THE HISTORY OF AUBURN HEl^RY HALL AUBURN, N. Y. "Hoc illud est prrecipue in cognitione rerum salubre ac frugiferum, omnis et exempli documenti in illustri posita moniTmento intiieri: inde tiln tuEeque rei- puMicse, qxiod imitere, capias." ■■X AUBURN : PUBLISHED BY DENNIS BRO'S & CO. 1869. •At 1432 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the month of March, 1869, by HEKRY HALL, In the Clerk's Office, of the District Court of the United States, for the Northern District of New York. TO WILLIAM H. SEWAED, 3NTERPEISING CITIZEN AND DISTINGUISHED STATESMAN : THE PORBMOST POK MANY TEAES IN PROMOTING THE INTERESTS OF AUBURN ; EMINENTLY IDENTIFIED WITH ITION, INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT, NATIONAL EXTENSION, THE RIGHTS OF MAN ; THIS HISTORY OP THE CITY OP HIS RESIDENCE IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY THE AUTHOR. OOl^TElSTTS. CHAPTER I. The Cayugas, l Preliminary Keinarks— Origin of the word Iroquois— Native Names— The Iroquois become Independent— Settle in New York— Their Wars— Origin of the Cayugas— The League— Its Ascendancy— Territory of the Cayugas- Excellence of their Crops— Assistance to other Nations— Customs, etc.— Dissolution of the League— Purchase of the Cayuga Territory— Logan— Port Hill— Fort on the Olmstead Farm. CHAPTER II. The Settlement of Aubuen 32 Location of Auburn— Causes of Settlement— Award of the Military Lots-^*. Col. Hardenburgh— The Indian ViUage— Arrivals— The Gig-Mill— Koads— Cemeteries— Hardenburgh' 8 Comers— Jehiel Clark— New Settlers— The Militia —Town Government— Comers in 1800— Slaves— School-Houses— Seneca Tum- pike— Genesee Street Bridge— Foot Eaces— Frame Buildings— The Game — Farmer's Inn— First National Anniversary— Court House— Auburn Named— Tavem-Keeping Age— Continual Arrivals— County Clerk's Office— Western Federalist— Bams— Clinton's Description— First Congregational Society- Episcopal Society— Auburn Academy— List of Subscribers — Auburn Library Association— War of 1812— The Auburn Companies— The Fright— Cayuga Patriot. VI (;<)NTKNTS. CHAPTER III. , Annals op the Village prom 1815 to 1837 119 Roads— The Village in 1815— Incorporation— The Fire Engine— SidewalkB— The Prison— Its Effects- Auburn Bank— Cayuga County Bank— The Churches —Bible Societies- Medical Society— First Sunday School— Agricultural Asso- ciation—Columbian Garden— Free Press- Cotton Mill— Paper Mill— Others- Auburn Market— La Fayette's Reception — 4th of July, 1823— Medical College —Gospel Messenger— General Union for Promoting Observance of the Sab- bath—Bank Coffee House— American Hotel— The 33d Artillery— The Fusiliers —Improvements — The Erie Canal Celebration— Auburn and Owasco Canal — Watson's Letter— Big Dam Celebration— Raihoad Convention at Syracuse- Auburn and Syracuse Railroad — Snow-Storm of 1836 — Auburn College- Town Hall and Market— The Great Excited Year. CHAPTER IV. Thb Panic, the Revival op Enterprise, etc 20S Streets First Lit— The Fire — The Panic— Suspension of Specie Payments— Shinplasters— Enterprise Dead— Drowning of the Students— Water Cures- Presbyterian Convention— Auburn and Syracuse Railroad — Excitement about the Prison— Patriot War— Heniy Clay— Martin Van Buren— Taverns- Politics in 1840— The A. L. A.— Second Agricultural Society— The Silk Mono- mania— Auburn and Rochester Railroad— Temperance Celebration— Martha Washington Society— John Quincy Adams— Dirge of the Elms— Auburn Woolen Company— The Telegraph— Dailies— State Fair— Incorporation of the City— Schools— High School— Female College— Young Ladies' Institute— Fort Hill— Improvement of the Outlet— Auburn Water Works— Gas Company— Raihoad'History— Oswego Starch Factory— Merchants' Union Express Co. CHAPTER V. The Auburn Prison 341 The Old Criminal Code— Newgate— Defects of the New York System— Auburn Prison — Injurious Effects — Solitary Confinement — Classification- Captain Lynds— Severity of Discipline— Contract System— Rachel Welch— Govern- ment— Von Eck— Mechanics' Interest— Description of the Prison— System- Insane Asylum. CONTENTS. Vll CHAPTER VI. The Theological Seminary STO Description— Dr. Mason's School— Action of the Synod of Geneva— Meeting- at Auburn— The Subscription— Incorporation— Comer-stone Laid— Induction of the Professors — The Course— Gloomy Prospects— Tappan's gift— Suspen- sion— Reopening— Progress to 1868. CHAPTER VII. The War Record 395 Notes of Preparation— Kennedy's Action— The First Volunteer Company— The President's Call— The 49th— The Furore- Public Meeting— Excited Sun- day—Mass Meeting— Recruiting— Presentations— Departure of the Five Com- . panics- Organization of the 19th— Shoddy— Meeting at the American— New Regiment— Recruiting for which Begins— The Barracks— The Pumpkin Pies- Colors of the 75th— Organization of the Regiment— tSth Marches— Kennedy's Battery— Segoine's Cane — Military Committee— The 3d Regiment — Mas» Meeting— The 111th Full— Its Officers— Snyder's Company— Welling' s Regi- ment— 111th goes to the Front — Officers of 138th — Bounties — Beardsley Resigns— His Resignation not Accepted— Last Call of the War Committee- Organization of Dwight's Regiment— Union League— Board of Enrolment- Return of the 19th— The Draft— The Procession— First Call of 1864— Ward Committees— Second Call— 193d New York Volunteers— Bounty Jumpers- Snow Pi-ovost Marshal— Officers of the 193d— Close of the War— Summing Up —The Ladies' Union Aid Society. CHAPTER VIII. The City op Auburn, 1868 \ 470 \ Location— Altitude — Appearance — Public Buildings — Prison — Seminary- Orphan Asylum— The Churches— Schools— Points of View— Newspapers— Manufactures— The Dams and Mills— The Population— Pursuits— Productions — Climate— Health. Vlll CONTENTS. CHAPTER IX. Civil List op Auburn and Cayuga County 50" CHAPTER X. BlOORAPHIES OF CITIZENS OP AUEUHN 529 INDEX. Aurelius, erection of 33 government of 58 Auburn, naming of 88 Clinton's sketch 94 in 1869 470 College 203 Academy 101 Agricultural Society 155, 245 Auburn Gazette 157 Journal 158 Hydraulic Association.. 217 Advertiser 270 Literary Association 241 House 176,236 Adams, J. Q., visit of 259 Auburn Tool Company 485 Agricultural Works 488 Aldermen 409 Agents of the prison 514 Amerman, Deacon, Biography of 576 Big Elm 49,70 Bounty Lands 33 Bridges 66, 70, 173 Bank of Auburn 139 Cayuga County 142 Baptists 146 Bible Societies. . .■ 147 Bank Coffee House 170 Barber's Woolen Mill 494 Barber, Sheldon & Co 499 Burt, Dr. H., Biography of 537 Beardsley, John, Biography of. . . 566 Counties, division of. 32 Cayuga County formed 59 County Seat, location ol'l 84 Court House 86, 175 Churches, 1st Presbyterian 68, 97, 143, 476. 2d Presbyterian 148 C^entral 477 St. Peters.. 69,98,149,467 St. John's 478 Methodist 144, 477 Holy Family 145 St. Mai-y's 477 Baptist 146 Universalist ]4() Cayuga Patriot 116 Tocsin 118 Democrat 158,483 Columbian Garden 156 Cotton MiU 159, 495 Canal, Erie 178 Auburn and Owasco 189 Chronicles 225 Corrector 225 Clay Henry, visit of 230 Cayuga Chief Manufacturing Co . 491 Climate of Auburn 503 Clerks of Cayuga County 517 Clai-y, Joseph, Biography of 551 Casey, George, " " . 560 Chase, Captain, " " 585 Drowning of students 218 Dirge of the Ehns 261 Dams 93, 194, 484 Dodge & Stevenson M'f 'g Co. . .. 492 District Attorneys 518 Dennis, C. C, Biography of 547 Fusiliers 172 Forts, Indian 25, 30 Fort Hill Cemetery 290 Fire Department 126, 134 Free Press , 157 Female Seminary 177, 287 Fire of '37 209 Farmers' Manufacturing Co 499 Game 73 Genesee Koad, Old 43, 48 New 57 Gospel Messenger , 168 Gas Company 309 Garrow, N., Biography of 540 Hayden, Wm. & Co 497 Hussey Manufacturing Works . . . 499 Hills, Horace, Biography of 553 Geo. M. " " 544 Hagaman, Johnl." " 568 Hulbert, JohnW." " 572 Inspectors of the prison 513 Indian village of Wasco 44 Judges, County, etc 520 Kennedy's Battery 434 Logan 23 INDEX. Levaniia Gazette {l"2 La Fayette, visit of 164 Lunatic A«ylum 3t)(> Mills 40, 53, 67, i>3, 150, 2ti4, 483 MailB, first M Militia lOS, 170 Medical Society 151 College 106 Market 163, 217 Martha Washington Society 255 Merchants' Union Express 334 Morning News 483 Mayors of Auburn 409 Members of Assembly 523 Congress 538 Muir, Robert, Biography of. 555 Nineteenth Regiment 403 Northern Christian Advocate 48;3 Independent 488 Outlet, improvement of 29*^ death of fish in 154 Oswego Stiirch Factory 337 111th Regiment 428 i;i8th " 4:30 100th •■ 441 t93d •' 460 Officers of the late war 411, 423, 425, 434, 440, 445, 400, 462. Orphan Asylum 475 Orphans' Friend 483 Osborne, D. M. & Co 488 Prison 130, 222, 341, 474 Paper Mill 160 Park 177, 207 Presbyterian Convention 220 Patriot War 225 Patent Grinders 498 Population of Auburn.. . 00, 121, 172, 272, 502, 500. Postmasters 512 Presidential Electors . '. 520 Roads 48, 119, 472 Railroads, Aub. & Syr.. 190, 220, 318 Port Byron & Aub .... 316 Auburn & Canal 316 Aub. &Roch 201, 318 Ithaca & Aub .... 217, 319 L. O., A. & N. Y.... 322 Southern Central .330 Richardson, J. L., Biography of.. John, " ".. Settlement, First Slaves 43, Settlers, Arrival of .50, 55, 66, 78. 83. Seneca Turnpike Stages Schools 04, 101, 272, 284, Schools, Sunday Snow storm of '30 Shinplasters Sherwood, Isaac, Biogi-aphy of. . . Silk, culture, etc Seventy-fifth Regiment State Armory Steel Tempering Works Seward, Wm. H. Biography of. . . Seymour, James S., " "... Scythe Works Supervisors 59, Sheriff Surrogate Senators, State Society for promoting observance of Sabbath Taverns 54, 56, 79, 81, 89, Town Hall 175, Temperance Theological Seminary 370, Tiittle Manufacturing Company.. Throop, E. T., Biography of Trastees of Auburn 120, Telegraph Union League *. Union Aid Society Underwood, Geo., Biography of.. Van Buren, Martin, Visit of Volunteer Relief Fund 402, War of 1812 War, Patriot War for the Union Western Federalist Western Luminaiy Water Cures Whig Carnivals Woolen Mill Water Works Company Young Ladies' Institute 5(W 570 42 62 68, 70 64 480 150 202 215 549 245 414 476 486 529, 556 498 512 516 518 521 132 217 252 515 490 574 507 270 447 464 542 233 452 112 225 ,393 92 92 219 236 264 304 289 PEEFAOE. It is with unfeigned diffidence that I submit thi& volume to the pubhc of Auburn. Gentlemen thoroughly conversant with the history of our city from the beginning * have, at different times, contem- plated its publication. The compilation of local reminiscences belongs properly to them. But it has been left to me to break ground in this work. I have undertaken it with no confidence that I sliould make the history perfect, but rather trusting in the indul- gence of the public for one who has made an honest attempt to serve them. It gives me pleasure to anticipate the reader's first query — as to the authenticity of this work — by show- ing him my som-ces of information. It is presumed he will be satisfied that they are sufficiently numerous and reliable. The veteran editor, Thomas M. Skinner, Esq., fur- nished me, in the spring of 1868, with files of the Au- hurn Gazette and Republicmi^ for seventeen years, from 1816, from which, with files of the Free Press, lent me by Miss Sarah Oliphant, files of the Cayuga Patriot, by Isaac S. Allen, Esq., and several volumes- -tm • '^ * General John S. Clark, James H. Bostwick, and John B. Dill. Xll PKEFACK. 4" the Auburn Achertuer, I gained a first and gen- eral view of the progress of Anl)iirn from 1816 to the present, and the precise dates of all conspicuous events. I have had the pleasure of con\ersing often with the venerable Deacon Henry Amerman, now residing about six miles nortli of Auburn, near Centreport, whose acquaintance with the operations and incidents of the village, from ISO-l, for nearly twenty years, was perfect and intimate. His clear, retentive memory enabled him to review and correct the part of my work embracing that period. James H. Bostwick, Esq., now of New York, learn- ing of my inidertaking, generously placed at my com- mand a mass of statistics and legends, which he had himself obtained, during a long and active life, from the pioneers of Auburn. These items of early history were of the greatest value and service, the well-known reliability of Mr. Bostwick, and his great personal fa- 7niliarity with the matters in question, insuring their entire correctness. For early town history, I am indebted to none, per- haps, so much as to James Tibbies, Esq., who came to Aurelius the year following Colonel Hardenburgh's arrival. Mr. Tibbies took the greatest interest in my work, introduced me to other old settlers, and aided me materially in forming correct impressions of olden times. "^ PRKFAOK. Hon. Enos T. Throop, whose excellent memory, and acquaintance with the scenes, and government, and great enterprises of Auburn, in the first part of the present century, rendered him one of the most val- uable sources of information, furnished me with much curious and useful material. Many other old settlers have allowed me to avail myself of their recollections of early days here, among whom are the venerable David Parsell, and his wife^ the sister-in-law of Colonel Hardenburgh, Joseph Beach, Eleazer Hunter, Jesse Lounsbury, Dr. Richard Steel, Thomas IST. Skinner, James S. Seymour, Michael S. Myers, John MclSTeal, Peter Sittser, and Judah Eggleston. The records of Aurelius, beginning in 1T95, the books of the supervisors of the county, going back to*^ 1799, and various old and curious books and papers in the possession of Miss Eliza Horner, and in the county clerk's office, afforded accurate data and interesting statistics. For the truth of the story of the times of, and since, the speculation fever of '36, and of the great and often colossal entei'prises of later days, I have appealed in every possible instance to those having original knowledge of the circumstances. As usual with historians, I have met the embarrassments of conflicting reports. My most respected and reliable informants have, in some instances, the most singularly XIV PREFACE. different impressions of the same event. Their re- ports of simple things frequently differ in an extraor- dinary manner. I am in the position of the hood- winked man, who is led through scenes of unusual interest, without the privilege of looking at them himself, but is constrained to depicture them in his mind from what those that attend him, who entertain different opinions on all subjects, say of them. In this position, I have been liable to form incorrect ideas and impressions. I have therefore striven ear- nestly for original testimony in every case, though I have sometimes been obliged, in order to reconcile difficulties, to depart from the opinions of esteemed friends on certain points, and take my own view of the case. I trust, however, that in essentials, the sketches of the three hundred or more different sub- jects embraced in this history are sound and truthful, I have received assistance in collecting materials for this work from many eminent citizens of Au- burn, among whom are Colonel Charles W. Pomeroy, Edward E. Marvine, Hon. Benjamin F. Plall, Gene- ral John S. Clark, Isaac S, Allen, William C, Beardsley, Colonel Terence J, Kennedy, General Jesse Segoine, Dr, S. Willard, Nelson Beardsley, General C. D. McDougall, Colonel John A. Dodge, Colonel Charles H. Stewart, E. P, Senter, C, P. Williams, John Patty, Lewis Paddock, Michael Kavanagh, John M, Hurd, William Lamey, Morti- PREFACE. XV mer L, Brown, Richard C. Steel, J. X. Starin, Wil- liam Gray Wise, A. PI. Goss, Josiali Barber, Loren- zo W. JSTye, William Playden, Dr. B. Fosgate, Ste- phen G. Hopkins, James Seymour, Jr., John E. Pat- ten, Miss Eliza Horner, Miss Sarah Oliphant, and Miss Amanda Irish. Notes on the Merchants' Union Express Company were furnished by Charles JS". Eoss, Esq., the accom- plished cashier of the First N"ational Bank ; notes on the Southern Central Railroad, by J. Milton Brown, Esq., one of the most efficient engineers in the em- ploy of that road; the Civil List and Biographies,- by my brother, James Hall ; notes on the Oswego Starch Factory, by Dr. S. Willard ; and notes on the silk mania and the Patriot War, by my father, Benjamin F. Hall. In conclusion I may remark that the defects of the present work are apparent to no one more than to myself. Indeed, I am only too sensible that I have scarcely more than laid the foundation, upon which, at some future day, some one will rear the more perfect structure of a sound and complete history of Auburn. But if I shall have preserv^ed from that oblivion into which many of them must in a few years have sunk, the events of ancient times in Au- burn, and the generous, public-spirited acts of citizens of times both early and late, I shall feel that my purpose is accomplished. XVI I 'KEF ACE. I ask only that this History may be regarded by the public with that generous spirit with which we all look upon well-intended and patient toil. HENRY HALL. Auburn, May, 1809. HISTORY OF AUBURN. CHAPTER I. THE CAYUGA S. The relation of the several consecutive steps and events that mark the development, nnder the hand of industry, of the beautiful intervale containing the city of Auburn, from the condition of an original wilder- ness, to that of a thickly-settled, well-ordered, and prosperous town, does not alone constitute its local history. The history of this locality also embraces facts concerning the aboriginal races of the region, and some delineation of their life and pursuits. The Indians stand in the foreground of all American his- tories, in those of towns as well as those of States ; not so much indeed because they affected in any great de- gree the founding or progress of the particular com- munities — for the different periods of savage and Eng- lish occupation bear a relation to each other scarcely closer than that between two dramas produced in suc- cession upon the same stage — but they are always in- troduced in this manner because they add such rich 2 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. contributions to tlic historical associations, of the dis- trict which happens to be under consideration. "Were this not particularly true in the present instance, it is presumed that an apology for the prominence given to the events of aboriginal history in these notes, would not be entirely unnecessary. The uncouth manners of the ancient inhabitants of this valley, however, the valor of their warriors, their strange and interesting notions, their eager search for fame, their fortitude, eloquence, and diplomacy, and the romantic circum- stances of their wild sylvan life, still excite undimin- ished interest ; and the conspicuous position attained by the Cayuga nation, the eminence of its chiefs and orators, and the importance of this part of its territory in relation to the old fort on the hill, the great central Indian trail, and the ancient village, camping grounds, and trails, along the Owasco Creek, are matters so clearly the property of local history as to invite the first attention. In the days when the red man had undisputed pos- session of the region, his Avigwams dotted the sides of our hills, the smoke of his camp-fires floated over our valley. His light canoe sped over the bosom of the lake, his hunting parties ranged the forest in every di- rectiou^and his savage superstitions peopled our woods and skies with his own pagan spirits and deities. To him, then, justly belongs the foreground of this sketch. The Cayuga, or, as they have it in their own tongue, THE CAYUGAS. the Gweiigweli nation, was one of the six composing, the celebrated confederacy of the Iroquois, that at the time of the Dutch settlement was seated in the inte- rior of ]^ew York, and about the St. Lawrence. The confederacy was first known in Europe by the appella- tion of the Iroquois, a name bestowed upon it by the early French explorers. Cartier, in 1534, appears to have heard of this fa- mous people ; and disregarding the long and barbar- ous title by which they were known among the natives, gave them a shorter one of French invention. Charle- voix, a French traveler and writer, who visited Canada in 1720 and 1721, refers the origin of the term to the frequent use by these Indians of a word or ejaculation, represented by the syllables " e-oh," or " e-ah." In the councils of the warriors, this word was uttered in response to the speeches of the orators by way of ap- proval or applause. It was also used upon such im- portant occasions as the convention of delegates from the various tribes, and from the English settlements, for the purpose of making a treaty. The sentiments of the Indian spokesman were indorsed by the attend- ant sachems by an unanimous "e-ah ! " or, as laid down in many of the records of these conventions, by " hee- aaw !" The sound is preserved in the term Iroquois, a syllable being added to make it available as a name. The Cayugas, and the Indians generally, used for a term expressive of their race at large the phrase Ongwe 4 HISTORY OF A.UBCRN, Howe, wliicli signifies " a people surpassing all otliei'S." The word Howe means simply " a man." Golden says, " By the prefixed term Ongwe, it is qualified, according to various iiitei'pretations, to mean real, as distin- guished from sham men, or cowards ; it may also mean strong, wise, or expert men, and, by ellipsis, men ex- celling all others in manliness," The native national name of the Iroquois, who were a confederacy of at first five, and afterwards six na- tions, all descendants of a common stock, and united as brothers and allies, was expressive of their relation- ship and intimacy. They called themselves the Kono- shioni, or the Ho-de-no-sau-nee, according to difi'erent dialects ; that is, " the People of the Long House." In their imaginary Long House, extending from the Hudson to the Falls of Niagara, lived the kindred na- tions side by side. The eastern door was guarded by the intrepid Mohawk, the western by the warlike Sen- eca. The council fire bm-ncd brightly in the center, under the care of the Onondaga; the Cayuga was charged with the safety of the wampum ; while the Oneida and Tuscarora dwelt in security in their allotted territories near by. The parts of this royal house were strongly united. The perfect equality of the na- tions, and their unbounded hospitality and open confi- dence prove the great reality, to them, of the edifice of their government, and illustrate the soundness of their conception of the nature of a political compact. THE CAYUGA8. The origin of the Iroquois is preserved in tlieir tradi- tions with considerable distinctness ; although the ir- resistible tendency of the red man's mind to embellish all accounts of his past with fables, and to ascribe all events that he cannot explain to supernatural agencies, renders it difficult to entirely divest his history of the fruits of his imagination. This, however, is not more true of the Iroquois than of many of the ancient na- tions of the Old World. The early history of the Per- sians, the Grecians, the Eomans, and the Egyptians, and their colonies, is enveloped in a similar mass of marvelous tales. Several hundred years before the discovery of the "St. Lawrence by the French, the Iroquois lived upon the northern bank of that river, near Montreal, as a tribe of the Adirondacks, who were part of the great Algonquin group of indigenous nations, that at the time were possessors of nearly the whole of the regions now known as Kew England, New York, and Lower Canada. Thirsting for fame and independence, the Iroquois made an effort to throw off the yoke of the Adirondacks. Beaten in the war that followed, they were forced to fly from the country to avoid the fate of all the vanquished in Indian wars, total extermina- tion. Ascending the St. Lawrence, they bravely put out into Lake Ontario, and after a long and perilous journey arrived at the mouth of the Swa-geh (Oswego) Eiver. This stream they entered, landed near the falls, b llISTOilY OK AUBURN. and encamped on some liigli gronnd near by. Here they resided for a long time, and eventually became the Onun-da-ga-o-no, or Onondaga nation. Their new- name, signifying the " People on the Hill," arose from a tradition that they were actually called forth from the bowels of the earth at the hill where they first lodged after their flight, lla-wen-ne-yu, the holder of the heavens, himself, is said to have released them from their subterranean prison, and conducted them to the upper air. As time elapsed, the people became quite numerous, and large bands separated at different times from the parent colony, and wandered oif into the for- est in pursuit of favorite hunting-grounds where they might find themselves a home. One party locating on a beautiful stream became in time a nation called the Mohawks. Another became the Oneidas. The Cayu- gas and Senecas also w^ere formed in this manner from the Onondagas, who always recognized the youthful nations as their children. The Cayugas, according to their own traditions, were led in their excursions into the wilderness by Ta-oun-ya-w^at-ha, by some known as Hi-a-wat-ha, a being partly human and partly divine. They reached the lake which now bears their name through the Seneca River. The native narrative of this voyage abounds with the most marvelous adventures, which not only exhibit the difficulties thrown in the path of the fathers of the Caynga nation, but illustrate their energy and prowess. THE CAYUGAS. 7 One of these obstructions was met at the marshes at the foot of Cajuga Lake. Then, as now, that spot was the haunt of the wild fowl, and countless num- bers of geese, duck, plover, and other aquatic birds, swarmed over the marsh. Thej were not, however, allowed to pass beyond its limits. Two monstrous eagles, of horrid appearance and awful power, repelled every effort of the birds to escape, and feasted upon them at will. The monsters also barred the progress of the little band of Cayugas. They were accordingly attacked with great valor, and after a terrific combat were slain, and the way cleared. The honor acquired by this success was considerably increased by the ^'^iit which it conferred upon all red mankind. It ^^ "v that the birds in the swamp, released from ^^ the death of the eagles, rose into the air with a grea -, , j- 4.-U ^ -l. j ° 'amor, and, spreadmg themselves abroad, ever tliereaftei , . i n ^i i i >ved at pleasure upon all the lakes and rivers of the , j re j j wintry, and aiiorded great suste- nance to the inhabitai. Another pestiferous gtx ^ ., , , ,, , ^ terrible creature, that re- sided at or near the Cayui. , ,, , .J »\marshes, was the huge mosquito. He was repeatedly., i -, ^ .1 /^ _ r ./ <^cked by the most valiant warriors of the country, bV n , '^ ' ^^vercame all who came against him with his enormoiV ^. ,.1 ., ^ ^tmg, until it became necessary to appeal to the Holder. <. , , tt ens for assistance. In response to this aK, -, -rr wen-ne-yu one day met the horrid insect, and\ j •^ '' ' \d er- 8 HISTORY OF AUBURN, took to slay hiiii. The mosquito lied, and was chased by the divinity all around the great lakes and sur- rounding country, nntil in the neighborhood of the iSeneca lliver he was overtaken and put to death. The blood flowing from his lifeless body gave birth to in- inimerable swarms of the small mosquitoes that still linger about the place of his death. The little band of red men, overcoming all obsta- cles, pursued its way into Cayuga Lake. It encamped upon the eastern shore. Soon after, a part of the band went west and settled on the Seneca Lake, where it founded the Seneca nation. Those that remained multiplied in numbers, and soon became distinguished ^e as the Gwe-u-gweh-o-no, or Cayugas, " the people at " Mucky Land." The Iroquois had now expanded from a f'^ _ tive tribe into five independent nations : to be supposed that this had been e^^ ' , r\ .^ . ■ years had elapsed or m a day. On the contrary, ma^ -^ ^ ,,',., , -, ,, " .a which subsequently since they first entered the rep- ^ T_ ^, ^ -> . 1 • .deracv : and many long became the seat oi their co^ -^ ' j ^ T , T T .^1 xdent nations had attended and bloody wars with r' ^, . .1 rn .KC room for themselves, they their growth, io '^ ,. . , .el the Alleghans and Andastes, were lorced to f' '^ then living in ^' ' ^^^^^'^^^ ^^ *^^ ^^^*^' ^''^' ^' *^^^ spread ovrr -'- country, they encountered the resent- ment of t'^ ^1' liereditary foes, the Adirondacks, as well £ .^j ilinsi, who were settled about the Hudson, THE CAYUGAS. 9 :and the warlike Indians of New England. They also found enemies in the Eries, or Oats, and the Neuter nation, living about Lake Erie and the Niagara River. They, however, pushed back these nations, and gained a strong foothold on the soil. At this point, the Iro- quois nations, for some unaccountable reason, fell to lighting among themselves. They were one people, in fact, and brothers ; but for several years they waged war upon one another with the greatest bitterness. Their hunting parties were continually ambushed and broken up. The old people lived in perpetual terror. The tribes were compelled to change their villages often. The numbers of the people wasted away ; and, taking advantage of their weakened condition, the border -nations again took up the hatchet against them, and began to press upon them in the most alarming manner. It having become evident to the Iroquois that they were in danger of being overwhelmed by their hostile neighbors, the proposal was made by an Onondaga sage that the nations should calm the spirit of war, re-open the paths between the villages, resume the "voice of cheerfulness, and unite in a league for the preservation of peace between themselves, and for defense against common enemies. The project so commended itself to the good sense of the kindred tribes that it was adopted. Upon the northern shore 'of the Onondaga Lake the chiefs met in council, and 10 HISTORY OF AUBURN. agreed uj^on the terms and principles of the confede- racy. The date of this event is placed, by reliable testimony, about an hundred years before the Dutch discovery. Many traditions give the league a remoter origin ; but they are not supported by competent authorities. The principal sachem from the Cayugas attending this famous council was distinguished for the unusual size and beauty of his calumet. This circumstance led to the adoption, by the Cayugas, of a very large calumet, as the totem, or heraldic device, of their nation. JSTo sooner bad the five Iroquois nations buried their quarrels, and assumed the title of " the People of the Long Plouse," than they took the war-path together in search of renown, and revenge upon their ancient ene- mies, A furious war was first made upon the Adiron- dacks. This haughty race was completely humbled,, and when Jacques Cartier, in 1535, became acquainted with its condition, he found that it had been broken up, and the remnants forced to seek safety among the Algonquins. The Algonquins and Hurons were next attacked, but were too powerful to be easily shaken. They had been furnished witb rifles by the French, for the very purpose of resisting unfriendly neighbors.' This superiority over the Iroquois, however, lasted only till 1615, when a Dutch trading-post being established at Albany, the Iroquois themselves obtained a large number of guns. With this destructive weapon tbey THE CAYUGAS. U renewed tlie war in Canada, and overthrew their ene- mies. The Hurons were scattered in every direction, a large number taking refuge with the Eries. The war then opened in that quarter. A fierce struggle followed. The victorious party w^as the Iroquois, who fairly exterminated both the Eries and the l^euter IN'ation, adopting the remnant of the conquered tribes to supply their losses during the war. The Alleghans incurred the resentment of the Iroquois by an act of treachery, which they expiated by suffering a sudden and bloody extinction. It is impossible here to follow the haughty and vic- torious People of the Long House through the partic- ulars of its career of conquest. The task requires a Yolume. It may be said, however, that its aggressions eaks of the great aston- \ THE CAYUGAS. IT ishmWt created amongst the " Caiougas " by the appear- ance \i his steed. He gave a public performance in one oi their villages to show the speed and docility of his Qorse, in order to satisfy their cmiosity. Mr. Greenlmlgh also mentions the abundance of corn with the " Caougas." In the use of the bow, these Indians were na excelled by the most famous archers of the Old Woild, that being their principal weapon both in war and n the hunt. The Cas^igas with their brethren of the League reached thV; height of their power in the middle of the seventeenth century, at which time the whole peo- ple number«i about twenty-hve thousand. The num- ber of the Cl|yugas was three thousand. Many Indian writers rate \he number of their people very much higher, but it\ was at least as high as stated. The Senecas were tl\e most powerful member of the league ; the Oneidas, tm weakest. The Onondagas were next above the CaynVas. The population of the nations varied as they ch\)se war or peace ; for those that were most actively engaged in conquest, adopted the largest number of captiveL and so maintained their strength. The rulers of th^ Iroquois confederacy were a class of dignitaries, called sachems, fifty of whom were selected from the prominent sages of the tribes at the time of the foundation of the league, and invested with supreme civil power. The government was a pure oligarchy, TJie sachemships were distributed 18 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. amongst the nations nnequally, the Cayiigas recsiving ten, while the Senecas, with twice as many w^'riors^ received only eight. In the national conncil, hcwever, which assembled annually, or whenever necessay, npon the shores of Onondaga Lake, the sachems loted by nations, so that the size of the various delegations did not effect the decision of questions. The saciemships were hereditary, and when once conferred, iivariably remained with the family or tribe of th3 original sachem, whose successor, in case of a vacanjy, was de- termined by the fi-ee choice of the remainirg members of the tribe. No new sachem was " raised U3 " unless he was thus elected. When so elected he vas invested with the power of his office by a solenn council of the League. These councils, convened, as the natives have it, for the purpose of " advising together," settled ■all questions touching the welfare and prosperity of the people at large. Treaties, the declaration of war or peace, the disposal of conquered nations, and the management of home affairs, Avere the principal sub- jects of Iroquois legislation, j^ll matters brought be- fore the council were discussed with force and anima- tion. Every subject took the form of a question which was to be decided in the affirmative, or the con- trary, and the warriors were to be of " one mind," without exception, before a measure could be adopted. From his place in the circle of sachems about the council tire, each rose and spoke. The inflexible rule THE CAYUGAS, 19 that nrilanimity was necessary to action, gave promi- nence t(i. dissenters. There were, always some such, to overcomfe whose objections oratory and public opinion were the only resorts. In their several homes, the sachems yere the magistrates of their different nations. They seldom had much to do beyond the settlement of dispute^, and these were generally decided in public councils or^the tribe or village. To this order no power was commi\(ted of a military character. Their au- thority was (entirely of a civil nature. The military officers were the chiefs, who were raised up and so called simply as- a reward of merit, or for remarkable bravery. The sachems could if they chose go to war, but only as ordinary warriors. The structure of each individual nation was pecu- liar. They were each divided into eight clans, or tribes, having an heraldic device, or totem, by which they were severally known. These tribes were re- spectively the Wolves, Bears, Beavers, Turtles, Deer, Herons, Snipe, and Hawks, tlie first four of which were considered as brothers to each other. The last four were brothers also, but cousins to the first four. The members of each individual tribe were considered not only as of one family, and thus brothers and sisters, but they also had the same relation to the members of all the tribes of the same name in the other nations. Thus, the Cayuga Wolves were brothers of the Seneca Wolves, and of the Wolves of the whole League, and 20 IJISTOKY OF AUUURN. SO through tlie list. The object of this arrargement was to strengtlien each nation by tying together its tribes, and to strengthen the confederacy br linking together the nations. This was partly accomplished by tribal divisions. The laws of marriage and descent com})leted it. It was the law that brothers and sisters should not marry. Therefore a Caynga Wolf could not iind a bride amongst the Wolf, Bear, Beaver, or Turtle tribes, of his own or any other nation, but he must seek her amongst his cousins the Deer, Heron, Snipe, and Hawk tribes. A rigid adherence to this rule speedily united the tribes and nations with the closest ties of relationship. This system was rather intricate at best, but it was further complicated by the custom of descent by the female line. The Indian child was invariably of the same tribe and nation as his mother. The Deer warrior marries a Bear wife ; his children are Bears. The Cayuga brave may seek a squaw amongst the Senecas, and, as in the case of the celebrated Red Jacket, who was born at Ga-no-ga, his descendants are Senecas. The system of cross rela- tionships was elaborate and wonderful. It was more- over eifectual, and was the seci'et of the remarkable union of the Iroquois. The downfall of the people of the Long House was swift and pitiable. The troubles of the people began with the growing power of the English colony of New York, and were immeasurably increased by the Revo- THE CAYUGAS. 21 lutionaT}^ war. At the commencement of that strug- gle the Iroquois were invited to range themselves with the royalists and help suppress the rebellion in the col- onies. The Americans invited them to remain neu- tral. The savages themselves hesitated to make a choice, though strongly attached to the British, and willing to unite with them in the war, except for their exposed position in this State. In a solemn council of the nations, the subject was earnestly discussed. The majority were for taking up the hatchet for Eng- land. The Oneidas, whose villages were contiguous to the American settlements, desired peace. Accord- incr to the usao-es of the LeaOTe, the dissent of the Oneidas defeated any positive action. At lengthy however, it was agreed that each of the six nations might take the part they chose. The Cayugas imme- diately joined the English and fought with great cour- age in the long war that followed. Their \ »art in the horrible massacre at Wyoming, however, led to the devastation of their country in ITTSby General Sullivan, a circumstance that broke their power. When the war ended, the Cayugas were helpless. Deserted by their allies, they were only saved from immediate de- struction by the clemency of General Washington, in gratitude for which, by the way, they assigned that eminent man a place in their heaven. February 25th, 1789, the Cayugas, at a convention at Albany, ceded their rich and extensive territory to ^^ HISTORY OF AUBUKN. the State of New York, for the consideration of five hundred dollars in silver, and an annuity of tlie same ^amount, reserving only to themselves a tract of one hundred square miles in the basin of Cayuga Lake, and the right to catch eels at a place called Skayes, on the Seneca Eiver, with a spot for a landing, and the right to fish and hunt over the ceded territory. Set- tlers soon after entered the surrounding countrj^, whose presence drove off tlie game. In 1795, the Cayugas •sold all but a small tract four miles square on Cayuga Lake, of their large reserve, to JSTew York. The pos- session of this was in turn granted to the State in the year 1800. By 1805, the whole nation had abandoned its ancient hunting grounds, and moved away to the West. Part went to Green Bay, Wisconsin ; part followed Brant and the Mohawks to Canada, settling on Grand Eiver, where it still remains in a village called Cayuga ; whilst a large band removed to San- dusky, where it was afterwards transported by the United States to the Lidian Territory, west of the Mississippi. A number of families also found a home with the Senecas, near Buifalo, and these, with their kindred beyond the Mississippi, share yearly the State annuity of twenty-three hundred dollai-s, arising from the sale of their lands. Tt is a remarkable fact in connection with the rulere of the Iroquois Confederacy, that none of them have become distinguished in history, except tlie Cavuga THE CATDGAS. 