace Webster, M. D., LL. D., whose distinguished career as an educator covers fifty-one years : seven years at the West Point Military Academy, twenty-three years at Geneva (Hobart) College, and twenty-one years as president of the College of the City of New York. The 364 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. first president of the college was the Rev. Dr. Jasper Adams, a man of varied attainments, who, in 1826, resigned the presidency of Charleston College, South Carolina, to accept the presidency of Geneva (Hobart) College. Today, 1911, under a leader of power, the Rev. Langdon Cheves Stewardson, LL. D., Hobart College is steadily and surely widening its sphere of influence and honor, and strengthening its claims to the active sympathy and co-operation of Geneva. Also in 1822 the first school in Geneva for young ladies was opened by Mrs. Plum, a fit beginning of a class of schools which have made Geneva famous. 1824: This was the year of the great Washington ball held Monday, February 23rd, in Faulkner's assembly rooms, A. Burns, C. A. Williamson, D. C. Hall, J. V. Vredenburgh, managers. Man- ager C. A. Williamson, be it noted, was the son of Captain Charles Williamson. This same year, 1824, settled in Geneva, as junior partner of the Hon. Bowen Whiting, Charles Butler, lawyer and philan- thropist, learned and highbred, who made his life illustrious by his intelligent and assiduous devotion, not to the law alone, but to the larger questions of social life, charities, education, and religion. Of him after his death, Carlyle said: "He was the truest gentleman I ever knew." He was a citizen of Geneva for ten years and while in Geneva built for himself on Main street a stately mansion best known later as the Prouty house. He died in New York, in 1897, at the age of ninety-five. The year 1825 opened with an event of no little local import- ance, the formation of the "Geneva Atheneum," a general reading- room for ladies and gentlemen. This movement appears to have been largely inspired by Mr. Charles Butler — at least he drew up its constitution and by-laws. The lofty aim of the "Geneva Atheneum" may be inferred from the fact that its list of domestic and foreign periodicals and newspapers included the Edinburgh, London, and Westminster Quarterly, North American Quarterly, etc. Lafayette's Visit. Lafayette, the friend of Washington, made this year, 1825, his memorable visit to Geneva. It has a felicitously personal interest to Genevans, if I may be permitted to reveal it, that on this trip, far VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 365 off in New Orleans, Lafayette, as godfather, held in his arms and presented for Holy Baptism the infant form of him who is today one of Geneva's noblest and most honored citizens — Alexander I^afayette Chew. A detail or two of the interesting story of Lafayette's visit to Geneva will not be without value. It was the morning of June 8th, when at Ball's tavern, seven or eight miles west of Geneva, the official committee of Geneva, accompanied by a cavalcade of Genevans, received from Canandaigua's committee of escort the care of Lafayette and his suite. The distinguished guests having been transferred to carriages in waiting, Lafayette to a splendid new barouche furnished by Mr. William S. DeZeng and drawn by six beautiful gray horses, the cavalcade retraced its steps eastward along the great State highway till it reached the Old Pre-emption road, and Lafayette looked down from the edge of the plateau over which he had been traveling upon the "silver Seneca," two miles away and two hundred feet below, sparkling in the morrling sun. Immediately a signal gun broke to expectant Geneva the glad news that Lafayette was come, and at once nearly a dozen military companies and a great body of citizens who had marched out to this point to await the arrival of the friend of .Washington, fell into line, and the procession thus formed moved in state down Hamilton street and down Main till it came at last to the public square (Pulteney park), where there were arches adorned with wreaths and flowers and inscriptions of welcome. At the public square, a vast concourse of people had gathered from far and near, and from the windows of every building about the square eager eyes looked forth and handkerchiefs and flags were waved. The multitude, with heads uncovered, parted in twain to let the procession move through to where a stage had been set in the midst ; and as Lafayette and his suite passed from their carriages to the stage, maidens dressed in white strewed flowers in their way and sang an ode composed for the occasion by one of their number, a daughter of Doctor Lummis, in the fourteenth year of her age. As soon as the honored guests were in their appointed places and all upon the stage were seated, a great silence fell; and after Major Rees had introduced General Lafayette and his suite, an address of welcome was deliv- ered by Colonel Bowen Whiting, to which with feeling General Lafayette appropriately replied. And as he replied, he beheld, conspicuous in the varied circle of his listeners, a venerable body of 366 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. soldiers of the Revolution distinguished by badges. The ceremonies at the square ended, General Lafayette and his suite, after inspect- ing two trophy cannons displayed on the grounds, the one from Yorktown, 1781, the other from St. John's 1775, were escorted to the Franklin House, a magnificent hostelry newly opened, of which Geneva was duly proud. Here an elegant breakfast had been prepared, with two hundred covers for distinguished citizens who had been invited to meet the "Nation's guest." At one o'clock P. M., amidst acclamations, Lafayette and his suite departed on their way eastward, the "Nation's guest" departing as he had come, seated in the splendid new barouche and drawn by six beautiful gray horses. Nine years later, when the death of Lafayette was announced, Geneva held in his honor a public memorial service, at which an eulogy was pronounced by Samuel Miles Hopkins, Esq. 1826: The Baptist church and the United Presbyterian church and the Free church for colored people were each organized, and also in this year was published a volume of poems by William Ray, Geneva's first poet-laureate. In 1827, the slaves brought b)' Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Rose to Geneva having been freed by act of the Legislature of the State, the colored settlement was formed. In this connection, it were an unpardonable oversight to omit enumeration of several of the settle- ment's most delightfully extraordinary characters that Geneva or any other place ever had: Jupiter, colored Democrat and psycho- logic crux; the Rev. Major General Brown, the human telephone; Brigadier General Burdy, the orator, and last, not least, Sammy Dog-in-the-well, servitor of the janitor of the Geneva Medical College, and the small boy's bete-noire. 1828: The first steam boat, the Seneca Chief, was built by the Rumney brothers, to be followed, twenty-one years later, by the wonder of the finger-lake region, the great Ben Loder, the master- work of John R. Johnston, whom Genevans will ever remember, not only for himself as a valued citizen and as the author of perhaps the most astonishing Fourth of July poster ever produced in the United States, also for the fascinating daughters who survived him. 1829: The Cayuga and Seneca canal was opened and connection established with the Erie canal, which had been opened in 1825. It is deemed unquestionable that the suggestion which led to the Erie canal was made in 1805 by Jesse Hawley, a Genevan. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GET^EVA. 367 Decade, 1830-1840. The decade, 1830-1840, finds Geneva making a very satisfac- tory advance in every direction, with a population grown from 325 in 1806 to 3,029 in 1833, and with business interests becomine rapidly diversified and enlarged. This decade is specially memorable as bringing to Geneva a number of men whose names and lives and families reflected an enviable reputation upon the municipality. In 1829 came General Joseph Gardner Swift, the first graduate of West Point and a military and civil engineer of national reputation, followed years later by his son. Commodore J. Williams Swift, and by his son-in-law, Peter Richards. In 1831 came Charles James Folgcr, then a boy, but later to be the Chief Judge for many years of the Court of Appeals of our State, and later still Secretary of the Treasury of the United States. The same year, 1831, came Rozee Peyton and his family from Staunton, Virginia, a family represented later by two granddaughters who married respectively General A. B. Wells and Major E. A. Ellis. In 1832 came Samuel M. Hopkins, a remarkably accomplished man, versatile and charming, well reputed both as a member of the bar and as a member of Congress. In 1836 came as president of the college, the Rev. Benjamin Hale, D. D., who equally with his successors, Jackson, Rankine, Van- Rensselaer, and Potter, to name only those of longer residence among us, illustrated in his high office the immense value of courtesy and learning combined. In 1839 came the Rt. Rev. William Heath- cote Delancey, the first Bishop of the Episcopal diocese of Western New York, the great Bishop, who made his diocese a model through- out the country, and lastly, in 1847, came Samuel A. Foot, many years a distinguished member of the New York bar and one time Judge of the Court of Appeals of our Empire State. Beside the men and families above named, this general period is notable for other distinct additions to Geneva's social list. 1836: Judge Sutherland, a man of elevated and winning personality and equally a lawyer and jurist of commanding reputation : 1837, the Rev. Theodore Irving, a finished scholar and an attractive writer, who came to assume a professorship in Hobart College ; again in 1836 the brothers, William N. and D. Lawrence Clark, who at once took rank among Geneva's notably esteemed and respected citizens, and were followed in later years most welcomely by the Schiefifelins 368 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and Harrimans, relatives of theirs. A daughter of William N. Clark still later married Dr. James H. Stebbins, long a leading and greatly beloved physician.. In 1833, Peter Myndert Dox, son of the Hon. Abraham Dox, was graduated from Hobart College and entered upon a distinguished career as lawyer, judge, and Representative in Congress. During the decade now under review (1830-1840), the large accession to Geneva's notable men and families was not the only happening of interest and importance. Four of Geneva's churches were established: 1831, the Dutch Reformed church; 1832, St. Francis de Sales; 1834, the UniversaHst church; 1839, the Bethel society, which combining with the United Presbyterian later (1870) constituted the North Presbyterian. In 1830, the Geneva Courier, for many years recognized as one of the leading weekly papers of Western New York, in politics at first Whig and afterward Repub- lican, was founded by H. C. Merrell. It reached its meridian of influence and reputation under James Mallette, as editor and proprietor, 1876-1891, and a few years after its sale by him to other parties ceased to be published. In 1832, the cemetery on Washing- ton street was laid out. In 1833, the opening of the Crooked Lake and Chemung canals, which to 3 certain extent made the Susque- hanna approach to the Genesee country tributary to Geneva, was hailed as' an event of no small moment, but the development years later of competing railroads caused the closing, 1875, of these canals. The Geneva Lyceum. In 1831, the Geneva Lyceum, one time so notable, was founded by the Rev. Miles P. Squier, D. D. Its buildings were erected in the west part of the A'illage, the funds therefor having been raised among the generous people of the region upon the personal appli- cation of Dr. Squier. Although not intended to be specially denomi- national, the Lyceum was generally recognized as having Presbyterian leanings, a statement which finds verification in the fact that Dr. Squier ofifered the buildings and grounds to the Synod of Geneva for the purpose of founding a college. The ofifer was seriously discussed for a time, but at length was abandoned, after which the Lyceum passed out of existence, about the year 1842. Its most famous graduate was the Rev. Dr. Augustus W. Cowles, aftervirard first president of the Elmira Female College, and, after fifty years of successful service, its first president emeritus. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 369 Geneva Medical College. In 1834 an act of the Legislature authorized a medical depart- ment in Geneva (Hobart) College and in 1836 Geneva College erected a special building for the use of the medical faculty. In 1841 a nev\r medical building of magnificent proportions for the time was erected on the east side of Main street, the State contributing $15,000 towards the fund for its erection. The medical department of Hobart College was discontinued in 1872 and the building itself destroyed by fire in 1877. In 1849 Geneva Medical College conferred the degree of M. D. on Elizabeth Blackwell and became honorably famous as the first medical college in the world to confer this degree in course on a woman. Among the members of the faculty of the Geneva Medical College who made it memorable and added to the brilliancy of Geneva societ}' were : Edward Cutbush, Thomas Spencer, Charles Brodhead Coventry, Willard Parker, James Webster, James Hadley, Frank Hastings Hamilton, Thomas Rush Spencer, Charles Alfred Lee, John Towler, Frederick Hyde, Hiram Newton Eastman, Nelson Nivison, Charles Everts Rider. The Classical and Union School. In 1839 upon the suggestion, as it is understood, of Mr. Francis Dwight, the public or district schools of Geneva were consolidated into the union school, making a new departure in the State system of schools and education. In 1853 the Geneva union school was incorporated and authorized to maintain a classical department and to instruct a normal class, and in 1869 its corporate title was changed to the "Geneva Classical and Union School," being the first union school in the State so raised ; and today this school, very justly an object of local pride, stands easily in the first rank of New York State schools in the quality of its work. Its library is the largest belonging to any union or high school in the State. Decade, 1840-1850. In our next decade, 1840-1850, the most conspicuous event of the opening of the Smith and the Maxwell nurseries, the former in 1846, the latter in 1848. They woke into effective life Geneva's greatest and most characteristic industry — an industry to which Geneva, from its unique soil and climate, would seem to have been sealed and set apart from the foundation of the world. The obviously remarkable thing is that Geneva was so long discovering 370 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. its natural advantage of location and recognizing its call. It is to be noted, however, that somewhat before the establishment of the Smith and the Max^ye]l nurseries a beginning of pioneer character ha,d been made in the village by Isaac Hildreth and William G. Verplanck, and that as early as 1817 there appeared in the Geneva Palladium an advertisement in which Boardman and Wheeler offered for sale grafted fruit trees at their nursery, two miles east of Geneva on the turnpike to Albany. In this brief chronicle, which is essentially of origins, it is not practicable to present the story of the development of Geneva's nursery interest which in its details reads almost like a fairy tale, but it is only justice to our municipality to note that Mr. Milton H. Harnian, in a valuable resume of this subject, states that there were in 1906 forty-seven duly registered growers of nursery st-ock within a radius of six or eight miles of Geneva, having under cultivation about two thousand acres of land and employing in the various departments of the business approximately twenty-five hundred individuals. Village Improvement. Hardly less interesting than the development of the nursery interest during this decade, is the fact that though in the beginning Captain Williamson had artistically planned that the great Mile Point mansion should be approached from the village through two rows of splendid Lombardy poplars, two or three of which remain to this day, no attempt worth mentioning at beautifying the streets of the village with shade trees seems to have been begun before 1841. Various trees have since been tried at various times, but unfortunately the discovery came late that the stately elm was the one waiting to be chosen. The beautifying of our streets became systematic and triumphant not till 1874, when the Village Improve- ment Society was formed under the leadership of Mrs. George J. Gallagher, to whom Geneva owes a debt of honor, as also to those who wrought with her, conspicuous among whom were Mrs. Perez Field, Mr. Glynn, Miss Eva De Zeng, Miss Powis, and Mrs. John P. De Lancey. The good work is now cared for by the city through the park commission under the eye of the mayor. But after all, in this matter of village improvement, it was an epoch-making date when in 1862, by a State law, an end was made of cattle being allowed at large in the streets. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 371 Parks. To this decade, 1840-1850, belongs the awakening of Geneva's interest in the subject of public parks. It is true that when in 1796 Captain Williamson laid out Geneva he made provision for a public square in front of the great Geneva hotel which he was that year building, but it is not certain that he had any intention to improve the public square at any time into a park. However that may be, the public square remained, except for a year more or less during the twenties, an open plaza, till about 1841, when the board of trustees of the village directed a portion of the public square to be enclosed as a park and the trees were forthwith planted which are now one of the city's delights. From a statement contained in a brief but interesting paper prepared by Mr. Hugh L. Rose, president of the park commission, it appears that Geneva owes the improve- ment of the public square into Pulteney park largely to the public spirit of the late Captain Luther R. Stoddard of the United States navy. The creation of Genesee park belongs also to this decade. The movement was inaugurated at the beginning of the decade, but owing to difficulties extending over several years in securing owner- ship of part of the land proposed to be included in the park, it was not till January 27, 1849, that the Genesee park became an accomp- lished fact. Public Utilities. .With this decade practically begins the long line of public utilities so-called, for which modern civilization, especially in the United States, is noted. In this decade, 1840-1850, three public utilities make their first appearance in Geneva: in 1841, the first railroad, the Auburn branch of the Central; in 1843, the first express facilities, not more extensive, however, in the beginiiing than a carpet bag carried by Mr. Wells, afterwards the Wells-Fargo express, and in 1848, the first telegraphic facilities. It may interest many that in 1847 was held the first regatta on Seneca lake, seventeen boats participating. This same year, 1847, an event happened which has proved of increasing local interest. The brothers, John Williams and Solomon Elwell Smith, under the firm name of "J. W. Smith & Co.," organized a dry goods establishment, which in virtue of its conduct on principles of the highest order equally as to business ability and business honor 372 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. has prospered greatly and today in Western New York is rivalled only in the larger cities. In 1892 it was converted into a stock company, "The J. W. Smith Dry Goods Co.," and as a new depar- ture which has amply justified itself, thirty per cent of the stock was issued to the older employees. The elder brother died in 1878, the younger brother in 1900. Decade, 1850-1860. The decade, 1850-1860, is modest but not absolutely lusterless. In 1851, another great captain of industry, a man who also inter- ested himself heartily and wisely in public affairs, William B. Dunning, came to Geneva. Of him and his extensive and varied work it can only be mentioned here that in 1853 through him Genevans first had the opportunity of heating their houses by steam. Since Mr. Dunning's venture in this line, steam heating boilers and apparatus have become one of Geneva's great industries and in the pursuit of it Geneva has reaped distinction as well as profit. The last phase of this movement is a central heating plant established in 1899 as a public utility, whose advantages are open to a fairly large area of the city at what is claimed to be a theoretically minimum figure. Other business developments of this decade were: 1851, the opening of a carriage manufactory by David W. Baird; 1852, of a furniture manufactory by Theodore E. Smith ; 1859, of spoke and bending works by Ezra Havens. And during this decade began sash, blind and door manufacturing as a separate industry; also there was developed by W. A. Dorsey & Bros, what was probably Geneva's first wholesale grocery business. In 1852, one of the most valuable of public utilities, illuminating gas, was first introduced into Geneva, and was first used for street lighting in 1854, previous to which date each citizen had been a light unto himself. Electric lighting, both for public and for private use, was first introduced in 1883. Also in 1852 St. Peter's church was organized, and later, 1861, in connection with it was developed by Bishop De Lancey "The Diocesan Training School of Western New York," the Rev. Dr. James Rankine becoming rector of both St. Peter's church and the training school, but the training school, after the death of Bishop DeLancey, was re-named "The DeLancey Divinity School." In 1854, the Hygienic Institute Sanitarium was opened; and. VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 2,72> in 1855, Linden Hall, Geneva's first suitable place for public enter- tainments, was built and on the evening of July 25th inaugurated with no little ceremony, the Rev. William Hogarth, D. D., making one of his eloquent addresses. Man may have slighted this decade, but not so nature. In the winter of 1855-1856 there were one hundred days of sleighing, but principally the "silver Seneca," whose habit is not to freeze oftener on the average than once in twenty years, had a monumental con- gealment, and on its crystal bosom Geneva held high festival in sports and horse races and all that could make gladsome the hyper- borean visitation; and on the evening of July 16th, 1856, at ten of the clock, in the northern heavens appeared a splendid rainbow of golden hue. To this day this extraordinary phenomenon remains open for explanation. Of the notable men and cultivated families, other than those already mentioned, that came to Geneva during this middle portion of Geneva's history, or even a little later down to our generation, which last for evident reasons must await the future historian, there are many. In the latter fifties developed what was locally known as the "Wool House Clique," an informal association of leading gentlemen of Geneva, ostensibly for the enjoyment of each other's society, but after all more commonly for the discussion and promotion of the larger mterests of the village: S. S. Cobb, J. S. Lewis, W. W. :Wright, D. W. Colvin, C. J. Folger, P. H. Field, W. E. Sill, Z. T. Case, F. .W. Prince, J. W. Smith, Colonel C. B. Stuart, Colonel E. SherriU, John S. Dey. About this time and for some years later, under the auspices of the Young Men's Association, Dr. George W. Field and after- wards Charles F'ahley ministered disinterestedly and successfully to the higher culture in Geneva by the organization of courses of popular lectures which brought to Geneva many of the most distinguished lecturers in the country. Decade, 1860-1870. Ah! the decade, 1860-1870! It is the decade of the Civil war! There is but one event. It is as if Geneva stood still, intent only to see if in the Nation's crisis her sons deserved well of the Republic! As there has not been space to tell Geneva's story of her part in the war of 1812 and in the Mexican war, nor will be to tell her part 374 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. in the Spanish war and the Philippine war, so there is not time to tell the story of her part in the great Civil war. Like the rest of the country from one ocean to the other, she gave freely her wealth (and her sons and her good example, and like the rest she bore bravely and unflinchingly the losses which went so straight to her firesides and her heart. She gave to the Empire State as its great Adjutant General the high minded and efficient Hillhouse, and lead- ing her list of those who died for native land is the name of the knightly and intrepid Colonel Sherrill, who fell at Gettysburg. What a funeral that was, when all Geneva and all the country round about in solemn procession, like a cloud of witnesses, followed the body of the dead hero to the village cemetery! Tears? Yes, the city of our love gives them freely, tears of pride and exultation, tears of grief and sorrow, freely for all who fell for native land, whether in the distant islands of the sea, on foreign shores, or on the ocean, or on the fair fields of what is to Americans the sweetest country the sun shines on. As in the military history of our country Geneva has not been without honor, so has Geneva not been without honor in our country's long naval history. Associated with Geneva as their home, the following distinguished naval officers may be named: Admiral Thomas Truxton Craven, Commodore J. William Swift, Commodore James Glynn, Captain Luther R. Stoddard, Admiral Donald M. Fairfax, and General Charles B. Stuart, one time the United States navy's engineer-in-chief — not to mention others who have served honorably in less conspicuous positions. The events in the life of Geneva from 1870 till today lie within the memory of the present generation, and though they all are in various ways important and interesting, a bare chronicle without comment must suffice, but first may be pointed out what seems to be the characteristic event of each of the three decades that .remain. In the Seventies. In the seventies, by the opening of the Geneva and Ithaca, the Geneva and Corning, and the Geneva and Lyons railroads, Geneva was made a place of exceptional shipping facilities, and a career as a manufacturing center vv^as made possible, and this possibility Geneva has improved. Captains of industry multiply apace. They jostle each other on the streets, and Geneva is becoming as cele- VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 375 brated for high grade manufacturing as it ever was for its character- istic industries foreordained by its soil and climate. With the rail- road development in the seventies, the names of Colonel Frederick W. Prince and S. S. Cobb are prominently connected. How important Geneva's entrance on a career as a manufacturing center has proved may be inferred from the fact that while Geneva's population in 1870 was 5,521, the census of 1910 makes it 12,446. In the Eighties. In the eighties Geneva's equipment in the interests of education was immensely enlarged by the successful establishment of the Smith Observatory and the New York State Agricultural Experi- ment Station, institutions the reputation of whose work transcends the mere boundaries of the Empire State. It is worthy of remark that the Agricultural Experiment Station is the tardy realization of a dream which floated before the minds of Geneva's forbears in the persons of the founders of Geneva (Hobart) College in 1822- 1825, when for the first time in the history of the higher education a college was created with power to offer courses other than that leading to the degree of A. B., and was pledged to maintain perpetually a course in direct reference to the practical business of life, the movement being inspired in the first instance by men whose largest practical interest was agriculture. The department of agri- culture in connection with Geneva College, which the forbears had in mind, did not for various reasons develop ; but in its place has come, in the fulness of time, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, the best equipped and most efficient experi- mental school in the earth's oldest and noblest industry that is to be found in our country, and in point of comprehensiveness, in the world — a school that fills every Genevan's heart with whole- some pride. In the Nineties. The last decade of the century is the decade in which Geneva laid aside her village garments and put on the imposing robes of city life, but the event in this decade which will appeal to all as the gratifying one is the establishment of the Geneva City Hospital. This splendid charity consecrates in its records in detail, as a precious legacy to all who shall succeed us, the names of those whose fore- sight and beneficence made the Geneva City Hospital a reality. In 376 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. this connection I can mention as the principal benefactor, principal not alone in gifts of money but in advice and a fostering care that never intermitted, one vdio for nearly forty years was in the front rank of Geneva's most devoted and intelligent citizens, the late Francis Oscar Mason, deceased as already mentioned in the year 1900, but happily two years after he had seen the fruition of the object so dear to him. It but remains to run rapidly through the very creditable work of the present generation; but first permit me to express the deep regret of him whose duty it has been to prepare this brief chronicle of Geneva that the limits inherent in the plan proposed of making the sketch a record of events and to an extent of families rather than of men, has excluded from portraiture and characterization as individuals Geneva's multitudinous men of prominence, whether in civil or public, professional or business life, her clergymen, teachers, physicians, lawyers, legislators, judges, editors, authors, artists, men of affairs, soldiers and sailors, except as in any given instance one may have been connected as creator or exponent with some epochal event that has marked the unfolding of Geneva's life as village and city. The Present Generation's Work. 1867: W. G. Potter and Son's Marble and Granite Works established. 