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 To flCCOMP^NYr 
 
 CHILD'S DIRECTORY 
 
 t», indicated by arrows, drawn aoross trie 
 isignates the route of trie Western Army 
 of 5,000 men, under Major-General John Sullivan, 
 in the campaign against the Western Indians in 
 1779, as shown by the survey (now on file in New 
 York) of Lieut. Benjamin Lodge, who accom- 
 panied the expedition under direction of General 
 Washing 
 
 ummislmi-rf 
 
 I N 3 
 
Centennial Anniversary 
 
 ♦ ••♦OI*««* 
 
 Seneca County 
 
 ind 
 
 Auxiliary Papers 
 
 published by the 
 
 Seneca Falls Historical Society 
 
 2d Annual, 1904 
 

Officers. 
 
 Harrison Chamberlain , President 
 
 E. William Medden Vice-President 
 
 A. W. Golder _ Secretary and Treasurer 
 
 Harrison Chamberlain, 
 Hermon A. Catmer, 
 Sheldron F. Frazier, 
 
 Trustees. 
 
 E. William Medden, 
 
 Belle Teller, 
 
 H. Grant Person, 
 
 Albert W. Golder, 
 Janet Cowing, 
 Lillias R. Sanford. 
 
 Addison, E W 
 Addison, Mrs E W 
 Beach, Mrs B F 
 Broadway, Rev A W 
 Beck, Cora 
 Cary, Mrs L H 
 Chamberlain, H 
 Clarke, Rev W B 
 Clarke, Jessie 
 Cowing, Janet 
 Carmer, H A 
 Carmer, Mrs H A 
 Cowing, Mrs Adaline 
 Crosby, Mrs May 
 Drake, Linda F 
 Frazier, Rev S F 
 Gay, A S 
 Gay, Mrs A S 
 Golder, A W 
 
 Merxitoers. 
 
 Henion, Anna 
 Haney, Mrs A P 
 Hopkins, Jessie 
 Holmes, Edith 
 Kibbey, Mrs S 
 Iyinehart, Mrs H 
 Lawless, Mrs 
 Maier, Emma 
 Medden, E Wm 
 Medden, Mrs E Wm 
 O'Connell, Anna I» 
 Pollard, Charlotte 
 Pollard, W J 
 Pollard, Mrs W J 
 Person, Rev H G 
 Sanford, L G 
 Sanford, Mrs L R 
 Silsby, Mrs M R 
 Stahl, Ida May 
 
 Schoonmaker, Dr Hubert 
 Schoonmaker, Mrs Hubert 
 Sitnson, Nellie 
 Simson, Frances 
 Taylor, Rev A W 
 Taylor, Mrs A W 
 Teller, Mrs. A M 
 Teller, Claribel 
 Trautman, M Edith 
 Trautman, Mrs P 
 Teller, Fred 
 Vreeland, Addie May 
 Vreeland, Ora 
 Wetmore, Mrs. S Adaline 
 Wetmore, Edith 
 Waldorf, Dr H S 
 Wickes, Jennie 
 Williams, Grace F 
 Wiiliams, Mrs 
 
University of the State of Hew? Vork 
 
 Charter of 
 
 Seneca Tails historical Society 
 
 Whereas a petition for incorporation by the University has been duly 
 received containing satisfactory statements under oath as to the objects, plans, 
 property and provisions for maintenance of the proposed corporation 
 
 Therefore being satisfied that all requirements prescribed by law or 
 University ordinance for such an Asssociation have been fully met and that 
 public interests justify such action, the regents by virtue of the authority 
 conferred on them by law hereby incorporate 
 
 Harrison Chamberlain, E. William Medden, Albert W. Golder, 
 
 Hennon A. Carmer, Belle Teller, Janet Cowing, 
 
 Sheldron F. Frazier, H. Grant Person, Lillias R. Sanford. 
 
 and their successors in office under the corporate name of Seneca Falls His 
 torical Society. 
 
 This Corporation shall be located at Seneca Falls, Seneca County, New 
 York. 
 
 Its first trustees shall be the nine incorporators above named 
 Its object shall be the study of local and general history and the acquire- 
 ment and preservation of papers and other articles of local historical interest 
 and the territory of its principal work shall be Seneca County. 
 
 In witness whereof the Regents grant this charter 
 No 1669 under seal of the University, at the Cap- 
 [seal] itol in Albany, June 27, 1904. 
 
 A. S. DRAPER, 
 Recorded and took effect 3:45 p. m , June 27, 1904 Com. of Education 
 
 B 
 
Index. 
 
 Note — Papers read before the Society upon the occasion of the centennial 
 celebration of the formation of Seneca County will appear by themselves in 
 index No. i . 
 
 Additional papers read before the scciety during the past year wiil appear 
 in index No. 2 
 
 No. 1 
 
 Introductory Remarks by the President of the Society. Harrison Cham- 
 lain 1 
 
 Historical Address — Seneca County. Hon. Dederich Willers 3 
 
 Preservation of Private and Public Papers. Dr William A. Macy ..24 
 
 Judiciary of Seneca County. Hon. John E Richardson _ _ _ 27 
 
 Reformed Churches of Seneca County Rev. E. B. VanArsdale _..i8 
 
 Seneca County in the War of 181 2. Rev. Pulaski E- Smith 59 
 
 No. 2 
 
 Officers and List of Members of Society _ A 
 
 Certificate of Incorporation, Seneca Falls Historical Society B 
 
 Our Predecessors in Seneca County — The Sachem Ojagecht and Cayuga In- 
 dians. Fred Teller _ 35 
 
 The Seneca Falls Fire Department. Maj. Pryce W. Bailey ....46 
 
 Samuel Harris and his Son, John Harris. Fred Teller _ .62 
 
 The First Congregational Church. Edwin Medden._ 65 
 
 The Streets of Seneca Falls. Miss Janet Cowing 66 
 
 The First Baptist Church. Rev. S. M. Newland _ 72 
 
Centennial Anniversary of Seneca 
 
 County. 
 
 The Ceutennial Anniversary of the 
 formation of Seneca County was ob- 
 served by the Seneca Falls Historical 
 Society at a meeting in the Wesley an 
 Methodist church on Monday evening, 
 March 21st, 1904. Harrison Chamber- 
 lain, president of the Society, presided 
 aud made the following address, after 
 which he read Hon. Died rich Willers 
 historical sketch of the formation of 
 the county: 
 
 ADDRESS BY HARRISON CHAMBERLAIN. 
 To build up a commonwealth is a 
 uoble endeavor. To lay the founda- 
 tions deep and strong, so joining com- 
 munities and counties together that 
 the structure will be harmonious aud 
 serve the public good is a task so patri- 
 otic, wise and grand that it confers on 
 all taking a part in it au imperishable 
 glory. 
 
 The formation of Seneca county was 
 in Hue of State-building, of readjust 
 ing conditions the better to meet the 
 needs of an increasing population. Aud 
 how well this adjustment was made is 
 evidenced by the fact that we are as- 
 sembled here to-day to commemorate 
 its centennial anniversary, and draw 
 inspiration from the lives of those who 
 wrought it. 
 
 I want to speak for a few moments 
 of the men of 1804. On this occasion 
 they deserve our meed of praise They 
 were of a sturdy, heroic race, coming 
 here, influenced by not the Spanish 
 greed for gain, not to ravage the coun- 
 try of its wealth and leave it despoiled 
 and barren. Rather tbey came to give 
 of themselves, to build up homes, to 
 
 cultivate the soil and utilize the forests 
 and enrich the laud by their skill and 
 energy. They were builders of settle- 
 ments, able to conceive and execute 
 great enterprises, shrinking from no 
 hardships and fearing no dangers. 
 Simple in habits and wanting maybe 
 the social polish of to-day they pos- 
 sessed elements that imparted to them 
 strong personality. They stood fore- 
 most in their place, impressing those 
 about them with their strong, manly 
 qualities. They were looked up to and 
 their opinions went unquestioned; their 
 advice was sought and confidently fol- 
 lowed. Exact in their ideas of life 
 their conceptions of duty were as pre- 
 cise as their practice of it was rigid 
 and severe. The home had its rules 
 aud though these were strict and un- 
 yielding tbey were cheerfully complied 
 with. In social and business relations 
 there was a like preciseness of upright- 
 ness and integrity expected and de- 
 manded of all. Mingling with and 
 softening these features was a kind 
 and generous disposition It would be 
 difficult to find examples of kind and 
 unselfish deeds to match the uenernus 
 and ready service that the early settler 
 was quick to extend to his neighbor. 
 If one were in distress fur food the fact 
 was known and the hest of the most 
 fortunate >vas poured out If a house 
 or barn were to be rat>ed the neigh 
 bors laid aside their work and came 
 to the raising If the hav or arain 
 were to he cut and garnered and the 
 farmer for any reason was unable to do 
 it those in the vicinitv came generous 
 
2 
 
 ly to his assistance. Everyone felt in 
 close touch with his neighbor, though 
 miles might separate their homes, felt 
 a keen sense of dppeudence and was 
 moved by a common sympathy that 
 drew families together and created a 
 common brotherhood. 
 
 The men of 1804 were of strong con- 
 viction and purpose. Indeed there 
 was no place in the conditions of life 
 for the weakling and vacillating. In 
 the mode of training the young, consti- 
 tutional defects were largely elimi- 
 nated. The tasks imposed created 
 strong bodies and hardened muscle, 
 the responsibility imparted confidence 
 and courage, nourished a strong mental 
 fibre Mid fitted the young to take their 
 station in life. In this regimen there 
 was a Spartan spirit, seeking the best 
 and strongest in character Arid as 
 you read of the men of 1804 in this 
 light you see in the circumstances sur- 
 rounding them the forces of denial and 
 sacrifice that made them strong of 
 mind and will and enabled them to 
 achieve great deeds. 
 
 In the distant view there is a beauty 
 that is apt to disappear upon closer ap- 
 proach. Are we ascribing virtues to 
 the men of 1804 that, they did not pos- 
 sess? Have their deeds by an inverse 
 rule enlarged as we recede from them? 
 We think not. The judgement of his- 
 tory has confirmed their worth. Faults 
 
 they had, but virtues greater and more 
 enduring. In their veins flowed the 
 blood of the Puritan, of the Dutch and 
 Huguenot, a strain of the most aggres- 
 sive in thought and action, imbued 
 with a love for freedom and emphasized 
 by an ancestry that had battled for 
 more than two centuries for conscience 
 and liberty. Here they came from 
 the fields of New England, from Man- 
 hattan island and the Keystone State, 
 drawn not. more by our fertile soils 
 than by the liberal policy of the State 
 that offered settlers the greatest free- 
 dom and material advantages. Here 
 was the first West; here the first field 
 of action and enterprise; here was a 
 hbeity associated with the finest op- 
 portunity of acquiring an ample and 
 independent fortune. Here they lived 
 aud toiled; here they planted free in- 
 stitutions and laid the foundation of a 
 commonwealth that in three genera- 
 tions has made the State of New York 
 rank the first in the Union. 
 
 Men of 1804! We pay you honor! 
 We wreath a garland for you. 
 
 'As we walk to day the halls of story, 
 
 Mid pictures of the olden time, 
 And voices, from an ancient Klory, 
 
 That charm us like a silver chime, 
 
 The old and new join loving hands. 
 The past before the present stands; 
 The aires give each other greeting, 
 
 And years recall their old renown, 
 Their deeds of chivalry repeating, 
 
 That won for them their golden crown." 
 
Seneca County. 
 
 An Historscal Address by Hon. Diedrich Willers of Varicfc, N. Y. 
 
 "Our Father's God, from out whose hand, 
 The centuries fall like grains of sand, 
 We meet to-day, united, free, 
 And loyal to our land and Thee, 
 To thank Tht-e for the era done. 
 And trust Thee for the opening one." 
 
 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentle- 
 men: — We have assembled here (under 
 the auspices of the Seneca Falls His- 
 torical society) to commemorate the 
 one hundredth anniversary of the offi- 
 cial organization of the county of Sene- 
 ca from territory of Cayuga county, 
 to take a retrospective survey of the 
 century past, and to seek therefrom, 
 lessons for guidance in the future. 
 
 The consideration of a subject so 
 vast and far reaching as this historical 
 review, covering au entire century, 
 within the time allotted to me, culls 
 for only a general statement and avoid- 
 ing of detail relating to the several 
 towns. 
 
 The first white men to penetrate the 
 wilderness region, covered by this 
 county, were missionaries, prompted 
 by no sordid motives, but solely with 
 self-sacrificing zeal, to labor for the 
 spiritual welfare of the Indians. Of 
 these, the earliest were Jesuit mission- 
 aries, who in the period 1656 to 1684 
 established mission stations amoug the 
 Cayuga nation of Indians — one called 
 St. Stephen at the Indian village (Tio- 
 hero) situate on the east side of Cay- 
 uga outlet (Seneca river), a short dis- 
 tance from the north end of Cayuga 
 lake, and another oue at St Rene 
 (Onontare), near the present village of 
 Savannah, in the bounds of the old 
 town of Galen, and near the north line 
 of the present county of Seneca. The 
 ministrations of these missionaries ex- 
 tended also to the Indians residing on 
 both sides of Cayuga lake and to the 
 Seneca tribe of Indians further west. 
 
 The devoted Moravian missionaries, 
 Bishop Cammprhoff and Rev. David 
 Zeisberger, visited the Onoudagas and 
 also the Cayugas at the principal towu 
 of the latter, near Union Springs, on 
 he east side of Cayuga lake, which 
 
 they crossed and then passed on foot 
 over the territory of this county iu 
 1750, upon a spiritual mission to the 
 Seneca Indians — returning by the same 
 route after a short absence. Rev. 
 Samuel Kirkland, who served as a mis- 
 sionary to the Seneca Indians at Kana- 
 desega (near Geneva) in 1765-66, pass- 
 ed up Seneca river in a batteaux, across 
 this county. Iu his ministrations to 
 the Seuecas he sometimes also visited 
 the east side of Seneca lake. 
 
 A few traders with the Indians were 
 also early visitors between the Cayuga 
 and Seneca lakes prior to the American 
 revolution. The military expedition 
 of General John Sullivan, in 1779, dur- 
 ing a trying period of the Revolution- 
 ary war, to chastise the hostile Indians 
 of Western New York, proved to be of 
 great importance to this locality. We 
 need not recount in detail the onward 
 march of the expedition, or its several 
 movements from Eastou, Pennsylvania. 
 
 Leaving Elmha (Kanawaholla) after 
 a decisive battle with the Indians, the 
 army reached the east side of Seneca 
 lake, in the present town of Hector, 
 September 3d, aud continued to march 
 northward, destroying the Indian vil- 
 lage of Kendaia September 5th, and 
 rescuing Luke Swetiaud, who had re- 
 sided there a year as au Indian captive. 
 Continuing its march, the command 
 reached and forded the outlet of Seneca 
 lake at its northeast tiorner and arrived 
 at Kanadesega (near Geneva) on the 
 7th of September The expedition then 
 advanced through the Seneca Indian 
 territory to the Genesee river, carrying 
 destruction iu its path, and returned to 
 Geneva by September 19th. The maiu 
 army began its return march south- 
 ward, SeplemLii-r 20th, upon the east 
 side of Seneca lake. On the same day 
 detachments under Col William Butler 
 and Col. Peter Gansevoort marched 
 eastward on the north side of Seneca 
 river, completing the destruction of 
 the Indian village of Skoiyase, upon 
 
the site of the present village of Water- 
 loo (which bad already been visited 
 and partly destroyed on September 8th 
 by a detachment under command of 
 Col John Harper), and encamped 
 there for the nil>ht. Resuming their 
 inarch on the nnxt day, the detach- 
 ments marched across the locality of 
 the present town of Seneca Falls, to the 
 outlet of Cayuga lake, a short distauce 
 north from th^ lake and near thf Indian 
 village of Tiobero (St Stephen) on the 
 east side Fording the outlet, the com 
 maud of Col. Gau-evoort proceeded to 
 Albany aid Col Butler marched up 
 the east sh'>re of Cayuga lake, de- 
 stroying several Indian villages and 
 piui-Heding to Elmira. rejoined the 
 main army near there, on September 
 28th. 
 
 Ou September 21st, Col Henry Dear- 
 born with a detachment of 200 men, 
 after leaving the maiu army, marched 
 across Fayette to Cayuga lake and de 
 strayed three Indian villages on the 
 west shore of Cayuga lake, near Ca- 
 noga, aud proceeded south along the 
 west shore, destroying several addi- 
 tional villages and rejoined the maiu 
 army near Elmira, on September 26th. 
 
 The chastisement of the hostile In- 
 dians was indeed severe, but paved the 
 way to peace and to the relinquish- 
 ment of their lands and their occupa- 
 tion by early settlers. 
 
 General Sullivau and his army were 
 much surprised to find on all sides evi- 
 dences of great fertility of soil and 
 beauty of location, in the lake region of 
 Western New York, in which are found 
 the "Finger lakes" so called. 
 
 In their devastating march through 
 the Indian couutry large quantities of 
 corn, beans, melons, etc., were either 
 consumed or destroyed; also an abund- 
 ance of apples, plums and peaches. 
 
 The soldiers on their return home, 
 gave glowing accounts of the "Lake 
 region," which soon after became 
 known as the "Geuesee country," aud 
 some of the pioneer settlers of this 
 county were soldiers who had marched 
 with the army across this locality in 
 1779. 
 
 Elkanah Watson of Albany, N. Y , 
 who was interested in lauds in this 
 locality, and who made a trip here in 
 September, 1791, in writing of the 
 Lake country, said: "The map of the 
 
 world does not exhibit, in any other 
 country, two lakes equal iD magnitude 
 to the Seneca and Cayuga, which are 
 so singularly and happily situated. 
 What a theme for poets, painters, 
 philosophers and travelers, for the last 
 two thousand years, had they been 
 found in Italy! In general, the coun- 
 try lying betweeu these beautiful 
 lakes, rises gradually in symmetry from 
 tbe opposite shores toward the center, 
 producing a pleasing effect. Whenever 
 it reaches a cultivated state, by the 
 vigornUiS arm of freemen, it will become 
 tbe 'Paradise of America.' " The poet, 
 James G. Percival, has written of the 
 beauties of Seneca lake, and a member 
 of your Historical society, has written a 
 ■'Sonnet to Lake Cayuga." 
 
 Our narrative of events cannot, how- 
 ever, be confined to the exact limits of 
 a century, but it must relate back to 
 the first permanent settlements in this 
 county, fifteen to seventeen years prior 
 to its official organization. 
 
 It is indeed fitting that our meeting 
 to-night should be held in the town 
 in which tbe first location and the first 
 settlement in this county were made in 
 1787. 
 
 When this first location wasmade,our 
 territory was still a part of Montgom- 
 ery county, and then passing through 
 three changes in a decade, the county 
 of Herkimer followed in 1791, Onon- 
 daga in 1794. and then our immediate 
 parent • — Cayuga county — was organ- 
 ized in in 1799, a county which still 
 retained a large area. 
 
 The position of Seneca county, as 
 will be seen upon the State map, is a 
 peculiar oue — the lakes, Seneca and 
 Cayuga, bordering its west and east 
 shores, with the Seneca river running 
 across the county from lake to lake, 
 forms a part of it, into a peninsular 
 shape. 
 
 The county seat of Cayugu county 
 for a number of years after 1799 
 was somewhat fluctuating, but in order 
 to reach either, Cayuga Village, on the 
 east shore of Cayuga lake, or Aurora, 
 on the same side, in which villages 
 the county busiuess was transacted, 
 the waters of Cayuga lake must be 
 crossed, aud although, after 1800, the 
 Cayuga bridge, near tbe north end of 
 the lake, one mile and eight rods in 
 length, connected the present territory 
 
of Seneca county with Caynga village, 
 the village of Aurora, could only be 
 reached by small boats propelled by 
 oarsmen or by small .'ailing vessels, or, 
 indeed, by a cireuuousoverland route. 
 The difficult communication with 
 Cayuga county, with county seat rival- 
 ries and the ambition of "local states- 
 men," were doubtless prominent causes 
 for the organization of the county of 
 Seneca. When the question of the for- 
 mation of a new county was first 
 agitated in 1802 several projects were 
 discussed. One of th^se was for a 
 division of Cayuga county east and 
 wt-st, by s« line commencing at Seneca 
 lake and running east, on the line be- 
 tween Romulus fnd Ovid, crossing 
 Ort\ uga late and the military town- 
 ships of Snip-so and Sumptontus, to the 
 county of Onondaga. The territory 
 north of this line and continuing the 
 entire width of Cayuga county to Lake 
 Ontario, to constitute one county 
 (doubtless to remain as Cayuga coun- 
 ty), and that, part of the territory of 
 Caynga county as then constituted, 
 lying south of the above line to consti- 
 tute another co inty, prob-ibiy the new 
 one. It is said, that had Cayuga coun- 
 ty been divided by an east and west 
 line as above, that the county seat of 
 the north county would have been es- 
 tablished at Cayuga bridge and of th<> 
 south county at Ithaca, in the town of 
 Ulysses. 
 
 A second project was for a north and 
 somh division, substantially tae same 
 as the one adopted by the Legislature in 
 1804 in the formation of Seneca county. 
 Still another project is indicated in a 
 petition presented to the Assembly by 
 William Powell and other.-, of Ontario 
 county, praying that a part of Ontario 
 county and a part of Cayuga couuty be 
 formed into a new county. The As- 
 sembly Journal does not show the pre- 
 cise plan, but it probably contemplated 
 the erection of a new county by a 
 north and south division of Cayuga, 
 and the annexation of Geneva and 
 vicinity thereto. 
 
 The questiou of dividing Cayuga 
 county was brought before the State 
 Legislature of 1803, when petitions in 
 favor thereof were presented to the 
 State Senate, and on March 16th of 
 that year, Senator Lemuel Chipman of 
 Ontario county, brought in a bill to 
 
 give effect to the prayer of the petition- 
 ers. The bill was read twice and com- 
 mitted to the committee of the whole, 
 but no further action was taken there- 
 on by the legislature in that year. In 
 1804.however.iho division question took 
 active form and a number of petitions 
 favoring the several projects, and sev- 
 eral remonstrances, were introduced in 
 both houses of the Legislature. 
 
 Dr. Silas lialsey, a resilient in the 
 bounds of the present town of Lodi, 
 then Ovid, had, while a resident there, 
 been elected to the State Legislature, 
 as a Member of Assembly from Onon- 
 daga county for the years 1797 and 
 1898, and again represented Cayuga 
 county as its first Member of Assembly 
 in 1800 and was continued in 1801, 
 1803 and 1804 from that county. 
 
 During this long term of legislative 
 service, Doctor Halsey had become well 
 versed in legislation and had formed 
 an extensive acquaintance at Albany, 
 so that his efforts in behalf of the new 
 county were of great value to the 
 friends of that project, although Cay- 
 uga in 1803-4 had three Members of 
 Assembly, of whom two resided east of 
 Caynga lake. 
 
 Joseph Anuin. a resident iu the pres- 
 ent territory of Cayuga county, was 
 one of the Senators from the Western 
 district of this State, and the imme- 
 diate representative of Cavnga couuty 
 in the State Senate iu 1803-4. 
 
 It is not positively known whether 
 Assemblyman Halsey aud Senator 
 Annin both favored the same division 
 project. However, on February 3d, 
 1804, when a petition was preseuted iu 
 the Assembly by citizens of the town 
 of Hector, praying that the territory 
 situate between Cayuga and Seneca 
 lakes, etc., be erected into a new coun- 
 ty. It was referred to a special com- 
 mittee of five, of which Dr. Halsey 
 was named chairman. 
 
 On February 27th of the same year, 
 Dr. Halsey introduced "an act to divide 
 the county of Cayuga and for other 
 purposes," which was read twice and 
 referred to the committee of the whole. 
 Ou March 7th the bill was favorably 
 considered, aud on March 9th referred 
 to » select committee of which Dr. 
 Halsey was chairman to report com- 
 plete. He reported back the bill with 
 amendments, which were agreed to, 
 
and on March 10th it passed the As- 
 sembly. The Senate, after considera- 
 tion, passed the Assembly bill without 
 amendment on March 21st, and it re- 
 ceived the approval Governor George 
 Clinton on March 24th, 1804, and be- 
 came a law on that day. The name 
 "Seneca" given to the new eouuty — as 
 well as the name of Seneca lake and 
 Seneca river — isderived from the Sene- 
 ca natioD of Indians, the strongest and 
 most warlike tribe of the Six Nations 
 of Iroquois Indians. 
 
 The exact boundary line between the 
 lands of the Cayuga aud Seneca nations 
 of Indians was not very closely de- 
 fined, and as late as December, 1789, 
 an agreement was entered iuto with 
 this State, whereby the Seneca nation 
 agreed to the old Pre emption line run- 
 ning a little west of Geneva, and north 
 to Lake Ontario, as a boundary line, 
 and conceding to the Cayugas the 
 whole of Great Sodus bay, known as 
 "Bay of the Cayugas." The whole of 
 Seneca lake, however, belonged to the 
 Seneca nation, and it is said that a few 
 fishing villages on its east side, near 
 its north end, belonged to the same 
 nation, together with the Indian vil- 
 lage of Kendaia. All the rest of the 
 present Seneca county, it is believed, 
 belonged to the Cayuga Indians. Our 
 county, therefore, while receiving the 
 name "Seneca," was really a part -of 
 the original domain of the Cayugas, 
 and it was the fourth county to be 
 named from an Iroquois tribe — Onon- 
 daga, Oneida and Cayuga having pre- 
 ceded it. 
 
 The county of Seneca, by the act of 
 incorporation of 1804, embraced a terri- 
 tory described as follows: The south 
 boundary, beginning at the bead of 
 Seneca lake, at the southwest corner of 
 the town of Hector — thence running 
 east on the south line of the towns of 
 Hector and Ulysses, to the southeast 
 corner of the last named town (the 
 whole of the town of Ulysses and Hec- 
 tor being included in Seneca county — 
 and the south boundary of Ulysses ex- 
 tending about 4£ miles sonth of Ithaca) 
 The east boundary, being constituted 
 by the town of Dryden and the center 
 of Cayuga lake, and its outlet, to the 
 west line of the town of Brutus, and 
 thence north in the west line of Brutus 
 and Cato, and farther on north to Lake 
 
 Ontario — the north boundary extend- 
 ing aloug Ontario lake to the county of 
 Ontario, thence south along the Ontario 
 county or new Pre-emption line to 
 Seneca lake. The west boundary, 
 which has been the subject of consid- 
 erable comment aud controversy, had 
 been already defined in the boundaries 
 of Cayuga county, established by the 
 Revised Laws of 1801, (and continued 
 as to Seneca county in the Revised 
 Laws of 1813)— as bounded westerly 
 by the line called the new Pre-emption 
 line, from Lake Ontario to Seneca lake 
 and theuce along the west shore of 
 said lake to the south west corner of the 
 township of Hector. 
 
 After the couuties of Tompkins and 
 Wayne had been erected, in part from 
 Seneca county, the Revised Statutes 
 passed in 1827, describe the county 
 boundaries as they now exist, as fol- 
 lows: All that part of the Slate bounded 
 on the north by the county of Wayne, 
 on the east by the county of Cayuga, on 
 the south by the county of Tompkins 
 (and now in part belonging to Schuyler 
 county) and on the west by the west 
 shore of the Seneca lake, and from the 
 north end of said lake, by the Pre emp- 
 tion line, as established by law. 
 
 The territory of the new county, in 
 1804, comprised lands in the Military 
 tract, Cayuga reservations and the 
 Williamson Compensation Patent, (at 
 the north end), situate in the six towns 
 of Ovid, Romulus. Junius and Fayette, 
 with Hector and Ulysses. 
 
 The county extended in length, north 
 and south, sixty three miles with an 
 average width of eleven miles and an 
 area of 744 square miles, or 476,160 
 acres of land. 
 
 One buudred years ago, when Seneca 
 county was organized, its population 
 was sparse and some of its territory, 
 especially at the extreme north end, 
 was almost an unbroken forest! 
 
 The Indian ownership of the West 
 Cayuga reservation had not been ceded 
 and relinquished until 1795, and a 
 Cayuga Sachem, Fish Carrier, was still 
 interested in a reservation at Canoga. 
 Our pioneer settlers, not infreqnently 
 met Indians, and as late as 1803, one 
 of the early settlers in the bounds of 
 the present town of Tyre, was murder- 
 ed by an Indian, although to the credit 
 of both pioneers and Indians, it may 
 
be said, that they usually maintained 
 frieudly relations. 
 
 The population of the original terri- 
 tory included in Seueoa county hy the 
 U. 8. Census of 1800. was only 4,984, 
 divided as follows: Ovid, including 
 Hector, 2,169; Romulus, 1,029; Fayette, 
 including Junius and the entire north 
 end of county to Lake Ontario, 863, 
 and Ulysses 927. The town of Ovid, 
 included the center of population of 
 this territory. 
 
 It is not our purpose, to enter at 
 length into the history of the set- 
 tlement of the several towns, as to 
 which there is some dispute, as to 
 priority. As already stated, Seneca 
 Falls contained the earliest settle- 
 ment by Job Smith in 1787, followed 
 by Lawrence Van Cleef and others, in 
 1789. Romulus, Ovid, Lodi aud Wat 
 erloo were also settled in 1789, while 
 the other towns of the present county, 
 followed within a few years later. The 
 town of Ulysses, claims settlement in 
 1789, and Hector in 1791, while the 
 towns of Galen and Wolcott, which 
 formed a part of our original county 
 (although not yet organized at the time 
 of its formation), were not settled un- 
 til 1800 and afterward. 
 
 It has been well said, "that the 
 founders of every community, impress 
 their characteristics, which remain 
 fixed for a long period, perhaps per- 
 manently." 
 
 The early settlers of Seneca county 
 represented German and Scotch Irish 
 from Pennsylvania, Holland Dutch and 
 English from New Jersey and Eastern 
 New York, Yankees from the New 
 England States, with a few persons of 
 foreign birth. From such an admix- 
 ture, including many Revolutionary 
 soldiers, a conservative, industrious, 
 frugal, and patriotic population has re- 
 sulted. 
 
 Usually, in the formation of a new 
 county, there is a contest, upon the lo- 
 cation of the county buildings, aud the 
 legislation which provides for their lo- 
 cation, is sometimes very shrewdly 
 drawn, to accomplish a desired pur- 
 pose. 
 
 The act for organization of Seneca 
 county, required the supervisors of the 
 new county, to raise one thousand dol- 
 lars for buildings, and named John 
 Sayre of Romulus, James Van Home of 
 
 Ovid and Grover Smith of Hector, as a 
 commission to superintend the building 
 of a court house and jail, "to be erect- 
 ed in the town of Ovid, and not more 
 than lour miles south of the north line 
 of said town, and not less than three 
 miles from the Seneca aud Cayuga 
 lakes" It was further provided, that 
 the courts for the comity "shall be 
 holden at the meeting bouse on Lot 
 No 30 in the town of Ovid," undoubt- 
 edly the first church edifice erected in 
 the hounds of the present county — 
 about five miles .southeast of Ovid vil- 
 lage — until further legislation; also, 
 that prisoners be confined in jail at 
 Elmira, uutil county jail is completed. 
 
 The commissioners, it will be seen, 
 were really restricted as to the location 
 of the site, between the North bound- 
 ary of the town of Ovid, and a line ex- 
 tending south four miles, reaching to 
 the present town of Lodi. and three 
 miles east of Seneca lake. 
 
 The village of Lancaster, situate 
 upon the site of the present village 
 of Willard, in the town of Romu- 
 lus, desired the location of the couti 
 ty seat, and at a special town meet- 
 ing, held in that town, June 9th, 1804, 
 its citizens protested vigorously against 
 this location and the town of Washing- 
 ton (Fayette), iu special town meeting 
 held July 7th in the same year, took 
 similar adverse action. 
 
 It is understood that the town of 
 Ulysses, in which the promising village 
 of Ithaca was located, was also decid- 
 edly opposed to the proposed location 
 of the county buildings, as were also 
 the inhabitants of Junius. 
 
 The first board of supervisors of the 
 new county, which convened at Ovid, 
 October 2d, 1804, and adjourned to the 
 house of John McMath, about two 
 miles south of the village, refused, at 
 first, by a tie vote, to appropriate 
 moneys for erecting county buildings, 
 the supervisors of Ovid, Hector and 
 Romulus voting in the affirmative, aud 
 the supervisors of Junius, Fayette and 
 Ulysses, voting in the negative. Before 
 adjournment, however, the sum of one 
 thousand dollars was appropriated, 
 leaving the question as to location of 
 site of the couuty buildings, open to 
 further legislation. 
 
 The legislature of 1805, refused to 
 change the location, but made it still 
 
8 
 
 more definite and positive, by requir- 
 ing the building commissioneis to lo- 
 cate the county buildings, on lot No. 
 3. (upon the siie of Ovid village) the 
 site to be located not exceeding fifty 
 rods west of the three mile limit from 
 Seneca lake, imposed in the preceding 
 year. Prom this, it is evident, that 
 some measurement had been made dur- 
 ing the year, showing that the desired 
 site was not quite three miles from 
 Seneca lake. It may be added here, 
 that as early as 1797, when the terri- 
 tory of this county, still formed a part 
 of Onondaga county, the courts of that 
 county were required by the legislature 
 to be held, at Manlius, Aurora and at 
 the house of Andrew Dunlap in Ovid 
 The Ovid term to be held on the 4th 
 Tuesday of September. 
 
 Hon. John Delafield, in his county 
 history says, that this term of court 
 was held at the bam of Andrew Duulap. 
 At the session of the legislature in 1805 
 it was provided that the court appoint 
 ed to be held at the meeting bouse, al- 
 ready relerred to, on the second Tues- 
 day of May 1805, after convening, 
 shall adjourn to the house of John See- 
 ley ou Lot 3 aforesaid. Through the 
 courtesy of County Clerk Savage, it, 
 has been ascertained, that the site for 
 county buildings at Ovid, on Lot 3 
 aforesaid, was deeded to the supervis- 
 ors of the county of Seneca, by John 
 Seeley and wife, by an absolute deed 
 of conveyance, for a "consideration of 
 five dollars, and the advantages and 
 emoluments arising from the building 
 of a court house." The site comprises 
 three acres of land, including the pub- 
 lic park in front of the buildings. The 
 erection of the court house and jail, was 
 begun in 1806, aud completed without 
 delay, and thus the machinery of the 
 new county was fully set in operation, 
 Dr. Silas Halsey having been appoint- 
 ed county clerk. 
 
 As indicating the influence of the 
 towns of Hector and Ulysses in the af- 
 fairs of the new county, it may be men- 
 tioned, that the first sheriff appointed 
 in 1804, was a resident of Hector, and 
 the appointee for first judge of the 
 Court of Common Pleas, was a resi- 
 dent of Ulysses, as were also bis two 
 successors, and up to 1815, this import- 
 ant office was held by a resident of 
 Ulysses. Hon. Cornelius Humfiey, 
 
 the first appointee forjudge, was also 
 elected supervisor of Ulysses in 1805, 
 although 'later R resident of Hector. 
 Five residents of Ulysses also served 
 as Members of Assembly, during the 
 thirteen year period before t he election 
 of Tompkins county, and one Repre- 
 sentative in Congress, Dr. Oliver C. 
 Oomstock, for four years. For a num- 
 ber of years, the public affairs of the 
 county, now seemingly moved along 
 smoothly. The town of Wolcott, ad- 
 joining Lake Ontario, was erected a 
 town, in 1807. allhough not fully or- 
 ganized and represented in our board of 
 supervisors until 1810. In 1812, that 
 town wmS however annexed to Cayuga 
 county, and remained in connection 
 with that count v, until 1817. when it 
 was re-annexed to Seneca county. 
 
 The town of Galen was organized in 
 1812. from territory lying on the north 
 of Junius. The population of the 
 south towns increase!! most rapidly, 
 and ih'- inhabitants of Ulysses becom- 
 ing more and more restive, sought the 
 erection of a new county, with county 
 seat at Ithaca.. 
 
 For several yeais prior to 1817, one 
 of the Members of Assembly from 
 Seneca county, bad been elected from 
 Ulysses, and in the last named year, 
 Hon. Archer Giceu was one of the 
 Representatives from this county. 
 
 The influence of Hon. Simeon De- 
 Witt, a resident of Ithaca, and for fifty 
 years surveyor general of this State at 
 Albany, then in active public life, had 
 been exerted for a new county, with 
 county buildings at Ithaca, to secure 
 which, he and other citizens made lib 
 erai offers. Hon. Elisha Williams, a 
 propel iv holder at. Wileiioo, repre- 
 sented Columbia (••unity it! the Assem- 
 bly for several \ears. including the 
 year 1817. 
 
 The county of Seneca was in 1817 
 represented in the State Senate bv Hon. 
 John Kiios of W,;ii.rloo, who favored 
 ihe new county, and although Hon. 
 Win. Thompson of Ovid, was a Mem- 
 ber of Assembly that ye^r, the combin- 
 ed influence of Waterloo and Ithaca, 
 was too great for him to overcome, and 
 on April 7ih, 1817, the new conuty of 
 Tompkins was erected, which includ- 
 ed the towns of Hector and Ulysses, 
 from Seneca conuty. Not content with 
 the annexation of these towns, the new 
 
town of Covert erected from Ovid on 
 the same day, extending from lake to 
 lake, was also annexed to the new 
 county, leaving Ovid only four miles 
 from the south line of the county. 
 
 It may be here stated, that two years 
 afterwards, by act of April 13th, 1819, 
 the town of Covert was re-annexed to 
 Seneca county, and Ovid was then lo- 
 cated nine miles from the south line of 
 the county. 
 
 The Act erecting Tompkins county, 
 named Hon. John Knox, and Reuben 
 Swift of Waterloo and John Watkins of 
 South Waterloo, as building commis- 
 sioners to erect court house and jail for 
 Seneca county, on a site at Waterloo 
 to be conveyed to the county. The act 
 required the supervisors to raise four 
 thousand dollars in aid of erecting the 
 new buildings, whenever the building 
 commissioners certified that a like 
 amount had been voluntarily contribut- 
 ed. 
 
 The site for the county buildings was 
 as the county clerk states, conveyed by 
 absolute deed of conveyance, on July 
 4th, 1817, to the supervisors of Seneca 
 county by Hon. Elisha Williams of 
 Hudson, N. Y., and Reuben Swift and 
 wife of Waterloo, the consideration 
 named in deed, being "one dollar, and 
 the advantages arising from the build- 
 ing of a court house at Waterloo.'' 
 