23- sachem, Logan. There were fifty sachemships, all of which were held by eminent men through a long series of generations, notwithstanding which the name of but one of the whole number of incumbents is il- lustrious. Logan, known among the Cayugas as Tah- gah-jute, the son of the brave chief Skikellimus, was born, according to tradition, at the Indian village of Wasco, now the site of Auburn, in 1Y25. While yet a youth, he went southward with his father to a spot called Shamokin, situated just below the junction of the branches of the Susquehanna Pdver. This had been a favorite tramping-ground of the Cayugas, and here Skikellimus built his cabin. A little creek rippled near by. Tah-gah-jute soon became widely known among the whites for his unusually fine person and engaging qualities. As he attained manhood and in- fluence, he was regarded with affection and admiration, for he was an unwavering friend of the settlers, and steadily used his authority for peace. lie was con- verted to Christianity while still at Shamokin. Upon his baptism he received the name of Logan, out of re- spect to James Logan, former Secretary of the Province,, for whom the Indians entertained great regard. In 1770, moving west, the Cayugas settled on the banks; of the Ohio. Four years later, a war broke out along this border, owing to certain robberies that had taken place in the neighborhood, and which were charged, though falsely, upon the natives. In this, although he 24 inSTOKY OF AUBUKN. had ever before been tlie triend of tlie whites, Tah-gah- jute became involved. It appears that a large part of his family, while quietly crossing the Ohio in a canoe one day, was met by a volley fired from the shore by a party under a certain Colonel Cresap, and atrociously murdered. The sachem was infuriated by this trans- action. Raising the war-cry along the border, he be- came as renowned in war, as he had been before in peace. His name struck terror whenever mentioned. It is said that he took thirty scalps with his own hand. The Indians, after a protracted struggle, met the colonists in force, and in a pitched battle were routed in confusion. JSTegotiations were opened for the pur- pose of effecting a treaty. A council was called, but Logan proudly refused to attend with the other chiefs, sending instead a messenger to Lord Dunmore, then '* governor of the colony, with the speech for the beauty and force of which he is so celebrated. He said : " I appeal to any white man to say, if he ever entered Logan's cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat ; if he ever came cold and naked, and he clothed him not. During the course of the last long and bloody war, Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Snch was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, ' Logan is the friend of the white men.' I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man. Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood THE CAYUGAS. 25 and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan^ not sparing even my women and children. There runs not a drop of mj blood in the vp-^^ of any living creature. This called on m- ^^r revenge. I have sought it. I have ki^^^^ ^^^ny. I have fully glutted my vengeance -^^^^' ^^^-^ ^^™^^.y' ^ ^'^J*^^^^ ^^ *^^ r ^ ^x> peace. But do not harbor a thought that. A^e is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan f Not oneP Logan met with an unhappy fate. The lonely sachem during his last years was overcome vnth in- temperance. One day, under the fearful influence of strong drink, his savage nature was aroused by some unlucky occurrence, and in a fit of passion he killed his wife. When his senses returned, Logan fied. His relatives sought for him in the forest. They overtook him near Lake Erie, but mistaking their object, Logan attacked them, and was slain by his kinsman, Tah- hah-dohs, in self-defense. The grass-grown earthwork that crowns the sum- mit of the eminence known as Fort Hill, in the south- western part of Auburn, is the best preserved of the many castles of the ancient Cayugas. The hill upon which it is situated rises boldly to the height of over one hundred feet, and commands so extensive a pros- pect that signal fires at the fort may be seen for from ten to twenty miles in every direction. •26 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Tlie liill possesses great natural advantages for de- fense, and the fort is placed in the best possible man- ner upon its lop Tiie ground descends upon every side. The work, to ^vv,v,h great attention has been given by antiquarians, is an e-i.^nkment in the form of an irregular ellipse, with large opt.-;^^g ^^ g^^ ^.^_ ferent points, evidently intended as gatewa;y^. -Ty-i first exarhined it was surrounded by a moat, jl- ^ greatest height of the embankment is now no more than four feet ; its thickness at the base, fourteen feet. The diameter of the whole inclosure from east to west between the outside slopes of the wall is four hundred and sixteen feet, and from north to south, three hun- dred and ten feet. Tlie circumference is twelve hun- -dred feet. The northern and eastern gateways, which are respectively one hundred and sixty-six, and sixty- six feet in width, open upon gently descending ground, although at the distance of seventy feet from the former the brow of the hill is reached, and the surface pitches ■abruptly. The three openings on the south vary from fifty to seventy-eight feet in width. These are on the brink of ridges and ravines that must have rendered approach, if offered, a dangerous attempt. The inclo- sure is located on the western and most elevated part of the hill, and is pushed back from the northern slope in such a manner that the south wall overlooks the ravines. Unmistakable traces of aboriginal occupation have been found in and about the fort. Among many relics THE CAYUGAS. 2T of a curious and interesting nature discovered here, was the thin iron head of a banner staff, fourteen inches long^ by ten broad, of ancient appearance, and of either French or English origin. It was for many years ex- hibited in a public museum in this city. Large holes, in the inner area of the fort have been ascertained to- be the caches of the ancient inhabitants. Arrow- heads and missiles are also found here. The heavy growth of trees that covered Fort Hill at the time of the discovery of the fortification estab- lishes the great antiquity of the work. Concerning this question, McCauley, in his " History of ISTew York,"' says : " We examined the stump of a chestnut tree in this moat, which was three feet two inches in diameter,, at a point two feet and a half above the surface of the- earth. A part of the trunk of the same tree was lying by the stump. As this tree had been cut down,, we endeavored to ascertain its age ; and for this pur- pose we counted the rings or concentric circles, and found them to amount to two hundred and thirty-five. The center of the tree was hollow or decayed ; and estimating this part as equal to thirty more layers or growths, we calculated the entire age of the tree to be two hundred and sixty-five years. About five years had elapsed since the tree.was cut down. This was in 1825^ and would carry back the date of the work to 1555. " At tlie distance of three paces from this stump was another of chestnut, standing in the ditch. It exceeded "28 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN. three feet in diameter, and must have died standing, and probably remained in that position many years before it fell from decay. In our opinion, the tree dated back as far as the discovery of the continent. Besides, it may be conjectured, for ought we know to the contrary, that several growths of forest trees in- tervened between the abandonment of this work and the date of the present forest." The question arises, by whom was this fort built, ■and what was it for ? The work has been repeatedly •examined by ethnologists and historians, and all have attempted to trace out the mystery. The learned Henry A. Schoolcraft, a gentleman well versed in American antiquities, who visited Fort Hill in 1845, pursuant to the instructions of the Secretary of State, expressed in a subsequent publication the conviction that the builders of this fort were no other than the ancient Alleghans, the haughty and powerful race that held the country prior to the Iroquois, who were driven to the construction of such defensive works to main- tain their ground against invaders. He also asserts that this fort belongs to that class of works with which the Ohio and Mississippi valleys so abound, and is of identical origin. This opinion, advocated and fully set forth in the " Hand-book on Fort Hill," by Benj. F. Hall, has been generally received. There are reasons, however, and strong ones, for believing that the early Oayuo-as were the builders of this castle themselves. THE CAYUGAS. 29 The eminent antiquarian, E. G. Squier, to whose re- searches the country is indebted for the discovery of many valuable and entertaining facts concerning the aborigines, after a careful study of the character of this structure, and those ascribed to the mound build- ers, arrives at the conclusion that they were erected by different people. He says, speaking of the Iroquois monuments : " I have already mentioned that within them are found many relics of art, and many traces of occupancy. These, I had ample opportunities of as- certaining in the course of my investigations, are absolutely identioal with those which mark the sites of towns and forts known to have been occupied by the Indians within the historical period. The pottery taken from these sites, and from within the supposed ancient inclosures, is alike in all respects ; the pipes and ornaments are undistinguishable ; and the indications of aboriginal dwellings are precisely similar, and, so far as can be discovered, have equal claim to antiquity. Near many of these works are found cemeteries, in which well-preserved skeletons are contained, and which, except in the absence of remains of European art, diifer in no essential respect from the cemeteries found in connection Avith the abandoned modern towns and castles of the Indians. There are other not less important facts and coincidences, all of which go to establish that if the earthworks of Western I^ew York are of a remote ancient date, they were not only 30 HISTORY OF AUBUJRN, Becondarily but generally occupied by the Iroquois, or neighboring and coteniporary nations ; or else — and this hypothesis is most consistent and reasonable — th&y were erected hj them. Mr. Sqiiier is supported in this conclusion by the traditions of the Iroquois themselves. The Cayugas declare that the fort at Wasco, with all others of the same character in their territory, was the result of the old wars between the five nations, previous to the confederacy. That in those times, the chief villages were located in defensible positions, and. surrounded with protecting palisades, and gave shelter to the people generally, in periods of danger. The caches were used for stowing grain. The palisades, accord- ing to Cusick, the Indian, in his native " History of the Six JSTations," were thus constructed : " The manner of making a fort : First, they set fire against as many trees as it requiras to make the inclosure, rubbing off the coals with their stone axes, so as to make them burn faster. When the tree falls, they put fires to it about three paces apart, and bm-n it into pieces. These pieces are then brought to the spot required, and set up around, according to the bigness of the fort. The earth is then heaped on both sides. The fort has generally two gaps — one for passage, and one for water." The Cayugas further say that the feuds which created the necessity for forts having been pacified, the people issued from their places of defense, THE CAYUGAS, 31 and, seeking new liomes, left the others to decay as useless. Thus, the Wasco fort was deserted at a very early day : and, the stockade having perished in the flight of time, the rude embankment now alone re- mains to mark its site. The mouldering bones of the dead are the only relics of the original occupants. Two miles north-east of Fort Hill, on the hill in rear of the North-Street Cemetery, there existed, in ancient times, a work similar to the above. Its site is a com- manding point. The plow has at length, how^ever, reduced this fort, and effaced all traces of its walls. Arrow-heads and Indian pottery, mingled with the soil, now barely suffice to fix the site, which appears to have been chosen with reference to a brook near by. McCauley saw the fort in 1825, and thus de- scribes it : " It inclosed about two acres, and had a rampart, ditch, and gateway. It is now nearly oblit- erated by the plow. In its original state, or the condition it was in thirty-five years ago, about the time the land was cleared, the rampart was seven feet high, and the ditch ten feet wide and three deep. Two persons, the one standing in the ditch, and the other within the inclosure, were unable to see each other. The gateway was on the north-eastern side, in the direction of a spring which flowed close by. The work was three hundred and fifty paces in cir- cumference." All the old settlers remember the In- dian fort on the Olmsted farm. 32 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. CHAPTER II. THE SETIXEMENT OF AUKELIUS, A^D THE PLANTING THEREIN OF THE VILLAGE OF AUBURN, WITH CTRCUM- STANOES OF THE LATTEr's GROWTH. 1790-1815. The iirst general sub-division of the western part of Kew York State into townships took place in 1Y89, at which time the humbled Iroquois nations were begin- ning to sell and retire from their broad territories, and the State Government, through Hon. Simeon De Witt, the Surveyor-General, was fast surveying and accurately mapping the country. All Western ISTew York was then denominated, in honor of an eminent general of the Revolution, Montgomery County — Tryon, the name it bore in colonial times, having been discarded. In the sub-division of the county, the principal part, of what is now Cayuga County was embraced within the limits of the town of Batavia. Aurelius and Mil- ton were erected therefrom, January 27th, 1T89, the former comprising all of the last named county north of an east and west line passing through the south- ern part of the village of Union Springs ; and the latter, the present towns of Genoa, Locke, and Sum- THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 33 merhill. Herkiiiier County was erected from Mont- gomery, February 16th, 1791 ; Onondaga from Herki- mer, March 5th, 1794 ; and Cayuga from Onondaga, March 8, 1799. On the day following its erection the only townships of the present Cayuga County were Aurelius, so named after Sextus Aurelius Victor, the celebrated Roman historian, whom the Emperor Con- stantius made consul; Milton, Scipio, and Sempro- nius. In a beautiful valley in the original townsliip of Aurelius, Auburn was planted in the year 1793, The title to the whole territory was purchased of the Cayuga Iroquois, February 25th, 1789. The law of the United States Congress, passed on the 16th day of September, 1776, pursuant to a report of the Board of War, providing for the enlistment of eighty-eight battalions of men to carry on the then lately declared War for Independence, enacted that all officers and soldiers who should remain in the service till the close of the war or till discharged by Congress,, and the representatives of such as should be slain by the enemy, should be entitled to receive from the Gov- ernment, upon the ratification of a treaty of peace, as, grant of the United States lands in Ohio, as a bounty. It was provided that privates should receive one hun- dred acres of land, and officers in proportion to their rank ; the Major-General's bounty being fixed at eleven hundred acres. An act of the New York Leg- islature, of the 20th of March^ 1781, authorizing the 2 34 HISTORY OF AUBURN. fonnation of two regiments for the defense of the State frontier, promised the members of these regi- ments a bounty of land equal to five times their United States grant, and in addition to the same. At the close of the war an arrangement was perfected by the State, by which the New York soldiers were per- mitted to relinquish their claim upon the United States bounty to the State, and to receive double grants in one parcel located in their own territory. Peace having been declared, the volunteers of l^ew York demanded their bounties. But, as the Indian title to the unsettled lands was not yet extinguished, a delay ensued. The troops became clamorous, and on the 15th of May, 1786, the Surveyor-General was di- rected to lay out a number of townships in the north- ern part of the State to satisfy their claims. These lands, comprising what is known as the old military tract, were located in Essex, Clinton, and Franklin -Counties. At this time the wonderful reports brought home by the soldiers sent out into the Cayuga and -Seneca countries to punish the Indians, of the extra- ordinary loveliness and fertility of the regions about the seven lakes, and the majesty and commercial value iof the forests that covered them, began to be generally noised abroad. Hearing these, speculators who were holding large numbers of soldiers' claims induced the State authorities to defer their final settlement until an opportunity could be afforded of bujdng the Indian THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELITTS. 35 right to the more favored districts in the interior. This right was acquired in 1789. The Surveyor- General was then directed to locate the bountj'^ lands in the Indian territories. One million eight hundred thousand acres were ordered to be set aside for the object, and to be surveyed into townships containing one hundred lots of six hundred acres each. Each lot which was the size of the share of a private was to be subject to a tax of forty-eight shillings, to discharge the expense of the survey. The Onondaga military tract, as it was for many jesirs known, embracing the present counties of Cayuga, Seneca, Onondaga, and Cortland, and portions of Wayne, Steuben, and Oswego, were accordingl}'- laid out and mapped without further delay by General Simeon De Witt and his as- sistants, Abraham Hardenburgh and Moses De Witt. At a meeting of the commissioners of the land office, held in the city of JSTew York, July 3d, 1790,, twenty-five townships were reported as surveyed, and a map was submitted for approval. The Board ac- cepted the map, and, Governor George Clinton being present, named and numbered the townships. Aure- lius was numbered eight. The town lots were then dis- tributed to those claiming them under the law, by ballot ; the balloting being carried on at intervals for about two years, at the end of which time all obliga- tions of the State for the payment of bounties in land had been discharged. 36 HISTORV OF AlBUllN. Ill tlie ineaiitiiiie the whole of the State lying weist of the military tract had passed into private hands by purchase of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, and . was being t>fl'ered for sale by the proprietors. A farm misht then be bouo;ht anywhere in the interior of New York. The only obstacle to immediate settle- ment was the dense and almost trackless forest that overspread the country. It was possible to penetrate this wilderness by no other means than by the Indian trails, and the streams and lakes. The trails, however, being widened by hewing out the trees, a torrent of emigration set in to every part of the interior, and the forest was rapidly peopled with sturd}^ Englishmen and Dutchmen. The pioneers were largely composed of veterans of the He volution, yet thousands came from New England, driven out by the effect of the sup- pression of Shay's rebellion in 1786, and attracted by rumors of the beauty and fertility of this favored region. Many more came from Pennsylvania and JSTew Jersey. The town of Aurelius came prominently into notice in this era of general settlement, and at- iti*acted emigration from places as far distant as Mary- land, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, being with the neighboring town of Scipio well known as abounding in rich soils, magnificent scenery, and unusual facilities for the successful prosecution of farming and manu- facturing. The rebel Shay himself emigrated to Aure- lius, and lived and died a few miles west of Auburn. THE SETTLEMENT OF AITRELIUS, 37 The circumstances whicli constitute the first his- torical record of Auburn relate to the six town lots upon which the city stands. These lots are designated by the Surveyor-General, upon his map of the original township of Aurelius, by the numbers thirty -seven, thirty-eight, forty-six, forty-seven, fifty-six and fifty- eeven/^ They are arranged in three tiers : the first two mentioned comprise the northern ; the next two, the middle ; and the last two, the southern tier. They were awarded, and bought and sold by speculators till they fell into the hands of actual settlers — for none of the veterans to whom they were assigned as bounties ever occupied them — in the following manner : Lot ISTo. thirty-seven, forming the north-west corner of Auburn, was granted July 8th, 1790, to a brave private of Colonel Yan Schaick's regiment, the 1st New York, by the name of George Weaver, who, not choos- ing to improve the land, sold it to Michael Overacker for a few pounds sterling. Passing through the hands of Albert Paulding, the title to the lot was conferred December 12th, 1791 to, Eobert Dill, of ISTewburg, Orange County, to whom a patent was issued by ^tlie State. Mr. "Weaver's propensity for executing deeds of this form to whoever chose to advance a few pounds sterling, involved his original purchasers in great trou- ble to establish their claim. Among subsequent pur- chasers of parts of lot 'No. thirty-seven may be men- tioned Amos and Gideon Tyler, each of whom bought an 38 HISTORY OF AUBURN. liundred acres in December, 1796, the former for forty, and the latter tor one hundred and eighty-six pounds sterling. Lot No. thirty-eight, constituting the north-east cor- ner of the city, was drawn by a private in the 1st New York regiment, named Alexander Mills, or rather by his representatives, for he had previously parted with his interest in the lot to Major Wm. J, Yredenburgh, December dth, 1788. Gerrit H. Yan Wagoner bought it of the latter owner, " for value received," February 27th, 1789, and received the state patent for six hun- dred acres. He sold the southern half of the farm, December 1st, 179-1, to Major ISToah Olmsted, Jr., of Onondaga County, for the consideration of one hun- dred and twenty pounds sterling. After the sale of this lot to Major Yredenburgh, private Mills ventured to make another deed of the same for the sum of fifty pounds to Joseph Prescott of New York, who in turn sold it to John Richardson, in 1795, for four hundred and twenty pounds sterling. A dispute thus arose over the possession of the land, which was carried before Messrs. James Emmott and Yincent Matthews, commissioners for the adjustment of land titles in Onondaga County, in the rejection of Mr. Richardson's claim. Lot No. 46 includes Fort Hill and the western part of Auburn. It was awarded to Alexander McCoy, a private of the 1st New York, who had served in the THE SETTLEMENT CF AUEELIUS. 39 army for' six years, but who, by reason of some infor- mality in his papers, was able to obtain no more than the State bounty of five hundred acres. He sold the benefits of his discharge from the service once to David Howell, of ISTewburg, in 1789, and afterwards to John Brown for the sum of eleven pounds sterling. This matter also came before the commissioners for the set- tlement of disputes concerning land titles, David Howell was declared to be the legal owner of the five liundred acres. The decision taking place after his death, this lot became the property of his heirs, of whom at different times it was bought by Robert Dill, at a cost of about twelve hundred dollars. The title to the unappropriated one hundred acres, lying in a square form in the south-east corner of the lot, was acquired by General Philip Van Cortlandt, a lawyer of 'New York city, and transferred by him, September 19th, 1799, to William Bostwick, of Milford, Connecti- cut, for the sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars. Captain John Doughty drew by ballot the eastern part of this city, and the magnificent mill privileges included within the limits of lot No. forty-seven. He was the only one of the original owners of the six town lots that received the patent for his land person- ally. He sold his patent to Martin and Josiah Ogden Hoffman of Xew York city for one hundred and fifty pounds sterling. February 16th, 1792, the lot was transferred at an advance of thirty pounds to Captain 40 HISTORY OF AUKURN. John L. Hardenburgh, of Ulster County, the record of whose deed still exists among the books of the old county of Herkimer. Lot No. 56, containing the south-west corner of Auburn, became by grant the property of Nicholas Avery, a private of the 2d regiment of New York volunteers, who sold it to Edward Cumpston for twenty pounds sterling. September 23d, 1790, the title vested by deed in Jeremiah Yan Rensselaer — to whom the patent was issued — and Abraham Ten Eyck. Stephen N. Bayard bought the lot next. He parted with part of his interest in it in June, 1792, to Eldad Steel, and with the rest of it, in July, 1792, to Bethel G. Steel. On the 3d of October, 1798, the lot was awarded to the Messrs. Steel in the proportion of three hundred and fifty acres to the former, and two hundred and fifty to the latter. Colonel Peter Gansevoort received lot No. 57. He- retained the farm till he knew its value, and parted with it January 9th, 1805, to Samuel Swift, for four thousand dollars. The patents for these lots are severally recorded in the oflice of the Secretary of State at Albany; the field notes and maps of the survey, are filed in the ofiice of the State Engineer. The original townships of the Onondaga military tract were surveyed and mapped under the direction of the Surveyor-General and his assistants, by Benj. THE SEITLEMENT OF AUEELILS. 41 Wright, John L. Hardenbiirgh, Humphrey Howland, Josiah Buck, Comfort Tyler, and other deputy sur- veyors, in the years 1789 and '90. Among these depu- ties, whose honorable, though perilous, profession was rendered attractive to the veterans of the then late War for Independence, by having been adopted by the venerated Washington, in his early days. Captain John L, Hardenburgh, of Ulster County, a tall, swarthy officer, of Dutch descent, took a high stand, being dis- tinguished no less for gallantry in his regiment, the 2d 'New York, while on Sullivan's expedition against the Seneca and Cayuga Indians, than for his ability as a surveyor. He was called, in the discharge of his official duties, to various parts of the military tract, and not only acquired a thorough acquaintance with its resources and character, but a powerful desire to settle at some favored spot in its grand old woods, and spend there his remaining years. Life under the ma- jestic elms and maples of the primeval forest, in the midst of scenery of extraordinary beauty, surrounded by rich soils, and in a position where great wealth was certain to accrue to the large landholder, by the development of the country, was captivating to the imagination. With the wild valley in which Auburn now stands Captain Hardenburgh was particularly impressed. It was buried in dense woods, and unfa- vorable to immediate occupation from its swamps ; but the immense water power of the Owasco River, 42 HISTORY OF AUBUKN, that ran through the valley, arrested his attention. The stream, draining the Owasco Lake and the sur- rounding country, was a rapid for miles. It abounded in little cascades and falls, and its current was full and strong. The facilities it afforded for manufacturing: were incomparable. The deputy surveyor, dreaming already of the future city, considered the opportunity thus presented as that " tide " which was to " lead him on to fortune." He resolved to " take it at the flood," secure the water power by purchase of the .adjacent lands, and found, if possible, a settlement at this point. Finding, upon balloting for bounties, in 1790, that the grants to which he was himself entitled were located in Fabius and Cicero, he sought out the assignees of lot No. forty-seven, Aarelius, and made a trade with them, by which he became the proprietor of a tract embracing water privileges which promised to be the most valuable on the stream. Captain John L. Hardenburgh, the founder of Au- burn, fitted by his vigorous habits and iron frame for a pioneer's life, came into the township of Aurelius early in 1793, and took possession of his farm, which was easily accessible by means of a certain rude wagon track or trail, that ran through the woods directly by the spot. This road, then the only one in the county, was made in 1791 by a party of wood-choppers and emigrants who were en route from Whitestown to Canandaigna, under the lead of General Wadsworth. THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 43 They followed the ancient Indian trail, merely en- larging it by hewing away the trees and underbrush, and bridging the most impassable streams. The road entered the township from the north-east, and cross- ing the site of Auburn very nearly upon the line of !N"orth and West Grenesee Streets, ran in a crooked manner westerly to Cayuga Lake. By the side ot this path, known for years as the old Genesee road, lived all the inhabitants of Aurelius. Captain Ilar- denburgh brought with him into the wilderness one child, a daughter, and the two negro slaves, Harry and Kate Freeman. Being at first undetermined where to build, he appears to have spent several days examining the valley, and sleeping at night under the trees, before he selected a site. At length, choosing a spot of dry-ground near the road, and in rear of the lot now occupied by the Town Hall, he engaged Gil- bert Goodrich, a neighboring settler, to build him a cabin. Harry, meanwhile, began to make a clearing, felling with his own hand the first tree on the site of Auburn. Goodrich assisted in clearing the first acre. The cabin, a strong little structure of logs, was made ■secure against the attacks of wild beasts, and was pro- vided, in the absence of both fire-place and chimney, with an old-fashioned Dutch back, against which the :fires were built, and the meals cooked. The smoke from the fire found its way into the open air through a smoke-hole in the roof. A wooden crane suspended 44 HISTOKY OF' AUBUKN. the kettles over the llames. The latch-string ot this house was always out. The captain extended its hos- pitalities to every new-eouier, and to the aborigines, a large band of whom still lingered in the valley, not- withstanding that the main body of their people were then residing on the reservation near Union Springs, under Karistagea, better known as Steel Trap, and Esther. The Indians were the only occupants of the site of Auburn when Captain Hardenburgh settled. The Ca- yuga village of Wasco, or the " Crossing Place," was built among the trees on the ground now covered by the State Prison, and the trails of its inhabitants ran along both banks of the outlet to the lake. The great Gen- esee trail intersected the stream a little west of Xorth Street, a crossing being effected by means of large step- ping stones placed in the bed of the creek, and united at one time, according to reliable authority, by a bark bridge. The crossing distinguished the locality, which was known among the Onondagas as Osco, and among the Oneidas, as Owasco. The Owasco Lake was recog- nized as " The Lake near the Crossing Place." The out- let itself bore the native appellation of Deagogaya, or the place where men were killed, a term which dimly hints at some ancient transaction connected with Fort Hill. The village of Wasco was very substantially constructed of poles and bark, after the Indian custom, the fires being built on the ground in the interior of THE SEITLEMENT OF AIIRELroS. 45 the houses. The natives were friendly and spent their time in peaceful pursuits. They subsisted by fishing, or by hunting in an extensive cranberry swamp twenty or thirty rods north of the village, which was then, and for years afterwards, famous as the resort of game. About the year 1797, the Indians began to trade with the whites, who had opened stores on Captain Hardenburgh's farm, for various articles they coveted, and very soon obtained large supplies of strong drink. This proved to be their destruction. Their camp was im- mediately the scene of furious brawls, which would in every case have terminated in the shedding of blood, had not the whites interfered. One night a terrific uproar was heard in the village. The whole neighbor- hood was roused. Hastening to the spot, the settlers found the savages fighting like demons, pelting each other with fire-brands, and throwing burning sticks and embers into each other's lodges, and making the forest ring with fierce yells. An attempt to appease them proved unavailing. Before morning, they had all left the camp, and fled away into the wilderness, from which they never returned. Among the many curiosi- ties left in the cabins of the village was an Indian book, which was long preserved by the old settlers as a great treasure. It is not certainly known whether Captain Harden- burgh was ever favored like Oloffe the Dreamer, whom he resembled in that he was a great smoker, and in that 4G HISTOKV OF AUnUKN. alone, with visions of tlie future glories of the vallej where he liad settled, or of the colossal manufacturing establisliuients that were to succeed him on the banks of the outlet, but he appears to have been inspired with a belief from the beginning that a city would spring up around him, and he labored systematically to bring it to pass. AVhen comfortably settled in his secluded home in the woods, he took the first step in this direction, by harnessing the brawling stream at his door, and compelling it to work for him. A stout log dam was built M'ith the aid of Thomas Morley, at a point four or live rods above the present stone dam hat is known by his name, and soon after he em- ployed Eldad Steele and Captain Edward Wheeler of Grover's settlement, to build him a mill. This pioneer manufactory was known as a gig mill, contained one run of stone capable of grinding twelve bushels of grain per day, and was thatched with hemlock brush. If report be true, an attempt was first made to propel its machinery by means of the wind. Tlie little mill more than realized the expectations of its builder, exercising from the outset the most im- portant influence on the destinies of the valley. The want of facilities for the manufacture of flour was the greatest privation of our pioneers. Before mills were erected in their vicinity, ^he early settlers of Aurelius could only obtain flour by reducing their grain in a mortar fashioned out of a stump with a heavy pestle, THE SEnXEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 47 suspended from a balancing pole, something like a well-sweep, or by carrying the grain to the old red mills at Seneca Falls, or to those at Lndlowville. One method was attended with an enormous waste of time and patience ; the other, with formidable difficulties. The terrible condition of the early roads which ran re- gardlessly over hills and through sloughs, turning out for neither, the liability to meet with accidents in lonely and perilous places where relief could not readily be obtained, the slow pace of the oxen, and the trouble experienced in hauling the heavy wagons, loaded with from thirty to forty bushels of grain at a time, through the miry spots, made the necessity of going great dis- tances to mill one of the sorest trials of the pioneer. The erection of the new mill upon the Owasco Creek was therefore hailed with joy by the surrounding set- tlers, who speedily became its customers. The mill performed for Captain Hardenburgh an essential ser- vice, therefore, bringing his property into notice, and making his farm a sort of center, residence at which was soon desirable for business purposes. Tradition relates in connection with this modest little log mill, that while its proprietor was busy one day with his grain sacks, he was unexpectedly assaulted and overwhelmed with the arrows, not of the savages, but of love, and instantly capitulated. Koeliff Brink- erhoif, the patriarch, living in Owasco, and being ira need of flour, had dispatched one of his daughters, aa 48 HISTORY OV AUBl'RN. active, bright joiing creature, on horseback to mill with a bag of corn, with instructions to wait till it was ground and return with the grist. The sweet eyes of the maiden, as well as her blooming health, and her courage at venturing alone through the forest, took the miller captive at lirst sight. During the manufacture of the corn into meal, said to ha^'e been done on this occasion slower tlian ever before known, the brave captain made known his sentiments, pro- posed, and after a proper reluctance on the part of the damsel, was accepted. The romantic marriage took place in 1796. The orisfin and location of the roads which trav- ersed the township of Aurelius at this early date, are involved in considerable obscurity. It is distinctly known that the old Genesee road, before referred to, was the first built. This was passable in the first in- stance only with pack horses, but was improved in 1793 by means of a legislative grant of twenty-seven hundred dollars, expended on the section of the road between Deep Spring and Cayuga ferry, under the direction of Captain Ilardenburgh, Moses De Witt, and John Patterson, . commissioners, so as to admit travel with sleighs and wagons. The next in order is a matter of uncertainty. The second leading to Ilardenburgh's mill, however, inde- pendent of the Indian trails, there is reason to believe, was what was popularly termed the old Chenango road. THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 49 This was a rude avenue through the forest, extending from the Chenango country up into Owasco, and thence to this point. It entered lot No. 47 from the east, pass- ing over the roots of that immense tree long known as *' the big elm," and ran down to the mill very nearly upon the line of the present Genesee Street. It bent northward, however, at the present corner of Morris Street to avoid a large and deep slough. From the mill it ran to Korth Street. It was an unfenced, unimpor- tant road, thougli laid out originally by the State, and settled some. The parts south of Genesee Street were, upon the construction of the latter, discontinued. A road leading from the Cayuga salt springs at Monte- zuma to the Owasco bridge was greatly traveled as early as 1T94. The early settlers went down to Cayuga River for fish, and to pasture their cattle. When the salt works were erected, in 1797, the travel was increased. The general direction of the old road, some parts of which were in time shifted, and others taken up, was upon the line now followed by Garden and Wall Streets, and the highway from Clarksville to Throopsville, and from the latter place to Montezuma. There was also a path or lane, of which, however, few vestiges now exist, that ran along the south-western branch of the outlet, on the route of an old trail, quite through the place. The portion south of the later Genesee Street, called " Lumber Lane," was at one time greatly settled. By that section of it situated west of ISTorth Street, it waa 50 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. possible to reach the lower falls. Owasco Street was surveyed and laid out as a public highway running to the southern towns, in 1705, by Elijah Price and Za- dock Grover, commissioners of highways. The State road to Scipio from the Owasco bridge, now known as South Street, was also located by the town officers at the same time. Nevertheless, for eight or ten years this thoroughfare w^as a desolate-looking road. It was cut through dense woods, the trees, brush, and logs being removed, and an occasional causeway laid. Settlers were now arriving in the township. Among the first was a large party from Southern Pennsylvania, near Gettysburg. The party had been on the way for two years, having left its home in 1791. Ascending the Susquehanna River in flat-boats, these settlers had reached the neighborhood of Ludlowville, and, unable to secure a land title in Aurelius, had waited there for the establishment of a land office. They now came on in wagons. The party was com- posed of eleven men with their families. These were Roelift" Brinkerhoff, Jacob BrinkerhoflT, Luke Brinker- hoff, Charles Van Tuyne, James Van Tuyne, Samuel Dunn, Matthias Yan Tuyne, Philip O'Brien, Thomas Johnson, Abraham Johnson, and Albert Demaree. They all settled in Owasco. The same year, but later, five other settlers arrived from the same locality as the above. These were David, Isaac, and John THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 51 Parsell, and two sisters, who entered the country by way of Cayuga Lake. David Parsell afterward mar- ried the sister of Captain Hardenburgh's wife. Solomon Tibbies, one of the soldiers of an expedition sent out during the Revolution to ravage the " Indian fields," as they were called, in the Seneca country, came to Aurelius in 1794, with the design of making it Ms home, putting up at Goodrich's tavern, like most new comers, till he could prepare his own resi- dence. The settlers always lent their aid whenever a house was to be built, and Mr. Tibbies soon had a log cabin on a farm on the west side of jSTorth Street, that he had previously purchased. His title to this land, however, proved defective. He therefore removed to a farm north of Clarksville, in which locality he was one of the very first settlers. An unbroken wilderness then frowned upon him on every side ; but he was coura- geous and persevering, and though he did not reach his property with his wagon till he had first hewn a pas- sage through the woods with his own hands, he eventu- ally succeeded in providing for his family comfortable quarters, and was long one of the honored residents of the township. This old veteran had three sons, James and Luther, who came with him, and Solomon, who was born on the ^arm. James Tibbies is still living in Auburn, in the possession of great bodily and mental vigor, and is the oldest living resident of this vicinity. He is said to have acquired the erect form for which 62 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN. he is remarkable from the Indians, in whose games and hunts he bore an active part. Jacob Van Doren, another intrepid soldier, located with his family on a lot at the foot of Owasco Lake, given him by the Government for his military services, having brought his family and furniture in a stout wagon for m.any long, weary miles through the wilder- ness, and over a road cut and cleared by his own hands as he passed along. His log house, first built, was afterwards replaced by a frame edifice, now owned and occupied by Peter Sittser, in front of which were planted, in 1800, thirteen poplars, then tender shoots, and recently brought into the country by the wife of the old hero, in her apron. The poplars have since at- tained a lofty stature, and are now conspicuous objects on the lake road to Auburn. Mrs. Yan Doren died a few years since, at the remarkable age of one hundred and three. Elder David Irish, a Baptist minister, who preached the first gospel sermon in Cayuga County, also settled in Aurelius in 1794. Adam Fries visited Auburn within three months after the first house was built, but did not settle till 1796. Major Xoah Olmsted and Zenas Hijggijis settled at this place in 1795. The same year Gideon Tyler settled near Solomon Tibbies, with his sons Elliott, AVarren, Salmon, Amos, and Gideon. The first o-round used for the burial of the dead in THE SETTLEMENT OF ATJKELITJP. 