1868: Herendeen Manufacturing Company, or U. S. Radiator Company, founded (incorporated 1888); The Catchpole Foundry opened. 1870: The North Presbyterian church organized; Peel Bottling .Works established. 1871 : W. G. Dove's brickyard established; The Geneva malt house (Geneva's one mammoth building), the third largest malt house in respect of business trans- actions in the United States, erected by Samuel K. Nester. 1872 : Glenwood. cemetery opened; the instruction of colored students in a separate building abolished. 1873: The Evangelical church established; the Geneva and Ithaca Railroad completed. 1874: The Village Improvement Society formed; the first laundry operated by machinery established. 1875: The Geneva Optical Company organized ; the Geneva, since 1892 the Kanadesaga club founded. 1876: The first Bergh agent for the prevention of cruelty to animals installed; the first omnibus line put in service. 1877: The Geneva and Corning Railroad opened; The steam roller flour mlill (super- ceding the old Red Mill of early date) erected. 1878: The Geneva VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 377 and Lyons Railroad opened; The Church Home established. 1879: Telephone service first inaugurated. 1880: The first business college established; the 34th Separate Company formed; the paid fire department system established. 1881 : The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station established ; the Geneva Advertiser (weekly) founded. 1882: Paid police department on Metropolitan system established. 1883 : The first electrical plant installed ; the Standard Optical Company organized to operate in connection with the Geneva Optical Company. 1885 : The Phillips & Clark Stove Company organized ; tlumphrey's bindery & printing house founded ; first Loan and Savings Association organized ; the Geneva mineral springs developed. 1886: The Young Men's Christian Association organized (an earlier organization under this title was made in 1870, but soon lapsed). 1888: The Smith Astronomical Observatory founded; the Patent Cereals Company organized. 1889: The Geneva Preserving Company organized. 1890: The New York Central Iron Works Company incorporated, outgrowth of the Dunning works established 1851, as already mentioned. 1891: The Geneva Carriage Company organized, in 1894 reorganized as Geneva Wagon Company; the Torrey Park Company formed. 1892: The Bufifalo Extension of the Lehigh Valley Railroad completed. 1893 : Street paving in Geneva begun; now 1911 there are 15.79 miles of paved streets. 1894: The Naples Railroad opened; the trolley line to Waterloo opened; the Geneva Choral Society established; The Smith opera house built. 1895 : Geneva's first daily paper, the Geneva Daily Times (Independent Republican in politics) e'stab- lished; the Geneva Wall Paper Company founded. 1896: The control of waterworks assumed by the village; John J. Pole's Kettle, Drum factory established. 1897: The Political Equality Club formed; the Salvation Army post created; the Summit Foundry Company organized ; Vance boiler works established ; James F. Carney's bottling works established. 1898: Geneva raised to City rank ; the Geneva City hospital opened ; the Country Club formed. 1899: Geneva awning and tent works established. 1900: Geneva Cutlery Company organized. 1901 : The American Can Company organized; Charles A. Chapman's Factory of Household Specials opened. 1902 : The Chamber of Commerce organized ; the Catch- pole foundry purchased by Walter Howard. 1903 : The Humane Society established; The Empire Coke Company organized; the 378 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. W. F. O'Brien stone cutting works established. 1904: The trolley hne to Rochester opened; the Fay and Bowen Engine Company organized. 1906: A lodge of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks established; Geneva's first Centennial celebration which for fulness and dignity of ceremonial and exposition left nothing to be desired : the munificent and memorable gift by William Smith of Geneva of nearly or quite a half a million dollars to Hobart College for the establishment of the William Smith School for .Women, as a co-ordinate department of the college, a gift which within four years crystallized into a group of noble buildings, the William Smith Hail of Science, the Elizabeth Blackwell House, the Elizabeth Smith Miller House, and Gymnasium. 1907 : The Allegretti Manufacturing Company (strops) establishment. 1909: The United States Lens Company organized; the Geneva Brewing Company established ; the P. J.. Donnelly Cabinet Company founded; the Geneva glass works established. 1910: Geneva's first Savings Bank founded. 1911: The Geneva Baking Company organized; the Geneva Ice Cream Company organized; the Geneva Buff and Polish Company established ; and happily last of the present generation's works, a beautiful public drinking fountain, after a design by y\.rthur C. Nash of New York, formerly of Geneva, erected in the Castle street plaza, east of Exchange street — a present to the town by one of Geneva's most gifted and public spirited women, recently deceased, Mrs. Elizabeth Smith Miller. The Centennial Week in 1906. This event comprised a week's programme, beginning with religious commemorations in the churches on Sunday, May 13; an Old Home day with concerts, a banquet to editors, professional baseball games, and a history night ; a music day, with grand concerts by the Geneva Choral Societj'^; an Industrial day, the features of which were an industrial, military and civic parade, of which Colonel William WiLson acted as grand marshal, and a mass meeting, at which Mayor A. P. Rose presided and addresses were made by Lieutenant-Governor M. Linn Bruce and others ; an Edu- cational day, with a parade by Hobart College students and the scholars of the public schools, followed by an address by President Finley of the College of the City of New York; a Nurserymen and Fruit Growers' luncheon and in the evening a display of fireworks VILLAGE AND CITY OF GENEVA. 379 on the lake ; the celebration closing on Saturday with a Baby parade, and with ball games and other athletic sports on the Hobart College campus. The historical exercises proper, held in the Smith opera house Tuesday evening, constituted the culminating feature of the celebration and included addresses by Professor Charles Delaraater Vail, L. H. D., of Hobart College, and Mrs. Sarah Rose Melien Burrall, delivered before a representative and brilliant audience, and an historical paper, valuable and interesting, by Mr. Eli Bronson, presented by title only, but subsequently printed. 380 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. NO. XXX. THE TOWN OF GORHAM. First Called "Easton," Then "Lincoln," and, Finally, Gorham— The Pioneer Settlement Was at Reed Corners — Organization of the Gorham Agricultural Society — The Early Families — Trials and Privations of the First Settlers — The Schools — Church History. By Lewis C. Lincoln. The town of Gorham is situated on the east side of Canan- daigua lake, having a lake front of about seven miles. The terri- tory was first organized into a town on the 27th of January, 1789. This organization included all of townships 9 and 10, second range, of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase, and was first called "Easton." On the 17th of April, 1806, the name of the town was changed to "Lincoln," and on the 6th day of April, 1807, it was again re-chris- tened, being given the name of Gorham, in honor of one of the original proprietors, Nathaniel Gorham. In 1822, the town was divided and the part now known as Hopewell was organized into a separate township. In 1824, all that part of Canandaigua embraced in township 9, in the third range, lying east of Canan- daigua lake, was annexed to Gorham, the people on the east side finding it inconvenient to belong to a town which was divided by the lake. This portion of the town became known as the "gore," on account of a bend in the shore of the lake. The township was sold to Caleb Benton by Phelps and Gorham. Benton was a physician who lived in Columbia county. He sold the land to many early settlers whose deeds were never recorded or preserved, and consequently it is impossible to give a very accurate account of the first purchasers of small parcels of land. The first settlement was made in the year 1789, in the locality THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 381 of Reed Corners, James Wood being the pioneer. Other pioneers in this part of the town were Silas Reed, John McPherson, and Jeremiah Swart. Educational interests were not neglected in these early times, the first school house in this district being erected near the present Congregational church. A tavern was kept in the early part of the century by Mr. Sherwood, who was succeeded by Jere- miah Swart. It must be remembered that it was a hazardous undertaking at this early period for a man to take his family and move into the wilderness, where neighbors were few and far between, and where the native Indians were still in evidence and would make their entrance to a pioneer's dwelling unannounced. There were no roads and with very scanty implements, the pioneer had to make his way in the forest, clearing off the trees and stumps, that he might grow flax for his clothes, and wheat for his bread. In order to get a little money with which to buy sugar and hardware, he had to haul his wheat to Albany. If his fire went out, he must depend upon his neighbor's fire or a flint stone. The deer and bear and smaller game of the forest furnished him with meat. It was a time when men and women appreciated their neighbors, when they met often to exchange the necessary articles of food, or raiment, or implement. There was but little money to use as a medium of exchange and not much in the way of the necessities of life for sale. Each man and family depended upon their own resources for the articles of furniture or need. It was a time that required men of courage, determination, and perseverance to win from nature at first hand a sustenance. The citizens of Gorham have always taken a deep interest in their schools and the education of their youth. In the year 1813 the town was divided into school districts and moneys appropriated for the maintenance of schools. It would be hard to trace the his- tory of each school district from the beginning. In the early years, families that were some distance from school-houses clubbed together, hired a teacher, and maintained their own private school. The children remained in school, at least during the winter months, until they were men and women grown. It was no unusual thing for a country district school to have an attendance of as many as fifty students, ranging from the grades of infancy to higher math- ematics or philosophy. It is said that in one school district in the town five families each sent ten children to the same school, mak- 382 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. ing a total of fifty. The town of Gorham at present is divided into .sixteen school districts. Its most costly school building is -that erected in the year 1910 in the village of Gorham. Gorham Families. James Wood, who was the first settler of the town of Gorham, has many descendants still living near Reed Corners, the locality where he made his home in 1789, among whom might be mentioned Clark Wood, Mrs. Silva Harris, who lives on the original place, Emma Wood, and Gilbert Elwell. Many descendants of Silas Reed, whose name is connected with the early organization of the town, are among its citizens at present. Mason Reed, Mrs. M. Dear, and Mrs. Clara Salisbury are his great-grandchildren. John McPherson came in 1798. He was an Irishman, but of Protestant faith; he was a weaver by trade and worked at his trade in this new land, being known as the Irish weaver. His son, Samuel McPherson, was postmaster at Reed Corners for a number of years, and his grandson, John McPherson, still lives on the original lot. Jeremiah Swart came in about the year 1800. The names of Swart and Guernsey are associated in the old records as town officers. In 1809, Harvey Stone came from Greene county, and located a little south of Reed Corners, on lot 52. Among his descendants who are still living in this locality, are his granddaughters, Mrs. S. B. Douglass and Mrs. N. B. Cook. His son, Harvey Stone, Jr., was town supervisor, 1857-59, and took a prominent part in local politics. Joseph, Levi, William, and James Wilson came from Pennsylvania and located at Wilson's corners, in 1812. They bought large tracts of land, much of which is still in the possession of their descendants, among whom may be men- tioned M. J. Wilson, of Rushville, and John R. Wilson, of Gorham. George W. Powell, who i.s now county superintendent of highways, and Adelbert Powell are great-grandchildren. The pioneer on lot 59 was Thomas Ruflfs, who moved into the town in 1811 and bought his farm of one Nicholas Law for about four dollars per acre, the usual price for land at that time. The first school-house in this district was erected in 1811, the first teachers being Mrs. Laura Clark and Oliver Babcock. In school district No. 16, knowm as the Russell district, there settled at an early date N,athan Pratt, who came from Halifax with his brother Elisha, in about the year 1801. The Pratt property THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 383 remained in the family until a very recent date. Mary and Julia Pratt, two sisters, held a life interest in this property. They never married and lived to a good old age. The land was deeded to the Pratts by Nicholas I,aw, a New York lawyer, who owned consid- erable property in this locality, but who never settled here. Charles Russell is one of the early names connected with this district. Benjamin Washburn came from Herkimer county and took up land m lots 61 and 67, and some of his descendants are still living in this locality. Richard Washburn came here in 1801, and reared a family of four sons, John, Richard, Michael, and Lyman, and four daugh- ters, the most of whose lives were lived in Gorham. Mrs. James Ketchum, a daughter, is still living at an advanced age at Rushville, and great-grandchildren are found in the families of DeForest Reed and James Winne. Near Rushville, on the south line of the town, Henry Green located at the early date of 1799. He came from Windsor, Massa- chusetts. He was the father of a large family, members of which took a prominent part in Gorham affairs. Some of the children are now liAdng in the town. Nathan Loomis came to the village of Rushville in 1815, from Connecticut. He passed through the town of Geneva during the cold season, and stopping at a house, his son, Chester, saw what he took to be a curious black box standing near the middle of the room. Never having seen anything of the kind in his section of the country, the child naturally attempted to exam- ine its character, but upon putting fingers upon the "black box" (a stove), he speedily discovered one of its qualities and learned a useful and enduring lesson. About the year 1805, Samuel Torrej'^ built a blacksmith shop just north of West river, near the Presbyterian church. Several other blacksmith shops were built about this time at Reed Cor- ners, Gorham, and in the country districts. In those early days the shop of the blacksmith was about the only manufacturing establish- ment in this locality. The blacksmith had to work his own iron and to make his coal or charcoal. The name of Captain Harwood was linked with this district as being a man of character and con- viction, and Avhen the tidings of war against Great Britain reached the neighborhood, he responded. He settled in Rushville in the year 1799. The first school was kept in the Presbyterian meeting- house. The names of Elisha Pratt and Samuel Powers are remem- bered as those of early teachers. 384 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The first prominent inhabitant of the southwest portion of the town was Christian Fisher, who located upon lot 33 in the year 1805. He lived to the extreme old age of nearly a hundred years. His daughter, Mrs. Charles Ferguson, and his grandson, Allie Fisher, are now living on the old place. John Ferguson came in 1813 from near Albany. The Franciscos came in about 1807, and a Briggs familj' were identified with the early settleniient of this section. In the year 1810, a man by the name of Aleck Sheep lived in this neighborhood. The first school building in this district, which was built of unhewn logs, was located on what is now called the Rappalee farm. Abner Duvalle and a Mr. Bascom were two of the first teachers. The fire place was huge in size as compared with the room, and when a stove was used in its stead, it became a topic of general interest. The recollections of each log school house are interesting. The associations and games of childhood, and the peculiarities of the teacher, were indelibly impressed upon the minds of the pupils. These were the only schools available to most of the -children. In the central western portion of the town, bordering on Canandaigua lake, is located the Gage school district. The first settler was Otis Lincoln, who came from Otsego county in 1806 and located on lot 2. Lincoln had served as a soldier in the Revolution, and when one of his sons was drafted in 1812, the old man served as his sub- stitute. Henry Linco'n, his son. who lived on the original prop- erty until he died in 1885, as a small boy helped to sharpen the old sword by turning the grindstone. The sword had seen service in the Revolution and was again taken to the front in defense of the country. The Lincoln homestead is now occupied by a great- grandson of the pioneer. In this neighborhood, on lot 5, settled Southwick Cole in 1805, which made him a neighboring pioneer with the Lincoln family. Amasa Gage was the name of the man after whom the school dis- trict has been named. He came to the locality when it was a wilder- ness, with only two inhabitants between his place and Canandaigua, a distance of seven miles. He brought three children with him, and ten were born to him after settling in Gorham. Two died in infancy and eleven grew to maturity. The land which he took up is still in the posses.sion of his descendants, and there are many of them now living in the town and are among its prosperous and successful men. THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 385 Joshua Washburn in 1S27 bought the Cole farm, where he resided until his death in 1879. By a first wife, Christine Wager, there were three children and by a second wife, Phoebe Ketchum., there were seven children, all of whom grew up and were residents of Gorham. The farm is still in the possession of the family. The streams in this locality running into the lake were used in an early day for water power. A grist-mill was built on the creek running through the Cole farm in 1815 by Henry Elliott. In 1808 a tannery was built and operated for a number of years near the present school-house. This building was afterwards used for schqol purposes, but was soon abandoned for another building, which was later burned, following which the present school-house was erected. Further north on the lake shore is the Davis tract of about seven hundred acres, which was purchased at a very early date by William Davis,, of Philadelphia. Part of the agreement of the pur- chase was that the Indians should be paid a barrel of flour per acre. William Davis's son-in-law. Dr. Hahn, came upon the prop- erty, built the present dwelling house, and set up the practice of medicine. John and Christain Fisher, C. Carson, and John Gulick were early settlers, who rented the land of Mr. Davis, agreeing to pay a yearly rent of frorri five to seven bushels per acre for the use of the land as fast as it could be cleared. Edward Davis, a grand- son of the original purchaser, is now owner of much of the tract. East of this section, on what is now called the middle road, James Wood, a son of the fiirst pioneer at Reed Corners, built a frame house upon lot 57, in the year 1806. A man by the name of Aleck Sampson lived on what is now known as the James Turner farm:. On lot 58 was a man by the name of Koomer, who was suc- ceeded by a Mr. Sackett, who in turn gave way for Isaac Shaw, and this property still remains in the Shaw family. Jonathan Stearns, in 1803, settled on lot 54, and Addison, his son, and Emmit. his grandson, have been his successors up to the present time. In about the center of the town, on lot 28, located David Pick- ett, from Oneida county, in 1820. He held the office of supervisor and was a member of the Assembly. Francis Harris occupied lot 33 and his son and grandsons in succession have remained in pos- session of the old farm. The first frame house in this locality was built by Elis Newman, on lot 27. The farm of A. Newman on the 386 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. same lot was known as the halfway place between Bethel and Reed Coi'ners. Lot 20 was the former home of Jonathan Arnold. South of his home stood the first school-house to be constructed of boards and logs, making it a notable improvement over most of the early buildings. James Hogeboom lived in this section and was one of the early school teachers. Hse enjoyed the distinction of having as a pupil Martin VanBuren, later President of the United States. East of Reed Corners, on lot 26, there settled at an early date a Dutch colony from Hoosick-on-the-Hudson. They moved away or have died out and few of their names can be given. Darius Miner came to this section from Seneca, in 1812. Ebenezer Lewis came from the east prior to 1800 and settled on lot 38. Levi Sor- tell took up land on lot 21, in 1810. Frederick Spaulding was upon lot 22 at the early date of 1812. A farm on lot 23 was taken up by Nathaniel Smith, who lived upon it until he reached the advanced age of eighty-eight years. The first school-house was built in 1820 and Darius Miner was the first teacher. This school- house was located upon the corner opposite the Degraff place. William Dewitt was the local blacksmith and had a good reputa- tion for skill and excellence as a mechanic. James Robson, a native of England, took up a large tract of land in the center of Gorham in the year 1820. He had three sons, James, William and John, each of whom owned in their time large farms and were successful business men. James Robson, son of the pioneer, owned a farm on lot 19 containing 350 acres. William Robson lived on the old homestead which originally contained 800 acres. John Robson's farm was located on lot 27 and contained 270 acres. The family of John Robson consisted of seven chil- dren, James A., Jane T., Ann, Mary, Nellie (deceased), Phoebe E., and Fannie. James A. Robson studied law and is now a Justice of the Supreme Court in the Seventh Judicial District. In school district No. 15, on the line of Yates county, was the Blodgett family. Ludin was the first to come from Oneida county in 1800 and settled upon lot 17. Ephraim Blodgett came to the same place soon afterwards. He finally moved to Canandaigua and lived to be a very old man. The Gates tavern was located in this district and had a reputation for comfort and hospitality beyond the most of such taverns at this date. The first school- house was built in 1807. Chester Loomis was among those who THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 387 taught school in this district. Lemuel Morse, later a justice of the peace, and a member of Assembly, was also one of the early teachers. In 1800. Richard Westbrook from Pennsylvania took up his residence on lot 33. James Lewis and William Bassett located in this district about the same time. Solomon Blodgett in 1808 bought lot 30, which was sold in pieces to Lewis George, Samuel Reed, a son of Silas, and Horatio Gates, son of Daniel. The log house put up by Lewis George was, for a time, used for a school-house. Lucy Catlin was one of the first teachers. In 1806, the first road in this district, and one of the first in the town, was surveyed and laid out. Church History. . The Presbyterian church was organized February 26, 1828, by Reverend Henry Axtell, Henry P. Strong, and Ansel D. Eddy. It was com,posed of twenty-four members, who were members of a church in Hopewell. The following are their namies : Jacob Hovey, Peter C. Fiero, Abraham Fiero, Orin Crittenden, Levi Sawtelle, James Robson, Alada Bridgman, Mary Hovey, Hannah Fiero, and her sisters, EHzabeth and Mary, Canadice Crittenden, Mahitabil Soule, Sarah Newman, Sarah Sawtelle, Silva Fitch, Hannah Groesbeck, Mary Snyder, Sabra Crittenden, and Abigail Wise. The church prospered and increased in numbers and in 1832 had one hundred and two communicants ; in 1836, one hundred and twenty-eight. The first elders were Jacob Hovey, Orin Crittenden, and Peter Fiero. They were set apart to their office by Rev. Joseph Merrill on March 8, 1828. Orin Crittenden was the first clerk of the session. The first deacons v^ere Levi Hatfield and Mason Sawtelle. Rev. Flavel Gaylord was. pastor from 1830 until 1840. He was followed by Rev. Hosea JCittredge, 184L Rev. Alva Lily was next pastor for two years, aqd he was succeeded by Charles Merwin, who was installed on April 6, 1845, and dismissed about a year later. The original church building stood about a mile from Reed Corners. In 1843 a new edifice was built at Gorham and a separa- tion took place between those desiring to worship at Reed Cor- ners rather than at Gorham. The present pastor is Dr. John McColl, under whose care the church is in a prosperous condition. The Congregational church, at Reed Corners, is an offshoot, as above noted, from the Presbyterian society at Gorham. The old 388 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. meeting-house, which stood near Babbitt's corners, was moved to Reed Corners, a distance of about a mile. This building was burned on Christmas night, 1903, and a new modern church build- ing was erected the next year. It has been with considerable difficulty that this church has been supported. At one time a Baptist minister was secured, and at another time the pastor was a Dutch Reformed minister, who presented his doctrinal views so well that the people accepted them and the church became a Dutch Reformed society. In the course of a few years another change was made and the society became Congregational. Rev. Warren Day was one of the first pastors under the new name. Rev. C. M. Bartholomew was pastor from 1881 to 1885. The Rev. Dr. McColl, of the Gorham Presby- terian church, is at present in charge. The First Baptist church was formed early in the history of the town, and services were held in school-houses and the homes of the members. The first church was erected at Baldwin's cor- ners. In 1841, this church building was torn down and moved to Bethel, or Gorham, and became known as the Bethel Baptist church. The first minister was Abraham Ennis. The first deacons were Henry Douglass, J. W VanArsdel, and Abraham Watkins. Rev. Hugh Kane is the present pastor. The Baptist church at Reed Corners is known as the Gorham Baptist church. The organization was formed in 1804 and held meetings in the vicinity of the Pickett school-house. In due time a house of worship was erected on the Reed Corners and Gorham road, about three miles from Reed Corners. In 1841 this building fwas moved to Reed Corners, and a part of the members of the Baptist church, which was moved from Baldwin's corners at this time, joined the Reed church. The first pastor was Rev. John G. Stearns, who was an able preacher and became somewhat cele- brated because of his book, entitled "Stearns on Masonry." This book was published in 1829 and contained what was claimed to be a full exposition of the secrets and ceremonies of the order. There, are a few copies of the book still in existence. The Methodist church at Rushville was organized in 1821. The first members were: Ebenezer Streeter, wife, and mother, Jesse C. Boardman, Hannah Pratt, John A. Peabody, Samuel Whitman. James Peabody, and George B. Turner. Through the efforts of Rev. Ira Fairbanks, in 1830, a meeting-house was projected, which THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 389 was dedicated on June 25, 1832, by Rev. John Copeland, at that time the resident pastor. The present building was erected in 1866-7, at a cost of $20,000. It was dedicated in 1867 by Rev. Matthew Simpson. The local pastor's name was F. G. Hibbard. The church has a membership of two hundred, and the present pastor is Rev. Harry King. The Congregational church of Rushville, although located a few feet over the county line in Yates county, deserves a notice in Gorham's history, as many of her citizens are included in its congregation. The church was organized in 1802, under the name of Augusta and Gorham. The first pastor was Abijah Warren. The present building was erected in 1818. The church has never been without a supply or pastor for more than three months during this long period. The present minister is a Baptist supply by the name of Rev. A. Trennary. The First Methodist Episcopal church of Gorham was organized in 1796, by Jefiferson Hamilton and Armling Owen, missionaries from Philadelphia, who came to the vicinity of Gorham, and held meetings in a log meeting-house about two miles east of the village, in the town of Seneca. The church was visited by a revival in 1817, under the labors of Rev. Thomas Ewing, the local pastor; and the community was so stirred and lifted in spiritual things, that Rev. P. Hollet, a pastor from the Methodist itinerancy, proposed the name Bethel (House of God) to the rising