 The building commissioners reported 
 to the board of supervisors in October 
 1817, that four thousand dollars had 
 been raised by voluntary contributions 
 and requested alike appropriation from 
 the county. This request was denied, 
 as were several motions to raise lesser 
 amounts, but finally before the board 
 adjourned, the sum of five hundred dol- 
 lars was voted. 
 
 The buildings were erected in 1818, 
 and in compliance with the terms of 
 the act, Waterloo became the sole coun- 
 ty seat. 
 
 The village of Ovid and the south 
 towns of the county, while losing the 
 county seat, were undismayed, perhaps 
 little thinking that in six years, Water- 
 loo, would by the erection of another 
 new county, be placed iu precisely the 
 same position, as that of Ovid in 1817. 
 The legislature was again appealed to 
 for relief, and in 1822, when Hon John 
 Maynard, at that time a resident of 
 Ovid, represented Seneca county as 
 
 Member of Assembly, with Hon. James 
 Dickson of Galen, by Act chapter 137 
 laws of that year, the county was di- 
 vided into two jury districts, bv the 
 south line of Payette, a division in ef- 
 fect creating north and south jury dis- 
 tricts, which still exists, and requiring 
 the courts to be held alternately in the 
 same, and also providing for the use of 
 jails at Waterloo and Ovid. The pas- 
 sage of this act, created substantially 
 the half shire system of court bouses, 
 which the creation of a new couuty, 
 the following year, cemented more 
 strongly. The Act of 1822, also pro- 
 vided, "that it shall not be lawful for 
 the supervisors to sell the court house 
 in Ovid, or the land on which the 
 same stands." 
 
 When the construction of the Erie 
 canal was authorized in 1817, it crossed 
 the town of Galen, in the territory of 
 which, several important villages were 
 located. A movement for a new coun- 
 ty culminated in 1823, when Hon. An- 
 nanias Wells of Galen was one of the 
 Members of Assembly from Seneca 
 county and Hon. Byram Green of 
 Sodus, then in Ontario county, was a 
 member of the State Senate. Bv Act 
 Chapter 138, Laws of 1823, passed 
 April eleventh, in that year, the coun- 
 ty of Wayne was erected, and the 
 towns of Galen and Wolcott were an- 
 nexed thereto, the large area of these 
 two towns now forming six towns of 
 that county. Ovid and Wayne county, 
 evidently joined forces, this time 
 against Waterloo. The two towns an- 
 nexed, embraced all of the territory of 
 Seneca county north of Junius and left 
 Waterloo village, only eight miles from 
 the north boundary of the county. 
 
 Although efforts were made in 1844 
 and 1854 in the board of supervisors to 
 secure a single set of centrally located 
 county buildings at Bearytown, the 
 project was lost in 1854, by one vote 
 less than the necessary two-thirds vote 
 (the vote resultiug six ayes and four 
 noes) and the half shire system with 
 two jury districts established in 1822, 
 and perpetuated in 1823, still remains 
 in full force and effect. The rotation 
 system, iu nominations for county offi- 
 cers, between the towns of the two jury 
 districts long practised by the two lead- 
 ing political parties, has of late years 
 not been closely observed. The num- 
 
10 
 
 ber of towDS had now become reduced 
 to five, Ovid, Romulus, Fayette, Junius 
 and Covert, to which Lodi was added 
 in 1826, Seneca Falls, Waterloo and 
 Tyre in 1829, and Varick in 1830, mak- 
 ing the number ten, as now existing. 
 No change in the towns has been made 
 since, and nochauge in town territory, 
 except, two slight changes in Ovid 
 boundaries in the year 1837 and 1843. 
 There are now four incorporated vil- 
 lages in the county, Waterloo, Seneca 
 Falls, Ovid and Farmer, the latter dat- 
 ing from 1904. 
 
 The area of the county as now re- 
 duced, extended thirty-two miles north 
 and south in length, and an average 
 width of about ten miles and contains 
 199,500 acres of land, the two court 
 houses being situate fifteen miles apart 
 in a direct line. In order to complete 
 the statement relating to county build- 
 ings it may be added here that the 
 Board of Supervisors has from time to 
 time, since 1823, maintained and im- 
 proved the county buildings at Water- 
 loo and Ovid. 
 
 A proposition to rebuild the court 
 house at Ovid failed ia 1841 and 1843, 
 but was adopted by the board in 1844, 
 the contract was let therefor and the 
 building completed upon the lot where 
 the first court house had been located. 
 The county clerk's offi.ie at Ovid was 
 authorized to be built in 1859 and com- 
 pleted by 1861. 
 
 The erection of a county clerk's of- 
 fice at Waterloo was authorized iu 
 1858 59, and completed in 1861, the 
 land therefor having been conveyed to 
 the County in the latter year. The 
 building and lot were ordered sold by 
 the Supervisors in December, 1900, 
 and the erection of a new county clerk's 
 office, to include also surrogate's office 
 was provided for, adjoining the court 
 house, and which was completed for 
 occupancy early in the year 1902. The 
 present jail at Waterloo was authorized 
 to be built in 1866 and completed the 
 next year. 
 
 It may be of interest to note the 
 several attempts since 1817, to change 
 the court house site, and boundaries of 
 Seneca County, as well as annexation 
 schemes. After the erection of Tomp- 
 
 kins County and during the controversy 
 between Waterloo and Ovid over the 
 county buildings, already in 1818, no 
 tice of application to the legislature of 
 1819 was published, asking for the an- 
 nexation to Seneca Oouaty of the town 
 of Seneca (including Geneva) and the 
 town of Phelps, Ontario County, with 
 ba!f shire court houses at Waterloo and 
 Gen-.va. Tais applicition failed. In 
 1829, several years after the erection 
 of Wayne county, an application was 
 made to the legislature for a new 
 county to comprise the five north towns 
 of Seneca County and the towns of 
 Phelps and Seneca in Ontario County 
 with half shire court house at Water- 
 loo and Geneva. This application also 
 failed. 
 
 The question of division or annexa- 
 tion was discussed from time to time, 
 but in 1869, when Judge Charles J. 
 Folger, of Geneva, held a seat in the 
 state senate, it again took such formid- 
 aple shape that a special meeting of the 
 Board of Supervisors of this County 
 was held on February I8ta of that 
 year, at which your honored townsman, 
 Hon. Gilbert Wilcoxen presided, and 
 strong resolutions were adopted, re- 
 citing : 
 
 '■Whereas, An effort is being made 
 to annex the towns of Seneca and 
 Phelps in the County of Seneca, to the 
 County of Seneca, making Geneva 
 the county seat of the pioposed 
 county, therefore 
 
 Resolved, That in the opinion of this 
 board such a measure is inexpedient, 
 unwise and uncalled for by any public 
 necessity of the County of Seneca, and 
 is, we believe, entirely opposed to the 
 wishes of a very large majority of the 
 people of this county. On calling the 
 ayes and nayes the preamble and reso. 
 lution was adopted by nine ayes, one 
 nay, (the Supervisor of Lodi.) It was 
 further 
 
 Resolved, That we do earnestly pro- 
 test against any change in the bound- 
 aries of Seneca County, as at present or- 
 ganized." This resolution was adopted 
 by eight affirmative votes, two votes 
 being cast in the negative (the Super- 
 visors of Lodi and Junius.) This 
 
11 
 
 scheme again failed and let us hope 
 that tbe sentiment of fidelity to this 
 county expressed in this resolution 
 may long continue to prevail therein. 
 
 The latest project for change em- 
 braced the annexation of the city of 
 Geneva to Seneca County or the an- 
 nexation of Border City in the town of 
 Waterloo, to Geneva. The Board of 
 Supervisors of this County at its an- 
 nual session in 1902, on December 19th, 
 adopted tbe following resolution : 
 
 "Resolved, Lhat a committee of three 
 be appointed by the chairman to act in 
 thematter regarding the annexation of 
 Geneva to Seneca County or the an- 
 nexation of Border City to Geneva " 
 A committee was appointed to look 
 after and oppose this change. This 
 . scheme, like its predecessors, was un- 
 successful. The Supervisors in 1903, 
 however, again appointed a committee 
 to guard the interests of this County. 
 
 The population of the original terri- 
 tory of Seneca County in 1800, his 
 been already stated. In 1810, it had 
 increased to 16,609, in 1814 to 21,401. 
 Even after the annexation oi two large 
 towns to Tompkins couniy, it reached 
 23,619, in 1820, and in 1825 after the 
 erection of Wayne Conny, and the 
 loss of two more towns, leaving the 
 county area, as at present, it wns 20,- 
 169. The greatest population attained 
 by the county at any time, was 28,138 
 in 1860, since which lime the papu- 
 lation of six towns has deceased, and 
 notwithstanding the incresse in popu- 
 lation of Seneca Falls and Waterloo — 
 and the increase since the opening of 
 Willard Stite Hospital in 1869, in 
 Ovid and Romulus — the population by 
 tbe een-us of 1300, was 28,114 
 
 Based upon population, from 1804 
 to 1815 inclusive, the county elected 
 one Member of Assembly ; in 18l6 and 
 1817, three members; from 1818 to 
 1836 inclusive, two members; and since 
 the latter date, one member. 
 
 The tendency of pipulation to large 
 villages and cities, and the falling off 
 in population of agricultural towns — 
 on account of consolidation of farms, 
 etc., causes which aftect many other 
 counties of the state, sufficiently ac 
 counts for the falling off in our popu. 
 
 lation, without assigning other causes. 
 Our county has reached and passed 
 a number of important periods or 
 epochs, in its process of development, 
 from the time of the earliest settle- 
 ments made within its borders. A 
 few of these will be mentioned: 
 
 1. The opening of the Bennett- 
 Harris ferry across Cayuga Lake, and 
 the first State Road crossing thereat, 
 1790-1791 followed by the Great Gen- 
 esee road 1796-97, both leading from 
 the eastern part of the state to Geneva, 
 and farther west, and the incorpor- 
 ation of the Seneca Turnpike Road 
 Company, 1800 1801. 
 
 2. The opening of the famous Cay- 
 uga Bridge across Cayuga Lake in 
 1800, and the impetus given to travel 
 and the carrying of United States mails 
 by the organization of lines of stages. 
 
 3. The incorporation of the Ithaca 
 and Geneva Turnpike Company in 
 1&10, and ite partial completion for 
 travel and transportation of the United 
 States mails. 
 
 4 The improvement of the navi- 
 gation of the Seneca river and other 
 early improvements, by the Seneca 
 Look Navigation company, 1813 1819. 
 
 5. The opening for traffic of the 
 Erie Canal from Albany to Montezuma 
 and its completion in 1825, followed 
 by the Cayuga and Seneca canal com- 
 pleted in 1828 and the new method of 
 travel by canal packet boats. 
 
 6. The opening of steamboat travel 
 and traffic on Cayuga lake (1820) and 
 on Seneca lake (1828). 
 
 7. The opening for travel and busi- 
 ness of the Auburn and Rochester rail- 
 road across this county in 1841, mak- 
 ing a continuous line of railroad to 
 Albany. 
 
 8 The establishment of telegraph 
 and telephone lines and of express 
 offices. 
 
 9. The completion of a line of the 
 Geneva Ithaea & Sayre railroad, (now 
 Lehigh Valley) across this county in 
 1873, and of a second line in 1892, 
 with a branch to Seneca Falls in 1898. 
 
 10. The development of manu- 
 factories in the villages of Seneca 
 Falls, Waterloo, Farmer Village and 
 other villages of the county. 
 
12 
 
 11. Improved methods of farming 
 and introduction of improved machin- 
 ery connected therewith. 
 
 12. The opening of an electric line 
 of railway across the county to Cayuga 
 Lake Park with promise of farther ex- 
 tension. 
 
 Time will not permit an extended 
 notice of public schools and teachers, 
 or of educational progress in this 
 county. 
 
 When the first general act for the 
 encouragement of public schools was 
 passed in 1795, there were very few 
 schools within our boundaries, and 
 these were privately supported. Under 
 the act, a number of schools were 
 established but it was not until after 
 the passage of an act by the state leg- 
 islature in 1812 for the organization 
 and establishment of common schools, 
 that school districts were systemati- 
 cally organized and established. 
 
 The state, at an early date, made 
 small appropriations for public schools 
 and these were aided in the towns of 
 the military tract, by income from the 
 gospel and school lot. 
 
 An application to the state school 
 depsrtment for information as to 
 schools in this county as early as 1804, 
 elicited the response that the depart- 
 ment has no record of beneca County 
 school districts prior to 1838. 
 
 Spafford's Gazetteer of the state of 
 New York, published in 1813, men- 
 tions thirty three school houses in the 
 towns of Ovid, Romulus and Fayette, 
 by the ceuius of 1810, but gives no 
 data as to the other towns, and it is 
 safe to give the number at that time, 
 as fifty. This was the era of log 
 school houses, followed by the "little 
 red school house," and within the past 
 sixty years, by commodious and well 
 adapted structures. Jn 1838, there 
 were in the bounds of the present 
 county, 116 school districts, which 
 number has become reduced by the 
 consolidation of districts, and the for- 
 mation of several Union High schools, 
 to ninety-two school districts in 1903. 
 Academies were established and in- 
 corporated at Ovid in 1830, at Seneca 
 Falls in 1837 and at Waterloo in 1842. 
 All of these academic institutions are 
 
 now continued as Union High schools, 
 and in addition, a high school has been 
 established at the village of Farmer. 
 
 The Seneca Falls Union High school 
 is still known as Mynderse Academy, 
 in honor of its early patron, Col. 
 
 Wilhelmus Mynderse. 
 
 In 1853, the State Agricultural Col- 
 lege was incorporated and located up- 
 on the farm of Hon John Delafield in 
 Fayette, who was chosen its president. 
 After his death, it was removed to Ovid, 
 a college building was erected, and 
 opened in 1860, under the presidency 
 of Gen. Marsena R. Patrick, who re- 
 tired therefrom to enter service in the 
 Civil War. 
 
 This college was subsequently re- 
 moved to Havana, Schuyler county, 
 and afterwards to Ithaca, where hav- 
 ing received the college land grant 
 from the United States, it is now lo- 
 catfcd as a Department of Cornell Uni- 
 versity The only consolation for 
 the divei/sion of this institution from 
 Seneca county is, that it is now lo- 
 cated iu the original territory of Sen- 
 eca County, and that the president 
 of its Agricultural department, who 
 long served in that capacity, was born 
 in the present county. 
 
 The history of the State Agricultu al 
 College and Willard State Hospital, tits 
 successor, will be separately writoen 
 and presented to your society, by »ne 
 thoroughly conversant therewith. 
 
 The learned professions have been 
 represented in this county by many 
 prominent men. 
 
 At the time of the organization of 
 the county, as far as can be ascertained 
 there were only five organized religious 
 congregations in the bounds of the 
 present county, all at the south end, 
 and two or three in Ulysses and 
 Hector, With a single exception (the 
 church on lot thirty, Ovid in which 
 the first courts were held) it is be- 
 lieved that these congregations then 
 worshipped in private houses, barns 
 or school houses, and -primitive log 
 churches followed later, in some cases. 
 Some of these congregations were 
 without regular pastors, and the first 
 clergymen of the county, were those 
 who officiated therein. Of these con- 
 
13 
 
 gregations one in the town of Romulus, 
 celebrated its centennial in 1895, one 
 in Lodi in 1900, one in Varick, (at 
 Romulus village) in 1902, and one 
 each in Ovid and Covert, in 1903. 
 During the next few years, one con- 
 gregation in each of the towns of Fay- 
 ette, Seneca Falls, Junius and Tyre, 
 wilt attain one hundred years of age. 
 
 Many of the clergymen of this 
 county, have enjoyed long pastorates, 
 one at Bearytown for an active period 
 of sixty years, one at Waterloo for 
 thirty seven years, one at Romulus 
 village f r twenty seven years, one at 
 Ovid for twenty- six years, one at 
 Seneca Falls for twenty-one y*ars, be- 
 sides six or seven others, for periods 
 of from fifteen to twenty years. 
 
 At the present time, the pastor of the 
 Baptist church at Magee's Corners, in 
 the town of Tyre (who is present with 
 us to-night) is serving his fortieth 
 year in active ministry in the town in 
 which he was born of patriotic Revo- 
 lutionary ancestry. 
 
 There are at present forty-nine 
 church edifices open for religious ser- 
 vices in the county, besides several 
 chapels (several rural churches having 
 been closed) with forty pastors. These 
 churches and chapels had by the last 
 published census, a seating capacity for 
 20,850 persons. It is by no means a 
 matter of which to be proud, but the 
 truth of history compels the statement, 
 that the Mormon church (called also 
 the church of Latter Diy Saints) was 
 first organized in the town of Fayette, 
 by Joseph Smith and five others, on 
 April 6, 1830. 
 
 At the time of the organization of 
 Seneca County, March 24, 1804, so far 
 as has been ascertained, there was not 
 a lawyer residing in the bounds of 
 the present County, if indeed there 
 were any such in the whole County as 
 then existing. Many of the practising 
 lawyers, from time to time, have taken 
 a prominent and distinguished position 
 at the Bar or on the Bench. The last 
 ocurt calendar issued bv the County 
 Clerk, contains a roll of forty resident 
 attorneys at law. The -'Judiciary of 
 Seneca County" is to be specially 
 written up by one who will do full 
 
 justice to the subject. 
 
 The medical profession has from the 
 beginning been well represented. In 
 the early history of the County, Dr. 
 Silas Halsey served as member of as- 
 sembly, the first county clerk, repre- 
 sentative in Congress and in many 
 other public capacities. 
 
 Dr. Jared Sandford served as the 
 first surrogate and treasurer of the 
 County; Dr. Oliver C Comstock as 
 judge, member of assembly and repre- 
 sentative in Congress. Many other 
 physicians have held orominent public 
 positions and have eDJoyed a high 
 standing in their profession. 
 
 Dr. Alexander Coventry, who lo- 
 cteda with his family in Fayette in 
 1792, and afterwards removed to 
 Oneida County, was twice elected 
 president of the State Medical Society, 
 and Dr. Henry D. Didama, a former 
 resident of Romuius village, 1846 to 
 1851, now residing at Syracuse and 
 serving a-s Dean of the Medical depart- 
 ment of Syracuse University, at an ad- 
 vanced age, was honored with an elec- 
 tion to the same position 
 
 Since the opening of Willard State 
 Hospital for the insane, in 1869, the 
 Medical Society of the County has 
 been re inforced by a number of promi- 
 nent physicians, whose labors in be- 
 half of the unfortunates in their charge 
 have been productive of much good. 
 The history of this institution, one of 
 the largest of its class in this state, 
 shows an honorable and worthy record 
 thoughout. It has at the present time, 
 two thousand two hundred and twenty- 
 five (2,225) patients. 
 
 The Editorial profession, the fourth 
 estate, has been well sustained since 
 the first newspaper was established at 
 Ovid in 1815 At the present time six 
 newspapers are published in the 
 County, two at Seneca Falls, two at 
 Waterloo and one each at Ovid and 
 the village of Farmer. The news- 
 papers of Seneca County have taken 
 a deservedly high position in this s f ate. 
 One of the present editors has edited 
 his newspaper in Seneca Falls for forty - 
 hve years, and several others for more 
 than an average period of editorial ser- 
 vice. Several of the editors have been 
 
14 
 
 chosen to the highest positions in 
 State Editorial Associations, of which 
 they are honored members. 
 
 It has been said by a prominent; 
 statesman that "The cultivation of the{ 
 soil is the fouudation of all public: 
 prosperity." Farming has for many; 
 years been a leading pursuit in the; 
 County which bas taken a high rank 
 among the agricultural counties of mis 
 state. 
 
 The temperature of this county is 
 favorably influenced by the waters of 
 the adjacent lakes, which also exert a 
 a genial influence upon the soil and its 
 cultivation. 
 
 The aboriginal owners of the soil, 
 recognized its fertility, even by the 
 most primitive meLbods of cultivation. 
 
 Upon four occasions, the state prem- 
 iums for the best farm in the state, 
 has been awarded to farmers in this 
 county, and on two occasions, the Presi- 
 dency of the State Agricultural So- 
 ciety, has been given to farmers of 
 Fayette. The distinguished honor con- 
 ferred upon the county, when the first 
 State Agricultural College was located 
 therein, has been already mentioned. 
 
 Sixty years ago, wheat was the prin- 
 cipal product, ft is said that at one 
 time in the decade between the years 
 1840 and 1850, the sevon or eight 
 flouring mills of Seneca Falls, in 
 amount and valne of manufactured 
 products, ranked next in order to the 
 11 mring mills of Oswego and Rochester. 
 
 It is to be regretted that farming has 
 of late years been unremunerative, 
 and that grape culture and fruit rais- 
 ing as adjuncts to farming have had 
 much to contend with from severe 
 winters, unfavorable seasons and in- 
 sect enemies, so that farming lands 
 have greatly depreciated in value. 
 
 The Patrons of Husbandry (or the 
 Farmers Grange) have done much in 
 the past thirty years, to elevate the 
 standard of farming and to improve 
 the condition of farmers and their 
 families, as have also Farmers' Insti- 
 tutes held under the supervision of the 
 Stale Commissioner of Agriculture. 
 
 In the early history of the county, 
 its manufactured products and indus- 
 tries, were of the most primitive kinds. 
 
 These included the manufacture of 
 potash, charcoal and maple sugar. 
 
 When the three flouring mills at 
 South Waterloo, Lodi and Seneca 
 Falls were completed, their respective 
 proprietors, Samuel Bear, Dr. Silas 
 Haisey and Col. WilheJmus Mynderse, 
 were deemed the most public spirited, 
 as well as popular men, in their several 
 localities. 
 
 By far the most extensive system of 
 manufacture, however, was that con- 
 ducted in each well regulated family, 
 in which linen and woolen fabrics, 
 known as "home spun" were mnde 
 for family use, by aid of spinning 
 wheels and looms. The state census 
 of 1810, reports the whole number of 
 looms in families of this county, in 
 that year as 601 producing fifty thous- 
 and yards of woolen c'oth, and 158,- 
 000 yards of linen cloth. This manu- 
 facture also gave employment to seven 
 fulling mills and ten carding machines. 
 The census makes mention also of 
 fifteen tanneries in the county in that 
 year. 
 
 In later years manufactures, espec- 
 ially those located upon the abundant 
 water power of the Seneca river, have 
 greatly prospered and have taken a 
 high position. In order to do them 
 justice and note their advancement 
 from step to step, would require more 
 time, than that allotted to me. 
 
 The traveller in othet states and iu 
 foreign lands frequently sees the steam 
 fire engine, and the various kind* of 
 pumps and machinery, with other arti- 
 cles of manufacture from Seneca 
 Fails, while the fabrics produced by 
 the Woolen Mills of Seneca Falls and 
 Waterloo, have a world wide reput- 
 ation, and the musical instruments and 
 vehicles manufactured at Waterloo, 
 also thp manufactures of Farmer, and 
 other villages of the county, are well 
 and favorably known, wherever intro- 
 duced. 
 
 There is room for greater develop- 
 ment and expansion in manufacture in 
 our midst, to innre to the advantage 
 not only of the manufacturer, but in- 
 deed to every one, for when the manu- 
 facturer and the farmer are prosperous 
 every other pursuit and occupation 
 
15 
 
 is benefitted thereby. 
 
 The discovery and manufacture of 
 salt, at and near the head of both 
 Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, in adjoining 
 counties recalls the fact, that before 
 the settlement of this locality by white 
 men, salt was found by the Indians, 
 in this county on the west sbie of Cay- 
 uga Lake, near its foot, and in the 
 town of Galen. It is believed that salt, 
 will in licne aleso be found along the 
 shores of Seneca and < 'ayuga Likes, in 
 the towns of Lodi, Ovid and Covert, 
 and thus add to the value of our manu- 
 factures. 
 
 The County records show that as 
 early as February 12. 1805, a public 
 library was organized in Ovid, known 
 as Ovid Union library, and in the same 
 year Seneca Library number one, lo. 
 caled at Lancaster, in the town of 
 Romulus, was organized. B >th of 
 these libraries have long since ceased 
 to exist 
 
 The Waterloo Library and Historical 
 Society was organized in 1875-76, and 
 its library building completed in 1883. 
 On September, 3, 1879, the centennial 
 of General John Sullivan's Indian Ex- 
 pedition was successfully celebrated at 
 Waterloo under its auspices, as was 
 also the dedication of a monument to 
 Red Jacket near Canoga, October 15. 
 1891. It has at present 7,441 volumes 
 in its Library. 
 
 The Swneca Falls library was incor. 
 porated in 1892, and has already 4,198 
 volumes, although it has no permanent 
 library building as yet. 
 
 The Seneca Falls Historical Society, 
 separately organized about nine years 
 ago, and incorporated 1904, has from 
 the beginning devoted much attention 
 to historical inquiry and research. It 
 includesin its membership not only 
 persons engaged in the learned pro- 
 fessions but also business men in the 
 several pursuits of life, and some of 
 its most zealous and enthusiastic 
 workers are ladies. In 1903. this so 
 ciety gave much attention to the com- 
 memoration of the centennial of the 
 town of Junius. The present com- 
 memoration of the centennial of the 
 official organization uf Seneca County 
 has engaged the attention of the society 
 
 for some time, and the collection and 
 preservation of material connected 
 therewith, will continue eveD after this 
 meeting. 
 
 The Whittier library of Lodi, or 
 gnnized in August, 1898, has six hun- 
 dred volumes in its library, and at the 
 last town election the people of the 
 town voted to extend financial aid in 
 its behalf. 
 
 The Ovid library was organized 
 December 21, 1899. and has already 
 seven hundred volumes in its library. 
 
 A public library was also organized 
 at Farmer, November 8, 1901. as the 
 Farmer Free Lihr.iry, and opened to 
 the public July 22, 1905. which has 
 six hundred aud ten volumes on its 
 shelves. 
 
 In the year 1838, the legislature of 
 this state inaugurated a system of 
 school district libraries. Many of the 
 school districts accumulated several 
 hundred volumes, and although some 
 mistakes were msde in selecting the 
 same, many useful books were thus 
 circulated in every neighborhood. In 
 time the State reduced its appropria- 
 tions for these libraries and school dis- 
 tricts, diverted the same for other pur- 
 poses, aud books were lost also by lo- 
 cating libraries in school houses in some 
 cases. The decline of the school dis- 
 trict library is to be deep'y regretted, 
 and a re-establishment of the same, 
 under suitable safeguards, would re- 
 sult in great advantage to every 
 neighborhood. 
 
 In the treatment of our subject, we 
 must occasionally present the dark as 
 well as the bright side. 
 
 This County has its share of pauper- 
 ism and crime and it cannot be denied 
 that with increase of population there 
 has been considerable increase in both, 
 as well as in the expense of adminis- 
 tration. 
 
 In the early years appropriations for 
 the support of the poor were fre- 
 quently voted at town meetings. The 
 County poor house was opened for 
 reception of poor persons in the year 
 1830, a farm having been purchased 
 therefor by the county in that year, on 
 the line of Fayette and Seneca Falls. 
 The present poor house building, lo- 
 
16 
 
 cated in Fayette was erected in 1853, itried at a court of Oyer and Terminer, 
 and with internal changes, additions jbeld June 27. 1804, at the academy in 
 and improvements is still in use. The 'the village of Aurora, by 
 
 number of permanent, paupers therein 
 has nut greatly increased since the 
 removal of the insane therefrom, but 
 the number of temporary inmates has 
 increased considerably in recent years, 
 from the class known as pauper 
 tramps. The co?t of the poor adminis- 
 tration in the several towns has been 
 greatly increased, however, of late, by 
 a somewhat liberal bestowment of tem- 
 porary aid or out door relief. 
 
 The passage ofl aws by the state 
 legislature, forbidding the keeping of 
 children over two years of age in the 
 poor bouse, and the removal of all in- 
 sane paupers therefrom to State hospi- 
 tals for the insane, were measures 
 which have commended themselves to 
 all hnmanely disposed persons. 
 
 Already in the year 1803, the first 
 murder was committed within the 
 territory of the p'eeent County, then a 
 part of Cayuga County, when Indian 
 John, otherwise known as Delaware 
 John, murdered Ezekiel Crane, a 
 pioneer settler in the bounds of the 
 present town of Tyre In an historical 
 paper on the "Early Records of Cay- 
 uga County," read before the Cayuga 
 County Historical Society, by George 
 W.Benham, Efq , county clerk, a for- 
 mer resident of Seneca Falls, he makes 
 mention of the indictment and trial of 
 thetmurderer. The indictment found 
 by he Grand Jury of Cayuga County 
 is in the following words: "That J"hn, 
 a Delaware Indian, not having the fear 
 oi God before his eyes, but being 
 moved and seduced by the instigation 
 of the devil, on the 12th day of Decern- 
 ber, 1803, with a certain rifle gun, of 
 the value of fifteen dollars, then and 
 there loaded and charged with gun 
 powder and one leaden bullet, did in- 
 flict a mortal wound of the depth of 
 six inches, upon the person of Ezekiel 
 Orane, of which wound said Ezekiel 
 Crane died on the seventeenth day of 
 December, 1803." 
 
 Notwithstanding the organization of 
 Seneca County, in March, 1804, the 
 County of Cayuga retained jurisdiction 
 in this case, and Delaw are John was 
 
 and before 
 Honorable Ambrose Spencer, one of the 
 judges of the Supreme Court Judi- 
 cature, presiding, and upon hi3 own 
 confession of guilt, the murderer was 
 adjudged guilty and sentenced to be 
 bung, which sentence was carried into 
 effect. 
 
 The County History of 1876. mentions 
 the murder of a man in this couuty, 
 committed by one Andrews, for which 
 he was tried, convicted, sentenced and 
 executed at Ovid, iD the period, 1810 to 
 1812. Diligent inquiry to ascertain 
 more definite data in relation to this 
 case, failed to elicit additional informa- 
 tion. 
 
 In later years, George Chapman, on 
 July 20, 1828, murdered Daniel Wright 
 in the town of Waterloo, rie was tried 
 aud convicted at a term of court held at 
 Waterloo, was sen'enced and publicly 
 bung there, May 28, 1829. 
 
 The last execution for murder in 
 this County was that of Charles John- 
 son, who, upon trial and conviction of 
 the murder of John Walters, at the 
 village of Waterloo, wassenteuced and 
 hung at the jail in that village, No- 
 vember 15tb, 1888. 
 
 There being two jails in this couniy 
 the same are never crowded with 
 prisoners. There has been no marked 
 increase in the higher grades of crime, 
 although with increase in population 
 the number of convictions for minor 
 offenses, punishable by sentence to jail, 
 has increased, principally from vagrant 
 tramps, as also the number of peni- 
 tentiary cases. 
 
 In the palmy days of the local 
 militia, this county had several militia 
 regiments, and a number of inde- 
 pendent military companies. The 
 military forces of the county, bore a 
 prominent part in the War of 1812, 
 and were also represented in the Mex- 
 ican War. In the Civil War (1861- 
 1865(, the several towns were repre- 
 sented in the volunteer service and 
 several residents of the County, arose 
 to high rank in the military service. 
 The County was also represented by 
 a few volunteers, in the late war with 
 
17 
 
 Spain. 
 
 There are now no military organiz- 
 ations in this County, and the days of 
 "General Training" formerly so im- 
 nortant an event, in early years, occur 
 Tpo more. 
 
 It is a matter for regret, that the 
 "Town Meeting" occuring as an annual 
 event in each town, every spring and 
 which enabled our fathers to meet 
 together and consider and perfect many 
 measures thereat, for the local well- 
 being, has in the past three years been 
 consolidated with the general election 
 and is now held biennially in the fall. 
 Already, it is manifest, that town busi- 
 ness has been greatly lost sight of, by 
 this change, which has not been a 
 beneficial one, and let us hope, for a 
 return of the good old-fashioned Town 
 Meeting, which was so greatly enjoyed 
 in former years. 
 
 The History of Seneca County, 
 edited by Hon. John Delafield, and 
 published in 1850, and the County 
 History published at Philadelphia in 
 1876, are indeed interesting and valu- 
 able publications, but the data thereof, 
 should now be extended and brought 
 down to the present time. 
 
 The history of the towns of Romulus 
 and Varick, of the south towns, and 
 of the town of Fayette, and the old 
 town of Junius, (now comprising the 
 four north towns) have also been 
 partly written. Historical sketches of 
 the villages of Waterloo and Seneca 
 Falls have also been recently pub- 
 lished. To complete the stories of the 
 towns, that of the original military 
 township of Ovid, now comprising the 
 town of that name, with Covert and 
 Lodi, remain to be written, and it 
 rests with citizens of those towns, to 
 undertake this good work. 
 
 Had time and space permitted, many 
 other subjects might have been referred 
 to, or considered at length, among 
 which may be mentioned, the Pre- 
 emption line ; the Military Tract and 
 Indian Reservations; the visit and 
 reception of General La Fayette in 
 this County, June 8, 1825; Negro 
 Slavery in thts County; early Town 
 
 Meetings and elections; the Public Men 
 of the County ; The Woman's Rights 
 Movement; roads, bridges and ferries; 
 early births, marriages and deaths ; 
 early villages, cemeteries, taverns, 
 stores and shops; early teachers and 
 schools ; and many other subjects, 
 which must be left for the consideration 
 of our Historical societies, and local 
 historians in the several towns. 
 
 So too, no time is left for suitable 
 mention and consideration of the vast 
 progress made, in the century which 
 the history of our County covers, the 
 advancements made by the tflorts and 
 labors of the sturdy pioneer settlers, 
 the great improvements produced by 
 the power of steam and electricity ; the 
 developments made in manufactures, 
 arts and sciences, and in short every 
 department of life and business activity. 
 
 "A Century with all its hopes and fears, 
 
 Has sank into the deep abyss cf time ; 
 
 And on the threshold of the new, we 
 
 stand, 
 
 Like travellers to a strange and 
 
 distant clime." 
 
 During the century past, three aver- 
 age generations of men have passed 
 away. 
 
 The transformation from 1804 to 
 1904, has been wrought with great 
 labor and toil. .Let us not forget the 
 work of our fathers, now that we en- 
 joy the comforts of life brought about 
 by their exertions, with the advantages 
 aitained by education, religion, society, 
 refinement and progress. 
 
 While we must not be unmindful of 
 the past, let us enter upon the second 
 century of our County, with the trust 
 and confidence in the Divine Being, 
 that He will direct the events of the 
 future, as mercifully as He has done 
 in the past. 
 
 1 thank you for your kind attention, 
 and will not forget my acknowledge- 
 ments to several state and county 
 officials and citizens, who assisted me, 
 in collecting material presented for 
 your consideration and in closing extend 
 my very best wishes for the future of 
 your Historical Society. 
 
The Early Reformed Church. 
 
 By Revr. E. 
 
 B. \7ari Arsdale. 
 
 At the very outset, I must acknowl- 
 edge my indebtedness for all the facts 
 this paper contains to others who have 
 gone so thoroughly and cirefully over 
 the giouud 1 am to cover as to wake 
 original research on my part absolutely 
 unnecessary. Within the last decade, 
 four churches in Seneca County have 
 celebrated tbeir centennials with public 
 exercises, and ably qualified historians 
 have gleaned from dusty records and 
 local traditions, brought to light, and 
 told in interesting form, the story of 
 the early struggles and endeavors of 
 the religious life of our county. I am 
 only to repeat here, in as concise a 
 manner as possible, what has already 
 been told in other places. 
 
 I am restricted by the subject as- 
 signed me to the Early Reformed 
 Church. I must confess that, when 
 asked to present it, 1 was at a loss to 
 understand why this particular denom- 
 ination should have been selected for 
 special attention upon this honorable 
 occasion. It forms so small a part of- 
 the religious forces of the county. The 
 three butch Reformed Churches sit- 
 uated at Lodi, Farmer and Tyre, and 
 the German Reformed Chnrch at 
 Bearytown are all the Reformed 
 churches in our bounds. However, 
 historically considered, they are of in- 
 terest and importance to us at this 
 time. 
 
 Before I enter upon my special 
 theme, 1 may be allowed some general 
 notice of the early religious life of our 
 county, since mine is the only paper 
 that bears upon that subject. With the 
 possible exception of traders with the 
 Indians, the first white men to enter 
 this immediate section before the Amer- 
 ican Revolution were Bishop John 
 Frederic Christopher Cainmerhoff and 
 Rev. David Zeisberger, missionaries of 
 the Moravian Church to the Indians. 
 They made a tour from Wyoming, 
 
 Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1750, 
 crossing from the eastern shore of 
 Cayuga Lake, just above the present 
 village of Union Springs, traversing 
 the intervening forests to the outlet of 
 Seneca Lnk", and thence to the Gen- 
 esee River, returning as they had come 
 Possibly, before tbeir visit, Jt>suit 
 missionaries had ministered to the In- 
 dians between these lakes, as they did 
 to the East, but no record of such ser- 
 vice has been fojnd. In 1765-66, Rev. 
 Samuel Kirklaud located for a time as 
 a missionary to the Seneca Indians, a 
 little distance west of the present city 
 of Geneva, and in the course of his 
 work, visited the eastern shores of 
 Seneca Lake, where, on one occasion, 
 he nearly lost his life at the hands of a 
 hostile redskin. But these were all 
 labors among the Aborigines, and, of 
 course, have no bearing upon the de- 
 velopment of the county. 
 
 Actual settlement by whites did not 
 begin until the close of the Revolution. 
 I suppose I ought to spare you the in- 
 troduction of a name so familiar to you 
 all. Job fcmiih, I suspect has been 
 afflicted with a great deal of posthum- 
 ous importance at the bands of your 
 Historical Society, merely because he 
 was venturesome enough to be the 
 hrst settler in the county, here, at Sen- 
 eca Falls, in 1787. He did not stay 
 long. But his early departure in 1793 
 has not saved him from fame. The 
 first permanent settlers who entered the 
 county from the south by way of Sulli- 
 van's trail, were mostly adherents of 
 the Reformed Churches of Pennsylvania 
 and New Jersey. Many of them were 
 veterans of that army whose march 
 through the regions bad revealed the 
 rich fertility of its soil and the charm- 
 ing beauty of its landscape. They 
 came with their families and belong- 
 ings in great four-horse, canvas-topped 
 wagons, cutting their way through 
 
19 
 
 dense forests, and building brush roads 
 over the swamps. Later, there was an 
 immigration into the north end of the 
 county, largely from New England, 
 by the water ways of the Mohawk, Os- 
 wego and Seneca River, and the lakes. 
 At the beginning of the Ia6t decade of 
 the eighteenth C.'enLury, there were 
 probably not more than adtzKii families 
 between these lakes, scattered frt'in the 
 southwest corner of the present town 
 of Lodi to Seneca Falls. For the most 
 part, they were men who combined 
 with their stnrdine3s and industry and 
 independence, a firm fai'h in God and 
 His Providence. They brought their 
 religion with them into this virgin 
 wilderness, and kept tbe light of faith 
 burning upon the altars of their rude 
 log cabins. 
 