53 this quarter c>f Aurelius was a spot on tlie top of the west hill of this place, now occupied by the residence- of Nelson Fitch, on the east corner of Washington and Genesee Streets. The first man who died in the local- ity — named Kittle — was interred in this lot, which was, for several years, the common burying-ground.. In 1795, another cemetery was started on the east side of North Street. Solomon Tibbies cleared away the trees' from this yard, felling them with the tops out for convenience in cutting up. A heavy log fence was. then laid up," in closing a quarter of an acre. This lot was located on the farm of Major Noah Olmsted, and forms the north-west corner of the later North Street cemetery. Gideon Tyler, a little fellow who was the playmate of James Tibbies, was the first person buried there. An accumulation of settlers about the junction of the mill road and North Street, now called " Harden- burgh's Corners," began in 1795, and was the direct result of the operations of the mill. The point had become a profitable center for merchants. James- O'Brien came to the farm, erected a little log house upon the site of the present Town Hall, and opened there the first store in the place, which he kept for sev- eral years. Yery soon afterward another store was opened in a log house, standing on the ground covered by the session house of the First Presbyterian Church, by Dr. Samuel Crossett, a gentleman of fine talents 64 HISTUKV (>V ALlilKN. and great public spirit, who was the firet plij'sieian here. Dr. Ellis, another disciple of Esculapius, settled here about the same time. Samuel Bristol came to the Cornel's in 1796 as an innkeeper, and opened the iirst public house in a log cabin, on what is now tlje corner of North and Genesee Streets. The inn stood on the ground now occupied by Brown & Lee's store. It was a diminutive establishment, refreshments being obtainable there in moderate quantities only. A little store was kept in the same house, Mr. Bristol kept the tavern for several years, and then sold ont to John Treat, of Vermont. Major Walter G. JSTicliols also set- tled in 1796. He succeeded O'Brien in the log store at the corner of the roads, and built an addition to the same soon after. In the enlarged house, which was partly a log and partly a frame building, and was painted yellow. Major Nichols opened the fourth store at the Corners, and John Treat kept tavern. Dr. Hackaliah Burt came into the settlement in the month of March, and in the first instance was a clerk for Dr. Crossett, of whom he studied medicine. Soon after, he opened an ashery on the north bank of the creek a few rods below North Street, which he operated for several years. It is said that though he did business at the Corners, he resided till 1800 at a place a mile or two to the north, so that he might escape the evil ef- fects expected to arise from the swamps here. Dr. Burt was always one of the most popular men of the THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 55 locality, being public spirited, enterprising, and courte- ous in all his actions and relations. Nehemiah Smith, arrived in the neighborhood the same year. He built a log house on the west side of ISTorth Street hill, upon the very spot now occupied by the frame residence of Edward L. Skinner, in front of which he planted a. row of poplars. St. Clair Smith also settled in Aure- lius in 1796. Jehiel Clark of Ballston Springs, Saratoga County^ settled on the Owasco Creek, on lot ISTo. 45, in 1795. His log dam was built the same year, and his saw and grist mills in 1798. The latter, which contained two- runs of stone, was built with a massive frame, capable of defying the ravages of centuries. It has since been incorporated into the Mayflower grist mill, where its heavy beams still excite the wonder of the stran- ger. Mr. Clark made an eflfort to start a city at this point, and at one time seemed in a fair way to sue- , ceed, for the nucleus of a community was quickly formed in this vicinity, and several roads which were built to open up easy access to his mills, and the mill& themselves, made his farm quite an important place. Three roads were made to his settlement. One, since unused, came from the neighborhood of Goodrich's^ tavern on North Street, crossing the stone quarry by means of a stone bridge, the ruins of which are still in existence. Another was a continuation of this, and seems to have followed the general direction of Divi- 56 IIISTORV OF AUBURN. fiion Street to the old Genesee road, whence it passed on to the southern part of the county. It was termed, in the conveyances of the day, " The road running from Jehiel Clark's mills past the farm of Eldad Steel to Grower's settlement." Later, it was known by the name of " Steel Street." The third w^as called " Clarksville Street," and is identical with the present Clark Street. It intersected Genesee Street at the point where Brigg's crockery store now stands. All three were for many years of the same character as the old Genesee road, irregular, crooked, full of stumps, and improved only in the miry places where old-fash- ioned log causeways were generally laid. William Bostwick came to Hardenburgh's Corners in 1798. He was a master-builder and tavern-keeper by occupation, and, having formed the determination of settling in this place, with a vigor which was char- acteristic of the man, he immediately built himself a house, prepared it for occupancy and returned to Whitestown, where he had been living since 1793, and made arrangements for moving out his family and fur- niture as soon as the weather would permit. He ar- rived in Aurelius the second time in February, 1799, having made the journey in a sleigh with his family of six. His residence was a double log-house, white- washed inside and out, and stood on the ground now occupied by the east end of the Beach block of stores. It was soon afterward opened as a tavern. The oven THE SETTLEMENT OF ATJEELroS. 5T of the establishment stood in the door-yard, built against a stump. Mr. Bostwick was one of the most stirring, energetic men of the settlement. Always self-reliant and devoted to the cause of the hamlet and its prosperity, he took the lead in all important measures of that early day, and assisted in the achieve- ment of many useful public works, of which we shall again have occasion to speak. Daniel Hyde arrived in 1798, built a house north of Crossett's store, on the lot where H. L. Knight now lives, and, in 1802, prepared the iield just above it for a tannery. Elijah Esty bought this in 1805, and stocked and worked it for several years. After the sale of the tannery lot, Mr. Hyde formed a partnership with Dr. Burt, bought a store lot on the north side of Genesee Street, reaching from within a few rods of North Street nearly to Clark, and opened a store in the old log tavern. He sold his interest to Dr. Burt two years later, and devoted himself to the business of milling. Dr. Burt continued the business on the same site, though he afterwards demolished the tavern, and replaced it with a more comely edifice. He re- sided in another house on the same lot. The new Genesee road from TJtica to the west was constructed to this place in 1797, the section between the Corners and Onondaga Hill being made under contract, by Major Walter G. Kichols. It is now known as Franklin Street. ■58 IIISTOKT OF AUBURN. At the time of the organization of the militia of Herkimer County, in 1793, a battalion of infantry waa formed, by the State authorities, in which Captain Hardenburgh was commissioned Major, and Noah Olmsted, Adjutant. Onondaga County was set off from Herkimer in 1T94, and a regiment of light in- fantry was ordered to be organized in the new district. In this Noah Olmsted was Lieutenant, and J. L. Hardenburgh and Edward Paine were Majors. In 1799, when Cayuga County was formed, Lieutenant Olmsted became Major of the regiment. Major Harden- burgh, being promoted to the chief command, acquired the title of Colonel, by which he is popularly known. He retained the rank till his death. He was succeeded by Colonel John Harris, of Cayuga. The town government of Aurelius was not orga- nized and put into operation, owing to the great size of the township, and the lack of inhabitants, until 1794. On the first Tuesday of April of that year, the first town meeting was held at the house of Colonel Hardenburgh. The settlers, a sturdy, weather-beaten band, gathered in the log-cabin, and selected their supervisor, town clerk, committee on schools, over- seers of the poor, assessors, commissioners of high- ways, constables, path-masters, fence - viewers, col- lector, and pound-keeper. It took nearly the whole population of the town to fill the ofiices. The yearly town elections were, from this date till 1803, held at THE SBTfLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 50 Colonel HardenbiTrgli's. They were then appointed either at Henry Moore's tavern, out on the openings, at Edward Brockway's, or in some school-house. The first town clerk was Colonel Hardenburgh. The office was then occupied, till the town of Auburn was. formed, by the following : Dr. Samuel Crossett from 1802 till 1803; John Haring, till 1807; Dr. Ilackaliah Burt, till 1810 ; John Haring, till 1811 ; David Brink- erhoff, till 1813; l^athaniel Garrow, till 1814; David Brinkerhoff, till 1822 ; and Daniel Calkins, till 1823. The supervisors are given on another page. The first justice of the peace in Aurelius was Colonel Har- denburgh. The government of Cayuga County was organized,. May 28th, 1799, at the Court House, at Aurora, by the assembling of the first Board of Supervisors of the newly-erected district. The Board, in full, consisted of seven members, namely : Joseph Grover, of Aure- lius ; Thomas Hewit, of Milton ; Jacob T. C. DeWitt, of Sempronius ; Silas Halsey, of Ovid ; George Bailey, of Eomulus ; Abraham Mariele, of Ulysses ; and Wal- ter "Wood, of Scipio. The settlement and division of county charges with the Supervisors of Onondaga County was the principal business of the first Super- visors of Cayuga. The first Board of the county, after the formation of Seneca County from its western part in 1804, met in Scipio, October 2d, and was composed of the representatives of the ten towns. They were ■60 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Joseph Grover, Jr., of Aurelius ; Augustus Chidsey, of Scipio ; Elijah Price, of Owasco ; llufus Sheldon, of Brutus ; Silas Bowker, of Locke ; Charles Kellogg, of Sempronius ; Richard Townlej, of Milton ; John Ellis, of Dryden ; John C. Barnes, of Cato ; and Isaac Smith, -of Jefferson. Every road leading to Western New York in ISOO was choked with emigrants, bound to the military lands and the valley of the Genesee, large numbers of whom settled by the side of the old Genesee trail, as they were able to obtain suitable farms. The oak openings in the present town of Aurelius, and the fertile towns to the south, were then competing strongly for settlers with the densely- wooded, and therefore less favored valley of the Owasco. These things notwith- standing, the nucleus of a settlement had already been formed at this point. Bristol's tavern on the knoll, and Bost wick's embowered among the trees, Clark's and Hardenburgh's grist mills, Hyde's tannery, Cros- sett's, O'Brien's, and Bristol's stores, Burt's ashery, Goodrich's tavern on North Street, and about a dozen log farm-houses, formed the germ of the future city. Enrolled as residents were Colonel Hardenburgh, James O'Brien, Samuel Bristol, John Treat, William Bostwick, Daniel Hyde, Eldad Steel, Nehemiah Smith, Dr. Samuel Crossett, Dr. Ellis, Samuel Haring, David Snow, Dr. Burt, Solomon Tibbies, Gideon Tyler, Jehiel Clark, Joseph Parish. Barent G. Staats, THE SETl'LEMENT OF AUEELIUS. 61 Moses Bodell, and Friend and Benjamin Phelps ; and Harry Freeman and Tom Bramin, the slaves. The cleared ground at the Corners did not, in 1800, exceed one hundred and fifty acres, and the cultivated ground was embraced by a few small gardens. The place was not a paradise at this time, although the surrounding scenery was wild and imposing. On the contrary, its topography was most ungainly, and for mud it was horrible. A succession of ridges, bogs, and rills crossed Genesee Street west of Bostwick's, and in fact both North and South Streets also ; a dismal and damgerous swamp extended from the crossing of the creek westwards for nearly half a mile, and stagnant ■pools were scattered everywhere through the woods. Each pond was the source of myriads of clamorous frogs, who with the wild beasts made the nights hideous. The roads were always wet. Winter was the best time to travel, and cold weather al\^ys stimulated immigration. In the summer, the road through Auburn was the worst between Utica and Canandaigua, a reputation which it fully sustained for over thirty years. It was a source of great discomfort both to travelers and residents, and in conjunction with the wet lands exercised an un- favorable influence on. the place. The latter, indeed, came near proving fatal to the embryo city, many settlers being so prejudiced by them against the locality as to refuse to come here at all, and some once estab- lished afterward going away. 62 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. Wood-chopping was tlie leading occupation of the pioneers of Auburn for many years. Tlie trees had to be felled and burned before orchards could be planted or grain sown ; and this was the first task, therefore, of every settler. In it the slaves took an active part ; for, while the original inhabitants of this town were sturdy- patriots and sincerely attached to the principles of free government, it must be remembered that such as; could afford it were owners of negro slaves, and slave labor was employed here till after the war of 1812. The founders of Auburn, however, were kind mast^s ; instances of cruelty to the blacks were unknown. On the other hand, acts of the greatest generosity were abundant, and the negroes were often permitted, if they chose, to earn their liberty by clearing up the new lands. Tom Bramin acquired his liberty in this manner, clear- ing away for Col, Hardenburgh the woods from the eighty acres of his farm lyi|a^ north and west of Gene- see and Fulton Streets, which were afterwards used for an orchard, Tom's free papers appear on the pages of the old town book of Aurelius, They run thus : " To all persons to whom these presents shall come, greeting : Know ye that in consideration of the sum of three hundred dollars, and for divers other good and sufficient causes and con- siderations, we hereunto moving, paid and given by Thomas Bramin, a black man (my servant), I, John L. Hardenburgh, of the town of Aurelius, in the county of Cayuga, and State of New York, have manumitted and set free, and by these presents do man- umit, discharge, and set free the said Thomas ; and do hereby, for THE SETTLEMENT OF ADKELIUS. 63 myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, for ever, quit claim to the said Thomas and to his further service, and every part thereof. And for the consideration aforesaid, I do hereby, for myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, and assigns, con- fess and acknowledge the said Thomas a free man to all intents and purposes whatsoever, and fully and entirely independent of me, my heirs, executors, administrators and assigns. Given under my hand and seal this 14th day of April, 1803. John L. Hakdenburgh. Witnesses: Daniel Cogswell, Nathaniel Garrow, Simon Hall. Among these old records appear also the free papers of two slaves of Peter Hughes, who, by the way, gained their freedom in the same manner as Tom Bramin. This is the record : " Whereas, by a law of the State of New York, passed the 8th day of April, in the year of our Lord, 1801, it is enacted that it shall and may be lawful for the owner of any slave to manumit the same by obtaining a certificate from the Overseers of the Poor of the town where such owners reside ; now, therefore, know ye that we, the Overseers of the Poor of the town of Aure- lius, duly appointed for the year 1808, on the application of Peter Hughes, Esq., of said town, to manumit two certain negro slaves, to wit : one by the name of Harry, aged thirty years, the other by the name of Abraham, aged thirty-nine years, do, in consequence of said law and application, and, on due examination of said slaves, agree and certify, that we deem the said negro men capable of supporting themselves by their labor, and do, by these presents, receive the said negro men as free citizens of the said town of Aurelius, hereby discharging the said Peter Hughes, his heirs, ex- ecutors, and administrators, from all claims which the said town might otherwise have on the said Peter Hughes, or his estate, on account of any future inability of said negro men. 64 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Givea under' our haads this 5th day of December, 1808, at Auburn. Zenas Huggins, / Overseers of Alex'r Plnnerk, [ the Poor. The birth of the first white child at the Corners may be chronicled as among the important occurrences of 1798. The individual who had the honor of being the pioneer child of this place was no less than John H., son of Colonel Hardenburgh. The first black child was the son of Harry Freeman, and the first white girls were Harriet and Polly, daughters of William Bostwick. Stages were, in 1800, running over the old Genesee road once a week ; a post-ofiice was established at the Corners that year, with a mail every fortnight. Isaac Sherwood, of Skaneateles, and Jason Parker, were the first mail carriers. Mr, Parker brought the bag& through this part of the line on horseback, or, when he was unable to come, Mrs. Parker, and left the mail matter for this neighborhood at the store of Dr. Crossett, who was honored with the position of first postmaster. In 1804 the mails began to run twice a week, and, when light, were occasionally brought by the father of Hon. Gerrit Smith, on horseback. A daily mail was not received till 1808. The first institution of learning at or near Harden- burgh's Corners was located in 1796, on the west side of l!*rorth Street, half-way up the hill. It was a log house. Benjamin Phelps was the first schoolmaster; THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 65 Dr. Burt the second. Another school was running at the same time in a log cabin on the south-east corner of the present Division and Genesee Streets, in which the bare-footed urchins of Clark's Yillage and vicinity re- ceived their first teachings in the rudiments of knowl- edge. In 1801, a frame school -house was erected | at the Corners, to the no small honor of the inhabitants and mental profit of their children. This little build- ing, containing one room, and painted yellow, stood in the first instance on the east side of South Street, but on a spot which is now the center of that street. The road coming up from the creek did not pursue at that time a direct course southward, but ran off toward Bostwick's tavern, to avoid a sharp knoll at the head of ISTorth Street, and then turned back to its present course on the other side. When the road was straightened in after years, the school-house stood in the way and was moved to the west corner of South Street, where it sub- sequently became a store. Dr. Steadman was the first master of this school. David Buck succeeded him, aad, in 1806, Benjamin Phelps. Another school was o]5ened in 1801 in a log building on the north side of what is now Franklin Street, between Holley and Ful- ton Streets, by Benjamin Phelps, who was wont to ring a cow-bell to assemble his pupils. The school was prosecuted for a year or two, after which the house was 'nverted into a residence. The crossing of the outlet on Korth Street was im- 3 66 HISTUKY OF AL'llUKN. proved in the year 1800, by the construction of a log bridge — the first on tlie site of Anbnrn. Tlie stream was forded by teams ■[)revious to tliis date, and crossed by pedestrians bj^ means of the trunk of a tall tree, felled so as to reach from bank to bank. The famed bridge over the Cayuga Lake was built the same year, at an expense of $150,000, by John Harris, Thomas Morris, Wilhelmus Mynderse, Charles Williamson, and Joseph Annin, associated as the " Manhattan Company." This year brought to tlie hamlet a son of Yulcan, Daniel Grant by name, who set up his anvil in a little shop on the site of the present Columbian block, and who, four years later, opened the first trip-hammer forge here, on the east corner of Lumber Lane and Genesee Street ; Zenas Goodrich, the tavern-keeper ; Francis Hunter, the farmer, who settled just east of "" the big elm ; " and Elijah Esty, the tanner, who pur- chased, in August, 1805, and operated for seven years thereafter, the Hyde tannery on ISTorth Street. It was during Mr. Esty's occupancy of this property, that the magnificent elm standing on the side-walk near Semi- nary Street was planted by his sister Sally. Barney Campbell having also settled here in 1800, erected a little distillery on the north bank of the outlet, on the site of Selover's planing mill ; he operated this still for a short time, and then transferred it to other parties. A little island, then lying in the middle of the stream. THE SETTLEMENT OF AUBELILTS. 67 was used for tlie purposes of the establisliment. Among others who visited Hardenburgh's Corners in quest of a favorable location, this year, was Aaron Ilayden, the fuller, to whom Colonel Hardenburgh offered a privilege at his dam, and fifty acres of land, if he would settle and build a fulling mill. Mr. Hayden declined the offer, for the land was wet, but settled soon after at Cold Spring, two miles north, where he erected the first fulling mill in Cayuga County. Adam, John, and Peter Miller settled in that part of the town of Aurelias now known as Sen- nett, and Daniel and William Miller in Owasco, in 1800, also. Abner Beach, with two daughters, ami his sons, Joseph and Peter, came into the county in February, 1801, and moved from Owasco into liis new house on the top of Franklin Street hill on the Christmas-day following. Daniel Kellogg, a lawyer of vigorous in- tellect, devoted to the practice of his profession — that branch of it particularly relating to land titles — and in after years a prominent and useful citizen of the town, settled, in 1801, with a brother lawyer, Moses Sawyer. Bradley Tuttle came here the same season, and, after clearing away for Mr, Bostwick some of the trees on the latter's farm, went north and bought Goodrich's tavern, which he conducted for several years. He returned to the village afterward, and became one of the most prominent and enterprising 68 IIISTOKY OF AUBURN. builders of the place. Richard L. !Siiiith, a young law student, also settled in 1801 ; he was subsequently District Attorney, and editor of the Auburn Gazette. Among the settlers of 1802, were Philip and Gideon Jenkins, mill-wrights, Ichabod Marshall, and Captain Edward Stevenson, the latter of whom built his resi- dence on the east side of North Street, near and south- of the outlet. The inhabitants of the settlement were so aug- mented in numbers by 1802, that they extended a call to the Eev. David Iliggins of Haddam, Connecticut,, who, as a missionary, had been holding religious serv- ices every four weeks at Aurelius, CayiTga, Grover's settlement, and Hardenburgh's Corners, to officiate here statedly. The call was accepted. Mr. Higgins re- moved to the Corners, and, in 1803, purchased the farm afterward owned by Nathaniel Garrow, and still later b}^ Abijah Fitch. He built there a residence with windows, which for a time was painted blacky and planted on the lawn in November, 1806, the wil- lows whose graceful and majestic appearance is now the admiration of our citizens. His congregation as- sembled for religious worship sometimes in the school- house on the corner of South Street, and, at others, on the threshing-floor of "William Bostwick's large barn. When the latter's new tavern was opened, the long room was tendered to Mr. Higgins for Sunday services, which he accepted and used for many years. THE SETTLEMENT OF AUEELICS. 69 Cotemporaneous with the Presbyterian missionary in religions work in Aurelins was Rev. Davenport Phelps, an Episcopal clergyman, w^hose occasional ser- vices were instrumental in the organization of the first regularly formed religious society of the hamlet. Rev. Philander Chase, afterward Bishop of Ohio, who vis- ited the Corners as a missionary twice, performed the first baptisms in the place, administering the sacred rite to William, Harriet, and Polly Post wick, in their father's log tavern. The population of the little settlement on the Owasco Outlet was augmented, in 1803, by the arrival of Nathaniel Carrow, one of the most practical, vig- orous, and popular men that ever resided in this city. He was, indeed, as one of our old citizens says of him, ' " constitutionally popular." He came into the county in 1796, with an ax on his shoulder, and one shilling in his pocket, all he owned in the wide world. Wood- ■ chopping, and trading in furs with the settlements on ■the Mohawk, was his occupation for years. He was paid, he says, his first earnings in deer-skins. Com- ing to Hardenburgh's Corners, he bought the triangle now enclosed by Genesee and North Streets and the outlet, and went into the business of distilling. He became able, by 1813, to purchase the Higgins farm, where he resided till the day of his death. He was ;an honored citizen, and held from time to time vari- ous important public offices, that of Congressman 70 HISTORY OF AUBURN. among others. Joliii G arrow came to Aurelius in 1796, and settled at the Half Acre, where he opened a store. The great Genesee road, or Seneca turnpike, which for a quarter of a century was the principal channel of trade and communication across the State of Is'ew York, was constructed through Cayuga County in 1802 and 1803. The old road M^est of the outlet was adopted by the new company without alteration. The line east was located through the woods upon a new route, to accommodate the settlers of both Skaneateles and Hardenburgh's, many of whom were large stock- holders of the turnpike company. It was many years before this road was in a condition fit for rapid travel. The stumps were not fully removed before the war of 1812, and as the path was but just wide enough to let wagons pass through, traveling after dark was long a perilous business. The settlers called this road the " mudpike." A prominent landmark on the road was a gigantic tree standing on the south side of the way, at the present east line of the corporation, and at the corners of what are now Genesee Street and Seward Avenue, which was for fifty years known all over New York as the "big elm." It is said that under the spreading branches of this monarch of the woods was a favorite stopping-place with the Indians. The broad surface of a strong wooden bridge, built by William Bostwick in 1802, where the Seneca turn- pike crossed the outlet, which was fourteen rods in THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS, 71 length, the eastern end reaching nearly to the corner of the present Market Street, was one of the most favorite resorts of the inhabitants at this early day, for amusement, in the town. Quoits, games of ball, and foot-races, were the popular pastimes. The latter sport was entered into with the greatest zest by everybody in the settlement. Trials of speed with the savages were occasions of great excitement. The native run- ners, who were proverbially fleet, were seldom distanced in the race by any of the whites, but Dr. Burt ; he could generally outstrip them. The doctor was the swiftest runner here, though John H. Cumpston, Henry Am- merman, Henry Polhemus, and James Minton, were generally esteemed as having few equals in speed among the settlers. The starting-point in these races was always the top of the hill west of the bridge ; the winning-post, Hardenburgh's mill. Dr. Burt's racing qualities won for him the immeasurable respect of his savage competitors, and a band of Oneidas insisted one day upon conferring on him the honor of adoption into their tribe. He consented after much solicitation, and was duly clothed with the prerogatives of an Iroquois, with considerable ceremony. He was placed in the center of a circle of the Indians, who joined hands, said something very edifying in their own dialect, gave him the name of To-kon-a-hos, and then all shook hands w4th him, pointing up to the sky, and repeating a few words in the Oneida tongue. Y2 HISTOKV C)F ALDUKN. Colonel llardeiiburgli's gig mill gave way, in 1802, to a frame building a story and a half high, which was erected for the proprietor by Philip and Gideon Jenkins, builders. The new mill contained one run of stone only, but was made to grind thirty bushels of grain daily. In 1803, another run of stone being added, it was made to consume one hundred and thirty bushels daily. At the south-east corner of the building, stood, for many years, a saw mill, which was first operated by Thomas Morley. A fulling mill was built between the grist mill and the bridge in 1804, by Colonel Harden- burgh. It was leased first to Aslibel Treat, afterward to Levi Gregory, and later to Gideon G. Jenkins. Colonel Hardenburgh also erected about this time a large barn, on the ground now occupied by the file factory. The frame of this building, which was no fragile afiair, was so heavy that the settlers were called in from the whole township to assist in the raising. The occasion was one of great festivity. All such were among our forefathers. The Western Luminary of July 21st, 1807, has a record of the toasts drank at one of these raisings, some of which are unique. The record states that, " at a meeting of the inhabitants of the town of Aurelius, on the 5th instant, after raising a barn in the neighborhood, the following toasts were drank." Toast sixth was, " The tree of liberty — may it ever remain unbent by the power of aristoc- racy." Toast eighth, " May the Congress of America THE SErrLEMENT OF AURELIUS. 73 ever hold out the olive-branch in the right hand, while it supports the shield of defense in the left." Toast fourteenth, " May the angel of freedom ever defend the sons of libert}^ from tyranny and oppression, and bear their souls on the balmy wings of peace to endless joys." Daniel Griffith volunteered the following : " May all the enemies to the sons of liberty in Amer- ica become hewers of wood and drawers of water." This from James Bolton : " The husbandmen of Cay- uga — may their wheat ever have the preference in mar- ket, and be distributed to all nations by the sons of commerce." Such was the popular passion, in these simple times, for attending house-raisings, that settlers have been known to go from Auburn to places as far distant as Marcellus, for no other purpose. One of the most interesting features of pioneer life in Western Kew York was the surprising abundance of game that surrounded settlers in the woods, while the woods remained. Deer, squirrels, bears, and wolves roamed the forest in almost incredible numbers, and wild fowl, foxes, rabbits, and raccoons existed in myriads. In the wilder regions there were plenty of panthers also. So well stocked were the woods in the Owasco valley with all these varieties of game, that the inhabitants were compelled for years to practice con- stant watchfulness, in order to insure the safety of their families, and of their flocks and crops. The 74 niBTORY OF AlUBURN, cranberry swamp north of the Indian village, which was the favorite retreat of large animals, furnished the settlers largely with subsistence. The wilderness contained no animals that were more dreaded, at first, than the wolves ; for these were gaunt, powerful, red-haired beasts, hideous in appearance, and dangerous as enemies, and inspired such terror by their numbers, that some of the first residents of the town- ship built their cabins, for the sake of security, without doors, making the windows, with the aid of a ladder, serve all the purposes of entrance and exit. The im- portance of destroying the wolves led to the adoption, at the Aurelius town-meeting in April, 1797, of the following resolution : " Voted, that any person who shall produce a certificate from any Justice of the Peace in the town of Aurelius, certifying that he pro- duced tlie head of a full-growing wolf, and make oath before such Justice that the same was taken in the town of Aurelius, shall be entitled to receive the sum of three pounds." These animals were very soon ex- terminated or driven oi¥ by the hunters. It is a curious fact that nearly three-quarters of the taxes paid in Cayuga County for the first few years of its existence were for bounties on wolf and bear scalps. Panthers were rarely seen hereabouts, yet no man durst venture into the lonely parts of the woods with- out his gun, for fear of meeting them. The appearance of one of these monsters during the building of the THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. iO- Genesee Street bridge, in 1802, created great excite- ment in the village. A bo}^ by the name of Samuel Warner, a brother-in-law of William Bostwick, had been searching for his cows in the woods on the west side of what is now the big dam, and becoming weary and warm, had sat down to rest mider a tree on the bank, and fallen into a drowse. The lad, still in a sit- ting posture, was suddenly roused from the comfortable- nap he was taking by a loud growl coming from over- head. Looking up, he saw a panther on the lower branches of the tree against which he was leaning,, preparing to spring down upon him. He was badly frightened. Without casting a look behind, he sprang to his feet and ran with the speed of the wind toward the settlement, stumbling over the logs and througk the brush, and hotly pursued by the panther. The lad outran the beast, which gave up the chase as they neared the clearings. As soon as Warner could relate the circumstances to the settlers, they collected all the dogs and guns in the village, and, led by William Bostwick, chased the panther back into the woods. They tracked him till sunset, but could not come up with him. Of bears there was no end. This class of indigenes, made sad work with the crops, and often came boldly into the village. The bears were much sought after by the hunters, who prized their meat highly, it being quite palatable, and more substantial than venison.. '70 IIISTOKY OF AUBL■K^'. Old Prince, a negro who lived in a hut near the big «lm with his wdfe Dilly, a Narragausett squaw, was once visited by a huge specimen of this genus in the evening. The bear was repulsed and treed by means of firebrands, and shot. Dr. Burt once encountered a bear in the hemlock swamp, and was forced to climb a tree standing near the Burtis brewery for safety. Another of the race once made a nocturnal descent upon the house of Daniel Cogswell, on the opposite side of the outlet. The house was unfinished, and the door was closed with nothing more than a blanket. Bruin pushed this aside during the night, and, stepping in, proceeded to rummage the cabin for provisions. After licking out the frying-kettle, he crept under the bed, which, containing the family, was suspended in the air l)y means of poles resting on crotches driven into the ground, and went to sleep. He departed in the morn- ing, without molesting any of the terrified inmates of the bed, all of whom had passed a sleepless night, "with their heads under the clothes. The deer, whose marked partiality for wheat troubled the early agriculturists exceedingly, were countless. They might be seen at all times around the clearings, browsing upon the trees cut down by the w^ood-chop- pers. Hunters always sought these places for deer, -and seldom returned from them empty-handed. It was no difiicult thing, however, for experienced woodsmen to get venison in any part of the forest. THE SETTLEMENT OF AURELIUS. TT ■?!• The squirrels were a great pest. The woods teemed! with them, and their ravages were sometimes of the- most serious nature. They have been known to enter immense corn-iields during the harvest season and de- stroy the grain so thoroughly as not to leave an ear un- touched. Their extermination was accordingly a mat- ter of the utmost importance. This could be effected^ however, only by grand township hunts, in which every man that owned a rifle was expected to engage. These hunts were common in Cayuga County for over thirty years, and sometimes lasted a week, during which it was the aim of every sportsman to obtain the largest number of scalps. At one such hunt in Sempronius, thirty young fellows killed one thousand and forty- eight squirrels ; at one in Scipio, four thousand and two hundred were killed ; one in Mentz disposed of five thousand and three hundred, in like manner. The reader will gain a better idea of the multitude of these little animals in the American forests sixty years ago, when we say that during one hunt in Berlin, Vermont, twelve thousand and four hundred squirrels were shot, and in the course of another at Chillicothe, Ohio, fully twenty thousand. So great was originally the abundance of game in the township of Aurelius, that our early settlers de- pended principally upon the chase for animal food. They were, however, also very fond of fish, and re- sorted to the Cayuga and Seneca Rivers constantly to 78 HISTORY OF AUBURN. obtain them. The neighborhood of the salt springs on •Cayuga River, and Mosquito Point on the Seneca, was also at an early day a favorite pasture-ground for the settlers' herds. It was a common thing to drive cattle down to these places and leave them there duiing the summer, each man's cattle being distinguished by a peculiar ear-mark, which he had previously recorded as his own in the town-book of Aurelius. The new Seneca turnpike wafted many fresh set- tlers to the little hamlet at the Owasco bridge. John H. Cumpston, who bought the old O'Brien store and earned it on till after the war of 1812 ; Silas Ilawley, the stove-maker and tanner, who established a tannery where the Baptist church now stands ; and Reuben Burgess, the first hatter, settled in 1803. The second hatter, Seth Burgess, began business in 1804 on the present east corner of Seminaiy Avenue and Genesee Street, just east of which, the following year, he built his residence. Lyman Paine settled in 1804, and •opened an asliery three years later on the outlet, near the present Cayuga County Bank. Jacob Doremus came the same year with Mr. Paine. He started a tannery on the bank of the creek, just east of the y ashery, and built a store, wliich was sold in 1811 to Robert Muir. Henry Ammerman settled in 1804, also. He came to Cayuga County, in 1801, from the southern part of Pennsylvania, and resided for a few years on a farm to THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. T9 the east of Owasco Lake. His health being poor, he was invited to come to this place by Colonel Harden- burgh, and engage in some less laborious occupation than farming. An offer was made him of a building lot, and the lumber for a house. Receiving a deed for an half-acre lot, now the site of the Hudson House, he cleared away the trees, dug up the stumps, and erected there a tavern, into which he moved in November of the forementioned year. The house became known in 1806 as the " Farmers' Inn." It was a favorite stopping-place with those who were attending court, whether jurors or lawyers, and with farmers. It was purchased about the year 1816 by Matthias Hoffman, and afterward by Timothy Strong. Mr. Ammerman was one of the most honorable and valuable men of the village during his residence here, and ever sustained a reputation for enterprise, good judgment, and integrity, of the highest order. John Demaree and Ephraim Lockhart built a cabi- net shop opposite the Farmers' Inn, in 1804, replacing it, in 1806, with a two-story wooden tavern. The brick cabinet-shop east thereof was erected in 1815. Jeremiah O'Callaghan built the first stone house here in 1805, on a lane that has since grown into Seminary Avenue, on the west side, and just north of Franklin Street. This house fell to pieces in a few years, the mortar being of an inferior quality, and being washed out by the rain, A goldsmith's shop was opened in 80 illSTOKY OF AUBURN. 