village. The meetings were held in different places, in the log house near the present dwelling of J. M. Pulver, and in one of the village school-houses. The present organization of the society was made in 1828, and a house of worship erected which cost about one thousand dollars. The first trustees were John Q. Groesback, O. F. Rice, and Seaman Tompkins. Revivals were experienced under the labors of Revs. Smith and Zina J. Buck. These ministers died in thfe vicinity and were buried in the old cemetery at Gorham. In 1842, the preaching was held in Gorham (Bethel) and the church was located here from that date. The following names of families are connected with its early history: Stokes, Phillips, Rice, Arnold, Schuyler, Hanley, and Runyan. The Hersheys and others were supporters, but not members until years later. The church building was remodeled in 1868 at an expense of over two thousand dollars. The first Sunday school was organized in 1828, with A. Hill for superintendent. The 390 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. present building was erected in 1905, by Joseph Hershey and C. W. Perkins and presented to the organization. The church is now under the pastoral care of Rev. E. Jarvis. Reed Corners. Reed Corners is the name of the small settlement, which is located a little north of the center of the town and on the old stage route from Rushville to Canandaigua. Here were held the first town niieetings and it has continued to be the meeting place for the ti-ansaction of the town's business. The only retail store in the place is conducted by E. B. Winne, who carries a general line of groceries and supplies. James Partice is the blacksmith. There is an apple uryer of large capacitj^, owned and operated by the Rush- ville Evaporating and Packing Company. The hotel, after having been conducted for the accommodation of the public for nearly a century, is now closed. Grange No. 363, P. of H., owns the public hall, which is used for town meetings and public entertainments and amusements. The present master of the grange is Emory Megafifee. The grange was organized in 1876 and has been in continuous operation since that time. It has a membership of over one hundred and fifty. The Gorham Agricultural Association, whose annual exhibition is sometimes known as the "World's Fair," was organized in 1852. The grounds were donated to the society by Mason Reed, upon the condition that it be used continuousl)'^ for this purpose. It has a half mile track and the necessary buildings, which give the society facilities for holding successful fairs. There are two churches at Reed Corners : The Baptist, which is located a little east of the Corners, and the Congregational, a little north. Gorham Village. In the eastern part of the town is located the village of Gorham, known for many years as Bethel. This village is situated on Flint creek, the largest stream of water in the town. Lot No. 5, upon which the village is situated, was taken up by Levi Benton in the year 1800. He built a tavern on the property, now used as a resi- dence by Mrs. William Snyder. Mr. Benton was the first man to utilize the water power of Flint creek, by erecting a grist mill, at an very early date. Here also was located the first saw mill of the town, which was built by a man by the name of Craft. THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 391 The first merchant in Gorham village was Joseph Palmer, who was also the first minister to locate in this vicinity, which was in the year 1808. He was succeeded as a merchant in 1816 by Perry Holiett, who in turn was followed by George and Samiuel Stewart, who erected the first business block in 1822. Armstrong Tompkins was the first blacksmith, coming in 1814. The first physician was a Dr. Coflin. The first frame school-house was erected in 1815, which was also the date of organization of the first cemetery association. The first meeting-house was a Methodist church, built in 1828. The Baptist and Presbyterian churches were both built in 1842-43. Gorham village has a well kept cemetery, which is located on the west side, with surroundings and conditions particularly adapted for a burial place. The Main street in Gorham runs east and west, and four of the cross streets are named, Stanley street, Dewey avenue. Maple avenue, and North and South street. On the north side of Main street are to be found the following business places : Marvin Sutherland's bakery, the post office, The Gorham, Hotel, the feed and flour mill, and the Robinson block, which is occupied by C. M. Bullock's grocery and dry goods store and Fisher & Kinner's furniture and undertaking establishment! On the south side is located the I. O. O. F. block, erected in 1896 and occupied by William Pulver's dry goods and grocery store, and C. L. Crosier, hardware. Adjoining this block on the west are the following busi- ness places: A. M. Phillips, department store; Stacy's barber shop; the New Age printing office, where is published a weekly under the editorship of J. J. Deal; Whyte and Kindelberger's meat market. Further west, over Flint creek, is the blacksmith shop operated by Clifford Fingers, and D. A. Sutherland's wool house is near here. The Lehigh Valley station is on Dewey avenue, and on this street also are the produce firms of Herrington & Sutherland, and Adamson & Son, who operate a cold storage plant. The lumber yard conducted by WilHam Thompson is on Stanley street. The apple evaporator is located on Maple avenue, where may also be found the dentist, Charles Compton. On South street is situated the Baptist church, Scott & Son, blacksmiths; and the M. E. church. At the west switch are C. M. Thompson's produce and fertilizer buildings, and the Cook & Fake coal yard. The village has two 392 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. doctors, A. D. Allen and C. C. Williamson. The town is lighted with natural gas furnished by six wells. Rushville. The village of Rushville is the only village in the town that has a corporate organization. The principal part of the village is in Yates county. The union school district of Rushville extends beyond the village lim,its, on the Ontario county side. The Rush- ville school draws many of the more advanced students from the district schools in this part of the town, and in it many of Gorham's first citizens have received the most of their education. Chester Loomis, who afterwards became Judge Loomis, and a New York State Senator, was one of the early school teachers of Gorham, and his son, Charles Loomis, remembered his and his father's home village with a gift of $15,000 with the stipulation that it be used for public improvement. With the avails of this bequest a large public block was erected, with room for two stores, and a large public audience hall. This building was burned in 1908, but a new building was erected in 1909 along similar lines, with a public hall, and space for the fire department, and the public offices. The Rushville banking ofifice does a thriving business with the people covering a large territory. It is managed and conducted by Irving Jones, the cashier. On the Gorham. side of the village is located the cemetery and the Methodist Episcopal church, while the Con- gregational church stands very near the line. The Rushville Evaporating and Packing Company, whose ofifice is located on the Lehigh railroad, does a large business in evaporat- ing apples and buying and selling apple products. At this point is also located the bean picking house of Bedel & Co., managed by George Fitch. The cold storage of John Adamson and several hay storage houses and produce plants make this one of the best marketing places for Gorham farmers. The Gorham Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons received its first charter from the Grand Lodge in 1813 and held regular meet- ings until 1828, when it was compelled to forego its meetings on account of the popular feeling aroused by the Morgan abduction incident. The lodge resumed work again in 1840 and continued under the old dispensation until 1855, when a new charter was granted to it as No. 377, F. & A. M. The present membership of the lodge is one hundred and ten. It owns its building, which is located on the east side' of Main street in the village of Rushville. THE TOWN OF GORHAM. 393 The Lake Shore. The town of Gorham is bounded on the west by Canandaigua lake. Much of the lake shore has been sold to non-residents in cabin lots, of from fifty to five hundred feet width, and in some cases more. Upon these lots have been built cottages which are occupied during the summer months by people who Hve the rest of the year in near-by cities and villages. This lake shore develop- ment has added materially to the value of the property in the immediate neighborhood, and has added to the assessed valuation of the town many thousands of dollars. There are about seventy- five of these summer homes located in the town. Cottage City is the name of the principal steamboat landing, and the locality where the most of the cottages are located. The store, boarding-house, dancing hall, and billiard parlors are owned and operated by Mr. R. M. Gage. Lincoln Wood is the name of another steamboat landing and the immediate locality. Here is located the fine country residence of the late Senator John Raines, which was com- pleted after his death. Washburn's landing is the name of the first landing on the east side of the lake as you leave Canandaigua. On Green's point, a little further south, there are located six or seven cottages. Bradley Wynkoop, Esq., and John Colmey, Esq., each has a cottage on the shore, near the north line of the town. At Gooding's point there is a group of seven or eight summer homes. Further up the lake, at Noble's, there are several more. The lake shore road running south from the Gage school- house was originally located on the bank of the lake, but has been moved back a greater part of the distance from this point to the south line of the town, so as to make cottage lots of the land near the iake. The present town ofificers are: Supervisor, Fredrick Kindel- berger; town clerk, T. B. Pierce; justices, William Pulver, L. C. Lincoln, S. B. Douglass, and M. W. Fisher; assessors, John Whyte, Alonzo Ardell, and George Chapman; highway superintendent, Charles H. Green; collector, Miles Blodgett; overseer of poor, Charles Babbitt; constables, James Stokoe, Charles Stark, Julius Braham. 394 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XXXI THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. Set Off from Gorham on March 29, 1822, by Officials Who Hoped Well for the New Civil Division — Emphatically an Agricul- tural Town — The Earliest Settlers — Fortunate in the Character of Its Pioneers — Once the Home of a Company of Fourierites — The Old Indian Trails — The Seneca Castle of Onnaghee. By Irvino W. Coaxes. The Muse of History, clad in the classic garb of a former age. with uplifted pen, amid the moss grown tablets and the crumbling relic of a barbarous, unrecorded and uncultured epoch, at the very dawn of what is now termed civilization, seeking to discover amid the wreck and ruin of countless centuries the actors, the deeds, and the motives which impelled them, as well as the localities upon which they dwelt and enacted their drama of triumph or defeat, of glory or shame, is very much in the position of the modern historian who today attempts to record scenes, localities, men and events of a time long since past. The voices of those who could tell most eloquently of the past are stilled in death. The incidents of their struggle in this then their wild wilderness home are not obtainable. The localities of their rude cabins, as their gleaming axes cleared away the giant forests, have" gone before the onward march of progress, and all is changed. And to add to the difficulties of the student who seeks to elucidate the story of our past, former historians who then had a most interesting field from which to glean stores of valuable facts, with a "cloud of living witnesses" to substantiate them, have been content to m.erely mention a few brief incidents, leaving to the investigator of today the mere "dry husks of history," on which to base his conclusions. I have often fancied the delight and interest with which the decendants and friends of those hardy pioneers of oiu" town would THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 395 peruse the many daily events and adventures incident to their rough life in subjugating this wilderness, and the strange scenes upon wfhich they gazed, on their early advent to this paradise clothed in all its pristine beauty, before the hand of civilized man had marred its surroundings. We know full well, the severe trials and hard- ships which they endured, we know the great dangers which those noble men and women faced by day and by night; yet, would it not have increased our love and admiration for them, and deepened our reverence for their memories, had some careful chronicler of the time been more explicit in telling the story of their heroic lives and dauntless courage ? On the 27th day of January, 1789, after the advent of some of the earliest settlers in Ontario county, and nearly ten years since the Old Continentals under General Sullivan made their victorious raid against the Senecas, a district or town, according to the best information we can get, was formed and included within its bound- aries all the territory now known as the towns of Gorham and Hopewell. The district thus set off was called "Easton," but on April 19th, 1806, the name, not giving very good satisfaction to many citizens of the district, was changed to Lincoln, and still later, April 6th, 1807, to Gorham, in honor of Nathaniel Gorham, one of the proprietors under the Massachusetts Preemption purchase. The town of Hopewell, as it is now known, was set off from the old town of Gorham on March 29th, 1822, and according to the system of Phelps and Gorham surveys, as adopted at the time of their large purchase, it is known as township 10, range 2, and con- tains about thirty-six squares miles of land. As to the origin of the name given it on its separation from the town of Gorham, the true reason has not been satisfactorily explained. By some it is claimed that it was in allusion to Hopewell in New Jersey, where General Washington and his officers held the famous "council of war" on the evening preceding the battle of Monmouth, while he and his army were in pursuit of Sir Henry Clinton after his evacuation of Philadelphia, during the Revolution, but of the truth of this the writer knows not. Others have suggested that the name adopted in 1822, for the bantling township thus set adrift upon the uncertain tide of corporate existence, embodied the good wishes of those former fellow citizens of the older town — old Gorham, and that they truly hoped 7vrll for the child mothered on their soil, who thus 396 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. had assumed the dignity and responsibility of a separate jurisdic- tion among the towns of Ontario county. But be this as it may, Hopewell is a good name, a name of which she may well feel proud, and whose history, although she boasts of no large populous vil- lages, or long city avenues, noisy with the din of traffic, can point with pride to many a happy country home, whose doors are ever open to the demands of charity, where peace and plenty dwell, and where kind nature rewards the labors of the husbandman. That the town thus christened in 1822 "made good," as the saying is, is evidenced by the fact that, although the pioneer settle- ment of the town commenced in 1789 and the year following, so rapid was the progress made in settlement, that in 1830 it had a population of over two thousand inhabitants, a population by the way, as has well been observed, that has never been "exceeded or equalled at any subsequent census enumeration." Hopewell is emphatically an agricultural town, the great majority of its citizens being engaged in cultivating the soil, and its large area of fer- tile land, its heavy forests of valuable timber, its abundant supply of pure water in springs and creeks, no doubt early attracted the attention of a thrifty, industrious class of emigrants from other States less fortunate, and this accounts perhaps, in a great measure, for its early growth and development. The earliest settlers in the town of Hopewell, according to the most authentic information we have, were Daniel Gates, Daniel Warner, Ezra Piatt, Samuel Day, George Chapin, Israel Chapin, Jr., Frederic Follet, Thomas Sawyer, Benjamin .Wells, and a Mr. Sweet, who came from Massachusetts, and William .Wyckoff, from Pennsylvania. These were actually the original pioneers of the town, and as such are deserving' of notice before other early settlers who came in subsequently. A son was born to Benjamin Wells and wife on February 4th, 1791, who was named Benjamin Wells, Junior, who was the first white child born in the town. William Wyckof? was said to have been an Indian captive, captured in the Susquehanna valley by the Senecas, and brought from his home by them on their retreat before Sullivan's army in 1779, and who on his release, after the war, settled on the site of Old Onnaghee. Captain Frederic Follet, another early pioneer, led a romantic and adventurous life during the closing years of the Revolutionary THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 397 war, and, by a miracle almost, after intense pain and suffering, escaped death at the hands of the Indians. Captain Thomas Saw- yer, another pioneer whom we have named, was a bold and brave officer among the "Green Mountain boys," and rendered loyal service in the wild scenes of the Revolutionary period. His was the first death in the present town of Manchester, which occurred on March 12th, 1796, and his remains were buried in the old rural cem- etery in Hopewell, on the main road leading from Canandaigua to Manchester. Quite recently, however, at a meeting of his descend- ants in Ontario county and elsewhere, his remains were remioved from their first resting place in Hopewell and reinterred with appropriate services in the new Pioneer cemetery in the town of Manchester, which has lately been incorporated and improved, and where sleep many of his old friends and associates of pioneer days. Although the pioneers, whose namies I have mentioned, were undoubtedly the first settlers in the town, there came in quite early many enterprising, thrifty men of families, from New England, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere, who by their advent as permanent settlers, and by their labors in subduing the wildness, helped much to improve the newly-formed township. There is no doubt but that these also are justly, entitled to the name of pio- neers and to all the honor which that name implies. Among the names recorded at that early date, occur those of Richard Jones, Nathaniel Lewis, Elam Smith, Vimri Densmore, George LeVere, Robert Buchan, John Price, Daniel LeVere, John Freshour, Israel, John, and Stephen Thacher, Major Elijah Murray, Elijah Ellis, John Russel, David W. Beach, Oliver and William Biabcock, William Bbdman, Erastus Leonard, Luther Porter, Robert Penn, Samuel Bush, Joshua Case, John Ricker, Amos Knapp, Silas Benham, C. P. Bush, Daniel Warren, Shuball Clark, John Hart, John Faurot, George Chapin, Russel Warren, Dedrick Coursen, Robert David- son, Moses DePew, John Gregg, James Moore, James Birdseye, Edward Root, Ezekiel Crane, John McCauley, David Aldrich, Amos, Amasa, and James Gillett, Joseph Lee, Oliver Warren, Elam Crane, Ezra and Leonard Knapp, Thaddeus Benham, Elisha Higby, William Canfield. Andrew Bush, Elder. Anson Shay, John Kellogg, Thomas Edmundson, Daniel Macumber, Captain Thomas Davis, Rufus Warner, Apollas Baker, John Church, Jonas Whit- ney, Asel and Constant Balcom, Eben and Eli Benham, Ezra Newton, and others. 398 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. At a little later period, there came still others to swell the population of the town, who, like those already mentioned, proved most worthy citizens and added wealth and credit to the com- munity. The surnames of these families were: Thomas, Derr, Spangle, Skinner, Cleveland, Knapp, Marks, Sly, Purdy, Ketchum, Brundage, Bishop, Pembroke, Woodin, Knickerbocker, Chapman, Archer, Stotenburg, Reese, Maynard, Cary, Cost, Parkhurst, Mat- tison, Stoddard, Shekell,' Kingsley, Wadsworth, Odell, Warfield, and many others, whose names haA'e been forgotten in the lapse of time, but many of whose descendants have long been citizens of the town, and have contributed in no small degree to its growth and material prosperity. HiOpewell was fortunate in the character of its pioneers, com- ing as they did, the majority of them, from the New England States, and having been educated in the stern precepts of the Puritan school where honesty, patriotism, and justice between man and man were regarded as the essential elements of true man- hood, being early inured to honest toil, to rigid economy, and frugal habits, to a faithful regard to obligations incurred. With a just conception of the benefits of education and of the value of wholesome moral influence in regulating the affairs of a commun- ity, they set on their advent here a worthy example for their descendants to follow, and thus we find them, even before the forests were cleared awa}^ erecting rude places of worship and schools that the principles of their noble forefathers which had wrought so much good in the older localities, might take root here and bring forth precious fruit in the virgin soil of Western New York. Hence, we are not surprised to learn from the records that Calvin Bacon taught the first school in one of these rude school- houses as early as 1792, or that religious meetings were held in 1803. They were men of great enterprise and thrift, upright and honorable in their dealings, with a profound respect for law and order ; and by their labors soon rendered to the town a name and character that gave it an enviable reputation among its neighbors in the civil divisions of the county. The officers chosen at its first annual town meeting, held on the 17th day of April, 1822, were men of much native ability, and the names of Nathan Lewis, its first supervisor. Judge Amos Jones, Judge John Price, and miany others, who occupied ])rominent positions in succeeding town THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 399 administrations, reflected much honor upon the town and are to this day most ]oving-ly remembered for their zeal, their sound judgment, and unselfish efforts in an official capacity, for all the people of the town during many long years of service. As it has been before remarked in the course of this humble sketch, Plopewell was t3'pically an agricultural town, and m*ost of its citizens were tillers of the soil, hence its manufacturing interests were of no great extent, nor was much capital invested therein. In an early day, Jonas Whitney, who was the owner of a large tract of fine farming and timbered land, built a saw mill on Fall brook, Dennie Chapman being the millwright, and a little lower down on that same stream, Henry Jones erected a saw mill that was run for several years, while yet another saw mill, higher up the stream, nearly east of Hopewell Center, was owned and operated for many years by George Derr. On the Canandaigua outlet, in the western part of the town, Oliver Phelps and Captain Israel Chapin built at an early date, probably about 1789, a grist mill at the foot of the first rapids in the stream, about five miles below the lake. This was for the time quite a large mill and proved a great convenience to the early set- tlers, as well as establishing a local market for the splendid crops of the famous "Genesee wheat" that grew to perfection on the clayey soils of that portion of the town of Hopewell. As Captain Chapin soon removed from Canandaigua to the locality of the mill, erecting the venerable old mansion (still standing) in 1808, and extending his farming operations over a large area, the place was named in his honor, Chapinville, and soon became quite a busy center for the trade of that region. The flour made from the fine wheat on his farms and others soon gained a great reputation for excellence, and on the completion of the Erie canal in 1825, a brisk trade was opened between the cities of the State and even abroad, by long lines of farmers' teams hauling flour from the mill to Pal- myra on the canal, and even before its completion, to Pultneyville, on Lake Ontario, bringing on the return trip loads of iron ore, which occurs so plentifully in that part of Wayne county, to the early furnaces in Shortsville and Manchester. Another early mill on the Canandaigua outlet was erected by Oliver Phelps in 1791. This mill was a small and crude afifair, yet it answered its purpose well for a time and proved a great help to the early settlers for long distances in this region. This mill was 400 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Jong known as the "Day mill," from Samuel Day, an early settler of the town, who was employed by Mr. Phelps to operate the mill. In 1800 Edward Parker became the owner of this mill, and it was run by him until his death in 1820. Stephen Bates, the son of Phineas Bates, the early landlord of Canandaigua, became the owner of the mill property after the death of Edward Parker, and buying a large area of land near, became a very successful farmer, improved the mills, both saw and grist mills, and they were known over a wide extent of country for many years, as the "Bates mills." Stephen Bates was a prominent citizen ; became sheriff of Ontario county, member of Assembly, and State Senator. He emigrated to Sauk, Wisconsin, in 1845, and died the following year. The property subsequently came into the possession of a company of "Fourierites" and after a brief occupancy by that deluded sect, it was purchased by Norman C. Little, about 1846 or 1847, who in addition to the mills, erected a store and transacted quite a httle business for a time, but not meeting with very good success, Mr. Little was sold out by the sherifi', and he removed to Saginaw, Michigan, where he was drowned in the river. The locality thus occupied by him on the outlet in Hopewell, in 1846, still bears his name, Littleville, and probably will be known as such for many years to come. This locality on the outlet, now known as Littleville, was a famous one in the days of the Indian occupancy of this region. It was here the "old ford," or "stepping stones," crossed the stream and marked the junction of two very important paths or trails, one' leading from Geneva through Oaks Corners and the Indian vil- lages on the Flint creek, and the other from the foot of Canandai- gua lake to the Indian settlements on the Ganargua creek in the vicinity of Palmiyra, in what is now Wayne county. In fact, as the writer has proved by actual exploration, no less than five well defined Indian paths or trails converged at this point, and further it must have been occupied by the red men as a village or home for many years, judging from the relics found in the near vicinity. On the authority of Hon. George S. Conover, the map of the old trail from Littleville, or the "old ford," to Flint creek and beyond, is still on file in the State Engineer's oflfice at Albany; is numbered 341 of Phelps and Gorham's purchase, and shows the exact junc- tion of these two important trails. The present road in the north- THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 401 ern portion of the town of Hopewell, leading from Littleville to Orleans, is virtually on the line of this old trail, and was surveyed in 1792. It is a singular fact that today this fine v^'ater power afiforded by the Canandaigua outlet in the town of Hopewell, which was so much prized by the early settlers, is of no account, and it moves not a single wheel within the area once noisy with the hum of machinery in mills and factories at what is now Chapin, Higby's, and other points on the stream, with the single exception of the turbines of the Ontario Light and Traction Company, at Little- ville. This great change has been brought about by the necessities of the county seat, Canandaigua, in the disposal of its sewage and for other purposes. That the rapid growth and enterprise of Canandaigua has worked to the disadvantage of the town of Hope- well, has been remarked by other historians, and the fact of its slow growth and lack of enterprise is patent to every citizen of the town. Canandaigua, busy, beautiful, and full of business enterprise, is fast assuming the dignity of a city, while Hopewell that lies so near has a smaller population than it had in even 1830, and, with not a single growing village within its borders, or the starting of a single new business enterprise, has been given over to the slow and uneventful course of an agricultural community, whose whole life and ultimate destiny as a constituent part of Ontario county rest with the tillers of the soil. If they are wise to their opportunities at this day and age, if they adopt more new and improved methods of farming as the researches of science have demonstrated by actual tests to be an advance over the older methods, if they cultivate a spirit of local pride in beautifying their home surroundings, in assisting kind Nature to spread a mantle of rural contentment and rest over the many charming homes within their borders, Hopewell need not envy her more populous neighbors with their growing towns and evidences of business thrift, for the basis of her present and future prosperity is founded in the soil itself, and her citizens are co-workers in the "oldest and noblest pursuit of man." Cities and towns may spread out and assume grand proportions, but agriculture is after all the true source of all wealth, and the fruits of the farmers' toil must ever sustain the people of the earth. During the Indian occupancy of Ontario county, that portion embraced in the present town of Hopewell was a favorite home and 402 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. residence for a long