 Between 1790 and 1800, the settlers 
 came in much more rapidly, and mis- 
 sionaries from other regions were sent 
 out to look after their spiritual inter- 
 ests, and to lay the foundations for 
 church expansion. Gradually, the 
 growing population wast gathered into 
 groups of worshippers, and chorehes 
 began to be organized here and there, 
 so that by the time o* the formation of 
 the present County of Seneca, in 1804, 
 there were within its bounds fiVe or- 
 ganized churches. Three of these 
 were of the Presbyterian order, and 
 two of theui Baptist societies. 
 
 The first church organized in the 
 county was the First Baptist of Roma 
 lus at Kendaia, constituted in June, 
 1795, with seven members. It. was 
 natural th'it this denomination should 
 feel drawn at an early date, to this 
 well watered country. Tbe Covert 
 Baptist church was formed in Febru- 
 ary, 1803, with twenty-eight mem- 
 bers. The names of Jedecliah Chap- 
 man and John Lindsley are prominent 
 among the pioneer ministers of Wes- 
 tern New York, the former loea'ed at 
 Geneva and formed the Presbyterian 
 church of that place in 1800. The latter 
 organized a Presbyterian church within 
 the bounds of the present town of Lodi, 
 in the same vear, which was the second 
 church society in the county. He be- 
 came its pastor and consequently was 
 the first ordained clergyman to settle 
 
 in a regular charge in our county. 
 Presbyterian churches were also es- 
 tablished by Chapman at Romulus in 
 April, 1802, and in the present village 
 of Ovid, July, 1803. (He also founded 
 tbe Presbyterian church of Seneca 
 Falls in 1807.) These five were the 
 church organizations already effected 
 in the county at the time of its formal 
 establishment — a constellation of re- 
 ligious centers for the fostering and 
 promoting of the finest sentiments of 
 our civilization in the early dawn of 
 our history Itineraries of the Metho- 
 dist Episcopal church also traversed 
 this territory in those early days, 
 preaching at Seneca Falls as early as 
 1797 at probably the first religious ser- 
 vice held in that town. The Seneca 
 Circuit grew out of this work, formed 
 in 1804, and extending from the Clyde 
 River to the Chemung with Seneca 
 Falls as one of the appointments for 
 regular visiting by the ministers. 
 There seems, moreover, to have been 
 a union organization effected by Chap- 
 man in the vicinity of Lodi village in 
 1803, composed partly of those dis- 
 affected from the Lindsley church. 
 
 This last organization is of interest 
 to us because it erected the first house 
 of worship in the county. It was con- 
 structed of hewn logs and stood upon 
 a plot of ground given by Judge Silas 
 Halsey, across the road from the grist 
 mill he had built (also the first in the 
 county) southwest from Lodi village, 
 then known as DeMott'a corners. This 
 house was built just one hundred years 
 ago so it was probably the only church 
 bnilding in the county at the time of 
 its forma'ion. The church founded by 
 Rev. Lindsley likely erected a build- 
 ing soon after this, it may be in the 
 same year. The early services of our 
 fathers were held in homes, barns and 
 school houses, and sometimes in those 
 great temples of nature, the vast 
 aisled forests The appointments of 
 worship were necessarily very crude. 
 One has described the meeting in a 
 barn , the congregation sitting upon 
 upturned piil>i, hoards and chunks of 
 wood, sonie standing, the preacher 
 upon a sleigh for a platform with an 
 inverted box for a desk. And even in 
 
20 
 
 the churches there was little comfort, 
 scarcely more than a shelter from the 
 elements, the only heat from foot 
 stoves, rough, high backed seals for 
 the worshipper's comfort. Even the 
 women attended church barefooted. 
 But amid all the hardships and dis 
 comforts people attended upon the 
 means of grace with zest and relish, 
 walking long miles, perhaps driven 
 partly, by a desire for neighborly in- 
 terchange of news, but surely, too, by 
 a high appreciation of the things of 
 God — solace and stay for that rough 
 life they lived. Sometimes these early 
 places of worship were, to use the 
 Irishman's phrase, "Filled to the brim 
 inside and out" — and hundreds, unable 
 to get room within, gathered around 
 the church and listened to the preacher's 
 voice coming through the open doors 
 and windows. 
 
 We must now turn for a few 
 moments to the special subject of our 
 paper — The Early Reformed Church. 
 A few words of explanaiion in regard 
 to the Reformed Church will not be 
 amiss. It is the term applied to that 
 division of Protestantism that had its 
 rise in Switzerland in 1516, under the 
 leadership of Zwiugli. It was con- 
 temporary with but distinct from the 
 Lutheran movement. It soon gained a 
 foothold in the German centers of 
 Switzerland and in the Palatinate, in 
 Holland and in France. The Reformed 
 church in America is the descendant of 
 the Reformation in Holland. The Re- 
 formed Church in the United Slates, to 
 which the church at Bearytown belongs, 
 is descended from the German church. 
 The Reformed type of Christian doc- 
 trine is Calvini8tic. as taught by the 
 Heidelberg catechism, in close agree- 
 ment with the Westminister confession 
 of the Presbyterian church to which it 
 is closely allied, also in form of 
 government — the form which is most 
 in accord with onr Republican institu- 
 tions. Indeed, later scholars contend 
 that Holland more than any other 
 country has furnished the principles 
 upon which our natural institutions are 
 founded. 
 
 The Protestant faith was held in 
 Holland at the greatest sacrifice. They 
 
 Jong defied Philip II. and his minious 
 backed as they were, by the whole 
 military and ecclesiastical resources of 
 Spain, then the greatest (tower in the 
 world. So calamitous was its condi- 
 tion during the eighty }euis war that 
 the Reformed Church called itself 
 "The Church under the Cross. 
 Finally, its indomitable pluck and 
 persistence wore out the spirit of its 
 foe. It then became the asylum of all 
 tbe persecuted of other lin.dn. The 
 Pilgrims from England sought refuge 
 there before braving the dangers of the 
 sea and the perils of the inhospitable 
 shores of New England. The Hugue- 
 nots, driven from France, found 
 safety and liberty in Holland and 
 identified themselves with the Dutch 
 Reformed church. 
 
 Our great commonwealth of New 
 York is closely related to this brave 
 people, a8 they were its first colonists, 
 lu 160J, Heudrick Hudson, in the em- 
 ploy of the Dutch West India Com- 
 pany, entered New York bay and 
 sailed ujj the North River. In 1614 a 
 trading oost was established on Man- 
 hattan Island and our great metropolis 
 was born. In 1623 a permanent agri- 
 cultural settlement was made and in 
 1628 a church was organized which 
 has had a continuous existence to this 
 day and is with reason supposed to be 
 the oldest Protestant church on this 
 continent. Other churches of Hol- 
 landers and Huguenots were established 
 along the Hudson and Mohawk and in 
 New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The 
 German branch of the Reformed church 
 entered later and was built up princip- 
 ally in Pennsylvania. Now this coun- 
 try was settled largely by the children 
 of this German, Huguenot and Dutch 
 ancestry, coming from New Jersey and 
 Pennsylvania. They are staunch ad- 
 herents of the faith of their fathers. 
 We have referred to the church founded 
 by Rev. John Lindsley iu 1800. It 
 was organized as the First Presby- 
 terian Church of Ovid, and was the 
 first society In the town of Ovid, then 
 comprising also the towns of Lodi and 
 Covert. A large element in its mem- 
 bership were of Reformed lineage. 
 And it was not strange that, in 1809, 
 
21 
 
 alter four years of occasional missionary 
 ministrations during the vacancy of the 
 pulpit, its affiliation whs Iran-d^rred to 
 the classes of Montgomery of the Re- 
 formed Church and the Rev. Abraham 
 BroUaw because its settled pt stor. 
 Under his guidance it prospered greatly 
 and its membership grew to over two 
 hundred. 
 
 Everything went well until 1822, 
 when the church was rent by lhat 
 secession movement from the Re- 
 formed Church lust resulted in the 
 forming of the True ltei'ormed Church. 
 The pastor, a ra-ijority of the officers 
 and but a minority of the congregation 
 joined the secession. Litigation over 
 the property followed until the value 
 of it was eatec up by legal cue's. But 
 the title was awarded to that, larger 
 part of the congregation that held to 
 the old ecclesiastical name anil rela- 
 tions. 
 
 Being in need of a church home, it 
 was decic'.ed to built in the village of 
 Lodi, upon the site where the present 
 edifice stantls. It was at this time 
 that the congregation of the oil log 
 chureb, of which we have spoken, 
 aided in the erection of a new housp of 
 worship and shared its privileges. It 
 was afterwards merged into the Locli 
 Reformed Church 
 
 Ii was about this time, also, that the 
 pastor of the Lodi church began lo till 
 a regular appointment at Firmerville. 
 The old church had been situated on 
 the road, one mile north of the high- 
 way between Lodi and Farmer, and 
 about halfway between the two lo- 
 calities, so lhat the inhabitants of the 
 vicinity naturally drawn to lhat church 
 could readily attend. After the re- 
 moval to Lodi, it became necessary for 
 the preacher to bring his message lo 
 them in their own village. This event- 
 ually resulted in the organization of 
 another Reformed Church in Farmer, 
 in November 1830, which, with the 
 Baptist Church of the same village, 
 organized ten years earlier from the 
 mother church at Covert has been the 
 center of christian influence and power 
 for good in that community. 
 
 The church that was organized as 
 the True Dutch Church by those who 
 
 seceederl from the old mother church 
 in 1822 erected a house) of worship 
 about, one-half mile east of the old 
 edifice. Doniine Broftaw continued his 
 ministry there until 1838, when he was 
 succeeded by Rev. Archibald McNiel 
 until 186y. he was the last, pastor, 
 and the church he had served so long 
 and faithfully became known locally 
 as the McNiei Church. The society 
 finally diehauded, and the building was 
 taken down about 1876. Nothing 
 now remains lo mark the site of either 
 of these two oid churches except the 
 little grave yard in the vicinity which 
 is now s-eldom nsed. 
 
 It may be well to insert a few isems 
 of historical interested closely con 
 neeteri with the life of this early Re- 
 formed Church of the old town of Ovid, 
 in the present town of Lodi. The fir.~t 
 settler in what is now the town of 
 Lodi was George Fansett, who located 
 directly upon .Sullivan's trail. He be- 
 came a member of this church, and 
 bis daughter was the first child born in 
 the town, probably in the county. 
 Silas Halsey, another early arrival in 
 this section, and stauueh friend and 
 supporter of this church, built the 
 first, grist mill in the county, gave the 
 plot of ground for the first ehurch/ 
 edifice and for a cemeterv, and served) 
 as the first county clerk. The fir^t' 
 public religious services known t<> have 
 been held in lhi;> county were held in 
 1794 at the lmi«e of Abraham Covert, 
 in the town of Ovid. He was a Jersey- 
 man and a faithful son of the Reformed 
 Church. 
 
 There is an interesting incident re- 
 lated in connection with the marriage 
 of his son. ''It was the first marriage 
 which took place in the town. It oc- 
 curred in 1793, wa» a triple marriage. 
 The parties were Abraham A. Covert 
 and Catherine Covert, Joseph Wilson 
 and Anna WyekofT, Enoch Covert and 
 Jane Stewart They were obliged to 
 cross Seneca Lake to find a justice au- 
 thorized to perform the ceremony " 
 
 A little later than their Dutch cousins 
 from New Jersey settled in Ovid, 
 Germans from Pennsylvania, with a 
 few from the fatherland, began mak- 
 ing homes for themselves in the town 
 
22 
 
 of Fayette. They brought with them 
 the same love for the Reformed faith 
 of their fathers and their same respect 
 for education, auil early built the 
 church aud school. The first clergy- 
 man to settle in the town of kixyuite 
 was ihe Rev. Anthony Honty of the 
 German Reformed Church, who took 
 up his residence there just one hundred 
 years ago, 1804. Before his coining, 
 this community, with others in the 
 county, had eujuyed occasional preach- 
 ing services in school buildings, barns 
 aud private houses. For several years 
 after bis coming tie served the people 
 in the capacity of pastor, preachiug in 
 the German language, in ttie Burgh 
 school house and at the residence of 
 Heury Singer at Bearyiown. Finally, 
 on December 26, 1809, the tirot at- 
 tempt at formal church organization 
 was made at a meeting of German Re- 
 formed and Lutheran residents at the 
 Burgh school house. This i3 the origin 
 of the oldest existing church organiza- 
 tion in the town of Fayette. Steps 
 were soou taken to provide for a suit- 
 able house of worship to be used by 
 both denominations, and probably early 
 in 1813 the building was dedicated. 
 It was a log structure 22 by 28 I eel, 
 built upon the site of the present atone 
 edifice of the Christ Reformed Con- 
 gregation at Barytown. Rev. 
 Hontv had a preaching station also at 
 West Fayette, from which Jerusalem 
 Church was formed in the summer of 
 1811. (It appears also from denomi- 
 national records that the town of Fay. 
 ette was visited for a period of years, 
 1817 to 1825, by missionaries sent out 
 by the Dutch Reformed Church, but no 
 permanent church organization resulted 
 from their labors ) No sketch of this 
 Reformed Church in Fayette would be 
 complete without allusion to one of its 
 pastorates, remarkable as the longest 
 in the anuals of the county and seldom 
 surpassed iu the recoid of any church. 
 I refer to the ministry of Rev. Diedrich 
 YVillers, D. D., who for a period of 
 nearly sixty-one years, from 1821 to 
 1882, served this church. His work 
 was largely that of a pioneer pastor. 
 Beside his duties to his own people he 
 served also at different times at six 
 
 other places in the county and at seven 
 or eight other points in Tompkins, Cay- 
 uga, Wayne, Livingston and Niagara 
 counties, performing a large portion 
 of the travel, incident to so extended a 
 fluid of labor, on horseback, in the 
 early years of his ministry. The power 
 of the church in any community is 
 largely commeusuraie with the personal 
 foice of its representatives, that is, its 
 members, a'.iove all its ministry. The 
 influence of one such sturdy, inde- 
 fatigable, devout leader in a com- 
 munity for so long a period is simply 
 iuestimable and far surpasses, in the 
 depth of th^ impression it makes, the 
 strongest influence of shorter pas- 
 torates however brilliant or impressive. 
 The impress of that one character, 
 noble aud faithful, identified so closely 
 with all that the church stands for, so 
 conspicuously before the eyes of men, 
 puts a stamp upon the life within its 
 radius that endures for generations. 
 And the church that furnishes such a 
 center of religious life is an estimable 
 factor in the development of a lowu's 
 life and gives it strong claims upon the 
 respect and gratitude of the people. 
 
 The only other Reformed Church 
 in the county besides these three I have 
 mentioned, is that at Tyre, which was 
 organized io 1835, as the result of a 
 union with a Presbyterian Church 
 formed iu the vicinity a few years be- 
 fore. The date of its formation is too 
 Isle to include it among the early 
 churches to which my paper is limited. 
 
 This resume of the churches of this 
 order reveals the fact that, although 
 they have not become nummerous 
 within our territory, they have been 
 influential in thf life of the county 
 from the beginning of its history, inti- 
 maiely associated as they were with 
 the first things of its life, but also of 
 our state and county. 
 
 Iu the time allotted for this paper, 
 it has been impossible to do more than 
 touch upon the beginning of the church 
 life of our county, although one is 
 strongly tempted to go more into de- 
 tail, and digress into paths that would 
 lead us aming the daily surroundings 
 of our fathers, and to show them in 
 their hardships and their triumphs 
 
23 
 
 which their sturdy religious faith sin- 
 ewed them to bear. It is only by a 
 few flushes of light upon the screen 
 that I have attempted to help you enter 
 by imagination into their euly strug- 
 gles. Ihese men and women of inde- 
 fatigable labor, undaunted courage, 
 and undoubting faith, laid the found- 
 ation* of our present luxurious and 
 comfortable living, of our hopeful out- 
 look on the future, and of our trusting 
 uplook and upreach for things of the 
 spirit that make for righteousness, hive 
 and peaee. As the spirit of the Eug 
 li9h Puritan, and the Scotch Oonven 
 enter, and the French Hngenot. and 
 the sturdy Dutchman, and his phleg- 
 matic Geiman brother lived iu the 
 early settlers of this county, prompt- 
 
 ing them to bring their faith and zeal 
 to this virgin wilderness of forest and 
 morass as their fathers had brought 
 them to these untried shores, so miy 
 it abide in us, the source of that in- 
 telligent and virtuous manhood which 
 must ever be the bed rock of perman- 
 ency for our American institutions. 
 Hand in hand with the school that pro- 
 motes the intel'igtnce which a free 
 people always need for self-govern- 
 ment, and with the court which m/iin- 
 tains and administers laws of equity 
 and justice, must go the church which 
 fosters that regard for virtue and right, 
 and that faith that purifies and ennobles 
 the life which uses the unexcelled 
 priveleges our civilization puts into our 
 hands. 
 
Preservation of Private and Public 
 
 Records. 
 
 By Dr. William Austin Macy. 
 
 We must assume that the pu'sier- 
 vation of private and public records is 
 of importance to the individual and lo 
 the suite. If we do not, then wh-"-t 
 have we for the h'Morinn to bare his 
 Recount of the times iu which we live, 
 and too, without a history, is not a 
 pecple without the incentive to right 
 living and thinking in many ways. If 
 we live without recording what wilt 
 point out the differences between U3 
 and those who have gone before or 
 those who come after, are we not then 
 living to a great extent as the trees 
 live, and who shall tell the tale when 
 time rolls around. 
 
 From the earliest times we have yet 
 to look for a people who did not in 
 some way seek to preserve their own 
 histories, not only tribal but the;; per- 
 sonal histories of the families which 
 made up the aggregation of people. 
 For only do we find by tradition and 
 written history that private and public 
 histories of men and their times have 
 been banded down, but all along the 
 way, as far back as we can go, we find 
 examples of the greatest and best of 
 people encouraging us to keep our his- 
 tories, and in modern times the great- 
 est of our citizens have encouraged 
 those arouud them to emulate the past 
 and do better in this respect. 
 
 In a country where the elementary 
 population has changed to the extent 
 that ours has, and where even greater 
 changes are likely to take place in the 
 future, it would seem that if we would 
 have the posterity of a few generations 
 know anything at all about their for- 
 bears more attention than has often 
 exerted would have to used, or they 
 would be a nameless race among those 
 who would have a history. 
 
 Possibly the beet use for the preser- 
 
 vation of family history or genealogy, 
 is to serve to .stimulate those who come 
 after to right living and to vie with 
 those, who have gone before in living 
 so that clean records and lives of much 
 usefulness to their fellowmen, may be 
 the records that will be written. Let 
 a man have ever so much of this 
 world's goods and yet how much of it 
 on be really ustd for his actual neees- 
 sisics? If our American people are al- 
 ways too interested in the making of 
 money only, what of the responsibilities 
 of the use of what is left behind by 
 those who have acquired? 
 
 What have we to say of the rational 
 incentive to get ahead in the world in 
 the. average individual? No matter 
 how ambitions the individual may be, 
 together with whatever he does or 
 succeeds to, runs the responsibility of 
 the individual in the many other di- 
 rections of life. If he shakes them off 
 he is only one-sided and be lives the 
 most seifioh and sordid life. He lives 
 only to himself, losing in this the very 
 best that would otherwise come to him. 
 That we make comparisons then, a 
 history is necessary, and it is of use to 
 preserve for the future a record of kin- 
 ship and ancestry, that it may be help- 
 ful in these ways and many more which 
 I will not take the time to point out 
 now. 
 
 When we stop to ascertain what has 
 been done in preserving private and 
 public records we are at once struck 
 with the fact that to-day there is ten 
 times and more the interest in these 
 matters than there was only a few 
 years ago. That this is due in large 
 part to the formation of our various 
 patriotic and colonial societies is prob- 
 ably true, but this has been helpful in 
 two ways. It has stimulated actual 
 
25 
 
 patriotism and helped to make our 
 men and women better citizens because 
 they have had a greater pride in their 
 country. It has also caused them to 
 study in more detail what has helped 
 to make the greatness of this our coun- 
 try and to glory more than they ever 
 thought of doing in the good deeds of 
 their ancestors. All this his immed- 
 iately required that if they knew who 
 their forbears were, that their records 
 should be preserved and those of us 
 who have taken interest in these matters 
 from a love of history, etc., have 
 watched with much pleasure this 
 growth of interest in these directions. 
 
 The tendency formerly was to give 
 too little care to any records or docu- 
 ments when they were once through 
 with for the time being, and we find in 
 making our inquiries into these matters 
 that any kind of a place is usually pro- 
 vided for all kinds of public and pri- 
 vate records until the public conscience 
 is awakened and they learn how easily 
 these things disappear and are lost to 
 the future. Often have we found and 
 are to find that even in the case of 
 county and other very important records 
 including court records, thxt at such a 
 time all were burnt up, find the col- 
 lection of years consumed in smoke. 
 I remember reading a letter from a 
 correspondent in the Island of Jamaica, 
 that at a certain time when their 
 Island was under martial law. the 
 Governor ordered many loads of the 
 rarest papers relating to the Island's 
 history to be turned into the Rio Cobre, 
 one of their principal rivers, with the 
 words, "Away with the accursed past." 
 Yet the memory of the past is one of 
 those things which encourages us most 
 to trust to the conaolations of religion 
 and live so that the review at the end 
 of life will be to our credit rather than 
 the reverse. 
 
 Little by little we are gathering up 
 and caring for our historic relics. All 
 over the country historical societies are 
 doing good work and we are only doing 
 in this country that which is being done 
 tae world over. In Massachusetts, an 
 enabling act has been had which assists 
 them in gradually getting the vital 
 statistics of all their towns placed in 
 
 print and preserved, and these are be- 
 ing issued to such subscribers, includ- 
 ing public libraries, etc. at the nominal 
 sum of a cent a page, including bind- 
 ing. A move is being made to get the 
 other New England States to do the 
 same thing and it is to be hoped that 
 all of our own early records will one 
 day be placed in print, so that those 
 studying the early colonial history, 
 will have less d fficulty in getting actual 
 facts on which to build. 
 
 In the matter of collecting family 
 history the society to do the most and 
 best work is the New York Genealog- 
 ical and Biographical Society, of New 
 York State. This society has its head- 
 quarters at New York City, where it 
 has its own fire-proof building and fire- 
 proof vaults, and it has supplemented 
 the work done by the New York His- 
 torical Society and the other historical 
 societies of the state by collecting as 
 much of strictly family history as has 
 been possible. I have had the honor 
 for a few years past to represent this 
 Society in Seneua County as a member 
 of their Research Committee, and it 
 was one of the purposes of my attend- 
 ance at your anniversary meeting to 
 say to your members how much our so- 
 ciety is interested in all historical work, 
 particularly in the preservation of 
 family histories, and how glad they 
 would be through myself to receive 
 such historical notfs of any of the 
 families of this district as might be 
 prepared and submitted for preser- 
 vation. I have had some very inter- 
 esting notes given me of this kind and 
 I am promised more and I would at 
 all times be glad to act in bringing 
 any work of this kind before our So- 
 ciety and in seeing that it is preserved 
 for the future use of the many others 
 who would thus acquire a larger op- 
 portunity for consulting what they 
 would naturally look to such a repos- 
 itory of such information and expect 
 to find more easily, as it accumulates, 
 than in the hands of private individuals 
 where it is more likely to be lost or 
 destroyed. I would then ask that 
 those who would desire to save family 
 genealogies as may have been compiled, 
 family bible records which in time dis- 
 
20 
 
 appear, and other historical information 
 which is worthy of being perpetuated, 
 should send me neatly made copies for 
 the purpose of their being deposited 
 with the central society and will assist 
 in any way possible such as aie desir- 
 ous of starting information, if they will 
 be good enough in writing to enclose 
 return postage that, the burden may 
 not be too much one way. 
 
 In listening to the many interesting 
 particulars of the Hon. Mr. Willers' 
 most interesting paper, and in consider 
 ing the work you are attempting to do 
 in Seneca County, I am struck with the 
 fact that there does not seem to be any 
 very general move to collect from all 
 sources systematically, but only from 
 your one town. Considering that you 
 have a sister society in Waterloo, I 
 think it i9 a pity that a move cannot 
 be made to form a general county so- 
 ciety, whose membership should ex- 
 tend to all who might be interested in 
 your work, including the descendants 
 of former residents of Seneca County. 
 Such societies do a much larger work, 
 and by chsrging a nominal fee which 
 all would feel they could afford, it is 
 possible to collect from so large a 
 cumber if any proper interest is de- 
 veloped, that a good publication fund 
 can be established and something 
 really well gotten up can be presented 
 each year to the members, and dis- 
 bursed at an increase in price to such 
 others as may show interest and want 
 
 copies of the Collections of the Society. 
 A number of such societies are under 
 way and doing excellent work and 
 many more will undoubtedly be formed 
 as time progresses. 
 
 Why not test the public interest in a 
 suggestion of this kind and see whether 
 chapters of a few active workers can 
 not be established in each town, who 
 can work with the officers of the cen- 
 tral society in collecting systematically 
 what would be placed in print at the 
 end of each yeat? I am of the opinion 
 that a movement of this kind would 
 awaken considerable interest and I 
 know personally of one or more col- 
 lections already, of matters of much 
 interest, which would probably be con- 
 tributions towards establishing a col- 
 lection in which Seneca County would 
 feel a special pride, Personally I 
 would prefer to see any collection of 
 relics of historic value given t n the 
 largest public library which might 
 become established in the county, pro- 
 vided always that this was a fire proof 
 building with other facilities for stor- 
 ing Mss given to it, etc. 
 
 I hftve suggessed that this matter be 
 opened to discussion in the papers of 
 the county, and if sufficient interest to 
 justify us is manifested, that some of 
 us get together and see what can be 
 done in really establishing a movement 
 that shall react to the credit and re- 
 nown of Seneca County. 
 
Judiciary of the Connty of Seneca. 
 
 BY HON. JOHN E. RICHARDSON. 
 
 On the 20th day of April 1777, the 
 representatives of tbe State of New 
 York assembled at Kingston and 
 adopted the first Constitution of the 
 State of New York. Under that Con- 
 stitution the County Judge or the first 
 Judge of the County of Seneca were 
 appointed officers. The 23rd sub-divi 
 sion of said Constitution provides 
 that all officers, other than those who 
 by this coustitution ore directed to be 
 otherwise appointed, shall be ap- 
 pointed in the manner following, to- 
 wit: The Assembly shall once in each 
 year, openly nominate and appoint 
 one of the Senators from each great 
 disirict, which Senator will form a 
 council for the appointment of the 
 said officers, and whicu the Governor 
 for the time being shall be president 
 and have a casting: vote, but no other 
 vote ; and with the advice and con- 
 sent of said Council shall appoint all 
 the said officers. 
 
 That the first Judge of the Co tnty 
 Court in every County shall hold 
 office during good behavior or until 
 they shall have attained the age of 
 sixty years. This provision continued 
 in force until 1822 when said consti 
 itution was amended enpoweiing the 
 Governor with the consent of tbe Sen- 
 ate to make such judicial appointments 
 end such appointive power continued 
 until said constitution was amended by 
 Chapter 276 of the laws of 1847, 
 which provides for tbe election on the 
 8th day of June following of a County 
 Judge who shad enter upon the duties 
 of his office July 1st following his elec- 
 tion and hold office for the term of four 
 years from the 1st day of January 
 next; and, after the expiration of the 
 term of office of those first elected the 
 term of office of said officer shall be 
 four years. 
 
 By virtue of the power conferred 
 upon said Council of Appointment 
 
 Cornelius Humphrey was tbe first 
 judge appointed in and for the County 
 of Seneca and the following is a copy 
 of the certificate showing bis appoint- 
 ment:— for which I am indebted to 
 Hon. J. B. H. Mongin, Deputy Secre- 
 tary of State. 
 
 "At a meeting of the Council of 
 Appointment held at the Chambers of 
 His Excellency the Governor, in the 
 City of Albany on Monday, the 2nd 
 day of April, 1804. 
 
 Present, his Excellency George 
 Clinton, Esquire, President. 
 
 The Honorable John Broome, Caleb 
 Hjde, Thomas Tredwell, Esqrs. 
 Members. 
 
 Resolved, that a general commission 
 issue for the County of Seneca, that 
 the following persons he and they are 
 hereby appointed Civil Officers of said 
 county, viz. 
 
 Cornelius Humphrey, Grover Smith, 
 John Sayie, Judges and Justices of the 
 Peace. 
 
 Jonas Whiting of Ulysses, James 
 Van Horn of Ovid, Asa Smith of 
 Romulus, Benajuh Bnardman of Wash- 
 ington, assistant justices and justices. 
 
 Justices of the Peace, James Jack- 
 son, Stephen Woodworth, John Town- 
 send, Jr , Ovid; '1 nomas Shepardson, 
 Ulysses ; Daniel Everts, Hector; John 
 Hood, Washington; Lewis Birdsall, 
 Jesse Southwick, Junius. 
 
 Jared Sanford, Surrogate; Silas Hal- 
 sey, County Clerk; William Smith, 
 Sheriff; Charles Thompson, Coroner. 
 Geo. Clinton, 
 Jno Broome 
 Caleb Hyde, 
 Thomas Tredwell. 
 
 Judge Humphrey served with honor 
 and distinction un'il May, 1809, as is 
 shown by the records of the Court of 
 this County. He was born in 1735 : 
 he served as colonel in the Revolut- 
 ionary war and was -a member of the 
 
28 
 
 Second Provincial Congress and as a 
 Representative from Dutchess County 
 in the Senate and Assembly. He came 
 to Seneca County about the year 1801 
 and located in what is now known as 
 the town of Ulysses and represented 
 this county in the Assembly 1806-07. 
 
 The first court in the County of 
 Seneca was held in the houEe of John 
 Seeley on lot No. 3 in the town of 
 Ovid, and held there almost contin- 
 uously until May, 1807, at which time 
 court was adjourned to the first Tues- 
 day in October to the Court House in 
 the town of Ovid, but when court con- 
 vened the Court House was not com- 
 pleted and the court was adjourned to 
 the house of John Seeley and contnued 
 to adjourn from time to time to the 
 house of John Seeley until the second 
 Tuesday of May, 1808, when the first 
 court was held in the Court House in 
 the village of Ovid. The judges hold- 
 ing said court were Cornelius Hum- 
 phrey, first judge, Grover Smith, John 
 feayre and Benjamin Pelton. 
 
 The hrst court held in Waterloo 
 was a Term of the General sessions of 
 the Peace, May 12, 1818. and was pre 
 sided over by Justices John S.iyre, John 
 Burton and Benjamin Hendricks and 
 were so held until Mavch 29, 1822, 
 when an act was passed by the Legis- 
 lature which provided, 
 
 '•That the several courts of the 
 common pleas, general sessions of the 
 peace, circuit courts and oyer and ter- 
 miner, hereafter to be holden in and 
 for the County of Seneca, shill be held 
 alternately at the court house in the 
 town of Ovid, and at the court house 
 in the town of Junius ; and that the 
 next May term of the court of com- 
 mon pleas and general sessions of the 
 peace, in and for said county, shall be 
 held at the court house in the town of 
 Ovid ; and all writs and process what- 
 soever, returnable in said courts, at 
 the next day May term thereof, shall 
 be taken and deemed returnable at the 
 said court bouse in the town of Ovid ; 
 and all persons who are or shall be 
 bound or required to appear at the 
 said next May term of the said courts, 
 or either of them, by bond, recog- 
 nizance, or otherwise shall be taken, 
 
 deemed and considered, to be bound 
 and required to appear at the court 
 house in the town of Ovid, n foresaid, 
 and the first circuit court and oyer and 
 terminer, to be held for tin' said county 
 shall be held at the court house in the 
 town of Junius " 
 
 "That from and after the pnssage of 
 this act, there shall be two jury dis- 
 tricts in the county of bpnecn, the first 
 to comprise the towns of Covert, Ovid 
 and Romulus, and the second the towns 
 of Fayette, Junius, Gal^n and Wolcott; 
 and the clerk of said county 8'i:ill keep 
 the names of the Jurors in such districts 
 separate, and the jurors shall be drawn 
 for each court, from the jury district 
 in which the court is to be held." 
 
 •'That it shall not be lawful for the 
 supervisors of the said county to sell 
 the court house in the town of Ovid, 
 or the lot of laud on which the same 
 stands, any law heretofore made to 
 the contrary notwithstanding " 
 
 The county court until the adoption 
 or the Constitution in 1846 was divided 
 into two branches, one known as the 
 Court of Common Pleas which had 
 jurisdiction of Civil Matters and a 
 Criminal Court called General Sessions 
 of the Peace ; the other court to which 
 we have the honor of referring to is 
 the Surrogate's Court. 
 
 May 31st 1809, Benjamin Pelton was 
 appointed first judge and served until 
 1812. He came to the town of 
 Ulysses about 1802. He served as a 
 captain of the Revolutionary War and 
 died in Ithaca about 1830. 
 
 Oiiver C. Comstock was appointed 
 first judge May, 1812, and served un- 
 April 13, 1815. Judge Comstock was 
 a man representing three professions, 
 a doctor, lawyer and minister. He 
 served Seneca county as Member of 
 Assembly and as a representative in 
 Congress afterwards served as Chaplain 
 of Congress. Judge Comstock was 
 born in Warwick, Kent County, Rhode 
 Island. He died at the home of his 
 son in Marshall, Calhoun County, 
 Michigan, January 11, 1860. 
 
 Judge Comstock was succeeded 
 April 18, 1815, by John Knox who 
 served until June 18, 1818. Judge 
 Knox died August 1, 1853, aged about 
 
29 
 
 seventy years. He was a man of 
 much learning and it has been said of 
 hiui that his success w.hs largely due 
 to his magnetic personality and judg- 
 ment displayed iu his business Com- 
 mon sense was his motto in eoudu'eticg 
 cases rather than common law, and he 
 like most, of the early practitioners took 
 great delight in aiding a young man 
 rather than discouraging him. 
 
 On June 18, 1818, John Mi-L-an, 
 Jr., was appointed to said position and 
 served until January 30, 1823. 
 
 Luther Stevens snceeded John Mc 
 Lean, Jr., January 30, 1823, and served 
 until March 13, 1833. 
 
 March 13, 1833, Jesse Clarke was 
 appointed to that h>n ir<d position and 
 served until July 1, 1847. Judge 
 Clark was born in Berkshire Ootiniy, 
 Mass , where he acquired, chiefly 
 through his own efforts as a teacher, a 
 liberal education. He fame to Water- 
 loo in 1814, and commenced the practice 
 of law, and soon, by his superior tal 
 ents and education rose to an enviable 
 prominence and success in his pro- 
 fession. At the election under the Con- 
 stitution of 1821 he was chosen one of 
 the senators for the western district 
 He died May 20, 1849. 
 
 In July 1847, the term of J-imes K. 
 Richardson, the first elective county 
 judge of the county of Seneca com- 
 menced. He served until January 1, 
 1852. Judge Richardson was born at 
 West Burlington, Ots-'go county, iu this 
 State, October 3, 1806, and died at 
 Waterloo, October 9, 1875. Being 
 my father I thought i would much 
 rather spread upon this paper the 
 thoughts of the members of the Bar 
 of the County of Seneca rather than 
 my own estimate of the man, but to 
 my utter astonishment I find that the 
 records of the proceeding of the courts 
 of this county, from the time my father 
 was elected to the present, contained 
 memorial articles relating to every 
 judge who has departed this life ex- 
 cept James K Richardson. I find in 
 an issue of the Waterloo Observer 
 the week that my father died that the 
 members of the bar assembled at the 
 office of Judge Hadley and they then 
 chose Judge Hadley, William H. Bur- 
 
 ton E>q,, and Charles A. Hawley, Esq., 
 a committee to draft and present resol- 
 utions to the next term of court I 
 cannot bedeve that the committee 
 f aileil to do their duty as I believe 
 Judge Riehard-on was honored and 
 respected by all, and the only excuse 
 I can hud in that the county clerk was 
 too tired at that time to record the 
 proceedings of the committee and the 
 court in adopting their kind words. 
 I do rind in the edition of the Water- 
 loo Observer above referred to. the 
 following: 
 
 "Judge James K. Richardson was 
 bom iu Otsego county, in 1806. In 
 obedience to the wishes of his father, 
 who was a phvsiciau of note iu that 
 county, he studied medicine, but on the 
 very day that he attained the age of 
 of twenty-one years, he relinquished 
 all idea of following that profession 
 which was distasteful to him, came to 
 Waterloo and commenced r. ading law 
 in the office of. Messrs. Samuel Clark 
 and Daniel Rubles. Shortly after he 
 was called to the bur, he left for the 
 weet, hut returned to New York State 
 in a year or two afterwards, opening 
 an office at Sodus, Wayne county, and 
 continued practicing law in that county 
 for five years. Mr. Samuel Clarke, 
 the same uiiiler whom he had studied 
 law, then offered him a partnership in 
 his business in Waterloo which the 
 deceased accepted, aud£he has ever 
 since resided here. In politics Mr. 
 Richardson was always a very strong 
 Republican, and for many years be con- 
 tributed very|largely to the Seneca Falls 
 Courier, a fact not generally known. 
 He _wa3 elected county judge, at the 
 first election under the new constit- 
 ution of 1876, and in the twofold ca- 
 pacity of judge and surrogate he earned 
 for himself a true record of honesty and 
 uprightness, and here we may use the 
 expression made to us yesterday by one 
 of the oldest of the bar in Seneca 
 County, 'that he was an honest and 
 upright man as ever lived, profess- 
 ionally or otherwise." He made a 
 most excellent surrogate, always care- 
 ful and accommodating, he was per- 
 fectly competent and was remarkable 
 for the methodical way in which his 
 
30 
 
 papers were always kept." 
 
 Judge Ricbardson was succeeded by 
 -John E Seeley who served t'r'-'u Jan- 
 uary 1, 1852 to January 1856. Judge 
 Seeley died March 30, 1875. He re- 
 ceived bis acidemica.1 education at the 
 Ovid Academy, under tbe tuition of 
 A'ilhani rvm, after wnich he passed 
 through a full course, :f study at Yale 
 College, where he graduated in 1835. 
 He then studied law in this village at 
 the office of Hon John Maynard 
 About the year 1836 or '37 he located 
 at Monroe. Michigan, but returned to 
 Ovid in 1839. In the campaign of 
 1840, he was a very active Harrison 
 man — was chairman of the town com- 
 mittee. In 1842, he was supervisor of 
 the town In 1848, he acted with the 
 "Free Soil" party, and in 1857 was 
 elected Judge of the county by the 
 united vote of the Democratic and 
 Free Soil Party, running ninety- seven 
 votes ahead of his ticket in this town, 
 He represented this district in tbe first 
 Republican National Convention, and 
 was the presidential elector for this 
 district in 1860, and again in 1864 and 
 elected to Congress in 1870; was a 
 trustee of Willard Asylum and I think 
 president of the board from its organ- 
 ization, until after be was elected to 
 Congress, when he resigned. In every 
 station of life he was always to be 
 trusted. In all public enterprise he 
 took an active part, and when money 
 was to be raised, he was generally at 
 the head of the list. He was an un- 
 comprising foe to slavery ; the black 
 man had no truer friend. 
 