1805, by Frederick Young, on the site of the present jewelry store of John W. Ilaight ; this was afterward owned by Joseph Davis, and, in 1814, by Jonathan Russell. William Cox, the first tailor ; Anselra S. Ilowland, who had a hat-store west of Doremus' tan- nery ; Henry Polhemus, the merchant and miller ; Zephaniah Caswell, tlie lawyer ; John Walker, who, with Silas Hawley, erected the first carding mill on the Owasco Outlet, in the year of his arrival, at the west end of Hardenburgh's dam ; and many others, settled in 1805. Robert and John Patty began business at the Cor- ners in 1805, on the west side of Lumber Lane, near the corner of Genesee Street, in a shop which was long remembered as having been built with some unseasoned boards that shrank apart on drying, and permitted petty larcenies through the gaping seams in the sidea of the building. The Messrs. Patty had previously been traveling peddlers, and their store was first stocked with the contents of their packs. They built an ashery south of their store, soon after their settle- ment. In 180Y, they started a tannery in the lot on the corner of the streets adjoining Hawley's, which they enlarged from time to time till it became a large and prosperous establishment. The tan-bark was ground in a little building standing near the dam across the way, by means of a large stone, which was made to roll in a circle upon a bed of stone, and was THE SEITLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 81 maintained in an upriglit position by an axle reacliing to a strong post in the center of the bed. Watrons Pomeroy, the carpenter, settled in 1805. His first lodgings here was a log cabin on the eastern corner of ISTorth and Grenesee Streets, which then stood tenantless, and was used by all new-comers for tempo- rary shelter. He built, in 1808, for Jonathan Eussell, a tavern on a little knoll, now the site of the Exchange block of stores. He bought the tavern himself in 1809, but sold out in 1810 to Eobert L. Tracy, and after- ward kept the Willard House, an inn which stood just west of the American Hotel. Micajah Benedict, a veteran of the Revolution, and a personal friend of the gallant LaFayette, who called him Micajah " Pen-and-ink," settled on a farm on the turnpike, east of Hunter's, in May, 1805. William Bostwick's new framed tavern, then the- admiration of the whole township, was erected on high ground on the western corner of Genesee, and what ia now Exchange Streets, in 1803-4. It was a two-story building, with four rooms on the first floor, and a, piazza in front, and stood on a foundation of large flat stones, quarried from the bed of the outlet, set up edgewise. The long room of this tavern was for years the only hall fit for exhibitions, balls, public meetings, or religious worship, in the place. Canfield Coe bought the property May 1st, 1816, and enlarged it by build- ing a wing on the east side. Emanuel D. Hudson pur- 4 82 FIISTOKY OF AT BURN. chased it a few j-eavs later, raised tlie roof, built the south wing and the two piazzas in front, and styled it <' the Western Exchange." This old tavern, after nu- merous improvements, which made it a first-class hotel, was demolished in the si)ring of 1S68, to be succeeded by a block of three brick stores. The anniversary of national independence was first celebrated at Hardenburgh's Corners in 1804:. By in- vitation and previous arrangement, the residents of the township assembled at the village in great numbers early in the day, to take part in the festivities, and Captain James Wilson came down from Brutus at the head of a band of militia for the same purpose. The people at the Corners, having made all possible prepa- ration for the comfort of their guests, opened the day by erecting a liberty-pole, and running up to the top of it a piece of red silk, furnished by Daniel Hyde, in lieu of a banner, there being no national flag in the neigh- borhood. Everything seemed propitious for a gleeful celebration ; but just at the threshold of the exercises trouble occurred. Political feeling ran high at this pe- riod between the two great parties of the country, both being exceedingly jealous lest the other should be swayed in some manner by either British or French influence, and neither of them being slow to seize upon every chance occurrence as evidence of the justice of their fears in this direction. No sooner had the color of, the fluttering silk at the head of the liberty-pole; THE SETTLEMENT OF AUEELIUS. 83 caught the attention of the Democrats, than a hubbub ensued. Philip Jenkins was dispatched to Colonel Harden- burgh with the information that a British flag had been raised in the village. The Colonel was greatly offend- ed, and instantly ordered Captain Wilson to take his men and shoot the flag down. This command would have been executed, had not a parley taken place, which ended in the removal of the oflending colors be- fore a shot had been fired. This circumstance engen- dered bitter feelings and broke up the celebration. The next year, a national flag was provided in antici- pation of the anniversary, which was then observed in a highly patriotic manner. An oration was delivered by the Rev. David Higgins in the yellow school-house, and a public dinner was spread for the yeomanry, who accordingly returned home after it was finished in ex- cellent humor. A subsequent anniversary was cele- brated in Colonel Hardenburgh's large barn, David Hyde delivering the oration. That amelioration and refinement were making rapid strides in the midst of the pioneers in 1805, is evi- dent from an event of that year which comes down to us in glowing colors through all .^who took part in it. This was a grand ball, the first in the village, and at- tended by guests from all the openings for miles around. The particulars of this famous ball, which was held on the Fourth of July, in the long room of Bostwick's 84 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. tavern, are still told with ^reat minuteness, and we learn that Zeplianiah Caswell, the lawyer, and Mis& Laura Benedict, now Mrs. James Tibbies, opened the dance with " monie nmsk " in graceful style, at three o'clock in the afternoon. The committee of arrange- ments was Dr. Burt, Daniel Hyde, John II. Cump- ston. Dr. Ellis, and Zeplianiah Caswell. In accordance with the simple customs of the times, the approach of night dispersed the dancers to their homes. For several years after the organization of the origi- nal Cayuga County, the village of Aurora, which was then centra], and nearest to the most populous towns, was its capital. Though not designated by law as the county seat, it was the place in which the courts were held, and the supervisors convened, and was generally regarded as the leading market town of the county. The jail of the district was located at Canan- daigua, although there was for a time a log building at Cayuga that was used for the imprisonment of; debtors. The growth and extent of the county neces- sitating a division of its territory, a law w^as passed in 1804, reducing it to nearly its present size. Through. the influence of Amos Rathburn, of Scipio, and John Grover, of Aurelius, both Federalists, and then mem- bers of the Legislatm'e, the law was made to contain provision for the erection of the court-house and jail of the newly-delined county at the village ot Sherwood's Corners, under the direction of Johni THE SETTLEMENT OF AUBELIUS. 85 Tillottson, Augustus Cliidsey, and John Grover, Jr., to defray the expenses of which tlie supervisors wei'e to raise, by tax, the sum of fifteen hundred dollars. A warm controversy arose in the county over this action of the Legislatiii-e. The inconvenience of travel to Sherwood's Corners, which was far one side of the territorial center of the county, and of the principal lines of intercommunication, led all the other villages to oppose the location of the county buildings at the forementioned place, and to assert their own claims to the honor of the county seat. Jehiel Clark, among others, advocated the erection of the court-house at Clarksville ; but Hardenburgh's Corners, Cayuga, Le- vanna, and Aurora, each stoutly contested for the prize. The three commissioners above named never acted under the law of 1804, further than to desimate a site for the buildings at Sherwood's. The law was revoked, and, on the 16th day of March, 1805, Hon. Edward Savage, of Washington County, Hon. James Burt, of Orange County, both then State Senators, and Hon. James Hildreth, of Montgomery County, were appointed to explore Cayuga County, and decide the location of its capital. The commissioners discharged this duty the June following. Hardenburgh's Corners was chosen as the county seat for its centrality, its position in the high- ways of travel, and its prospective importance. The commissioners only required that an acre of land 86 mSTOKY OF AUBURN. should he donated for the site of the public buildings. They selected a location on William Bostwick's farm, and Dr. Burt, Henry Ammennan, John H. Cumpston? and Daniel Hyde, agreed that the State should receive a deed of it, which promise was in due time fulfilled. The four citizens named advanced to Mr. Bostwick two hundred dollars for the conveyance. The southern towns were exceedingly dissatisfied at the location of the county seat on the Owasco Outlet, and their supervisors, by refusing to appropriate suita- ble funds, delayed the building of the court-house for several years. The citizens of this place, however, began the construction of that building with their own resources ; they then procured the passage of a law im- posing a fine of two hundred and fifty dollars upon every supervisor refusing to levy taxes when legally re- quired, and sued six of the obstreperous ofiicials under the law. A compromise was thus effected. The money was raised to finish the court-house, and the work w^as completed in 1809, under the superintend- ence of John|jGlover, Stephen Chase, and Noah Olm- sted, at an expense of ten thousand dollars. The first com't-house was a strong wooden edifice, two stories high, painted white. The jail and jailor's apartments were contained in the lower story, the walls of which were built of huge upright logs, united with heavy iron spikes. The lawn in front of the building, which stood a few feet behind the site of the THE SETTLEMENT OF AUEELirS. 87 present court-house, was a convenient and popular place for public meetings. " Court-House Green," as it was called, was often thus used in pleasant weather. The first term of court ever held in the new building was that of the General Sessions of the Peace, beginning May 17th, 1808, Hons. Elijah Price, Barnabas Smith, Charles Kellogg, and William C. Bermet being the presid- ing Justices. The name of Israel Reeve is always as- sociated with the first court-house, for that gentle- man occupied the post of jailor, then a responsible and much esteemed position, for over eleven years. Rapid growth at Hardenburgh's Corners began with the designation of the village as the capital of the county, the erection of the public buildings, and the removal here of the archives. These were impor- tant measures. They overturned a settled but adverse condition of things in the county, and, attracting hither a strong corps of lawyers, who expected to re- side at the county seat, wherever it might be, brought to the village a most valuable class of citizens. The village gained through them wealth and influence. The honor of the ultimate success of these measures must be ascribed, in no small degree, to the Hon. Enos T. Throop, who, a student from the law office of the Hon. James Hildreth, at Albany, had settled here in the spring of 1806, after a short residence and prac- tice in the town of Scipio. Mr. Throop became the 88 IlISTOKY OF ArBUKX. law partner of Hon. Jose})h L. Richardson, upon his arrival at the Corners. He took great interest in the decision of the county seat question, and was the prose- cuting attorney in the successful action against tlie hostile supervisors. He was one of the most affable, energetic, and talented men in tlie community, and in later years won his way, by strict integrity and ster- ling w^orth, to a seat in Congress, and afterward to the gubernatorial chair of this State. When the State commissioners had signified to the citizens of Hardenburgh's Corners their intention to constitute this place the county seat, tlie propriety of a more dignified and manageable name for the village was suggested. The subject was therefore agitated. A variety of views being disclosed, a meeting of the inhabitants was assembled at Bost wick's tavern for a decision of the question, and the matter referred to a committee, consisting of Dr. Ellis, Dr. Samuel Crossett, and Moses Sawyer. Dr. Crossett suggested the adop- tion of the name " Auburn," which the committee was disposed to accept, and accordingly reported to the meeting. But the prototype of the poet's xluburn, which was situated in the county of Longford, Ireland, in a parish or curacy held by his uncle, twelve miles north of the railroad that traverses the island from Galway to Dublin, and just east of the river Shannon, was not only the loveliest, but the most neglected vil- lage of the beautiful plain upon which it stood, and THE SEITLEMENT OF AURELIUS, 89 Colonel riardenburgli and several others opposed the adoption of the committee's report, on the ground that the name " Auburn " was synonymous with " deserted village," and would injure tlie place. In lieu of Au- burn, they suggested the names " Hardenburgh " and " Mount Maria." Captain Edward Wheeler liked none of these, but was in favor of calling the place " Centre." A strong debate ensued, but Auburn was finally chosen by a very large majority of the assembled inhabitants. A meeting was subsequently called to induce the people to reverse this decision; but they permitted no departure from their first action. Like all villages on main routes of travel in the early part of the present century. Auburn was distinguished for the number of her taverns. It was the tavern- keeping age of the country, when the ceaseless current of emigration and transportation wagons across the State created the necessity for the establishment of public houses in great numbers, not only in the villages which were the depots of trade, but along all the roads. Between Auburn and Skaneateles there were at one time nine such houses, and between Auburn and Cay- uga, six. Four had already been erected in Auburn by 1805. A fifth was commenced that year. This was the Auburn Center House, which was begun by William Smith, and finished, in 1806, by David Horner. It stood facing the east on the three-sided lot at the corner of Market and Genesee Streets, and was a con- 90 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. gpicuous building. Here in early days many of the courts were held. The long room was in constant use for meetings of every description ; the tirst Pres- byterian Society was organized there, and the first Sunday school for white children. Hon. Joseph L. Richardson, who removed to Auburn from Scipio in 1805, began the practice of the law in this tavern, in partnership with Enos T. Throop. The open space under the front veranda of the building was used in later years for the storage of fire utensils and hooks and ladders. The Center House passed intoi the pos- session of Charles Reading about the time of the war. In 1816, Henry Ammerman bought it, but sold it soon after to Andrew Brown, of Woodstock, Conn., who, in 1829, conveyed the whole property to Ezekiel Williams. Being then removed to make way for a block of store- houses, the old tavern was placed on Fulton Street, where it now forms the residence of William Lamey. The principal accession to the population of the vil- lage in 1806, were Dr. Joseph Cole ; John Wagstaff, the coppersmith ; Captain William Clark, the farmer ; Benjamin Yard, the carpenter and joiner ; Robert Dill, the greatest land owner, and one of the most public- spirited men of the place ; Samuel D. Lockwood, the law^'^er ; George F. Leitch, the merchant ; Captain Ed- ward Allen, the manufacturer; Horace Hills, the mer- chant ; Daniel Lounsbury ; Jonathan Russel, the silver- smith; Clark Camp, the mill- Wright ; and Reuben Swift, THE SETTLEMENT OF AUKELIUS. 91 the miller. In 180Y, the principal new settlers were- David Brinkerhoff; Colonel John Eichardson, the cabinet-maker; Reuben Porter ; Hon. Elijah Miller, th& lawyer, previously of Cayuga; Elijah Jarvis; Elisha T. Swift ; and Peter Hughes, then the County Clerk.. David Hyde settled here in 1808 ; Hon. William P>rown, Hon. John H. Beach, and Dr. Joseph T. Pit- ney, in 1809 ; and, among others, Hon. John Porter,. Samuel C. Dunham, and Elisha Pease, in 1810. The archives of Cayuga County were removed to- Auburn in 1807, by Peter Hughes, then County Clerk,, pursuant to the requirements of the law of April 3d of that year, which, among other things, directed the con- struction of a fire-proof clerk's office here, under the- supervision of three county commissioners. The court-house controversy being then at its height, no clerk's office could be built, and the records were kept for several years in the residence of Mr. Hughes, built in 1807. This house, now the residence of Dr.. Edward Hall, was, when erected, surrounded by the original forest. A stone clerk's office was finally built in 1814, under the direction of Henry Ammerman,, Dr. Burt, and Henry Moore, at an expense of eight hundred dollars, in which the records were thereafter kept. The establishment of a newspaper was the chief event of 1808. Henry and James Pace, two ancient- looking, dumpy little Englishmen, had begun, on the- t92 HI8TOKY OF AUBUliN. SOth of April, 180G, the publication of a paper called the Gazette^ at Aurora, but, starved out by the re- ■moval of the county seat, had brought their whole office •to Auburn as a more profitable ileld of operation. They issued here a new w^cekly j)aper, entitled the Western Federalist^ the first number of wliich ap- peared on the 7th day of June, 1808. It was printed on coarse, blue paper, ten inches wide by fifteen long, in a little office standing a few yards west of the pres- •ent Cayuga County Bank. Everything about this office seemed the dusky relics of a distant age, and the type was really so, having been used so long in the old world before it came to America, that it was worn •down nearly to the " first nick." The Western Feder- The enlightened efforts of the "State Society for the Promotion of the Useful Arts," to encourage scien- tific agriculture in l^ew York, was productive, in and about 1818, of the organization of numerous county- agricultural societies. The " Agricultural Association of Cayuga County " was formed on the 4th day of February of that year, at the house of Amos Adams,, in Scipio, by a large meeting of farmers, who elected David Thomas, President ; Silas Holbrook, Vice-Presi- dent ; John Tift, Treasurer ; and Joshua Baldwin, Re- cording Secretary. The society listened to its first an- nual address from President Thomas, September Yth. The first Cayuga County cattle-show and fair opened in Auburn on the 20th of October, and lasted two days. It was an occasion of great interest. The bells at sunrise rang for half an hour. The cattle offered for premiums or sale were placed in pens prepared for the purpose, on the farm of William Bostwick, south of the court-house. Articles of domestic manufac- ture, and produce, were exhibited in the store of Henry Porter. In the forenoon of the second day, a proces- sion was formed in front of the court-house, under Na- thaniel Garrow, the sheriff. Captain Elam Lynds and Captain Henry Porter, marshals, in the line of which was a plow, drawn by two yoke of oxen, and held by Comfort Tyler, of Seneca Falls, the first person who broke ground with a plow in this State west of the county of Oneida. Marching to the Presbyterian 156 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Church, the procession, after prayers and hymns, was addressed by David Thomas. Prizes were then awarded. These were twenty-five in number, and consisted of seventeen silver cups, and eight sets of silver tea-spoons, valued in the aggregate at two hun- dred and thirty-one dollars. Soon after the fair, the society received large acces- sions to its ranks, and became a large and prosperous organization. The second fair, held in the fall of 1819, at Samuel Cumpston's store, was attended by an enthusiastic gathering from every quarter of the county. These fairs were held annually for fifteen or twenty years, at about which time the society dis- solved. The Columbian Garden, on the site of the present Columbian block, was opened in 1820, with an amphi- theater for circus performances, a ten-pin alley, a stage and galleries for the drama, and arrangements for fire- works and music. It was a place of popular resort at all times. The first that can be learned of it is that it was kept by one Eiley, and afterward by William Buttre, the father of the famous engraver. It was finally kept by Harlow C. Witherell, of Anti-Masonic notoriety. It was discontinued in 1836, and demol- ished by Kobert Cook and Thompson Maxwell, to make way for the Columbian buildings. The upper story of the new block was constructed for the purpose of a theater, and for many years so used. ANNALS OF THE VILLAGE. 15T When this Garden was abandoned, Monsieur Jacob Leonard and Charles Bemis opened the Auburn GardeUj in the rear of a restaurant now occupied by Solomon N". Chappel. Journalism in Auburn kept pace with the growing wants of the times. In June of 1816, the Western Federalist passed into the hands of Thomas M. Skin- ner, an enterprising young printer from Connecticut, and his partner, William Crosby ; and the paper, then conducted with great ability, was issued under the style of the Auburn Gazette. It was a iine weekly, devoted to the policy of DeWitt Clinton. In 1819, its name was changed to the Republica/n. In 1824, the Iiej)ubliGan, as well as the CoAjuga Patriot, the latter edited by the Hon. Ulysses F. Doubleday, the father of General Abner Doubleday, of Fort Sumter fame, re- ceived a competition in the form of the Free Press, a weekly sheet, issued by Richard Oliphant from an office on the west corner of South and Genesee Streets. The new journal was the largest west of Albany at the time of its first issue, having five large columns to the page. May 31st, 1826, it was enlarged one column, and July 22d, 1829, it passed into the hands of a brother of the former editor, Henry Oliphant. It was an organ of Republican principles, supported John Quincy Adams, in 1828, and Henry Clay, in 1832, and was the antagonist of the Patriot, on the opposite cor- ner, which was thoroughly Democratic, and withal the 158 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. mouth-piece of the leading politicians in Auburn. The sanctum of the editor of the latter paper was, in fact, the penetralia of Democracy. In that spot, nightly, did the officers of the village and the prison, and their friends, congregate to discuss politics and arrange the plans of the party in the county. In May, 1833, the I^ree Press and the Rejpublican were united, and published from the east corner of Genese^ and Hotel Streets, by Oliphant & Skinner, under the title of the Auburn Journal. It was always a brisk, acceptable paper. The Republican., while in existence, was also an able journal. Its editor in 1825, G. A. •Gamage, Esq., was one of the most brilliant writers €ver connected with the press of Auburn . The Cojyuga Patriot was conducted, in 1830, by Mr. Doubleday and Isaac S. Allen ; in September, 1831, it passed into the hands of Mr. Allen, who, in January, 1831, asso- ciated Willet Lounsbury as editor with himself, and carried on the paper till 1813. The proprietors then again became Doubleday & Allen. The Cayuga Democrat was started in 1833, by Fredf €rick Prince ; it was withdrawn from circulation in 1835. The earliest of the many ephemeral publica- tions of the village was a sheet styled the CastigatoVy by Captain Caleb Cudgel & Co., printed in 1820, by James M. Miller, in an office next east of the store of HISTORY OF AUIJURN. tlie trustees of the Auburn Academy signified to the Board their interest in tlie establisliment of a High School, and agreed to co-operate, if tlie project was undertaken. The matter was then generally agitated. In the winter of 1865-G, enterprising men took the movement in charge,. and secured the law that enabled them to carry it into effect. The Principal of the High School was by the law made secretary of the Board of Education. To this important and respon- sible position, Warren Iligley, A.M., of Auburn, was elected in the spring of 1866, The herculean task of classifying and grading the pupils of the district i^chools was instantly undertaken by Mr. Iligley, as ])reliminary to the opening of the High School. The task accomplished, or partially so, the High School went into operation in January, 1867, commencing with seventy-seven scholars. The institution was a success from the beginning, and, without question, ex- <;eeded all that had ever l)een claimed for it by the most sanguine of its friends. This result, however, is justly attributed, uot only to the excellence of the l»lan upon which this school is conducted, but to the signal ability and painstaking efforts of its Principal, Mr. Iligley. To him, more than to any other man, is the successful establishment of the Auburn High School due. To the regret of the people of Auburn. Mr. Higle}^ relinquished the position of Principal in the s]»ring of 1808. He was succeeded bv Prof. E. A. GENERAL PROGRESS. 287 Charlton, of Schenectady, a gentleman of great repu- tation and ability. The Anbnrn Female Seminary, situated on the north-east corner of Genesee and Washington Streets, after being prosperously conducted for ten j'^ears, was destroyed by fire in 1849. The necessity of seeking educational advantages for their daughters at distant schools, then befell the inhabitants of this place. This being attended with great expense and inconvenience, gave rise to the project of establishing another institu- tion here for female education, to be, however, of a higher order than the one destroyed, and on a more extensive scale. The importance of the work secured the co-operation of the prominent citizens of Auburn ; and an act incorporating the Auburn Female Uni- versity, was finally secured in the Legislature, in 1852, by the Hon. Geo. Underwood, then M. A. The only Auburn trustees were, however, Harvey A. Sackett, upon whose representations the project was undertaken, E. E. Marvine, Z. M. Mason, James C. Derby, I. F. Terrill, John H. Chedell, and William Hosmer, the remaining seventeen being appointed from the friends of education in other places. A feel- ing of local pride was thus aroused, which led to an amendment of the act of incorporation, and the ap- pointment of the following board of trustees : ISTathan S. S. Beman, Isaac ]^. WyckofF, Henry Mandeville, Geo. W. Patterson, Ferdinand C. D. McKay, Matthew JIISTOliY OF AUBUKN, L, P. Thompson, ^ N. Eeardsley, John H. Chedell, Benjamin F. Hall, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., I. F. Ter- rill, John W. Haight, Charles V. Wood, E. E. Mar- vine, John Curtis, James C. Derby, Z, M. Mason, Charles F. Coffin, and Henry Underwood. The erec- tion of the University buildings, on the land lying at the north-east corner of North and Lansing Streets, now owned by Judge Humphreys, was contemplated. A large subscription was raised in the city, to aid the work. Mr. Sackett even started a school, in anticipa- tion of the speedy accomplishment of the project. This gentleman, however, subsequently joined with others to have the location of the University changed from this city, and at length succeeded in having it so changed to Elmira, where the institutioji was soon afterward built. The movement for the erection of this University in Auburn attracted general attention in the State ; and in the winter of 1853, by invitation of the Kev. Henry A. JSTelson, Mortimer L. Browne, Esq., then teaching in Syracuse, accompanied by E. J. Hamilton, from Bath, X. Y., came to this city, with a view of entering into the movement. Several meetings for consultation with prominent citizens were held at the office of Hon. George Underwood. An unusual stringency in finan- cial affairs occurring soon after, the gentlemen named abandoned the idea of opening a school in Auburn, Mr. Browne receiving and accepting the appointment GENERAL PROGRESS. 289 of superintendent of public schools in Syracuse, and Mr. Hamilton being called to the principalship of the High School at Oswego. In the winter of 1854, Winthrop Tappan, Esq., a young gentleman of ability, from Augusta, Maine, visited Auburn in pursuance of a design of carrying out the long-talked-of project of a female school. Find- ing the citizens disposed to lend him their aid, he opened a school at once in Corning Hall block. Meeting with great success, Mr. Tappan visited Syra- cuse the following spring, and proposed to Mr. Brown- an associate principalship of the school he had founded, which he called the Auburn Young Ladies' Institute. The school was to be transferred to the city hall, when that building should be remodeled and adapted to edu- cational purposes. Mr. Brown accordingly resigned his position in Syracuse, and in May, 1855, accepted that offered by Mr. Tappan. During the three years^ of the joint principalship of these gentlemen, the In- stitute was essentially a day-school, few boarders being received into their families. In the spring of 1858, Mr. Tappan retired from the Institute, which has since been conducted under the sole management and con- trol of his associate. In 1859, Mr. Brown purchased the property on IS^orth Street, known as the Good- win Place, and so enlarged and improved it, as to provide pleasant and convenient accommodations for about twenty-five young ladies, who should become 11 290 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. members of Ins family and attendants at the Institute. The grounds connected with his residence were beau- tifully laid out and adorned with choice shrubbery. A prominent feature of this school is the attention that has ever been given to the physical culture of ite pupils, saddle and carriage horses being gratuitously provided for their use, and regular exercise in the open air being enjoined upon all. The latter is insured by the separation of the home from the day-school. With regard to the studies pursued at the Young Ladies' In- stitute, it will be sufficient to state that Mr. Brown aims in his plan at usefulness rather than display, at thorough mental training, and at " refinement of man- ners, and permanent excellence of character." The Institute has been uniformly prosperous, and has cer- tainly won for itself a deservedly high reputation, both at home and abroad, for thorough and elegant culture, and for positive and elevating religious influ- ences. It does not share the school appropriations of the State, since it is not under the care of the Regents of the University ; neither has it asked nor received assistance from the citizens of Auburn. Its success is due solely to intrinsic merit. The great natural capabilities of the bold eminence known as the Fort Hill, in the western part of Auburn, which, by reason of the beauty of its groves, its promi- nence as a point of observation, and the enchanting views of the villases and lakes of the county, that GENERAL PEbGRESS. 291 might be canglit from its top, formerly caused many -of our citizens to indulge the hope that the hill might ultimately be converted into a park, came, about the years 1845 and '50, to be the subject of more general remark. At the dates mentioned, the hill was visited by the antiquarians, Henry E. Schoolcraft and E. G. Squier, respectively, who caused it to be surveyed by James H. Bostwick, mapped and described, and brought before the public as possessing a great histori- <3al interest. The hill had, in tlie flight of time, become the property of Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., of Auburn, and George W. Hatch, of New York, and lay, gathering rust, beino; used for none other than the common chance occurrences of the village, such as a target shoot, a political convention, or the celebration of the national anniversary. As the thoughts of the inhabi- tants, however, reverted to the mysterious associations connected with the venerable fortification in the grove, and to the memory of the ancient builders, respect for both led them to demand that this earthwork should be saved from the hand of innovation, and itself and recollections perpetuated by a devotion of the grounds to some public purpose. Mingled with this idea, were other considerations. The old cemetery on North Street liad, by the vicissitudes of over half a century, become crowded with the graves of the dead, and more room for another cemetery was required. Fort Hill was fitted by nature for just this purpose. 292 HISTOBY OF AUBURN. On the 15th day of May, 1851, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., Wm. C. Beardsley, Michael S. Myers, Hugo B. Rathbun, John L. Watrous, Josiali N. Starin, George Underwood, and George W. Hatch, met at tlie office of Mr. Howe, and organized the Fort Hill Cemetery Association of Auburn, under the State law of April 27th, 1847, providing for the incorporation of such bodies. The number of trustees of the association be- ing fixed at twelve, the following were duly chosen as such : En OS T. Throop Martin, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., James C. Derby, Benjamin F, Hall, William C. Beardsley, Isaac S. Allen, Cyi'us C. Dennis, Zebina M. Mason, Nelson Beardsley, John H. Chedell, M. S. Myers, and John W. Haight. The trustees were then separated by lot into three classes, in order that one- third of the Board might be elected thereafter annual- ly. A conveyance of the hill was received by the association from Messrs. Howe and Hatch, for the nominal sum of one dollar, and certain other considera- tions therein expressed, on the 25th day of August, 1851. The grounds having been inclosed and partially cleared of rubbish by Messrs. Hall and Derby, com^ mitteemen, the receiving vault constructed, and the cemetery received several occupants, the hill was for- mally consecrated to the purpose of the burial of hu- man remains on tlie 7tli of July, 1852. Michael S. Myers pronounced the introductory address in the pres- GENERAL PROGRESS. 293 ence of an interested concourse of the people, which was followed by the singing of an ode composed by Henry Oliphant. The Eev. W. A. G. Mellen read selections from the Scriptures ; these in turn were fol- lowed by an ode from the pen of the Eev. J. M. Aus- tin. The exercises were closed by an impressive ad- dress from the Rev. Laurens P. Ilickok, president of the Auburn Theological Seminary. The preliminaries over, the trustees addressed them- selves to the business of improving the hill. Lots were laid out in every direction, convenient drives and walks built, the lawns were cleared of brush, and all withered trees and branches removed. The hill was divided into sections, each of which received an ap- propriate name. The rude old embankment, over- grown with turf, was carefully preserved. Upon a "^ slight mound in the center of the fort, which had long attracted public attention, and was supposed to be the remains of an ancient earthen altar, there was erected, in 1852, through the efforts of one of the trustees, a monument, fifty-six feet high, of dark limestone, as a mark of respect to the memory of the celebrated Tah- gah-jute, or Logan. The northern face of this shaft bears a marble slab with the inscription, " Who is there to mourn for Logan ? " About the monument there was planted, in the spring of 1853, with the as- sistance of the writer, a quantity of ivy vines, taken from the walls of the old Episcopal Church. The 294 HISTORY OF AUBURN. trustees, availing themselves of the experience of the authorities of Greenwood Cemetery, in New York^ counseled taste, variety, and durability, in all inclo- sures and monuments. Ordinances were adopted for their protection, and for the perfect seclusion of the grounds. The Legislature provided that no public highway should ever be laid out across the hill. The council-ground is situated in the foreground of the cemetery, and upon the left of the winding road by which visitors attain the top of the hill. It is a beautiful open lawn, sloping gently eastward from the old fort, and lies upon the northern brow of the height. It is the only spot on the hill which presents a view of Owasco Lake. " It was termed the council-ground by the topographer of the cemetery, on account of the , general impression that it was the spot where the an- | cient Cayugas assembled for deliberation." Mount Auburn is the name given to the j^bold bluff or mount on the right of the entrance road, or Cayuga Avenue, as it is called, on the northern front of the cemetery. The city, with its groves and gardens, lies, spread out at the feet of the observer from this point,, in the midst of charming scenes, which extend in every , direction as far as the eye can reach. It was originally the intention of the founders of the cemetery to erect a tower upon the summit of this section for the pur- poses of observation. That section of the cemetery which is circumscribed GENERAL PKOGKESS. 295 by the old pentagessimal fortification is termed Fort AUeghan. The arrangement of the burial lots and walks conform to the circular shape of the fort, and to the position of the lofty monument which adorns its center. Mount Yernon lies west of Fort AUeghan. It is an elevated but secluded point, may be conveniently ap- proached by drives and walks, and appears to have been used in times past by the savages themselves as a burial-ground. The skeletons of numerons aborigi- nes have been exhumed here, all being found in a sit- ting posture. The section is named from some resem- blance that it bears to the grounds about the tomb of Washington. laurel Hill is a projecting spur of the hill, lying dirjctly south of the last-named section, and is a spot renarkable for its natural beauty. jlount Hope is the style of an eminence selected by Geo. W. Hatch, as the site of a monument, which he proposed to erect to Hope, It is situated on the soithern declivity of the hill. The three glens, called respectively Glen Haven, Gen Cove, and Glen Alpine, lie beyond the table of tie hill, upon its southern face. They are all seques- tf 12,300,000 cubic feet, or 8,540 cubic feet per minut^. This is an ample allowance for turning all the wateK ■wheels in Auburn. But, at the time mentioned, the daily draft uponi GENERAL PROGRESS. 29T the lake was not in any manner controlled. The top of the upper dam was a foot and an half below mean Mgh-water mark. The lake regularly discharged the surplus waters, accumulated in the spring, during that season and the summer, at a rapid rate through an open outlet, and its surface fell, at the approach of autumn, to the level of a sand-bar at its foot, when the flow ceased, or nearly so. A period of five months, varying somewhat in length with the season, was therefore unfailingly brought around, when the current of the outlet became so sluggish and feeble as to be in- sufficient to drive the machinery of the manufactories at the dams fully, thereby causing many injurious in- terruptions and suspensions in manufacturing. In January, 1830, Henry Polhemus, Asaph D. Leonard, and Allen Warden, three of the principal millers of Auburn, determined to apply to the Legisla- ture for an act which should enable them to remedy the difficulty by giving them power to erect a gate in the outlet near the lake, and to maintain an average depth of water on the shallows at the foot of the lake of twenty inches during the entire year. They gave public notice of their intention to apply for this law. The movements of the Auburn and Owasco Canal Company promising to effect the desired end, by deep- ening the outlet at its head, the gentlemen mentioned left it for the company to accomplish. But it was overlooked in the complications of business affairs that 298 HISTORY OF AUBURN. followed close after the erection of the big dam, and the millers again took it in hand. In ISil-T, the regular recurrence of a season of low water in autumn was perceived to inflict great damage on three important public interests ; that is to say : the mills along the stream ; the Erie Canal, of which the Owasco was a feeder ; and the State prison, which furnished hydraulic power, by agreement, to certain contractors, and which drew water for culinary pur- poses from the State dam. The dry season, by ren- dering the water in this dam impure, unfitted it for use, and, in fact, made it so offensive that the citizens at one time petitioned the Legislature to have the dam removed. The deed to the Auburn Woolen Company of a site and privilege at the big dam, dated March 1st, 1847, conveyed the right to the comjDany of drawing down the water at the upper dam, whenever the creek was low, provided that it should by its agents so deepen the bed of the stream above the last-named point, that there should be a flow four feet in depth from the lake. An examination of the outlet during the summer of '47, by the agent of the woolen company, and by Josiah Barber, and William Eeach & Co., parties who were equally interested in the condition of the stream, revealed impediments in several places in its channel and the serious obstruction at its head in the shape of the sand-bar, which was some thirteen hundred feet GENERAL PEOGEESS. 