time of the proud Senecas, who were our immediate predecessors on this soil. This is proven by the numerous evidences of that occupancy that still remain. In the southern part of the town, near the old trail leading to Senecai lake, the large and important town or "castle" of Onnaghee was for a long time the home of a numerous population, and the many relics found there prove that it occupied no small importance in the Indian history of the period. Just what time it was founded, or how long it was occupied, is a matter of doubt among investigators, but if we carefully study cotemporaneous Indian history, we can determine pretty closely the time of its occupancy. We know from well authenticated records that Denonville, the French Governor of Canada, made his famous invasion into the Senecas' territory in July, 1687; that during that invasion his army destroyed, notwith- standing the Senecas' brave resistance, their main capital, Ganna- gora, on Boughton Hill in the present town of Victor, also Gannogarae, about four miles south, in what is now the town of East Bloomfield, the large town of Totiakton on the bend of the Honeoye creek in the present town of Mendon, Monroe county. The towns destroyed by Denonville in 1687, we have good reason to believe, were never again permanently occupied by the Senecas. In their retreat it is not likely that the Senecas went farther than the foot of Canandaigua lake, where in a short time they were joined by their fellow tribesmen, the Cayugas, and thus reinforced, they kept up such a galling pursuit of the French that Denonville was glad to beat a hasty and inglorious retreat to his boats, which he had left under a strong guard at Irondequoit bay. Then after embarking his motley army of regulars, AJ^olunteers, and Indians on the bosom of Old Ontario, he voyaged to the mouth of the Niagara, when, leaving a small force in the fort at that point, he returned to the settlements on the St. Lawrence, thus ending his inglorious raid into the Senecas' country. If we make allowance for the unsettled condition of the Senecas after this invasion, the loss of their crops, and the destruction of their towns, and the length of time required by them to again start new communities for mutual defense and benefit, on sites favorable by nature for the homes of a numerous population, it would seem that the castle of Onnaghee must have been founded soon after 1700, or perhaps 1710, and it was at that time regarded as the "fartherest castle of the nation," a place of great importance in the Indian THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 403 history of the time. There were other locaHties in the town occupied by the Senecas for longer or shorter periods, but the limits of this brief sketch will not permit of extended notice. Certain it is, that the fertile soil, the wide level fields, the heavy forests, the pure water, the abundance of game on the hills and fish in the streams, of the territory nov/ embraced in the town of Hopewell, were powerful inducements to the red men to found their homes and villages on its soil. The strong Jesuit influence which that order exerted over the Senecas prior to the expedition of Denonville in 1687, and the missions which they founded at Gannagora, Gannogarae, Totiak- ton, and other places, seems never to have been renewed to any very appreciable extent in the villages afterwards founded in the eastern part of Ontario county. The castle of Onnaghee in the town of Hopewell was never a mission, yet quite a number of Jesuit relics, such as seal rings, brass crosses, etc., have been found there, indicating that quite a few of its people still adhered to the teachings of the missionaries and the stately religion which they represented. The town of Hopewell has ever been abreast of the times as to the importance of mental and moral training, and from the early pioneer advent to the present, has sustained her schools and churches with a laudable zeal. The daily lives of her citizens prove that they believe fully in their importance as ruling factors for good in the community. That patriotism and love of country was also fostered in the home and in public, is proven by the fact that when the armed hosts of Britain invaded our shores in 1812, not only did her young men buckle on the armor of defense, but many old men and middle-aged stepped forward as volunteers to serve their country, under the lead of the brave General Peter B. Porter and others. Their deeds of arms along the Niagara frontier are still remembered with pride by their descendants, and attested by the written praise of those under whom they served as citizen soldiers. Again, at a later period, in 1861, when the dark clouds of the war of the Rebellion rolled over the land, Hopewell, in common with all the other towns of Ontario county received a call for help, and she responded by sending more than ten per cent, of her able bodied young men to join the Union armies on the plains of the South. In the early days of the town, before the railways leading from 404 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the .West to the East had adopted the plan of transporting live stock by rail, the main roads of Hopewell were the favorite routes over which immense droves of cattle, sheep, and hogs were driven by western di'overs, enroute to the markets of New York and Boston. The favor thus shown by the hardy, honest men who traversed this region with their flocks and herds was partly owing to the abundant forage always obtainable along the way, but more perhaps on account of the famous taverns or stopping places that were, in those days of stage coaches and drovers, such a marked feature of our Western New York communities. Among those in the town which at that time enjoyed a fame that has been perpetuated and rendered almost historic, were the famous hostelries of Samuel House and old Jackson Hanna, located on the road called "Broadway," leading from the present hamlet of Chapin to Orleans, in the town of Phelps. "Old Sam House," as he was known the country over, was a natural born innkeeper, a boniface who gave a smile of welcome to every wayfarer that came his way, whose fund of good humor and jokes never ran dry, whose table was always laden with the best that could be obtained, and whose large, old fashioned bar, open as the generous countenance of its genial proprietor, was stocked with the purest wines, liquors, and everything that went with the generous hospitality of those grand old days. This famous old inn, still standing and almost unchanged by the hand of Time, was an ideal drovers' home, a place whose broad pastures and whose cool shades along the banks of Fall brook that here in a graceful curve from the South cross the road, invited rest for the tired beasts from the plains of Ohio and Illinois, while the men of the outfit, resting from their long journey, were made to feel at home, and dreaded the day of their departure from the happy retreat. This famous old inn has a still greater honor to its credit, as the scene of those grand balls, celebrated throughout the county, in the old ball room that extended the whole length of the house, at which great functions, the wealth, the chivalry, and the beauty of our pioneer ancestry, tripped the "light fantastic" to the exhilarat- ing strains of that grand old fiddler, Macauley, while the banquet spread in the spacious dining rooms, under the skillful supervision of mine host and his Avorthy wife, for the gay dancers, was one that for its excellence was one to be long remembered by all who partook. As we look upon the old house today, as we recall its past history, what scenes rise before us ! Could that venerable ball roorr/ THE TOWN OF HOPEWELL. 405 but speak, what tales could it unfold, what pictures of the past, when in the bloom of youth and beauty beneath its arched ceiling, "Soft eyes looked love, to eyes that spake again, And all went merry as a marriage bell." Almost of equal fame was that other well known stopping- place, about two miles farther west on the same street, the old Jack Hanna place, as it was familiarlj' called. And who that has resided long in the town of Hopewell, but has heard of Uncle Jack Hanna, has seen the fine farm that was so long his home when living, or the grand old house that in the early days sheltered within its hospitable walls so many who traveled for business or pleasure this portion of our State? For years it was kept as a public inn and was a most welcome stopping place for drovers with large herds of cattle, hogs, and sheep, the broad fields afifording ample sustenance for the animals, while the owners themselves partook of the excellent fare provided by the worthy landlord and his noble wife. But these old homesteads, with their many associations, have all changed, their former owners sleep beneath the grass grown mounds of the rural cemeteries, and their story as related to our pioneer days exists only in the meager sketch of some local historian. But that they once lived in our midst, that they strove to improve and benefit by their labors this community, are facts most amply proven by past records, and the dim remembrance of many whose frosted hair mark them of brief continuance on earth. All honor to the memory of those noble men and women who occupied so wide a place on the public stage at that time. Hence we perceive, on carefully examining the history of the town of Hopewell, its career as a constituent portion of the county of Ontario has been, notwithstanding the slight credit awarded it by some former historians, a most honorable one, and while it has been the theater of no spectacular progress, or remarkable advance along various lines, it certainly has held its own, has paid its honest debts, and has contributed its full share towards the public burdens imposed upon it by the demands of the county and State. Its citizens have been loyal and true, and in peace and war have striven to uphold the honor of their country and its flag. That its future may prove as prosperous as its past, and that peace and plenty may crown the labors of its sons and daughters forever, is the earnest wish of the author of this humble sketch of its history. 406 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XXXII. THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. Originally a Part of the Town of Farmington — Became a Separate Civil Division in the Year 1821 — Earlier Town Meetings — Patriotism of Its Citizens in the War of Independence, the War of 1812, and the Civil War — The Birthplace of Mormon- ism — Villages of Clifton Springs, Shortsville, and Manchester. By Dh. John H. Pratt. Originally Manchester was geographically known as Township 12, Range 2, being at that time part of the town or "district" of Farmington. Later, in the year 1821, March 31, a township was set off and called Burt. This was changed to Manchester on April 16, 1822. The land Avas purchased by Phelps and Gorham of the Old Bay State at the nominal sum of four cents per acre. They paid for it in Colonial securities, which were worth about one-half of their par value, making the real cost something less than two cents per acre. The second road to be built on the Phelps and Gorham Pur- chase was surveyed in 1785 and was opened for travel in the year 1788, extending from Canandaigua to Manchester village, the latter, place being the head of navigation for fiat boats on the Canandaigua outlet. It was natural that the first settlements should be made along this route. Accordingly we find that in 1793, Joab Gillett, Stephen Jared, and Joel Phelps were the first white men to settle here. Jared and Phelps remained only a short time, so to Joab Gillett belongs the honor of being the first true pioneer of the town of Manchester. The first log house was built by him near the site of the present Baptist church. Here in the following year was celebrated the first marriage, his daughter, Ruth, becoming the wife of Sharon Booth, the second permanent settler. The third and last person to arrive in 1794 was Deacon John THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 407 McLouth. He was connected with the early religious movements' of the town and in his barn was held the very first religious meet- ings. He is also credited with erecting and operating the first cider mill. Soon other settlers found their way to this forest home. From the year 1794 to 1800 we find many familiar names that have helped to make the history of Ontario county. Among the best known are Nathan Pierce, John McLouth, John VanFleet, Sharon Booth, Benjamin Barney, Jedediah Dewey, William Mitchell, Peleg Red- field, Hooker and Joseph Sawyer, Ebenezer Pratt, John Lamunion, Gilbert Howland, Elihu Osgood, William Stafford, Thomas Harrington, Jeremiah Hart, Jacob Rice, yVnanias .Wells, Luke Phelps, and Bezaliel Coats. Among the well known families that located permanently in the early part of the twentieth century, we find the names of the Grangers, Shekels, Throops, Bushes. The first supervisor was Joshua VanFleet. He also was a member of the Legislature fi'om Ontario county, in 1812 and again in 1814. Owing to the fact that Manchester and Farmington were one township for several years and that they held their town meet- ings together, naturally the very early officers fell to the honor of being recorded in the archives of Farmington. In 1801 Man- chester and Farmington held their joint meeting at the home of William Clarke, but it was at this meeting that it was "voted that our town meetings from this time forward, to be held at the school house near Nathan Pierce's." This change held good only for the years 1802 and 1803, and in 1804 the first town meeting in either town or village which was ever held within the limits of Man- chester was held at the home of Ebenezer Pratt. Its stay there was a brief one, for in 1806 it was again held in the Pierce neighborhood, at the old Squires house, instead of the school house. This unsettled town meeting again found its way back to the house of Ebenezer Pratt and there it remained for a term of years. It was opened there in 1815 and then adjourned to a shop owned by M. and R. Buck. This shop continued to be the political headquarters for a space of three years, when the Pratt influence again manifested itself and Ebenezer's tavern was once again the spot where our pioneer suffragists were wont to congregate. In 1818 the meeting was held at Nathan Barlow's store. In the succeeding year, 1819, the voters, it would seem, must 408 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. have been somewhat fastidious as to where they should exercise their right of suffrage, for we read "at the annual town meeting, held in the village of Manchester the sixth day of April, 1819, it was opened at the store whei'e the town meeting was held last year, and adjourned to the chamber in the hotel, and opened and adjourned down into the lower room, and there opened, and the following persons were chosen," etc. The electors first assembled at the hotel in Manchester village in 1820, when "it was voted that the town meeting adjourn forth- with, to meet at the woolen manufactory in said town." The last town meeting of the joint district, held in 1821, went through the same programme of assembling at the hotel and adjourning to the woolen factory. The question of dividing the town had been under consider- ation by the settlers for some years previous to this. These questions always cause difference of opinion and this one proved no exception to the rule. There arose parties for and against the pro- posed division, and at the town meeting in 1816 the proposition was brotight to a vote, for the minutes of the meeting read that "a vote was taken to divide the town of Farmington on the center line between the two elevens running north ^ and south, and was negatived." Those in favor of the scheme, however, constantly agitated the question of separation, and in 1817 it was again sub- mitted to a vote, "on the motion of Mr. Elias Deming." It is recorded that the electors present, actiiig on this motion, "went out of the house and divided themselves into two divisions, whereupon it was decided against the division by a large majority." Again in 1818, an attempt was evidently made to divide the town, for we find this clause in the records, "and a notification for a division of the town was read," but there is no record that it came to a vote at this meeting. Possibly the adherents of the division became discourag'ed, for they made no effort to bring the much disputed question up at the meeting in 1819. But the proposition continued to grow in popular favor, for it appears that early in the year 1820, it became necessary to call a special town meeting for another consideration of the subject. This meeting was held at the hotel in Manchester on the 15th day of January, 1820, and the vote was taken by ballot and again resulted adversely to the scheme. But it had evidently developed considerable strength and its advocates brought the matter of its THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 409 adoption up again at the regular town meeting in April, 1820, when it was again voted on and again defeated. So many defeats evidently lent zest to the situation, and to conquer became the fixed determination of the advocates of division. Accordingly they applied to the Legislature and on the 31st of March, 1821, an act was passed by that body entitled "An act to divide the town of Farmington, in the County of Ontario." After designating the dividing line, it was enacted that the territory lying to the east of the same "Be, and it hereby is, erected into a separate town by the name of Burt ; and the first town meeting in said town so erected shall be held at the district school house in said town, near David Howland's dwelling house." The fact that this act had become a law was not communicated to the electors of the old town at the time of the town meeting in April, for the minutes of said meeting state that they voted to adjourn and that the meeting should "be held at the hotel in the village of Manchester, in the ensuing year." As another historian has written, "by this brilliant piece of political strategy, i. e., the secret invoking of legislative aid, did Mr. Deming and his allies secure the ends for which they had labored so long and diligently." The new township was called Burt, after a member of the Legislature, not, however, a representative of Ontario county, and he was probably instrumental in securing the passage of the bill. This name failed to please the citizens, however, and aroused a bone of contention, so they again applied to the Legislature, and on April 16, 1822, it was enacted, "that from and after the passing of this act, the town of Burt, in the County of Ontario, shall be called and known by the name of Manchester." As the statute had designated, the one and only town meeting of the town of Burt was held at the school house near David How- land's. At the same place, in 1823, the first town meeting of the town of Manchester convened. Here again it would have met in 1824, but according to the record the school house was not inhabitable, for it reads : "Manchester, 6th April, 1824. "The annual town meeting in and for the town of Manchester, was opened agreeable to adjournment on the rewins of the old school hous, and for want of "shelter was adjourned to Peter Williams' Barn." 410 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The following year, 1825, the town meeting took place at "The new dwelling house of Joshua K. King," known as the King tavern, located on the road that the State surveyed in 1814 from Phelps to Victor, a building that is still standing just east of the "Poplar Corners." The next year, 1826, the meeting was taken to the house of John Coon, where after its many wanderings in various parts of the town it came to stay, until an act of the Legislature "shattei'ed into pieces," as has been written, "the old town meeting of former times, and spread the fragments thereof over the villages of Manchester, Clifton Springs, and Port Gibson, thus covering them over with that mantle of fadeless glory, the luster of which has, we fear, departed from Coonsville forever." At the first town meeting of Burt or Manchester, the names of the principal officers elected were as follows : Supervisor, Joshua Van Fleet; clerk, Gahazi Granger; assessors, Thomas Kingsley, David Rowland, and Peter Mitchell; collector, William Popple; commissioners of highways, Jacob Cost, Carlos Harmon, and Nicholas Howland ; overseers of the poor, Titus Bement and James Harland; constables, William Popple, Robert Spear and John Schutt ; commissioners of common schools, Addison N. Buck, Azel Throop, and George Redfield ; inspectors of common schools, Carlos Harmon, Peter Mitchell, and Leonard Short. David Howland held the office of supervisor in 1823, '24, '25, and in 1826 was succeeded by Peter Mitchell, Esq. During these same years, including 1826, Mr. Granger was continually re-elected as town clerk. At this time the assessors of the town were Peter Mitciiell, who held the office for three years in succession, Robert McCollum who served one year, Nicholas Howland four years, Jacob Cost three years, and Nathan Pierce one year. William Popple was elected collector in 1823, and in 1825 this office was held by Gilbert V. Crane. The following two years, 1824-'26, this honor fell to John Schutt. John Pratt served as overseer of the poor for two years in this time, and Titus Bement for two years. Jedediah Dewey and Nathan Pierce also served for the same length of time. During the twenty-five years of the political period of the old town of Farmington, what is now the town of Manchester supplied the greater share of the officers. It gave town clerk for sixteen years, commissioners of highways for fourteen years, assessors for twelve years, with the exception of an interregnum of one year. THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 411 poormaster for thirteen years, and other officers for less time. The fact that these men retained office from year to year is evidence of the satisfactory service they gave to the community at large. We may well be proud of the forefathers who fought for American Independence, and Manchester has to its credit a goodly list of those patriots. Among them are the following names : Nathan Pierce, Joshua Van Fleet, Peleg Redfield, Samuel Rush, Thomas Sawyer, Joab Gillett, Ebenezer Pratt, Israel Harrington, and Nicholas Chrysler. It has been impossible to ascertain the rank of each one, with the exception of Nathan Pierce, who was captain of a company. The well earned peace and tranquility of the community were again soon to be disturbed by the cry of war. The paths of these early settlers had been strewn with many and various hardships. The long and great Revolutionary struggle was still fresh in their minds, but they were destined to endure, in addition to the hard- ships of home-making in a wilderness, the anxieties and losses incident to another war, that of 1812. The defense of the Niagara frontier and the protection of the American shores of lake Ontario were of vital importance to these new settlements, for to them the war threatened the desolation of their newly made homes, and with the call for volunteers they freely yielded of their best. It is not strange to find that among the first to enlist was Nathan Pierce, Jr., son of the captain of Revolutionary fame. He served under General Wadsworth, familiarly known by his men as "Black Bill." At the close of the war of 1812, Nathan _Pierce was given command of a comipany of militia. Another Manchester boy deserves mention. Gilbert Howland, eldest son of the pioneer, Nicholas Howland, was captain of a company of militia at the breaking out of this war, and on May 28th, 1812, he was commissioned, by Daniel D. Tompkins, then Governor of New York, as captain ''of a company in the regiment of infantry, in the County of Ontario, whereof Thaddeus Remington, Esq., is Lieutenant Colonel Commandant." His patriotism' was not to be proven, for he yielded his desires to the wishes of his father and mother who belonged to the Society of Friends. On account of his failure to take command, it devolved upon the first lieutenant, Peter Mitchell. Mitchell was a young man of much promise. His later career gives proof of this, for his name stands forth as that of one of the foremost men of those early days, when the good and faithful 412 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY, gave of their best to sow and plant for the generations that were to be reapers of their labors. Even at this early period this youth's clerical abilities were recognized and for some months during his active service he was detailed to act as adjutant of his regiment. Herman J. Redfield received a brevet commission during this war and his two brothers, Harley and Manning, were also volun- teers. From Short's Mills went Joshua Stevens and John Wyatt, and Moses and Jacob Eddy, father and son. They were in the artillery company stationed at Black Rock. Timothy Bigelow, Asel Throop, and John Robinson also served from Manchester. Many are the tales handed down to us of these exciting times, when the boys from home lived on hard tack and horse flesh, and when at great risk loads of provisions were conveyed to the front, the mothers never forgetting the doughnuts and the fathers always including several casks of cider. A'bout the year 1806 the militia system was enforced in Ontario county, and every able bodied man was enrolled for military duty, each one being obliged to furnish his own firearms. Without uni- formity in arms or clothing, they presented anything but a military appearance. They met yearly in each town for company drilling and inspection, also meeting once a year for regimental training and inspection at the county seat. For company training they m'et in various parts of the town, and one of the favorite spots for these meetings was at the old Poplar tavern, situated on the road between Manchester and Clifton Springs. It is a well known fact that these company trainings were generally under the eaves of some inn, when whiskey at three cents per glass, with hard boiled eggs and gingerbread, known in those days as general training cake, were always in evidence and quite as much the order of the day as the training. A fine was imposed upon every able bodied man who failed to appear at the general training. The Quakers, beheving in peace and in adherence to their faith, as a rule would refuse to go. It was then the duty of the collector to call upon them and insist that they pay the fine. This often proved a problem hard to solve, and to settle the dispute almost anything would be accepted in canceling the debt, even to sheep, chickens, ducks, pigs, etc. The very earliest records give the death of Thomas Sawyer, March 12th, 1793, as being the first death to occur in this town. It was he who built the first frame house in the southeast part of the THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 413 town. The first birth recorded is that of Dorris Booth, on March 25th, 1795. With the opening of the twentieth century came the first merchant, Nathan Barlow, and the first physician was James Stewart. The training of the yonthful minds fell to Elam Crane and with gratitude to his memory we place his name on record as that of the first schoolmaster of the town. Achilles Bottsford ranks as the pioneer cobbler. The first printer from this town was Lewis H. Redfield, who became a "printer's devil" in Canandaigua, under James D. Bemis. Religion was a feature of the pioneer life. Rev. David Irish preached in Manchester on January, 1797, and in February follow- ing the Baptist society was founded. The legal organization of the societ)' was perfected in 1804. Ebenezer Pratt, Joseph Wells, and Jeremiah Dewey were the first trustees, and the first Baptist church, known as the "old stone church," was built in 1816. It stood on the east side of Main street in the village of Manchester, just a few rods above where now the l.ehigh Valley railroad crosses. The next Baptist church of the town of Manchester was founded at Plainsville in 1803. Its first pastor was Elder Wisner. The Methodists had a society as early as 1800 and held their meetings in private houses. St. John's church, Episcopal, was organized by Rev. Davenport Phelps in 1807 at Sulphur Springs, now known as Clifton Springs. John and Samuel Shekels were the wardens. In succeeding years other religious bodies have come and made their homes among us. At an early date our forefathers realized the necessity of educating and preparing the young for the future responsibilities that would naturally confront them. The outcome proves the timber was well worth the pruning. As early as the year 1813, the first school meeting was called and held at the home of Ebenezer Pratt. A record taken from a book containing the manutes of the meetings relates that after much argument and adjournment of said meeting, it was "voted that a school house shall be 26 ft. long and 20 ft. wide and 9 ft. high. To be a framed building, unless other- wise agreed hereafter. Voted that a tax of $250 be levied on this district for the purpose of erecting school building." In later years other school districts were set off, but it has been impossible to ascertain the correct dates. The pioneers' thirst for knowledge did not end with a district 414 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. school. This was only a slight expression of their desire to advance and make good for the future generations. The following year, 1814, a town library, in the village of Manchester, was founded and the amount was raised by issuing" a thousand shares of stock at two dollars per share. This money was expended in buying standard books. The preamble reads: '"'VVhereas, we the subscribers for mental improvement and for the extension and diffusion of literary information and knowledge generally amongst each other, having formed ourselves into a society to be known by the name of the Farmington Library Society, do constitute and establish the fol- lowing