 Sterling G. Hadley succeeded Judge 
 Seeley and served until 1860. Judge 
 Hadley was born in the town of Goshen, 
 Litchfield County, Conn, August 26, 
 1812, and died at Waterloo, September 
 1, 1901. His early years were passed 
 in different places where the family re- 
 sided, and he fitted for college at Egre- 
 mont Academy. In 1833 he entered 
 Union College at Schenectady, N. Y., 
 from which he graduated in 1836, and 
 afierward he taught in the Avon 
 Springs Academy. April 1, 1837, he 
 came to Walerloo, where he since re- 
 sided. He read law with Hon Samuel 
 Birdsall and was admitted to the bar 
 
 in 1839, after which he was in partner- 
 ship with bis former preceptor for four 
 years. Later, forming a partnership 
 with John McAllister, he continued 
 with that gentlemen under the firm 
 title of McAllister & Hadley, until the 
 death of the former. For ten years 
 he was Justice of the Peace, but re- 
 signed upon his election as County 
 Judge and Surrogate for a term of 
 four years. Nor did his public service 
 end here. On the Democratic ticket 
 he was elected a member of the Lower 
 House of the Legislature. The Gover- 
 nor tendered bim the appointment of 
 State Assessor, wbioh position he held 
 for several years, and which took him 
 into every county of the slate. He 
 was also president of the Board of 
 Managers of the State Hospital located 
 on Seneca lake. 
 
 In 1859 George Franklin was elected 
 county judge; he was re-elected in 
 1867 and again in 1877 and served 
 fourteen years. Judge Franklin was 
 born in the town of Hector, December 
 8, 1819 and died in the village of Ovid 
 April 24, 1886. He was an upright, 
 conscientious man, a father and friend 
 to the young practitioner, more than 
 willing to aid him in his work and we 
 do not think that tbe worth of Judge 
 Franklin and the loss that was sus- 
 tained in his death can be any better 
 expressed than was done by Hon. Gil- 
 bert Wilcoxen, Frederick L. Manning, 
 Charles A. Hawley, William C. Hazel- 
 ton and John E Ricbardson, a com- 
 mittee appointed April 28, 1886 by 
 tbe Seneca County Bar to express their 
 thoughts on the occasion of the death 
 of Judge Franklin which reads as 
 follows: 
 
 •'In the death of Hon. George 
 Franklin the bar has sustained no 
 common loss. Three times elected 
 Judge and Surrogate of 8eneca County 
 he discharged the important duties of 
 the office with rare fidelity and ability. 
 He possessed aud deserved the confi- 
 dence of the bar and the people for 
 he was a judge without fear and with- 
 out reproach. He had an eminently 
 logical and judicial mind and his de- 
 cisions were almost uniformly sound 
 and correct. He was not technical but 
 
31 
 
 based his judicial action upon broad 
 and equitable principles. 
 
 As a lawyer he won the admiration 
 and regard of his brethren and of his 
 clients as well. 
 
 He was a man of wide and varied 
 attainments. The classics were the 
 delights of his leisure hours; and be 
 was intimately acquainted with what is 
 best and brightest in English literature. 
 
 But we who have known him so 
 long and so well delight to remember 
 him not only as the just and upright 
 judge and the able and honest lawyer 
 but to recall the charm of bis manner, 
 the warmth of bis heart and his unusual 
 accomplishments in social ltfe. We 
 shall cherish the memory of his genial 
 presence and in all the years to come 
 shall feel our loss. 
 
 We tender to his family and to the 
 community where he was best known 
 and loved and honored our sympathy 
 ir ois hour of sorrow." 
 
 Gilbert Wilcoxen, 
 Frederick L. Manning 
 Charles A. Hawley 
 William C. Hazelton 
 John E. Richardson, 
 Committee. 
 
 Seneca County Court May 25, 1889. 
 
 Presented and read in open court and 
 motion ordered entered upon the min- 
 vtea of the court, and so entered. 
 
 Abram Wilson, Dep. Clerk. 
 
 In 1863 Josiah T. Miller was elected 
 and entered upon the duties of the 
 office and served the people until 
 January 1, 1868. Judge Josiah T. 
 Miller was born in April 1820 in 
 Parry Co., Pa.; he came to Seneca 
 County at an early age and in 1850 and 
 1859 served the county as District At- 
 torney; in 1860 he was appointed on 
 the staff of Governor Seymour and in 
 1869 he represented the county in the 
 Assembly ; and my feeble words can 
 not express the loss to the Bar of the 
 County of Seneca in the death of 
 Jndge Miller as do the proceedings of 
 the committee appointed to do honor to 
 his memory and for that reason I give 
 in full the proceedings of the County 
 Court as shown by the record. 
 
 "In re the death 
 of 
 
 Hon. Josiah T. Miller 
 
 In honor to the memory of Josiah 
 T. Miller deceased. the following 
 resolutions were introduced by Jasper 
 N. Hammond, Attorney at Law, Sen- 
 ecr Falls, N. Y., 
 
 Whereas, The Bsr of Senoea 
 County are grieved to learn of the 
 death of Hon. Josiah Thompson Miller, 
 at his residence in Waterloo in the 
 early morning of Tuesday the 25'.h 
 instant, and 
 
 Whereas. We deem it fi'ting that 
 we should in a public manner record 
 our deep sorrow for the death of a 
 man who for so many yeai'3 h»s been a 
 leader of this bar and has bad justly 
 conferred upon him so mauy of its 
 honors. Wu his brethren in the pro- 
 fession of the law have therefore, 
 
 Resolved, That we bow with rever- 
 ence and resignation to the decree of 
 Providence that has deprived us of a 
 personal and professional friend, and 
 in common with the cooimunity at large 
 mourn his loss, we recognize Judge 
 Miller's distinguished professional abil- 
 ity and profound and thorough learn- 
 ing in the law. 
 
 To the discharge of the duties of 
 his profession he brought a high sense 
 of professional honor, and a wealth of 
 legal learning and resource. Guided 
 by a strong sense of justice, he was 
 fearless in the maintainance of matured 
 opinion. As a judge he was able and 
 upright, ever tempering justice with 
 mercy. He won the respect of the 
 Bench and Bar and with all with whom 
 he associated. And it is further 
 
 Besolved, That while we are proud 
 of these professional attainments and 
 honors of our departed friend which 
 in a large sum aie public property we 
 gratefully record these private personal 
 attributes which made so very pleasant 
 our intercourse with him. A genial 
 and courteous gentleman he treated 
 with consideration the opinion and re- 
 spected the qualities of his equals in 
 position at the Bar and to its younger 
 members he was a constant and valued 
 friend ever ready to help by wise 
 counsel, and direct them with the treas- 
 
32 
 
 ures of his large experience. 
 
 To the lowly he was a, constant bene- 
 factor and no poor uhd's cause with 
 justice in it was ever declined by him. 
 And it is further 
 
 Resolved, That to his stricken family 
 we tender cur sincereat sympathy in 
 their great bereavement. 
 
 Resolved, That this Bar attend tho 
 funeral of our friend in a body and 
 that these resolutions be pieser>ted at 
 the next term of the Supreme Court in 
 this county, and to the next term of 
 the Seneca County Court, and he pub- 
 lished iu the county Puss and a copy 
 of the same suitably engros.-ed be pre- 
 sented to the family of the. deceased. 
 William H. Burton 
 Jasper N. Hammond 
 John Landon K«=mlig 
 Com ot Sen. Co. Bar. 
 
 Tnese resolutions were adopted by 
 and spread upon the minutes of the 
 court November 11, 1884. 
 
 Gilbert Wileoxen was elected county 
 judge in 1871 and served for six years 
 and is one of the two ex county judges 
 who is permitted to bo with us to d«y. 
 Judge Wilcxen was born in the town of 
 Smithfield, 'Madison Co , JSf. 1'., Septem- 
 ber 25, 1828 He moved to Seneca 
 Falls in 1839 nod graduated from 
 Hamilton College in 1852. On leav- 
 ing college he selected the legal pro- - 
 fession and immediately entered the 
 office of the late Judge Millar at Sen- 
 eca Falls, and was admitted to practice 
 in 1854 but did not commence Hie 
 practice of his profession until 1860 ; 
 as an attorney and counselor he has 
 won great distinction for his learning 
 and ability ; and contrary to the usual 
 avocation of an attorney he has been 
 president of the Seneca Falls Savings 
 Bans for more than twenty years. 
 Prior to his election as county judge 
 he represented his town, Seneca Falls, 
 in the Board of Supervisors. 
 
 In 1883 Peter h. Van Auken was 
 elected county judge and served six 
 years and is the second ex-judge living. 
 Judge Van Auken was born in Guilder- 
 land, Albany County, N. Y. He was 
 admitted to the bar at Troy, in 1859, 
 from thence he went to Phelps, On- 
 tario eounty, and opened an office. 
 
 He took up his residence at Seneca 
 Falls in 1861 and from 1862 to 1864 
 was in business with the late Judge 
 Miller. Being a very learned m'Mi his 
 abili'y was appreciated by the electors 
 from the fact that before being elected 
 to the office of county judge, he was 
 honored by his town in having been 
 chosen Supervisor, Member of the 
 Board of Education and Justice of the 
 Peace and his departure to Rochester, 
 his present home, was regretted by all 
 who knew hiin. 
 
 William C. Hazelton wag elected 
 county judge in 1889 and served until 
 January 1, 1896. Judge Hnzelton was 
 t'orn in Tompkins county, September 
 1, 1835 and died in the town of Ovid, 
 in this county Match 2, 1898. He 
 followed the life of a fanner until 
 about 1855 when he entered the office 
 of Duna, Beers & Howard of Ithaca 
 and wi:s admitted to tlo> bar in 1858. 
 In 1862 he was elected district-attorney 
 of the county and served three years. 
 In 1868 he was re elected and served a 
 third term in 1880. In 1873 he was 
 elected member < f assembly. He was 
 a good lawyer, ever striving to make 
 the fact? of any matter submitted to 
 him correspond with the law in the 
 matter so that if he brought an action 
 he would have the law and fact3 both 
 on his side 
 
 In November 1895 John E. Richard- 
 son waa elected to succeed Judge Hazel- 
 ton and served for six years. And in 
 November 1901 the electors, contrary 
 to custom, re-elected him to succeed 
 himself. 
 
 John E. Richardson was born Septem- 
 ber 10. 1846 in tbe village of Waterloo 
 in this county and attended the common 
 school ; in 1866 he entered the office of 
 the. late Judge Hadley and there gained 
 the rudiments of bis legal education. 
 From Judge Had'.ey's office he went 
 to the Albany Law School graduating 
 there in 1868 since which time ha has 
 been practicing iu tbe village of his 
 birth. 
 
 In the early days of the Court of 
 Common Pleas and the Court of Ses- 
 sions there were associated with the 
 first judge, justices of the peace who 
 were at times called judges and among 
 
33 
 
 those were Garry V. Sackett, Grover 
 Smith, John Sayre, William Mo'.ton, 
 James Van Home, Jared Baud ford, 
 Robert Swarthout,Tomkins C. Delevan, 
 John Sutton, Jacob L. Larzelere, 
 Thomas White, John Maynard, David 
 Burroughs, Thomas 0. Magee, Abra- 
 ham Sebring, 'John Burton aud Benja. 
 min Hendricks. 
 
 The only other court which would 
 come under the subject of the Judiciary 
 of the County of Seneca is the Surro- 
 gate's Court. 
 
 The first Surrogate appointed was 
 Jared Sandford and the first court held 
 was in the town of Ovid, and the first 
 will admitted to probate was that of 
 Issac Hagermnn of Ovid, June 7, 1804. 
 And the first letters of administration 
 were issued June 10, 1804, on the 
 estate of David Kelly, late of the 
 town of Ovid, N. Y. Jared Sandford 
 was appointed April 2, 1804 and served 
 until April 14, 1811, he was re-ap- 
 pointed April 6th, 1813 and served 
 until February 28, 1815. 
 
 John Sayre was appointed surrogate 
 February 14, 1811 and served until 
 1813. Judge Sayre was born in the 
 town of Booming Grove, Orange Co. N. 
 Y., July 24, 1767; he died March 4, 
 1848; September 2, 1800 he was chosen 
 Supervisor of Romulus and re elected 
 year after year until 1808 ; he was re- 
 elected supervisor in 1830 31-32. In 
 1804 he was elected the first member of 
 assembly and re-elected in 1808 and 
 again in 1831 ; he served as treasurer 
 of the county from 1817 to 1821. 
 For many years he was associate judge 
 of the Seneca County Courts and was 
 the first postmaster of Romulus. 
 
 William Thompson was chosen sur- 
 rogate February 28, 1815 and served 
 until April 3, ' 1819, he was re-ap- 
 pointed March 31, 1821 and served 
 until December 3, 1827. 
 
 Judge Thompson was born in Still- 
 water, Saratoga Co. N. Y., March 4, 
 1785, he graduated at Union College, 
 Schenectady, N. Y., in 1806. After 
 completing his college studies he en. 
 tered the office of his brother James 
 who was practicing law in Milton, 
 Saratoga Co., N. Y. In the spring of 
 1812 he found his new home and 
 
 pitched his tent in the town of Ovid in 
 this county. It is said of him "Not 
 greedy of gain, he did not use his in- 
 fluence as a lawyer in the promotion of 
 strife, but often eounciled amicable 
 settlement of difficulties between con- 
 tending parties." Though not seek- 
 ing preferment, he was more than once 
 called to represent his county in the 
 Legislative Halls of the state, and by 
 his acknowledged ability and popular- 
 ity succeeded to the Speaker's chair. 
 He died November 18, 1871. 
 
 Luther F. Stevens was appointed 
 surrogate April 3, 1819 and served as 
 such until March 31, 1821. 
 
 December 3, 1827. Samuel Birdsall 
 was appointed surrogate. Judge Bird- 
 sail was born May 14, 1791 at Hills- 
 dale, Columbia Co , N. Y. In the 
 year 1817 he moved to Waterloo and 
 for more than half a century after set- 
 tling in Waterloo his position was one 
 of prominence and influence and 
 among the many honorable positions 
 filled by him were Master in Chancery; 
 Division Judge Advocate ; with the 
 rank of Colonel ; Counsellor in the 
 Supreme Court; Surrogate of Seneca 
 County ; District Attorney of the 
 county; postmaster at Waterloo and 
 Member of Congress. He died on the 
 8th day of February, 1872. 
 
 Jeheil H. Halsey was appointed 
 July 22, 1837 as Judge Birdsall's 
 successor. He died December 5, 1867. 
 
 John Morgan who was appointed 
 surrogate March 2, 1843, was the last 
 surrogate appointed, he serving until 
 July 1st 1847, at which time the offices 
 of the county judge and surrogate were 
 consolidated and the duties of each 
 performed by the county judge. 
 
 This concludes the Judiciary of the 
 County of Seneca from the foundation 
 of the county to the present but it does 
 not seem right that I should conclude 
 this paper without referring to the 
 Hon. John Maynard and Addison T. 
 Knox who were long residents of this 
 county and held the position of Judge 
 of the Supreme Court which was not 
 part of the Judiciary of Seneca County 
 any more than of other counties com- 
 prising the Supreme Court District in 
 which they presided. 
 
34 
 
 Judge Addison T. Knox was the 
 son of John Kuox and the third in birth 
 of seven children ; he was born in a 
 house near the '-Kingdom". He was 
 a cripple from birth and as his mother 
 often remarked -'Being a cripple 
 Addison always had his own way and 
 that is the reason he has such an over- 
 bearing disposition." Judge Add Knox 
 as he was familiarly called was elected 
 in November 1859 ; he was an excellent 
 lawyer and proved himself an honor- 
 able and competent judicial officer. 
 He died May 11, 1862 and Hon. James 
 C- Smith of Canandaigua was ap- 
 pointed his successor. 
 
 Judge Maynard was elected June 
 1847 and served until March 24, 1850 
 being the date of his death. And 
 Judge Henry W. Taylor was appointed 
 as his successor, March 27, 1850. 
 
 Prior to May 23, 1884, moneys be- 
 longing to infants and others were left 
 with the Surrogate of the county for 
 investment and the surprising part is 
 that they were never required to render 
 an account for those moneys only to 
 infants who might attain the age of 
 twenty-one years. Simply turning 
 over to their successors in office the 
 money in securities which they had on 
 hand. In May 1884 an act was passed 
 by our Legislature directing the Gen- 
 eral Term of the Supreme Court to ap- 
 point some suitable person to examine 
 the books and accounts and vouchers 
 
 of the Surrogate's Court relating to 
 these trust funds and directing that 
 the surrogate turn the amount so 
 found in his hands over to the county 
 treasurer and from that time the county 
 treasurer and not the surrogate has 
 been the depositary of these funds and 
 although the surrogates were not re- 
 quired to render an account of these 
 funds, yet when the accountant ap- 
 pointed by the Supreme Court ex- 
 amined the account of the surrogates, 
 he reported all moneys were accounted 
 for and that there never had been one 
 cent losts in the acts of said surrogates 
 of our county. 
 
 For many of the biographical facts 
 contained in this paper I am indebted 
 to Hon. Dtiidrich Willers, ex-Secre- 
 tary of State and in closing I wish to 
 express my thanks for the help he has 
 given me. 
 
 To the officers of this association 
 who have honored me as their choice 
 to prepare this paper I can only in this 
 feeble way express my appreciation 
 and wish that health and strength had 
 been spared me that I might have 
 presented to them a more acceptable 
 paper, but I assure them that Bituated 
 as I have been since I was notified of 
 their desire I have done the best I could 
 and hope that its contents will be of 
 benefit to them in the further progress 
 of their historical work. 
 
Our Predecessors in Seneca County 
 
 The Sachem-O-ja-geght and the Cayuga Indians. 
 
 By Fr&dl Teller. 
 
 It was an early hour of the afternoon 
 of the 21st of October 1794 when an 
 aged chief or Indian sachem of the Cay- 
 uga Nation arose. Before him burned 
 the council fire of the six nations. 
 From his place at the head of the inner 
 circle of the council, he gazed around 
 upon a vast gathering that encircled 
 him as it stretched away in ever widen- 
 ing circles. This council was the last 
 general one ever held by the United 
 States with the Six Nations as a whole 
 and it was the largest concourse of the 
 different tribes comprising its different 
 nations, except the Mohawks, that has 
 ever since been gathered together. 
 Besedes the Cayugas and the other 
 allied nations of the Iroquis Confederacy 
 were a number of the conquersd and 
 dependent tribe. The Senecas, how- 
 ever were by far the most numerous. 
 The number in attaudence amounted to 
 very nearly two thousand red men. 
 The treaty was held a few miles to the 
 west of us at Oanandaigua, from where 
 the council was convened could be seen 
 the waters of that beautiful lake spark- 
 ling in the sun surrounded by the bar- 
 baric colorings of the wild forests in 
 their Indian summer frost tints. 
 
 The aged chief who had arisen to his 
 feet to answer ou behalf of the Six 
 Nations the congratulatory and intro- 
 ductory address made by the Indian 
 Commissioner Col. Pickering, on the 
 day previous at the opening of the 
 grand council was O ji-geght. He was 
 commonly called by the whites "The 
 Fish Carrier" and sometimes "Old 
 Fish Carrier." He was the headsman, 
 or chief sachem of the ten civil magis- 
 trates of the Cayuga Indians and the 
 senior at the time of the fifty sachems 
 who governed the civic affairs of the 
 
 Six Nations. The ancient scrolls of 
 parchment with the wampum attached 
 that are now in the custody of the Re- 
 gents of the University of the State of 
 New York are the original state treaties 
 that released to the State of New York 
 the lands that compose the present 
 county of Seneca. These are the title 
 deeds to the lands that are our birth- 
 right and upon which have been built 
 the homes of ourselves and people for 
 one hundred years. If you will ex- 
 amine the signatures with the totums 
 and sign manuels attached thereto you 
 will find on the part of the red man 
 that the first name in all cases by reason 
 of his rank, his standing, and his sen- 
 iority signed to them to be O ja-geght. 
 
 Of the means used by the Commis- 
 sioners of the State of New York to 
 persuade, cajole, circumvent and to 
 almost forcibly wring from the Cayuga 
 Nation and from this unlettered man 
 O-ja-geght their lands it is the purpose 
 of this article to treat. To this savage 
 barbsrinn who stood out alone against 
 our sovereign state and whose one voice 
 making conformation impossible al- 
 most blocked the treaty that completes 
 our chain of title to the beautiful rivers 
 and vales, glades and lakes, on which 
 are built up the communities that we 
 here to-night call home, your attention 
 is asked. 
 
 Before listening to the remarks of 
 this Cayuga chief or sachem we will 
 better understand them if we go back to 
 February of this same year 1794 to a 
 council that was a preliminary of this 
 the larger one. It was called at the in- 
 stance of the Federal Government at 
 Buffalo Creek for the purpose of con- 
 cilating the feelings of the Cayuga and 
 Seneca Indians One of the serious 
 
36 
 
 questions that confronted the young 
 ••Republic of the Thirteen Fires" as 
 they were called by the Six Nations 
 was the Indian problem. The vexed 
 question of boundary lines had settled 
 down into a stern determination on the 
 part of the allied Indian tribes of the 
 west, that the Ohio river should mark 
 the utmost white frontier settlements. 
 In this they were opanly abetted by 
 Thay-en-da-naga (Joseph Brant) the 
 fighting chiettain of the Mohawks and 
 his entire Mohawk following. This 
 powerful nation who had espoused the 
 cause of the British in the Revolution, 
 ary war had retired to Canada on lands 
 assigned to them by the crown after 
 the Revolutionary war on the Penins- 
 ular northwest of the Niagai'a rher. 
 Many of the young men and warriors 
 of the Cayugas and Senecas were also 
 upon the warpath in the west. Gen. St. 
 Clair had been defeated in a pitched 
 battle on the Miamis and it was de- 
 sirable to prevent the Cayugas and 
 Seneca Indians from jnining the beli- 
 gerents en masse. These efforts how- 
 ever were crowned with but partial 
 success. 
 
 The government distributed on this 
 occasion a liberal quantity of presents 
 including clothing. The place of meet- 
 ing so near the frontier of Canada was 
 such however that it was largely under 
 the control of British officers. Col. 
 John Butler of Wyoming memory was 
 conspicuous in his endeavors to thwart 
 the designs of the United States com- 
 missioners. Joseph Brant and Red 
 Jacket were tbe principal speakers. 
 After much discussion of numerous 
 propositions it was adjourned with the 
 idea of calling a general council to be 
 held later in the year. Rumors were 
 accordingly sent out summoning the 
 entire Six Nations to a council to be 
 held at Canandaigua in the following 
 autumn. This great and memorable 
 council which convened was the result. 
 In the meantime the State of Penn- 
 sylvania prepared to extend her settle- 
 ments to Presqne Island on the shore 
 of Lake Erie. This greatly exasper- 
 ated the Six Nations who claimed this 
 territory as exclusively their own. 
 The Six Nations were about to take the 
 
 field under the leadership of Joseph 
 Brant when President Washington in 
 terf erred and prevented Pennsylvania 
 from any further prosecution of her 
 designs at that time. 
 
 The Indians commissioners ap- 
 pointed to represent the United States 
 at Canandaigua were C"l. Pickering 
 called Can net sauty by the Indians and 
 General Israel Chapin. The last 
 named was a great friend to the In- 
 dians and upon his death the following 
 spring a council wf*s held in honor of 
 his memory April 28, 1795 at which a 
 request was made that his son Captain 
 Israel Chapin might be appointed in 
 his place. There were also in atten- 
 dence at this council by special invit- 
 ationjof the Indians, six quaker friend 3, 
 three from each Pennsylvania and New 
 Jersey. The Oniedas who were the first 
 to arrive on the 11th of October went 
 into council upon matters pretaining ex- 
 clusively to their own nation. On the 
 fourteenth the Ouocdagas and Cayugas 
 arrived and on the same day Ho-na ye- 
 wus or Farmer Brother arrived at the 
 head of a large delegation of Senecas. 
 They were received by the Indians 
 dressed and painted with all the bril- 
 liancy and beauty of their wild fan- 
 tastic tastes. On the 18th Sa-goye- 
 wat-ha or Red Jacket and Ga hio-di- 
 euh or Corn planter and several other 
 Seneca chiefs arrived each with large 
 delegations. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 18th the 
 commissioners and friends were sum- 
 moned by a son of Cornplanter to 
 attend the formal opening of the coun- 
 cil. The officers and their interpreters 
 were surrounded by a dark assemblage 
 as the council fire was kindled and the 
 pipe of peace went around. The In- 
 dians are very deliberate in cuuncil and 
 it was not until the 20th the business 
 of the council really began. 
 
 Upon that occasion Col. Pickering 
 performed the ceremony of condol- 
 ment with the Delewares for the loss 
 of one of their braveB. He, in words, 
 took the tomahawk from the head of 
 the victim who had been murdered by 
 a white man and covered the grave 
 with leaves so that no one could see it 
 in passing. The hatchet which he had 
 
37 
 
 taken from the head of the victim was 
 buried beneath a pine tree which in 
 words was torn up for that purpose. 
 Having placed the hatcbet in a deep 
 hole and covered it over with stones, 
 the tree was replanted on top so that 
 the instrument of death could never 
 be discovered. The colonel then wiped 
 the blood from their heads and the 
 tears from their eyes and opened the 
 path of peace which the Indians were 
 invited to keep clear at one end and 
 the United States at the other as long 
 as the sun shone. 
 
 It was for the purpose of answer- 
 ing this address of Col. Pickering of 
 which the above was the preliminary 
 that on behalf of the Six Nations, O ja- 
 geght had arisen in the council. Draw- 
 ing the blanket around his tall and erect 
 though aged form with all the natural 
 grace of a native Indian be addressed 
 himself to the commission on behalf 
 of his countrymen. The national 
 government has preserved nothing in 
 its archives in regard to this council 
 except the bare treaty itself. But from 
 other sources, a portion of the outline 
 of the interpreter's remarks have been 
 saved. After delivering the belt of 
 wampum by which he had been sum- 
 moned to the council. 
 
 He gazedretrospectively at the re . 
 lations that had existed between the 
 intruding white man and the Six 
 Nations. "When the while man first 
 came and landed on our shores the In- 
 dians saw that they were men and 
 must have something to subsist upon. 
 They therefore pitied them and gave 
 them some land and when they com- 
 plained that the land had become too 
 small for them the Indians still pitied 
 them and from time to time gave them 
 more. Tidings were carried back and 
 still more came among us, yet we did 
 not fear them. We took them to be 
 friends ior they called us brothers. 
 At length a great council fire was kin- 
 dled at Albany where a silver chain 
 was made which was kept bright for 
 many years until the United States and 
 the Great King over the waters differed. 
 Then their brothers in Canada talked 
 to the Indians and they let the chain 
 fall out of their hands, yet it was not 
 
 their fault but the white people for this 
 land over which our white brothers 
 quarrelled was created by the Great 
 Spirit for the use of his red children. 
 
 In the war that ensued the minds of 
 our people were very uneasy. 
 We were unable to agree and 
 our council wns divided A part of 
 our people stood by the council of the 
 thirteen fires while the greater portion 
 held fast by the treaty belts which were 
 held by the King across the great 
 waters. He referred bitterly to the 
 abandonment of her Indian allies by 
 the British at the close of the war and 
 that in the treaty of pence no provision 
 of any kind had been made for tham. 
 He recapitulated the history of the 
 negotiations with the whitepeople 
 afterwards and referring to the rea ties 
 of Fort Stanwix complained of the 
 many grievances they had suffered par- 
 ticularly in the curtailment of their 
 territory The Indians felt that at the 
 first treaty at Fort St'inwix In 1784 the 
 commissioners had been too grasping. 
 In the subsequent treaties every effort 
 had been made to fleece them of their 
 lands until now "we have hardly a 
 place left on which to spread our 
 blankets but still you are not satisfied " 
 In concluding Ojageght stated that 
 notwithstanding their many causes of 
 complaint now, that they had taken 
 hold of the chain with the fifteen fires 
 he pledged the Six Nations to hold on. 
 
 In the above speech O-ja-geght com- 
 plains of the curtailment of the lands 
 of the red man by the various treaties. 
 Let us take up the treaty of 1789 by 
 which most of the lands composing the 
 present county of Seneca were released 
 to the state. The exception being the 
 lands of the west Cayuga reservation 
 bounded on the east by Cayuga Lr.ke, 
 north by the Seneca river, west by the 
 reservation road and south by the 
 town of Romulus. 
 
 It was determined by the State of 
 New York to hold a council with the 
 Indians in September 1788 at Fort 
 Schuyler and agents and runners were 
 sent out bv the New YorK Indian 
 commissioners to induce the Indians to 
 attend. It was intended to make this 
 as imposing as possible and great pre- 
 
38 
 
 parations were made for this embassy 
 to the Indian country. I shall quote 
 almost liberally from an article of the 
 late Geo. Conover. The board of com- 
 missioners and their retinue started 
 from Albany on the 23rd and did not 
 arrive at Fort Schuyler until the 28th 
 of August. A wild romantic scene was 
 soon presented Governor Geroge 
 Clinton pitched his marquee and was 
 surrounded by man ywho had been con- 
 spicuous in the Revolution and were 
 then leading men in the new state. 
 They were surrounded by the camp- 
 fires of the numerous representatives of 
 the Six Nations amounting to thousands. 
 Indian traders were there from New 
 York and Canada in large numbers 
 with their showy goods and trinkets 
 and fire water, ready for the sale of 
 goods on the espousal of either the 
 interest of the state or the lessees. 
 Prominent lessees from Albany, Hud- 
 son and Canada were in the crowd 
 secretly and insidiously endeavoring 
 to thwart the object of the council, 
 hearing that one of their principals 
 John Livingston was present. Governor 
 Clinton ordered him to leave in three 
 hours and retire to a distance of forty 
 miles. 
 
 The lessees were a company who had 
 leased from the Indians a considerable 
 portion of their lands for a term of 
 999 years. The laws of the United 
 States and the State of New York pro- 
 hibited the sale of their lands by the 
 Indians without the approval of the 
 government and the state. To evade 
 this the lesses had leased nearly the 
 whole of western New York for the 
 above term which practically amounted 
 to a sale. The prominent lessees were 
 John Livingston and Dr Benton. 
 Their object was the erection of a new 
 state west of the reservation lino sim- 
 ilar to Vermont which had recently 
 been split off from the eastern part of 
 New York and been admitted to state 
 hood. 
 
 "Governor Clinton finding that the 
 Cajugas and Senecas had held back 
 sent, messages to Kan a de saga now 
 Geneva, to hurry them forward. They 
 found Dr. Benton a prominent lessee 
 and his agents surronnded by Indians 
 
 dealing out liquor and goods persuad- 
 ing them that either New York would 
 cheat them out of their lands or else 
 put them to death. Many of them 
 were undeceived and started on the 
 journey but so great had been the 
 beastly intoxication, that but few went 
 further than Scaw yace (South Water- 
 loo) being to unable proceed and but 
 few reached the council, one Cayuga 
 dying on the road." 
 
 On the 9 th of September the council 
 was opened by a speech by Govenor 
 Clinton and after a few days negoti- 
 ation, a treaty was concluded with the 
 Onondagas whereby all their lands 
 were secured except certain reser- 
 vations. Negotiations with the Onei- 
 das followed and after some days a 
 line treaty was procured from them. 
 The council had now continued for 
 twenty five days It became now im- 
 portant in order to secure the balance 
 of the Indian lands to procure a treaty 
 with the Cayugas and Senecns. Rev. 
 Samuel Kirk wood was despatched to 
 these tribes to inform them what had 
 been done and to prepare the way for a 
 council. 
 
 Seth Reed and Peter Ryckerman who 
 were both noted Indian traders located 
 at the Indian village of Kanadesaga 
 were engaged to aid in getting the 
 attendance of the Indians at Albany. 
 Both of these traders were committed to 
 the interests of the lessees, the lands and 
 set off to them by the state commis- 
 sioners in this treaty which they aided 
 n securing will show how they came 
 to change their minds. Reed and 
 Ryckerman responded as soon after 
 these arrangements had been completed 
 a9 possible. First sending James 
 Manning Reed to Albany with a letter 
 saying that they would be in Albany 
 the latter part of January with the 
 Indians and adding that the lessees kept 
 the Indians so continually intoxicated 
 with liquor that it is impossible to do 
 anything with them. It was not un- 
 til February 1889 that Ryckerman was 
 able to collect a sufficient number of 
 Indians and reach Albany. 
 
 The council was accordingly opened 
 on the 19th with the Cayugas and 
 some Onondagas and Oneidas being 
 
39 
 
 also present. None of the prominent 
 Cayugas either sachems or warriors 
 were present. A converted (Jayuga 
 Indian known as Good Peter or Dom- 
 inic Peter was the principal speaker 
 for the Cayugas. Present at the coun- 
 cil was a considerable number of their 
 women whom Good Peter called 
 governesses and of whom he said, 
 "Our ancestors consider it a great 
 transgression to neglect the coudcU of 
 the women, particularly the gov- 
 ernesses whom they consider the mis- 
 tresses of the soil. They said, who 
 brought us forth? Who cultivate our 
 lands? Who kindle our fires and boil 
 our pots but the women? 
 
 On the 25th of February, 1789, the 
 treaty of Albany was concluded. In 
 the first two clauses of this treaty they 
 ceded and granted to the State of 
 New York forever all their lands ex- 
 cept the east and west Cayuga Reser- 
 vations containing one hundred 
 square miles, exclusive of the waters 
 of Cayuga lake and the place called 
 Skayes on the Seneca River and a 
 compel ant piece of land on ihe south 
 side of said river at the said place 
 sufficient for the said Cayugas to land 
 and encamp on and cure their eels. 
 
 The third clause gives the Cayugas 
 
 and their posterity forever the right 
 
 of hunting in every part of said ceded 
 
 land and of fishing in all the waters 
 
 within the same. 
 
 The fourth clause names the con- 
 sideration on the part of the state 
 which was $5,000 in silver (the re- 
 ceipt whereof the Cayugas do hereby 
 acknowledge) and a further payment 
 the following June 1st at Fort Schuyler 
 of $1625 00 and an annuity of $500 
 per year. The state Bettles with Peter 
 Ryckerman in the same clause for his 
 share in procuring the treaty by pay- 
 ing him out of lands set aside for the 
 Cayugas as per the following clause — 
 and as a further consideration to the 
 Cayugas the people of the State of 
 New York shall grant to their adopted 
 child, Peter Ryckerman whom they 
 have expressed a desire shall reside 
 near them, to assist them and as a 
 benevolence from them the Cayugas 
 to him and in return for services 
 
 rendered by him to their nation, the 
 said tract of one mile square at the 
 Cayuga Ferry, excepted out of said 
 lands reserved to the Ca>ugas for their 
 own use ancl cultivation. Riekerman 
 was also granted in the fourth clause of 
 the treaty 16,000 acres of land ad- 
 joining and on the west side of Seneca 
 Lake, surrounding a house lately 
 ereotedand now in occupation by the 
 said Peter Ryckerman. There is ex. 
 cepted out of this 370 acres which 
 were granted to a white man who mar- 
 ried a daughter of a Cayuga named 
 Thyuowas. It was Ryckerman's en- 
 deavor to beat his partner out of any 
 participation in this laud that has 
 placed so many documents on file at 
 Albany and given so much light on 
 this tieaty. 
 
 The closing four lines of this treaty 
 were evideutly added to mollify if 
 possible somewhat the known hostility 
 of O ja-geght to releasing any of the 
 lands of the Cayugas to the stfite. They 
 read as follows. Notwithstanding the 
 said reservation herein above specified, 
 to the Cayugas, it is declared to be the 
 intent of the parties that the Cayuga 
 called the Fish Carrier shall have a 
 mile square of the said reserved lands 
 for the separate use of himself and 
 his family forever. 
 
 The signatures to the treaty are re- 
 markable on the part of the red man 
 from the fact that it is signed by but 
 fourteen Indians and twelve govern- 
 esses. Nine of these signatures were 
 signed by but one Indian Kan is ta- 
 gia whose mark is a steel trap. The 
 peculiar marks and totems are inter- 
 esting. Besides Governor Clinton and 
 Lieutenant Governor Van Cortland on 
 the part of the state are Ezra L. Hom- 
 medien, Abram Ten Brock, John 
 Hathorn, Ssmuel Jones, Peter Gans- 
 voort and Egbert Benson. 
 
 There was great indignation on the 
 part of the rest of the Cayugas as soon 
 as it was known that a treaty had been 
 entered into and negotiated by so small 
 and uninfluential a part of their nation. 
 As soon as the runner with the tidings 
 of this treaty arrived at Tey o heyho- 
 co Is (Buffalo Creed) where quite a 
 number of the Cayuga warriors and 
 
40 
 
 chiefs with their followers were in 
 camp for the winter immediate pre- 
 parations were made to return to tbis 
 neighborhood. The feeling was very 
 bilter and ranked very strong in their 
 minds that the Caynaas had not been 
 treated fair in the matter of tills treaty. 
 O-ja-geght at the head of his people 
 drove the surveyors from their lands, 
 destroyed the stakes and refused to be 
 oppressed. Every means to pacify 
 him was without avail. When the 
 first day of June came it was felt to be 
 a vital necessity that the signatures 
 of some of the more prominent war- 
 riors, chiefs and sachems of the nation 
 should be secured to an article ratify- 
 ing the treaty of the previous year. 
 It seems that on the 22nd of June this 
 fact was accomplished for we find on 
 that date the Cayugas had come for- 
 ward to Fort Stanwix and received 
 their annuity and also the further sum 
 of one thousand dollars as a benevolence 
 and we the said Cayugas in consider- 
 ation thereof do by th'Se presents fully 
 freely and absolutely ratify and con- 
 firm the said agreement and cession. 
 Tbis was signed by twenty-four 
 Sachems, chiefs and warriors of the 
 Cayuga Nation of Indians. The first 
 signature being O ja geght alias Fish 
 comer, the next Shogoyeghwatha or 
 Ked Jacket, and the names of the lead 
 lng men of the Cayuga Nation follow, 
 omong the leading witnesses was 
 Joseph Brant. W. L. Stone in his 
 iife of Brant speaks of him as having 
 been a great and life long friend of 
 Aid chief of the Cayugas. New York 
 refers to the 1789 treaty as having been 
 made at Albany on that date and con- 
 firmed by subsequent articles made 
 at Fort Stanwix, June 22, 1790. 
 