29& wide. An improA^ement was undertaken by these par- ties at their own expense. The bottom of the creek was lowered four feet below the level of the top of the dam, by blasting out the rock for a thousand feet up stream from the dam, and by the removal of certain smaller quantities of stone and debris and some of the bends above. At the same time, the formation of an artificial channel through the sand-bar, from the mouth of the outlet to deep water, was attempted under the supervisipn of E. P. Williams. Rows of piles were driven into the bar each side of the channel, which it was proposed to board up, to prevent the return of the sand after the excavation had taken place. The futil- ity of the latter proceeding was, however, so quickly demonstrated, that it was not perfected. The treach- erous nature of the bar precluded the possibility of permanence in this part of the work. The improve- ment was therefore left at this point, the gentlemen named above having expended upon it the sum of nine thousand dollars. The State subsequently paid one thousand dollars for the benefit conferred by the im- provement upon the water-power at the prison. For the grand improvement of 1852-'5, the manu- facturers of Auburn are indebted, in no small degree, to the gentlemen who, in the year first stated, were roll- ing the ball for a water-works company. The forma- tion of such a company was opposed, as tending to dimin- ish an already scanty supply of water (during autumn) 300 HISTORY OF AUBURN. in the outlet. The necessities of the Port Bjron level of the Erie Canal required that the flow of the Owasco should not fail in the dry season. A fourth interest had then arisen in the matter of improving the outlet, and its influence aided materially in securing, on the 9th day of April, 1852, the passage of the following law : " The sum of seven thousand dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary for that purpose, is hereby appropriated, and shall be paid by the comptrollers out of any moneys in the treasury, for the removal of the bar at the foot of the Owasco Lake, and the improvement of the outlet of said lake ; the sum appropriated for this purpose shall be expended and applied under the supervision and direction of the agent of the State prison at Auburn, and the mayor of said city." On the 15tli, a law was passed making it the duty of the State engineer and surveyor, then the Hon. William J. McAlpine, to cause to be made the necessary maps and estimates. "William B. Vedder, resident engineer of the middle division of the ]^. Y. S. Canals, was detailed to per- form preliminary work. Having surveyed the outlet, and the foot of the lake, and made all necessary ex- aminations, he, on the 30th of August, furnished the mayor, the agent, and the commissioners, with a report embodying the results of his surveys, with maps, and suggestions in relation to the manner of the proposed improvement, and estimates of the cost of eight difier- GENERAL PROGKESS. 301 ent modes of effecting the same, the eight modes, how- ever, being simply variations of three distinct plans for producing a more uniform discharge of water from the lake, and of increasing the flowage of the outlet in the fall of the year. These plans were, viz : Firstly, Such excavations in the bed and banks of the outlet as should make its channel forty feet wide, with a bottom, from the lake to the upper dam, four feet below the level of the top of the dam, and the cutting of a new channel twenty-five feet wide on the bottom, from the head of the outlet through the sand- bar to deep water in the lake. Secondly, the removal of obstructions in the creek,, as by the first plan, and the excavation of an entirely new channel across Hubbard's Point, and thence on through the sand-bar to deep water as before ; and Thirdly, the building of banks along the shores of the lake at the foot, and a gap in the creek, for the purpose of raising the surface of the lake three feet above low-water mark. The first two plans were designed to gain command of some portion of the vast stores of water in the lake that remained when its surface had fallen to the level of the sand bar, upon which no draft could otherwise be made ; and which, in case of being drawn down, could be replaced at the next wet season. The third plan proposed to furnish storage for all the waters that ran into the lake, control them, and enable mill-own- 302 HISTORY OF ADBURN. ers to use them when needed, bj throwing open the gates in the creek. After a thorouc^h examination of Mr. Vedder's re- port, the Auburn commissioners decided to open the channel of the creek by clearing away all logs, flood- wood and debris, so as to give a four-feet flow ; to dig a channel through Hubbard's Point to the lake, four feet in depth, and twentj'-eight in width on the bot- tom, the sides being faced with stone; to excavate across the bar a similar channel, protected on either side by moles or banks made from the earth and mate- rials taken out of the cuts, covered with stone as rip- rap, and provided at the outward ends with piers for ice and water-breakers ; to close the old channel with a bank ; and to erect a flood-gate near the junction of the new channel and the outlet. Colonel Olivar C. Hubbard, of Owasco, conveyed to the commissioners the necessary right of way, and con- tracted to perform the work. It was then the time of low-water. Operations began, therefore, at once. The total length of the new channel from the verge of the sand-bar to the outlet was estimated at about twenty- three hundred and eighty feet. Of this ten hundred and twenty feet were excavated in 1852-3. Seven hundred and sixty-two more were dug, in 1854, under contract, by the eminent engineer, James H. Ledlie. Cofler dams were erected to protect the cuttings during the periods of high-water, and the State ap- GENERAL PEOGBESS. 303 propriated six thousand four hundred and eightj-iive dollars further toward the completion of the work. The improvement, though then unfinished, was of extraordinary value to the State in the fall of 1854. The summer had been excessively warm and dry, and many small streams utterly failed in the severity of the drought. To preserve continued navigation upon our State Canals, was a subject of the deepest per- plexity. Boats were frequently detained by low water on some of the levels, and great losses resulted thereby both to traders and the State. The stoppage of a single day was at this busy season disastrous. The Canal Commissioners allude, in their annual report to the Legislature, in January, 1855, to thedifiiculty they experienced of obtaining water at the Port Byron level. They exhausted all the reservoirs at their com- mand, and then they ordered the commissioners at Auburn to throw open the new cut at the Owasco Lake, in order to relieve the canal. This was their last re- source. The channel in the sand-bar was cut down to maintain the supply, and navigation was thus preserv- ed uninterrupted. It is certain that the State wfs saved in this manner at least the sum of thirty thou- sand dollars. The Canal Commissioners finished the work on the outlet in 1855, with the aid of an additional appropri- ation of ten thousand dollars. Two features of the original design were not carried out. The raising of 304 HISTORY OF AUBURN. the surface of the lake, by means of a gate, three feet above low-water mark, it was discovered, would over- flow three hundred acres of timber land at the head of the lake ; by raising it five feet, five hundred acres of timber, and eighty acres of meadow land would be overflowed, the level of the swamp being but two and one half feet above low-water mark. The gate, there- fore, was not built, as intended, nor was the old chan- nel, above its junction with the new, closed. An act of April 15th, 1857, authorized the Canal Commissioners to appropriate, whenever they chose, the upper dam on the outlet to the use of the State, and raise it to a height sufiicient to efi^ct all the purposes of a gate in the channel. This was never done by them in any permanent manner. But they are now causing the new channel to be deepened and enlarged, and cleared of quicksand in a way which will render the raising of the dam entirely unnecessary. The present improvement was begun in November, 1868, by contractors from the city of Syracuse. The formation, by wealthy citizens, of a stock com- pany to secure the advantages of a steady and ample supply of pure water to the city of Aubnrn, by laying subterranean pipes from some spring or reservoir to and through every street and ward, was attempted in 1851, by the enterprising Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., who had succeeded in obtaining from the Legislature,, on the 19th of April, a charter investing himself, and GENKKAL PKOGRESS. 305 General John II. Chedell, Abijali Fitch, Daniel Hew- 6on, Samuel Blatcliford, Hon. Aurelian Conkling, Cy- rus C. Dennis, Jolin Tatty, Wm. B. Wood, John E. Patten, George Clapp, Hon. John Porter, Isaac S. Allen, Edwin E. Marvine, John Curtis, and Benjamin Ashby, with needful authority in the premises. This was an old but untried scheme. It had at- tracted attention in Auburn tAventy years before, aris- ing primarily out of the necessities of the State pris- on. That institution had been, up to 1822, furnished with water, by means of a forcing-pump, from the adjoining pond in the outlet. But the pond became stagnant ev^ery w^arni season, and in winter it froze. Pure water was urgently needed. Search was made for a spring near by. One being found on the lands of Dr. Joseph Cole, on North Street, an expensive- aqueduct of tamarack logs, bound with iron, was laid therefrom to the prison. This spring was, for many years, the principal resource of the prison for' whole- some water. In 1829, the surveys that were being made upon the outlet for those having in view the ca- nal project, had reference also to the n:iatter of laying pipes from the proposed canal, if it should be built on the level of the lake, down to the prison, and where- ever needed in the town, to meet the imperative de- mand for good water. But it ^vas estimated tliat water from the level referred to would no more than run into the second story of the Western Exeliange, 18 306 HISTORY OF AUBURN. and, as the custom of the prison alone would not sup- port a company, the enterprise had failed. Mr. Ilowe's company encountered the opposition of every interest affected by the state of the Owasco Out- let. It was not till the improvement upon that stream had been fully completed that a second attempt could be made. On the 19th of April, 1859, the Legislature gave the Auburn Water- Works Company a new and ^ample charter, designating the following gentlemen as the first Board of Directors: William Beach, Theo. Di- mon, Benj. F. Hall, George W. Peck, Franklin L. Sheldon, Albert H. Goss, William H. Carpenter, John S. Clark, and Paul D. Cornell. The company was not to be dissolved by reason of any failure to hold an annual election on the day appointed ; an election on any subsequent day was to be valid, if held in proper form. The directors were unable to organize for active operations until the spring of 1863. A quorum then met in the office of Mr. Goss, and, as empowered by the charter, filled the places of absent and deceased mem- bers of the board, and paved the way for work. It was resolved, on the 15th of December, to open books for subscriptions to the capital stock of the company. The whole, amounting to $100,000, was taken in twelve hours. An election resulted in the choice of directors, as follows : Edward H. Avery, president ; Albert H. Goss, secretary and treasurer ; Elmore P. Ross, S. GENERAL PROGRESS. 30Y Willard, M.D., Theo. M. Pomeroy, Cyrus C. Dennis, Josiah Barber, Harmon Woodruff', and George W. Peck. The great obstacle that the project had tlius far en- countered was the difficulty of obtaining a sufficient elevation for a reservoir. Fort Hill, the east hill, the old camp-ground on Moravia Street, and the first hill in Fleming, on the South Street road, had severally been inspected for a location, and found to possess none suitable for the purpose. A set of works at Lockport, erected by B. Holley & Co., that employed pumps instead of reservoirs, gained the attention of the company at this point. A committee was sent to ex- amine them. They were working admirably, and the directors were strongly recommended to adopt the new system, for it was well adapted to overcome the only obstacle to the entire consummation of their pur- poses. This was accordingly done. The construction of the pump and superintendent's house, the dam, and raceway of the company was commenced in April, 1864. In August, Messrs. Holley & Co. began put- ting in the machinery and works. A call for the pay- ment in part of subscriptions of stock was made Sep- tember 7th. The laying of the mains was commenced in Septem- ber, 1865, under contract, by the E^ew Jersey Compa- ny, which emploj^ed pipes of boiler iron, coated within and without with its own patent cement, an experi- 308 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. ment with log pipes having demonstrated their unfit- ness for the purpose. The work was vigorously prose- cuted till the month of December, when the water was turned on at the pump-house, and distributed through the principal streets of the city, through 22,930 feet ot mains. Both pipes and works were tested, and proved sound. In 1866, 18,048 feet of mains were laid, in addition to the above ; in 1867, 26,804 feet more ; and in 1868, sufficient to make the total length of main pipe laid about fourteen miles. The Water-Works Company is now in the full tide of successful operation. Its pipes underlie every ward and district of our city, afford an unfailing and copious supply of spring-water at thousands cf faucets, for do- mestic purposes, keep, during the summer, scores of fountains in perpetual play, and, at one hundred and thirty-live street hydrants, furnislies the prompt and certain means of extinguisliing the most dangerous hres. The attractions of residence, and the security ol property, in Auburn, have been so happily increased in this manner, that the Water- Works Company is entitled to, and has indeed won the golden opinions of all our citizens. The corporation known as the Auburn Gas-Light Company was formed on the 11th day of January, 1850, with a capital of $20,000, by Eowland E. Kus- sell. Captain George B. Chase, Benjamin F. Hall, Adam Miller, Philip E. Freoff; Wm. H. Van Tuyl, GENERAL PKOGRESS. 309 Thomas IIoadlGj, J. S. Bo wen, Albert G. Smith, Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., I. F. Terrill, Andrew Johnson, E. B. Cobb, H. G. Ellsworth, Z. M. Mason, Horatio Robinson, and Paul D. Cornell, to engage in the manu- facture of gas for the purposes of illumination for the period of fifty years, by taking the legal steps set forth in the general law of February 16th, 1848, as necessary to the formation of such companies. The first Board of Directors, composed of Captain George B. Chase, Z. M. Mason, P. P. Freoff", Benjamin F. Hall, Paul D. Cor- nell, H. G. Ellsworth, Wm. H. Yan Tuyl, Adam Mil- ler, and E. T. Russell, met at the ofiice of Benjamin F. Hall, in Auburn, on the 14th of January, and or- ganized, electing Mr. Chase for president ; Mr. Hall, secretary ; Mr. Mason, treasurer ; and Thomas Hoad- ley, engineer and superintendent. Illuminating gas was first manufactured in Auburn at the mills of the Auburn Woolen Company, where works were erected and the whole process tested, un- der the direction of Thomas Hoadley and Michael Kavanao-h. The advantao-es of this means of illumi- nation being shown to be great, the proposition was made to introduce it to the city by Mr. Hall, Mr. Hoadley, and Captain Chase, and met with such uni- versal satisfaction, that the company to effect it was formed without the slightest difiiculty. From amongst the large number of hydro-carbons esed at the time in other cities for the generation of 310 HISTOKt OF AUBURN. light gas, all more or less costly, the blubber and sedi- ment of sperm oil, a concrete fat technically called " whale's foots," was selected by the directors as capa- ble of producing the richest, purest, and cheapest gas ; to bargain for a supply of which. Captain Chase, fa- miliar with all things pertaining to the sea, was imme- diately dispatched to ISTantucket. A contract for a regular supply of the raw material for ten years, at tifty cents a gallon, was easily made. The gas factory was built during the summer on ground lying opposite the prison, purchased from the State. The site was the lowest within convenient distance of the chief business streets of the cit}'. The retort and gas houses were both frame buildings. The machinery and works were put in under the personal supervision of that practical and competent engineer, Mr. Hoadley, whose long experience in gas-making, not only at the woolen mills, but in ISTew York and England, rendered his services very valuable to the company. One bench ot three retorts, and a gas-holder with a capacity of six thousand cubic feet, was the extent of the factory. Michael Kavanagh, the veteran gas-maker of Auburn, was employed to conduct the manufacture. At this point, the usual strong repugnance to the use of gas, founded upon a mistaken notion that it was dan- gerous and unwholesome, was manifested in Auburn. This repugnance was of course in no respect lessened bv the general indifference and disfavor with which GENERAL PEOGHESS. 311 gas was regarded by a number of worthy citizens, wlio perceived that the new innovation upon the customs of their forefathers was about to consign girandoles and snuffers to the company of things gone by, and eclipse the candle and oil business. The sentiment, however, gave way as the public became better in- formed as to the properties of gas. During August, 1850, a main conductor pipe was laid in State Street, running from the works north to the prison, and south to the head of the street, and thence down Genesee to the bridge. On the evening of September 1st, the gas was turned on for the first time, and lit in the prison and the stores, at two hundred lamps. The gas was a nearly inodorous, highly carbureted compound, con- taining about twenty-two per cent, of olefiant gas, and emitted at each two-feet burner the light of twenty- three mold tallow candles. Seven cubic feet of this gas was produced from every pound of blubber, and though then worth ten dollars per thousand cubic feet, cost only one-tenth the price of candles. The people admired its light, and pronounced it good. A defect in that machine at the works, called the mixer, led to an unfortunate accident, the very first night of active operations. "When the flow from the works into the city was stopped by putting out the lights, the mixer was reversed, and threw the gas back into the retort-house, wliere it ignited, and destroyed the buildings. This unfortunate affair was a heavy 312 HISTORY OF ALBUK.N. blow at the infant enterprise. With remarkable vigor, liowever, the company re-erected the works at once. The machinery was restored, and the whole factory made stronger and better than before. The gas was again turned on on tlie 1st of October. Notwithstanding the conceded superiority of oil gas over any other, the company made no money in its pro- duction." In the conrse of certain experiments, made by the engineer with the hydro-carbons, with the view of commencing manufacture from a less expensive ma- terial, it was satisfactorily sho^^^l that gas might be made from rosin, a material then widely nsed for the purpose, cheaper than from whale's foots. The rosin was easily obtainable at the cost of thirteen or fourteen shillings per barrel of three hundred and ten pounds, each pound of which was capable of generating six cu- bic feet of a gas that was worth eight dollars per thousand. The gas needed little purification, burned with a vivid light, and without smoke, and required little or no change in the works for its manufacture. The way for a change from oil to rosin being prepared, by a report from the Nantucket dealers that they were unable to furnish whale's foots on the original terms, the directors authorized the change in the spring of 1851, and communicated tlie fact to the secretary of the company, then in Washington, who visited the pine country of North Carolina, and made arrange- ments for supplying the factory with rosin. GENERAL PROGRESS. 313 The popular j)rejudice against illumination by means of gas was sliort-lived. During the summer of 1851, the main pipes were extended from the gas-works in various directions through tlie principal streets of the city, and branches were carried into most of the public buildings, stores, and large residences. The safety of the new light, its brilliance, and the immense amount of labor that it saved, especially in lighting the streets, insured its success. The business of the company grew rapidly, though the large sums of money necessa- rily invested by it, in laying pipes through the city, and enlarging its works, prevented for several years the payment of dividends to shareholders. From time to time, the capital was increased, and the company's range of operations was at length extended, by begin- ning the manufacture of varnish, lamp-black, and nap- that from the refuse of the retorts. The new works for making gas from coal were erected a few rods south of the original buildings, in 1860, to gratify the desire of the public for a cheaper gas than that manufactured from rosin. The company urged the numerous objections against the use of coal gas in vain. The people were satisfied that it was cheaper to use a diluted gas, and they threat- ened to form a competing company in case they could be supplied with it in no other way. An entirely new and enlarged set of works were accordingly built, at a cost of about fifty thousand dollars. They now con- 314 HISTORY OF AUBUUN. , tain twenty-two clay retorts, eacbi holding a charge of fifteen hundred pounds of coal, which are arranged in six benches, and are capable of producing fifty thousand cubic feet of gas daily. The gas-holder has a capacity of thirty-five thousand cubic feet. The works are under the experienced direction of Mr. Kavanagh and his assistants, Daniel Tehan and Patrick McCartin, who have been connected with the business nearly from the commencement. The oversight of the business is in- trusted to Henry S. Dunning, superintendent, and David M. Dunning, secretary and treasurer. The daily consumption of gas in the city varies with the season and the weather. The average consumption in the summer is fifteen thousand cubic feet a night ; in winter it is thirty-five thousand. Leakages amount to ten or fifteen per cent. The gas is burned at about ten thousand lamps. The history of railroad projects in Auburn comprises sketches of twelve difierent schemes for creating direct lines of railroad communication between Auburn and other cities or other channels of trade, the building of which, with the cheapness of manufacturing here, it was expected, would make Auburn, in fact, the market town of the whole of Cayuga County, and by means of which her manufactures and the productions of the county might be quickly carried to their appropriate markets. Part of this history has already been given. Yet, it a GENERAL PBOGEESS. 315 is presumed that a connected account of the origin, progress, and issue of each of the different projects will not, in this place, prove unuseful or uninteresting, for the record is full of exhibitions of honorable public spirit on the part of our citizens, and instances of ear- nest, self-sacrificing work, which, though not always successful, are fit to be remembered by the people of this city. One of the first effects of the completion of the Erie Canal, in 1825, was the giving a powerful impetus to the carrying trade upon the inland lakes in the in- terior of New York. Sloops and sailing vessels had^ from the times of the pioneers, filled these lakes, and flatboats and canoes their outlets and tributaries, trad- ing in salt, lumber, furs, and provisions, with the pop- ulous regions on the Susquehanna and the Mohawk.. All heavy movements of freight in the interior, were either to, or from the canal, forward from '25, and large accessions to the trade on the lakes followed. Private enterprise spontaneously undertook to con- nect these natural water-lines with the canal on the north, and the Susquehanna on the south. Railways from Ithaca to Owego, from Canandaigua to the canal, from the same village to Geneva, and from Auburn to the canal, and a canal from Owasco Lake to the Sus- quehanna, were projected as early as 1827 ; and the Legislatures of 1828 and '29 were besieged for char- ters for them, and for innumerable other lines of north 316 HISTOKV OF AUBURN. and soutli railways and canals. Many of tliese were granted, and among them, charters for the canal and the railroad conceived in Auburn. The Port Byron and Auburn llailway Company was incorporated, April 17th, 1829, with a capital of $50,000, and was vested with the " sole and exclusive right to construct a single or doul)le railroad or way from the Erie Canal," at Port Byron, to the village of Auburn, the terminus at this end to be at some point near by the State prison. It was empowered to use either steam or horse-power on the road, and collect for every ton of goods transported over the line a toll of six cents per mile, and for passengers, four cents per mile. Hon. John H. Beach and Abijah Pitch, of Auburn, John Ilaring, of Mentz, and Denni- son Robison, Horace Perkins, and John I. Tremper, were designated as subscription commissioners. A line for the road was surveyed ; but it was found that the ascent from Port Byron was very heavy — some- thing over three hundred feet. This was a formidable obstacle, and, joined with the great labor of ordinary things for the construction of the road, when there were no models in America, except the little Quincy road in Massachusetts, and the unfinished line be- tween Albany and Schenectady, it stopped the enter- prise. The charter of the Auburn and Canal Railway Company left the location of the northern terminus of GENERAL PEOGRESS. 31T the line discretionary with the directors. The compa- ny was incorporated on the 24th day of April, 1832, in connection with a fresh eifort, in Auburn, to build the Owasco Canal. It drew to its support men of high standing in this community, among whom were Hon. John Porter, Hon. Wm. H. Sew^ard, Captain Bradley Tuttle, I^athaniel Garrow, Ambrose Cock, John Patty, Stephen Yan Anden, Abijah Fitch, Cap- tain George B. Chase, Ira Hopkins, and I. S. Miller. This road would, undoubtedly, have been built at once, to either Port Byron or Weedsport, had not its friends found that a connection with the canal at the village of Syracuse was much more profitable. That it will eventually be built, down the gorge of the Owasco Outlet to Throopsville and Port Byron, may be safely inferred from two facts : the mill-owners in both places have found it necessary ; and a company of energetic men has been organized, with a capital of $400,000, to carry it through. This company was formed in January, 1869, with the following manage- ment : William Hayden, of Anburn, president ; G. H, Bardwell, of Philadelphia, vice-president ; B. S, Bunting, of a!sew York, secretary and treasurer ; H. A. Wainwright, T. B. Bunting, Charles A. Stetson, Jr., Howard Bunting, Charles A. Wilson, Franklin Ellis, L. D. Hutchins, of I^ew York ; J. C. Kerr, of Philadelphia ; Robert A. Packer, of Wilkesbarre ; and S. B. Kendrick, of Port Byron, directors. 318 HISTORY OF A.UUURN. Forty thousand dollars have already been subscribed toward its stock, wliich is about one-half of what the contractors ask to be raised before they commence work. The contractors guarantee to finish the road in one hundred days after they break ground. A speedy commencement is anticipated, additional sub- scriptions being received daily. The object of the road is the development of large and unoccupied hydraulic privileges on the Owasco Outlet, and good communication with the Erie Canal. Many of its friends anticipate its continuance, at no distant day, through the towns of Conquest, Butler, Wolcott, and Huron, to Big Sodus Bay, and, if sufiicient induce- ments are offered, its extension southwards, over the 60-called Murdock line, toward the coal-fields ot Pennsylvania. The Auburn and Syracuse E. R. Co., formed in Auburn under a law dated May 1st, 1834, with a capi- tal of $400,000— subsequently increased to $600,000— laid a track composed of wooden ribbons to Syracuse, a distance of twenty-five and three-fourths miles, which was operated from January 8th, 1838, to June, 1839, by means of horse-power. The road was finished at the last-named date, with the aid of a loan of $200,- 000 from the State. Iron rails then replaced the wooden ones, and locomotives the horses. The Auburn and Rochester R. R. Co. was chartered on tlie 13th of May, 183G, with a capital of $2,000, GENEKAIi PEOGEESS. 319 000, The stock was largely taken by the energetic capitalists of Boston, who, with great foresight, were aiming to connect their city by a direct line of rail- roads with Lake Erie and its vast commerce. The road was built from Rochester eastward, and was com- pleted to Auburn, and thrown open to traders and travelers on the 4th of November, 184:1. It accommo- dated the residents of an immense district in the inte- rior of the State, by touching, as by law ordered, the northern extremity of these fine navigable lakes. It also formed, with others chartered in 1836, a con- nected line of railroads from Buffalo to Albany. All railroad projects in Auburn, subsequent to the last mentioned, bore reference to the construction of roads from this city to Lake Ontario on the north, and the ISTew York and Erie Railroad on the south. The first of these originated in the village of Ithaca, whose people, after trying in vain to raise the funds for the purpose of building a road to Geneva, invited the co-operation of the citizens of Auburn in the scheme of a line between Ithaca and this place. A charter for a company, undei: the style of the Ithaca and Auburn R. R. Co., was obtained on the 21st of May, in 1836, a year prolific beyond parallel in railroad schemes, the capital stock being fixed at $500,000. The company was required to lay its track through the villages of Groton HoUow, Milan, and Moravia, and to finish it in four years. IN^athaniel Garrow, (xeorge 320 HISTORY OF AUBURN. H. Tlirooj), Dr. Hichard Steel, Cliauncey L. Grant, Lewis Moss, Sylvanus Lamed, Hiram Becker, Minos McGoram, David D. Spencer, John Giles, Hislom Bennett, and Franklin AVilloufyliby, were the incorpo- rators. Daring the fall and winter of 1S36, prominent citi- zens of Auburn planned a road to Little Sodus Bay, to be built and operated in connection with the one to Ithaca, when made. A petition for a charter M'as cir- culated through the town, and arrangements were made for carrying it before the Legislature. The bankruptcy and ruin of the following year ended both projects suddenly. About the year 1846, the rapid progress of the 'New York and Erie Railroad toward completion was the subject of much comment in all places of size on the chain of roads through Northern and Central New York. The officers of the northern roads were then discussing the propriety of consolidating and straightening their lines, to prepare for competi- tion. The bearing of all these movements on the welfare of Auburn was a matter of the deepest inter- est to her citizens. The office of Hon. T. Y. Howe, Jr., then the treasurer of the Auburn and Syracuse R. R. Co., was the place where all these questions were dis- cussed by railroad men. From this point emanated numerous theories as to what was demanded by the times, for the maintenance and enrichment of our city. GEKEKAL PEOGKESS. 321 Communication with the Erie railway was there re- vived as practicable and profitable. An ofier was made about this time by the Cayuga and Susquehanna R, E. Co., to relay its track and fit it for an increased amount of business, if the citizens of Cayuga County would construct a new line from Auburn to some point on its road. The laying a road between Auburn and Ithaca by way of the valley of Salmon Creek seemed in every respect feasible. A company was formed to eifect the line early in 1848, by Hon. Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., General John H. Che- dell, Rowland T. Russell, Alfred Avery, Samuel BuU^ Edwin Avery, William Beach, John T, Rathbun, Ira Hopldns, Ebenezer Mack, Worthington Smith, Ezra "W. Bateman, Slocum Howland, Leonard Searing, Henry W. Sage, Henry S. Walbridge, Nathan T. Wil- liams, Hiram S. Earrar, John Thompson, Moses F. Fell, Lyman Murdock, George Rathbun, and others,, under the general railroad law. An act declaring the public utility of the road was passed on the llth of April. Several public meetings were held in Au- burn to promote subscriptions to the stock of the com- pany. But a paltry sum was obtained. The Cayuga and Susquehanna road failing to construct the new or double track agreed to, the enterprise made no further advance. It was next alleged that a road to Binghamton was highly desirable, both from the connections that could 19 322 HISTORY OF AUBUEN. be made at that village, and from the fact that the dis- tance to New York from Auburn would be twenty miles shorter than by any other route existing or pro- posed. This idea had its say. It prevailed to such an extent that a company was formed to efiectuate it. An act of the 6th of March, 1849, declaring the public use of the proposed line, mentions the following incorporators : Samuel Blatchford, Hon. George Underwood, Gen. John II. Chedell, Benjamin F. Hall, Erastus Case, Abijah Fitch, Charles F. Coffin, Hon. T. Y. Howe, Jr., Cyrus C. Dennis, Josiah Barber, David Wright, Daniel Hewson and John L. Watrous. The scheme was, however, impracticable, and soon took its place among the unfulfilled good intentions of the people of Auburn. In 1852, a passive belief among our citizens in the usefulness of a railroad which should connect Auburn directly with the iron and coal regions of Pennsyl- vania, with the vast lumber regions of Canada, and the commerce on the great lakes, gave way to a settled conviction that the true interests of this city im- peratively demanded its immediate construction. The Legislature having empowered the authorities of Auburn to loan $100,000 to any company that should build a railroad from Lake Ontario to any point on the Erie road, and having also empowered the towns along the line severally to loan the company the sum of $25,000, a meeting of the people of Ca- GENERAL PROGKESS. 823 juga County was called and held at the court-house in Auburn, April 20th, 1852, to take action in the matter. A committee, composed of John M. Sherwood, Joshua Burt, George B. Chase, Gen. Isaac Bell, David Hume, Hobert Cook, Benjamin F. Hall, Hiram S. Farrar, Moses T. Fell, Lyman Murdock, and Worthington Smith, was appointed to collect the arguments in favor of the contemplated road for the public information. An able report was soon after made and published. It was distributed widely in pamphlet form. The articles of association of the Lake Ontario, Au- burn, and Kew York Railroad Company were adopted at a numerously attended adjourned meeting at the Auburn court-house, on the 2d day of July, 1852. They were filed with the Secretary of State on the 23d of August. The Company organized, with a capital of $1,500,000, electing the following earnest and enterprising direct- ors : Hon, Tho's Y. Howe, Jr., president ; Benj. F. Hall, secretary ; Joshua Burt, treasurer ; Rowland F. Russell, Worthington Smith, Hiram S. Farrar, Moses T. Fell, Oliver C. Crocker, Lyman Murdock, Gen, Isaac Bell, David Cook, and Robert Hume. Levi Williams, Esq., a gentleman of great reputation and experience as an engineer, was employed to sur- vey the road, the termini being Fair Haven and Pugs- ley's station. A feasible route was selected early in August, and, on the 24th, contracts were made with Andrew J. Hackley, Marcus Ilungerford, Jason Can- 324 HISTORY OF AUBUBN. dee, John A. Dodge, and Henry D. Dennison, for the performance of the grading and mason-work. Rights of way were obtained, through tlie agency of <;ommit- tees, for fifty-six out of the seventy-three miles in the length of the road. Construction was pushed energet- ically from the fall of 1852 till the winter of '54. The sum of $375,000 had then been expended upon the line, thirty-four miles of which were fenced, graded, and ready for the rails. The entrance to the harbor at Fair Haven had at the same time been improved, by means of an U. S. appropriation of ten thousand dol- lars, under the supervision of Lieut. Col. TurnbuU, of the Topographical Engineers. The natural obstacles in the way of the construction of the Lake Ontario, Auburn, and New York Railroad were very slight ; the financial obstacles were formida- ble. The finance committee of the Board of Direc- tors, in summing up the resources for continuing the work, found that over one hundred and fifty thousand dollars of original subscriptions to the stock were uncoUectable, save by compulsion. The times were stringent and the money-market close. The contrac- tors were pressing for payment of arrears. Two hun- dred thousand dollars, in addition to a small amount of still unpaid but reliable subscriptions, was impera- tively needed to advance the work to completion. The crisis called forth the prompt and earnest ef- forts of every friend of the enterprise. A meeting of GENERAL PROGRESS. 325 the stoekliolders was held in Auburn, on the 9th of IN'ovember, to consider the affiiirs of the company and provide for the prosecution of the work. General Phineas Ilurd presided. The situation was thoroughly discussed. It was unanimously resolved thaj; the work must go on. Five stockholders from every town on the line of the road were appointed to solicit further subscriptions, and the directors were authorized to sue for all arrears of payments on stock, and declare delin- quent subscriptions forfeited. The directors, however, were loth to resort to these summary measures, and they did so in very few instances. They could not postpone the catastrophe. Retrenchment was the cry, and then, suspension. The company was obliged to succumb in March, 1855. The directors at this date were Abijah Fitch, presi- dent ; Benjamin F. Hall, secretary and treasurer ; Rob- ert Hume, General Isaac Bell, Adam Miller, Hon. Christopher Morgan, William Beach, Franklin L. Shel- don, Lyman Murdock, Moses T. Fell, Joseph Pettitt, Darius Cole, and Richard G. Brownell. The}^ reluc- tantly prepared for the appointment of a receiver. The report of the chief engineer, Orville C, Hartwell, embodying the details of the existing condition of the road, and its prospects, was published for future use ; and a mortgage upon the road-bed and rights of way was executed to General Isaac Bell, to secure him and others for loans made use of in construction. Joshua 326 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Burt was soon afterward appointed receiver, and the company dissolved. Its property passed into the hands of General Bell. The second Lake Ontario, Auburn, and New York R. R. Co. was organized in 1856, for the object of finishing the urgently needed road. The directors were Kathan C. Piatt, president ; Gen. Isaac Bell, vice-president ; John C. Kayser, secretary ; Adam W. Spies, Alexander Fraser, of New York ; Frederick lOett and James S. Keen, of Philadelphia ; Charles P. Wood, Elmore P. Ross, Dr. Richard Steel, and Adam Miller, of Auburn ; D. E. Havens, of Weeds' port ; Lyman Murdock, of Venice. Stockholders in the old company were allowed to save their subscrip- tions by taking an equal amount of stock in the new. "Work was re-commenced on the line, and the grading north of the Seneca River was nearly completed. Af- ter the outbreak of the civil war, nothing further could be or was accomplished for a number of years- There had been, in 1862, spent upon the line, in all,, the sum of $449,541. The project of finishing the road as originally de- signed, from the harbor of Fair Haven to Pugsley's station, was at length agitated by Hon. George I. Post, of Sterling.* But the people of Moravia, Groton, and Dryden, feeling at this time the need of a rail- * For the following notes on the Southern Central the author is indebted to J. Milton Brown, Esq., first assistant engineer of the Anbnm division of the- road. ftENEEAL PKOGKESS. 