rules or articles to govern us in our social capacity." The library contained over six hundred volumes of biographies, histories, and scientific, moral, political, religious, and educational works. On its shelves could be found such books as these : "Rol- lin's History," "Franklin's Works," "Josephus," "Montague's Works," "Locke's Understanding," "Goldsmith's Works," "Biog- raphy of Pious Persons," "Dying Thoughts of a Christian," "Elements of Morality," "Young's Night Thoughts," "Dick's Philosophy of a Future State," "Cook's Travels," etc. The selec- tion of these books shows that the minds of these valiant pioneers were fully as vigorous as their physical endurance had been in hewing a forest home. This library was always kept in the home of John Pratt, who acted as librarian from 1818 to the time of his death, a period of about fifty years. The remaining well-worn books show the pleas- ure they gave to a by-gone generation. Many of them are still in the possession of John R. Pratt, M. D. In 1815, a Masonic lodge was founded at the tavern of Reuben Buck. The records show that there were only fourteen members. The membership soon increased to over a hundred. It was known as Manchester lodge, No. 269. Dr. Philip N. Draper was the last member of this lodge to be buried by Masonic orders, in the year 1827. The Anti-Masonic excitement was the cause of the disband- ing of the lodge and the last annual meeting was held on December 17th, 1828. Suiting things to their needs and by utilizing the waters of the Canandaigua outlet, the first industry in the town took the shape of a flouring and saw mill, erected in 1804 by Theophilus Short at the place now known as Shortsville. A little below this, on the same stream, in 1811. William Grimes built a carding mill. In the THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 415 same year the Ontario Manufacturing Company was organized and bought the water power at Manchester village and manufactured woolen cloths. It is said that at this time there were only two other factories of the kind in the State. In 1824 a grist mill was built by Valentine Coon, at Coonsville. Case, Abbey, & Co. erected in 1817 a paper mill on the present site of the Jones paper mill in Shortsville, for making writing paper, and it is an item of interest that in this mill was made the paper on which the first Book of Mormon was printed. The Birth of Mormonism. Mormonism, which has become one of our greatest national evils, originated in this town, and in turn, it has given to Manches- ter a national renown. Joseph Smith, Jr., the first Mormon prophet and founder of Mormonism and the Church of Latter Day Saints, was born in Sharon, Windsor county, Vermont, December 13th, 1805. He came at an early age with his father to Palmyra, where they ran a small '"cake and beer" shop. In 1818 they squatted on a piece of land on Stafford street in the northwestern corner of this town, but they vacated this land in 1830 and the property for many years has been in the possession of the Chapman family, and was sold by William Chapman in 1907 to Apostle George A. Smith, of Salt Lake City, a grandson of the prophet Smith. By their neighbors the Smiths were regarded as a shiftless and most untrustworthy family. They were visionary and superstitious and were always digging for hidden treasures. So that Oliver Cowdery, a schoolmaster on Stafford street, had little trouble in enthusing them into the mysteries that could be unearthed. Their favorite digging place came to be on the hill since known as the "Hill of Camorah," which being interpreted signifies "Mormon Hill," often called Gold Bible hill. This hill is located two and one-half miles north of Manchester village, on the old stage road between Canandaigua and Palmyra. Joe Smith, Jr., possessed even less than ordinary intellect, and among the boys he was always a butt for their jokes, which have become local history. The reputation these people held among their neighbors is M^ell summed up in the following statement given with their signatures: Manchester. Ontario Co., N. Y., Nov. .3, 1833. We, the undersigned, being personally acquainted with the family of Joseph Smith, Sen., with whom the Gold Bible, so-called, originated, state that they were not only a lazy, indolent set of men, but also intemperate, and their word 416 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. was not to be depended upon, and that we are truly glad to dispense with their society. Pardon Butts, Joseph Fish, Moses C. Smith, Hiram Smith, Warren A. Reed, Horace N. Barnes, James Gee, Alfred Staflford, Sylvester Worden. A. H. Wentworth, Abel Chase, Also the affidavit of Parley Chase throws much the same light on this Smith family ; Manchester, New York, December 2, 1833. I was acquainted with family of Joseph Smith, Sr., both 'before and since they become Mormons and feel free to state that not one of the male members of the Smith family were entitled to any credit whatsoever. They were lazy, intemperate, and worthless men, very much addicted to lying. In this they frequently wasted their skill. Digging for money v/as their principal employment. In regard to their Gold Bible speculation, they scarcely ever told two stories alike. The Mormon Bible is said to be a revelation from God througih Joseph Smith, Jr., His prophet, and this same Joseph Smith, Jr., to my knowledge, bore the reputation among his neig'h'bors of being a iiar. It was the mother who exercised the larger influence on her son's life, and the Smiths' interest and belief in a hidden treasure seems to have been part of their early training. In 1819, while the Smiths were digging a well near Palmyra, on the farm of Mr. Clark Chase, a stone of peculiar shape was unearthed. It resembled in form a child's foot, and was white, glossy, and opaque in appearance. Joe kept the stone and by its aid he claimed to see wonderful things. In a short time his reputa- tion grew and with the stone to his eyes he claimed to be able to reveal "both things existing and things to come." This stone came to be known as the fam'ous Peek stone and is truly called the "Acorn of the Mormon oak." Several years later, in 1827, Rev. Sidney Rigdon heard of the Smiths and their c'aim to find hidden treasure through the mirac- ulous Peek stone, and all facts lead to the belief that Rigdon was the founder of the Mormon faith. When Smith's attention was directed from the discovery of buried money to that of a buried bible, remains one of the unex- plained points in his history. The account accepted by the Mormons is the revelation of the book by an angel to Joe Smith, and in this vision he was directed to dig on Mormon hill, and, much against his will, to be the interpreter of the sacred document and give it to the world. The description of the buried volume was changed from time to time. In this way strength was given to the theory that Rigdon was attracted to Smith by the rumor of his thp: town of Manchester. 417 discovery and afterwards gave it shape. Joe did not claim for the plates any new revelation or religious significance, but simply that they were a historical record of an ancient people. This would indicate that he had possession of the Spaulding manuscript before it received any theological additions. At the time Mr. Spaulding offered "The Manuscript Found" for publication, Sidney Rigdon was employed in the same printing office, and it is supposed on good authority that he made a copy of it and thait Rigdon made good use of Joe's money-digging proclivities and that from their co-partnership was produced the Book of Mormon. The financial aid for carrying out this scheme cam:e from a farmer by the name of Harris. It is an accepted fact that the man who had more to do with the founding of the Mormon church than Joseph Smith, Jr., and who is little known to most persons to whom the name of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young are so familiar, was Sidney Rigdon, truly called by some writers, "the compiling genius of Mormonism." They claim to have dug the plates on September 21, 1827, and the "bible" was printed in Palmyra in 1830. The title page of the first edition of the "Book of Mormon" is as follows: The Book of Mormon. An account written by the hand of Mormon, upon plates taken from the plates of Nephi. Wherefore it is an abridgment of the Record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites, written to the Lamanites, which are a remnant of the House of Israel, and also to Jew and Gentile, written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of Prophecy and of Revelation. Written and sealed up and hid unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed, to come forth by the gift and power of God into the interpretation thereof; sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by the way of Gentile; the interpretation thereof by the gift of God: an abridgement taken from the Book of Ether. Also, which is a Record of the People of Jared, which were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people when they were building a tower to get to Heaven, which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel how great things the Lord hath done for their fathers, and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off for- ever, and also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the External God, manifesting Himself unto all nations. And now if there be fault, it be the mistake of men, wherefore condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment seat of Christ. By Joseph Smith, Junior, Author and Proprietor, Palmyra. Printed by E. B. Grandin, for the Author. 1830. 418 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. In the revised editions this is corrected and Joseph is designated as "Translator" only. About the year 1830, Joe Smith and his followers left the town of Manchester with their unsold bibles and removed to Kirtland, Ohio, where T'iigdon had already established a church. Their wanderings from place to place have become well known history. From Kirtland they went on to Nauvoo, and after a brief stay in Missouri on to Utah, where they found a permanent resting place. Crooked brook., of Mormon fame, runs through the northwest part of the town, and it was in the waters of this stream that the Mormons baptized their early saints. Dr. StafiFord, an old resident of the village of Manchester, was present at the first baptism. The roads of the township were supposed to have been laid on the line of lots. As the settlers moved in, roads came to mean shorter cuts from one settlement to another, and from farm to farm. Often an old Indian trail through the forest was utilized to advan- tage. Otherwise a visit to a neighbor would have necessitated many weary hours of travel, and in those days hospitality meant more than a cup of tea; every one was made welcome. The door stood open and willing hands gave the best from their little. Road improvement seems to have been of more recent date. The first and only plank road in this town was built from Palmyra to Canandaigua in 1849, by a stock company, and it was a toll road. The toll-gates in this town were located, one at Crane's cor- ners just west of the village of Shortsville, and the other at the north edge of the village of Manchester, the house being south of where the present school-house stands. The old house is still there and has been remodeled into a dwelling. There were two other toll-gates. One, in the town of Canandaigua, was situated a little east of the Hanna farm. The other was in Wayne county, about a quarter of a mile from the north line of Ontario county, near Palmyra. The toll-gates in the town of Manchester were removed in the early sixties, and the others were in use for some years later until the company surrendered its charter. Previous to the planking of this road it had been the stage and mail route for many years from Canandaigua to Palmyra, and also for the village of Manchester, which was the half-way stop between these towns for all stage coaches and travelers. The mail was brought by stage from Albany to Buflfalo, and Canandaigua THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 419 was a disti-ibuting- place for other mail routes in this county, via stag-es and horseback. The dawn of the first real modern advancement came with the opening of the Auburn and Rochester railroad in 1844. This brought more rapid settlement and faster growth to this section and the surrounding countr3^ In its wake has come greater development and progress, which is more and more being fulfilled. At the Shortsville station there was a wood yard for replenishing the wood-burning engines of the early raih-oading period. That to-day would be a novel sight, yet it is less than seventy years in which the power of steam and electricity has not alone perfected our manner of travel but lightened our labors and changed our mode of simple living. Loyalty and love for country was as dear to the' men of the sixties, as it had been to their forefathers. When the cry of the Civil war rang over the land, the noble response they made gave full proof of their patriotism On the roll of volunteers appear the names of nearly one hundred residents of Manchester, showing that the town furnished its full quota of men for the Union armies. In 1881 the Herendeen Post, G. A. R., was organized. At present there are twenty-nine members in good standing. The Post is named after Captain Orin Herendeen, who enlisted from Farming- ton. The town of Manchester has a population of 4,889, it being the third in number of inhabitants in the county, with a total assessed valuation of about $2,800,000. It is interesting to recall that it was the first township sold from the Phelps and Gorham purchase, known then as the district of Farmington. When the Indians sold this land to Phelps and Gorham, they reserved the right to fish and hunt upon it for eight years. As it happened, this proved of immense value to the settlers, through the fact that the red men killed the wolves that were so prevalent in the pioneer days in order to save the deer for themselves. In doing this they also served the white man. Clifton Springs. The town of Manchester has several stirring and beautifully located villages and hamlets. The largest village is Clifton Springs, formerly called Sulphur Springs on account of its noted mineral water. It is a place of 420 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. about sixteen hundred inhabitants. The first white man to pene- trate these lands came about the year 1790, according to Turner in his "Pioneer Settlement of Phelps and Gorham Purchase." He tells of a Highlander, Donald Stewart, of "Achnaun by Alppin, in Argyleshire," who had organized a colony to come over to America. They were to settle in Cumberland, N. C, but after the emigrants had set sail and it was too late to change their course, another proposition was offered their leader, Stewart, by Patrick Colquhoun, an Englishman, to bring the colony into the land in which the latter was interested, the Genesee country. On his arrival in America, Mr. Stewart decided to explore the country for him- self, and he and a Mr. Williamson, a Lowlander, who was prospect- ing for a suitable location for a German colony that he had organ- ized, set out together on horseback. Mr. Turner says : "A good anecdote came of it however, which it is said had something to do with his dislike of the country. Threading the forest on horseback, Mr. Williamson and his com- panion were attracted by the noise of falling water. Approaching it, the water gushing from a rock, and falling over a precipice, the bed of the stream, the rocks and banks covered with sulphur, riveted their attention. It was a feast for the eyes, but not exactly agreeable to their smell. After gazing for a few minutes, Mr. Williamson broke the silence by observing that they had found just the place for a Highland colony. The reader will observe, as the keenly sensitive Highlander did, that the harmless joke had reference to a certain cutaneous infirmity. It came, too, from a Lowlander, and touched a tender cord ; called up reminiscences of ancient feuds in their native land ; was resented ; and is said to be one of the reasons why a large Highland colony was not early introduced into this region. The reader will have surmised that the party were viewing Clifton Springs." It was ten years after the above incident occurred that the first settlement was made in Clifton Springs, in the year 1800, by John Shekels. He built his log house on "east hill," where now stands a comfortable frame dwelling, known as Miss Balcom's boarding house. John Shekels brought three slaves with him from Maryland. This was the first introduction of slavery into the township. To his cr'edit be it said, after a short residence here, he liberated, them. Out of necessity, the most of these early homes, in primitive THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 421 days, were converted into taverns to accommodate other immi- grants, and the Shekels' double log house was no exception to the rule. It did duty as a tavern for many years. When and why the name was changed from Sulphur Springs to Clifton Springs is a question, possibly the odor in the town was not a pleasant reminder; but the fact remains that thesie Sulphur Springs have made Clifton a great resort for invalids seeking health and quiet, while the natural beauty of the village and its surrounding country draws hither as well the tourist and the pleasure seeker. It is worthy of note, that in 1806, a hotel was erected here as a dispensary. The Sanitarium, started by the late Dr. Henry Foster in 1849, has become world renowned. Its surroundings are very pleasing, beautiful groves, which are most attractive and restful. A hand- some and artistic pavilion, built as a gift of the late Mr. Andrew Pierce, a former Boston man, greatly enhances and lends charm to the landscape and comfort to the many invalids who are here seeking relief and health. Mr. Pierce also founded the library that bears his name. An Air Cure was established in May, 1867, by a stock com- pany with a cash capital of $75,000. It was located in the large hotel, which stood at the brink of East hill, and was formerly owned by Lyman Crain. This cure had but a short existence, being destroyed by fire. At one time Clifton Springs could boast of two private schools. The Clifton Springs Seminary was chartered in 1868 and was in a flourishing condition for more than twenty-live years. The Foster School was started in 1875 and was carried on most successfully for a period of ten years. Clifton Springs is situated on two railroads, the New York Central and the Lehigh Valley. There is a large and well organ- ized Y. M. C. A., and a High School, five churches, and a National bank. It became an incorporated village in 1859. Shortsville. The village of Shortsville is situated on the New York Central railroad, and is admirably located for a manufacturing town. It was named in honor of Thepphilus Short, who was the first man to utilize the water power which the outlet of Canandaigua lake offered to the village. It was first known as Short's Mills 422 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and was gradually changed to Shortsville. Theophilus Short erected his flouring mill in 1804, and the same year he built a saw mill on the east bank of the outlet. Finding the capacity of the first flouring mill too limited for his growing business, he erected, in 1822, another and a much larger flouring mill. Both of these mills were burned in the early forties. Another very large flouring mill took their place. In the late fifties, a large distillery was built by a stock company. These mills were also burned. Near their ruins the Star Paper Company located its mills. In 1811, William Grimes erected a woolen mill a little farther down the stream, on the south bank of the outlet. In the year 1818 he sold the woolen mill to Stephen Brewster, who operated it for many years. From Mr. Brewster it passed into the hands of a paper company and was converted into the Diamond Paper Mill. The present Jones Paper Mill occupies a site on which was established an earlier industry of the same character, the original mill being built at the early date of 1817 by Case, Abbey & Co. In 1850 Hiram and Calvin Brown came to Shortsville and established the Empire Drill Works. This enterprise flourished for fifty years, when it was sold to a syndicate and the plant was dismantled and removed to Indiana. The buildings and the water power are now the property of the Papec Machine Company, which manufactures ensilage cutters on a large scale. Outside of Shortsvifle village limits, but located within the town of Manchester, is one of the largest spoke and wheel factories in the country, the property of the Shortsville Wheel Company. Adjoining this company's main factory is a building devoted to the manufacture of automobile wheels. Shortsville has about 1100 inhabitants and it became an incor- porated village in 1889. There are four churches and it has reason to be proud of its admirable High School. Manchester Village. The village of Manchester has the honor of being the oldest settlement in the township. This fact, and its being situated on the outlet of Canandaigua lake, giving it a natural water power, made the pioneer outlook full of promise that it would become a great manufacturing town. Hence it was named Manchester, after Manchester in England and New Hampshire. Its central location was another flattering prospect for its future, being just THE TOWN OF MANCHESTER. 423 half Vi^ay east and west between Phelps and Victor, and north and south between Canandaigua and Palmyra. It was also the head of navigation on the outlet. The old landing was near Dr. Staf- ford's saw mill. Many a pioneer came over its waters in flat boats. There is on record but one or two instances of bateaux being floated to the mouth of Canandaigua lake. The early belief in Manchester as a manufacturing center seemed about to be realized, when in the year 1811, a stock com- pany, called the "Ontario Manufacturing Company," was organ- ized for the purpose of building a large woolen mill to manufacture woolen cloth. This mill stood back of the present site of the old flouring mill, which was recently purchased by the Ontario Electric Light Company. The main building was aljout sixty feet square and three stories high. For those days it was a well equipped woolen mill, consisting of one spinning jenny with seventy-five spindles, one jack with forty spindles, six looms, which then were worked by hand, a fulling mill, a dyeing room, etc. On the footsteps of the new enterprise came the war of 1812 to wreck the anticipated growth, to handicap the business, and the looked for prosperity was of short duration. Owing to the central location of Manches- ter it still remained a trading point for the farming country. The advent of the Lehigh Valley railroad worked a material change to the old village, converting it into a typical railroad town. The original directors of the town for this road were the late Sidney D. Jackson, of Clifton Springs, and John R. Pratt, M. D., of Manchester. Manchester is the division end and here are located extensive yards, shops, and coal pockets. The yards cover over one hundred and thirty acres and there are about thirty miles of side track. A freight transfer house is in process of erection. Swift & Company, of Chicago, have a mammoth ice house here for icing their meat cars. There are also large stock yards for feeding live-stock in transit. The Manchester Produce Company is one of the largest enter- prises of its kind in the country. The various branches in rail- roading carried on at this point and the other industries located in the village require many skilled workmen and give employment to several hundred men. Manchester was incorporated in the year 1892 and has about one thousand inhabitants. There are three churches in the village and a modern and well equipped High School. 424 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. The Three Hamlets. The three hamlets in the township are Port Gibson, Gypsum, and Manchester Center. Port Gibson was named after Mr. Henry B. Gibson, of Canandaigua, who was then a prominent banker, and this was the port for Canandaigua on the Erie canal, it being the only point where it touches Ontario county. There are several general stores, one church, and a hotel. The population is between three and four hundred. The little hamlet of Gypsum was first known as the "Dutch Settlement," it having been settled by people of that race. How and when the name came to be Plainsville, remains unanswered. Later it was christened Gypsum, on account of the plaster beds and a plaster mill in the vicinity. Onl)'^ a few houses remain in this hamlet. Coonsville, now Manchester Center, was originally called after a pioneer by the name of Coon. Onty a few scattered houses are left of this early hamlet. There are many localities throughout the town that still stand as landmarks by their pioneer names, such as Stafford street, on the western edge of the town, named after the six brothers who settled along this road. "Shaving street," which runs east and west between Manchester and Clifton Springs, received this name from the fact that the Yankees settled the neighborhood and in all their dealings they never forgot their Yankee shrewdness. The "North Woods" have disappeared, but the name still indicates the north and central portion of the town. Then there is Armington school-house, which is still standing on the road between Manches- ter and Palmyra. The family for whom it was named have long ago left this vicinity. These are sign-posts of a primitive past that remain to point the way in the rural districts. From primitive beginnings, when the scattered pioneers in then- lonely cabins recorded tiine by the shadow of the sun upon the floor and bravely suffered the hardships of the wilderness, the history through which the town entered upon the smoother path of development is well worth recording in the annals of Ontario county. "Old things have passed away and all things have become new." THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 425 XXXIII. THE TOWN OF NAPLES. Beautifully Located Amid the Hills of Southern Ontario — Original Purchasers of the Township Disappointed through an Error of the Conveyancing Clerk — The Indian Village of Nundawao — First White Settlers — The Building of Churches and Schools — Grape Growing a Leading Industry. By William R. Marks. The township and village of Naples, the subject of this sketch, is situated on the Middlesex branch of the Lehigh Valley railroad, twenty-four miles sontli of the county seat and four miles from the head of Canandaigua lake. A State road leads to the lake. The township embraces the extreme south portion of the county and the counties of Livingston, Steuben, and Yates form a portion of the boundary. In early days it was known as Watkinstown, later on as Middletown, because of the fact that it was about half way between Bath and Canandaigua, at that time the two most important settlements in Western New York. The, incorporated village of Naples is beautifully located in "^ valley surrounded by picturesque hills. Travelers say that the scenery about here rivals some of that to be found in the old world. The population according to the 1910 census is as follows : The village, 1093 ; the township, including the village, 2349. This shows a small loss as compared with a previous census. There has how- ever been an increase of business and a number of houses and places of business have been erected. There is little manufacturing, the people being engaged in agricultural and horticultural pursuits. The outside lands are largely hills and valleys, very rough in places. The soil in most places is productive and the tillers of the soil thoroughly understand their business. For this reason a majority of the inhabitants are prosperous. Most of them are owners of real estate. The village has always been a trade center and has alway.s 426 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. enjoyed a large patronage from the adjoining towns. This has been largely increased since 1892, when the railroad was built. The township in politics is strongly Republican. The village, which was incorporated in 1894, has always been conducted on non-partisan lines and the broad and liberal spirit manifested has been for the best interests of the entire community. Especially is this noticeable in the general condition of the streets and side walks. It is estimated that there are fully twelve miles of cement walks within the village limits, one-half of the cost having been borne by the village government. To the enterprise of the town is due the fact that it has a beautiful town hall, built of brick, which was erected in 1872. Included and adjoining this is a beautiful park. A gravity water system, owned by the village was built in 1895. This at all times affords an abundant supply of pure and whole- some water. There is also a village hall, in which are located the village ofifices, the fire and police departments. The Morgan Hook and Ladder Company was organized in 1884 and is well equipped. A State road has been ordered which will traverse the whole of Main street. Natural gas has been located in the village and is largely used in lighting the stores, hotels, churches, etc. A fine school s)'Stem has been maintained for many years, making this a desirable locality in which to locate homes. The village has in its midst several secret or fraternal socie- ties, among which may be found Masons, Odd Fellows, Macca- bees, Woodmen, Grange, and D. O. H., the German society. There is also a Grand Army post and Sons of Veterans, the former named after the late Capt. A. A. Bingham, and the latter after Col. Will ,W. Clark. The wine business has become a large factor. D. H. Maxfield and Jacob Widmer have very fine establishments of this kind and have a large demand for their products. The Graf wine cellars, outside of the village, have a fine reputation for the excellence of tlheir vintage. It can be truly said that the native wines manu- factured here cannot be excelled in this country. Naples has perhaps as fine a postofifice of the third class as can be found in the State. Its popular postmaster, F. W. James, Esq., has been at the head of this department for many years and the services rendered are first class in every respect. This ofifice is a distributing point and the R. F. D. system leads in all direc- THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 427 tions. Mr. James has recently entered on his fifth term as post- master. The two banking houses, D. H. Maxfield, known as the Hiram Maxfield bank, and that of G. R. Granby & Son, would be a credit to any town. They have abundant capital and each does a large business. No better banking facilities can be found in much larger towns. Two well equipped jDrinting ofifibes are to be found : the Naples Record (founded by the late Simeon Lyon Deyo in 1870), J. S. Tellier, proprietor, and the Naples News, George T. Morey & Co., proprietors, established in 1898 by J. D. Campbell. There are four village churches, all well sustained. Three of them have resident pastors and parsonages which would be a credit to any community. They are the Methodist, Presbyterian, Bap- tist, and Roman Catholic. Two of the churches have beautiful pipe organs that are operated by water motors. The population prior to 1864 was largely native. The grape industry added a large German population and their coming has been of great advantage to the town in population and wealth. It is not the size of the population so much as it is the general char- acter of the citizens which has made this town and village what • they are. It is said that the cemeteries of a community are a good indi- cation of the population. If this be true, a visit to either of the village cemeteries would prove the truth of the assertion and also add much to the town's credit. Fair View (the old cemetery) is situated in the lower part of the village and was first established by the Indians and later was used as a burial place by our first settlers. It has ceased to be a general place of burial, but is well cared for. Here is located the monument for the first settlers. Rose Ridge cemetery, located on the hill west of the village, was first opened by the late B. K. Lyon, in the year 1854. The first burial was that of the wife of Willard Poi'ter. It now contains the bodies of more persons than reside in the village. It is beautifully kept under the care of a corporation founded in 1883. It contains the bodies of forty-five veterans of the Civil war. Additions to the grounds are being made from time to time. A pubHc vault has been recently added. The late William Marks did much in his Hfe- time to beautify these grounds. 