 Their reservation on the east and 
 west shores of Cayuga Lake were soon 
 surrounded by settlers. Leases wero 
 made to the whites in some instances 
 and in others squatters swarmed in and 
 took possession. By reason of their 
 lease of ferry privileges to John Harris 
 and James Bennett, a highway was 
 opened which was travelled by all who 
 made use of the ferry. There was 
 another class, the felons and outlaws 
 who sought refuge there. There was 
 
 a provision in the treaty by which the 
 state bound itself to clear the reser- 
 vation from intruders on said reser- 
 vation without the consent of the said 
 Cayugas and the Cayugas on their 
 part to the State in the apprehending 
 of intruders, felons and offenders to 
 the end that they may be brought to 
 justice. It was necessary on a number 
 of occasions for the state to summon 
 a sheriffs posse to clear and drive out by 
 main force the intruders, so that the 
 Cayugas could retain and enjoy the 
 residue of the lands that remained to 
 them. 
 
 The treaty of 1789 was no sooner 
 ratified in the following year than long- 
 ing eyes were turned to the fair lands 
 that yet remained to the Cayugas. It 
 was not long before interested parties 
 who afterwards obtained a share in its 
 distribution begau to talk of — as the 
 treaty afterwards negotia f ed states — 
 "mike the lands of the said reser- 
 veration more productive of anuual in- 
 come to the Cayugas.'' It was not 
 until July 27, 1795 that commissioners 
 on the part of tne state concluded a 
 treaty at the Cayuga Ferry whereby 
 the Cayuga Nation released to the state 
 all their lands except two small reser- 
 vations on the east side of the lake. 
 
 It is not the purpose of this article 
 to go into the details of this treaty as 
 it was touched on in the article on the 
 Early Ferries and the Genesee High, 
 way, the Samuel and John Harris and 
 two additional articles entitled the Cay- 
 uga Treaties soon to appear in the 
 Grips History. The negotiating and 
 concluding of the treaty met the deter- 
 mined opposition of O ja geght and it 
 was not until all of his followers had 
 been won over and he had stood out 
 alone for many days that it was con ■ 
 sumated. The mile square reserved 
 to O-ja-geght in the 1789 treaty he 
 evidently refused to release as per this 
 clause in the treaty "one other piece 
 of land one mile square at 'Canoga' for 
 the use of an Indian sachem of the 
 said nation called Fish Carrier and for 
 the use of his posterity forever." 
 
 The two small reservations of two 
 miles and one mile square on the east 
 side of Cayuga Lake were by treaty 
 
41 
 
 purchased by the state on May 30, 1807. 
 The reservation containing the Indian 
 spring and village at Canoga seemed 
 to O-ja geght was exchanged for an 
 annuity of $50 per year. This was 
 paid to his heirs up (o August 2, 1841 
 when by Chapter 234 of the Jaws of 
 that year it was extinguished. O ja- 
 geght was an old man at the date of 
 the 1789 treaties and after the loss of 
 so much of their lands he lived most of 
 his time with the Mohawks iu Canada. 
 He however afterwards visited a num- 
 ber of times the territories that for 
 three centuries had hpon the homes of 
 his people. He was pre ent and signed 
 the treaty of 1807. I'livre is a trad- 
 ition that during » subsequent pilgrim- 
 age to the graves <A liu people at 
 Canoga he died. The name aud 
 sachemship is still kept up among the 
 remnants of the Caynga Nation. 
 
 The Cayuga Nation of Indians were 
 one of those composing the Five Nations 
 After the adoption of the Tuscaroras 
 who were a couquered tribe speaking 
 a similar dialect whom these nations 
 found in North Carolina into their con- 
 federacy it became more widely known 
 as ttie Six Nations. This league was 
 called by the French the Iroquois aud 
 was the most powerful aud widely 
 known of any of the Indian tribes on 
 the continent. In the fanciful and 
 figurative language which they made 
 use of they termed their formation (1o- 
 di-no-san-nee, the long bouse) which 
 signifies a long house having partitions 
 and separate fires. This was the an- 
 cient way these people had of building 
 their bark house, s large enough to ac- 
 commodate a number of families. 
 
 The home domains of the Six 
 Nations stretched the entire length of 
 the Empire state. The first fire the 
 extreme western one was the Seuecas. 
 They were known as the hill people 
 and were the fiercest, the most pop- 
 ulous and furnished the most warriors 
 and warchiefs. They were designated 
 as the keepers of the western gate. 
 The fifth fire at the east end was the 
 Mohawks and they were the guardians 
 of the eastern door. On this tribe de- 
 volved the naming of a warchief and 
 the collection of tribute was one of their 
 
 duties. The third fire was the great 
 council fire of the Six Nations and was 
 in charge of the Onondagas. The 
 council fire was put out when the On- 
 ondaga council house was destroyed by 
 Count Frontenac in 1696. It was again 
 put out in the spriug of 1777 and again 
 for the last time iu 1779. It was never 
 afterwares relighted in the old place in 
 the council town. Of the fifty sachems 
 who governed the civic affairs of the 
 Six Nations, fourteen belonged to the 
 Onoudagas. The head or chief sachem 
 was with them the name To do-do-ho 
 and the title going with the office, also 
 the Ho-no-we-na-to or national wam- 
 pum keeper was an hereditary office 
 that was confined to the Onondagas. 
 The wampum represented the history 
 of the nations which was talked into 
 it. 
 
 One of the interesting features at 
 the unveiling of the Red Jacket Monu- 
 ment at Canoga on October 14, 1891, 
 was the presence of Chief Sachem 
 Skanawati the official keeper of the 
 wampum belts or records. He exhib- 
 ited a large wampum belt and ex- 
 plained its use and the manner of keep- 
 ing the records of the Confederacy. 
 
 The second hre was that of the Cay- 
 ugas. They were the custodians of 
 the Ah-so qua-ta, the peace pipe The 
 Cayugas were designed at the council 
 tires as the So-raus-ho-gwa-to-war 
 which signifies the great pipe. In 
 addition to the apple and peach orchards 
 and clearings of corn were large 
 fields of cultivated tobacco surround- 
 ing the Cayuga castles or settlements. 
 It was their right to apply the lighted 
 brand from the council fire to the cal- 
 umet at the national council. Tbe 
 smoking of the peace pipe and the 
 passing of it around the circle from 
 hand to hand was the preliminary or 
 formal method of opening all councils. 
 In the general council it went first to 
 the Onondagas and came around to 
 the Cayugas last in whose keeping it 
 remained until the next council. The 
 rudely drawn figure of a calumet placed 
 opposite the names of their chiefs was 
 their official signature and it was their 
 totam and their insignia as a nation. 
 
 Upon one side of the council fire 
 
42 
 
 were hung the Onondagas, Seneca and 
 
 Mohawks for tbey were the fathers of 
 
 the league, on the other side were the 
 
 Cayugas, Oneidas and Tnscaroras for 
 
 they were brothers but children of 
 
 the first three. The Cayugas were 
 
 formerly a part of the Seneca nation at 
 
 some remote time in the dim recesses 
 
 of tradition in which the early trail of 
 
 the Cayugas are lost. When the Seneca 
 
 hunting grounds around the Genesee 
 
 became too thickly settled for easy 
 
 snbsistance a band under the leadership 
 
 of some favorite chief migrated to the 
 
 outlet of Cayuga lake. In time they 
 
 grew in numbers and became distinct. 
 
 They were formerly known under the 
 
 title of the Gwe-u-gwek-o-no which 
 
 means the people of the mucky land. 
 
 This referred to the Montezuma 
 
 marshes where their first settlements 
 
 were made. The Oneidas in a like 
 
 manner were originally a part of the 
 
 Mohawks and became a distinct nation 
 
 in a similar manner. 
 
 Few who to-day occupy the lands 
 that formerly belonged to the Six 
 Nations realize the extent to which 
 they carried their couquests outside of 
 their home territories. The limits of 
 this paper will admit of but one ex- 
 tract or two from well known writers. 
 Morgan in his league of the Iroquois 
 says, ''No frightful solitude in the 
 wilderness, no impregnable recess in 
 the frozen north was proof against 
 their courage and daring. By the 
 year 1700 they had subdued and held 
 in subjection all the principal nations 
 which occupied the States of New York, 
 Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, 
 PennBylama, Virginia, Ohio, Ken- 
 tucky, Northern Tennessee, Illinois, 
 Indiana, Michigan, a portion of the 
 New England states and a principal 
 part of Canada. Over these nations 
 the haughty and imperious Iroquois 
 exercised a constant supervision. 
 
 Chauncey M. Depew in his centen- 
 nial address at the hundredth anniver- 
 sary of the State of New York referred 
 to this incident. A tribe of Manhat- 
 tans had sold some of their lands to 
 the white settlers without the consent 
 ofjthe Iroquois, this was contrary to 
 their agreement. A single Mohawk 
 
 warrior was sent as an envoy to attend 
 to it. Summoning the offending tribe 
 to a council he asRed to have the Chief 
 that was responsible for the transaction 
 pointed out to him. He thereupon 
 buried his tomahawk in his brain 
 scalped him and hanging his still bleed- 
 ing scalp to his girdle strode out from 
 the terrified and submissive assembly." 
 DeWitt Clinton says of them, "They 
 were the Komans of the west. Their 
 conquests if we consider their numbers 
 and circumstances were not inferior to 
 that of Rome itself. They ran in con- 
 quest further than the Greek arms ever 
 carried and to distances which Rome 
 surpassed only in the days of its cul- 
 minating glory. 
 
 On November 6. 1768 the boundary 
 line between the Six Nations and the 
 State of New York, New Jersey, 
 Pennsylvania, and Virginia was fixed 
 by a treaty at Fort Stanwix between 
 the officials of these states and the Six 
 Nations, on behalf of ourselves and 
 of our several dependent nations. The 
 Cayugas signed by their seal or totum 
 the crude drawing or picture of a cal- 
 umet. 
 
 The Cayugas though situated far 
 inland were so favored by nature that 
 they could by several water routes 
 ±hat centered in their territories 
 quickly assemble and go forward on 
 the warpath in any direction. Their 
 remote,secluded territories on ihe other 
 hand in the midst of a stupendous for- 
 est scenery would seem to be the ori- 
 ginal abode of sylvan happiness. 
 Their principal villages, settlements 
 and encampments were on both sides 
 of Cayuga lake. At the Canoga 
 Springs was their village of the name 
 Ca-no-geh signifing, oil on the waters. 
 The Spring was considered by the In- 
 dians to be possessed of medicine prop- 
 eries and capable of driving away cer- 
 tain evil spirits that brought disease. 
 Red Jacket was born near this spring 
 somewhere about the year 1750. His 
 mother was a Cayuga. The order of 
 descent in Indian lineage was through 
 the female line and although the father 
 was a Seneca the son of the mother 
 wa6 a Cayuga. You will find his 
 name signed to most of the Cayuga 
 
43 
 
 treaties. His title to the wolf clan was 
 from Mb mother and though called by- 
 some writers a prince of the turtle 
 clan because his father was of that 
 clan, an Indian would never call him 
 so. In the mile square reserved to O- 
 ja geght were a number of their burial 
 places. The Indian haB always had a 
 great veneration for the graves of his 
 fathers and it was a reproach to the 
 Cayugas that they did not retain even 
 a place to bury their dead. 
 
 Another village of the Cayugas was 
 Ge wa-ga mentis a promintory running 
 out. It was on the other side of the 
 lake near Union Springs A little 
 further south was (heir principal vil- 
 lage where the council house of the 
 Cayuga Nation was situated, Ga-ya- 
 ga an'- ha which means inclining down- 
 ward. It is said it refers to the re- 
 flection of heaven's dome in the waters, 
 another Indian word more fully ex- 
 pressing it being Ga o ya-di-o, where 
 the heavens rest upon the earth. On 
 the site of Ithaca was Ne-o dak he-at 
 meaning at the end of the lake. 
 Where Aurora is situated was De a- 
 wen dote, constant dawn. The Cay- 
 ugas were the keepers of the southern 
 gate of the Confederacy, a place where 
 all the rivers and trails came together 
 Ta- yo ga, at the forks. These names 
 show that the Cayugas were not in- 
 sensible to their beautiful surround- 
 ings. 
 
 Their name for the Seneca River 
 was Swa-geh, flowing away. This was 
 the name of the river from Seneca 
 lake until it empied into Lake On 
 tario. Coming up the river however it 
 was the Onondaga until Onondaga 
 lake was passed Cayuga river until 
 Cayuga lake was passed and then 
 Seneca River This point on the Sen- 
 eca river where we are gathered to- 
 night was the carrying place or por- 
 tage. It marked the somewhat elastic 
 boundaries between the Cayugas and 
 Senecas. The site of Seneca Falls 
 was called Sha se-once which means 
 swift flowing or tumbling waters. As 
 the principal trail of the Six Nations 
 also ran east and west through our 
 village it is probable that there has 
 never been a time since the Indians 
 
 inhabited this country that there has 
 not been a collection of bark cabins, 
 tepees or wigwams of ibis migratory 
 race scattered through the forests on 
 either Bide of the river at this point. 
 Numerous evidences were found here 
 of former Indian occupation. 
 
 Scoy yase west of us seems to have 
 been a cosmopolitan settlement com- 
 posed of migratory bands contributed 
 from all of the Six Nations. These as 
 they journeyed east or west on the 
 trail or carried around the rapids 
 pitched their habitation, tarried for 
 the fishing or social interchange. 
 There was always as a consequence 
 encampments all along the river. 
 
 Here in this very heart of nature 
 along these beautiful streams and 
 around this land locked expanse of 
 mirrored waters dwelt our predecessors 
 the Cayugas happy under the smile of 
 the Great Spirit. The waters were 
 teeming with fish and the forests with 
 game. They chase alternated with the 
 couucil. Ho-di os seh they called 
 them which signifies advisiug together. 
 There was their local festivals and ob- 
 servances as well as their general 
 gatherings at the Onondaga council 
 house. • 'If for instance the Cayugas 
 lost a sachem or chief, a runner was sent 
 out with belts of invitation to the 
 achems of the league and the peoples 
 at large to assemble around their coun- 
 cil fire. Aa soon as the runner had 
 reached the trails uf the Onondagas it 
 was taken up by them and circulated 
 through their nation and one of the 
 Onondagas fastest runner took up the 
 message and passed it on to the Oneidas 
 and they in a like manner to the nations 
 at the east. In the meantime another 
 Cayuga runner had reached Can a 
 di sa-ga the chief Seneca's village and 
 was it being circulated through the 
 Seneca's villages by their runners. 
 The belts and strings of wampum sent 
 out conveyed a message. The name 
 of the deceased calls for a council. 
 
 The name and appeal fell not in vain 
 upon the ears of the Iroquois. There 
 was a potency in the name itself 
 which none could resist. It pene- 
 trated every seclusion of ihe forest, 
 and reached every Ga-no-soh hunter 
 
44 
 
 upon the hillside, on the margin of 
 the lake, or in the deep solitudes of 
 the woods. No warrior, wise man or 
 chief failed to hear or withstand the 
 call. A principle within was addressed 
 which ever responded, respect and 
 veneration for the sachems of the 
 league." 
 
 For these councils, and the festivities 
 with which they were concluded the 
 Ho deno-san-nee ever retained a 
 passionate fondness. No inclemency of 
 season, nor remoteness of residence, 
 no frailty of age of sex offered im- 
 possible obstruction. To that hardy 
 spirit which induced the Iroquois to 
 traveraethe warpaths of the distant 
 south and west and to leave their hunt- 
 ing trailsupon the Potomac and the 
 Ohio, the distance to the council with- 
 in their immediate territories would 
 present no considerable hinderances. 
 From the Mohawk to the Genesee they 
 forsook their hnnting grounds and their 
 encampments and put themselves up- 
 onthe trail for the council fire. Old 
 men with gray hair and tottering steps, 
 young men in the vigor of youth, war- 
 riors inured to the hardships of in- 
 cessant strife, children looking out 
 upon life for the first time and women 
 with their infants enclosed in the ga- 
 oo-ha, baby*frauie, all performed the 
 journey with singular rapidity and en- - 
 durance. Prom every side they bent 
 their footsteps toward the council, and 
 when the day arrived, a large con- 
 course of warriors, chiefs, wise men 
 and sachems, from the most remote 
 as well as the subjacent parts of their 
 territory, greeted each other beside 
 the council fire of the Cayugas. 
 
 There was one pecularity of the 
 council only that the limits of this 
 article will permit calling attention 
 to and that is the ruling of the ma- 
 jority over the minority. No majority 
 could force the minority, that would 
 be the curtailing of their liberties. 
 They must all be, as they expressed it, 
 of one mind, otherwise everything fell 
 to the ground. When the Six Nations 
 went into council in regard to support- 
 ing the British in the Revolution the 
 Oneidas could not be brought to agree 
 with the majority. Hence all were at 
 
 liberty to do as they pleased. This 
 was true in the treaty of 1795 ceding 
 to the state the Cayuga Reservation. 
 Had O-ja-geght refused to go with the 
 majority the treaty could never have 
 been ratified. 
 
 People or classes of people seem to 
 leave their footprints upon the country 
 they inhabit. East of us the Puritans 
 left theirs, "upon the stream and rock 
 bound coast" where first they landed. 
 Nearer the Dutch left theirs about the 
 Hudson, a lordly yet a sleepy going 
 region. About and around Cayuga 
 .Lake has always rested a benign, pas- 
 toral, restful presence. It breathes of 
 hospitality and the open door of wel- 
 come. The summer clouds that curl 
 like a halo above it ever seem like the 
 vaporings that had just left the bowl 
 of the A6-o-qua-ta, the calumet, the 
 peace pipe of the Cayugas. Peace 
 and sweet content have ever hemmed 
 it in. 
 
 Thy surface wide, a glass, — transpar- 
 ent bright 
 The farther shore like rainbow tips 
 
 fades blue 
 In tender tints of a celestial hue 
 Yon bark like cockle shell so frail and 
 
 slight 
 Suspended floats ; blank space and 
 
 bright 
 The rich toned shadows fashion it 
 
 again 
 Reversed beneath thy burnished plain. 
 Submerged wide heavens down so 
 
 snowy .white 
 Draws magnet like each shade of 
 
 natives soul, 
 Fields square of meadow, hills of 
 
 mossy turf 
 The woodland mass, the tree trunks 
 
 gnarled girth 
 The worlds sharp struggle to some 
 
 selfish goal 
 Floats oft beyond horizons utmost 
 
 knowl 
 Becalmed lies every joy that is of 
 
 heaven or earth. 
 When the hazes of Indian summer 
 mantles our lovely lake, the fair 
 Cayuga wraps her robe of royal ty- 
 rian purple about her. Its shades 
 and tones are such as the most lordly 
 potentate of the east might envy. 
 
45 
 
 Their insignia that the Cayngas ever 
 kept suspended from the ridge pole of 
 their bark cabins or hung ever at hand 
 in the folds of the wigwam still casts 
 it6 spell. Like a white winged bene-, 
 diction the calumet curls its incense 
 above us. Ga-o-ya-de-o, the heavens 
 rest very near the earth. Almost all 
 we can hope for when we reach that 
 golden shore that lies beyond earth's 
 troubles lies spread before us here. 
 Peace quiet rest. 
 
 Note — The limits of this article 
 will not permit of the inserting of a 
 quantity of material relating to O-ja- 
 geght. There are a number of ex- 
 tracts from the diary of Thomas 
 Morris (son of Robert Morris) giving 
 
 a minute description of some inter- 
 esting ceremonies at Tioga Point, over 
 which O ja-geght presided, and his 
 (Thomas Morris') adoption into the 
 Six Nations, also to the delegates of 
 the fifty chiefs of the Iroquois to 
 Philadelphia at the instance of George 
 Washington and their subsequent con- 
 ference with O-ju-geght at Buffalo 
 Creek; all pointing to the great in- 
 fluence exercised by him over the 
 councils of the Six Nations, neither 
 can any reference be made to Logan 
 and other iuflueutial chiefs of the 
 Cayugas without making the article 
 too voluminous. 
 
 [L.S.] 
 
The Seneca Falls Fire Department 
 
 BY MAJ. PRYCE W. BAILEY. 
 
 Al' hough the village of Seneca Falls 
 was incorporated April 22, 1831, theie 
 are no records obtainable of the tran- 
 saction of an}' business under (hat act 
 until the year 1837. 
 
 Previous to 1832 it is presumable 
 that the fire protection of the village 
 consisted wholly of the bucket brigade. 
 Sometime in that year, according to 
 the memory oi our oldest fireman, 
 Mr. James Sanderson, the reliance on 
 the bucket only was, as decided by a 
 few of the energetic citizens of that 
 day, au ineffective fire department for 
 such a thriving community as Seneca 
 tails. So a few of these up to-date 
 youDg men managed to procure from 
 somewhere an engine of a very prim- 
 itive sort, as measured by the seeming 
 perfect engines of this day, no more so, 
 perhaps, than ours will appear to our 
 successors seventy years hence. 
 
 This engine was a square box with, 
 what appears to have been from the 
 description, a rotary action pump set 
 inside it, and from which a shaft ex- 
 tended outward to each side of tne box ; 
 windlass cranks were attached which 
 were operated by the firemen. The 
 rising main of the pump was a flexible 
 leather tube with a nuzzle on the top 
 end. The captain stood on the box 
 and directed the stream toward the 
 fire. The water was carried to the 
 machine by the bucket men, or women ; 
 the box Deing filled, the crank men 
 would pump until it was emptied, and 
 rest while it was again being filled. 
 This operation was repeated until the 
 emergency was passed by the complete 
 consumption of the structure. 
 
 The officers of this fiie company were 
 Captain, Henry Wolsey ; Lieut. Charles 
 L. Hoskins, brother-in-law to the 
 Captain and father of Mr. L. S. Hos- 
 kins : Dr. Thomas Swaby, a brother of 
 the late Dr. W. A. Swaby, was a mem 
 ber, A. N. Beardsley was also a 
 
 member. As a matter of note there 
 were no "city fathers" to provide a 
 home for, this powerful engine, so it 
 was, that, after the fire had consumed 
 all property within reach and the fire- 
 men had patted each other on the back 
 in congratulation over the excellent 
 service each had done and the bucket 
 brigade weary with their exertions, 
 all repaired to their homes leaving the 
 engine where it was last nsed. Per- 
 haps on the following day a fireman 
 more interested in the machine than 
 were his fellows, and possibly, with 
 more time than they, would drag it 
 into some backyard, there to remain 
 until again wanted to frighten a fire 
 and kindle enthusiasm. 
 
 All freeholders were, by law, re- 
 quired to keep on hand, for fire uses, 
 a number of leather or wooden buckets, 
 proportionate to their assessment on 
 the tax roll, and on an alarm being 
 rung were to report at the fire with 
 them whether in day or night. At 
 the fire two lines were formed, one, the 
 males, to pass up the buckets, the other, 
 the females to pass back the empty ones 
 to be again filled from the river, wells 
 or cisterns as the case required. 
 
 On the south side of Fall street 
 there were a number of residences, 
 where now is the block of stores ; these 
 were lower down than the present 
 sidewalk line, and their sole water 
 supply for all uses was the river ; the 
 water was drawn up by rope, bucket 
 and windlass For the north side of 
 the river, both business and residential 
 part, this was the source from which 
 water for fire protection was obtained. 
 The engine, after a fire on the north 
 side of Fall street, had been pat, by 
 the aforesaid interested one, in one of 
 the backyards in the rear of a cow 
 stable and, in the course of time and 
 the usual process of cleaning, the inside 
 of the stable, the engine became com- 
 
47 
 
 pletely buried under a warm coat of 
 manure. About this time, one boister- 
 ous windy evening the firemen were 
 congregated in one of the few village 
 grocery stores, when one observed 
 that this would be, or was a bad night 
 for a fire, and suggested that it would 
 be well to lo k for the engine; when 
 Dr. Tom Swaby spoke uu saying, 
 "Give yourst Ives no uneasiness on that 
 account gentlemen, for 1 already 
 have two men with dung forks hired 
 to go, in case of lire, aDd dig out the 
 engine as soon as the alarm is given." 
 With this a9surauce, the party gave no 
 further thought to the tempestuous 
 night nor to the possibility of danger 
 arising therefrom. This state of fire 
 department affairs presumably con- 
 tinued for the following four years. 
 
 The charter adopted by the Board of 
 Trustees in January of the year 1837, 
 provides for the organization of a fire 
 department. Article 53 of that instru- 
 ment authorizes the Board of Trustees 
 to require the inhabitants of the village 
 to provide and keep ready for instant 
 use a specified number of fire buckets. 
 
 Art. 54 says that the board shall pro- 
 cure fire engines and other apparatus 
 for the extinguishment of fires and 
 provide fit and secure houses and other 
 places for keeping and preserving tbe 
 same ; and they shall have power to 
 organize fire, hook, hose, ladder and 
 axe companies; to appoint during 
 their pleasure, a chief engineer, and 
 two assistant engineers of 'ie depart- 
 ment, and a competent number of able 
 and reputable inhabitants of said vil- 
 lage firemen to take the care and man- 
 agement of the engines and other ap- 
 paratus and implements used or pro- 
 vided for the extinguishment of fires; 
 also to make rules and regulations for 
 their government; and to impose such 
 reasonable fines and forfeitures upon 
 said firemen for a violation of the same 
 as they may deem proper ; aud, for in- 
 capacity, neglect of duty or misconduct 
 to remove them and appoint others in 
 their place. 
 
 Art. 56, Every firetnin who shall 
 have faithfully served as such, in said 
 village including as well as any period 
 before, as after the passage of this 
 
 act, ten consecutive years, shall be 
 hereafter exempt from serving in the 
 militia, except in ease of war, invasion 
 or insurrection ; and the evidence to 
 entitle nuch person to the exemption, 
 sis provided in this section, shnll be a 
 certificnte under the corporate se:d 
 signed by the president and clerk. 
 
 In July 1837, the board authorized 
 and accepted the organization of Fire 
 Engine Co. N,o. 2, to consist of forty 
 able and respectable men and by resol- 
 ution appointed William H. Arnett. 
 fireman, and Charles L Hoskins, 
 clerk, the following named persons 
 were chosen firemen : Jamos B G- 
 Downes, John W. Dickinson, Willi'im 
 R. Goetchins, John T. Andrews, W. A. 
 Sacket, H'nry Hayden and Edwin M. 
 Conklin. These constituted the nucleus 
 of a large and efficient fire company 
 not No. 2 Engine Co. only, but also of 
 the present splendidly equipped de- 
 partment of our village. 
 
 The intended organization of a larjre 
 department was clearly indicated in 
 the adopting of the articles of the 
 charter, in the appointment of a chief 
 engineer and assistants and defining 
 their duties, specifying the time for 
 the elec'ion of company officers, plac- 
 ing the companies under the command 
 of foremen and providing for the su- 
 pression of insubordination by the im- 
 position of a fine "f eight shillings for 
 each offense reported to the board by 
 the chief. 
 
 "Sextons of churches and watchmen 
 of shops were appointed firemen, who 
 when a fire occurs, to repair with all 
 haste to the churches and shops and 
 diligently rin^ the bells thereof until 
 the danger is passed." Six persons 
 from the firemen shall be appointed 
 Axe Men, to take charge of the axes, 
 and, on presentation of a certificate of 
 the foreman to the effect that they 
 have good axes, the board shall pay 
 each man twelve shillings Thoy are 
 to attend at all fires with their axes 
 and shall, be under the direction of 
 the trustees and fire wardens, or any 
 three of them, They shall cut down 
 and remove any building, erection or 
 fence for the cheesing of the progress 
 of the fire. Any axe men failing to 
 
48 
 
 attend with bis axe or refusing to 
 obey the orders of the officers in com- 
 mand shall pay a fine of $1 00. Axe 
 men are exempt from cleaning com- 
 mittee and working on engine". 
 
 A further expansion of the depart- 
 ment was begun by the board in 1838, 
 to the extent of detailing a sufficMit 
 number of men from among the Bre- 
 men to take the. care and management 
 of the honks, ladders and implements 
 for aiding in the extinguishment of 
 fires. They shall be exempt from 
 other fire duties but fhall be under 
 the command of a foreman. The 
 above implements are to be kept in a 
 secure place designated by the presi- 
 dent, and 9hall be inspected once each 
 month by the chief engineer 
 
 The companies as above designated 
 shall be known as Hook & Ladder 
 Co. No. 1, Axe Co. No. 1, Engine 
 Co. No. 2. All companies hereafter 
 organized shall take numbers next 
 above in their order. 
 
 All citizens, when a fire occurs in 
 the night, are ordered to place a 
 lighted candle at the front door or 
 window of their residences, where it 
 Bhall remain until the fire is ex- 
 tinguished and the firemen return. 
 
 Any person who may repair to a 
 fire, shall be obedient to the orders of 
 the chief engineer iu the extinguish- 
 ment of fires and removal of goods. 
 A refusal to obey will be punished by 
 the imposition of a fine of five dollars 
 (85.00) - 
 
 At fires a trustee shall wear a white 
 band on his hat. The chief engineer 
 shall wear a leather cap painted white, 
 with a gilded front and the word 
 "Chief" painted thereon. He shall 
 also carry a speaking trumpet painted 
 black, with "Chief" painted in white 
 thereon. 
 
 A foreman of an Engine Co. when 
 on duty shall wear a black leather cap 
 with white front piece with the word 
 "Foreman" and number of engine 
 painted in black thereon. 
 
 A foreman of the H. and L Co. shall 
 wear a cap like that prescribed for 
 engine foreman, with number of com- 
 pany and his initials on front piece. 
 
 A foreman of a hose company shall 
 
 wear a cap like that prescribed for H. 
 & L foreman. 
 
 A foreman of the axe company shall 
 wear a cap like that prescribed for H. 
 & L. foreman except that an axe shall 
 be painted in black on the front piece. 
 It is made a duty of the chief to report 
 all violations of these ordinances to the 
 Board of Trustees. 
 
 Constables are required to watch 
 out for fires and to give alarms, 
 keep the street numbers of the chiefs 
 and their assistants conspiciously posted 
 in the watch house ; and when an alarm 
 is sounded notify these persons at once ; 
 also to watch the premises after the 
 engines have returned to their houses 
 after the fire is distinguished. 
 
 B.y resolution of the board, George 
 H. Mculary was appoiuted chief en- 
 gineer in the v ear 1887. Mr MoClary 
 who had the honor of the first appoint- 
 ment as chief was a noted manufacturer 
 of that day and owned and conducted a 
 foundry and machine shop on the pro- 
 perty now occupied by the Ingersoll 
 paper mill. 
 
 ihe No. 2 engine was purchased 
 from Lewis Seelye, a builder of these 
 goods at Rochester, N. Y. The engine, 
 Hook & Ladder, Axe and Hose com- 
 panies were housed on a lot owned by 
 Ansel Bascom, situated between the 
 Seneca House Bnd thejavine on Bayard 
 street (opposite the present house of 
 No. 3 steamer.) Mr. Bascom stipu- 
 lated that the house was to be moved 
 off if the lot should be sold. 
 
 Ansel N. Beardsley was appointed 
 foreman of the combined H. & L and 
 Axe companies in August, 1837. One 
 month later Silas Hewitt was made a 
 firemau and appointed foreman of the 
 above combination, vice Beardsley, de- 
 clined. During trie year 1837, the fol- 
 lowing named were appointed firemen 
 and attached to No. 2 Eugine company. 
 James A Adair, Joshua Martin, Geo. 
 Edson, John Kucrr, William P Pollard, 
 Charles Lowry, Frank P. Latham, 
 Jacob Clark, H. C. Silsby, Stephen 
 Bishop, William L McKee, John H. 
 Wheeler. O. A. Campbell, C- S. Hos- 
 kins, O. C. Watson, H. O Clark, 
 George Hocknell, Ira A. McBain, Al- 
 fred S. Miller, J. B. Johnson, George 
 
49 
 
 Stecher, Jacob H. Oorl, George Hall, 
 John Crosset, W. 8. Finley, P. Van 
 Ness, Ira Stockman, Seth A. Thomas, 
 Richard Stradder, E. J. Thomas, S. B. 
 Westcott. 
 
 In June 1838, the Captain of No. 2 
 was authorized to procure a hose cart 
 for his company ; this is the first men- 
 tion of a vehicle for this purpose. 
 The small quantity of hose that had 
 been in use was carried on the engine ; 
 but when Captain Arnett was ordered 
 to purchase 150 feet of new hose at a 
 price not to exceed $180, it beeame 
 necessary to have a more convenient 
 place than the deck of the engine to 
 carry it. 
 
 In order to meet the expense of this 
 unusual increase of the department the 
 following; gentlemen advanced $10.50 
 each: Ebenezer Ingalls, William H. 
 King, Silas Keeler, Henry Wolsey, 
 C. L. Hoskins, William L. Gaylord, 
 J. Bennett & Co., Edward S. Latham, 
 Shelton Wood, Mathias B. Bellows, 
 John S. Gay, Garrett V. Sacket They 
 were reimbursed with interest 
 
 The hose cart was made by Van 
 Ness & Willet at a cost of $34.00. 
 The tax budget for this year has an 
 item of $100.00 to be raised for the 
 improvement of the fire department. 
 
 In March of this year George H. 
 McClary was removed from the posi- 
 tion of chief engineer and Edward S. 
 Latham was appointed to the vacancy. 
 In July, 1839, Samuel Reeve, W. B. 
 Lathrop, William Cain, Henry Sey- 
 mour, Obadiah Latham, W. P. Gay- 
 lojd, D. Sacket, were appointed fire- 
 men of No. 2 Engine Co. 
 
 In September a motion prevailed in 
 the board of trustees to disband the 
 H. & L. Co. until suitable and proper 
 apparatus is obtained, and George 
 Hocknell was appointed and author- 
 ized to procure proper implements for 
 the company. They seem to have 
 been procured by Henry Hocknell at a 
 billed cost of $23.69. 
 
 Ira Stowell was appointed to the 
 H. & L. Co. and Wm. E. Williams to 
 the Engine Co. 
 
 The H. & L. Co. seems to have been 
 a troublesome member of the depart- 
 ment from the day of its organization. 
 
 In February of the year 1840, J. S. 
 Bristol was appointed to make a 
 thorough investigation of the H. & L. 
 and report. His report was probably 
 an oral one, for in this same month 
 there were additional bills to toe 
 amount of $102.65 presented and paid 
 for, on account of H. & L. wagon. 
 Captatn Hewitt was directed to find a 
 place to store the present unfinished 
 and imperfect wagon and implements. 
 
 In November of this year Edward 
 S- Latham and George H. McClary 
 were appointed as a committee to 
 have the H. & L. wagon oompleted 
 and procure a house for it. The com- 
 mittee did its work and the wagon was 
 housed near the Franklin House. 
 
 In February of this year, 1841, the 
 following bills were audited and paid : 
 Edward S. Latham to material and 
 labor, H. & L. house, $44.46 ; Silas 
 Hewitt to ladder, $3 00 ; C. D. Myn- 
 derse, to ropes, etc., $16.88. 
 
 In January, 1842, the H & L. Co. 
 is ordered to parade with its apparatus 
 on the first Thursday of each month, 
 and is repuired to put its apparatus in 
 good serviceable order under pain of 
 disbandment. The result of these or- 
 ders we find a resolution passed by the 
 board in July, disbanding the H. & L. 
 Co. and its members be given certifi- 
 cates for the time served. 
 
 This year marks the extinction of 
 one company and the birth of another. 
 On the 25th of July, 1842, Rescue En- 
 gine Co. No. 3 was organized for the 
 purpose as given in the application of 
 its officers to the board of trustees for 
 acceptance, ''to aid more effectually in 
 carrying into operation an act estab- 
 lishing a fire department in the village 
 of Seneca Falls. 
 
 The names presented to the board 
 were R. G. Noyes, Arza L. Burrit. 
 Jas. Sanderson, Jr., Wm. H. Arnett, 
 C. Kenyon, George R. Chase, W. B. 
 Maynard, Charles Platten, John W. 
 Conklin, David R. Gould, Chas. B. 
 Keeler, Isaac VanTassell, Thomas 
 Carr, John Leach, John C. Lace, Geo. 
 A. VanCleef, Wm. Keith. James 
 Dennison, Bayard Miller, Wm. Clark, 
 F. J. Mills, Stephen Baker, Alfred 
 Wood, H. J. Elliot, Wm. Langworthy, 
 
50 
 
 Washburn Race, D. C. Bloomer. J. V- 
 Chamberlain, A. E. Chamberlain, I. 
 H. Arnett, John H. Davis, O. S Lat. 
 ham, James N. Underbill, H. Quacken- 
 bush. M. H. Chrysler, James Bellows, 
 D. V. Sacket, John Miller. Claience 
 Twist, A. K. Townsend, F. F. Carr, 
 Edward Mynderse, David Cole, E. J. 
 Tyler. Walstein Failing, M. J. Smith, 
 Isaac Pitcher, W. Magary, C. E. 
 Wheeler, Peter A. D«y, Eugene Hern- 
 don, Barney Travis, J. H. Cool, Joseph 
 Oborn, Henry Carpenter, S. D. 
 Woodhull, Smith Briggs, C. C. Cole- 
 man, Gabriel Scott. 
 
 This company was accepted by the 
 board of trustees and an engine house 
 was established on Canal street in the 
 rear of the Baptist church. A little 
 later the company was reorganized and 
 strengthened, and, by resolution of the 
 board an offer of $485 was made for 
 the engine house. The next move 
 toward properly housing the company 
 which was made was the appointment 
 of a committee consisting of Silas 
 Hewitt, O. S Latham and J. P. Fair- 
 child to select a proper site for a house 
 in the 2nd ward (at this time the vil- 
 lage was divided into two wards, the 
 north side of the river being the 1st). 
 A site was selected by this committee 
 near the southeast corner of Bridge and 
 Bayard streets. A house was built 
 thereon, costing $288. Mr. O. B. 
 Latham was the builder. 
 