327 road, requested the above named gentlemen, with Cy- rus C. Dennis, a resident of Auburn, of great railroad experience and practical ability, to first explore the valley in which those towns were situated, with an eye to the expediency of building the railroad therein. Accordingly, they started on an exploring expedition, passed through the valley through which now runs the Southern Central, examined the country from an engi- neering point of view, and ascertained the feeling of the inhabitants toward the project of the road. The result was decidedly favorable. They found that the road could be built with a minimum amount of capi- tal, that the grades would be easy, and that the towns would assist heartily in raising stock, and would fur- nish a large local business after the road was built. It remained only to present to the people the advantages of connection with the various coal and commercial regions of the south, and the manufacturing and pro- ducing regions of the north and west, to insure their general interest and co-operation. On the 9th of August, 1865, a meeting was held in Owego. Hon. Thomas Farrington presided. Ad- dresses were delivered by Messrs. J. W. Dwight, J. "W. Montgomery, of Dryden ; C. C. Dennis, George I. Post, of Aubm-n ; John J. Taylor, Lyman Truman, of Owego ; and Wm. S. Lincoln, of Newark Yalley ; and it was decided to hold a railroad convention at Au- burn. The meeting appointed Hon. George I. Post 328 HISTORY OF AUBURN. a committee to call the same, which he did, on the 6th of the following month. The convention was held on the day appointed, Charles P. Wood, of Auburn, being chairman, and II. N. Lockwood, of Victory, and T. C Piatt, of Owego, secretaries. Reports were received from Owego, Newark Yalley, Berkshire, Richfurd, Har- ford, Dryden, Groton, Mora-via, Auburn, Weedsport, Cato, Conquest, and Sterling. J. N. Knapp moved that the meeting proceed to organize a company to build dri the proposed route. A committee was accordingly appointed to determine what action should be taken in the matter. Auburn being represented therein by John ]S^. Knapp, Josiah Barber, C. C. Dennis, "Wm. H. Seward, Jr., and Wm. Gray Wise. A report in favor of the immediate organization of a railroad com- pany being received by the meeting, the following gentlemen were elected its directors : John J. Taylor, Thomas C. Piatt, of Owego ; Wm. S. Lincoln, ot ISTewark Yalley ; Hiram W. Sears, of Dryden ; Ililand K. Clark, of Groton ; Wm. Titus, of Moravia ; Charles P. Wood, Wm. H. Seward, Jr., Cyi'us C. Dennis, Wm. C. Barber, George J. Letchworth, of Auburn ; John T. Knapp, of Cato ; and George I. Post, of Ster- ling. C. C. Dennis, in response to the call of the meeting, gave the road the name of the Southern Central. Messrs. M. Goodrich, George I. Post, and II. W. Sears were designated a committee to draw up arti- GENERAL PEOGBBSS. 329 cles of association ; and George I. Post, John J. Tay- lor, and C. S. Kicli, a committee to prepare a memo- rial, setting forth the feasibility and advantages of the proposed road, which memorial was afterward ably prepared and published. After the convention had adjourned, the directors met, and elected Cyrus C. Dennis president ; John J. Taylor, vice-president ; Wm. H. Seward, Jr., treasurer ; and George I. Post, secretary. At a meeting of the board, held October 2Yth, 1866, it was resolved to raise funds for a preliminary survey, and negotiate for the old road-bed. Books of subscrip- tion to the capital stock of the company were opened January 4th, 1866. The subscription^ on the 29th of December, 1866, amounted to $106,400, and on the 16th of IS^ovember, 1867, to $1,868,250. Fred. E. Knight, Esq., of Cortland, who, as Chief Engineer, had superintended a survey of the route, is- sued an able report to the directors, January 4th, 1866. This report, among various other things, set forth the convenience of the harbor of Fair Haven, enu- merated the sources of business to the road, and gave the advantages afforded by and to the towns and villa- ges through which the road would pass. It also showed, from actual measurement, that the grades were remark- ably light, and the curves easy. Mr. Knight estimated the cost of the road, including equipments, to be $2,992,- 642, or the average cost per mile, $30,413, — the dis- 330 HISTORY OF AUBURN. tance from Fair Haven to Owego being ninety-eight and four-tenths miles. This estimate was based upon a survey that contemplated running on the east side of Owasco Lake. The route was afterwards changed to the west side, which was found to be still more favor- able. On the 7th of April, 1866, the Legislature, to facili- tate the construction of the Southern Central Railroad, passed an act to authorize towns to subscribe to its capital stock. The act permitted subscriptions to any amount within fifteen per cent, of the assessed valua- tion of the taxable property of the towns, whenever the consent of tax-payers, representing more than one-half of that taxable property should be obtained. This con- sent was obtained from the tax-payers of Auburn, and certified to on the 9th of August, 186T, the amount ot stock to be taken by the city being $500,000. In ac- cordance with the provisions of the act, Adam Miller, Elmore P. Eoss, and Charles P. Wood, were designat- ed by the Hon. "Wm. E. Hughitt, County Judge, as commissioners to issue the bonds. Mr. Ross having, subsequently, retired from the board, Josiah Barber was appointed in his stead. The first bonds were is- sued in the fall of 1867. The subscriptions of stock then amounted to $2,000,000, It had been deemed prudent by our tax-payers that no bonds should be is- sued until a perfectly reliable basis of that amount had been secured. GENERAL PEOGEESS. 331 The Presidency of tlie Southern Central was left vacant in the spring of 1866, by the death of C. C. Dennis, an officer universally respected for his integ- rity, and driving, energetic spirit. J. Lewis Grant, Esq., was unanimously elected to the vacant post, June 19th, 1866. At the time of entering on his connection with this company, Mr. Grant had had more than twenty years' experience in railroad matters. A blacksmith and machinist by trade, he had become connected with the ITew York Central Eailroad in 1841, in the capacity of freight conductor. He was afterward locomotive engineer, and had risen through every grade of office to that of Superintendent. In tliis capacity, he had managed the Rome and Cape Vincent Railroad, the I^orthern Rail- way of Canada, and the Lake Shore Railroad, and with marked ability. He had found the Canadian road on the verge of bankruptcy ; but he left it one of the best paying lines in the Province. The accept- ance by Mr. Grant of the presidency of the Southern Central was therefore hailed with general satisfac- tion. Having obtained the services of Ed. F. Swort, Esq., of the Brocton and Corry Railroad, an engineer of the very best reputation and ability, Mr. Grant started south, in company with Geo. I. Post, to examine the old Lake Ontario, or Murdock line. At Yenice, Lyman Murdock, formerly a director in the L. O., A., & N". Y. 332 HISTORY OF AUBURN. R. R. Co., joined the party, which proceeded to Ithaca via Lansing. On consulting with influential men along the route, it was discovered that little faith remained in the success of the old road, and that, with the ex- ception of the exertions put forth by a few of its heaviest stockholders, no effort would be made to com- plete it. it was found, furthermore, that only a por- tion of the lightest work had been done ; that at Fall, Cascadilla, and Six Mile Creeks, bridges would have to be constructed which alone would cost more than many miles of road through the more favorable country on the line of the Southern Central. Adding to this the fact that the people of Ithaca refused all aid whatever to a road north, till the branch south of them to Waverly via Spencer should be completed, it was readily seen that there was every reason for adhering to the Southern Central, for which so much had already been done, letting fm*ther operations develop the Murdock line. The latter was not, however, without earnest supporters, who continued a somewhat heated advocacy of its merits, long after the completion of the road on the other route had become an acknowl- edged fact. On the 15th of May, 1867, a law was passed by the Legislature, exempting the town bonds, issued in favor of the road, from taxation for ten years from the date of issue, provided that the road should be put in run- ning order within three years from the date of the act. GENERAL PROGRESS. 333 About the middle of June, ' 67, an engineering party was organized, for active operations ; various lines were surveyed through the city of Auburn, and the line located from Seneca River to Dryden. A sec- ond party located the line from Dryden to Owego, the construction of which was commenced in ISTovem- ber, '67, by Donald Eobertson, contractor, under Fred. E. Knight, Chief Engineer. North of Auburn, the road-bed of L. O. A. and K. Y. R. E. was used, the rights and franchises of the old company having been pur- cl^ased in July, '67. At a meeting of the stockholders of the Southern Central on the 2d of September, 1868, directors were elected for the ensuing Tyear, namely ; J. Lewis Grant, president ; John J. Taylor, vice-president ; Wm. H. Seward, Jr., treasurer ; Hon. Homer K. Lockwood, secretary ; David M. Osborne, General John H. Chedell, Kelson Beardsley, Wm. C. Barber, Harmon Woodruff, T. C. Piatt, C. L. Rich, J. W. Dwight, Hiland K. Clark, and John T. Knapp. A great deal of work has been done all along the line since the beginning of active operations. It is confidently expected that trains will run from Seneca River to Owego before the close of the working season of 1869. Soon after the close of the war of 1861-5, which had given a powerful stimulus to many kinds of business, but none perhaps to such a degree as to those of the 334 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. carrying trades, enormous profits were made by the various express companies of tliis country, and compe- tition was thus awakened. The Bankers' express — a company in which the stock was taken by bankers, and the business limited to the carrying of money and valuables — was organized in the autumn of 1865, but soon became merged into the old companies. It was then thought by some of the citizens of Au- burn, that an opportunity was offered to establish, with success, a new company, based somewhat upon the co-operative system of labor : that, as the merchants of the United States were the principal patrons of the express, a plan, which should unite them as stock- holders in a business in which they themselves were the largest customers, would secure eminent success. Accordingly, in the spring of 1866, the Merchants' Union Express was organized, with Elmore P. Ross, president ; William H. Seward, Jr., vice-president ; John 'N. Knapp, secretary ; William 0. Beardsley, treasurer ; Hon. Theodore M. Pomeroy, attorney ; an Executive Board, viz : Major-General H. W. Slocum, Elmore P. Ross, Elliott G. Storke, William C. Beards- ley, Clinton T. Backus, William H. Seward, Jr., and John A. Green, Jr. ; and a Board of sixteen Trustees, or Directors, namely : 0. B. Farwell ; Clinton Briggs, of Chicago ; John ITazro, of Milwaukee ; T. U. Mc- Millan, of Cleveland ; W. E. Schwertz, of Pittsbury ; Henry Lewis, T. A. Caldwell, of Philadelphia; Theo- GENEKAl, PROGRESS. 335 dore M. Pomeroy, of Auburn ; John How, Barton Able, of St. Louis ; M. I. Mills, of Detroit ; L. 0. Hopkins, Gr. T. Steadman, of Cincinnati ; and Aaron Brinkerlioff, J. Trumbull Smith, and W. A. Budd, of Kew York. The capital was placed nominally at twenty millions of dollars, but the stock was to be assessed only to such an extent as the necessities of the business required. As was anticipated, the stock was speedily taken ; so great was the demand, that the amount to be sub- scribed by a single merchant was limited, and so thor- oughly was the stock distributed, that the company boasted of its ten thousand stockholders. Though harassed by its rivals on every side, and retarded by the magnitude of the undertaking, such was the energy displayed, that on the first of October, 1866, the company was running its cars over the prin- cipal 'railways, and before the commencement of 1867, Auburn became the center of a net-work of express lines, which extended into every city and nearly every town of the northern States. The number of persons in its employ exceeded three thousand. The business done by the company became enormous ; but, owing to the depressed rates of compensation, occasioned by the deadly competition with other lines, the losses were as enormous. Like the venerable lady, who vended her wares at a price below the cost of production, and only made herself good by the amount of sales which she 336 ' UISTORY OF AUBUEN. made, so were the losses of tlie company proportion- ately greater, as the amount of business transacted was larger. Such a ruinous competition could not be sustained by either side ; and, after the capital of every company had been greatly impaired, a compromise was effected. Although the losses were gi*eatly diminished, it was found necessary, to ensure a profitable business and even a continuance of existence, for the four com- panies who were at this time dividing losses and pro- fits, to reduce to a still greater degree their expenses. To accomplish this, on the Urst of December, 1868, a union of the American with the Merchants' Union was made, under the style of the American Merchants' Un- ion Express Company. The history of the company has thus been briefly outlined down to the present time. It would not be too much to say, that no other project has caused the name of Auburn to be so widely known, or has cen- tered here so much of foreign interest. The number of persons to whom it has given employment, and the large sums of money which it has here received, han- dled, and disbursed, have, without a doubt, materially advanced the interests of our city. And when we con- sider the immense capital of the Merchants' Union Ex- press Company, its ten thousand stockholders, its three thousand employes, and its extensive business, we may safely assert that the company has made good its Gl-NFEAL PROGRESS. 337 claims to be the grandest enterprise of wliicli Aiibnrn can boast. The celebrated Obwego starch factory, though locat- ed in a neighboring city, njay with great propriety be included with the enterprises of the citizens of Au- burn. Here the company was organized, here the trustees— with the exception of Thomas llingsford, Esq. — reside, and here all the financial and official business of the company has always been transacted. In March, 1848, four citizens of Auburn united with Mr. Kingsford for the purpose of manufacturing starch ; and tliese, with others, were organized on the first day of April, under an act of the Legislature, passed February 16th, 1848. Their names were, viz : S. "Willard, M.D,, Erastus Case, Nelson Eeardsley^ Alonzo G. Beardsley, Roswell Curtis, Albert II. Goss, Theodore P. Case, Thomas Kingsford, and Augustus Pettibone. Dr. Willard was elected president of the company, a position which he still retains. A. G. Beardsley, Esq., was secretary from the first organiza- tion, and has been treasurer for the last twelve years, before which that officer's duties were performed by the president. Mr. Kingsford was, in 1848, a resident of the State of Kew Jersey, and favorably known as a manufac- turer of an unequaled quality of starch from corn by a process which his own inventive skill had originated, the secret of which he retained. Prior to his experi- 20 33s lllriTOUV OK AUBUKN. meats with corn, first begun in 1842, the starch of trade had been manufactured from wheat or from potatoes. A factory was built at Oswego by the newly organized company, which at the time \vas considered unusually large ; Mr. Kingsford and son were put in charge. At first, the stockholders were but few, and the capital only $50,000. Now, there are more than one hundred and fifty stockholders, scattered over several States, the majority, however, being in Au- burn ; the buildings are more tlian quadrupled, and the capital stock is nine times the amount with which the company commenced. The factory is concededly the largest manufacturing establishment of its kind known of in the world. Without personal inspection, it is difiicult to obtain a correct idea of its magnitude, its capacity, and the amount of its productions. The original structure of wood has been succeeded by several immense build- ings, composed of brick, stone, and iron. The main building is 515 feet long, by 200 feet wdde, varying from two stories high to seven stories. It has 478,000 feet of flooriup', beinsi; more than sufficient to cover eleven acres. There are 675 cisterns, having an aggre- gate capacity of 3,000,000 gallons, for the purpose of cleansing the starch from every conceivable impurity. The length of gutters for distributing starch, while in a fluid state, to various parts of the works, is more than four miles. There are fifty large force-pumps for the GENERAL PROGKESS. 339 supply of water, and for conveying the starch while in solution, which are capable of elevating 600,000 gal- lons per hour, and, as a protection against fire, several of these pumps are arranged to force through fire-hose 125,000 gallons per hour, with sufficient power to throw eighteen streams of water over the top of the seven-story building. The pumps, which are worked by water-power, are connected with two and a quarter miles of water pipe, varying in size from sixteen inches to two inches in diameter. One pump alone cost six $1,000, and will throw a barrel of water at a stroke. For grinding the grain, there are twenty pairs of burr stones, and six pairs of very heavy iron rollers, with two miles of shafting, connected by 1,311 gear-wheels. There are over twenty miles of steam pipe for drying starch, and warming the building. The power of this establishment consists of ten tur- bine wheels of 50 horse-power each, and a steam en- gine of 200 horse-power. Its capacity is equal to the production of twenty tons of starch per day, which, at ten hours for a day, is an average of one ton of starch for each half-hour. The factory furnishes employment for 500 operatives. 250,000 pounds of wrapping pa- per, and 3,500,000 feet of lumber, are required annu- ally for packing and boxing the starch. The box fac- tory, an imposing brick structure, is owned by Messre. Kingsford & Son, who, by the recent improvements in machinery, are able,''''by one operation, to cut, mi- 340 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. ter, and dove-tail the boards, so that no naihng is re- quired for the boxes, except the top and bottom. A large amount of the best grades of starch is packed in paper boxes, the material of which is cut and prepared by machinery. About 20,000 of these paper boxes are made daily. The packing of these boxes is per- formed by exceedingly ingenious machinery, of recent invention, which, with simulated intelligence, by one operation, packs with uniform shape, and weighs with reliable accuracy. The introduction of this great improvement in the manufacture of starch by Messrs. Kingsford & Son, is-\ an era in American manufacture. Previous to this in- vention, the starch made in the United States was of a very inferior quality. AVe were dependent on for- eign production for our supply of a good article. JS^ow, not only have all importations ceased, but foreign na- tions purchase largely of the Oswego starch. Orders come from every part of Europe, from South America, and Africa, and even from China and the Pa(dfic isles. At the World's Fair, held in Europe, with the whole world for competitors, the superior quality of the Oswego starch was frankly conceded by an award of a gold medal, in testimony of its highest order of merit. Prize medals were also won from the Ameri- can Institute, in the city of New York, from the New York State Agricultural Society, and from Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Montreal. THE AUBUKN PKISON. 341 CHAPTER Y. THE AUBUEN PRISON. The history of this celebrated institution, and of the finished system of prison discipline whitch has made it and this city famous throughout the whole civilized world, is a topic worthy of the most able mind and pen. Embodying, as it necessarily does, some account of the origin, principles, and changes of the whole penitentiary system of this State, and a description of the most perfect plan of punishment ever conceived in this country or any other, the subject is one of consid- erable importance. It is, furthermore, one of unusual interest to the inhabitants of tliis city, since their lead- ing men were at different times connected with the prison in an official capacity, and, by their thoughts and experiments, aided materially in maturing and giving the Auburn system efficiency. It is strange that no one of these eminent men should have written the history of the prison. Such, however, is the case. The outlines of the subject are, therefore, here pre- sented. The criminal code in existence in this State at the time of the beginning of its republican government 342 iriSTOKY OF aubukn. had many inhninan and sanguinary features. The most common offenses were punished by lashes at a public whipping-post, by branding, by the stocks, and by many unusual and degrading sentences, while six- teen heinous crimes, at least, were punished by death. Philanthropists throughout the State and country had detected the errors of this rigorous code, and were aiming to effect a radical change in the whole system, by reducing tke number of capital crimes, and abolish- ing cruel and disgraceful punishments. The reformers claimed that cruel punishments were never useful. For, they said, such corrections are practically a retal- iation, upon an offender, of the violence or injury he has committed upon a fellow-man. They have the nature of revenge, and certainly do not dispose their victim to abandon vicious habits, nor can they, in this respect, be sustained by just statesmen, who make laws to remedy evils, and not to gratify personal ani- mosities. The philanthropists represented that society only required that the punishments should be of a character to intimidate rogiues from the further com- mission of crime, for then the whole object of punish- ment would be accomplished ; and that any correction which publicly disgraced a man, or which, without putting him to open shame, left in his heart a desire for revenge, was a perfect failure, so far as its great end was concerned, since it only stimulated the man to further crimes, instead of animating him to retrieve THE AUBURN I'EISON. 343 his character, and reform his life. They urged that the self-respect of the criminal should, in every in- stance, be preserved. These men were better under- stood when they drew aside the curtain that covered the infamous management of many of the prisons and jails of this country and of England. Their revela- tions led intelligent men everywhere to think that there was a necessity for reformation in the criminal code, and eventually effected great changes in the penal institutions of America. The horrors of the dismal Jersey prison-house had made the people of this republic sensitive on the subject of prisons. They therefore recoiled from everything in the prevailing sys- tem of punishments that bore the semblance of cruelty. "Within a very short time after the close of the Kevolu- tionary War, they had abolished the lash, the brand, and the stocks, and had greatly restricted the use of the scaffold. The history of the prisons of New York commences at this point. Governor Jay, in his annual message of January, 1796, recommended the immediate erection of estab- lishments for the detention and reformation of crimi- nals, upon the plan already being tried at Philadelphia, of confinement and hard labor. General Schuyler framed a law accordingly, authorizing the construction of prisons at Albany and New York, which was passed. The Albany prison was never built, but the one at New York, known as Newgate, was commenced with- 344 HtSTORY OF ALiruUUN. out delay, ami wa:? opened for tlie reception ot crimi- nals in I^ovember, 1797. The system first adopted here was in strict accord with the sentiment of the times, beyond which it was at no date advisable to go. The prison was a guarded stronghold within wliich the criminals were immured and employed at hard labor in the various branches of industry to whicli they were accustomed. The disci- pline was mild, and aimed to retbrm and elevate the criminal. Food was not stinted, nor the work excess- ive ; pay for overwork was generally allowed. The convicts were confined at night in apartments holding fi'om ten to twenty men. The effect of the prison upon the vicious classes of society was for many years so salutary as to M'in high encomiums from public men ; but familiarity invariably breeds contempt, and a bet- ter acquaintance with its operations rubbed off what- ever terror it had excited in the minds of felons. In 1803, the officers of that"; institution reported that " no penal system in any State w^as less expensive, or more fully answered the intentions ":-of its founders. They say, however, in the next breath, '' there will soon be a want of room.'" The ]>rison was seven years old, yet crime was increasing. Its halls were speedily filled, and then packed, in which condition they be- came the class-rooms of infamy and vice. The unre- strained intercourse between the hardened and de- praved inmates of the cells destroyed every remaining fTHE AUBUKN PKISON. 345 vestiffe ot virtue in their breasts. The vouusr, for whom, under more propitious circumstances, there might have been hope of reformation, were educated by veteran offenders in all the arts and practices of criminality, and returned upon their discharge to society as graduates from a college of crime. Felons multiplied with inconceivable rapidity. By 1808 the courts were sending such large numbers of men to the prison, that the exercise of the pardoning power by the Governor had become necessary to make room for them. In 1809, the number of pardons and commit- ments was equal, and the suggestion was first made of a new prison in the interior of the State. The erec- tion of this institution was hastened by the alarm felt in the city concerning the semi-annual visit of the Judges, by which the best of the criminals were sorted out as fit for pardon, and let loose upon society all at once. ]^Totwithstanding the admitted defects of the New- gate system, the Auburn prison was founded in 1816, upon precisely the same plan. Haste in its construc- tion was used in order to relieve the crowded prisons and jails of the State. Its first involuntarj^ occupants were taken from the county jails of the interior to aid the work ot erection. The main building and south wing weie finished in 1818, and contained sixty-one double cells and twenty-eight apartments, holding from ten to twenty each, into which the convicts were 346 iiiSTOKy OK auuukn. put as fast as they arrived. Workshops were erected in 1819-20, and the men were employed in them at custom work. Women were also received here from tlie first. They were confined indiscriminately in a large room in the soiith wing. These were the precise features of the punishment at Newgate, and met with precisely the same result. The freshly committed convict was only too certain to leave behind him as lie stepped into the polluted at- mosphere of his crowded cell all remaining decency and virtue. Pie was thoroughly^corrupted during his stay by contact with other felons, and he left the prison confirmed in viciousness. Insubordination in the work-shops was frequent, and two damaging fires warned the autliorities of tlie evils of looseness in discipline. The attainment of a successful prison system seemed at this point problematical. The authorities were al- most in despair. The necessity of making punishment sufiSciently terrible to arrest men in a career of vice, and the refusal of the public to assent to any disci- pline that was over-despotic or cruel, were the horns of a strong dilemma. The people were averse to se- verity, for cruelty was only a step beyond, yet if the prison experience of the convict did not restrain him from further crime, the prison would be simply a house of detention, and the end of punishment lost. Refor- mation had been declared to be the obi'ect of the abol- THE AUBUEN PRISON. 34:T ishment of barbarous punishments, and the adoption of a mild system. The law had recognized the impor- tance of reformation by allowing every convict a Bible and"every prison a chaplain. But upon a close search- ing of the operations of the mild system, the Legisla- ture of this State were unable to discover that they were beneficial. An examination of the prisons of Kew York and the one at Philadelphia in 1817, led Messrs. Burt, Eadcliff, and Taylor, who had been con- stituted a committee for the purpose, to express the deliberate conviction that the prison system of IMew York failed in its great object. In 1818, the Board of Inspectors at l^ewgate reported that that institution was " far, very far from answering the end intended ; " that a mild system seldom reclaimed the vicious, and that a better one must be devised, " not a mere plan of good living and light punishment, but of dread and terror ; " and that ^ though the prisoners were the " most abandoned and profligate of mankind," and steeled against virtue, two hundred and eighty of them had to be pardoned to make way for three hundred freshly committed, A subsequent legislative commit- tee declared " that upon the whole view of our State prison system as hitherto conducted, they were com- pelled to adopt the conclusion that so far as reforma- tion was concerned, it had wholly failed ; and not only so, but that it operated with alarming efficacy to in- crease, diffuse, and extend the love of vice," and a 348 HISTORY OK AUUUKN. knowledge of the secret devices of villainy ; Ihat it obviously had no tendency to prevent crime. Further, that the system having, after twenty-five years of trial signally failed, and " having for that time spent our sympatliies and resources on the comfort of criminals, it was now our duty to look to and protect the inno- cent/' The committee " asserted the right of society to protect itself by any such means as may be mo&t efficient ; and they deny that tlie criminal who makes war upon mankind has in this respect any rights which are not subordinate to the rights of the injured com- munity." Since it was evident that the existing system of mild punishments did not discourage vice or lessen the num- ber of criminals, further demonstration of its hurtful •effects seemed scarcely necessary. I^or was it neces- sary. The astonishing multiplication of crimes, and the vastly increased losses of property throughout the State by felonies and malicious mischief, showed clearly enough that the rights of the " injured community " were now" boldly trampled on to an unprecedented ex- tent. The cause of the trouble was indiscriminate confinement in the prisons, and general looseness of discipline. Legislators determined to strike at the root of the evil and resort if necessary to the rigorous penalties in force in colonial days. They first made the experiment of solitary confinement. The change from indiscriminate confinement, though THE' AUBUKN PRISON. 34^ not an original suggestion of the states in en of ISTew York, was authorized by them in 1810, and was made for the first time in America at the Auburn prison early in 1821. The north wing was constructed on a plan elsewhere described, that permitted the locking up of the convicts at night in separate and solitary cells, between which there was no chance of communication without the certainty of detection and punishment, and from which it was impossible to escape. Sepai'ation at night was attended with hard labor during the day in large shops, in a compulsory silence that was main- tained by the presence of vigilant keepers, who were empowered to inflict lashes for every offense against order or the rules. ■ William Brittin, the first agent of the Auburn prison and the designer of the arrangement of solitary cells^ died in 1821, and was succeeded by Captain Elam Lynds,^ a veteran of the war of 1812, who lent his aid to the perfection of the new system. Captain Lynds was a soldierly man and a strict disciplinarian. He intro- duced the plan of marching the convicts to and from the shops, invented by John D. Cray, in single files with the lock step. He encouraged the use of the whip to maintain a perfect submission to the rules, and took every step allowed by law to make the institution a terror to evil-doers. His measures were, however, not overcharged with severity, though the bold course he pursued was calculated to oppress convicts theretofore S50 illBTORY OF AUBURN. unused to strict obedience. Among other things, Oaptain Lynds substituted the practice of serving the <;onvicts' meals in their cells for the previous custom of marching them to a common mess-room and giving them their rations there. This change created discon- tent among the men. At the common table, they often shared their food with each other, thus equalizing the wants of large and small eaters. They could not do this in the cell system, and many suffered from hunger. All complaints made in consequence were answered with the argument that the crimes of the convicts de- served the severest punishment, whicli it was not their keepers' business to mitigate. The classification of criminals was a measure au- thorized in the spring of 1821, in imitation of the plan pursued by the authorities at the Philadelphia prison. The criminals were to be separated into three classes, with different degrees of punislnnent. The most dangerous and impenitent, those particularly who were serving out a second or tbird sentence, composed the first class, which was doomed to constant confine- ment, in silent and solitary cells, with no companion but their own thoughts and, if the keeper saw fit to allow it, their Bible. The second class was to be se- lected from the less incorrigible offenders, and alter- nately placed in solitary confinement, and allowed la- bor as a recreation. The third and most hopeful set was to be permitted to work out the sentence of hard THE AUBUR2f PRISON. 351 labor by day, and seclusion by night, as had previ- ously been the case with all. The second and third classes, however, were united as a third class. The separation of the first class from the body of the con- victs took place on Christmas-day of 1821. Eighty- three of the most hardened prisoners were committed to silence and solitude, in cells where they might neither see nor hear any but distant and chance occur- rences, and where they were never visited except by the physician or chaplain, or by a convict bearing the stated meal. The punishment of these men was dreadful. In less than a year five of the eighty-three had died, one became an idiot, another, when his door was opened for some chance purpose, dashed himself headlong from the gallery into the fearful area below, and the rest, with haggard looks and despairing voices, begged pitifully to be taken back to the shops and set to work. This was suffering applied both to the body and mind. The Assembly of ISTew York, in 1824, appointed Samuel H. Hopkins, George Tibbits, and Stephen Allen, to consider the whole subject of punishments and prisons in this State, and report suitable amend- ments to the existing system for the consideration of the Legislature. The committee spent the ensuing summer in the task, during which it sent Captain Lynds off to jN^ew England to look up and study the prison systems prevailing in that region, and ascertain 352 HISTORY Oh" AUBUKN. their advantages. The committee's report wjis laid before the Legislature in January, 1825. It contained several important suggestions. Foremost was a rec- ommendation for the repeal of the solitary confinement law, based upon the injurious effects of such confine- ment on its subject. The committee exhibited the debilitating and lamentable results of the very first experiment in this direction, and argued that though the punishment was indeed terrible it failed to improve the morals of the criminal, and it was one of those un- necessary severities which disturbed the public mind. The expense of maintaining convicts in idleness was another important consideration. The committee therefore urged that every convict should be employed at hard labor, for the sake of both economy and health. A less generous use of the pardoning power, general economy in administration, and the management ofj convict labor so as to make it productive were also suggested as needful and proper. A previous legisla- tive committee had recommended a course directly opposite to the one now proposed, believing that the entire abandonment of labor as an engine of punish- ment w^as the only means of preventing crime. One of the present committee entertained the same view. But economy M^as desirable, a.nd the Legislature accord- ingly sent the inmates of the solitary cells back to work. The famous Auburn system then began to re- ceive a careful trial. THE AUBUKN PBI80N. 353 ^i As the State could not with advantage, or without exciting the dangerous cry of " monopoly," manufac- ture on its own account, it was contrived that the labor of the convicts in the State prisons should be leased to contractors, who should pay therefor a reasonable and stated sum. The convicts at first performed custom work. In 1821, the first contract in the Auburn prison was let to Samuel C. Dunham, who took five men and began the manufacture of tools, in which he was associated the following year with Truman J. McMaster. The contract was afterward held by McMaster & Garrow. The cooper-shop and a few men were let, in 1824, to Allen "Warden, the tailor-shop to Stephen Van''Anden, and the shoe-shop to Erastus and Jabez Pease. The machine-shop was leased by Worden & Wilkie, to supply their cotton-factory in the village ^with machinery and repairs, and subse- quently by Muir, Throop, & Garrow with the same view. Brown & Guilford rented the hame-shop in 1828, and Talmadge Cherry, the cabinet-shop, in 1826.. The introduction and department of the contract sys- tem was attended with considerable embarrassment. The increased discipline of the prison necessary to prevent convicts maliciously spoiling their work was distasteful to the public. But the competition be- tween convict and free labor was still more so, and all who employed it lost popularity. The whole system of convict labor, therefore, fell into a disrepute, which 21 354: HISTORY OF AUBURN. lasted nearly twenty years. The agent of the prison was at times taxed to the uttermost to keep the con- victs busy, and some of the contracts were taken by merchants of Auburn, only upon his personal solicita- tion, and then with great reluctance. While the mass of the people, who looked upon the workings of the great prisons onlj^ from a distance, were, in 1825, as fearful as ever that the convicts would be treated in them in a relentless and despotic manner, an event occurred in Auburn which marks the dif- ferent feelings with which men equally averse to cruelty regard criminals, after having had daily charge of them for a few years. The positive refusal of the keepers of the prison to whip three certain disobedient prisoners, in the spring of 1821, will be remembered as an instance of their horror of severity. Four years' experience taught the keepers, however, a valuable les- son — the necessity of punishment for every infraction of the rules ; and in December, 1825, so blunted had their sensibilities become by constant contact with the degraded and vicious beings in the shops, that a fe- male prisoner was whipped in a heartless and violent manner, and died from the effect of the blows. This was Rachel Welch, whose body was conveyed to the Aubm-n Medical College for dissection. The commu- nity was greatly agitated by this affair, and examin- ing committees from the Legislature were appointed to give it a thorough investigation. The excitement THE AUBURN PRISON. 355 was, however, soothed soon afterwards by the appoint- ment of Hon. Gershom Powers, of Auburn, to tlie ■agency of the prison, his severe predecessor being re- moved to anotlier sphere of duty. During Mr. Powers' administration, the balance was nearly obtained between a necessary severity of discipline in the prison, and the demands of an unduly sympathetic public. The practice of admitting visit- ors to the prison, under a slight tax to pay for the time of the keepers who showed them the buildings, was encouraged. Avenues were so arranged that the visitors could pass around the entire establishment without being seen, and look down, through openings in a partition wall, upon the operations of the shops. Mr. Powers, in a letter to the Legislature, ]S"ov, 17th, 1828, claimed that this constant exposure of the prison to the public eye had a salutary influence, by keeping up the vigilance and faithfulness of the officers, and by removing from the public the suspicion of mal- practice or cruelty, which would arise if the workings of the institution were concealed. The government of the prison was placed, in 1818, in the hands of a local board of five inspectors, ap- pointed by the Governor and Senate for two years, which, in turn, appointed all the other officers of the institution, and maintained a general supervision over its conduct and affairs. The officers, to the lowest, holding their positions independently of each other, S56 HISTOKY OF AUBURK. were responsible directly to the board, and were ex- empt from interference in the fearless performance of their duties. The members of the Board of Inspectors, taken from the village at large, were selected as men in whom the public had the highest confidence, and on whom they could safely rely for the prevention of abuses. The agent and keeper was the chief executive in the management of the prison. He was allowed a deputy and clerk. The other officers were the turn- keys, or keepers, and guards. The agent reported an- nually to the Board of Inspectors the general statistics of the institution. The board transmitted a similar report to the Legislature, at every winter session. This form of government was in every respect satis- factory to the public, and worked well. The failure of an attempt to change it, so as to subserve political ends, may be recorded as among the incidents of 1828. Mr. Powers, having been elected to Congress in the fall of 1828, was succeeded by other agents : first, Levi Lewis, and then John G arrow, who conducted the prison as they found it, with increasing satisfaction to the community and State as well as philanthropists, till 1838, when Captain Elam Lynds was again placed in charge. With his characteristic vigor, this officer, believing the discipline too lax, reversed parts of the system which was winning the admiration of our statesmen, and sent the convicts, as once before, to their cells to eat their food, instead of at the tables. THE AUBURN PEISON. 