428 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Early History of the Town. Much of the early history of the town has been preserved in the annals of S. H. Sutton, Esq., who was one of its most valuable and useful citizens. The late Jane Mills left a valuable history which has never been published. Former citizens, like E. B. Pottle, M. H. Clark, Noah T. Clarke, and Rev. J. C. Morgan, were contributors in their time. D. D. Luther, Esq., now living, has recently written a valuable Indian history which has been copied to some extent by the writer. The early history of the town reads very much like a romance. Soon after the close of the Revolutionary war, a company of men, several of whom had seen service in that conflict, and who then resided in the State of Massachusetts, decided to seek homes in Western New York, then a wilderness. In the year 1789, a public meeting was held in Partridgeville, Massachusetts, and a company of sixty was formed from the towns of Dalton, Pittsfield, and Part- ridgeville, for the purpose of purchasing a township of land from Phelps and Gorham to be located somewhere in the Genesee country. Subsequently a meeting was held, with William Clark as chair- man, and a committee of eleven was chosen, consisting of William Clark, Nathan Watkins, William .Watkins, Edward Kibbe, Nathan Hibbard, E. Burnham, Dennison Robinson, Thomas Robinson, William Cady, James Harris, and Ephraim Cleveland. This com- mittee selected from their number Edward Kibbe, Nathan Wat- kins, and William Cady, who were to proceed to the Genesee valley for the purpose of selecting and making such a purchase. This committee proceeded via the Mohawk and after a three weeks' journey following the Indian trail they arrived at Canandaigua, where they found an Indian village situated at the foot of the lake. Taking an Indian trail they explored and examined township No. 9, the present town of Gorham. This they decided to purchase. They, however, were too free with their talk to a stranger and much to their surprise found he had purchased the same while they were at breakfast. They were finally persuaded to purchase town- ship No. 7, now Richmond, and returned to their homes. Through an error of the conveyancing clerk, or through fraud on the part of the land office, they were given instead a deed for the present town of Naples, then considered a barren, mountainous region. The deed conveys township No. 7, being six miles north and south, five and one-half miles east and west, containing 21,120 THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 429 acres. The price paid, 1,056 pounds, or twelve cents per acre. In the transaction the committee had lost two of the best townships of land in Ontario county. The following summer surveyors were set to work. They decided to survey the town into sixteen ranges north and south, numbering from the east to the west line, each range to contain thirteen lots, and each lot to contain 108 acres. Through an error on the part of the surveyor, a strip of land was left eight rods wide running- through the whole length of the town, and this is known as the eight-rod way. The surveyors found the same m running the west line and this is known as the sixteen-rod way. This in time caused much discussion and some law suits. After finishing the survey, fifteen of the best lots were selected and then sub- divided into settling lots of twenty-seven acres, making sixty lots, one to each member of the company. It may be of interest to note the fact that the plain where the larger part of the village is located was at that time considered nearly worthless as a settling lot. After these surveys were made, a division was made by lot and titles perfected by quit claim deeds. Imperfect titles grew out of these transactions which caused more or less litigation. The Indian Village. Here it might be of interest to note the condition of things in the valley as they existed at the time of thie arrival of the settlers. It was and no doubt had been an ideal locality for the Indians. Mr. Luther quotes Miss Mills as sajnng that the Indian name was Nundawao. There resided here in the valley at that time from thirty to forty families, embracing about one hundred souls, and from the contiguity of ancient fortifications it may be presumed that these natives had been lords of the soil for generations. The chief Hiiotonta was of gigantic stature and graceful manners, and there was another chief of great age, tall and venerable, named Canesque. Parrish says the lofty hills on either side were destitute of timber. I am inclined to doubt this statement, for the reason that so much and such large timber as has since been gathered and is still to be found could not have grown in so short a period of time. The Indians cultivated a large portion of the land along the creek. The flats were interspersed with patches of wild plums and the dry land sparsely covered with black walnut and sugar maple trees. 430 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. This must have been an ideal home for Indians because of the fact that the streams were filled with fish and the adjoining hills contained a plentiful supply of game. The land was very produc- tive and easily cultivated. The lake was not far away and they were remote from unfriendly tribes. Although they had surren- dered all claim to the land, they had reserved the I'ight to hunt and fish for twenty years and many of them remained for years there- after. So late as 1826, some were still lingering in this locality. The first person to die after the coming of the settlers was the old Indian chief of Canesque, who was brought back from Squakis hill near the Genesee river on a sled by two Indians. Hte was dying of old age and wished to die and be buried in this valley. The First White Settlers. Samuel, Reuben, and Levi Parrish were the first settlers to come with their families. They came in the dead of winter with ox teams up the lake and inlet. The lake and streams were frozen at that time. They were entertained upon their arrival at a wig- wam and their teams were turned out to feed in the tall dry grass then growing in the valley. The first house was erected by Samuel Parrish. It was a log cabin, 16 by 18, covered with oak stakes confined under the weight of long poles, and the sled box was its door. This building seems to have been located on the Watkins lot, not far from where the railroad crosses the Main street. Levi Parrish built the next house and this was located north of the present Lorenzo Clark house. In Mai-ch or April following, John Johnson, Nathan Watkins. William Watkins, Jonathan Lee, and William Clark came, and with them a portion of their families, thirty in all. Their arrival brought great joy to those who had preceded them. The third house was erected by Nathan Watkins. It was built of logs, 24 by 24, and was located on the ground where the Ephraim Cleveland barn now stands. It served as a temporary abode for many of the first settlers. Here Miss Susanna Parrish taught the first school in the summer of 1792. Here Rev. Zadoc Hunn, of Bristol, preached the first sermon. Colonel William Clark, and his daughters, with Isaac and Stephen Watkins, seem to have been the first choir. About this time Captain Nathan Watkins built a house a Httle north of the old Cleveland house. This house was the first tavern in Naples. During the first summer the settlers suffered from the want THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 431 of bread stufi'. No mill was nearer than thirty miles. For the purpose of grinding they erected a mortar made by burning out the hollow of an oak stump. In this they patterned after the Indians. Benjamin Clark built the first saw mill and at this time dug the race which leads from the Grimes gully to where the Naples and Ontario mills now stand. Jabez Metcalf was a partner in this undertaking. This was a great event, for it was the first saw mill to be erected in the Genesee country. Captain Nathan Watkins built the first frame barn on the C. S. Williams lot. The nails used in this structure were brought from Massachusetts and cost fifty cents per pound. In the autumn of 1793, Doctor Williams, a missionary from Newtown, now Elmira. preached the second sermon in this new barn. The second school was taught in the winter of 1793. The teacher was Doctor Thomp- son Maxwell and he was the first practicing physician in the settle- ment. Edward Kibbe with some of his family and others arrived about this time. Many comprising the company of sixty came, but were so disappointed in the general appearance of the town- ship that they left in disgust and never returned, selling their rights for little or nothing. Sometimes whole lots were sold for a dollar apiece, other lots were never claimed, hence the origin of unknown lands and disputed titles. The first death was that of the old Indian chief of whom I have spoken. This season seems to have been a hard one on the settlers and they were in sore stress for provisions and were obliged to subsist on boiled greens and wild game that the Indians supplied. Elder Goodsell, of Baptist Hill, preached one sermon each Sunday. Rushville at this time was known as Augusta, there being a small settlement at that point, also one at Honeoye and another at Cohocton. The first wedding was that of Benjamin Clark to Thankful Watkins and the first white child to be born was Phineas T. Lee. The writer visited him at Athens, Michigan, in the fall of 1864. Some of his descendants still reside at that place. The second marriage was that of Elisha Parrish to Louise Wilder, of Bristol. Colonel Clark oflRciated at this wedding. Louis Philippe, after- wards King of F'rance, visited the valley the same year and stayed at the house of Jabez Metcalf. The first town meeting was held on April 5, 1796, and resulted 432 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. in the election of William Clark, supervisor; Joel Watkins, town clerk; Jabez Metcalf, Edward Kibbe, and Edward Lane, assessors; Nathan Watkins, William Dunton, Elijah Clark, commissioners of highways; Captain William Watkins, Captain E. Cleveland, and Robert Wiley, poormasters ; Elisha Parrish, constable ; Louis Par- rish, Reuben Parrish, John Weaver, Isaac Post, pathmasters ; John Johnson, Benjamin Hardin, Isaac Whitney, fence viewers ; Jabez Metcalf, poundmaster. The town at this time seems to have stood in need of poormasters more than other officers. In 1796, Benjamin Clark built a grist mill a little below where the Ontario mill now stands. The mill was 30 by 40, and the rais- ing day was a great event. The people gathered from far and near, even the women assisting in raising the ponderous frame. The mill stones were brought from Wyoming, Pennsylvania, with great difficulty. Four yokes of oxen were employed and it was necessary to cut a road nearly all the way through the forest. This mill cost about $1,000 and would grind sixty bushels of grain in twenty-four hours. There was great rejoicing among the people when it was completed, for prior to this time they had been obliged to go long distances for their grinding. For seven years there were no roads for teams leading out of the settlement. In 1797 the first school-house was built on the square and this was afterwards known as the town house. I think this building was the one destroyed by fire in recent years. It was two stories in height. The first store was run by a Hollander named Hesel- guesser and was located on the flats near the brick house or Simons farm. Land on the flats was worth one dollar per acre and the hills were practically worthless. The hill lands were traded for pork, rum, and tavern bills. The winter of 1797-98 was noted for depth of snow. The Indians could not hunt even with snow shoes and were in great distress. Had they not been supplied by the settlers, they must have starved. In 1798, the Indians held a great festival. They assembled from a great distance, all dressed in their neatest attire. A large fire was built near the Erastus Hamlin house. The Indians stood in small groups, the squaws sitting on the ground, the papooses lashed to boards set up against the trees. At a given signal they danced about the fire, beating small drums and singing in a loud monotonous tone. This gathering must have been about the last general gathering of the Indians in this valley. It was a THE TOWN OF NAPLES. • 433 large gathering and attracted the attention of the whole settlement. From 1799 to 1815, there is not much evidence showing what was transpiring in the settlement. The war of 1812-14 had been fought and it is known that several of the settlers took part. In 1808 the name of the town was changed to Naples. There can be no doubt but that the settlement had grown in point of numbers and influence. In 1815 and 1816 portions of the town were set oft into Italy and Springwater. The people who had gathered here at that time were neces- sarily confined to their own home associates. Communication with the outside world was difificult. There were few roads and these were difificult to travel. The people were primitive in their ways and their wants were few. Most of them lived in log houses with- out glass windows, ill fitted to exclude the cold. Had it not been for the roaring log fires kept up during the winter the inmates must have suffered. Wood and timber was very abundant then and for many years thereafter. The famil)'- utensils were clumsy; home- spun clothing, coarse but durable. A special suit was provided for the Sabbath. In winter they wore shoes and leggins. Boots were rare and would last many years. In summer the men generally went barefooted and so did the women and children. Carpets, sofas, and pianos were unknown. Tea and coflfee were scarcely obtain- able. Oysters, ice cream, and cigars were unknown. They spun the cloth and made their own garments. The people seem to have been without a church building prior to the year 1825. Then the new Congregational church was dedi- cated. It was located on the old square and in front of the ceme- tery. It was a fine building and a source of pride to all. It was used as a church for many years, first by the Congregationalists and afterwards by the Wesleyans. It stood idle for a number of years and was torn down in 1870 or 1871. The village grew to the south. Land was cheaper and mills and hotels had been built in that locality. The Presbyterian church, an outgrowth of this old Congregational society, built its first house of worship in 1850. This was burned in March, 1874, but soon afterwards was replaced by the building now in use. The Baptist people had organized in 1842. A church building was erected soon after. That building now forms a portion of the Alfred Griswold shop. The present edifice was erected in 1855. The Methodist society was formed and a church built on the present site about 1830. In 1851 a new church 434 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. was built, and in 1880 a new brick church was built on the site of the old one, which was torn down. The first church now forms a part of old Independence hall, the Loveland mill, and this is about to become the new Grange hall. The Roman Catholics have a nice church located on Tobey street and it was erected in 1882. All of these churches are in a flourishing condition. Rev. J. Moss is the pastor of the Methodist church. Rev. J. H. France that of the Presbyterian, and Rev. S. T. Harding that of the Baptist. The Catholic church has no resident priest. For many years there was a church known as the Christian church, with a resident pastor, but it has ceased to exist and the church property has been converted to other uses. Prior to the building of the Christian church there was no public hall. When this church was built the basement was known as the Hall of Science, and here nearly all entertainments of all kinds were held. It was here the Sabins land suit was tried with Hon. WilHam H. Seward as one of the counsel. This created great excitement at the time. This hall gave way in 1861 to the Marks or Independence hall and that in turn gave place to the new Memorial hall. During all this time the village steadily grew to the southward. Alanson Watkins had erected a grist mill building below Myron Cleveland's house, but it was never used as such and was destroyed by fire in 1862 or '63, while in use by the first wine company. Grist mills, carding mills, saw mills, chain factory, tanneries were built, and additional hotels and places of business were completed and occupied. Simeon Lyon seems to have been the leading spirit in these enterprises. He raised a large family, some of whose descendants still reside here. The town had spread out in each direction and school districts had been formed, farms cleared and settled. Large families were the rule and not the exception. I have before given the names of some of the settlers. There were many others and I note those as furnished by Mr. Sutton. These were known as pioneers : James Lee, Richard Hooker, John Sibhart, William James, Asa Perry, Paul Grimes, Guy Hinckley, E. Stiles, Rev. Thomas Peck, John Powers, Seymour Gillett, Peter Whitney, William Oakley, Amaziah Cornell, Nathan Tyler, Abijah Shaw, Israel Meads, Zaccheus Barber, Oliver Tenney, Lemuel Barber, John Barber, Abraham and John Sutton, THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 435 Samuel Shaw, Jacob Dagget, Nathan Clark, Russell Parrish, Aaron Hunt, Jacob Holdren, Jonas Belknap, Gail Washburn, William Sullivan, Stephen Garlinghouse, Jesse Peck, Mr. Tallman, William West, Sr., Joseph Grant, Isaac Whitney, Benjamin Clark, Simeon Lyon, Stephen Storey, Doctor Newcomb, Isaac Sutton, Thomas Blodgett, John Blodgett, Thomas Bentley, William Bush, David Fletcher, Alanson Lyon, Elislia Sutton, Charles Wilcox; Bushnell Cleveland, Uriah Davids, David Carrier, Pitts Parker, Ichabod Green, Samuel Stancliff, John Cronk, Ithamer Carrier, Michael Keith, Reuben Parrish, Peabody Kinne, Robert Wiley, Nathan Watkins, William Watkins, John Plinckley, Nathan Goodell, Ami Baker, Joshua Lyon, Joseph Battles, Hiram and Stephen Sayles. These men settled up the town in every direction and laid the foundation for the prosperity which has followed their efforts. The War History. Many of the first settlers had, as I have before stated, seen service in the war of the Revolution. It is worthy of note that this town furnished a company to help guard the frontier in 1812-14. The militai-y spirit was never suffered to become dormant. They had the custody for many years of the only cannon in the county. Military titles were quite common. General trainings were here observed with great pomp. In 1855, Captain A. A. Bingham formed what was known as the Ontario Light Guards. The company was beautifully equipped and had one of the best martial bands to be found in Western New York. Their beautiful silk flag is still pre- served by the G. A. R. post. This company was the pride of the town and was disbanded at the commencement of the Civil war. Many of its members took part in that war and several gained distinction in the service of their country. A few members still survive. Nearly all lie buried in Rose Ridge cemetery, Captain Bingham with the others. More than two hundred soldiers from this town saw service in the war of the Rebellion. No town in the county can show a better record. There still remains a flourishing Grand Army post and also a Sons of Veterans organization. Decoration day is always properly observed here. A Memorial town hall was erected in 1872 in honor of these gallant men. This building and its well kept grounds are a credit to the place. Some of our citizens participated in the drafts that were made in 1863 and 1865. 436 HISTORY OF OxMTARIO COUNTY. School History. One of the first duties performed by the early settlers was the building of a school-house, as before stated. Prior to the erection of the Academy in 1860, the general education of the masses was obtained in the district schools. Three of these were located in the village proper. The others were in the various districts about the town. There were select schools in and about the village and they were presided over by such teachers as L. G. Thrall, Wells Hurlburt, John M. Nichols, Seth Baker, Susan Kilpatrick, Jane Mills, Sarah Parkinson, and others who were noted in their time. The district schools were maintained by a rate bill. A movement was started in 1857 or 1859 to build a Union school. This movement was met with much opposition and was soon abandoned, being in advance of the time. A number of public spirited men soon after banded together and built the Academy in 1860, and its doors were first opened to students in the fall of 1861. The laying of the corner stone of this institution was one of the greatest events in the history of the town. It was the first brick building ever erected in the town. Its first principal was M. M. Merrill, who served in this capacity for five years and was followed by Prof. Charles Jacobus, P. V. N. Myers, Prof. Farmer, Davis Thrall, P>ugbee, Sprague, and others who became prominent in the educational world. A few years ago, in 1897, the Academy was merged into a Union school and this with the three district schools embrace the school system of the village. The school in question has at all times been a success and many of its former students have become noted in the outside world as teachers, preachers, and men and women engaged in the various professions. The annual Naples gathering in New York city is a witness of this fact. Already eight of these have been held. Literary Attainments and Music. The town has always been more or less interested in literature and music. As early as 1831, there was a public lyceum and some of the early history was obtained from its records. This must have been maintained for years. It was in existence during all of the Civil war and for years thereafter. In 1872 it was still in existence. This gave place to the Webster Club which was main- tained for a few years. The Academy had two literary societies, one for each of the sexes. The Union school enjoys a fine library, THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 437 the gift of the family of the late Hiram Maxfield. This place was the home of much musical talent. The people have excelled in this direction. Naples was the home of the Deyo, Pierce, and Sutton families, who were wonders in their day as singers and musicians. All of the principal homes have musical instruments of some kind and there is no lack of talent in this direction. Public Men. in the halls of legislation, both at Washington and at Albany, has this town been honored. Lorenzo Clark, E. W. Cleveland, E. B. Pottle, S. H. Torrey, Cyrillo S. Lincoln, Hiram Maxfield, E. P. Babcock, and George B. Hemenway, all of Naples, have served the county in this direction. Others of her citizens have been honored in county offices. Noah T. Clarke was born here and became prom- inent as an educator. Hon. Myron H. Clark, the only Governor of the State furnished by Ontario county, was born and grew to man- hood in this village. His brother, Stephen W. Clark, the author of Clark's grammar, resided here in his childhood and early manhood, and their parents are buried here in the old cemetery. Rev. Henry Webb Johnson, a noted Presbyterian divine, was a native of the village. Many of her citizens have held public office and some of them have gained distinction in their chosen professions. The Press. I have before spoken of the Record and the News. A little more of the history of the Naples Record might be of interest. It was first started in the basement of the Griswold mill on a job press by the late S. L. Deyo and Doctor C. H. Johnson. Doctor Johnson soon retired and Mr. Deyo became the sole proprietor. He enlarged the paper, erected a building for its use, and continued its publica- tion until February 1, 1873, when he sold a half interest to R. M. Mcjannett and continued that relation until July, 1877, when Mr. Mcjannett sold his interest to Mr. Deyo. Miles A. Davis was its editor for a time under a lease. It afterwards became the property of R. M. Mcjannett, who continued its publication until 1884. Mr. Deyo also established the Neapolitan in 1880. These two publica- tions were merged in February, 1884, under the name of the Nea- politan Record. October first, 1887, J. S. Tellier purchased the paper and has since continued its publication as the Naples Record. Prior to these publications there had been other papers estab- lished. These were in advance of the times and for lack of support 438 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. soon ceased to exist. The Free Press was established by Charles P. Waterman in 1833. Another known as the Neapolitan was established by David Fairchild in 1840. This was afterwards changed to the Naples Visitor. R. Denton published the Naples Journal in 1853, and I think there was still another paper published for a short time in 1858 or 1859. The Anti-Slavery Movement. There was quite a strong anti-slavery movement in the town and village for some years preceding the war. Many meetings along this line were held here and what is known as an under- ground station existed. The late William Marks was prominent as a leader here and many fugitive slaves were entertained at his home. The old hearse, now the property of Supervisor J. H. Tozer, had a part in these missions. The town was strongly Repub- lican in sentiment, but few there were who were willing to be known as abolitionists. The Grape Industry. The culture of grapes has long been one of the leading indus- tries and it has become a large one. Early in the fifties Edward A. McKay, a lawyer of the village, set one hundred and sixty vines of the Isabella variety. He had trouble in marketing them in New York and Boston, but in Montreal, Canada, he was enabled to obtain a large price. His success was soon followed by others and lands that were held at low value advanced very rapidly in price. This industry was the means of bringing to the place our German, population and to-day they and their descendants are among our best citizens. The railroad, completed in 1892, has added much to the prosperity and today the town ranks among the best as a market center. Naples Union Agricultural Society. For many years an annual fair was maintained. The present society was organized in 1886 and from its inception has been a grand success. The annual attendance is very large and the liberal spirit displayed towards exhibitors insures at all times a large display in every department. The by-laws provide that a new pres- ident shall be selected from its stockholders each year. The grounds are large and well kept and the buildings are amply suited for the purpose intended. This institution prides itself in the fact THE TOWN OF NAPLES. 