 As before stated, the engine No. 2 
 was built by Lewis Seelye of Roch- 
 ester ;so No. 2 wanted a machine equally 
 asjgood and, if possible, a little better. 
 So in May 1844 the board asked for an 
 appropriation of $500.00 to pay for a 
 machine. William H. King was ap- 
 pointed, a committee to inquire into 
 the merits of engines now made ; after 
 receiving Mr. King's report, the presi- 
 dent was authorized to contract with 
 Mr. Seelye for an engine like that he 
 had built for No. 2, at a price of $800- 
 The chief engineer is again ordered 
 to inspect the H. & L outfit and re- 
 port its condition. In April, 1845 is 
 made the first mention of a reservoir, 
 this is in a resolution of the board ap- 
 pointing a committee to notify Mr. 
 Asa Fuller of the faulty condition of 
 
 the one built by him in the first ward. 
 Reference is also made to a hydrant at 
 the Stone Mill through the payment of 
 the bill of William Burtless for repair- 
 ing it. 
 
 Again in June, 1845. George Hock- 
 nell and J. W. Dickinson are appointed 
 to examine the condition of the hooks, 
 poles and ladders of the H. & L. outfit. 
 Birdsall Holly, the inventor of the 
 eliptical rotary pump and engine which 
 contributed more largely to making 
 Seneca Falls a world wide celebrated 
 fire apparatus building village, than 
 any other event, was appointed a fire- 
 man in September 1846. 
 
 In October 1847, President J. K. 
 Brown and Jr P. Fairchild were auth- 
 orized by the board to purchase a lot 
 for No. 3 engine house and to con- 
 tract for the moving of the house. 
 
 At the annual meeting of the de- 
 partment, William H. Arnett was 
 designated chief and was instructed to 
 use his influence with the board to in- 
 duce it to accept the H. & L. Co. as a 
 member of the department. 
 
 In May, 1848, $40.00 was appro- 
 priated for the two engine companies, 
 to be paid in quarterly installments of 
 $5 00 to each company. It Is to be 
 justly presumed that this pittance was 
 to cover the cost of the supplies only. 
 During this year, No. 3 went through 
 the process of reorganization for the 
 purpose of weeding out the worthless 
 members. The records show that, 
 during the six years of its existence, it 
 had performed a deal of arduous duty 
 under many discouraging conditions, 
 such as non-attendance at the regular 
 meetings, the impossibility to collect 
 fines and dues from the negligent and 
 insubordinate members, ho it was re- 
 solved to disband and reorganize under 
 the following pledge, to wit, "We the 
 undersigned do hereby agree to live up 
 to our code of by-laws made for our 
 internal government; and we do further 
 pledge ourselves to be guided by them 
 in all cases, initiation, fines, etc, ete, 
 Thomas Carr, E. Norcott, Byron 
 Beebe. D C. Bloomer, E. J. Tyler, 
 George Hall, C. C. Brown, James 
 Bellows, William Wilbur, C. C. 
 Coleman, W. H. Foster, Walton Jones, 
 
51 
 
 Charles J. MoKee, James H. Underhill, 
 Greorge Stevenson, John F. Wheeler, 
 C. B. Keeler, Jr., H. Hadley, B. Aspell, 
 Thomas Lusk, T. J. Crosby, William 
 Crawford, Robert R. Perry, E. Craw- 
 ford, Charles Twist, Samuel A. Steven- 
 son, H. W. Seymour, Henry Bellows, 
 John Leach, William Gunn, Bradley 
 Miller, Leonard Egleston, "William 
 Arnett, Walstein Failing, G- R. Chaee, 
 A E. Chamberlain. 
 
 A new uniform was adopted as fol- 
 lows : Hat of glazed oil silk, red flannel 
 shirt, dark trousers with India rubber 
 buttons. 
 
 No. 3's records. "We were chal- 
 lenged by No. 2 and we beat them to 
 death." Thus giving evidence of the 
 effect of the recent re-organization and 
 the weeding out of the company all of 
 the unserviceable material. 
 
 In April the taxpayers meeting voted 
 $100 for contingent fund, and $150 
 for new hose, and directed Chief Ar- 
 nett to sell all old hose and apply the 
 proceeds to the purchase of additional 
 new hose. In July the No. 3 engine 
 was moved to a lot on Cayuga street, 
 a part of the Daniels property, and 
 adjoining what is now Story's store- 
 house. 
 
 Again in April of this year, 1850, 
 an appropriation of $200 is asked for, 
 to be applied to the purchase of a new 
 H. & L. wagon. 
 
 The recently adopted new charter 
 mates it obligatory for the chief and 
 his assistants to see that H. & L. ap- 
 paratus is always in order for instant 
 use ; also to command at all fires until 
 the flames are extinguished ; and they 
 are empowered to compel obedience on 
 the part of all subordinate officers on 
 pain of suspension of the offender and 
 to appoint one to supersede the sus- 
 pended one and report his action to the 
 board at its next meeting. 
 
 In June of this year the chief was 
 ordered to report the condition of No. 
 3 engine, state its requirements for 
 putting it in good serviceable order ; 
 this report was evidently made at once 
 because at the next meeting of the board 
 he was directed to send the suction 
 hose of this engine to New York to be 
 repaired. In August the suction hose 
 
 was received repaired at a cost of 
 $59 75. So we are left with the im- 
 pression that the engine was deprived 
 of its suction hose for at least one 
 month. 
 
 In March 1851, Carlton W. Seeley 
 was paid $12.50 for barn storage of 
 the H. & L. outnt. A committee con- 
 sisting of Messr3. Thomas Carr and 
 James Bellows made an oral report of 
 the present condiiion of that apparatus 
 that was continuously rising to trouble 
 the board. 
 
 The brothers, Henry and Perry 
 Stowell were appointed firemen in 
 April 1851. 
 
 In June, H. W. Seymour and Bellows 
 were appointed to inquire into the 
 condition of the fire department fund 
 in order to ascertain whether it would 
 warrant the purchase of new hose for 
 the engines. 
 
 In September Thomas Carr super- 
 ceded W. H. Arnett as chief of the 
 fire department. 
 
 On October 12, 1852, the whole fire 
 department turned out to attend the 
 funeral of Stilman Brim, a brother of 
 A. W. Brim. 
 
 In February, 1852, the H. & L. com- 
 pany, or rather, the outfit, comes up 
 again in the appointment of a com- 
 mittee to ascertain the approximate cost 
 of putting the implements in order for 
 use ; in response to the report, the 
 committee is empowered to procure 
 ropes, etc, and provide a building to 
 keep them in. 
 
 In June, 1854 the Board of Trustees 
 relaxed its tight grip on the money 
 bags and voted the magnificent sum of 
 $50 for the proper celebration of Inde- 
 pendence day by the fire department. 
 
 A special tax meeting was called in 
 this month, in response to the prayers 
 of a largely signed petition, for the pur- 
 pose of voting the sum of $2,800 to be 
 applied to the purchase of two first- 
 class, 12 inch cylinder, engines with all 
 modern improvements, and 1,000 feet 
 of best quality hose. As a matter of 
 course the appropriation carried with a 
 rush, because, at about this time, the 
 active rivalry of competing builders of 
 fire engines, had given a sudden im- 
 petus to a spirit of strife for excellence 
 
52 
 
 od the part of the fire companies 
 throughout the country, by the pre- 
 senting of cheap prizes to be competed 
 for, with their engines. So, the fire- 
 men of Seneea Falls desired to be put 
 in possession of nothing short of the 
 best, and, as the spirit of strife was 
 rampant, the companies increased their 
 membership until they embraced the 
 adult male population of the village. 
 
 The necessity for properly organized 
 and drilled hose men became more ap- 
 parent, and action was taken by the 
 board ordering that twenty men be 
 detached from each engine company 
 and drilled as hose men by a com- 
 petent officer. This action of the au- 
 thorities led to the forming of a hose 
 company in April, 1854, which was 
 named Yankee Hose Co. Its first 
 foreman was Charles J. Martin, who 
 held the position a short time and was 
 succeeded by William H. Pollard. 
 
 In August, 1850, the Continental 
 Engine Company was accepted by the 
 village and was designated "Con- 
 tinental No. 1." This company took 
 the better of the two old engines. 
 
 The two new engines made by But- 
 ton & Co. of Waterford, N. Y., were 
 delivered in August and were accepted 
 provided certain necessary alterations 
 were made in them. The president 
 was then authorized to order from 
 Button & Co. two hose carts at a price 
 of $298 for the two, if three trumpets 
 for the chief and his assistants could be 
 gotten ir the transaction. We got the 
 carts. 
 
 For the following two years the 
 trustees were seemingly kept busy au- 
 diting bills for alterations and repairs 
 to the engines and hose carts, but all 
 such bills were charged to the account 
 of Button & Co. and were presumably 
 allowed by them in the final settle- 
 ment. 
 
 In iebruary, 1856, $100 was voted 
 for a reservoir fund. The chief was 
 directed to ascertain if the old red 
 storehouse could be rented for Conti- 
 nental Engine Co. This company had 
 taken the old engine of No. 2, and the 
 president was requested to advertise 
 the No. 3 engine as for sale. In May 
 of this year E. J. Tyler was ordered to 
 
 purchase 200 feet of good hose for No. 
 1 from Button & Co. 
 
 In October Chief Lucius C. Glubo, 
 father of the late ex-senator Gibbn, or 
 dered out the three engine compti>ie3 
 to play for prizes. At this honin 
 tournament No. 1 captured the first 
 prize by running wiih their engine 
 twenty rods, attaching the suction 
 hose and throwing water through fifty 
 feet of hose in 1 minute, 25 seconds. 
 This was considered an excellent ex- 
 hibition of the celerity of action and 
 perfect drill of the company. 
 
 H. W. Seymour was appointed chief 
 vice Gibbs who had left town in 
 November. On December 28, 1855, 
 the whole department turned out to at- 
 tend the funeral of ex-chief Gibbs, 
 who had been accidentally killed at 
 Whitehall, N. Y. 
 
 On February 12, 1856, in tax meet- 
 ing the citizens voted an appropriation 
 of $200 for reservoirs and ordered that 
 two be built during the year. 
 
 In May of this year the old No. 3 
 engine and the village hearse were 
 put up at auction sale. J. H. Cool 
 bought the engine at $100. There 
 being no one present who thought he 
 needed a hearse it was not sold. 
 
 In August, 1856, E. Edson was 
 awarded a contract to build two reser- 
 voirs at $70 each. 
 
 Continental Engine Co. was au- 
 thorized to have such alterations made 
 in their engine as will permit the water 
 to be taken in at the front part of the 
 machine. 
 
 In September, in preparation for a 
 great water throwing tournament, so 
 called, the three engines were put in 
 the best possible condition at Cowing 
 & Co.'s works, which had Mr. H. W. 
 Seymour, a thorough fireman, as super- 
 intendent. 
 
 Following the improvement of No. 1 
 engine it became necessary to increase 
 its membership for although the en- 
 gine was classed as No. 2, its cylinders 
 had been enlarged to such an extent as 
 to be but 18 inch less in diameter than 
 the first class engines, so the company 
 presented to the trustees for acceptance 
 the following list of names: George 
 Stevenson, Win. W. Norton, C. B. 
 
53 
 
 Randolph, Charles Parker, J. M. Gil- 
 ford, T. J. Robinson, R. Ridley, B. F. 
 Peck, A. S. Auld, Thomas Burtnett, 
 C. B. Brusie, Hiram Almy, George 
 Niles, John Youngs, Randolph Hewitt, 
 John McArthur, Charles Davis, L. W. 
 Fisher. Wm. VanKirk, Charles Rinker, 
 Peter Feeck, jr., Maynard Stout, Oscar 
 Moore, George Cowing, J. Y. Churc- 
 hill, C. W. Coleman, G. A. Schyler, 
 William Wilson, Garrett Bogart, J. S. 
 Moore, LewiB Tripp, R. Miller, Henry 
 Manwarring, Richard Curran. 
 
 On Auguat 22, 1857, it is recorded 
 that, the annual meeting of the hre 
 department was held in Good Tem- 
 plars hall of the Woodworth block, 
 northeast corner of Ovid and Bayard 
 streets. 
 
 In April 1858, the No. 3 engine 
 house was rented to a Miss Sanborn, 
 to use as a school house, for six 
 shillings per week. 
 
 An annual department meeting was 
 held in Concert Hall, now Ryan's 
 furniture repository, on August 22, 
 1858, for the purpose of selecting a 
 chief; because of some disagreement. 
 Captain W. R. Goetchius of No. 2 
 marched his men ont of the ball. 
 Those remaining elected Jacob H. 
 Corl to the position. Corl declined to 
 accept. The situation regarding the 
 matter was reported to the president 
 who tnen appointed Edwin J. Tyler to 
 the place. Tyler filled the position for 
 two months only whin Simon W. Ar- 
 nett was appointed to fill out the re- 
 mainder of the year but who filled the 
 place acceptably until 1867. 
 
 On October 6. 1859, the department 
 consisting of ''Continental" ;No. 1, 
 "Seneca Chief" No. 2, "Rescue" No. 3 
 and Yankee Hose No. 1 passed in re- 
 view before the president and chief, and 
 afterwards gave exhibitions in water 
 throwing, and returned to their quar- 
 ters ; in the evening had a grand torch 
 light parade. 
 
 A report of a committee made to the 
 Board of Trustees relative to the pur- 
 chase of the "Livery Stable" premises, 
 which had been made by the board of 
 the preceeding year, showed that a lot 
 could be purchased and a brick engine 
 house built thereon for $800 less than 
 
 the livery stable purchase could be 
 fitted up for. The committee recom- 
 mended the repudiation of the pur- 
 chase and that the amount now paid 
 be charged off to profit and loss. The 
 matter was referred back to the com- 
 mittee with instructions to make the 
 best terms possible. The aftair was 
 amicably settled after a time. The 
 livery stable referred to, is the old 
 building on the east side of Bridge 
 street opposite the Franklin House 
 barn. 
 
 Soon afterwards a lot was bought 
 for $175 by the committee, and the 
 foundation for the future building, and 
 the reservoir 25x18x5 1-2 deep was 
 contracted for $169 and the work ad- 
 vanced with rapidity. On February 5, 
 1860, Silsby, Mynderse & Co.. sub- 
 mitted to the trustees a proposal to fur- 
 nish the village a small steam fire 
 engine, to be drawn by men for the 
 sum of $2,500 and also proposed to 
 furnish an engineer to run it at fires, 
 and keep the engine in repair for one 
 year for an additional sum of $150. 
 Both propositions were submitted to 
 the annual tax meeting which was 
 held in March, and both the bids were 
 accepted ; and a farther appropriation of 
 $885 for ^department maintainance was 
 voted. In May, the steamer was de- 
 livered. The trustees ordered that it 
 be kept in the house of No. 1, and 
 that engine companies Nos. 1 and 3 be 
 consolidated into one company of sixty- 
 seven men ; and the No. 2 engine 
 offered for sale. 
 
 In November 1860, No. 2 engine 
 company disbanded and gave up their 
 engine to the village after an eventful 
 existence of twenty three years. 
 
 On the morning of January 21, 1861 
 Captain W. R. Goetchius was found 
 drowned in the Dey race near the 
 present location of the Climax Specialty 
 Co's Works. He had been the fore- 
 man of the No. 2 engine company for 
 eighteen years He mas a model fire- 
 man of those early days, faithful to 
 every trust, loyal to his comrades and 
 a vigilant, indefatigable foreman who 
 preferred the captaincy of his company 
 to promotion to a higher grade to 
 which he had many times been urged. 
 
64 
 
 In March of this year, the trustees 
 recommended the appropriation of 
 $3,100 for the purpose of building two 
 engine houses, one on each side of the 
 river; but the recommendation was 
 not favored by the taxpayers and it was 
 voted down. 
 
 In May 1861 the Board of Trustees 
 resolved to i&sue exemption certificates 
 to all firemen who volunteer for the 
 war ; this was the practice for the 
 succeeding four years. 
 
 In August 1861, a company was 
 organized and accepted under the 
 name of Excelsior Hose, No, 3. The 
 following named persons composed the 
 company : John Arnett, Theodore Pel- 
 hani, Patrick Burns, Owen Burns, 
 M. McOabe, M. L. Waldo. William 
 Burns, Michael Knight, D. T. Kneath, 
 Thomas Mackin, Edward Riley, Pat- 
 rick Sullivan, R. Sawyer, Thomas 
 Markey, Thomas Yoe, Thomas Mc 
 Grain, Joseph Adams, Charles Mar- 
 shall. The life of this company was a 
 short one. A majority of the members 
 were in the army or navy inside of 
 six months after the company was 
 organized. 
 
 In October the department turned 
 out to attend the funeral of Corporal 
 McClure, a member of a recruiting 
 squad for the regular army, who had 
 been murdered in the village. 
 
 In February, 1862, the board formed 
 a plan to raise $2,000 from taxes and 
 add to it $1,500 from the general fund 
 for the purpose of building a brick en- 
 1 gine house on the north side of the 
 river; four months thereafter a con- 
 tract was let to Edward S. Latham to 
 build a house in accordance with plans 
 submitted by him for the sum of 
 $1,694. 
 
 In April, 1863, a contract was let to 
 Kirby & VanGorder to build a brick 
 engine house on the south side of the 
 river for the sum of $1,289; as a 
 rfisexvoir and_iojindaiicm for this build- 
 ing was already made. The No. 3 
 engine company, Henry Churchill, 
 foreman, took formal possession of 
 this house in August, 1863. 
 
 In November, 1864, Chief Thomas 
 Carr reported to the trustees that he 
 had sold the No. 2 engine to the vil- 
 
 lage of Groton, N. Y., for the sum of 
 $500. 
 
 A third attempt to maintain an H. & 
 L company was made in January 1866, 
 by appointing twenty men for this 
 purpose to serve nnder the command 
 of the foreman of Yankee Hose, No. 1 . 
 From this time to 1868 there was no 
 extraordinary activity, nor many 
 changes in the department. 
 
 The year 1868, was a busy year 
 caused largely by a series of supposed 
 incendiary fires. In February of that 
 year the authorities voted to purchase 
 a second steamer which in July was 
 delivered to the No. 3 company. It 
 was christened "Phoenix." JamesDes- 
 mond was appointed engineer. In 
 order to be up to-date and in readiness, 
 a bed was ordered for the No. 3 engine 
 house and the engineer was supposed to 
 occupy it. All of this preparation and 
 precaution was followed up by the offer- 
 ing of a reward of $500 for the arrest 
 and conviction of the person or per- 
 sons who had burned so many build- 
 ings. One per3on was caught in the 
 act of setting fire to the building across 
 the canal from the Phoenix Mills, but 
 the meshes of the law were too large 
 to hold him for conviction. But the 
 incendiarism was checked. 
 
 In January 1869, a movement was 
 made to consolidate the engine and 
 hose companies to forty members, in 
 order' to increase the efficiency of the 
 department, and, at the same time re- 
 duce the expense of maintainance. 
 This movement seems to have awasened 
 some insubordination in the department 
 which, in April brought out a report, 
 from a special committee of trustees on 
 fire department affairs, which con- 
 cluded with a recommendation that the 
 volunteer organizations, in so far as 
 the steamer companies were concerned 
 be abolished, and a paid fire depart- 
 ment of two companies be established 
 and maintained. The committees re- 
 port was accepted aDd its recommend- 
 ations were adopted by the trustees. 
 
 By authority of the board, President 
 H. C. Burt bought the house and land 
 adjoining the No. 3 house for the sum 
 of $546, and ordered a barn and stable 
 for the horses which Messrs. Hoag and 
 
55 
 
 Jewett had bought for the department, 
 built thereon. 
 
 In 1871 Moses Rumsey bought the 
 old No 3 engine for the sum of $450. 
 On October 1, 1874, the "Red 
 Rover" Engine Co. was organized as a 
 part of the village fire department to 
 operate in the part of the village called 
 ' 'Rumsey ville" only, except iu emer- 
 gencies, provided that the authorities 
 turned over to the company the old en- 
 gine, hose carl and hose. John Mc- 
 Bride was chosen president, William 
 Walker secretary ahd O. F. Cole fore- 
 man. Forty-seven men joined the 
 company. From this time the com 
 pany grew until it embraced a large 
 portion of the male adalts of the vil- 
 lage who had not previously earned 
 exemption through service. In 1884 
 it changed its name from "Red Rover" 
 to "Gleason Fire Patrol." In 1886 
 the authorities of the village ordered 
 the members who resided east of Wal- 
 nut street, to, in case of fire, report 
 for service on No. 1 Steamer. 
 
 On February 25, 1890, the Gleason 
 Fire Patrol disbanded. 
 
 About 1880 the Rumseyville Hose 
 Co. was organized with Henry Frutig 
 as foreman and the following member- 
 ship: Wm. Lallon, 8. Woolidge, John 
 Merriman, Wm Bradley, Wm. C-ok, 
 Geo. Feeck, B. F. McBride, Wm. 
 Binney, F. Holmes, Charles Walters, 
 Alfred King, C. Wamby, Wm. Rupert, 
 George Miner and Jeft. Merrigan. 
 The death of this company is not re- 
 corded. It is probable, however, that 
 it expired at the time of the disband - 
 ment of the Gleason Fire Patrol. 
 
 In October, of 1880, the Telephone 
 Co. put alarm boxes in each fireman's 
 house of the paid department. Of 
 course as a bed was provided in the 
 engine house of the "Phoenix," no 
 alarm box was put in the eugineers' 
 residence. One night in November 
 the engineer concluded to spend a night 
 at home which proved a costly conclu- 
 sion to himself and the village, for 
 during his absence the engine house 
 caught fire, and when the firemen ar- 
 rived there the engine was cold, the 
 house all on fire and no engineer at 
 hand, so the house burned and the en- 
 
 gineer was relieved. In December the 
 village collected $1,181 from the in- 
 surance company, and John Urquliart, 
 the present engineer, was appointed 
 vice Desmond, relieved. 
 
 On January 1, 188 L, the company 
 known as the sjilsby Hose No 2, was 
 organized with the following member- 
 ship: Clarence A MacDonald, C. A. 
 Reamer, Thomas Can-, Jr., Wm. Bin. 
 ney, Charles S. Sanderson, J. S. 
 Hui'd, George Vosburg, Russell Carter, 
 Wm. Desmond, T. Short, Wm. Cory, 
 J. Powell, T. Taylor, J. T. Rourk, 
 W. E. Rupert, W. Hinckley, S Trow- 
 bridge, B A. MeBride, J. Churchill, 
 Alexander Brown, Thomas Usher and 
 Wm. VauHouten. 
 
 Clarence Mac Danald was choseu a9 
 foreman. It was accepted as an inde- 
 pendent company, but while thuir ap- 
 parades was being made by ttie Silsby 
 Mfg. Co., they were ordered to take 
 quarters with, and act under the orders 
 of Steamer No. 1 and did so until some 
 time in 1882. As there seemed to be a 
 redandance of hose companies, the 
 company decided to exchange their 
 hose carriage for a chemical engine, 
 so on May 21, 1883, it began its inde- 
 pendent service as the "Silsby Chem- 
 ical" company. It was quartered in 
 the l'uoeuix Block about where now the 
 Western Union Telegraph office is. In 
 
 1884 it left the Phoenix block and took 
 temporary quarters with Rescue H. «fc 
 L in the Johnson hall block. Iu March 
 
 1885 it returned to its old quarters in 
 the Phoenix block. In May 1888, the 
 first move was made in the project for 
 building a house for its own use. On 
 the 18th of May, a committee was ap- 
 pointed to select a lot, but not until 
 December 1888. was the committee 
 authorized to purchase the lot on Fall 
 street, ''next east of the Gardner- 
 house," and to prepare plans for a 
 "chemical" house. The committee 
 promptly bought the lot- Contract 
 was entered into with F. E Morehouse 
 on April 10, 1889, and on December 
 first of that year held its first meeting 
 in the new and well appointed house. 
 During the year 1889 the company 
 and the village authorities were greatly 
 exercised over a difficulty originating 
 
66 
 
 in the suspension of W. M. Beers, one 
 of the company, by the village auth- 
 orities. After innch ill feeling had 
 been expressed, it was discovered that 
 the trustees, Chief engineer and the 
 company had exceeded their powers in 
 this unfortunate nfiair, one in the issue 
 of an offensive order, and the other in 
 too long loyally supporting an offend- 
 ing member, as soon as this discovery 
 was made a compromise resulted and 
 an amicable settlement effected. Be- 
 fore dropping this part of ray paper I 
 wish to say that the records are the 
 most orderly, the most correctly kept of 
 any that I have examined in my re- 
 search. Its business has been tran- 
 sacted on true business priuciples. Of 
 all the fire companies that have sprung 
 into existence in the past seventy years 
 it is the sole souvenir. Its survival, 
 in my opinion, is largely the result of 
 correct and legal guidance. 
 
 Ou April 22, 1881, was held the first 
 meeting of a few young men to con- 
 sider the advisability of organizing an 
 independent Hook & Ladder company. 
 The result of their deliberations was 
 the formation of the body known as 
 "Rescue'' H. & L. This body was 
 made up of young men of high char- 
 acter and standing in the community. 
 The charter members were Charles T. 
 Silsby, W. B. Harper, Frank W'estcott, 
 H. W. Long, W. T. Seymour, J. G. 
 Armstrong, Charles Beh, H. N. Rum- 
 sey. Louis Maurer, A. M Bridenbecker, 
 George B Seely, C. Mathews. 
 
 W. B. Harper was chosen its first 
 president. The popularity of this 
 company drew out applications for 
 membership in great numbers but only 
 those were admitted that could pass 
 their censorial committee. I here re- 
 cord the names of a few who were ac- 
 cepted viz George B. Davis. Ed M. 
 Rumsey, F. W. Owens, W. B. Murray, 
 H. C. Knickerbocker, W. C. Mundy, 
 J H. Breslin, J G. Menges, M. D. 
 Bellows, F. W. Davis, R. P. Lathrop, 
 C. S. Hood, George Norton, E. W. 
 Addison, Charles Chamberlain. C. H. 
 Williams. A. M. Johnson, W. W. 
 Warner, R. C. Wayne, C. H. West- 
 cott. C. W. Riegle. 
 
 In July 1881, an order was placed 
 
 with Rumsey & Co. for a truck with a 
 complete equipement to be made in ac- 
 cordance with the sketch and specifi- 
 cations submitted by the company. As 
 it was to be a more elaborate vehicle 
 than had been before built, much time 
 was taken in its makeup and finish. 
 It was delivered to the company Jan- 
 uary 2, 1882. The company records 
 exhibit a very deep interest, in the 
 management of its affairs, on the part 
 of its members, for about ten years 
 of its existence ; later the interest began 
 to lag. In 1895 it held its most suc- 
 cessful fair ever held in our village by 
 such an organization. In February, 
 1896, the inevitable appeared in the 
 form of a resolution to disband which 
 was adopted; and in April. EdwaidM. 
 Rumsey, its president; Fred Maier, 
 Jr., treasurer, George Norton, H. W- 
 Long, and W. B. Harper, trustees 
 closed the accounts of its members and 
 dissolved. Thus ended, after fifteen 
 years of excellent service the only suc- 
 cessful H. & L. company the village 
 ever held. 
 
 In June 1882, the "Ramsey Pro- 
 tectives" was organized and accepted 
 by the authorities. The duties of this 
 company were to be the protection of 
 the goods that should be removed from 
 burning buildings and the extlnguish- 
 -ment of incipient fires. To this end, 
 the equipment consisted of ropes, 
 stakes, sledges, buckets and portable 
 extinguishers. I give yon the names 
 of the active members: E'igar Page, 
 George H. Raymond, Robert Gott, 
 Byron S. Latimer, Jas. A Hibbard, 
 Wm Hinckley, Spencer Royston, Geo. 
 E. Lewis, Geo. H. Ainidon, A. M. 
 Hall, Geo H. Bicknell, Walter Lewis, 
 John H. Bilby, F. DeReamer, Chas. 
 O. Mosher, W. T. Smith, Fred Dun. 
 ham, William Nichols, Chas. Page, 
 John Ryan, M. E Reagan, A. C Marsh 
 Wm Sutherland, S. Woods, Harry 
 Snellgrove, Wm Warren, John Zim- 
 merman, John Powell, Richard War- 
 ren, Robert Warren. It was a lively, 
 active and useful company that was 
 richly backed by the late E. A. Rum- 
 sey, after whose changed circum- 
 stances and the altering conditions in 
 the fire department, the interest began 
 
57 
 
 to lag The company on .November 
 22, 1894, divided its property among 
 the remaining members und disbanded 
 On January 27, 1887, the Bailey 
 Hose Company was oigtmized for the 
 purpose of affording an adequate fire 
 protection for the southwestern portion 
 of the village. The organizers were 
 Fred W. DeMott, James Simmons, 
 Patrick Duffy, P«triek H. White. 
 John Maley, George Stark, Joseph 
 Campbell, F. J. Farron, Patrick Mc 
 Guiie, William H. Durnin, Owen Col- 
 gan, Owen F. Oakes, Richard Carraher, 
 J. C. Hughes John Lacy, Thomas 
 Dooley, J. A. Halpin, Michael Maloney 
 who chose as officers, president, F. 
 W. Demott; vice president W. P. 
 McCaul; secretary and treasurer, O. 
 F. Oakes ; foreman, James Simmons. 
 With the proceeds of a very success- 
 ful fair the company purchased a 
 handsome combined parade and service 
 hose carriage. After two years ser- 
 vice as a bose company it was thought 
 that more efficient service could be 
 rendered with a chemical engine, so 
 the hose carriage was sold to the vil- 
 lage of Morristown, N. J., and a chem- 
 ical engine purchased from tbe Hollo- 
 ways of Baltimore, Md. 
 
 The wisdom of the change in appar- 
 atus was clearly demonstrated on the 
 occasion of the great fire on July 30, 
 1890, when the Bailey's and Silsby's 
 chemicals worked alternately for eight 
 consecutive hours near the Tripp house 
 ou State street and successfully checked 
 the progress of the fire in that 
 direction. 
 
 The quarters of the company was the 
 brick building at the south end of the 
 Bridge street bridge which, on the en- 
 trance of the Lehigh Valley railroad 
 into the village, was converted into a 
 passenger station for that road. 
 
 During its existence the company 
 maintained a perfectly equipped fire 
 house, having six beds, sliding pole 
 and traps. 
 
 The bunkers were Frank J. Durnin, 
 Horace Safely, B. F. Eglleston, P. R. 
 Ferguson, P. H. Hughes and W. P. 
 McCaul. 
 
 Jn 1898 by reason of being deprived 
 of a home, the railroad company re- 
 
 quiring possession of their house, it was 
 decided to sell the property of the com- 
 pany and divide the proceeds. The 
 engine was sold to Gleason & Bailey 
 who again sold it to the village of 
 Ovid. N Y. The officers Frank J. 
 Durnin, president; George M. Casey, 
 vice president; T. J. Coffey, treasurer; 
 F. J Farrell, secretary and W. P. 
 McCaul, foreman. After equitably 
 dividing the monies among the mem- 
 bers of the company, formally dis- 
 banded. 
 
 The general village charter law 
 under which the village of Seneca Falls 
 is now incorporated, delegates to 
 boards and commissioners some of the 
 duties devolving on the Board of Trus- 
 tees under the old charter. So, now 
 our fire department is nominally under 
 the command of the Board of Fire 
 Commissioners which, at present, is 
 composed of three able, skilled and 
 enthusiastic firemen, namely, M. E. 
 Hanlin, John Lefler, and Everett Vos- 
 burg. 
 
 The active command, as heretofore, 
 lies in a Chief and two assistants. 
 The present Chief Horace N. Rumsey 
 succeeded his father, Moses Rumsey, 
 who had filled the office for sixteen 
 years ; and has himself filled the position 
 for eighteen years. The first assistant, 
 M. E. Reagan probably has not a sup- 
 erior as an active and vigilant fireman ; 
 the 2nd assistant. Albert Sackett is 
 fully equal to all demands made upon 
 him in the subordinate position he 
 occupies, and when the time comes for 
 him to go up higher he will prove 
 equally efficient in the higher place. 
 
 The department apparatus and fire 
 fighting appurtenance consist of two 
 steam engines, one hose wagon, one 
 hand hose cart, one service hook & 
 ladder truck and equipment, one chem- 
 ical engine with a full complement of 
 experienced engineers and bose men ; 
 300 feet of good hose; a fire alarm 
 system of sixteen boxes, which was 
 installed in 1902, a water system, 
 whose average pressure is not above 
 40 lbs per square inch, with eighty- 
 eight hydrants properly distributed 
 through the village. Each of our 
 large manufactories is fitted with the 
 
58 
 
 sprinkler system and auxiliary fire 
 pumps and hose eo complete a9 to feel 
 independent of village aid. but is able 
 to greatly assist in fighting fires along 
 the river's course. 
 
 I am informed that our department 
 has been supplied with attachments 
 which makes the hose of Auburn, 
 Sencea Falls, Waterloo and Geneva 
 interchangeable, thu9 enabling the 
 engines of the four departments to be 
 concentrated in an emergency. 
 
 All fires in their first stages are 
 small fires ; the design and purpose of 
 the chemical is the prompt extin- 
 guishment of incipient fires; then it 
 follows, as day follows night, that 
 celerity of movement on the part of 
 this appartus is of the greatest im- 
 portance. During eight-twelfths of the 
 year our streets are in a condition to 
 preclude the possibility of rapid move- 
 ment through them by a hand drawn 
 
 vehicle which weighs about three 
 thousand pounds. What, then, in 
 your judgment, is the remedy for this 
 willful abridgment of the usefulness of 
 so excellent a piece of fire extinguish- 
 ing apparatus? 
 
 I give herewith a list of the chief en- 
 gineers of the local fire department. 
 
 Chief Engineers. 
 
 Name Appointed Expiration. 
 
 Geo. W. McClary July 1837 March 1838 
 
 Edward 8 Latham Mar 1838 Oct 1817 
 
 W.H Arnctt Oct 1°47 Aug 1850 
 
 Obadiah B. Latham Aug 1850 Aug 1852 
 
 Thomas Oarr Auk 1852 Aug 1855 
 
 H. W. Seymour Dec 1855 Ang 1856 
 
 H. W. Seymour Dec 1855 Aug 1856 
 
 Lucius S. Otbbs Aug 1855 Dec 1855 
 
 Lyman T. Moore Aug 1856 Aug 1857 
 
 Eostph M. Babcock Aug 1857 Aug 1858 
 
 J. J. Tyler Sept 1858 Nov 1858 
 
 Simon W. Arnett Nov 1868 Aug 1866 
 
 Moses Eumsey Aug 1866 Dec 1S82 
 
 Horace N. Rumsey Dec 1882 Dec 1894 
 
 Wm. B. Harper Dec 1894 Mar 1896 
 
 Horace N. Ramsey Apr 1896 Declined 
 
 J. P. Cro'by, acintg Apr J 896 Feb 1898 
 
 Frank Walters Feb 1898 Dec 1899 
 
 Horace N. Ramsey Feb 1900 
 
Seneca County in the War of 1812. 
 
 By Rev. F>. E. Smith. 
 
 This article is mainly compiled from 
 writings of my father, Jason Smith, 
 and much of it had been already pub- 
 lished in the History of Senoca County. 
 
 The militia of New York consisted 
 of every able bodied male inhabitant 
 between the ages of eighteen and 
 forty-five excepting those religously 
 opposed to war. 
 
 The report of the Adjutant-General 
 for 1809 gave a total enrollment of in. 
 fantry, cavalry and artillery of 102,068. 
 
 In 1811, there were deposits of 
 military stores, among other places at 
 Onondaga, Canandaigua and Batavia. 
 The cannon at these magasines ranged 
 in calibre from thirty-two down to two 
 pounders. 
 
 Heavy ordinance intended for the 
 Niagara frontier was brought from Al- 
 bany on Durham boats, by the Seneca 
 Dock Navigation Company, and landed 
 at West Cayuga ; from there they were 
 transported on stout heavy sleds built 
 for that purpose. 
 
 Taught by the recent war with Eng- 
 land, the militia system was regarded 
 as a timely precaution to guard against 
 Indian depredation and. foreign in- 
 vasion. Territory was districted ac- 
 cording to population. 
 
 Privates supplied their own arms, 
 and officers their own uniforms and 
 side-arms. At a later date, inde- 
 pendent companies were equipped at 
 their own expense. 
 
 Four trainings were held during the 
 year. Two county trainings, held re- 
 spectively on the first Monday of June 
 and September; the battalion and gen- 
 eral, held by appointments made by the 
 field officers. Notices of musters were 
 given, through lack of press and mail 
 facilities, by personal visits of non com- 
 missioned officers to each militiaman. 
 If absent, a notice was placed on the 
 door of the house. A failure to attend 
 resulted in a court-martial or a fine. 
 
 The first general training in Seneca 
 
 County was held at Ovid in 1802. 
 Soon after a regiment was organized 
 for the north end of the county at old 
 Soauyes and out of a compliment Wil- 
 helmus Mynderse was chosen by the 
 troops for colonel, and duly commis- 
 sioned by the Governor. Lambert Van 
 Alstyn was Major and Hugh W. Dob- 
 bin, adjutant. Mynderse cared little 
 for martial exercises and left the work 
 of drilling to Van Alstyn and Dobbin, 
 men who had 6een service and were 
 des-tmed to win honors in the threat- 
 ened war. Colonel Van Alstyn kept 
 a boarding house in the first tavern 
 erected at Seneca Falls later known as 
 the Old Market. His charges were 
 considered excessive, being never less 
 than twenty five cents per week, and 
 once reaching $2.68. General Dobbin 
 lived about four and a half miles 
 west of Waterloo, and at home and in 
 the field was a soldier by nature. 
 
 About 1811, an artillery company 
 was formed with headquarters at Sen- 
 eca Falls. A single gun, an iron nine- 
 pounder was drawn from the state. 
 Captain Jacks led his company against 
 the British and Indians during the war. 
 The last survivor of his company was 
 Hiram Woodworth of Tyre. He was 
 wounded by the premature discharge 
 of the gun he was loading, losing one 
 eye, having bis arm injured. 
 
 Anticipating a collision of arms, the 
 Governor early in the spring of 1812, 
 called upon the militia regiments to 
 furnish a company each, for service on 
 the Niagara frontier. Promptly re- 
 sponding Seneca sent out a company 
 under the command of Captain Terry 
 of Ovid. The names of the men who 
 went from Tyre were Benjamin Marsh, 
 Silas Barton, James VanHorn, Richard 
 Thomas. Halsey Whitehead. 
 
 The men were in barracks at Black 
 Rock when news of the declar- 
 ation of war by the United States ar- 
 rived. Hostilities were immediately 
 
60 
 
 opened by an exchange of shots with 
 the British artillerymen across the 
 river. 
 
 The regular army was augmented by 
 forces of militia raised by drafts. The 
 drafts were made for a period of three 
 months. All the miliiia were called 
 out in this way, and some were called 
 upon a second and even a third time. 
 A few fled the draft. Substitutes were 
 obtained at thirty dollars for the three 
 months. A private soldier's pay was 
 five dollars per month but was in- 
 creased to eight dollars. The first en- 
 gagement in which Seneca soldiers 
 took part was the struggle at Queens- 
 town. 
 