35T He pushed this plan further by refusing them either knives or forks. This was deemed to be cruelty. The indignation of tlie people was kindled. Public meet- ings were held. The Board of Inspectors were be- sieged with petitions and remonstrances, and Captain Lynds was even indicted by the grand jury for inhu- manity. The excitement was aggravated by the suffo- cation of a prisoner, who could not, under the new order of things, satisfy his hunger, and who, in a hasty attempt to steal and swallow a piece of meat, was strangled. The public were not to be withstood ; Cap- tain Lynds resigned, as well as some of the inspectors. Dr. Noyes Palmer took the post of agent on the 9 th of May, 1839, and renewed the table system of feed- ing, settling thereby, from that date, a vexatious ques- tion. Philanthropy now prompted an attempt to abolish the use of the cat-o'-nine-tails. In April, 1838, before Captain Lynds resigned, one Louis Yon Eck, a German, had been severely punished for shamming sick, as it was said, and he died. Perhaps the fault was only an error of the physician's judgment in failing to detect the presence of disease in the convict's system, yet Von Eck had been kicked and whipped and otherwise abused, till a fever produced his death. The instru- ment used for flogging was composed of a handle like the butt of a raw-hide whip, two feet and one inch l©ng, to which was attached by one corner a triangular 358 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. piece of strong leather. To the t*ide of tliis triangle,, opposite the handle, were fastened six strands of waxed shoe-thread, eighteen and a half inches long, and one- tenth of an inch in diameter. Six blows with this in- strument upon the uncovered back had been fixed by law as the limit for any one offense. The limit wa& never adhered to, and the fact was so apparent in the case of Yon Eck, that the reformers ultimately suc- ceeded, in December, 1847, in securing a law forbid- ding the use of the whip or blows of any kind except in self-defense. The shower-bath plan of punishment was then invented^by Dr. Joseph T. Pitney, of Auburn. It was believed to be a humane, though severe, inflic- tion, and was tried as an experiment before the whip was laid aside. Its first application in the Auburn prison was made April 15th, 1842. It seemed to work well, being in its application less forbidding to the keeper, saving both his and the convict's self-respect. It is now the only form of corporal punishment per- mitted by law. The settlement of popular opposition to convict la- bor at the Auburn prison remains to be noted. This opposition sprang up with the origin of the institution amongst the mechanics of Auburn and other villages,, who dreaded, and did actually at the very first suffer a loss of their business. The cooper, shoe, tailor, and cabinet-shops, as early as 1825, injured a large number of industrious mechanics in Auburn, and obliged THE AUBURN PKI80N. 359 many of them to embark in new modes of earning a support. The whole damage done to business fell, of course, in the outset, upon Auburn. But as the availa- ble labor in the prison gained extent, and tools, ma- chines, carpets, hames, and saddles, began to be pro- duced in quantities, complaints were made in all quar- ters of the State concerning this "monopoly, " as me- chanics were pleased to stigmatize it. In justice to the tradesmen, various attempts were made to protect their interests. The State could not afford to sustain prison- ers in idleness. Kor could mechanics withstand the competition. A resolution, therefore, passed the Legis- lature in 1835, directing the agent here to report on the probability and profit of carrying on in the prison the manufacture of such articles as were then furnished to the United States exclusively by importation. The manufacture of one such article — silk — was authorized definitely. John Garrow, then agent, did not see fit to commence the business, however, and the matter rested till 1841. In May of that year, Henry Polhe- mus, an untiring, devoted gentleman, and the succes- sor of Mr. Garrow, began the silk business as an ex- periment, and resolved to give it a fair and impartial examination. He did so. The test was continued for three or four years. But the pursuit proved to be un- remunerative and was abandoned. The number of men employed in the silk-shop at one time ranged aa high as forty. 360 HISTORY OF AUBURN. By 1845, however, the necessity for any legislative protection had passed. The circumstances of the case were then materially chanujed. When the introduc- tion of coerced labor to Auburn threw into the mar- ket the available services of several hundred additional hands, the population of the village was little more than a thousand. What would not have been per- ceived in a large city was a crushing blow to the labor- ing classes here. An exodus of mechanics from Au- burn followed, and their grievances kindled the wide- spread aversion to convict labor. But during the lapse of twenty-five years, other tradesmen had entered the field, and the population of the county and State had expanded so largely, that the labor of the five hundred inmates of the penitentiary had lost its injurious influ- ence. The mechanic interest had then adjusted itself to the situation, and was no longer ranged in opposi- tion to the economical and reasonable system of the Auburn prison. The troubles attending the development of that sys- tem having been at last removed, it went into unmo- lested operation. To the present day agents of all grades of ability, of different temperaments, and of all political creeds, have conducted the Auburn prison with unvarying success, and have achieved for ita peculiar principles a lasting fame. Twenty States or more of this republic have already adopted the Au- burn system in their prisons, and various foreign na- THE A.UBUBN PlilSON. 361 tions have erected establishments in close imitation of them. No system more economical has yet been discovered ; nor has any been .found which, when well carried out, better answers the great end of pun- ishment. A description of the plan and workings of the prison will not be considered improper. The Auburn prison occupies an area of 500,000 square feet, on the north branch of the Owasco Outlet, from which it derives a valuable water-power. It faces State Street, and is surrounded by a wall three thou- sand feet long, four feet thick, and varying as it stands near or distant from the inner buildings from twelve to thirty-five feet in height. The walls are manned during the day by guards. The prison buildings are arranged in the form of a hollow square,'at such distances from the outer walls as to render unobserved communication with them highly improbable. They consist of a central building, with wings which, being L-shaped, run back at right angles to the rear, and unite with rows of shops extending west- ward some twenty-five rods. A long brick shop stands at the west end of the yard, parallel to the main building, and completes the square. In the center is a large, level, commodious yard. The main building is fifty-six feet high ; the wings are forty-five. The first contains the agent's apartments and office, the inspectors' room, the clerks' office, and the keep- ers' hall. The whole front is three hundred and eighty- 362 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. seven feet. The north wing, as finished in 1823, is three hundred and fifty feet long by forty-five wide ; it contains five hundsed and fifty cells and five dun- geons. An addition now being built upon its rear will enlarge the number of cells by about three hun- dred. The south wing is two hundred and three feet long by fifty- three wide, and contains four hundred and forty-two cells. Forming part of this wing is the building containing the hospital, chapel, and mess- room, built in 1860. From the end of the north wing is built the tool-shop. It is two hundred and fourteen feet long by thirty-seven deep, is two stories high and made of brick. It employs about ninety men. Ad- joining is the hame-shop, a structure of the same char- acter. Its dimensions are two hundred and twenty- two feet by forty. It employs about an hundred con- victs. The machine-shop, a brick building, two hun- dred and thirty feet long and sixty deep, and two stories high, is added to the end of the south wing. It furnishes work to ninety-seven men. The cabinet- shop stands next to this, and opposite the hame-shop ; is three hundred and thirty feet long by fifty wide ; gives employment to about sixty-eight men, and contains the State tailor-shop, waste-room, etc. The shoe-shop, filling the west end of the square, is two hundred and forty feet long by fifty wide, is three stories high and employs from two to three hundred men. These shops all stand about seventy-five feet distant from the THE AUBURN PRISON. 363 outside walls, leaving an open space of that width around the greater part of the buildings, to which access is had from the inner yard by means of arched carriage-ways. In this open space, on the north and south sides of the prison, there stand other shops re- moved from the wall between thirty and forty-five feet, and, with but one exception, all only one story high. The first of these is a sash-and-blind shop. It is tw-o hundred and forty feet long and thirty-nine deep. Sixty convicts work there. Joining this and running westward is a long brick building, once used for the tool-shop, now occupied partly as a store-house and partly by the hame contractors. Between the south wing and wall stand the foundry and axle-tree shop. The former is attached to the machine contract ; the latter is two stories high and employs ninety-six men. The control of the prison, vested, in 1818, in a local board of five inspectors, having full power to appoint and remove, was, by the new State Constitution of 1846, intrusted to a general board of three inspectors,, who were to act for the whole State. The first board under the new law was elected in November, 1847,. and qualified the January following. The inspectors were chosen for one, two, and three years respectively. The term of one member of the board, therefore, ex- pires annually, and a successor is annually elected. Every January the inspectors meet and organize, by electing one of their number president. They divide 364 HISTORY OF AUBURN. the prisons between them every fonr montlis, in order that each inspector may have the special oversight of some one establishment, which he is required to visit and examine at least seven days in each montli. The board, as a whole, visits all the prisons four times a jear, and makes appointments of all their executive and administrative offices. The agent, chaplain, and physician of each prison report to the board annually the condition and healtli of the establishment under their charge. A general report is submitted by the inspectors to the Legislature, at the beginning of every winter session. The Constitution adopted by the State convention of 1867, contemplates a change in this form ot govern- ment. It proposes to substitute a board of live com- missioners for the prison inspectors, one to be elected annually, who shall serve without salary, their actual ■expenses, however, being paid by the State, and shall have power to appoint the chief officers of the several prisons. The choice of subordinate officers is vested by this instrument in the agents. The convict's life begins with an entry upon the "books of the prison of his name, age, nativity and occupation. The physician examines him and re- cords his full descriptive list. Eobed in a striped suit, he is then shaven and shorn, and conducted to his cell. His punishment follows. He is assigned a trade, and loses his individuality at once in the work-shops. THE AUBURN PRISON. 365 The daily routine of the prison begins at dawn, by the gathering of the keepers and guards in the keepers* hall, from which at a given signal they proceed to th& galleries and w^alls, and prepare to open the prison^ The guards that have kept watch during the night in the white- washed halls, retire. A bell wakes the men. The keepers pass through the galleries, unlocking the cells of the company which they severally command. Ab they return down the galleries, they unlatch the doors in order ; the prisoners throw open the doors as the keepers pass, step out, and fall into their place in the long file forming in the area. After breakfast in a common mess-room, at tables so arranged that the men all look in one direction, in order that they may not ex- change either signs or words, they are marched to the shops and employed at hard labor during the day, under the superintendence of the contractors or their em- ployes. The keepers are always present. Half an hour is allowed at noon for dinner, ISTo conversation or in- tercommunication is allowed between the prisoners ex- cept by special permission, and then only in the pres- ence of the keeper. The men are thus completely iso- lated. Friends sometimes work for months in the same building without a suspicion of the fact. At the approach of night the convicts are marched directly to their cells, in which they are safely secured before the gathering shades of evening make it possible for any to secrete themselves and escape. On Sunday there is 366 HISTORY OF AUBURN. religious instruction to such convicts as choose, in the <3hapel. Divine service is also held there. Those that desire may draw books from the large prison library. Offenders against good order are punished according to their extent, by giving the transgressor the ball and UISTOKi' OF AUBL'KN. assist, but decisive lueasures were undertaken to for- ward the main object. The chairman of the commit- tee requested the moderator to convoke a special meet- ing of the synod, which he had been authorized to do, and subscription papers were immediately started. The synod assembled at Auburn, August 15th, 1818. The attendance of delegates M-as unusually large, there being present fifty-eight ministers and forty-five elders regularly accredited to the various Presbyteries. Several distinguished divines from other districts met with the convention ; anions them were Rev. Henry Davis, D.D., president of Hamilton College ; Rev. Thomas McCauley, LL.D., of Albany ; Rev. Oliver Eastman, of the Union Asso., Mass. ; Rev. David D. Field, of the Asso. of Middlesex, Conn. ; and Rev. Daniel D. Hopkins, of Hudson, ISI. Y. The synod had but one object in view ; no time was lost therefore. After a brief discussion it was resolved al- most unanimously by the synod, " immediately to es- tablish a theological sejuinary within its bounds." A committee of ten reported a plan for carrying the reso- lution into eftect. Assurances of great assistance from Cayuga County having been received, the seminary was located in the village of Auburn, upon the ex])ress stipulation that the subscriptions in the count}'' should be no less than $35,000, and that ten acres should be donated for a site. Before this action should be con- sidered final, the subscriptions were to be approved by THE THEOLOGICAL SEMIJN'AKY. 377 the synod. It was considered prudent to provide that the seminary should not begin operations till the sum of $50,000 had either been raised or actually promised. Colonel John Lincklaen, of Cazenovia, Horace Hills, of Auburn, and Thomas Mumford, of Cayuga, were constituted trustees, with power to hold the property of the seminary, till provision for the purpose was made by law. Committees were appointed to canvass the Presbyteries of Cayuga, Onondaga, Geneva, On- tario, Bath, and Niagara, as well as the State at large and other States. The sum needed to locate the seminary in this city was promptly subscribed. The amount raised here and in the immediate vicinity toward that sum was over sixteen thousand dollars, as shown by the follow- ing list : Thomas Mumford, $2,000 N. Garrow & K. S. Beach, 2,000 David Hyde & John H. Beach, . 2,000 Eev. D. C. Lansing, 1,000 Horace Hills, 600 Robert & John Patty, 600 Henry Ammerman, 500 Walter Wood, 500 Eleazer Hills, 500 Hiram Lodge, 500 Ezekiel Williams, 500 Joseph Colt, 300 William Brown, 225 Erastus Pease, 200 Asa Hunger, 300 John & Salmon G. G rover, $200 Ira Hopkins 200 Stephen Van Anden, 200 Sam. B. Hickox, 150 Ebenezer Hoskins, 100 G. & P. Holly, 100 T. & E. D. Cherry, 100 Lawrence White, 100 E.D. Shultis 100 Micajah Benedict, 100 Joseph Rhodes, 100 O. Reynolds, lOO Ebenezer Gould, 100 Smaller subscriptions, 8,339 At a convention of the svnod at Geneva in Feb- 378 HISTORY OF AUBURN. ruary, 1819, it was accordingly resolved, upon the rec- ommendation of a committee appointed to examine the Cayuga County subscriptions, that the seminary be definitely located at Auburn. A plan for the seminary buildings, and a draught of an act of incor- poration were submitted and approved. Rev. D. C. Lansing, Rev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Benjamin B. Stock- ton, Thomas Mumford, "William Brown, David Hyde, and John Lincklaen were then elected a prudential committee, with authority to secure the passages of the act of incorporation, and begin the w^ork of con- struction. They also received power to control all the funds in the treasury, bny necessary lands, appoint and pay subscription agents, and notify the moderator whenever they desired to convoke the synod. The heirs of Colonel Hardenburgh having contrib- uted six acres of land, and Glen Cuyler two more ad- joining, for a site, ground was broken thereon on the 30th of ^NTovember, 1819. The first plow that en- tered the soil on the line traced out for the foundation was guidjed by the hand of Dr. Lansing. A prayer was offered on this occasion by the Rev. William Johnson, now of Owasco, and Dr. Lansing delivered an earnest and impressive address. The citizens meanwhile had gathered with teams and tools to spend a day in gratuitous w^ork. The ceremonies being con- cluded, labor began, and was continued till the rigor- ous weather in December caused a temporary suspen- THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINAET. 379- sion. Work was renewed in the spring by means of subscriptions of money, labor, and materials, prompt payment of wliicb was provided for by the energetic- Captain Bradley Tuttle, who had been appointed agent for collecting them. The charter of the seminary, passed April 14th, 1820, nominated the first Board of Trustees, as follows : Colonel John Lincklaen, Hon, Glen Cuyler, Rev.. Henry Davis, D. D., David Hyde, Thaddens Edwards, Henry Mcj^eil, Eev. Levi Parsons, Rev. Benjamin B. Stockton, Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D., Rev. William Wisner, D. D., Rev. Henry Axtel, D. D., Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, D. D., Rev. David Higgins, Rev. Seth Smith, and William Brown, Esq. The trustees were directed to assemble at Auburn for organization on the second Wednesday of Jnly, 1820, and divide themselves into classes, in such manner that the terms of office of five members should expire annually on the first Wednesday of September. The charter pro- vided that vacancies should be filled by election, by a Board of Commissioners to be composed of two cler- gymen and one layman from each of the Presbyteries of Cayuga,=]S[iagara, Genesee, Rochester, Bath, Geneva, Onondaga, Oneida, Ontario, and St. Lawrence. The commissioners were invested with the general superin- tendence and control of the seminary, the power to appoint professors, tutors and other ofiicers of the in- stitution, to fix their salaries, and to direct the disburse- 3Si) lllSTOliY OK AUBLJiN, inent of all funds. The ininiediate care of the semi- nary, and the management of its property was com- mitted to the trustees, whose action, however, was to ■be alwaj's subject to the approval of the commis- sioners. In view of the grant of powers by the charter, the State made the usual reservation, that no student of any Christian denomination should be debarred the privileges of the Seminary on account of his religi- ous belief. The control of the Seminary being by the act of incorporation extended to many Presbyteries outside of the Synod of Geneva, its influence was ju- diciously and happily extended. The corner-stone of the seminary was laid with great formality on the afternoon of Thursday, May 11th, 1820. Immediately after dinner, a large num- ber of the inhabitants of the town proceeded to the grounds to assist in making necessary preparations for ■the occasion, nothing daunted by the inauspicious weather, or even by a slight rain which was slowly dropping from the clouds. All things were in readi- ness b}^ five o'clock. At that hour, the venerable Samuel Bellamy, who had been tendered the honor of laying the stone, arrived on the ground in his carriage. The citizens respectfully formed ranks to receive him. Being conducted to the spot where the stone was to be laid, by David Hyde and William Brown, he laid his hand on the massive block, and deposited it in its place. He then addressed the citizens briefly, in a THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 381 voice tremulous witli age, and placed in a cavity m the corner-stone a silver plate inscribed as follows : This medal deposited by Colonel Samuel Bellamy, of Skaneateles.. The name of Colonel John Lincklaen, of Cazenoria, is in- scribed in honor of being one of the first projectors and advocates of this institution. " Beloved, I lay in Zion a Chief Corner-Stone, elect, precious."^ " Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and forever." The long, thick plate of lead laid over this to pro- tect it, was inscribed, " Hoc aediflciura conditum, perdocere adolescentes iu Rerum Divinarum scientiam, Anno Domini MDCCCXX." An address by the Kev. B. B. Stockton, and bene- diction by Dr. Lansing concluded the exercises. The Seminary buildings were vigorously advanced during 1820 and '21. The grounds were also improved and enlarged by purchase of several acres, parts of which were afterward sold, leaving, as at present, about twelve acres in possession of the trustees. The board of commissioners, viz : Rev, Miles P. Squiers and David M. Smith, of the Niagara Pres- bytery ; Rev. Calvin Colton, of Genesee ; Rev. Alan- son Darwin, Rev. Chauncey Cook and Dr. Azel Ens- worth, of Rochester ; Rev. Ezekiel J. Chapman and Rev. Julius Steele, of Ontario ; Rev. Evan Johns, Rev. Stephen Porter and Thomas Mumford, of Ge- 'AS"! HISTOKY OK AUBUKN. iieva; Rev. Caleb Alexander and Daniel C. Hopkins, of Onondaga; Rev. Samuel Parker and Col. Sam. Bellamy, of Cayuga ; Rev. James II. Ilotchkin and Robert Porter, of Bath ; Rev. Israel Brainard and Kev. Jolm Frost, of Oneida ; and the trustees before named, severally convened at Lynch's tavern — after ward the Xational — in Auburn, July 12th, 1820. The trustees organized with Rev. Dr. Davis, presi- dent ; Dr. Lansing, vice-president ; William Brown, secretary ; and David Hyde, treasurer. Both bodies transacted a large amount of business. Fifteen thou- sand dollars were placed at the command of the trus- tees, to complete the seminary on the plan proposed by Dr. Lansing, Bev. B. B. Stockton, David Hyde, "Wm. Brown, and Thaddeus Edwards, the prudential com- mittee ; and, in the board of commissioners, a choice was made of the 'Rev. James Richards, D. D., of Newark, N. J., for the professorship of theology. Dr. Richards having declined the trust tendered him by the commissioners, they assembled to consider the propriety of appointing the remaining portion of the faculty. Holding the chair of theology in abey- ance, they elected Rev. Henry Mills, D. D., of Wood- bridge, ]^. J., professor of Biblical criticism and Orien- tal languages ; Rev. Matthew La Rue Perrine, D. D., of IST. Y., professor of ecclesiastical history and church polity ; and Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D., of Auburn, professor of sacred rhetoric. Dr. Perrine, being at the THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 383 time in Auburn, accepted the offer made liini, and, upon the request of the commissioners, agreed to as- sume the duties of the professor of didactic theology, until that position was regularly filled. Drs. Mills and Lansing also accepted, the latter with the gener- ous declaration that his services should be rendered gratuitously. Public announcement was therefore made that the seminary was ready for a commencement. The second Wednesday of the following October was designated as the day when its doors would be opened for the ad- mission of students. Meanwhile energy was exerted to finish and furnish at least one building by the date assigned. When the regular subscriptions were nearly called in or exhausted, the working committees were compelled to resort to various expedients to acquire funds for carrying on the work. Churches and congregations were led by them to contribute the means to finish particular parts of the seminary buildings. Ko less than fifteen associ- ations were formed in the State to cultivate lands for the benefit of the institution, and numerous farmers were induced to set aside their crops for the same purpose. The eastern counties of the State sent on large dona- tions also, in money. Books came from all directions, even from Pennsylvania and ISTew Jersey. Thus, by noble and incessant endeavor, the object was attained. 384 IIISTOKY OF AL'UUKN. The main building and west wing of the seminary were ready to be occupied by tlie lirst of Octoljer. On Tuesday, the 9th, the Board of Connnission- ers met at Auburn for the transaction of current busi- ness. On the following day, after interesting, though protracted exercises, Professors Mills, Perrine, and Lan- sing were solemnly inducted into office, in the presence of a large and attentive audience. Rev. Caleb Alexan- der first delivered a pleasant discourse, setting forth the whole history and progress of the seminary, and its prospects. The object of the meeting was then formally stated by Eev. James H. Hotchkin, presi- dent of the Board of Commissioners, who afterward read, in the hearing of all present, the following for- mula : " In presence of the omniscient and heart-search- ing God, I do solemnly affirm and declare that I be- lieve the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the word of God, and the only infallible rule of faith and practice ; that I do receive and adopt the Confession of Faith and the Catechisms of the Presby- terian Church in the United States of America, as con- taining the system of doctrines taught in the Holy Scriptures ; that I do approve of the government and discipline of the Presbyterian Clim'ch, as prescribed in the Forms of Government and Discipline of the Pres- byterian Chnrch in these United States ; and I do sol- emnly promise to maintain with zeal and fidelity the THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINAEY. 385 truths of the Gospel, and to be faithful and diligent in all such duties as may devolve on me as a professor in this seminary, according to the best of my knowl- edge and abilities.'' To this formula the professors severally gave a dis- tinct assent, and their signatures. Having then re- ceived a charge from the Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, D.D., they delivered their inaugural addresses, which con- cluded the ceremony. The seminary opened in October, 1820, with eleven students. The Presbyterian Church, generally, hailed this event as the kindling of a great beacon-fire in a wilderness of spiritual gloom, devoutly believing that the seminary would prove a source of great spiritual safety and blessing to the vast and neglected frontier population of our country ; and would, moreover, illu- minate with the grand doctrines of Christianity all who dwelt within reach of its beams. Ordinances were adopted, soon after commencement, by the com- missioners, providing, among other things, that every professor in the institution must be " an ordained minister of the Presbyterian or Congregational Church, and must sustain the character of a learned, judicious, and orthodox divine and a devout Chris- tian," and who, before he could be eligible to perform the duties of his office, must agree to and sign the for- mula once before cited. Of students, no more was required than evidence of good morals, good natural 23 386 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. talents, and of having passed through a regular course of academical study. The seminary course requires a residence of three years. The studies are now as follows : Junior Year^ — Hebrew Language ; Canon of the Scriptures ; Bibli- cal criticism and interpretation ; Lectures on the Physi- cal Geography of Palestine — on Jewish Antiquities — on Historical Geography and Sacred Chronology ; Church History begun ; Natural Theology ; Mental Philosophy. Middle Year. — Evidences of Christian- ity ; Inspiration of the Scriptures ; Christian Theology ; Explanation and proof of the Assembly's shorter Cate- chism and the Westminster Confession ; Hebrew and Greek Exegesis ; Composition of Sermons ; Criticism of plans ; Church History. Senior Year. — Lectures on Preaching ; Criticism of Plans and Sermons ; Pas- toral Theology ; Church Polity and History ; Hebrew and Gi-eek Exegesis; Composition and Declamation through the whole course. In 1823, an empty treasury nearly brought the affairs of the seminary to a stand. 'Eo advance could be made with the work of building, nor could the insti- tution long maintain credit or standing, without addi- tional funds. At this crisis. Dr. Lansing took the stage to 'Eqw York, and made an earnest appeal, in person, to several wealthy men there, for help. The response was far more liberal than he had dared to anticipate. Arthur Tappan promised Dr. Lansing to endow the THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 3ST professorsliip of tlieologj with the sum of fifteen thousand dollars, upon the understanding that Dr. Richards would be re-elected to that position. This munificent grant, which established the permanence of the Seminary at Auburn, was made in writing, August 15th 1833, in the following words : "" The founder of the Professorship of Christian The- ology in the Theo. Seminary at Auburn, in the State of ISTew York, being induced to endow this Professorship from a sense of the importance not only of a pious but of a well-educated ministry, for the edification of the church, the spread of the Gospel, and the conversion and salvation of man ; from a conviction of the expe- diency and utility of institutions devoted to the educa- tion of pious young men for the Gospel ministry ; and from the belief that this Seminary, in its plan and lo- cation, is well calculated to answer the beneficial pur- poses of such an institution, and that its prospects of success depend upon the immediate establishment of this professorship upon the basis of a permanent fund ; and humbly aiming in this transaction to promote in the i^hnrch the glory of God ; he does hereby give, assign, and set over unto the Trustees of the Theological Sem- inary in Auburn, in the State of New York, and to their successors in ofiice, the sum of fifteen thousand dollars in trust, as a capital fund, for the purpose of maintain- ing a Professorsliip of Christian Theology in said Sem- inary, forever. '^' * -" ISToProfessor shall ever be placed 388 HISTORY OF AUIJUKW. or suffered to continue on this Foundation, who does- not hold the system of Faith -which the ordinances of the Seminary at present require every Professor to hold ; and if any time hereafter, any Professor on this Found- ation shall in any important article differ from the said system of Faith, and especially if such Professor shall not full}'^ believe and teach the true and proper divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the personality ot the Holy Spirit, the total depravity of man in his nat- ural state, and the eternal punishment of the wicked, then the Founder of this Professorship reserves to himself" the right to retain the fund, etc. The commissioners accepted this grant, with the conditions, on the 10th of September. The same day, they unanimously invited Dr. Pichards to accept the newly-endowed chair. The invitation was accepted and the doctor was inducted to office October 29th. The struggling institution was further relieved by large sums of money raised by the Pev. Samuel H. Cox, D.D., who visited nearly every prominent city and town of the State for the purpose. The generous labors of its friends brought the semi- nary to a gratifying state of prosperity. The number of students increased rapidly, and soon every room was filled, and an enlargement was demanded. On the 13tli of January, 1824, a convention of thirty delegates from the Presbyterian churches of Western New York assembled in the library room of the seminary to pro- THE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. ' 389 vide ±01" obtaining; the means. It beino- considered necessary to raise twenty tlionsand dollars for tlie enlargement, for building professors' houses, and other kindred objects, agents were appointed to solicit con- tributions in every county in this part of the State. Their exertions were bounteously rewarded, and funds were obtained to build the east wing of the institution, ■which was finished in 1826. The western transept was erected in 1829, by Isaac and Isaac A. Selover. Dr. Lansing retired from the professorship of sacred rhetoric in August, 1826, his resignation being laid l)efore the commissioners, and reluctantly accepted, on the 16th. The board paid Dr. Lansing the following testimony of their appreciation of the value of his la- "bors for the seminary : " Eesolved, that this board, in behalf of this Christian community, and in its own behalf, does, in the exercise of Christian ajffection and respectful gratitude, record the name of D. 0. Lansing among the founders of this seminar}'-, and as one ot the prime and most efficient agents in measures which have led to its establishment, and its present pleas- ing and flourishing condition ; and they devoutly implore for him, on his retirement, the blessinp; of Heaven, as well as the sublime satisfaction of witness- ing the rising reputation and the extraordinary influ- ence of an institution, which has hitherto taken so deep hold upon his heart, and which has been so emi- nently blessed by his efforts.'* 390 IlISiOKY OI-' AL"DUK>i. For nine years, Ills chair remained vacant ; but it was endowed in 1829, by Col. Samuel Bellamy, with property amounting to seven thousand two liundred dollars ; and, in 1832, by Thaddeus Edwards, Avith four thousand dollars, the two sums being united for the support of the Bellamy and Edwards Professorship for Sacred Rhetoric and Pastoral Theology, Dr. Samuel II. Cox, Pastor of the Spring Street Presbyterian Church in ISTew York, assumed the duties of this pro- fessorship on the 16th of June, 1835. The history of the seminary from this date is little- more than a record of changes among the eminent di- vines who have at times presided over its various de- partments. These will be briefly noted. The institution having been deprived, in February, 1836, by death, of the venerable and valued Dr. Perrine, the Rev. Luther Ilalsey, .1). D., then pro lessor of eclesiastical history in the Western Theo- logical Seminary at Alleghanytown, was elected to succeed him, and was installed in the fall of 183T. Dr. Cox soon afterward found himself compelled to resign by reason of his pecuniary embarrassments,, though he did so with great reluctance. His loss was. keenly felt by the seminary, for he had been one of its most untiring and efficient officers. Rev. Baxter Pickinson, D. D., of Lane Theological Seminary, at Cincinnati, Ohio, supplied his place in August, 1840.. Dr. Richards departed this life on the 2d of Au- THE THEOLOGICAL SEMIJSTAKY. 391 gust, 1843. Dr. Halsey soon after tins event tendered his resignation to the commissioners. The hoard could not, in justice to the seminary, accept it at once, hut did so in the spring of 1844. Two professors — Drs. Dickinson and Mills — only were left. A division of sentiment in the country on the slavery question, in which the students and managers of the seminary shared, caused, at this critical period, an alarming falling oif in the classes. S^^he Eev. Laurens P. Hickok, D. D., was tendered the Richards professorship of Christian theology in 1844. Accepting, he was inducted with the usual solemnities, in January, 1845. Dr. Dickinson retired from the chair of sacred rhe- toric in 184Y, having occupied it with marked ability for seven years. He was succeeded by Kev. John Fero Smith, D. D. In the month of June, 1847, the Eev. Samuel M. Hopkins, D. D., assumed the duties of teacher of ecclesiastical history, with the view of promotion to the professorship of that department, should the way be prepared. The Eev. W. G. T. Shedd, as professor of sacred rhetoric, and Rev. Clement Long, D. D., as professor of Christian theology, subsequently labored here for a short time. In 1854, the prospects and condition of the semi- nary appeared so discouraging that every member of 392 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. the fciculty except Dr. Hopkins resigned. This dis- astrous circiiinstance closed the doors of the semi- nary. In 1855, operations were resumed. A new faculty was elected and installed, and the halls of the institu- tion were again opened for the admission of students. The new professors were Eev. Edwin Hall, D. D,, professor of Christian theology ; Kev. Jonathon B. Condit, D. D., professor of sacred rhetoric and pasto- ral theology ; Eev. Samuel M. Hopkins, D. D., profes- sor of ecclesiastical history and church polity ; and Hev. E. A. Huntington, T). D., professor of Biblical criticism. The same organization exists at the present day, with the single exception that an adjunct profes- sor of Hebrew, E-ev. J. E. Pierce, A. M., is now at- tached to the department last named, the chair having been created and endowed through the instrumentality of Professor Huntington. The career of the seminary since the resumption has been one of steady growth and prosperity. Several energetic and untiring spirits, eminent among whom was the late Frederick Starr, Jr., created a fresh and deep interest in its welfare, and induced wealthy men to place such sums at the disposal of the trustees, as to fully endow every professorship, and make the institution independent and self-sustaining. The per- sonal property of the seminar}^ now amounts to about $200,000, five-eighths of which consists of endow- THE THEOLOGICAL SEMmAEY. 393 meiits of professorships ; the revenue of the remainder is appropriated to the assistance of stndents and con- tingent expenses. The nnmber of students now enjoying the privileges of the institution is between fifty and sixty. This is the average attendance. The Theological Seminary of Central and Western 'New York has now been in existence for the period of forty-eight years. It was in the outset the bold conception of a few stirring men, who were alive to the wants of their times, and the needs of the country. How they succeeded in carrying forward their design till crowned with success will, humanly speaking, al- ways be a wonder. Success could never have been possible, considering the condition of Western New York in 1820, had that been other than a happy, busy, money-making period, or had the enterprise been in the hands of any less zealous men, or had its necessity been any less apparent. ISTevertheless, its final erection and endowment were by no means the brilliant achievements of a day or the monuments of the liberality of a few distinguished patrons. On the contrary, this seminary is the fruit of years of toil, and of the contributions of hundreds of earnest workers and co-operators. It is the result of the accumulation of small things, and finds therein its chief strength. This was the first Synodical Seminary in the United States. Projected for tlie simple purpose of furnish- 8y-i lllSTOEY OF AUBUEN. ing tlie new settlements of our country with educated religions teachers, it has answered the irreat end of its existence, and the desire of its founders ; exerting a powerful influence in organizing society, and infusing into the rising communities of what was then the frontier a strong; relisrious sentiment. Over nine hmi- dred and fifteen young men have received its instruc- tions. Twenty-six of these have already received the degree of D. L). The Auburn students have always turned toward the new settlements, following them year by year as they have stretched across the conti- nent toward, over, and beyond, the country of the buf- falo. In late years large numbers of them have gone into foreign lands as missionaries, to China and India particularly ; so that to-day there is scarce a section of our republic, or a clime inhabited by civilized man, in which a graduate of the Auburn Seminary is not preaching the blessed Gospel of Christ. THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 395- CHAPTER VII. THE RECORD OF THE WAR IN AUBURN 1860-1865. The Southern States had for many years threatened secession from the Federal Union, if, at any time, the slave-power should lose its ascendency in the national government. The presidential election of 1860 afford- ed these States an opportunity of showing their hon- esty, by placing in power their political opponents, l^othing then apparently prevented the promised out- break, but the want of the assurance that the military power of the nation w^ould not be wielded against it. That assufance was given, when Congress assembled in December, by the President, in his annual message. The politicians of the South prepared openly to^ carry out their long-cherished scheme of disunion. So often, however, had the South threatened disunion, without ever, in fact, attempting it, that, like the- shepherd in the fable, who falsely reported the ap- proach of wolves for his own amusement, it had lost much of its former reputation for veracity. The peo- ple of the north, at large, did not believe the South to be in earnest. Some, notwithstanding, did believe 396 IIISTOKY OF AU15UUN. that secession Avas at last actually' intended, and that a fearfnl contest was at our very doors. Prominent citi- zens of Aubnrn, after becoming acquainted witli the •contents of the President's message, partook of this fear. Perceiving the unreadiness of the jSTorth to furnish the government with proper military aid in the en- forcement of the laws of the country in the South, should it be suddenly needed, and believing that the threats of secession were " an avowal of contemplated treason, which it was the imperative duty of an indig- nant people sternly to rebuke, and for ever silence,*' some Auburnians made the ]'»roposition to arm the State, as Massachusetts was doing, and arouse the peo- ple. The matter was regarded with favor by well- known military men here, and. by numerous members of the "Wide- Awake clubs of the city, the latter of whom vobmteered to throw down the torch and take up the musket, if it was necessary to save the Union. These matters were the subjects of open discussion. They resulted in an address to the supervisors of this county, then in session at the court-house, on the after- noon of Saturday, December Sth, by a patriotic resi- dent of the city, who invited the board to unite in a petition to the Governor to prepare the State forces for an emergenc}'. The supervisors, willing to consider the matter, appointed a committee, consisting of John S. Clark, William Kevill, William G. Wayne, Sanford THE KECOKD OF THE WAB. 397 Gifibrd, N. C. Sinions, and S. C. Lyon, to report meas- ures proper to preserve the Union of the States, for the action of the board. The Aulurn Daily f/w-^on- of the same day contains the following item : " Notes of Pkepakation.