439 that it has at all times paid its premiums in full, regardless of weather conditions. Town and Village Officials. The present town ofificials are as follows : Supervisor, J. H. Tozer; clerk, Ernest Goodrich; justices, J. T. Kenfield, J. H. Huntington, George A. Bolles, D. J. Doughty; superintendent of highways, A. J. Walker; collector, Frank Potter; assessors, John Goundry, J. C. Bolles. F. D. Yaw; overseer of poor, Levi G. Strong; constables, Nelson Hunt, C. E. Cornish, F G. Pierce, Frank Cornish, Charles Briggs. Former representatives of the town in the Board of Super- visors are living, as follows : E. A. Hamlin, George R. Granby, E. A. Griswold, D. J. Doughty, J. E. Lyon, G. B. Htemenway. C. L. Lewis. The present village officers are as follows : President, A. M. Blake; clerk, C. E. Koby; trustees, M. M. Wheeler and D. J. Doughty ; treasurer, J. Gordon Lewis ; collector, A. J. Fries ; street commissioner, J. E. Lyon. Past and Present Conditions. For many years the town was without a railroad or telegraph. Telephones were unknown. All the products raised were carted in and out of the town by teams. Stage lines carried the passengers. The merchants kept general stores and several of them maintained lumber yards as well. There were many shoemakers residing in the place, for nearly all the footwear for men, women, and children was manufactured here. There were tailors in pIent3^ The milling interests were large, there being at the tiriie no less than four well conducted flouring mills. Several saw mills had been erected in and about the country districts. A carding mill was in full blast, because of the fact that many of the ladies understood the art of spinning and nearly all, old and young, could knit their own stock- ings. The fuel was wood and the light for many years was that of whale oil and candles. Even bed springs were unknown. The people were indeed primitive in their ways, but at the same time they were highly intelligent and quick to grasp new ideas and new methods. They did at all times the best they could with the means at their disposal. This was manifested in their churches and homes and in the disposition of the people to obtain for their children better educational advantages. Money was scarce prior to the 440 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Civil war and prior to 1875 the community was without banks, meat markets, barber shops, and other conveniences. The under- taker kept no supplies on hand, and the town was without a hearse until 1840 or thereabouts. Very few of the business men of those times are left to tell the story. The venerable Deacon E. A. Hamlin, who was the super- visor for many years, both during the war and later on, still sur- vives, hale and hearty, and actively engaged in the duties of his farm. He has passed his ninetieth birthday. Mrs. Samantha Nellis is perhaps the oldest person in the county, being at the present writing more than one hundred years of age, well and active. There are several residents who have reached advanced age. Myron Cleveland and his wife are the only married couple still living who have resided in the village continuously since 1861. The present population constitutes an up-to-date community, enterprising in all respects. The village has every facility for mak- ing home life desirable. Her schools and churches are first class. Very few places can equal or excel her in this respect. There is much of interest that could be said to the credit of this commainity did space permit. The writer, who was born and grew to manhood m that lovely valley, still cherishes a love for those hills, that valley, and these people which will exist so long as life shall last. THE TOWN OF PHEI.PS. 441 XXXIV. THE TOWN OF PHELPS. First Named Sullivan in Honor of the Commander of the Expedi- tion of 1779 — The Early Settlers Men of Enterprise and Genius — Here One of the First Threshing Machines was Invented and Used — The Early Preachers and Teachers — The Village of Phelps. By Edwik F. Bussey. Until the invasion of Sullivan's army in 1779, the town of Phelps was the undisputed home of the Indians, who fared sumptu- ously on an abundance of game and the products of its fertile fields. In passing through this region, the soldiers of Sullivan's army had their attention attracted to the prolific fields of corn and fruit orchards belonging to the aboriginals, and they carried back to their homes in the east and south interesting stories of their dis- coveries, which a few years later led to an influx of settlers into Western New York. The title to a very large tract of land bounded on the east by the 82nd meridian was transferred by the State of Massachusetts in 1788 to Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham, who were wealthy residents of that State. They in turn transferred the property to the early settlers, the first of whom to locate in what is now the town of Phelps was John Decker Robison, who with his family started from the eastern part of the State and traveled by means of bateaux through the Hudson, Mohawk, and Oneida rivers, and Canandaigua outlet, arriving at a point on the eastern boundary of the present village of Phelps on the 14th of May, 1789. Their journey occupied about two months. Mr. Robinson purchased three hundred and twenty acres of land and his first place of abode was a tent, which later was superseded by a log house. The Robisons were quickly followed by the families of Pierce 442 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and Elisha Granger, Seth Dean, Nathaniel Sanborn, Jonathan Oaks, Oliver and Charles Humphrey, Elias Dickinson, Wells Whitmore, Jesse Warner, and others. Ontario county began its legal existence on January 27, 1789. The town of Canandaigua was established under act of legislature the same date. The first name assigned to this town was Phelps- burg, and later it was called Sullivan, in honor of the leader of the Colonial army before referred to. The "district" held its first meet- ing at the inn of Jonathan Oaks, at Oaks Corners, April 4, 1796. The name of Sullivan was changed to that of Phelps at a session of the court in June, 1796, this in honor of the head of the syndicate that first opened the western wilderness to settlement and of the family so prominently identified with the early organization and development of Ontario county. The old records, carefully preserved in the ofifice of the town clerk, show that the pioneer settlers gave careful consideration to the needs of the town. Their first act was to designate the number of officers that the town should have, after which they proceeded to elect Jonathan Oaks, supervisor; Solomon Goodale, clerk; Joel Prescott, Philetus Swift, and Pierce Granger, assessors; Augustus Dickinson, collector; Oliver Humphrey and Patrick Burnett, over- seers of the poor; Jesse Warner, Oliver Humphrey, and Philetus Swift, commissioners of highways ; Cornelius Westfall, Abram Spurr, Charles Humphrey, Elijah Gates, Augustus Dickinson, John Patton, Wells Whitmore, and Jonathan Melvin, overseers of high- ways ; CorneHus Westfall. Charles Humphrey, and David Wood- ward, fence viewers ; and Jonathan Oaks, pound keeper. A motion prevailed that one Augustus, whose last name has not been handed down to posterity, be constable. It was voted that twenty pounds be raised for the support of the poor and the killing of native animals. It was also voted that hogs might run at large, if sufficiently yoked, from April 15 to November 15. At the town election held April 30, 1799, about eighty-five votes were cast. The succession of supervisors has been as follows : Jonathan Oaks, 1796; Joel Prescott, 1797-1804, and 1806-09; Pierce Granger, 1805, Elihu Granger, 1810-11; Wilham Burnett, 1812-13, and 1816- 17; Lemuel Bannister, Jr., 1814; Thaddeus Bannister, 1815; Phi- letus Swift, 1818-22; William Hildreth, Sr., 1823-26; Thomas Edmonston, 1827; James VanDemark, 1828-29, and 1832-33; THE TOWN OF PHELPS. 443 Richard D. Cuyler, 1831; David McNiel, 1834; Isaac M. Norton, 1835; Frederick VanDemark, 1836-37; William Dickinson, 1838- 40; John S. Harris, 1841-42; Moses Chapman, 1843; Cornelius Horton, 1844-52; Henry C. Swift, 1853; Hubbard McLoud, 1854 Sylvanus B. Pond, 1855; Lewis Peck^ 1856-59; Atnbrose L. Van- Dusen, 1860; Nathan Oaks, 1861-64; Lysander Redfield, 1865 Henry Ray, 1866-67; Horatio N. Mather, 1868; Samuel E. Horton 1869-70; David Cosad, Jr., 1871; Thaddeus O. Hotchkiss, 1872-73 and 1875-79; Hamilton McBurney, 1874; John C. Warner, 1880 Benjamin F. Odell, 1881-82; Abram S. Smith, 1883-87; Thaddeus O Hotchkiss, 1888-90; George B. Shepperd, 1891; William C Edmonston, 1892-95; John H. Roy, 1896-1905; William C. Edmons- ton, 1906-07; George W. Salisbury, 1908-1911. John B. Green was the pioneer merchant, commencing business at Oaks Corners. Orrin Redfield was the first in Vienna, as the village of Phelps was then called, having an assortment of dry goods and groceries in a log building. The next was Alfred Stow, and in 1811 Hotchkiss & McNiel began business. Luther Root was the pioneer clothier and L. Williams had the first hat shop. William Hildreth operated the first distillery. Seth Dean and Oliver Phelps were the first to engage in business in Vienna, erecting a saw mill on the west bank of Flint creek, and later a grist mill, near by. General Philetus Swift was probably the most prominent character in the early daj's of Phelps and through his persevering industry he acquired a large fortune. Among the offices he held were those of County Judge and State Senator. He also com- manded a regiment of soldiers in the campaign of 1812, on the Niagara frontier. In 1799, Augustus Dickinson, Cephas Hawkes, and Theodore Bannister erected the grist mill on the outlet, known afterwards as Norton's mill and later as the Exchange Mills, where- upon the aforesaid Mr. Dean publicly protested because of the fact that he was the pioneer in the business and the new enterprise threatened his means of livehhood. Dr. Joel Prescott was the first practicing physician. Among the prominent men engaged here in agricultural pur- suits in the 18th century were John Salisbury, Walter Chase, John Patton, David Boyd, Nicholas Pullen, Jonathan Melvin, John Sherman, Osee Crittenden, Jesse Warner, John Newhall, Lodowick and Joseph Vandemark, John and Patrick Burnett, Cornelius West- fall, Coll Roy, Joseph Eleazer, Cephas Hawkes, and Theodore 444 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. and Lemuel Bannister. A prominent pioneer and large land and slave owner was John Baggerly, who came from Maryland and located in the western part of the town. Harvey Stephenson came from Massachusetts in 1800 and located at Orleans. His son, Dolphin Stephenson, was one of the oldest attorneys in the county and also served as postmaster in the village of Phelps. Luther and Francis Root and Erastus Butler established the first woolen mill in 1812 and for a number of years gave employment to about twenty-five people. The Roots, together with Samuel and William Hildreth, were instrumental in establishing a postofifice in that year, with David McNiel as the first postmaster. At first mail was carried to Geneva, Palmyra, and Pittsford, once a week. In later years the postofiti'ce was located on West Main street. Ezra Goodell of Phelps won distinction through his invention of a spiker drum threshing machine. Mr. Goodell was a machinist and millwright employed in the carding works of Luther Root of this town and there conceived the idea that a machine similar to the carder could be built that would clean the grain from the stalk in a much more expeditious manner than that of the old flail and thresh- ing floor. Indeed for a time the carding mill itself was used for threshing and answered a very good purpose. The first preachers in the town were Town Clerk Solomon Goodale, a Baptist, and Pierce Granger, a Methodist exhorter. Religious services were held in school houses and residences until 1804, when the "Phelps Union Religious Society" was organized at Oaks Corners and the first church erected, the site being given by Thaddeus Oaks. The trustees were Philetus Swift, Daniel Shattuck. David Northum, Jabez Swan, Thaddeus Oaks, and Joseph Hall. The general conditions of the subscriptions were one-third in lumber, one-third in cash, and one-third in good merchantable wheat. The raising of the frame was a great event. The church building was not fully completed until 1816. For some years the church was used alternately by several denominations, until 1813, when it be- came a Presbyterian church and has continued such to the present time. While this church was in course of erection, the Baptists had an organization at Melvin Hill and the Methodists one at Vienna. The latter erected a meeting house on the site of the present church in 1819. The Presbyterians became established in Vienna in 1820 and two years later erected the White church on Church street. In 1840 THE TOWN OF PHELPS. 445 the "Old School" Presbyterian church was organized and in 1870 the Presbyterian churches were consolidated, using the East Main street edifice, while the White church was sold to the Catholic society, which was organized in 1854 and held services in a frame edifice erected at the corner of West Main and Eagle streets, until 1856. The Baptists erected a church at Gypsum in 1812, and at Orleans in 1819, and the one in Phelps in 1843. The Episcopal society was organized in 1832 and held its first meetings in the Masonic hall, located on the second floor of the Stone building on Church street, which later became the rectory of the St. Francis Catholic church. In 1856 the society erected a stone edifice on Church street, which was given the name of St. John's church. One of the prominent organizations of the early days was the Masonic lodge, organized May 7, 1811. It was doubtless organized by General Philetus Swift, the first district deputy in this section. The first worshipful master was Wells Whitmore ; the senior war- den, William Burnett; junior warden, Alfred Witter; treasurer, Luther Root; secretary, John McCay. According to the ancient records, the lodge always observed St. John's day and made it a practice to march to some church on that day, usually accompanied by a brass band and led by a marshal mounted on a horse. In 1822 the lodge acquired title to a room in the second story of the stone school building on Church street, which later was con- verted into a rectory for St. Francis church. In 1870 the Masons, for a substantial consideration, were granted the right to build an additional! story on the Gibson block, which has since served as their lodge rooms. For several years past they have been shared by Royal chapter, Order of the Eastern Star. The Odd Fellows organized at Clifton Springs in 1871, giving their lodge the name of Phelps lodge. The location of this lodge in 1875 was changed to Phelps, and later back to Clifton Springs. Phelps Tent, Knights of the Maccabees, was organized August 16, 1893, and a little later Phelps Hive, Ladies of the Maccabees, was established. Wide Awake Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized in 1891 and has had a prosperous career, having acquired a mem- bership of considerably over two hundred. A prior organization established in 1874 was known as Phelps Grange. After an exist- ence of several years it allowed its charter to lapse. 446 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Phelps is the only incorporated village which lies wholly within the town. A section of the village of Clifton Springs, how- ever, is within its limits, and there are also the hamlets of Orleans and Oaks Corners. The former, a prosperous settlement from the early days, was badly hurt by a succession of destructive fires, probably of incendiary origin, in the summer of 1910, which wiped away a number of its business places and dwelling houses. Oaks Corners, situated three miles southeast of Phelps village, on the line of the New York Central railroad, was the home of the pioneer, Jonathan Oaks, whose tavern was long a center of political and social influence. The Village of Phelps. The village of Phelps, the leading center of population and business in the town, was first known as Vienna, and as early as 1812 was a place of importance and a post station. The name was changed to Phelps some time in the Forties and it was incorporated under that name in 1855, by action of the Court of Sessions. The greatest prosperity of the village is said to have been between the years 1835 and 1840. In the last mentioned year, the collapse of the great firm of Norton, Bartle, & McNiel threw the whole town into a panic. Farmers, merchants, and nearly all classes of people were seriously aiTected through severe losses, and the depression which followed lasted for years. Among the things which gave new life to Phelps was the building of the New York Central railroad. It served to arouse the people from their financial slough of despair. The first train passed through Phelps, July 4, 1841. It was met by hundreds of people and the wildest enthusiasm prevailed. There were two stations, Vienna and West Vienna, the latter being the larger, with restaurant attached. It was located at the corner of West Main and Newark streets. The Vienna depot was a frame building, which after doing service for many years was moved to the corner of Exchange and Jay streets and converted into a dwelling. The station retained its name of Vienna for several years after the vil- lage had been incorporated as Phelps. In 1857 several business failures, including that of the Ontario bank, brought about another depression which fortunately was not as far reaching as the crisis of 1840. Good crops in 1858, 1859, and 1860 went far to recuperate the village. During the next few years the good prices for farm products had the efifect of adding greatly to the prosperity. THE TOWN OF PHELPS. 447 Several companies of soldiers went out from the village of Phelps at the beginning of the Civil war, leaving many homes bereft of husband and father. Owmg to a general desire to help those at the front, a Union Soldiers' Aid Society was formed in 1863, having as its president, Mrs. Hibbard; vice president, Mrs. Stebbins; secretary and treasurer, Mrs. M. J. Browning; assistant secretary and treasurer, Mrs. C. P. Moser. This society sent many donations of money and supplies of various kinds to the front. The Phelps Union and Classical school, which has been the pride of the village since 1846, had its beginnings in the log school house in which as early as 1800 the children of the pioneers were taught. Among the early teachers were Aunt Chloe Warner, Rowland Dewey, Ann Bigelow, Abigail Bigelow, Betsy Newell, and Dr. Caleb Bannister. Jared Willson, later one of the promi- nent lawyers of the county, was a teacher here early in the century. He was followed by Dr. Harvey E. Phinney and others. The dis- trict was divided about the year 1820, the East district erecting a school house of cut stone, and the West district one of brick. Both of these buildings are standing at this date. In 1845 the districts were re-united and a year later the build- ing still in use was erected. The first principal of the Union school was Professor Lewis Peck, a native of the town and a graduate of Hamilton college. He was followed in succession by Thomas Purinton, W. F. Crosby, Ziba H. Potter, Lockwood Hoyt, John S. Coe, and Ezra J. Peck. The latter continued in charge from 1866 to 1869, when he was elected School Commissioner for the First district of the county. Two of his successors became School Commissioners, Hyland C. Kirk, on January 1, 1873, and Willis A. Ingalls, in 1906. The school under these and other equally capable principals has steadily developed in efficiency and is now recognized as one of the strongest educational institutions in the county. The history of the "Phelps Citizen," the local newspaper, is as follows : The founder of the paper was Jeremiah O. Balch, who issued the first number in January, 1832, under the name of "Vienna Republican." The press and type used in its publication were first used upon a paper in Rochester called the "Craftsman," one of the first Masonic papers published. Two years later the name was changed to "Vienna Advertiser," and it became the property of E. N, Phelps. The caption was increased by the addition of the 448 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. word "Joui'na-J." under which title in 1838 it passed into the hands of Willard and Lysander Redfield, who in turn changed the name to the "Phelps Republican." At the termination of their manage- ment in 1846, the paper came into the possession of E. N. Phelps and William Dillon, who re-christened it the "Western Atlas." The latter purchased his partner's interest, only to be succeeded by James H. Jones, afterwards the founder of the "Newark Union." Washington Shaw was the next owner. He, howevei', became financially involved, making it incumbent upon its previous proprie- tor to resume the management. He sold it in 1854 to Levi Piester, who gave it a new head —"Ontario Free Press." Being unsuccess- ful, he rented the office to James L. Decker, who decamped as soon as he secured sufficient funds. Mr. Piester was at the time visiting in the east and before he returned to take possession, two editions were issued by Joel W. Deming, a faithful employee, who alone set the type and printed the paper, in order to preserve the validity of the large amount of legal advertising. Lown & Kelmer then became proprietors for a short time, but shortly after the ownership again fell into the hands of E. N. Phelps, who re-named it "The Phelps New Democratic Star." Pleasants & DePrang purchased the office fixtures in 1862 and changed the name to "Phelps Union Star." The office was not sufficiently remunerative for two, and C. S. Pleasants purchased the interest of his partner. During his ownership, the paper was managed by S. C. Clizbie, and afterward by Samuel Williams, ultimately passing into the hands of Ray & Crane in 1866. It was conducted in their interest by A. V. Cooper, under its present title, "The Phelps Citizen." Soon after this, J. W. Neighbor became editor and publisher. He sold the paper in 1870 to La Monte G. Raymond, whose six months' stay was tempestuous. The culmination of continued mis- understandings came when, in response to frequent taunts as to his inability, he published his last "Citizen" with the head printed in red ink. His farewell editorial in the same issue was a bitter invec- tive against the animosity he had encountered. J. W. Neighbor again became proprietor, but in 1872 sold the establishment to W. S. Drysdale & Son. In August, 1878, they sold it to Elon G. Salis- bury. A year later H. C. Burdick became associated with Mr. Sal- isbury and in 1881 assumed sole proprietorship. In 1887 the paper became the property of E. F. & H. C. Bussey and so continued THE TOWN OF PHELPS. 449 until 1910, when Mr. E. F- Bus.sey retired, leaving iii.s younger brothers, H. C. & A. F. Bussey, the present proprietors. Immediately following the close of the war, the village began to flourish as an industrial center. In 1867, a directory of Ontario county was published which showed Phelps to have in operation seven malt houses, five flouring- mills, two plaster mills, a cheese factory, art iron-foundry, a tannery, a soap factory, and a paper mill. At the "present time there are three sauer kraut factories, a distil- lery, cider mill, a boiler works, stove foundry, tin factory, a cream- ery, a crate factory, a manufactory of agricultural implements, a saw and planing mill, and four flouring mills. Phelps has held its own in the face of many misfortunes. The worst trial it has had to face, perhaps, was that resulting from the four devastating fires of incendiary origin which sWept the village during the spring and summer of 1864. The greater portion of the business section was burned, as well as the two hotels and many dwelling houses, including the entire section between Wayne street and the old Odell block. In the year 1910 the village and surrounding country was severely strained through the collapse of its two old established banking institutions, that of William B. Hotchkiss & Co., estab- lished in 1857 by L.R. Hotchkiss. and that of John H. Roy & Co., established in 1883. The community weathered this latest .storm, howevfer, and now with the co-operation of a. new fihanciifl institu- tion, the Phelps National Bank, is looking forward to even larger and more substantial cofnmercial prosperity than it has heretofore enjoyed. The village has a population at the present time of about 1500. 450 HISTORY QP ONTARIO COUNTY. XXXV. THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. First White Settlers Were Massachusetts Men — The Town Named Successively Honeoye, Pittstown, and Richmond — How Hone- oye Lake Received Its Name — Pioneer Merchants and Manu- facturers — Villages of Honeoye, Richmond Center, Allen's Hill, Richmond Mills, and Dennison's Comers — ^The Pan-Handle, By George W. Pxttersom, Jr. Richmond and Honeoye have been inhabited for perliaps a thousand years. There is plenty of evidence that there were two occupations of the town previous to that of the Iroquois. It is not at all/improbable that tlie early inhabitants belonged, to the Mound Budders. According: to State Archaeologist Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian himself, to whom I am indebted for most of this information, the Indian "finds" in Richmond are mostly remains of a people who occupied the territory before the Iroquois or the Algonquins. The implements are crude, rough, and of a very early type. y^ There are four distinct .-plaees-which show that Richmond \vas peopled before the time of t|ie Iroquois. These places are on and near the Will Belcher farm, near Allen's Hill; the Alva Reed farm, west of Richmond Mills; around and above the ravine of Whet- stone brook; east of the Whetstone brook and north of the Honeoye-Hemlock. road. There are evidences of several camps in other parts of the town, notably in ^fehe northern part. Honeoye was also peopled. The settlement was probably centered on the land below the road and near the foot of the lake, which now belongs- to Frank B. Allen and William Morrow. There arc evidences of Indian habitations on' the other side of the outlet, west of Alleji's farm, also in John Briggs's gravel pit and in Lake View cemetery. The village oL Honj^ye that existed last previous to the THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 451 present village was an Iroquois settlement and was located on the Allen and the Morrow farms as previously stated. The first mention in historical records of the territory now called Richmond was in Sei^tember, 1779, when the army of white men under General Sullivan came over the hill near Blackmer's corners and looked down on the Indian settlement. This settle- ment is mentioned by the soldiers many times, who were impressed with the beauty and fertility of the valley. The soldiers spread the news of what they had seen when they returned home and this played an important part in the settlement of this part of the country. Negotiations for the purchase of a large tract of land, which included that now comprised in Richmond, were' begun as early as 1787, but not till Phelps and Gorham had perfected their title was the purchase completed. In April, 1787, Goodwin and Asa Simmons had left Dighton, Massachusetts, to spy out the region. They examined the land and returning home formed the Dighton Company, whose object was the purchase of a large tract as soon as Judge Phelps could perfect a title. Subsequently, the Dighton Company's agents purchased 46,080 acres, a part of which extended over the present town of Richmond, then known, however, as number 9, range 5. The survey of this land was made in 1789 by Captain Peter Pitts, William, his son. Deacon Codding, George, his son, Calvin Jacobs, and John Smith. They also surveyed what is now the town of Bristol. The land was divided by lot, Captain Pitts drawing 3,000 acres, mostly situated near the foot of Honeoye lake, but some near Allen's Hill and Livonia. The land was first worked by Gid- eon and W''ilHam Pitts in 1790. In December of the same year. Captain Pitts and James Codding and their families became per- manent residents of the town. They occupied the log house built by Captain Pitts's sons. Later this log house was replaced by a more commodious framed structure, supposed to have been the famous Long house where Captain Pitts entertained the distinguished Louis Philippe and Duke de Liancourt. Louis Philippe, accom- panied by Talleyrand, while passing through this region spent a Sunday with Captain Pitts. He says, "We set out with Blacons to visit an estate belonging to one Mr. Pitts, of which we had heard much talk throughout the country. On our arrival, we found the house crowded with Presbyterians, its owner attending to a noisy, tedious, harangue, delivered by a minister (Rev. Zadoc Hunn) 452 HISTORY OF Oi^TARIO COUNTY. with such violence of elocution that he appeared all over in a perspiration. There were handsome women in attendance and we found them even more pleasant than the fine rural scenery." Richmond was and has always been an agricultural commun- ity. In the early days, from about 1800 to 1825, wheat was the only product except whiskey that would pay to transport to Albany by wagon. In 1825, wheat was sold in Canandaigua for twenty-five to thirty-seven cents a bushel in trade. .When wheat was carried to Albany, the returning wagons were loaded with merchandise and sometimes carried as far west as B'atavia. In marked contrast to the preisent Richmond, where intoxicat- ing liquor has not been legally sold for over fifty years, we find a century ago that the town was famous for its distilled goods. Some of the good grain and nearly all of the poorer grades were made into mash and distilled. At that time there were fifteen manufac- tories of liquor in the town. In 1876, William Hamilton wrote of the early history of the Pan-Handle and mentions this list of dis- tillers : Colonel Green, head of Honeoye lake ; Enoch E. Colby and Kirby Frary, on the John Rhodes, now Pennell's, flats, a little southeast of the Indian plum orchard ; John Jason, east of Pitts's corners, on the Swan farm ; Philip Short, on the hill west of Hone- oye, and one in the hollow south of Dennison's Corners. The sons of John and Eleazer Frar}'^ bought up all the ashes they could get, made potash, and sold it to the merchants of Canandaigua. The geographical location of Richmond in relation to the markets of that time, was no doubt an important reason for the production of distilled liquors. A large amount of grain could thus be made into a small bulk and then profitably transported to mar- ket. There was one brewery in town. An incident might be mentioned in this connection which shows that the liquor made in those days was not much dififerent from that made now. A quan- tity of beer from the brewery was run into the slop-vat by mistake and fed to the hogs. It is stated that the antics of the hogs "were most comical to witness." The settlement was first called Pittstown, in honor of Captain Pitts. This term was used to designate all the immediate vicinity of what is now Honeoye. As an organized township, however, the first name was Honeoye. At the first town meeting it was voted to change the name to Pittstown. Chapter CLXIII, laws of 1801, dated April 7, describes the town and states it "shall be and continue THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 453 a town by the name of Pittstown." On April 6, 1808, the name was changed to Honeoye. Chapter LXV, laws of 1815, dated March 10, changed the name Honeoye to Richmond. There have been no changes since. It is likely that previous to 1801 the name had been changed without the consent of the State Legislature. The voters at town meeting petitioned the Legislature to change the name to Richmond, February 24, 1815. The first town meeting was held April 5, 1796. A part of Canadice was annexed to the town, April 30, 1836, and parts of Bristol and South Bristol in 1848, the latter, however, being restored four years later. The town now consists of a nearly square tract of land lying north of Honeoye lake and the "Pan- Handle" section along the east shore of the lake. The latter section was added because of its geographical location, high ridges separat- ing it from Bristol and Canadice. At this meeting the following officers were chosen : Supervis- or, Lemuel Chipman; town clerk, Gideon Pitts; assessors, Philip Reed, .William Pitts, Solomon Woodruft; constable and collector, Jonas Belknap; commissioner of highways, Solomon .Woodrtiff; fence viewers ; Gideon Pitts, Elijah Parker, Stiles Parker, Roswell Turner; poundmaster, Edward Hazen; pathmasters, Peter Pitts, Cyrus Chipman, Solomon Woodiaifif, Aaron Hunt, Roswell Turner : overseers of the poor, Peter Pitts, Philip Reed; commissioners of schools, Philip Reed, Cyrus Chipman, Jonas Belknap. Among other things done at the first town meeting, it was voted that forty .shillings (about ten dollars) be paid as bounty for each wolf "catcht" in the town ; that hogs be allowed to run at large ; that sixteen pounds tax (about eighty dollars) be raised to defray town expenses); that the name of the district be changed from Honeoye to Pittstown. Lemuel Chipman received $5 for two years' service as supervisor. The meeting adjourned to meet at the same place the first Tuesday in April, 1797. In 1806, the bounty on wolves was repealed and a bounty of one cent per head voted for squirrels, blackbirds, and woodpeckers. At a town meeting held in 1808, at the Center school-house, the term Pittstown was used; in the year following, in the same place, Honeoye. The following oaths of office are from the original papers on file with George W. Patterson, the present town clerk, and are of interest, as showing the name of the town at the dates mentioned. 