 The Americans were led by General 
 "Van Rensselaer of Albany, the British 
 by General Brock. The Americans 
 crossed the river at daybreak October 
 13, 1812 and were successful in the 
 early part of the day, but the British 
 being strongly reinforced from the 
 garrison at Fort George and the Amer- 
 ican militia being affected by the num- 
 ber of wounded brouglit over, and 
 averse to leaving their own territory, 
 the comparatively small force of Amer- 
 icans engaged, after a gallant fight, 
 was compelled to surrender as prisoners 
 of war. Of men in the battle from 
 Seneca, was a rifle company raised in 
 Fayette, commanded by Captain Ire- 
 land and a few volunteers from the 
 militia. All fought bravely, until the 
 inevitable surrender took place. Fully 
 one third of the men whom Ireland led 
 into action, were killed or wounded. 
 
 The year 1813 closed with disaster to 
 the United States forces on the frontier. 
 The British assumed the offensive and 
 waged relentless and cruel warfare. 
 
 On December 19th Colonel Murray 
 with an armed force surprised and 
 captured Fort Niagara commanded by 
 Captain Leonard. Most of the garrison 
 were bayonetted, and little quarter 
 shown elsewhere. General McCluro 
 called on the militia of the western 
 counties of New York, to turn out en 
 masse to defend Buffalo and Black 
 Rock. A panic spread through the 
 country. The British were reported to 
 be crossing the river. Thousands of 
 militia from Seneca and neighboring.. 
 
 counties took arms and began their 
 march to Buffttlo. 
 
 Quoting from the reminiscences of 
 Jason Smith the following incidents of 
 that march may be interesting. He 
 says, every man turned out who had 
 any patriotism, whether he was liable 
 to do military duty or not. I was not 
 old enough to be enrolled until a short 
 time before the alarm but 1 took my 
 shot gun with what powder I had, and 
 moulds to cast a bullet to fit the bore, 
 and went with the rest. We went that 
 day as far as Geneva. The citizens 
 had poured in from every direction, a 
 great many from Cayuga county. 
 Every public house was filled to over- 
 flowing. We got into a tavern at the 
 south end of the village and occupied 
 the bar-room. There were neither 
 chairs nor benches in the room nor 
 conveniences for sleeping, and if there 
 had been, we could not have slept, as 
 there was a set of rowdies who 
 trained all night. Among whom were 
 Leonard Wells, James Magee, Benja- 
 min Sayre, James Gerald from this 
 place and Noah Morris, Garry Arnold 
 and a number of others whose names 
 are not recollected from Seneca Falls. 
 They would perform what tbey called 
 a war dance. They would form a 
 ring in the middle of the floor, take 
 hold of hands and circle round and 
 round. They would get an unsophis- 
 ticated fellow in the ring, then away 
 back and forth, and prostrate him on 
 the floor, raise a war-whoop and make 
 a horrible din. All the way he could 
 get out was to treat liberally. There 
 was a tall writing-desk in one corner 
 under which I crawled to avoid being 
 run over, and tried to get a little sleep, 
 but they hauled me out occasionally 
 and hustled me around the room. 
 
 The officers who slept in the room 
 above us would come down occasion- 
 ally and try to quiet them and they 
 would promise to be very quiet, but 
 as soon as they had fairly gotten into 
 bed, they would begin again as bad 
 as ever. 
 
 We reached Canandaigua the next 
 day about 3 o'clock p. m. where we 
 were met by an express from Buffalo, 
 who informed us that the British bad 
 
61 
 
 gone back into Canada, and that we 
 might return home. Meanwhile the 
 British had plundered the garrisons, 
 and burned Buffalo. 
 
 Ou June 25, 1814, a command 
 known as Colonel Dobbin's Regiment, 
 whs organized at Batavia and pro- 
 ceeded to the frontier. Among the 
 officers were Colonel Hugh W. Dob- 
 bin, Majors Lee and Madison, and 
 Adjutant Lodowick Dobbins. Two 
 companies went from Seneca; one 
 from Ovid commanded by Captain 
 Hathaway, the other from Junius, 
 officered by Captain William Hooper 
 and Lieutenant Thomas W. Roosevelt, 
 the latter of whom had seen two years 
 service. This regiment enlisted for 
 six months, and was called the New 
 York Volunteers. They marched from 
 Batavia to Black Rock where they were 
 joined by a regiment of Pennsylvania 
 Volunteers, and a body of Seneca 
 warriors, and placed under command 
 of General P. B. Porter. 
 
 The battle of Chippewa was fought 
 shortly after their arrival, and, all 
 unused to the terrors of musketry fire, 
 they did little service. 
 
 Scott's brigade crossed Niagara river 
 on July 3d and captured Fort Erie, 
 they then advanced upon the British 
 who were encamped behind the Chip- 
 pewa, a deep still stream which runs 
 at right angles to the Niagara. Rip- 
 ley's brigade made the passage of the 
 Niagara about midnight of the 4th and 
 Porter's on the morning of the 5th. 
 The two companies lay about three 
 fourths of a mile apart. 
 
 At four o'clock p. m. General Porter 
 circling to the left approached the Chip- 
 pewas. Dobbin's regiment was in line 
 on the extreme left. The enemy recog- 
 nizing the force as militia, boldly left 
 their trenches crossed the stream and 
 expecting an easy victory, moved for- 
 ward, and the lines of battle soon be- 
 came warmly engaged. The clouds of 
 dust and heavy firing indicated the 
 state of affairs and Scott's veterans 
 were ordered straight forward. Un- 
 used to battle Porter's command gave 
 way, and notwithstanding strenuous 
 efforts could not be brought forward 
 
 again during the action. The enemy 
 elated by success received the attack 
 by Scott with coolness and the combat 
 became furious. 
 
 Major Jessup was sent with the 
 twenty-fifth regulars to turn the 
 enemy's right wing. He was presaed 
 hard, both upon front and flank but 
 gave the order '-Support arms aud ad- 
 vance" his men obeying in the midst of 
 a deadly fire and gaining a secure posi- 
 tion, opened a telling return fire and 
 compelled the British to fall back. 
 Towsen of the artillery silenced the 
 enemy's most effective battery, blew 
 up an ordinance wagon and opened 
 with heavy discharges of canister 
 upon the British infantry advancing to 
 the charge. The enemy gave way and 
 were driven over the Chippewa into 
 their works with heavy loss The battle 
 of Bridgewater or the Cataract soon 
 followed. 
 
 A number of days passed, and the 
 British falling back maneuvered their 
 force to deceive in regard to their 
 ultimate designs and meanwhile 
 gathered vessels and began to land 
 troops at Lewiston, thereby threaten- 
 ing the capture of the baggage and sup- 
 plies of the Americans. 
 
 To prevent this, Scott with a part of 
 the army was sent to menace the forces 
 at Queenstown. About sun down of 
 July 25th Scott encountered and hotly 
 engaged the entire British army. 
 Then was illustrated the old adage 
 that " he who fights and ruus away, 
 may live to fight another day," for 
 Porter's volunteers advanced to Scott's 
 support with ardor, took ground on the 
 extreme left and in good order and 
 with intrepidity held their position and 
 repelled a determined charge by the 
 enemy. Stimulated by the voices and 
 examples of Colonel Dobbin, Major 
 Wood of the Pennsylvania Volunteers 
 and other officers, these raw but cour- 
 ageous troops hurled themselves upon 
 the British line, and made all the 
 prisoners taken at this point of the 
 action. Captain Hooker was killed 
 during the engagement, which lasted 
 far into the night. 
 
Samuel Harris and his son John Harris 
 
 By Fred Tell* 
 
 Prepared by Fred Teller and read by 
 Kev. H. Grant Person before the Sen- 
 eca Falls Historical Society, December 
 21st, 1903. 
 
 Samuel Harris, the father of John 
 Harris, who ran the first ferry across 
 Cayuga lake, from 1788 until tbe Cay- 
 uga bridge was completed, was born at 
 Harrisburg, Pa , May 4th, 1750. In 
 the year 1795, which was the year in 
 which the East and West Cayuga Res- 
 ervations were released to the state by 
 the Cayuga Tribe of Indians and sur- 
 veyed into lots, he, the father, removed 
 to the east bank of Cayuga lske and 
 patented lot No. 56 in the East Cayuga ' 
 Reservation tract. This lot contained 
 250 acres and was immediately north of. 
 his son John's. The son at the same 
 time took out a pat'-nt for lot No. 57, 
 which contained a somewhat larger, 
 number of acres Samuel Harris was 
 an old Revolutionary soldier. His re- 
 mains lie buried at the Bridgeport 
 cemetery. On his monnment is re- 
 corded the foliowiug: -'He was an 
 active participant in the stirring scenes 
 of the old French wars. He was 
 present at the surprise and defeat of 
 Braddock near Fort DuQuesue. He 
 was the decided friend of his country 
 and her cause in the war of the Revo- 
 lution, during which he was appointed 
 captain of cavalry." 
 
 His father. John Harris, Sr., emi- 
 grated from Lincolnshire, England, in 
 1733 and opened at Indian trading post 
 at the fords on the Susquehanna river, 
 where the city of Harrisburg now 
 stands The histories and directories 
 of the present city of Harrisburg, the 
 capitol of Pennsylvania, all start from 
 the time that the original John Harris, 
 1st, tbe father of Samuel Harris, located 
 on the site of that city. He afterward 
 surveyed the city into lots and the city 
 takes its name from tbe Harris family. 
 There is an old oil painting in ex- 
 istence, which Mrs. Philo Cowing of 
 
 this place recalls, that is in the posses- 
 sion of on.! of her friends in Cayuga 
 county, (the Macintosh family, who are 
 related to the Harris family by mar- 
 riage), representing this John Harris 
 lied to a tree on the banks of the Sus- 
 qu hauua river with the fagots piled 
 about iiini as he was about to be burned 
 and tortured by the Indians. He was 
 rescued by a tribe of friendly Indians 
 and lived for many years afterward a 
 life of adventure and usefulness. 
 
 Samuel Harris named his son after 
 his father John and it was this John 
 Harris who came to the east shore of 
 Cayuga lake in 1778 and ran the ferry 
 in partnership with James Bennett. 
 
 In the course of some correspondence 
 between Mrs. L G. Sanford in behalf 
 of the Daughters of the Revolution and 
 the secretary of the state of Penn- 
 / sylvania, William H. Elge, it was 
 \ \ discovered that this John Harris was 
 also a Revolutionary soldier. He was 
 commissioned captain, October 14th, 
 1776, of the 12th Pennsylvania regi- 
 ment commanded by Colonel William 
 Cook. That this regiment was in ac- 
 tive service and so severe was its losses 
 on the battlefields of New Jersey that 
 in April. 1778, it was incorporated 
 into the third regiment of the Penn- 
 sylvania line and thereby lost its iden- 
 tity, while many of its officers, includ- 
 ing Captain John Harris, became su- 
 pernumerary. Seneca County should 
 be proud that two such loyal Ameri- 
 cans should have become her citizens. 
 
 In 1789 John Harris married Mary 
 Richardson, who Was a native of Fred- 
 erick City, Md. The following year, 
 1790, his first son was born and he was 
 the first white child born on either 
 shore of Cayuga lake. He was given 
 the family name, John. 
 
 The sixth child of Captain John 
 Harris (the ferryman) was a daughter 
 and was named Helen . She married 
 Abram Failing, who kept one of the 
 
63 
 
 leading taverns of Bridgeport. When 
 Seneca Falls began to forge to the head 
 in population and importance he sold 
 out his business at Bridgeport and re- 
 moved to Seneca Falls, where ho bo- 
 carae one of the leading merchants of 
 our village. To his daughter, Miss 
 Ella, now Mrs. U. L. Story, I am in- 
 debted for the use of a very valuable 
 lot of family documents, data and pub- 
 lications relating to this remarkable 
 family. Among other things, she pos- 
 sesses an old print representing the 
 same scene referred to by Mrs. Cow- 
 ing, illustrating the torture and burn- 
 ing of her ancestor, the first John Har- 
 ris, by the Indians. 
 
 In 1790, John Harris opened the first 
 tavern at the Cayuga Ferry. This land 
 at that time was still owned by the 
 Cayuga Indians. It was leased from 
 them by John Harris and was held on 
 sufferance. The Indians were not al- 
 lowed to sell their lands without the 
 sanction of the general government 
 and the state. The parties who held 
 leases from the Indians however, were 
 afterward, when it was acquired by the 
 state and surveyed into lots, given the 
 first privilege of patenting the plots on 
 which they were located. 
 
 The John Harris tavern was a place 
 of general rendezvous and you will 
 notice on all the old maps of the East 
 Cayuga Reservation that all trails from 
 every point of the compass centered at 
 that point. Its old tap room must have 
 been a very attractive place to the Red 
 man. The amount of valuable fur and 
 beaver skins that must have been 
 traded over its bar for supplies and 
 ammunition, trinkets aud the seductive 
 fire water came to a tidy sum yearly. 
 Its owner soon became a man of wealth 
 and influence in the community. 
 
 In the year 1794 the lands comprised 
 in the present counties of Seneca, 
 Wayne, Cayuga and Onondaga were 
 erected into a new county known as 
 Onondaga county and John Harris was 
 appointed its first sheriff. At the end 
 of his term he was elected for a second 
 term 
 
 In the following year the council 
 fire for a treaty with the Onondaga 
 and the Cayuga Indians was lighted in 
 
 front of the ''John Harris tavern at 
 the Cayuga Ferry " The commis- 
 sioners on tne part of the state were 
 Philip Schuyler, John Cantine. David 
 Brooks and John Richardson. By this 
 treaty the state secured from the Onon- 
 daga Indians the Onondaga Salt Springs 
 and from the Cayugns almost all of 
 their lands. John Harris' name ap- 
 pears on this treaty as one of the wit- 
 nesses. The treaty bears date of July 
 27th, 1795. In the construction and 
 equipment of the Cayuga Bridge John 
 Hhitis took a prominent part and was 
 the second nnmed one of its incor- 
 porators, three of the other four being 
 representatives of large land com- 
 panies. 
 
 In 1801 he was prominent in the 
 formation of the Cayuga Land Com- 
 pany, which owned all th« land with- 
 in two miles distant from the east end 
 of Cayuga Bridge. The Cayuga county 
 clerk's offioe shows a large number of 
 transfers of lots from Nov. 7tb, 1801, 
 by this company aud for several suc- 
 ceeding years. 
 
 In 1801 he established at West Cay- 
 uga (Bridgeport) a general store, ash- 
 ery aud a distillery. In 1806 he was 
 elected to Congress, succeeding as 
 representative of this district Hon. 
 Silas Halsey of this county. In 1806 
 »e was appointed a colonel of the 
 militia. During the war of 1812 he 
 served with his regiment at the front 
 and as a large share of his command 
 waived their right not to be taken out 
 of the state, took part in several en- 
 gagements on Canadian soil. 
 
 After the war he settled at West 
 Cayuga, having acquired on May 20th, 
 1814, title to thirty and one-half acres 
 of land being a part of great lot No. 5. 
 He died in November, 1824. After 
 the war and previous to his death he 
 held a muster of militia at Bridgeport 
 for a number of years. Mrs. R. C. 
 Wayne possesses one of the gilt metal 
 shoulder epaulets, formerly the prop- 
 erty of the late John H. Tooker, which 
 he wore at the training day exercises 
 that took place on these occasions on 
 the village green at Bridgeport. We 
 of the present day have no idea of the 
 importance that our forefathers at- 
 
64 
 
 tached to one of these muster day 
 gatherings. It was one of the gala 
 days of the year and it requires no very 
 great imagination to picture the large 
 concourse of people that would con- 
 gregate around, the taverns and the 
 green at Bridgeport, jo watch the 
 various squads of mililia execute their 
 manoeuvres, atuid the applause of the 
 spectators and the rattle of accouter- 
 ments. Old Mr. Tooker, then a feeble, 
 
 white-haired man, once remarked to 
 me that he had never eaten any thing 
 that tasted quite as good as the old 
 fashioned ridged, training day ginger- 
 bread that was made for those occas- 
 sions. 
 
 A branch of the Harris familv emi- 
 grated to the state of Texas and be- 
 came prominent in its affairs. Harris 
 county in that state takes its name from 
 this branch of the Harris family. 
 
The First Congregational Church. 
 
 By Edwin Model* 
 
 A majority of this church seceded 
 from the Wesleyan church in the year 
 1869. The Wesleyan church general 
 conference inserted in their discipline, 
 making it obligatory in this denomina- 
 tion that no person should be a mem- 
 ber of this church who was in any way 
 connected with any secret society, es- 
 pecially Free Masons or Odd Fellows. 
 This brought forth a division of senti- 
 ment in the denomination, as many 
 members took the ground that Wes- 
 leyan Methodism had fulfilled its mis- 
 sion in the abolition of slavery. All 
 will acknowledge that the Wesleyan 
 Methodist church accomplished great 
 good in that cause and that it was en- 
 titled to great credit for its noble 
 work. On the other hand, many 
 claimed that the conference had over- 
 stepped its authority in dictating to the 
 churches in regard to whom it should 
 receive as members- They claimed 
 that this decision should be left to the 
 local church, hence the division of the 
 church at Seneca Falls 
 
 The people who seceded formed 
 what is known as the "First Congre- 
 gational Society of Seneca Falls." 
 Their first meeting was in Good Temp- 
 lars' hall or what is now known as 
 Pythian hall. Their first meeting to 
 form the church was called December 
 6, 1869. Steps were taken to incor. 
 porate it as a religions society, Decem- 
 ber 17, 1869. 
 
 Rev. W. W. Lyle was chosen as pas- 
 tor, officers were elected and plans put 
 in operation to form and build up a 
 strong society in this community. A 
 Sabbath school with full corps of 
 teachers with average attendance of 
 two hundred was orgauized. Edwin 
 Medden was superintendent, Rev. W. 
 W. Lyle was assistant. 
 
 In the meantime arrangements were 
 being made to secure a house of wor- 
 ship. A subscription was started for 
 that purpose. The effort was not so 
 
 successful as was expected because 
 other denominations started to do the 
 same. This, of course, lessened all 
 amounts. If the other churches had 
 delayed, it would, no doubt, have been 
 a benefit to all, especially to the Con- 
 gregational church. 
 
 It was thought best to build as many 
 of our best citizens encouraged us in 
 our endeavor. A lot was purchased 
 from Mr. Davis for $3,500. He do- 
 nated $500, thus making the cost 
 $3,000. A house stood upon this lot; 
 this was sold and removed for $200. 
 Work was begun at once upon this 
 property. August 19, 1870, the cere- 
 monies of laying the corner stone took 
 place. First, a council of Congrega- 
 tional ministers was held at the hall 
 where the church was recognized by 
 the council as a Congregational church 
 in full standing. Following this, the 
 ceremony of laying the corner stone 
 took place. Rev. T. K. Beecher, of 
 Elmira, delivered the address, subject, 
 "Why am I a Congregationalist?" 
 
 The cornerstone is in the northeast 
 corner of the tower. The following 
 articles were deposited in the stone: 
 1st, a copy of the Bible, 2nd, Manual 
 and Historical record of the Congrega- 
 tional church, 3rd, Memorial Jubilee 
 medal of the Landing of the Pilgrims 
 250 years previous, 4th, United States 
 silver half-dollar, 5th, fractional cur- 
 rency, 6th, catalogues of village manu- 
 facturing: firms, 7th, village news- 
 papers, 8th, village charter, 9th, list 
 of village churches and names of pas- 
 tors, 10th, list of teachers in public 
 schools, members of board of educa- 
 tion, 11th, copies of ''New York In- 
 dependent," "Chicago Advance" and 
 "Glasgow Christian News." 12th, 
 minutes of New York State Associa- 
 tion of Congregational churches. 
 
 The church was finished and dedi- 
 cated for public worship, Thursday, 
 Sept. 21, 1871. The sermon was 
 
66 
 
 preached by Eev. Edward Taylor, D. 
 D., of Binghamton, N. Y. The con- 
 tribution taken up that evening 
 amounted to $2,228. The membership 
 at this time was one hundred and two. 
 After the church was finished and 
 dedicated it became necessary to raise 
 loan on the bond and mortgage upon 
 church property. This business was 
 placed in the hands of the following 
 committee : Rev. W- W. Lyle, Win. L. 
 Bellows and Dr. R. Dunhsm. The 
 loan of $14,000 was obtained from the 
 Berkshire Life Insurance Company, of 
 Mass., on condition, first, that the 
 members of the society should secure 
 several individnal life insurance poli- 
 cies; second, that an endowment policy 
 of $5,000 should be secured upon souue 
 individual for the church. This amount 
 was to be used to help cancel the debt. 
 The bondsmen were Charles Seekell, 
 Horace Seekell, William Bellows, Wil- 
 liam King and Edwin Medden. 
 
 The burden was heavy, for the an- 
 nual interest on policy amounted to 
 $460; the annual interest at 7 per 
 cent on loan was $980. making a total 
 of $1,440, aside from running ex- 
 penses of the church. Speakers were 
 secured at different times to attempt to 
 raise the debt by subscription. The 
 two principal speakers were Rev. Mr. 
 Ives of Auburn and Rev. Mr. Hop- 
 worth of New York. They succeeded 
 in raising the amount needed, but, un- 
 fortunately, a large number neglected 
 to pay. For three years the bondsmen 
 paid the interest on loan $980 to re- 
 lieve the society and enable them to 
 recover and pay, if possible, the 
 amount of the loan. It seemed as if 
 the society was doomed, but the mem- 
 bers were united and determined to do 
 all that was possible to save the church. 
 The bondsmen, in the meantime, 
 notified the holders of the mortgage to 
 foreclose and make an agreement with 
 the Berkshire Life Insurance Com- 
 pany, allowing the bondsmen to bid it 
 in for the society at $10,000, taking a 
 mortgage without bond for that 
 
 amount. The bondsmen agreed to 
 paY jibe , balance on first mpftgage of 
 nearly $7,000. 
 
 Accordingly, the church was sold by 
 sheriff's sale at the Hong House. It 
 was bid in by the bondsmen for the 
 above sum and made over to the so- 
 ciety. 
 
 After another struggle the churches 
 of the Congregational body of New 
 York state and several of our most 
 prominent citizens came to the rescue. 
 Among these kind friends were H.C. 
 Silsby. Albert Jewe'.t. J. B Johnson, 
 H. W. Knight and others. At last 
 the society succeeded in freeing the 
 church from debt. It is so to day. 
 Shortly after Mr. J. B. Johnson in his 
 will donated $2,000 for the support of 
 the church. This is now invested in a 
 parsonage. The church was freed 
 from indebtedness July 3, 1881. The 
 following gentlemen served as pastors 
 for supplies to the pulpit: Revs. W 
 W. Lyle, Mr. Fessenden, Dr. Hol- 
 brook, Mr. Smith, Mr. Kinmouth, 
 Mr. Bell, Dr. Bradford, Dr. Peter 
 Lindsey, Mr. Kawson, Henry Margetts, 
 and Rev. Dr. A. W. Taylor, present 
 pastor, who has served us eleven years. 
 In all the years of our financial dif- 
 ficulties and trial the members of the 
 church were as a unit, working to- 
 gether in all that pertained to the wel- 
 fare of the church and the cause of 
 Christ. The Congregational church 
 of Seneea Falls has won a name for 
 faithfulness and devotion to the cause. 
 God had been our guide in all our 
 troubles, has been blessed spiritually. 
 In our darkest days many were con- 
 verted and brought into the kingdom 
 of Christ. Much good, we trust has 
 been done in God's service through the 
 Congregational church. Though many 
 made sacrifice to the extent of loss of 
 property, yet God blessed them because 
 of their loyalty to his cause. Most of 
 the heavy burdens bearers have passed 
 away to their reward, but the church 
 to-day honors their memory and 'de- 
 votion to the cause of Christ. 
 
The Streets of Seneca Falls. 
 
 BY MISS JANET COWING. 
 
 This subject was orginally assigned 
 to the late Miss Jennie Wilcoxen, and 
 her notes have been freely used in this 
 paper. 
 
 We first begin with the map of 
 Wilhelmus Mynderse, dated September 
 15th, 1825, which was a description of 
 the State 100 acres, situated in the 
 south east corner of the Lot 100 in the 
 Township of Junius, county of Senccu, 
 set off as his share in the partition of 
 the estate of the proprietors of Seneca. 
 The original streets were the Seneca 
 Turnpike road or Fall street, Cayuga 
 street avenue and State street; Canal 
 street was laid oat but not named. 
 
 A map of the village made by John 
 Burton, surveyor, in 1835, shows all 
 the steets of the town at that time. 
 
 Running parallel with Seneca river 
 and directly north of it was Fall street, 
 so named from the fall in the river and 
 grade of the street. Extending from 
 Fall street north, was Cayuga street, 
 (named from our beautiful lake). State 
 street comes next, thence Mynderse 
 street, named for Wilhelmus Mynderse 
 one of the original proprietors of the 
 town of Seneca, and which was the 
 western boundary of his land, Clinton 
 street named after Dewitt C. Clinton, 
 governor of the State of New York, 
 and next is Walnut street. 
 
 East from Cayuga street, there was 
 Boyd, known afterwards as "Pig 
 .Lane," a short street running from 
 Cayuga to Fall, named after James 
 Boyd. An old deed speaks of him as a 
 •'Merchant of New York." 
 
 Dey street, the great coasting region 
 running down hill all the way to Sen- 
 eca Turnpike or Fall street and named 
 after Charles and Anthony Dey, prom 
 inent business men of the place. 
 
 Prospect street, named after Pros- 
 pect hill, now traversed by the New 
 York Central railroad. From this 
 point, a view of Seneca Falls was 
 taken in 1817. 
 
 Johnston street named after John 
 Johnston, the father-in-law of the late 
 Mr. Frederick B. Swaby, who slave 
 this street to the village. Maple street 
 runs north from Johnston, through the 
 Swaby addition. 
 
 In that portion of the village known 
 as the "Flats," are Wall street at the 
 foot of which lived Thomas I. Paine, 
 who operated a chandelry, and was 
 known for his great size. 
 
 Lawrence street was evidently 
 named after Lawrence VanCleef. 
 
 On the map of 1825 the park, the 
 Wilhelmas Mynderse, was laid out, 
 but not named, so between Cayuga and 
 State streets are North and South Park 
 streets, west from State street is Jefl- 
 erson street a short street extending 
 only to Maynderse. 
 
 Then comes Chapel, extending to the 
 western limits of village, and John 
 street a short street north of Chapel. 
 
 Between State and Mynderse is Troy 
 street. 
 
 On Frenche's map of 1856 in the 1st 
 ward, north of Troy street, a portion of 
 land owned by Daniels, Mynderse and 
 VanCleef was laid out in village lots 
 and Daniel's street running from Troy 
 to Clinton, and VanCleef street, also 
 running from Troy to Clinton, were 
 named after George B. Daniels and Al- 
 exander VanCleef. 
 
 West of Mynderse was Oak street, 
 extending to the western limit of the 
 village, running parallel with New 
 York Central railroad from Mynderse. 
 Goulds No. 2 shop faces Oak and 
 Heath streets. West of Clinton was 
 Miller, named after Deacon Peter Miller 
 who kept a tavern and was a deacon in 
 the Presbyterian church. 
 
 A map of village lots made by Gil- 
 bert Wilcoxen in 1858 shows the ex- 
 tention of the village north of Fall 
 and west of Walnut north of the rail- 
 road ; and west of Walnut were 40 acres 
 of land owned by J. Thompson, ex- 
 
68 
 
 tending 40 rods wide to the north. 
 Parallel with and west of Thompson's 
 property was Rumsey street extending 
 north from Thompson's land and cut- 
 ting Ramsey were Chestnut, Chapel, 
 Pleasant and Ridge. These streets are 
 47 to 50 feet wide. 
 
 A map showing extension of these 
 streets east through Thompson's prop- 
 erty was made in May 1876, with addi- 
 tion of North street at northern end of 
 Thompson's land. South of railroad ; 
 Miller street was extended further 
 west. 
 
 Dr. H. H. Heath's addition, orginally 
 puuchased from Wakeman Burr, ran 
 from the river to the northern limit of 
 the village. Dr. Heath was our oldest 
 homeopathic physician. 
 
 The Rumsey addition, known as 
 Ruraseyville was purchased of Dr. 
 Heath in 1858 by John A. Rumsey and 
 laid out in lots and ran from Oak 
 street to near the northern limit of the 
 village. The street which bears his 
 name runs to Fall and is continued - to 
 the river through the Fred Maier ad- 
 dition. 
 
 In the Heath addition was Rumsey 
 street 49 1 2 feet wide. Lincoln 49 1-2 
 feet wide, named for our martyred 
 president. Fall street is 66 feet wide 
 at this point. Then Heath street run- 
 ning from Fall to Oak and is the near- " 
 est way to Gould's No. 2 shop. 
 
 A map of lots in second ward, made 
 for the Seneca Falls co-operative build- 
 ing lot association, by Gilbert Wilcoxen 
 surveyor, gave the addition of three 
 streets running we9t from State street 
 100 feet. Porter was named after J. 
 Porter. 
 
 Boston avenue and Butler were 
 named after Sol. Butler, a noted colored 
 individual of this village, who lived 
 there. Further north another J. A. 
 Rumsey addition gave us Buffalo and 
 Tyre avenues, west of State. 
 
 On the south side of the river and 
 parallel with it were Canal street and 
 Bayard street. The latter was named 
 for Stephen N. Bayard, one of the or- 
 iginal land owners. Extending south 
 from Bayard was Ovid street so named 
 from the village of Ovid, which is six- 
 teen miles directly south. This street 
 
 divides the Third and Fourth words. 
 
 Senter named after Sealer M. Gul 
 digns, (and should be spelled with au 
 S.) The Btreet runs south and east snd 
 strikes Ovid; thence Bridge, Swaby, 
 named after Frederick B. Swaby, the 
 pioneer of that family. Toledo, then 
 Sackett, Hatred from Gary V. SacKett, 
 these last three mentoned are short 
 streets running through to Haigh. 
 
 Williams a short street running 
 from Bridge to Swaby. Haigh street 
 was named after Mr. Gary V. 
 Sackett's wife. She was Ann Haigh. 
 was also a relative of the Swaby's. It 
 runs west from Bridge to western 
 limit of village. Barker, short street 
 running east from Bridge to Ovid. 
 
 Next the J. T. Miller addition in 
 which they have opened Maynard and 
 Mechanic streets, which run through to 
 Ovid. Next the 3rd W ard building 
 lot association No. 2 surveyed by 
 Martin O'Neil for Thomas McGovern, 
 Sr., in which has been opened Sham- 
 rock avenue. In front of 3rd ward 
 school house is Seneca Lane running 
 from Haigh to Mechanic. Returning 
 to East Bayard street, we find Spring 
 running south to Chapin ; White run- 
 ning south to Garden, Goodwin a 
 short street running south to Elm, and 
 named after Mr. H. Goodwin, who 
 built and lived in the house known as 
 the Tyler homestead. 
 
 Stevenson runs south from Bayard to 
 corporation limit, was named for John 
 Stevenson, Sr., who lived at the junc- 
 tion of Garden and Stevenson. It is 
 now traversed by the eleetric road. 
 
 Then Green running from Ovid east 
 Stevenson street through Tyler addi- 
 tion, Garden from Ovid east to Steven- 
 son, Montgomery, a short street (con- 
 necting Green with Garden) runs 
 through the J. P. Cowing addition, 
 named for Wm. Montgomery, the first 
 resident on the street. Next East ave. 
 Canoga, Sherman and Fayette streets 
 laid out on the Tyler additions, but 
 not yet opened Mumford street run- 
 ning north from Bayard to Latham, 
 named after Mr. S. T. Mumford who 
 owned and built the house now occu- 
 pied by Mrs. Owen W. Smyth. 
 Washington street (originally Mynderse 
 
69 
 
 street) afterwards changed to Wash- 
 ington in honor of the (Father of his 
 Country) ; runs from Bajard to Seneca 
 Turnpike. Jay is a short street run- 
 ning north from Bayerd street 10 Seneca 
 street. Latham street is a part of the 
 Lntham addition, owned by Obadiah S. 
 Latham, running from Washington to 
 Mnmford street. Another short street 
 oft from Washington is Troup street 
 named from Robert Troup, District 
 Judge of llie United States tor the 
 District of New York in 1798, once 
 owner of a fifth part of the town of 
 Seneca. This street runs over the 
 brow of the hil] and is suppoaed to 
 connect with a bridge at that point. 
 Adams street runs east from Washing- 
 ton to Jay street, through the J. P. 
 Cowing addition. 
 
 The land of the 4th ward building 
 association, formerly the Selden Chap 
 in farm, in the southeastern part of 
 the town, was surveyed by G. Wil- 
 coxen and Smith in 1872. East from 
 Ovid and perpendicular to it, running 
 east, are Chapin street, 4.9 1-2 feet 
 wide (named for Selden Uhapin) 
 Boardman street, 66 feet wide, named 
 for Deming Boardman, Sr., and South 
 street, 60 feet wide. 
 
 Between Chapin and South streets, 
 running north and south and east of 
 Ovid street are Hoag street, 56 feet 
 wide, named for Milton Hoag, Smith 
 street, 60 feet wide, and Haw ley street, 
 60 feet wide, named for Charles A. 
 Hawley, Cuddeback street, 60 feet 
 wide, named for John Cuddeback, 
 Davis street, 60 feet wide, named for 
 Adelbert S. Davis. Between Board - 
 man and South streets, running north 
 and south, is Spring street, 60 feet 
 wide. ThiB makes an addition of nine 
 streets. 
 
 On West Bayard street and west of 
 the stone bouse occupied by the late 
 Wm. Van Rensselaer, the land famil- 
 iarly known as "Sackett's sixty acre 
 lot," was laid out in village lots and 
 streets, the names of which are as fol- 
 lows : Van Rensselaer, Courtland, Hos- 
 ter, Providence, Chicago, Baltimore, 
 California. These streets run south to 
 the Driving Park. 
 
 Cayuga and State streets are the 
 
 widest in town Bayard comes next. 
 
 At a sheriff's sale issued out of the 
 Court of Common Pleas for the County 
 of Seneca, in March, 1847, against the 
 real estate, etc., of Anthony Dey, in a 
 description of certain pieces and part 
 eels of land, there was one as follows: 
 "A vacant lot on Cayuga street, north 
 of Bunt street," I find that Bunt street 
 leads off from Boyd street, back of the 
 Rumsey and Silsby dwellings to the 
 old cemetery. The lot mentioned as 
 being north of Bunt street is now oc- 
 cupied by Charles Frank Hammond. 
 sheriff's sale. 
 
 By virtue of an Execution issued out 
 of the Court of Common Pleas in and 
 for the County of Seneca, to me di- 
 rected and delivered, against the goods 
 and chattels, lands and tenements, real 
 estate and chattels of Anthony Dey, in 
 my Bailiwick I have seized and taken 
 all the right, title, interest and estate 
 which the said Anthony Dey had on 
 the 26th day of May, A. D., 1846, or 
 which he may have since acquired, of, 
 in and to all the lands and premises 
 hereinafter mentioned and described, 
 to wit : All those certain pieces or par- 
 cels of land situate, lying aud being 
 in the villsge of Seneca Falls, on lot 
 100 of Junius, now Seneca Falls, 
 known and distinguished as lots Nos. 
 three, four, five, six, seven, eight, 
 nine, ten, eleven and twelve on Fall 
 street, also Nos. one, three, five, 
 seven, nine, eleven and thirteen on 
 Dey street, also Nos. twenty-seven, 
 twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty-six, 
 thirty-eight and forty on Cayuga street, 
 also, a vacant lot on Cayuga street, 
 north of Bunt street, also the Woolen 
 Factory lot, having fifty feet front 
 on Fall street with Water power equal 
 to one and a half Runs of Stone on 
 what is called Dey's race; also lot No. 
 thirteen on Fall street, being one hun- 
 dred feet front, containing nearly three 
 fourth's of an acre of land, on which 
 is situated a commodious dwelling 
 house, as the snid lots are laid down on 
 a map of said village, made by John 
 Burton, Esq., for V. B. Ryerson, and 
 so described on a map thereof, now on 
 file in the office of the Clerk of said 
 county, all of which aforesaid property 
 
70' 
 
 I 6hall expose'for sale at public 'auction 
 at the Clinton House now kept by 
 David Milk, in the village of Seneea' 
 Falls, on" Friday, the thirteenth day of 
 April next, at ten of the clock in the 
 forenoon of that day. — Dated at 
 Waterloo, the 23d day of March, A. D. 
 1847. 
 
 HUGH CHAPMAN, Sheriff. 
 By Joseph C. Payne, Under Sheriff. 
 
 At Rest vale cemetery, "at that vil- 
 lage white and still," are four streets, 
 named by the late Mrs. Laura Russell, 
 viz: Sunnyside Ave., Laurel Ave., 
 Woodlawn Ave. and Magnolia Ave. 
 
 Maplewood addition, south side of 
 river, west part of village, west of 
 Catholic church, surveyed by G. Wil- 
 coxen, 1900, and laid out in streets, 
 running parallel north and south from 
 Bayard to Haigh, 50 feet wide. 
 
 Most of the additions surrounding 
 the town were surveyed and laid out 
 at different times by G. Wilcoxen, sur- 
 veyor, and all the various maps of the 
 town are supposed to be filed at the 
 CouDty Clerk's office. 
 
 There are now a little over thirty- 
 one miles of streets in Seneca Falls, 
 and if one should traverse them in a 
 day, they would have all the fresh air 
 and exercise the most strenuous advo- 
 cates of these helps would advise. 
 
 In naming the streets our citizens 
 showed honor both to the great men 
 of the nation and the eDterprieing citi- 
 zens of the town, also large cities. I 
 will recapitulate a few : Washington, 
 Adams, Jefferson. Lincoln, Jay, Clin- 
 ton, Mynderse, Bayard, Troup, Boyd, 
 VanCleef, Daniels, Sackett, Swaby, 
 Heath. Cuddeback, Hoag, Hawley, 
 Davis, Rnmsey and many others. 
 
 Only three of the men after whom 
 these streets were named are alive to- 
 day, it has been said that the streets 
 of Seneca Falls were originally laid 
 out on the Indian trails, and f r< m their 
 irregularity this may be readily be- 
 lieved. So diversified is the surface 
 that one would think them almost pat- 
 terned after Rome and laid out on 
 seven hills. There was a hill on Cay- 
 uga street, from the corner of Boyd 
 street. Pig Lane or Trinity Lane as it 
 is now called,' to Hoskins corner, 
 
 where boys 1 and girls' coasted. The 
 hill on Cayuga street near where the 
 railroad is now' (not under the arch) 
 was many feet steeper and afforded 
 great fun for the school children. 
 There was a steep hill on Fall street, 
 near the old Beehive, corner of Wal 
 nut street. Some old houses standing 
 there now show how it has been filled 
 in. 
 