454 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. although the types cannot show the quaint writing and the old style long letter "s :" I Gideon Pitts Town clerk of the town of Honeoye in the County of Ontario do sotemly and sincerely promise and swear that 1 will faithfully and honestly keep all the books, records, writings and papers, by verture of my said office town-<:lerk committed, and which shall from time to time be committed unto me; and in all things, to the best of my knowledge and understanding, will and faithfully perform/ the duties of my said office of town-clerk without favor or partiallity. Gideon Pitts, this may certify that Gideon Pitts took and subscribed the oath of town Clerk of the town of Honeoye this S Day April 1796 before me Ebenezer Curtiss Justice Pea. The above is the oath of office of the first town clerk, and shows that the town was first called Honeoye. The overseers of poor oath reads as follows : we do S'olomnly and sincerely promise and swear that we will in all things to the best of our knowledge and understanding and abilities well and faithfully execute and preform the trust imposed in us as Overseers of the Poor for the Town of Honeoye in the County (Dntario. Philip Reed William Pitts On the reverse side : This may Certify that Phillip Reed and William Pitts took and Subscribd the Oath for Overseers of the Poor for the Town of Honeoye this 6th day of April, 1797, before me Gid'n Pitts J. P. Levi Blackmer, town clerk of the town of Pittstown, took the oath of ofTfice before Gidn. Pitts, J. P., April 3d, 1798. An oath signed by Gideon Pitts, is dated Honeoye, 4th April, 1809. The following is a list of the names of the supervisors who have represented Richmond in the county legislature : Lemuel Chip- man, 1786-1800, 1806, 1814, 1821; Philip Reed, 1801-4; Gideon Pitts, 1805, 1807-9, 1818-20; Noah Ashley, 1810, 1813, 1815 ; James Heren- deen, 1811; Peter Allen, 1812; Noah Ashley, 1812, to fill vacancy; Amos Mead, 1816-17; Issachar Frost, 1822-23, 1828; Nathaniel Allen, 1824, 1826; John Dixon, 1825; Philip Short, 1827; Jonathan Mason, 1829; Hiram Pitts, 1830-34; Gilbert Wilson, 1835-38: William F. Reed. 1839-40; Hiram Ashley, 1841-43; Robert L. Rose, 1844-45; Zach Longyor, 1846; David A. Pierpont, 1847-48, 1852, 1855; Thomas Barkley, 1849-50; Lyman Haws, 1851; David L. Hamilton, 1853-54; Zoroaster Paul, 1856; William F. Reed, 1857- 58; Willard Doolittle, 1859-60; Evelyn Pierce, 1861-68; Spencer D. Short, 1868-72; Charles E. Reed, 1873-76; Marion P. Worthy, THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 455 1877-80; Frederick L. Ashley, 1881-82; John A. Reed, 1883-86; Edwin W. Gilbert, 1887-88; David A. Pierpont, 1889-91; Charles E. Reed, 1892-93; Ira N. Deyo, 1894-6; Edwin .W. Gilbert, 1897- 1900; H. Harrison Reed, 1901-2; Richmond C. Beach, 1902-5; George W. Patterson, 1906-7; John C. Briggs, 1908-9; Daniel C. Menihan, 1910-11. The present town officers are as follows: Supervisor, D. C. Menihan; town clerk, George W. Patterson; justices, R. C. Beach, J. J. White, R. M. Allen, Charles W. Howcroft ; assessors, H. F. Briggs, John R. Green, W. B. Smith; highway superintendent, E. D. Hawkes; collector, W. G. Pierce; overseer of the poor, H. H. Reed; constables, W. G. Pierce, George C. Briggs, Frank Prescott, A. H. Francis; school directors, Henry M. Patterson and George P. Reed. Honeoye Village. The word Honeoye is of Seneca Indian origin meaning "finger laying." This is the meaning given the word by Sullivan's so.diers in 1779. The writer of this sketch asked a Seneca chief as to the meaning of the word and the reply was the same. The soldiers were told that the place derived its name from an accident which occurred to an Indian. It seems that the Indian was gathering berries near the foot of the lake on land now belonging to Wil.iam Morrow and was bitten by a rattlesnake. He cut his finger off with his tomahawk. His finger was laying there, or as the Iroquois would say "Ta-nyah-yeh," or at this place Ha-nyah-yeh, the first Indian word being used in the sense of distance or "over there." Rattlesnakes were common to this vicinity two hundred years ago. In the writings of Sullivan's officers and men the village is mentioned many times and nearly each time the word has a different spelling. This was due to the difficulty of representing the Indian language in English. It is likely that its population (1779) was nearly as large as at present. The soldiers' letters state that there were from five to twenty houses, and as at that time the Iroquois lived in long houses to a large extent and several families in a house, we may conclude that the village had from two to three hundred people. There were about fifty acres under cultivation. There were also some fruit orchards. The settlement was used as a base of supplies by Sullivan when he went to the Genesee river, and upon his return, the houses were burned. The archaeological 456 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. remains at Honeoye show evidences of Huron occupation, but it is likely the Hurons were captives of the Iroquois. As the principal and practically the only industry of Richmond is agriculture, the villages are small. Honeoye is the largest and its location was largely due to the water power produced by the fall in the outlet of the lake. The land upon which the village is located was originally owned by Captain Pitts, but to Artemas Briggs is accredited the proprietorship of that on which the village is located. About 1813, a grist mill and a saw mill were built by Gideon Pitts, on the site now occupied by the John A. Quick flour mill. The location of the old saw mill is still marked by a turbine wheel, the building having been removed some time previous to 1890. For a number of years the mill was idle, owing to the decline of lumber- ing on a large scale, the small portable mills taking its place. In 1813, Moses Resden was the proprietor of a tannery, which he later sold to Daniel Phillips. Gideon Pitts, his helper. Way, and Abner Mather were the first blacksmiths. About 1814 Caleb Arnold built the house now occupied by Edward D. Hawkes. The next house was built by Mrs. Hovey and was owned by Dr. Hamilton for some time. E. ,W. Gilbert now occupies it. Eliab Soles followed and built the A. Franklin residence now owned by Dr. Standish. Soles was one of the early black- smiths. The next year R. Davis built an addition to the Hawkes house and opened a tavern and after a few years sold to Samuel G. Crooks, who in time sold to Smith Henry. In 1817 John Brown and Linus Giddings built a fulling mill. Part of this building be- came the foundry, long since gone. The fulling mill was sold to Joseph Blount and it was successively transferred to Walter Blount, to John Culbertson, to Huntly, to Hiram Pitts, and to Joseph Lavill. In 1822 John Brown built a store and was the pioneer merchant of the place. He sold to Erastus Hill and Richmond Waldron. Dexter K. Hawkes, Edward D. Hawkes's father, carried on the business under the firm name of Hawkes & Whipple. Later Hawkes sold out and built a store for himself. In 1823 Edwin Gilbert. Edwin W. Gilbert's father, opened a store and in 1825 built the store on the corner now occupied by his son and grandson. Isaac G. Hazen erected the next store building, near Hawkes's, and later sold it out to M. M. Gregory, who engaged in the hardware busi- ness. About this time Lyman Pearce started an ashery, which THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 457 after his death was conducted by his brother Evelyn. The original A. Franklin store was built about 1826 by Benton Pitts, who rented it to Pearce. Isaac Seward, the first shoemaker, came about 1815 and opened a shoe shop and tannery. About 1825 Oliver Adams erected a building and engaged in the same business. Part of Stout's hotel was built by Caleb Arnold and Tubbs in 1830 and was used as a shoe and cabinet shop. The Methodist church was- built in 1832 where the Eliza Phillips residence now stands. Richmond Center. Richmond Center, "a diminutive settlement, located as the name indicates, sprang into being, flourished and now rests in quiet," as Mcintosh wrote. Here the first business of the town was done, here the first religious society and the first school of the town were formed. The following is a list of the early settlers at and near the "Center;" Noah Ashley, Elias and Joseph Gilbert; David, William, Sanford, and Heman Crooks; PhiHp Reed and sons, John F., Silas, Wheeler, William, and Philip; Whitley Marsh, John and Eleazer Freny, Deacon Harmon, Roderick Steele, Cyrus Wells, Isaac and Alden Adams, Daniel H. Goodsell, O. Risden, and a few others. Noah Ashley, in 1802, purchased a farm of one hundred and eighty-six acres at five dollars an acre. This land passed to his son Noah. Deacon Elias Gilbert bought the John Norgate farm in 1803. Deacon Gilbert was a tanner and shoemaker. He lived on the farm for half a century, and then moved to Iowa, where he died at the age of ninety-five. Eleazer Freny settled near the old church and near by lived Whiting Marsh. David Crooks and family came from Massachusetts in 1800. He sold, in 1803, at a nominal figure, ten acres of land for public use. It is the land upon which the church, school house, and parsonage were erected. About two acres in the reaf w^as set apart for a cemetery. After seven years' residence at the Center, he bought seven hundred and fifty acres east of Honeoye, around Blackmer's corners, and erected a grist and saw mill, likely the first in town, on Mill creek, and also built the Myron H. Blackmer house. David Crooks and family came from Massachusetts in 1800. David Crooks's father, William Crooks, came from Massachusetts in 1802 with his two sons, Heman and Sanford. Orsamus Risden was a blacksmith and lived in a log house near Whetstone brook. His shop was south of the cabin. John Freny was the early owner of the Frank Ashley farm. 458 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. Allen's Hill. Moses Allen, Avith his two sons, Peter and Nathaniel, and their families, became residents of this locality in 1796 and 1797. Peter became a soldier and commanded a regiment at Queenstown and rose to be a brigadier general. Nathaniel was a blacksmith and started a shop near the tile factory, south of Allen's Hill, and later opened a shop at the Hill. Joseph, son of James Garlinghouse, came here from New Jersey about 1800. He bought twenty-five acres near the Hill and paid for the same with a militia officer's uniform. David Pierpont came from Vermont in 1816, bought the Gates tavern, which he ran for years, worked at his trade of cabinet maker, and put on the first daily post-coaches on the Canandaigua- Genesee road. He died in 1862. He was the father of the Hon. David A. Pierpont. Joshua Philips, of Dighton, Massachusetts, worked for Philip Short in 1791 and in 1803 bought land and built a house. Richmond Mills and Dennison's Comers. Asa Dennison and Levi Blackmer came to this locality in 1795. They settled at what is now Dennison's Corners, because of the fine stand of timber, thinking that this denoted fertile land. Denni- son contracted for one hundred and fifty acres for three dollars an acre. He soon built a tavern, a framed structure, two stories high and forty feet square. The building had a fine ball room and was noted for the festive parties that took place there. Later Mr. Dennison, by the erection of an addition, doubled the size of the original building and made two ball rooms. Here he kept tavern for sixty years. The bill of fare was plain but substantial. It is said that it was principally bread, pork, potatoes, and whiskey — last named but first called for. That part of the old farm passed through many hands and was at last acquired by Richmond Blackmer. Levi Blackmer bought one hundred and fifty acres for three dollars an acre, paying $100 down on the purchase price. He cut and cleared some land and piled his first brush heap on a knoll a few rods south of the Richmond Blackmer house. On September 5, 1799, he married Hannah Pitts, daughter of Captain Pitts. They raised seven children, of whom Richmond, the youngest, lived on the old homestead for years. Roswell Turner bought land on Hemlock lake outlet in 1796, made a clearing, and two years later moved to Allen's Hill. Calvin THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 459 Ward, with his wife and young son, Harry, came from Vermont in 1816. He bought fifty acres of land at twenty dollars an acre. This land formed part of the Harry Ward farm. Ward raised wheat and made it into flour and drew it to Albany. Philip Reed came in 1795 from Vermont. He found that five families had preceded him. He bought land till he had fifteen hundred acres, most of which his descendants now own. Reed and Chipman built the first brick house in town, the original Reed homestead, the brick being made on Chipmaii's land. This is now known as the Fayette D. Short house, north of Richmond Mills. The house was begun in 1802 and finished in 1804. The timbers were cut on the Short farm. The bricks were made across the road in the field now owned by C. E. Reed. The nails were hand forged by a black- smitii in the "Hollow." The contract stated that the men were to receive one gill of whiskey per day, besides their wages. The one hundredth anniversary of the completion of the building was observed by the Shorts in 1904. Mr. Reed was considered wealthy, as he had $3,000 to pay for his land, and he built a grist and saw mill just above Richmond Mills. Isaac Adams came as Reed's hired man and bought one hundred acres. Colonel Eyman Hawes came on foot in 1812. He had served on the Niagara frontier. He worked at blacksmithing for John Abbey for some time, at sixteen dollars a month. He bought land and engaged in wheat-raising and wOoI-growing and became a prominent man. Cieorge McClure, of Bath, sent some goods to Allen's Hill in 1809 and '10. In 1810, Amos and John Dixon opened a store at Dennison's Corners. They carried a general line of goods, including a hogshead of West India rum, and had a good trade. Parley Brown and Luther Stanley were also early settlers. John Dixon resided for somie years at Canandaigua and lived to a ripe old age. The Pan-Handle. The section of the town east of the lake has appropriately been called the Pan-Handle. Hugh Hamilton came from Massachusetts in 1810, and after looking over the State as far west as Lake Erie he returned to Ontario county. He then took charge of and ran the Phelps grist and saw mills on Mill creek. In a short time he bought the mills, but later resold to Phelps. Later he bought a small tract of land 460 HISTORY OF ONTA.RIO COUNTY. for a farm, the tract now known as the D. L. Hamilton farm. Here he died in 1856, aged 80 years. Davis Knapp, from Connecticut, became a settler in 1790, buy- ing what is now the .William Allen farm. John Parker was the first settler on the James Kelly farm. Job Wood was an early resident on the Pierce place. Jacob Flanders, a soldier under Sulhvan in 1779, settled on the north part of the farm long owned by John G. Biriggs. Colonel John Green became the owner of the Briggs farm in 1794. Aaron J; Hunt settled in the southwest corner of this section in 1795. John Green built a saw mill in Briggs's gully at an early date. It was the first of its kind in the town south of Mill creek. Briggs built a saw mill north of the old mill after the first mill had run down. Andrew Bray was another early resident. He settled upon the General Thomas Barkley place. Churches. The first sermon in Richmond was preached in 1792 by Rev. Samuel Mills. In 1795 Rev. Zadoc Hunn and his sons were engaged by Captain Pitts to "preach 1-8 of his time," which was done till Mr. Hunn's death. May 12, 1801. Services were held in an irregular way till 1798, when Deacon Nathaniel Harmon moved in from "Vermont. There was a revival in 1799. The First Congregational Church of Richmond was organized November 4, 1802, bj' Rev. Joseph Grover, assisted by Rev. Jacob Cram. The newly organized church had fourteen members. Nathaniel Harmon and Elias Gilbert were the first deacons. In 1804 it was voted to purchase of David Crooks ten acres of ground located m the center of the town for a "burying-ground and meet- ing-house green." The land was purchased and arrangements made to build a school-house and church. In 1806 the society voted $200 toward a school-house at the Center. Later the church organ- ization became Presbyterian and in 1810 was placed under the Geneva presbytery, but returned to Congregationalism in 1843. About 1828 several members were dismissed to form the church of South Richmond. This they did and held services at Honeoye. In 1818 a substantial church edifice was completed and dedi- cated and in 1835 a parsonage was built. The society is not now in active existence, the church having been removed a decade ago. Rev. Abijah Warren was the first pastor. Other early pastors were Rev. Samuel Fuller, 1805; Rev. Aaron C. CoUins, 1808-16; thp: town of Richmond. 461 Rev. Warren Day, Rev. S. Mills Day's father, 1819-28; Rev. Orange Lyman, 1828-34; Rev. Linus W. Billington, 1835-41; Rev. Warren Day, 1845-49; and others for shorter periods. The first Congregational church of Honeoye was organized in November, 1854, by Rev. Cyrus Pitts, of Honeoye, assisted by Rev. William Fisher, of West Blobmlfield. At the time of the organiza- tion it had about twelve members. The first deacons were George W. Pitts and D. Leonard Hamilton. The organization had become a strong church by 1862. In 1861 a church building was erected and in 1871 it was enlarged and improved. The succession of min- isters has been as follows : Rev. Cyrus Pitts, 1854-5 ; Rev. R. W. Payne, 1855-8; Rev. Milton Buttolf, 1858-61; Rev. Isaac Ely, 1861-2; Rev. S. Mills Day, 1862 to 1896, when he became pastor emeritus, after which date he supplied the pulpit at dififerent times and for a period of some months during 1900 and 1901. For nearly half a century he looked upon the congregation of the church from this pulpit. Later pastors were Rev. Mr. Herman, 1896-8; Rev. T. A. Stubbins, 1899-1900; Rev. W. C. Burns, 1901-6; Rev. A. C. Dill, 1906-9; Rev. Mr. Hawthorne, 1909-1911. A fine church par- sonage was built in 1903. The church parlors were built in 1897. Extensive improvements to the church grounds were made in 1910. A prosperous Sunday school is one of the features of the church work. St. Mary's Catholic church is the only other church in Hone- oye. The church edifice was dedicated in 1876, with Rev. Father Burns as the first pastor, who was soon followed by Rev. Father Seymour. Rev. Father Hendrick was a pastor for some years. The present pastor is Rev. M. J. Krieg. The pastors have ministered both to this church and the one of the same denomination at Livonia Center. The church is the only one of this denomination in the vicinity and is in a prosperous condition. The Protestant Episcopal church of Honeoye (town of) was organized in 1813 and a few years later erected a house of worship at Allen's Hill, as a result of the work of Davenport Phelps, an Englishmian, who spent some time in the county as a missionary, in 1808. Samuel Whitney and David Crawford were the first war- dens and Alanson W. Welton, 1815, the first settled minister. Meetings were first held in the Chipman tavern ball-room and until the church edifice was finished. The church was consecrated in 1817 and sixteen members were confirmed, Warren Pierpont being 462 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. the last survivor. Forty-two pews were sold at auction and war- ranty deeds given, about $3,400 being thus realized. One pew was reserved for the clergyman's family and four others for visitors, or as stated "for other persons." Nathan Allen gave a plot of ground for a church and church-yartL Rev. George H. Norton began a twenty-year pastorate in 1823 at a salary of $300 a year. The old church edifice at Allen's Hill remains standing and is occasionally used. The Methodist Episcopal church of Richmond was organized at the homie of William Baker about 1833 and a house of worship constructed in the eastern part of the town, on what is now the David O. Pierpont farm. The building was quite a large structure ariid built with galleries, as was the custom at that time. The. society was reorganized in 1859, and in 1861 a new church, located at Allen's Hill, was completed and dedicated. The church has continued in a prosperous condition. The First Methodist Protestant church was organized as the result of meetings held by Dr. Covill of New York in the old tav- ern ball-room at Honeoye. Later meetings were held in the school-house. A church was organized and a building erected, in 1832. Dr. Covill was the first pastor. In 1869 the building was burned, thereby crippling the society, and the site was sold. It is now occupied by the Mrs. Mary Eliza Phillips residence. A Bap- tist church was organized about 1808 with forty members and a church edifice built in 1832. There is no society of this denomina- tion in town at present. _ Masonic Lodges. Masonic lodges were establivshed at an early date. The first lodge was called Genesee Lodge, Number 32, F. & A. M. It was organized about 1806, with Judge Lemuel Chipm'an as master. Meetings were held in Dennison's tavern, at Dennison's Corners. The lodge was large and prosperous, till the time of the Morgan episode, following which, owing to the strong opposition engen- dered, it gave up its charter and disbanded. Eagle Lodge, No. 619, is located in the village of Honeoye. Its first meeting was held August 4, 1866. The following have filled the office of master; A. W. Stevens, Aiken Stark, J. L. Green, George W. St. John, James R. Tubbs, Leonidas F. Wilbur, T, R. Reed, R. H. Knapp, D. S. Stacey, T. Murray, Fred Francis, THE TOWN OF RICHMOND. 463 W. Stevens, William Lightfoot, F. Ingraham, S. W. Abbey, L. A. Mitchell, C. W. Sleight, and T. S. Stevens. The officers of 1911 are: Truman S. Stevens, W. M. ; John Burns, S. W. ; Henry Kil- lips, J. W.; Charles W. Howcroft, Jr., Secy.; Samuel Drain, S. D.; James Morrow, J. D. ; Raymond Francis, S. M. C. ; Clarence Hicks, J. M. C. ; George Aft'alter, Chaplain ; Carlton Sleight, Tiler. The lodge has recently purchased the Franklin block and now has a permanent home. A lodge of the O. E. S., No. 350, was organized May 24, 1905. The Worthy Matrons have been Mrs. Caroline Franklin, Mrs. Jen- nie G. Abbey, Mrs. Martha N. Short, and Mrs. Mary Burns. 464 PIISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. XXXVI. THE TOWN OF SENECA. Original Town of Seneca Included What is Now the Towns of Seneca and Geneva and the City of Geneva — First Settlement as Seen by a 1790 Traveler — Division of the Town in 1872 — Four Flourishing Villages — List of the Supervisors — The Churches and the Granges. By Levi A. Page. The original town of Seneca was formed in 1793, under the act of the Legislature for the organization of towns, passed Janu- ary 27, 1789. It was a large town, bounded north by the town of Phelps, east by Seneca lake and Seneca county, south by Benton, west by Gorham and a part of Middlesex. It was twelve miles long north and south, and about eight miles east and west. Across its north end stretched the great stage road from Albany to Buf- falo. It was an excellent township, arable throughout, with fine grazing lands. Its streams were small, Flint creek, the largest, running through the western part of town from south to north. It also took in a portion of Seneca lake on its eastern border. Its farm lands were rich and very productive and have always pro- duced fine crops of grain and farm produce. The town of Seneca then included the territory now embraced in the city of Geneva and the town of Geneva. On June 4, 1788, Oliver Phelps arrived at Kanadesaga (Geneva). Pie said in his description: "I am well pleased with what I have seen of the country. This place is situated at the foot of Seneca lake on a beautiful hill which overlooks the country around it and gives a fine prospect of the lake, which is about forty miles in length. Here we propose to build a city, as there is a water carriage from here to Schenectady, with only two carrying places one mile each." THE TOWN OF SENECA. 465 The little village of Geneva at this time, 1788, was a pretty brisk place. Here was the speculator, the explorer, the Lessee Company and their agents, all actively engaged in their respective operations. The Lessee Company had a bark-roofed frame tavern and a trading establishment on the lakeshore. The village was the principal seat of the Indian trade for a wide region of country. Asa Ransom, who afterwards became somewhat noted as the first settler at Buffalo, occupied a small hut and was manufacturing Indian trinkets. Another writer in September, 1790, says of Geneva: "Geneva is a small village of fifteen houses, all log but three, and about twfenty families. It is built partly on the acclivity of a hill 'a.h'd partly on a flat, with deep marshes north of town to which is attrib- uted its unhealthfulness. We received decent accommodations at Patterson's on the margin of the lake, but we were troubled most of the night by gamblers and fleas." For further and more detailed statement of facts relating to the settlement at Geneva and for a review of the history of its development from the straggling village above described to the enterprising city of today, the reader is referred to the comprehen- sive sketch of the city of Geneva by Professor Charles D. Vail, printed in another part of this book. Geneva has been greatly noted for its nursery interests. Its products have been sent all over the United States. These inter- ests have been always closely connected with what is now the town of Seneca, as the trees handled have been largely raised here. The W. P. Rupert nurseries, near Halls Corners, established in 1867 by William P. Rupert and later carried on under the firm name of W. P. Rupert & Sons, were large growers of nursery stock for many years. They are at present managed by Frank E. Rupert. Others who are engaged in the business at the present time are Rice Brothers and B. F. Kean and several smaller growers. Within the bounds of the original town of Seneca many inter- esting events in the early history of Western New York occurred. In it was located the capital village and headquarters of the Seneca tribe of Indians, and within the same limits was the historic burial ground, located west of the Preemption road, a short distance west of the State Experiment Station. The building on this farm is to this day called the Old Castle, as it was named in an early day. On November 15, 1872, the original town of Seneca was 466 HISTORY OF ONTARIO COUNTY. divided by the Board of Supervisors of Ontario county, to provide for the erection of the new town of Geneva. The town so set ofif