 The hill on Ovid street, beginning 
 at Bayard, was very steep, indeed, and 
 has been filled in with tons' and tons of 
 earth. 
 
 Both bridges were many feet lower 
 and the lower story of Goulds shop, 
 when it waB Andrew P. Tillman's resi- 
 dence, was on a level with the bridge. 
 All over this town streets have been 
 filled in that way, showing enterprise 
 on the part of the people. 
 
 Hardly any of our streets are 
 straight, they run along for a while, 
 then vere to the right or left, according 
 to their own Bweet will. But if otir 
 streets are a little eccentric, no one 
 will question that our goods manu- 
 factured in our numerous factories and 
 sent to all quarters of the globe are 
 straight goods. 
 
 Speaking of regular and irregular 
 streets reminds one of an anecdote. 
 A Philadelphian stopping in Boston 
 had a great deal to say about the queer 
 streets of the hub of the Universe; 
 '•Your streets are so crooked," said he, 
 ••that it is hard getting about. If 
 Boston had only been laid out like 
 Philadelphia, it would be a much finer 
 city." •'Well," replied the Boston 
 man, "if Boston ever gets to be as 
 dead as Philadelphia, we will try and 
 lay her out in the manner yon suggest." 
 
 So we say to all who criticise the 
 irregularity of our streets. Seneca 
 Falls is a live town, streets and all. 
 
 The map shows that there were 
 plaster mills, saw mills, stone' mill, 
 sash factory, barrell factory, clock fac- 
 tory, paper mill, cotton factory and 
 bleachery. Globe mill, tannery, now 
 part of Goulds building No. 1, Oil 
 mills, chair factory, etc., in 1835- 
 
 The map 1825 shows saw mills; 
 grist mill, carding and tul ling mill. 
 
 The following advertisement from 
 
71 
 
 an old paper is of considerable interest 
 in connection with this .subject as 
 showing that what is now callod Water 
 street was originally considered a part 
 of Fall street. 
 
 George Shoemaker, 
 
 Denier in Staple and Fancy 
 DRY GOODS, GROCERIES, CROCK- 
 ERY AND HARDWARE. 
 
 At tbe stand of Shoemaker & Co., 
 on Fall street, fronting the north end 
 of the new bridge in the west end of 
 the village, will always have on hand 
 every article in the Dry Goods line ; 
 Groceries of every description ; Crock- 
 ery, a full assortment; Shelf hard- 
 ware, Nails, Rope, Stone and Earthen 
 Ware, &c. &c. As I have determined 
 to conform the prices of Goods to the 
 hardness of the times, Small Profits 
 for Good Pay is the motto; and quali- 
 ties considered ; I am not to be under- 
 sold by any one. Please call and 
 examine. Butter, Lard, Pork, Eggs, 
 and all kind of produce taken in ex- 
 change for goods. 
 
 JOHN SHOEMAKER & Co., at the 
 white Brick Mill, nearly opposite, are 
 at all times paying the highest prices 
 in cash for Wheat. Corn. Barley, Rye, 
 Clnver and Timothy seed, &c. 
 Seneca Falls, May 13. 1843. 
 
The First Baptist Church. 
 
 BY REV. S. M. NEWLAND. 
 
 In presenting this paper I desire to 
 make acknowledgement that I am quite 
 largely indebted to the Rev. Wm. R. 
 Wright, who was pastor of the Baptist 
 church of this place a little over five 
 years. This pastorate commenced 
 September 1873. During his pastorate 
 he prepared a historical sermon and de- 
 livered it ou the fiftieth anniversary of 
 the constitution of th* church. A copy 
 of this sermon was loaned me a few 
 years since by Mrs. Phebe Dye, when 
 I first prepared for my own people very 
 largely what I shall say to-ni^ht, and 
 from this sermon I gather most of the 
 items of the first fifty years' history of 
 the Baptist cliurch of Seneca Falls, the 
 old records having been mostly destroy- 
 ed in the fire of 1898, while in keep- 
 ing of tbe church clerk, Dr. Lowe. But 
 no one acquainted with the Rev. Wm. 
 R. Wright will doubt but thai his state- 
 ments are correct as far as the records 
 gave him knowledge of the early his. 
 tory of the church. From this sermon 
 and a few meager records found and 
 remembrance among the older members 
 of the church, we learn that while there 
 had been occasional Baptist preaching 
 in the village of Seneca Falls previous 
 to the year 1828. it was not until in the 
 early spring of that year that a Baptist 
 church in Seneca Falls took on form 
 and life. During the winter and early 
 spring of 1827-28, several Baptist fam- 
 ilies moved into the village and as they 
 became acquainted with the Baptists al- 
 ready here, nothing more natural than 
 that a meeting be called to see what 
 could be done in regard to a church or- 
 ganization. This meeting was called. 
 It was held in the old school house then 
 standing on North Park street. It was 
 on Thursday afternoon, June 5. 1828. 
 At this meeting there were present, 
 Abner Carry, Harris Usher ,L. P. Noble 
 Polly Wheeler, Charlotte Long, Mary 
 Ann Cross, Phebe Cross, Elizabeth 
 Carry, Huldah Silsbee, and Harriet 
 
 Noble, ten in all. This gathering was 
 culled to order by Abner Carry. He 
 was chosen inodeiator, and L. P. Noble 
 was chosen clerk. At this meeting it 
 was unanimously decided that it was 
 desirable and expedient to form a 
 Baptist organization in the village of 
 Seneca Falls, with the view of becom- 
 ing a church and erecting a church 
 building in the near future. Such was 
 the nucleus, the beginning of the Bap- 
 tist church of Seneca Falls. On tbe 
 23th of this same month, the month of 
 June, one by name, Oramus Allen,came 
 to the village, and proved himself a 
 most worthy and valuable addition to 
 the new organization. He was a li- 
 censed preacher. He had pursued a 
 course of Theological studies in the 
 Hamilton seminary. He became at once 
 active and earnest, in pushing forward 
 theuew interest, and on the 16th of July, 
 proper notice having been given an- 
 other meeting was held in tbe same 
 place, for the purpose of completing 
 the organization as a Baptist church, or 
 as then named, the First Baptist society 
 in the village of Seneca Falls. It is 
 evident from this meeting that there 
 were a great many in the community, 
 at least friendly and well disposed to- 
 ward the movement, for we find that 
 at this meeting they elected nine trus- 
 tees. The names of these first 
 chosen trustees of the church were 
 Ebenez*r Ingalls, Harris Usher, John 
 W. Wheaton, Jonathan Metcalf, Na- 
 than Farnsworth, Samuel Bradley, L. 
 P. Noble, Abraham Payne and Thomas 
 Royston. John Metcalf was chosen 
 president of the board, L. P. Noble, 
 clerk, and Harris Usher treasurer. At 
 this meeting a committee was appointed 
 to search out and get terms for a lot 
 suitable for a church building. On 
 July 26th, Fannie Spear united with 
 the association, and August 30th Theo- 
 polis Cross and Jemima Cross, his wife 
 cast in their lot with the infant church. 
 
73 
 
 Their number had now reached four- 
 teen. At this mcetiug held on the 30i.h 
 of August, 1828, thirteen articles c;f 
 faith, and a Church Covenant wore 
 adopted; this act to all intents and pur 
 pos; j s constituted the organization of a 
 regular Baptist church. But in order 
 to receive the recognition and fellow 
 ship of other Baptist churches, a coun- 
 cil represented by several Baptist 
 churches was called on the 15th of 
 September, 1828. This council was 
 for the double purpose of recognizing 
 the church and the advisability of set- 
 ting apart to the Gospel ministry, Mr. 
 Allen. Nine churches were repre- 
 sented in this council by nineteen dele- 
 gates. Th's meeting was held in the 
 Presbyterian church, the church having 
 been kindly offered for the purpose. 
 It is recorded that both the recognition 
 of the church, and the ordination of 
 Mr. Allen were highly satisfactory to 
 the council. At. the next convenant 
 meeting of the church held Oc'.ober 
 25th, Mr. Allen was formally and un- 
 animously chosen as the first pastor, 
 while L. P. Noble was chosen church 
 clerk and Abner Carry, deacon At 
 this meeting Nelson Payne was re 'eived 
 as the first candidate for bapism and 
 baptized on the following day, Sunday. 
 The pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Allen 
 lasted a little over three years Dur- 
 ing this pastorate forty -five were added 
 to the church by baptism and thirty by 
 letter, and from fourteen at the begin- 
 ning as constituent member?, at the 
 close of this pastorate the church re- 
 ports a membership of seventy, and 
 during this time a house of worship had 
 heen erected. It was a frame build- 
 ing, 44 feet in length by 36 in width. 
 It had galleries on both sides and in the 
 rear end. There was a basement to 
 this building, and also quite a com- 
 manding steeple. It had fifty pews 
 outside of the galleries, and would seat 
 comfortably 300 people. Four large 
 pillars supported and beautified the 
 front, facing the sast, or Center street. 
 There had bfen various lots proposed 
 beside the one selected and on which 
 the Baptist church now stands One 
 on Bridge street was first selected and 
 Mr. Payne offered to give one on the 
 
 north side of the river, but the present 
 location was finillv decided upon. The 
 lot was bought of G. V. Saofcett, the 
 consideration was $200, but Mr. 
 Sackett subscribed $200 on the church 
 building, so viitually the lot was his 
 subscription to the church. The build- 
 ing committee consisted of Messrs. 
 Payne, Ingalls, and Noble. This 
 building cost not far from $2,000. It 
 was dedicated May 30, 1830, though 
 services had been held sometime pre- 
 vious to this in the basement, doubtless 
 during the entire winter of 1829 and 
 1830. 1'. was not dedicated free of 
 debt. It was a small indebtedness, 
 only $300, but it became a sort of 
 trouble and anxiety in after years. 
 The aeftts were rented, the rents rang- 
 ing from $3 to $15. This church ap- 
 plied and was admitted into the On- 
 tario Baptist association of churches in 
 1829. The association then being 
 wider in territory than at present had 
 thirty nine churches with a member- 
 ship of over 2,600. The Ontario asso- 
 ciation of Baptist churches met with 
 this church for the first time in 1831. 
 As near as have been able to asceraain 
 Mr. Allen's s.lary from the state con- 
 vention was $50, from church $200, 
 and the secnd year one hundred from 
 the convention, the third year he had 
 his tire wood in addition. There is 
 mention of a Sunday school, but 
 whether it was a permanent organiza- 
 tion of the church, run the entire year 
 is quite doubtful. We find that the 
 church at the outset placed itself on 
 record as a missionary church, and 
 through the years they have maintained 
 in quite a marked degree this standard 
 of a New Testament church. After 
 the close of the pastorate of the Rev. 
 Mr. Allen, the church seems to have 
 been without a pastor, for several 
 months; then the Rev, John L. La- 
 tham settled as pastor, but only re- 
 mained about eight months. The next 
 pastor was Henry C Vogell. This 
 pastorate began in July 1833. It was 
 ended February, 1836, lasting about 
 two years and eight months. During 
 this pastorate the growth of the church 
 was quite marked, though by letter 
 rather than by baptism, forty nine hav- 
 
74 
 
 ing united by letter and sixteen by bap- 
 tism, but we find that quite a number 
 were dismissed. During tbis pastorate 
 the discipline of the church was re- 
 sorted to for the first time, and several 
 excluded, so the net gain was cot large. 
 We now for the first time find positive 
 proof from the records that a Sunday 
 school is sustained during the entire 
 year, with an average attendance of 30, 
 this year 36. The church reports over 
 $100 as its benevolences. This same 
 year plans were adopted and an effort 
 made to pay off the mortgage indebt- 
 endess on the church. It was an effort 
 however, without reaching the desired 
 results, for the mortgage debt was not 
 canceled. These years 1835 '36, seem 
 to have been years of great agitation 
 concerning the temporal interests of 
 'the church. We find that during these 
 years the advisability of building a par- 
 sonage 13 agitated, and it seemed an as- 
 sured thing at one time, that a parson- 
 age would be built, under a generouB 
 ofter made by Abraham Payne, who 
 then owned the tract of land through 
 which Clinton street, now runs. An 
 agreement had been made with the 
 trustees of the church that he, Abra- 
 ham Payne, would build a substantial 
 frame house, costing $600, above this 
 he would make all outside necessary 
 improvements, properly grade the lot 
 and then deed it to the society for $600 
 the actual cost of the building, but a 
 disparaging and somewhat bitter re- 
 mark made by the pastor, Mr. Vogell, 
 broke the contract, and we repeat what 
 the Rev. M. "Wright has well said, and 
 so by this act depriving the church of a 
 good parsonage and possibly an advan- 
 tageous location in later years for a 
 house of worship. Saps Mr. Wright I 
 have been unable to locate definitely 
 just where this lot was situated between 
 Fall street and the railroad, but be- 
 lieve it to be the lot where the Wesley- 
 an Methodist church now stands. The 
 basement of the church was used for a 
 time as a dwelling place, the tenant 
 taking care of the church for the use of 
 the basement. Earlier the basement 
 had been used as a school room, used 
 by District No. 2, as it was then called. 
 But during Mr. Vogell's pastorate it 
 
 was fitted up for its legitimate use as a 
 prayer and conference room. Follow- 
 ing Mr. Vogell's pastorate was that of 
 the Kev. John Jeffrees, lasting about 
 two years, and though there were quite 
 a number of additions both by letter 
 and baptisms, the church but barely 
 held her own, so many removing to 
 other places. The church reporting at 
 the close of this pastorate iu the fall of 
 1838, only 78 members. But about 
 this time Jacob Knapp, one of the must 
 noted evangelists of that day, came to 
 labor with the church. He was with 
 the church about five weeks. The en- 
 tire community was stirred as it had 
 never been stirred before upon the ques- 
 tion of personal salvation. The con- 
 gregations were so large that a scaf- 
 folding was erected along the entire 
 length of the south side of the church, 
 some 20 feet wide. It was built on a 
 level with the base of the windows, the 
 windows all taken out on that side of 
 the church, that those on the outside 
 might be able to hear, and so scores 
 and hundreds night after night, listened 
 to the great preacher, seated or stand- 
 ing on the outside of the building. 
 Nearly 200 conversions were reported, 
 56 uniting with this church the last of 
 September and 38 more before the close 
 of the winter months, makiug 94 ad- 
 ditions to the church by baptism. As 
 the result of these meetings, the mem- 
 bership was now more than doubled 
 and that within a period of less than 
 six months. The Sunday school re- 
 ported the year before an average of 60 
 It was in this winter of 1839, that Rev. 
 Zenus Freeman becomes pastor of the 
 church. He must have been a man 
 possessed of great social gifts, as well 
 as a true Christian. With some rich 
 experiences, now in the very vigor of 
 life, he served the church as pastor 
 three years, coming as he did in the 
 midst of such wonderful and blessed 
 ingatherings. Coming to a rejoicing 
 and united people, we are not surprised 
 to find his pastorate a prosperous and a 
 happy one During this pastorate 115 
 were added to the church by baptism 
 and 50 united by letter, and the mem- 
 bership reported to the association in 
 1841 was 237, but the growth of the 
 
75 
 
 Sunday school was more marked. la 
 1839 reporting an average attendance 
 of 200, and in 1840, nearly 300, with 
 two branch schools with an enrollment 
 of 60 each. This indeed whs the gold- 
 en period of Sunday school work, at 
 least as regards numbers, in the history 
 thus far of this church, but sad to have 
 to report that these halcyon days were 
 of short duration, for in 1841, the next 
 year, we find a marked falling ofl, only 
 one school is reported now and that 
 with an average of only 200. During 
 1839 and 1840 we are told in the rec- 
 ords, of the large attendance of the 
 Sunday afternoon convenant meetings, 
 and that in the month of August, 1840, 
 120 were present, and during these 
 years the benevolences of the church 
 kept pace with their growth ; $300 as 
 benevolence, reported in 1839 and 
 $418 15 in 1840, the largest amount 
 ever given in one year for benevolence 
 by the church. Bright record indeed. 
 Would that we could have it without a 
 cloud, even the bigness of a man's hand 
 overshadowing this pastorate. But 
 alas ! alas ! if we would be true to the 
 historical setting of these three years, 
 the records force us to believe that there 
 was zeal at times, that was not accord- 
 ing to knowledge. The home finarces 
 of the church, during this, the most 
 prosperous period of her history, were 
 most fearfully and shamefully neglect- 
 ed. It ever becomes the church ' as 
 well as the individual, to be just before 
 overgenerous, that she may preserve 
 her honor and integrity. It was dur- 
 ing the pastorate that proceedings are 
 commenced for the foreclosure of the 
 $300 mortgage and unpaid interests 
 amounting now to something over $400 
 against the church. We are glad to 
 find however, that the proceedings were 
 stopped, the debt paid, one man, Geo. 
 H. McOlary, paying $270 of this 
 amount. During the three years of 
 Mr. freeman's pastorate, special ser- 
 vices were held each day by a noted 
 evangelist. In 1840, evangelistic ser 
 vices were conducted by Elder Sher- 
 down, lasting several weeks, when 
 more than one hundred conversions 
 were reported, about sixty uniting with 
 the Baptist church ; and this year V. 
 
 Sullivan, a sailor, was licensed by the 
 church to preach the Gospel. After 
 the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Freeman, the 
 church seems to have been without a 
 pastor for a few months. Enuring this 
 time a call was extended both to the 
 Rev. 1. S. Backus and N. Baker, but 
 for some reason not stated in the rec- 
 ords both declined to accept. A call is 
 then extended to Rev. E. R. Pinney. 
 It is acceepted and he remains as pas- 
 tor of the church for about two years. 
 The records show no advancement in 
 church life, either in its temporal or 
 spiritual welfare the first eighteen 
 mouths. The discipline of the church 
 is resorted too and during the first 
 eighteen months, 100 are either dis- 
 missed by letter, excluded or dropped, 
 and less than two short years before 
 reporting as benevolences upward of* 
 $400, now comparatively nothing. In 
 1842, politics, and especially the ques- 
 tion of slavery agitated the church, and 
 in the month of July, 1842, a resolu- 
 tion was passed by the church refusing 
 to admit slave holders, or their en- 
 lightened apologists, and sympathizers 
 to their pulpit or their communion, and 
 a little later a resolution is passed 
 against the use or traffic of intoxicat- 
 ing liquors, and that uufermented wine 
 only be used at the Communion. Early 
 in the year 1843, the pastor, E. R. 
 Pinny, with quite a number of the 
 church, joined heartily in the belief and 
 teaching, that the second coming of our 
 Lord would take place before the close 
 of the year. Because of this belief and 
 teaching, special meetings were begun 
 early in this pear, with marked results, 
 as far as additions are concerned equal- 
 ing anything in the past, but this large- 
 ly accounted for, without doubt, be- 
 cause every sermon was now a most 
 earnest effort to convince the hearer 
 that Christ's second appearing, and 
 that for the jucgmenl of the world, 
 would take place before the close of 
 the year 1843. During this year not 
 far from 125 were baptized into the 
 fellowship of this church, and the 
 church now reported the greatest num- 
 ber that she has ever reported during 
 her history, 242 members. At a busi- 
 ness meeting December, 1843, the 
 
76 
 
 church voted to censure, and if need 
 be, discipline any church member, who 
 should be guilty of publishing among 
 the ungodly and worldly the business 
 transactions of the church ruettiags. 
 Keen disappointment and the false po- 
 sition held by Mr. Pinney and a large 
 number of his supporters, and which 
 they had so persistantly advocated, 
 when the year passed away and their 
 teachings had been proven false by 
 Christ not appearing, as the}/ had so 
 positively declared he would, Mr. 
 Pinney did not re-canvass his ground 
 and come back lo a sound Scriptural 
 basis, or to loyalty Lo Baptist principles 
 and teachings, or if having changed his 
 views so they no longer harmonized 
 with those of the Baptist denomination, 
 one of whose pulpits he occupied, he 
 should have stepped down aad out at 
 once, but do, he remained until Sunday 
 morning, February 24th, 1844, when 
 culminated this erroBeous teaching 
 that had taken possession of the mind 
 and heart of the pastor, and which the 
 church had allowed to go on unchecked 
 On this Sunday morning Mr. Pinney 
 entered the Baptist pulpit for the last 
 time, having handed in his resigneition 
 the day before to take rffect on the fol- 
 lowing day, Sunday. He preached a 
 most egotistical and scathing sermon, 
 hurling awful charges against the 
 church, denouncing her as Babylon, all 
 Christian churches were placed to- 
 gether. His text was Rev. 18 :4, 
 "And I heard another voice from heav- 
 en saying, Come out of her my people, 
 that ye be not partakers of her sin?, 
 and that ye receive not of her plagues," 
 and then calling upon all who were de- 
 sirous of escaping impending danger 
 and coming plagues to follow him, he 
 seized his hat, stepped down from the 
 pulpit, leaving the church, for the 
 churche's good, but not until he had 
 done the church an irreparable damage. 
 Fifty three members unwisely followed 
 his example, influenced by his rash 
 statements and went out with him like 
 sheep without a shepherd, not knowing 
 whither they went, and many others 
 through the persuasion of Mr. Pinney 
 and friends who had already gone out, 
 left the church, and so not far from 80 
 
 members withdrew from the church as 
 the result of this movement cm the past 
 of Mr. Pinney, and the ei.urca wm 
 compelled to pass through tbe great* st 
 trial of her history thus far, and from 
 which she has not yet fully recovered. 
 But few churches could have borno 
 such a trial and survived, as Mr. Pin- 
 ney remained here until his death, moie 
 than ien years after, firm and unwav- 
 ering in his new faith until ilie end, 
 and seeking most earnestly at all lime's 
 to kvd as many of his former Hock to 
 accept his views as possible. After 
 tais dark p?ige of the church history we 
 find quite a long period, oov«riug more 
 than a year, when the records are si- 
 lent as regards church life, and we 
 almost wonder that the broken threads 
 were ever again taken up and that the 
 pulse life of the church should begin 
 to beat; but in the laie summer of 
 1845 a call ia extended to the Rev. N. 
 Baker, who was the pastor of the 
 Waterloo church, to become pastor of 
 tins church, preaching here in the after- 
 noon. Three years before, when the 
 church was in her glory and strength, 
 for some reason the call then extended 
 to him was refused ; hut now when in 
 her deepest huniilation, few in numbers 
 Bhorn of her strength, he accepts the 
 call. The Waterloo church is soon 
 given up and for nearly four years he 
 serves this church as pastor. He had 
 very muoli to contend with, not only 
 caused by tbe schism that had nearly 
 wrecked tbe church, but also because 
 of the bad management of the church 
 finances. Two of the previous pastors 
 had only been paid in part. A most 
 faithful pastor, but with so much to 
 contend with, but little advancement is 
 made in the membership of the church, 
 though much is done in bringing about 
 a better feeling and quickening the 
 spiritual life of the church. The next 
 pastorate is that of Rev. J. B. Burnett. 
 He remained only a few months, and 
 in May, 1849, Rev. H. H. Haft is called. 
 He begins his pastorate in June and re- 
 mains until August, 1850— his pastor- 
 ate lasting about four months. Noth- 
 ing of great note is recorded during 
 this short pastorate. And during the 
 next two yaars, 1851-2, the records are 
 
77 
 
 very meager, but enough is given to 
 know that during this time the church 
 had at least two settled pastors, the 
 Rev. Wm. Frary and the Rev. Wm. 
 Leggett. Two were baptised into the 
 church by each of the pastors. The 
 R«v. N. Baker then supplied the church 
 for a time During this time the 
 records were revised, and the member- 
 ship now reported is 101. A call was 
 now extended to M. W. Holmes to be- 
 come pastor, but for tome reason not 
 stated withdrawn, and Rev. J. R. Whit- 
 man, who was living in the village and 
 a member of the chureh, acted as a sup- 
 ply for fome mouths. In February, 
 1854, Rev. J. V. Pitman became pastor 
 of the church, continuing his pastorate 
 a little over two years, and while the 
 benevolences of the church were con- 
 siderably increased and six baptized 
 into the fellowship of the church, there 
 seems to have been no net gain in the 
 membership, but a loss duriug these 
 years, as the church reports iu the fall 
 of '56, a membership of but 90. In 
 November, 1855, Rev. Ira Smith was 
 called to the pastorate of this chuurch. 
 Of this pastorate, the Rev Mr. Wright 
 says of the first four months we find no 
 record, nothing is said. We might wish 
 we could find nothing afterwards; 
 but not so. Gross charges of immor- 
 ality are preferred against him. He 
 is dismissed from the church. Going 
 forth to make trouble elsewhere — set- 
 tling in Kenosha, Wis , where he was 
 excluded from the fellowship of the 
 church and from the pastorate. Still 
 downward, as ever must be the course 
 of any church with such a pastor and 
 the church now reports only 80 ta em- 
 bers. Late in the year '57, C. C. Hart 
 became pastor of the church, only to 
 remain about eight monts. And in 
 December '59 Rev William Rees ac 
 cepts a call from the church to the 
 pastorate. This pastorate lasted about 
 8 years and was without doubt a suc- 
 cessful one. Hsrmony was established 
 while more were added to the church 
 than in the ten years preceding, and 
 toe church now reports a membership 
 of 116. And the bunday school has 
 doubled since its last report,now report- 
 ing in 1861, an average attendance of 
 
 100. It is during this pastorate that a 
 new church buiding is agitated, but it 
 resulted in repairing the old building 
 at tho cost of about $500. Rev. Ferris 
 Scott was the next pastor, nominally 
 from April '62 until Juue '67, or for 
 something over five years ; but of this 
 time he was away as ctiaplaiu in the 
 army for better than two yeurs, so that 
 a little over three years of actual ser- 
 vice was given to the church. And 
 while thirty-one were baptized and 
 uniied with the church there was no 
 g«in in number, but a net loss of six- 
 teen, for after revising the records the 
 church, iD '66 reports bat one hundred 
 members. In the year '67 a committee 
 was appointed to try and raise $1,500 
 for the purpose of purchasing a parson- 
 age, but the parsonage failed to mater- 
 ialize ; and the same in regard to a 
 committee appointed about the same 
 time to see if a lot could be secured for 
 the erection of anew church building. 
 After Mr. Scotts resignation, in '67, a 
 call was given to two different men, 
 but both refused to accept,, doubtless on 
 account of salary, though for the first 
 time in the history of the church thus 
 far, a Mr. Crane is called at a salary of 
 $1,000 The charch building was 
 seemingly insured for the first time in 
 1867. It was iu the fall of '67 that 
 Ira Bennett became pastor, his pastor- 
 ate lasting about three years. It was 
 during this pastorate that the present 
 church building was erected. This 
 building is about 45 feet in width and 
 72 iu leDgth, exclusive of the tower, 
 which adds an additional 14 feet. The 
 corner stone was laid in the summer of 
 1858, and the dedication took place 
 March 4th, 1869, W. H. Maynard 
 preaching the dedicatory sermon. This 
 house of worship, outside of the lot, 
 cost about $12,000. About $9,000 
 was raised by subscription and $3,000 
 was secured by a mortgage loan. As 
 we look back over this history and note 
 the membership of the chureh, only 
 about 100, it must have been a great 
 undertaking, calling for faith and great 
 sacrifice on the part of this people. We 
 may be wrong, but we think a great 
 mistake was msde in this, that such a 
 grand self-sacrificing effort made by 
 
78 
 
 this people had not been to the construc- 
 tion of their church building on the 
 north side of the river. As an item of 
 interest, and causing more or less of 
 speculation, revealing somewhat of hu 
 man nature on at least two sides, we 
 find that in the winter of 1869 the Rev. 
 Mr. Buruhaui, a noted evangelist, had 
 been holding extra meetings for three 
 or four nights with the expectation of 
 continuing for two or three weeks at 
 least. The house whs already crowded 
 and considerable interest manifested. 
 When on this evening, the third or 
 fourth in the series of meetings, an 
 alarm of fire was sounded and quite a 
 large number went out, which was 
 quite natural. Whereupon Mr. Burn, 
 ham came down from the pulpit, re- 
 fused to go on with the service, and 
 early the next morning, notwithstand- 
 ing he was urged to remain, left the 
 village. The effect can readily be im- 
 agined. The opportunity was lost, and 
 it was not only humiliating but quite a 
 set-back to the church. In October, 
 1870, B. F. Garfield became pastor of 
 the church. This pastorate lasted a 
 little over two years. During this pas- 
 torate the house purchased in Bayard 
 street at the time of the building of the 
 church, three years before, was re- 
 paired at an expense of about $250, 
 and came into use as a parsonage. On 
 October 1st, 1873, William R. Wright 
 began his pastorate. At this time the 
 church records were carefully revised 
 and the church reports but sixty-nine 
 members, while the indebtedness of 
 the church at this time, all told, is re- 
 ported as $4,675, somewhat of a dark 
 outlook. The church is assisted two or 
 three years by the state convention in 
 the support of the pastor, the debt is 
 decreased somewhat and much good 
 and lasting work accomplished during 
 this pastorate. It was the longest pas- 
 torate of any within the history of the 
 church up to this time — a little over 
 five years. There were fifty-nine addi- 
 tions by baptism. In 1874 the pa3tor 
 whb assisted in a series of meetings for 
 several weeks by his uncle, the Rev. 
 W. C. Wright, and as a result of these 
 meetings thirty united with the church 
 and in '76, twenty-seven as a result of 
 
 the E. P. Hammond meetings. The 
 membership was doubled during this 
 pastorate, reporting at its beginning 
 sixty- nine and at its close one hundred 
 and thirty-nine members. During the 
 year '76 the use of the bapistry is 
 loaned to the Congregationalists. And 
 this year, 1876, the church was reor- 
 ganiz. d under the new centennial trus- 
 tee (law. In the baptisms of the year 
 one was baptized nearly eighty-eight 
 years of age, without doubt the oldest 
 person received by baptism during the 
 entire history of the church. And this 
 year, 1877, the church reports: Valu- 
 ation of church property, $15,000 
 mortgage debt, $1,000; floating debt, 
 $2,000; enrolled in the Sunday school, 
 168; church membership 121. In the 
 year, 1878, the church votes to loan its 
 baptismal robes to both the Presby- 
 terian and Methodist societies. The 
 mortagage bebt of $1,000 now coming 
 due at the close of '77, and the church 
 having a floating debt of $2,000, it is 
 voted to mortgage the church property 
 for $2,000, $1,000 to pay ofl the old 
 mortgage and $1,000 to pay on the 
 floating debt. The choir about this 
 time was moved from the gallery to its 
 present position at the left of the pul- 
 pit. There seems to have been a re- 
 action set in, since the E. P. Ham- 
 mond meetings for says, the letter of 
 the church to the association, there has 
 not been in years so much worldliness 
 in the church as during the past winter. 
 The prayer meetings of the church are 
 poorly attended, the congregation small 
 and the financial obligations against the 
 church have increased somewhat. The 
 Rev. Mr. Wright resigns in November 
 1878, and Rev. R. E. Williams is at 
 once called to the pastorate. He re- 
 mained but six months. Of this short 
 pastorate little is said. He was greatly 
 admired as a preacher and as a cultured 
 Christian gentleman. No additions 
 are made to the church and the finan- 
 cial obligations of the church continue 
 to grow. On the first of January ,1880, 
 the Rev. R. B. Montgomery became 
 pastor of this church. His, too, was a 
 short pastorate, lasting only thirteen 
 months, but remarkable in this, that he 
 succeeding in securing pledges at home 
 
79 
 
 and abroad sufficient to meet the entire 
 mortgage debt and interest. And for 
 this he richly merited and received the 
 heartfelt gratitude of the church and 
 society, ja vote to this eflect being 
 recorded on the books of the church! 
 In May, 1881, Rev. John Gilchrist be- 
 came pastor. Uuder this pastorate 
 there was some friction in the church. 
 It led to the exclusion of one or more 
 members and the withdrawal of several 
 others. The pastor at once resigned, 
 and closed another pastorate of less 
 than two years. The church was then 
 supplied for a few months by Rev. J. 
 J. Phelps. A call was given Rev. 
 Seward Robson. Accepted and he be- 
 came the pastor of the church Decem- 
 ber 1st, 1882 He remained as pastor 
 a little over four years. Thirty-nine 
 were added to the church by baptism. 
 During this pastorate, in 1885, the 
 district secretary of the state convention 
 Rev. Mr. Brooks, assisted the pastor 
 in evangelist services for several weeks. 
 There had been a continuous running 
 behind in the pastor's salary, and at 
 the time of his resignation the church 
 was obligated to their pastor to the 
 amount of over $750. In June the 
 Rev. James Grant, a student in the 
 Rochester seminary, is called as a sap 
 ply. This is the year '88. and on Mav 
 1st, 1889, the Rev. S. J. White becomes 
 pastor. Though but few conversions 
 are reported and something in bene- 
 volences ouslde of the home field, yet 
 few the churches and few the pastors 
 that made the sacrifices that this church 
 must have made, and the pastor as 
 well, to leave on record the fact that 
 nearly $1,400 had been raised during 
 the first year of Mr. White's pastorate, 
 the Rev. Seward Robinson, the former 
 pastor, paid in full, though the church 
 was owing him more than $400 when 
 this pastorate began. And so at the 
 assoclational gathering held in Septem- 
 ber, 1890, the church reports that they 
 are practically out of debt, but in their 
 present condition, unable longer to 
 meet the running expenses of the 
 church, and appealing to the State and 
 county missionary committees to know 
 what can be done. On March 27tb, 
 1891, it was voted to have the secre- 
 
 tary of the Baptist State convention 
 visit the fluid and hold a missionary 
 convention with this church. Such a 
 convention was held and was thought 
 to be of real profit to the church. The 
 Rev. S. H. White's pastorate ended in 
 July, 1891, he having been pastor of 
 the church a little over two years The 
 church wss again without a pastor and 
 preaching was only sustained part of 
 the time, and this by supplies. But on 
 November 30th, 1891, a meeting is 
 called for the purpose of deciding upon 
 and culling a pastor, so advised by the 
 State convention and the missionary 
 committee of the Ontario Btptist as- 
 sociation. At this meeting it is de- 
 cided to extend a call to the Rev. E. C. 
 Long, then of Manchester, N. Y. Such 
 a call is extended, but he declines to 
 accept. Another meeting is called for 
 January 12th to take under considera- 
 tion the advisability of extending a 
 call to Rev. J. Cody, and by a vote of 
 the church it is decided not to extend 
 the call. And on January 28, 1892, a 
 third and similar meeting is called to 
 take into consideration the advisability 
 of extending a call to the Rev. S. M. 
 Newland, then of Clifton Springs, N. 
 Y. A vote is taken, and in the letter 
 sent notifying him of the decision of 
 the church, it was stated that the vote 
 was unanimous in extending sjch a 
 call, and, whether wisely or unwisely, 
 the present pastor of the church ac- 
 cepted it, commencing his labors April 
 1st, 1892. Of this pastorate we need 
 to say little. It is not finished as yet 
 But as it already covers a period of 
 nearly twelve years, already more than 
 double that of any other in the history 
 of the church, and as it is a history of 
 church life you have asked for in this 
 paper, a brief summary of the present 
 pastor's work with this church cannot 
 be out of place. During these twelve 
 years it has not been all suushine. We 
 have had some cloudy and dark days of 
 discouragement ; and yet on the whole 
 it has been a happy, contented and we 
 trust, in some small degree, a prosper- 
 ous pastorate thus far. When this 
 pastorate began the church records 
 gave a membership of 110. The pres 
 ent pastor has baptised into the church 
 
so 
 
 fellowship, 132 ; 70 have been re- 
 ceived by letter. The present member- 
 ship of the church is 238, the largest 
 number, with the exception of the one 
 year, 1843, ever reported by this 
 church. In briefly summing up the 
 history of the First Baptist church of 
 Seneisp. Falls, N. Y., beginning in 1828 
 we find that the church has a history of 
 seventy-five years. Twenty three past- 
 ors The shortest pastorate was that 
 of Rev. Mr. Williams, lanting only six 
 months ; the longest that of the present 
 pastor, now nearly twelve years ; the 
 next longest, that of the Rev. Win- R- 
 Wright, a little over five years We 
 give the names and length of each 
 pastorate: 1, Orsamus Allen, 3 years 9 
 niomhs; 2, Henry C. Vogell, 2 years 9 
 months; 3, John Jeffres, 2 years; 4 
 Zenas Freeman, 3 years; 5, E R. 
 Pinney, 2 years 1 mon'h;6, Nathan 
 Baker, 4 years ; 7, W. H. Hift, 1 year 
 2 months; 8, Wm. Frary, 1 year; 9, 
 J. B. I'itm»n, 2 years; 10, Wm. Leg- 
 gett 1 year 2 months; 11, Ira Smith, 8 
 months; 12, C- C. Hart, 7 months: 13, 
 Wm. Rees, 3 years; 14, Ferris Scott, 5 
 years 4 months: 15. Ira Bennett, 2 
 years 10 months; 16. B. F. Garfield, 2 
 years 3 months; 17, Wm. R. Wright, 
 5 years 3 months ; 18. R. E. Wililams, 6 
 months; 19, B. R. Montgomery, 1 
 year; month 20, John Gilchristt, 1 
 
 year 11 months; 21, Sewaid Robinson 
 4 years 4 months ; 22, S. H. White, 
 2 years 3 months; 23, S M. Newland, 
 11 years 9 months: years of pastoral 
 service. 64 years 8 months ; average 2 
 years 10 moiiths. Nearly eleven years 
 of its history the church has been with- 
 out a regular pastor There has been 
 been no uniform salary, and it has 
 beon fro:n $250 to $1,000. Not far 
 from 700 persons have been baptised 
 into the church during its history and 
 about 400 have been received by letter. 
 There were 14 constituent members, 
 so not far from 1,100 persons have 
 been connected with this church during 
 its history. The largest number, as 
 already stated, in the membership of the 
 church was at the close of 1843, when 
 the church reported a membership of 
 242; the smallest number since the 
 first partorate, 69, in the year 1873. 
 To-day the church reports 238 mem- 
 bers, the Sunday school the largest 
 since the year 1842, or within a period 
 of more than sixty years; free from 
 debt, not by any means satisfied or 
 accomplishing what she should, but 
 united and a measure of prosperity at- 
 tending the efforts of pastor and people, 
 for which we give praise and thanks- 
 giving to Almighty God, who we be- 
 lieve has led us thus far, and we look 
 forward hopefully into the future.