— It looks now as if the Union office is to become a recruiting station in good earnest. Some fifteen or twenty offers to enlist were made yesterday by the Wide- Awakes, accompanied by the proposition to raise one or more regiments to put down secession, and that their services be tendered to the Governor at once." The public mind, however, was reposing in wonted security. ISTeither the people of Auburn nor the lead- ing journals of the State, could discern the necessity for the proposed action. Many became exceedingly alarmed lest the supervisors should immediately de- clare war, and the movement was denounced as pre- mature and insane. The supervisors' committee re- ported that it could not find sufficient cause for action. But the honor remains to Auburn of being the fore- most of the cities of this patriotic State, to announce the impending danger of the country, and call for the raising of troops. The certainty of war was a fact so well understood by ISTew-Year's-day of 1861, that several of the N^ortli- ern States passed laws to discipline and equip their militia. The citizens of New York anxiously urged 398 HISTORY OF AUBUKN, the speedy enlistment of volunteer forces, that this State also might be in readiness for a sudden call. Many of them tendered their services to the Executive of the State. The first of these offers from Auburn was made by Terence J. Kennedy, Esq., a captain of artillery in the militia of nearly twenty years exj)eri- ence, whose letter to the Governor bears date the 11th of January. Solomon Giles, of Weed sport, and others, offered their services soon after. The door was closed against the hope that the evils of the nation might be cured by peaceful remedies, by the secession of seven of the Southern States, and the organization of a provisional rebel government. The apathy of our Legislatures and public men in the spring of 1861, was, to an active and enthusiastic mind, appalling. There were many in this county who, longed to act as the crisis appeared to demand. Fore- most among these was Captain T. J. Kennedy, Avho, imbued with some of that Jacksonian spirit that dares to take responsibility, determined to break ground in Auburn in the matter of volunteering. After consul- tation with friends, this gentleman drew up, in the ab- sence of printed blanks, an enlistment paper, in the fol- lowing words : " We, the undersigned, hereby pledge our words of honor to associate ourselves together for the purpose of forming a light artillery company, to serve for three months, or as long as tlie war shall last ; " and having signed it himself, began to recruit THE KBCOKD OF THE WAK. 399 on the 2d day of April, from his business ofhce on State Street. John Poison signed the paper next. These, therefore, were the first two men who enlisted in Cayuga County to put down the rebellion. Captain Kennedy was in advance of the people, and found it a slow matter to raise his company of volun- teer militia. Having, however, obtained seven men, he procured the keys of the State armory here, and opened a recruiting office in that building about the 8th of April. Handbills were then sent to Jordan, Port Byron, Weedsport, Seneca Falls, Skaneateles, Springport, and Aurora, calling upon patriots to come forward and enlist, and recruiting sergeants were sta- tioned in each place. The movement met with ridi- cule from every quarter, but the captain knew what he was about. He persevered. By the 12th of April, he had secured a fall company of soldiers. Bj the 15th, he had one hundred and thirty-six men drilling in detachments on the streets of Auburn, The gen- eral government had not yet called for troops, nor did the mass of the people yet suppose them to be needed. The firing upon Fort Sumter, and the call of the President for seventy-five thousand men, roused our citizens to a sense of the peril of the republic. Cap- tain Kennedy's course was triumphantly vindicated by these events, his views as to the necessity for troops sustained, and the brave and independent manner in 400 IJlSTOliY OF ALBLK2N. which he had acted upon his convictions placed in the most favorable light. Auburn was, after the President's call, the scene of energetic preparation for the coming conflict. The board of officers of the •iOth light infantry, militia, assembled at their armory on Tuesday, the 16th, to de- vise a proper plan for action. It was resolved that the four Auburn, companies of the command, namely : Co. A, Captain John T. Baker ; Co. C, Captain Peter Swift ; Co. D, Captain Charles II. Stewart ; and Co. E, Captain O'Neill ; should be recruited to the full size of one hundred men each, and six new companies- should be raised immediately ; and " That, when or- ganized, this regiment will promptly respond to any call that may be made upon it, by the Commander-in- chief, for military aid in support of the Constitution and the laws of the United States." John B. Kich- ardson was then Colonel of the 49th ; John A. Dodge. Lieutenant-Colonel ; Thaddeus B. Barber, Major ; and Henry M. Stone, Adjutant. The armory was thrown open at once to receive enlistments, and officers were detailed to attend there day and evening. The officers of the regiment engaged in an earnest and honorable effort to put the command on a sound war-footing. A law, passed by the Legislature the same day that the forementioned resolve was taken, authorizing the enlistment of thirty thousand volunteer militia for the term of two years, and appropriating three millions of TlIK KECOPJ) OK Tilii WAK. 401 dollars for tlieir equipment, rendered the attempt to resuscitate the 49th fruitless. Its active members saAV^ the futility of their efforts, and threw tliemselves promptly into the business of forming companies under the new law. Captain John T. Baker, the popular com- mander of the old Auburn Guard, iirst began the pa- triotic labor of gathering recrnits for a ritle corps on the 17th of April. In response to a letter to Governor Moi'gan, Captain Kennedy having been informed that it was impossible to obtain gmis tor his proposed battery, he communi- cated the fact to his men, and invited them to follow him as riflemen. Many were unwilling to enter any branch of the service but that for which they had origi- nally enlisted. Forty were resolved to serve their country in any capacity. With this number as a basis, the captain began to form a company of rifle- men, and was again enabled to report at Albany the first full corps from Auburn. The populace of the city assembled at the court- house on the evening of Saturday, the 20th, to deter- mine how they could best aid the work of volunteer- ing. The throng that had filled the court-room was called to order by Hon. George Humphreys, the mayor, who took the chair. The earnest co-operation of the people in the movemeuts for recruiting in the city was then eloquently invoked by General Jesse Segoine, C. S. Burtis, Cyrus C, Dennis, Hon. Theodore 24 402 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. M. Poraeroj, Dr. S. AVillard, Dr. Richard Steel, Rev. Da}" K. Lee, E, B. Lansing, and others, whose patriotic utterances were greeted with cheers both long and hearty. In the midst of the wildest enthusiasm, aud the most deafening applause, the meeting then resolved " That we^ as citizens of Atiburn, will maintain tlie Government of the United State^^ with all the force and means that we possess ;'' and immediately pro- ceeded to make provision for the support of the fami- lies of such volunteers as should suffer want by their absence in the army. A volunteer fund was author- ized, and four thousand dollars subscribed thereto on the spot. Hon. George Humphreys, General John H. Chedell, and Charles P. Wood, were empowered to disbui*se it. A mass-meeting having been called for the 21th, the meeting then adjourned. Upon Sunday, the 21st, Auburn was pervaded with uncontrollable excitement. The sacred day was opened at sunrise by the unwonted sound of the firing of can- non. The streets w^ere filled during the day with de- tachments of troops under arms, drilling under their respective commanders, and the various recruiting officers were surrounded with throngs of excited peo- ple, pressing forward to enroll their names among the ■volunteers. The Stars and Stripes fluttered from every ■pinnacle and tower, from windows, and across the streets, and were displayed in many of the chm-ches. The pulpits of the city, without exception, appealed TlIK KECOED OF THK WAR. 40P> in the most thrilling terms to the people to sustain tlie government in the momentous crisis throuo-li which it was passing. At the Second Presbyterian Church, the reverend orator declared that no one should enter his door or take him by the hand who was not for the Union, and the people burst forth into prolonged ap- plause. At the Koman Catholic Church, the Irishmen were entreated to spring to arms, and defend the republic ; and sixty men left the church in a body, marched to the armory, and enlisted under Captain Owen Gavigan. When night fell upon the town, three full companies of volunteers were awaiting orders to march. Captain Kennedy's company, however, was more than full. Seventy-seven was by the order of the Ad- jutant-General the maximum of a company, and the Captain had one hundred and thirty-three. The ex- cess was transferred to a company then forming un- der Captain Theodore H. Schenck. John Ammon began recruiting for a fifth command about the 21st. Captain Charles H. Stewart, of the "Willard Guards, paraded his corps on the 24th. and, in a speech to them from the steps of the Western Ex- change, declared his intention to tender his services to the government at once. He marched his men to the armory, began recruiting, and before night had raised men enough to organize a company. Simultaneously with the efforts for the formation of 404 HISTOUV OK ACliUKX. tlie six volunteer coiiipauies in Auburn, werii those for the organization of four more in the county and dis- trict at large, by Solomon Giles, of Weedsport, James E. Ashcroft, of ISeneea Falls, Nelson T. Stephens, of Moravia, and James E. Angel, of Union Springs, re- spectively. The proceedings of the mass-meeting at the court- house on the l24th of April were the most un(|ualified assurance of the thorough union of the citizens of Au- burn, without regard to class, party, or creed, on the question of suppressing the rebellion. If our people had been slow to anticipate the attempted destruction of our national fabric, thej were now to a man resolved to defend the union of the States against the assaults of its foes at any cost and all hazards. The logic of se- cession as a remedy for their asserted evils was sa sadly against the Southern States, that the Democratic party in Auburn stood shoulder to shoulder with the Republicans in upholding the enforcement of the laws, and the maintenance of the Federal imion. Hon. John Porter presided at the meeting. When the applause that Ulled the room, as he took the chair, had subsided, he addressed the dense crowd before him briefly, declaring that the South alone was re- sponsible for the terrible resort to arms, and he thanked God that in this crisis all party ties were ig- nored. The companies of Captains Kennedy, Baker, Stewart, and Ammon, then entered the court-room. THE KECORD OF THE SVAK. 405 and were assigned a position in the center. Michael S. Myers, Theo. M. Pomeroj, John IT. Chedell, Charles P. Wood, Edward II. A. very, William Fosgate, and George J. Letchworth, were appointed a com- mittee to prepare resolutions. During their absence Clarence A. Seward and Eev. B. I. Ives were called to the stand, and made rousing speeches. Resolutions were reported and adopted, viz : " Resolved., That iu pressing secession to a violent and bloody is- sue, the South has taught the North an invaluable lesson — that the capacity of the people of the United States is not lost, for rising instantlj'- and en masse above all considerations of party and self, they maintain fully the reputation so well earned, and so freely given to the Fathers of the Revolution, and the framers of our be- loved Constitution. " Resolved, That the preservation of the Union and the Consti- tution presents no debatable question to the loyal citizens of the Empire State, and that the ready and earnest enlistment of our volunteers furnishes an appropriate expression of the senti- ments of the county of Cayuga. " Resolved, That we tender to all traitors to the Union our ex- tremest sympathy, when they meet upon the battle-fields of Mary- land the ' aid and comfort ' expected from the loyal States. " Resolved, That we can at this time and on this occasion only reiterate the sentiments expressed upon the organization of this meeting, by our Representative in Congress, that upon this issue we are one, and that we are for affirmative and positive action ; and we call upon our Administration to move energetically and de- cidedly, or they will be in danger of being overrun by a determined and patriotic people. " Resolved, That iu this hour of our country's peril, we know no flag but the flag of our Fathers, and in one solid plialanx we wjl! 406 lUSTOliV OK ATBUKN. march under the Stais and Stripes — the Banner of our Unit)n — to victory or death." Speeches were made by Messrs. Myers, Pomeroy, and Fosgate, Captains Kennedj^, Baker, Stewart, and Ammon, and by "Wm, Allen, George Rathbnn, and others ; and, after the appointment of one man from every town of Caynga Connty, to act in concert with the committee of this city in raising and applying the volunteer fund, the mass-meeting adjourned. After providing liberally for the maintenance of the soldiers' families, our citizens sought ways in which they might further testily their patriotism and sympa- thy with the troops. The presentation of swords, revolvers, and military trappings, became then the popular passion. The Sons of Temperance placed a splendid brace of pistols, with rosewood cases, in the hands of Captain Baker on the 22d ; and on the same day, that officer was publicly presented with a sword, in behalf of Major Barber, who had received the same from the Auburn Guard, M'hen he was its captain, and Baker his lieutenant. Captain Kennedy was pre- sented with a brace of pistols, at the Armory, on the 23d. E. G. Storke, Esq., made the address, in which, among other things, he said : " You, Sir, was among the first to he^-r, and the readiest to respond to the patriotic call. Home, family, friends, with all their endearing associations, could not hold you back. A prosperous business, dependent for its success on you THK EECOKD OF THP: WAR. 40T alone, could not hold von back. But, with alacrity and enthusiasm, yon were iirst at the muster, as no doubt you will be in the coming encounter." Mr. Storke's words were emphasized by the spontaneous applause of every citizen present. Captain Gavigan, Captain Schenck, and their lieutenants and under- officers, all were furnished with swords and revolvers by their admirers and friends. Nor was the Helmet of Salvation unthought of. Captain Kennedy received a magnificent Bible from the Board of Education ot Auburn, of which he had been a member, and his men were given one apiece. Captain Stewart was present- ed publicly with a handsome copy of the Book, in front of the Western Exchange, on the 27th, by Dr. Huntington, of the seminary, in behalf of the ladies of the city. The volunteer companies of this county and district were mustered into the service of the State, upon presen- tation of the proper papers, by Brigadier-General Jesse Segoine. Although Captain Kennedy had been first in the field, and had enlisted and reported the first full company of men, singularly enough he was anticipated in the date of muster by a competitor. Captain Baker was mustered first, and thus gained for his company the right of the Cayuga regiment. Captain Kennedy's company, however, gained the left. Baker was mus- tered on the 21st; Kennedy on the 24:th. Captains Gavigan's and Schenck's commands were mustered the 4:08 UISTOKY OF AUBUE>'. day folloM'Jiitr. and Cci[)taiii AslicrotVs at Seneca Falls, on the 26tli. The Adjutant-General having been in- formed of the readiness of tliese five companies to march, directed them to do so at once, and to report to Brigadier-General Yan Yalkenhui'ir. at the depot at Elmira. Governor Morgan's call for twentv-one additional regiments of volunteer^ was issued on the 25th day of April. Monday. April 29rh, 1S61. M'as a day to be remem- bered in Auburn. It had been announced that the battalion was about to move, and the people of the city and county were pervaded with intense feeling, as they were thus summoned to lay their first oblation on the altar of the country. Hearts beat quick that day, and in tlie city all classes forsook their employ- ments, and thronged the streets. Stores were closed, business was suspended, the schools were dismissed, and few residences were not totally vacated. The country, too, was alive, and at an early hour in the morning, ve- hicles of every description might have been seen rap- idly driving toward the citv. From every road they came and jammed the main streets of the town, till the press was almost intolerable. Every one Avas talka- tive and anxious. The wind kissed every inch of bunt- ing in the city. Patriotic people were decked with badges and cockades. Soldiers and officers dashed about here and there in the hottest haste ; everything was tur- THE KKCORD OF THE WAR. 409 moil and confusion. Tlie streets in the vicinity of Bak- er's cigar store and the Armory, where the companies were forming, were choked with crowds of people. Cap- tain Schenck's company was first formed ; marching up State Street, it halted in front of the Western Ex- change, where it was soon joined by Captain Kennedy. The latter was here presented with a valuable regula- tion sword in the name of George Clapp and other' citi- zens, by General Jesse Segoine ; this ofticer, by the way, was also presented privately before his departure with the sword of the late Major Doty, by that gentleman's w^idow. Joining Baker and Gavigan, the companies were then formed in column, and marched, under escort of the Auburn Band and the Auburn and "Willard Guards, through North and Chapel Streets, to the de- pot. Twenty days before, tliese brave men had been quietly engaged in the shop or on the farm in the pur- suits of peace. They now were pressing forward, im- pelled by the purest patriotism, to encounter the hor- rors and privations of war. Never had the people been so profoundly stirred as upon this day, never did men before in Auburn receive such an ovation as met the volunteers during tlieir departure. At every turn the most tumultuous cheers and shouts rent tlie air ; handkerchiefs, hats, canes, and flags, were frantically waved in salute ; and blessings and cries of God speed came from every lip. As the column approached the 410 IJItJTUKY OF AUBUKX. depot, that edifice was found to be in the possession of an immense crowd of people. State and Chapel Streets were ])acked for I'ods ; the prison wall on the opposite side of the road was covered ; and the interior of the depot was a dense mass of excited citizens and relatives, gathered to catch a last glim]>se of their brave boys in the ranks. A position in the center of the depot was attained with great difficulty. The train appeared a little after two o'clock pushing its way slowly into the building, with four cars attached for the men, which were instantly filled. Hands were shaken and kissed through the M^indows, and final farewells were hurriedly exchanged. Then, wnth the booming of cannon, and amidst the enthusiastic cheers of eight thousand people, the train moved ofif, bearing the Auburn boys westward on their way to Elmira^ while the vast crowd slowly moved away through the various streets homeward. Captains Stewart and Amnion remained in Auburn awaiting orders to move. Their companies were at length duly organized, and mustered on the 6th of May, and soon afterward joined the regiment at the general rendezvous. They were followed immediately by the others. The first Cayuga regiment was organized, and mustered into the United States service for the term of three months, on the 22d of May. It re- ceived the title of the " 19th N. Y. S. Volunteers.'* THE KECORD OF THE WAR. 411 The iield, staff, and company officers were then a& follows : Colonel, John S. Clark. Lieut- Col., Clarence A. Seward. Major, James H. Ledlie. Adjutant, Henry M. Stone. Surgeon, Theodore Dimon. Quartermaster, John Chedell. Q. M. Sergeant, Dennis Shell. Sergeant-Major, Charles Tomlinson. Company Officeks. Company A. — Capt. John T. Baker ; Lieut. Charles White - Ensign, Martin Laughlin ; Sergeants, Charles Tomlinson ; John T. Potter ; David McCreery ; and Barnett Nagle. Go. B. — Capt. T. J. Kennedy ; Lieut. John Poison ; Ensign, Henry C. Day ; Sergeants, Andrew Cowan, William H. Gault^ David C. Hutchinson, and William H. Barnes. Co. C— Capt. James E. Ashcroft ; Lieut. Samuel Clark Day ; Ensign, Charles B. Randolph ; Sergeants, Charles C. Graves, Adol- phus W. Newton, Alonzo Jordan, and Edward Manning. Go. B. — Capt. Owen Gavigan ; Lieut. William Boyle ; Ensign, Luke Brannack ; Sergeants, Patrick Dwyer, Daniel Dowling^ Patrick Handlen, and Daniel McCartin. Co. ^.— Capt. Theodore H. Schenck; Lieut. David A. Taylor ,- Ensign, Edward C. Burtis ; Sergeants, Henry P. Rider, Austin Haynes, Charles A. Henry, and James Harris. Go. F. — Capt. Nelson T. Stephens ; Lieut. Watson C. Squire ; Ensign, Edward D. Parker ; Sergeants, Edgar B. Warren, David P. Bothwell, Barna C. Goodridge, and Robert Haynes. Go. G*.— Capt. Charles H. Stewart ; Lieut. John Wall ; Ensign^ Antonio E. Robinson; Sergeants, Lewis Mowers, John White, Charles B. Quick, and George E. Sherwood. Co. H. — Capt. Solomon Giles ; Lieut. Augustus Field ; Ensign, 412 IILSTOKY OF AUIJLKN. Marquis D. Nichols ; Sergeants, Cliarles M. Whiteside, William A. Hedges, Willis Watson, and Moutraville M. Hedges. Co. I. — Capt. John H. Amnion ; Lieut George W. Thomas ; Ensign, Randolph B. Kimberly ; Sergeants, Horace Silsby, William A. Kelsey, Thomas J. Lormore, and James S. Fuller. Oo. K. — Capt. James R. Angel; Lieut. A. IL Carr; Ensign, Lester W. Fosting. Two days after its muster into tlie service, the 19th regiment received uniforms from the State, the quality and appearance of which was positive evidence that a monstrous fraud liad been perpetrated by the con- tractors. N^ot only were our brave boys intensely dis- gusted witli their shoddy garments, but the citizens of Auburn also ; and the latter held a public indignation- meeting at the court-house on the evening of May 31st, to devise some practical means of remedy for the ■shameful treatment of the regiment. Dr. Kichard Steel was chainnau of the meeting ; E. B. Lansing and Gr. W. Allen Avere secretaries. The speakers were Benjamin F. Hall, Wm. Allen, Theodore M. Pome- roy, and Rev. B. I. Ives. A committee, composed of Charles P. Wood, Benjamin F. Hall, and C. P. AVil- liams, re])orted resolutions, deploring the wrongs of the soldiers, and proposing the appointment of a commit- tee to demand in person, of the State Military Board, that decent clothing should be purchased the 19th regiment without delay. Theodore M. Pomeroy and Wm. C. Beardsley were delegated to perform this duty, which thev did at once, and laid before an ad- T!1K KKCOKD OF THE WAK. 41S journed meeting, held June tttli, the ]jroinise of the military authorities at Albany, to dress the 19th as soon as practicable in proper nniforms. On the afternoon of Monday, the third of June, a large number of ladies and gentlemen from Auburn departed upon the cars for Ehnira, with a stand of I colors prepared by the former for the 19th, to perform the ceremony of presentation. Among the ladies were Mr.?. C. H. Merriman, Mrs. Wm. 11. Seward, Jr., Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, Mrs. George Underwood, Mrs. Theodore Dimon, and Mrs. Henry Morgan. The flags were delivered to the regiment on the fourth. Hon. Charles C Dwiglit presented the regimental, and Ben- jamin F . Hall the national colors, which were soon after borne by the command to the theater of active military operations. The general government, convinced by the disas- trous defeat of the Federal armies at the battle of Bull Run, July 21st, 1861, of the hopelessness of the promised peace in ninety days, and, by the expiration of the terms of service and the preparation to return home of the three months' volunteers, of the necessity for fresh supplies of troops, appealed after the battle to the Governors of the loyal States for additional aid. New York was requested to furnish twenty-five thou- sand three years' men. Governor Morgan's proclama- tion, dated July 25th, stated this fact, and announced that twenty-four regiments of infantrv would be im- 414: HISTOKY OF AL■HUK^'. mediately raised in tliis State, as well as one of artil- lery, and six independent batteries of four guns each. Cayuga County responded in a noble manner to this call. Prominent citizens determined to imite their efforts, and send forth at once a second regiment. On the afternoon of Monday, September 2d, 1861, a large number of gentlemen met at the American Hotel in this city to de\dse the best means of effecting the de- sired end. Charles P. Wood presided. Dr. Sylvester "VVillard stated the object of the meeting. Colonel John A. Dodge, upon whose proposition to raise and com- mand the second regiment the whole movement was based, being then introduced, unfolded to the meeting his plans. He stated that he had been solicited to take the lead in this enterprise, and had resolved to do so. and to tender his services to the President through the Governor of the State. In view of the frauds and ill usage put upon our first regiment, still keenly felt b}" our citizens, the colonel proposed to raise, equip, and drill the new command here, marching, when called, directly from Auburn to the front. This plan was feasible, since the Governor had power to commission and detail officers to all such special duties. Many valuable men had agreed to join the colonel in form- ing his regiment. He therefore asked that a com- mittee of citizens might be appointed to act with him and his officers, and another, to go to Albany and THK KECORD OF THP: WAR. 415 make the arrangements necessary for carryinsj his proposition into effect. He further stated that while funds w^ould be wanted for the transportation of re- cruits, it was his desire that none should be raised to support the families of his men, for he preferred that they should, if possible, be those alone who could leave their families in comfortable circumstances. The fol- lowing resolutions were then adopted : " Resolved, That Colonel John A. Dodge has our full and hearty sympathy in his project, and that we will give him our most earnest co-operation in forwarding to a successful result the undertaking he has initiated with such patriotic devotion. " Resolved, That an Executive Committee of nine be appointed to act with Colonel Dodge and others who may unite with him, and such committee is authorized to adopt such measures as in their judgment may be best calculated to carry out the determi- nation expressed in the first Eesolution. An executive committee, composed of Dr. S. Wil- lard, Hon. Theodore M. Pomeroy, Wm. C. Beardsley, Charles P. Wood, Elmore P. Ross, Samuel L, Busli, Wm. Allen, John H. Chedell, and Michael S. Myers, was at once elected. The occasion called forth earnest remarks from T. M, Pomeroy, Charles C. Dwight, Wm. Hart, E. B. Lansing, and Edward A. Thomas. 1^0 time was lost. The same afternoon, the executive committee organized, and empowered Messrs. Wil- lard, Pomeroy, Beardsley, and Dodge to proceed at once to Albany, in pursuance of the patriotic design of the preliminary meeting. On the Saturday follow- 416 JIISTOKY OF AlBLKN. ing, the committee liad the satisfaction of announcing publicly that Auburn had been made a depot for troops, and that Colonel ].)odj;-e had been commissioned to raise in this county a second regiment of volun- teers, which woidd be fed, equiped, and drilled at this post, in a camp soon to be i^rovided by the proper authorities. The manifest care and foresight dis- played in these preliminary measures by Colonel Dodge naturally won for him the most unlimited con- fidence of the people of this county. The array of talent and wealth pledged to his support in the per- sons of the executive committee, was perhaps the highest possible assurance that could be given of his patriotism, prudence, and courage. These things strengthened him materially in his enterprise, bring- ing around his standard a higher order of men than could have been reached undei' any other circum- stances. Recruiting for the new regiment was instantly be- gun. Authority to raise companies was successively conferred upon Hon. Charles C. Dwight, William Hart, John Clioate, William H. Cray, and Clinton D. McDougall, of Auburn, Luther Goodrich, of Meridian, Edward A. Thomas, of Spring-port, and Charles Hay den, of Port Byron. These gentlemen, who were in the main unfamiliar with the profession of arms, were all eminent and honored citizens of this county. They took the field together as early as September 7th, and THE liECOKI) OF THE WAR. 417 appealed in the most forcible terms to the loyal and Union-loving citizens of Cayuga to rally to tlie defence of tlieir imperiled country. The most vigorous measures were employed to arouse and warm the country. Recruiting sergeants were sent into every town, glowing handbills decorated every public building and tavern, rousing war-meet- ings were held in every comnnmity, and earnest and talented orators took the stump, and traveled night and day from one village to another, calling upon the able-bodied to come for^^•ard and take up the sword. General Jesse Segoine, of this city, was one of the most untiring and successful of these stump speakers, and did more than any other one man to stir up the enthusi- asm and loyalty of our county. His sonorous voice, and his martial bearing, and his active mind, fitted him for just this work. Understanding human nature well, he wore his General's uniform at public meetings, and found the flash of his l)rass buttojis no inconsidera- ble help. He, at one time, made war speeches for sixty-three nights in succession, in this and five of the adjacent counties, sending home from each meeting the avails of his eflbrts in volunteers. The effect of these measures was magical. The re- cruiting officers met in every quarter the warmest en- thusiasm. Men of every profession and employment sprang into the ranks, and built up companies at a Avord. There was of course a race for the right of the 25 418 IIISTOKV OF AUJiUK-N. regiment. It seemed in the begiuuing to be within eas}-- reach of either Mr. Dwight or Mr. Hart, the ex- tensive re})ntation of each promising well for the quick formation of their respective commands. The position, however, was gained by Mr. McDongall, who reported his company to Colonel Dodge on the 10th of Septem- ber, and thus became captain of Company A. On the 12th of September a Port Byron compan}-, under Tru- man K. Fuller, and an Auburn company, under "Wil- liam H, Cray, reported, and became respectively Com- panies B and C. Under the excitement of the hour, again did Auburn throw out her banners; her streets were again filled with the sounds of preparation. In a few days, further companies w^ere organized and re- ported, and the work w^ent handsomely on till, on the Tth of October, Lansing Porter had presented Colonel Dodge the ninth company of his command. Mr. Hart, who was among the original number of recruiting ofii- cers, having been tendered the chaplaincy of the old 19th, had withdrawn from the field, giving the men he had raised to Captain Cra3\ The unprecedented rapidity with which the com- panies of the second Cayuga regiment were formed made it impossible for their commanding officers to pro- vide barracks at the post as soon as they were needed. It was necessary, however, to keep the volunteers in Auburn for the purposes of instruction and drill. Every available room, therefore, in the hotels and tav- THE EECOED OF THE WAK. 419 <\ of October, was one instance of the many. Arms and uniforms liaving been issued to tlie 75th, it was daily and constantly drilled in all the evolu- tions of the company and battalion, and made fast advances towai'd perfect efficiency. Its officers, hav- ing the advantage of the instructions of Lieutenant- Colonel Merritt, a young officer direct from the uiili- tary academy at West Point, were enabled to bring the men to a state of high discipline, that won flatter- ing encomiums from the press of New York when the regiment came to march through that city, on its way to the front. Meanwhile, active efl:bi'ts for the enlistment of the tenth company of the regiment were being put forth, in the city, by E. Kellogg Beach, Esq., who was meet- ing with flattering success, lie was assigned quarters at the barracks, on the 2d of ISi^ovember, with thirty men, as captain of Company Iv. He was, however, unable to bring the command to the required size, and suffered it to be consolidated with Company I, Cap- tain Porter. Lieutenant AVm. 11. Stevenson, of Com- pany B, was then detailed by Colonel Dodge to re- cruit for Company K. The regiment was designated the 75th jS". Y. S. Yolunteers, on the 11th of November, per special THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 421 order No. 485 of the Adjutant-General of the State. It was dh'ected to report to Brigadier-General Rath- bone, for muster into the United States' service, at laiew York. Though comfortably housed, and blessed with an abundance of wholesome rations, the 75th, while in camp in Auburn, began to suffer the little inconven- iences, aud cravings, and distresses, which the soldier invariably encounters. The men wanted towels, and clean linen, butter on their bread, and cream in their coffee, and rare bits ad infinitum. They bravely con- quered these wants day by day, but their hungry souls found relief, more than once, in tlie kind ministrations of friends, l^ever were their teeth gnashed more joy- fully, than upon a certain occasion, when every man in the regiment was presented with a whole pumpkin pie, the gift of the patriotic ladies of Owasco. The 75th ate a thousand pies that day, and blessed' Owasco. The colors of the 75th regiment were obtained through the patriotic exertions of two young ladies of this city — Miss Sarah Dill, and Miss Helen M, Bart- lett. The ladies collected in person all the means and materials needed for their object, and sacrificed time and ease, till the silken tokens of their loyalty were ready for presentation. One of the flags was wrought by the skillful fingers of Miss Dill herself ; the other was made by Tift'any & Co., of New York. 422 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Tlie colors were presented to tlie TStli on the after- noon of Thursday, I^^ovember 21st. The regiment liaving been eond noted to Genesee Street, was formed in double column, closed in mass, in front of the court- liouse. The ladies appeared in a carriage, and "with the standards in their hands took a position on the- stone steps of the building. Colonel Dodge and staff having then advanced to tlie front, were eloquently addi'essed by Hon. T. M. Pomeroy, in behalf of the- donors, and presented with the colors. After a brief reply by Colonel Dodge -with the expression of grate- ful thanks, cheers long and hearty were given for the 75th, and for the ladies of Auburn, and Cayuga. County, and the T5th returned to the barracks. Orders to march were received the same day. On the 30tli day of I^ovember, 1861, two days after Thanksgiving, the T5th broke up their camp at Auburn and prepared to move. The heavy fall rains, and the continual travel on all the avenues leading to the camp, had filled the latter with a deep, sticky mud, through which the regiment was forced to pass, at nine and an half o'clock, A. M., on its way to the depot.. To tliis point it was preceded and followed by im- mense crowds of people, anxious to bid the departing volunteers God speed. Assembled in the depot, the regiment was briefly addressed by the Rev. Dr. Con- dit. A special train of eighteen passenger and four baggage cars was moved up and an attempt made to THE RECOKD OF THE WAR. ' -423 board it. • The pressure of the large crowd and the reluctant farewells of friends made tliis a difficult feat. However, after a scene of indescribable confusion, the soldiers were extricated, and secured on board the train, and then with the thunder of cannon and amidst the wildest hurrahs, the cars moved away, and the 75th New York had gone f(.)rth upon its mission. It took from this and from Seneca County nine hundred men, the very flower of our population, the bravest and best in constitution and character. Its organiza- tion was then as follows : Colonel, John A. Dodge. Lieut-Col., Robert B. Merritt. Adjutant, E. B. Lansing. 8urgp.on, Michael D. Benedict. (Quartermaster, Lewis E. Carpenter. Chaplain, Thomas B. Hudson. CoMPAJSTT Officers. Company A. — Uapt. Clinton D. McDougall ; 1st Lieuts. Robert B. Merritt, James H. Hinman ; 2nd Lients. Erastus^ E. Brown, Benjamin F. Thurber. Co. B. — Capt. Truman K. Fuller; 1st Lieut. William Henry Stevenson ; 2nd Lieut. Anson Tuller. Co. C— Capt. William H. Cray ; 1st Lieut. Charles Wilson Draw ; 2nd Lieut. Augustus W. Benedict. Co. Z).— Capt. Charles C. Dwight ; 1st Lieut. Andrew Y. Corn- ing ; 2nd Lieut. George D. Robinson. Co. E.—C&])t. Luther Goodrich; 1st Lieut. William Lewis Stanford ; 2nd Lieut. Francis Asbury Hopping. Co. J^.— Capt. Henry Bates' Fitch ; 1st Lieut. William Elias Aveiy ; 2nd Lieut. Florace B. Fitch. 424 nisTOKY OK auburn. Go. (?.— Capt; John E. Saveiy; 1st Lieut. Lewis E. Carpenter, 2nd Lieut. William D. Hamilton. Co. //.—Capt. John Choate ; 1st Lieut. Elbridge G. Miles ; 2nd Lieut. James E. Whiteside. Co. I. — Capt. Lansing Porter ; 1st Lieut. E. B. Lansing; 2nd Lieut. William H. Hosmer. Reacliing Albari_y, the regiment had the honor to be ordered to proceed at once to the important post of Fort Pickens. There it remained till the rebels had evacuated Pensacola, when it was sent to Louisiana, in which State it engaged in several battles with distin- guished bravery. Afterward, in front of Port Hudson, and then again in the Shenandoah Yalley in Virginia, it fought under the flag of tlie Union with valor and with success. Having now followed the T5th from its conception to its departure for active duty, it will be well to re- trace the time reviewed, and sketch briefly the eitorts in Auburn for ^he enlistment of troops in other com- mands. The July call for twenty-flve thousand men had pro- vided for the equipment of six independent batteries of artillery. The conmiand of such a battery was the original idea of Captain T. J. Kennedy, of the 19th reg- iment. Obtaining permission to leave his regiment and raise one of the six, he opened a recruiting office in Auburn September 9th. By the 2d of November he had mustered into his command one hundred and twenty-five men, raised notwithstanding the unusual TIIR KEOOKD OF THE WAK. 425 popularity of tlie TStli, recruits for which were every- where being actively sought. Upon the 23d, his com- pany, called Kennedy's 1st Light Battery, N, Y. S. Y., was sworn into the U, S. service by Captain J. C. Peterson, of the 15th U. S. Infantry, for the term of three years. Its officers were as follows : Captain, T. J. Kennedy ; 1st Lieutenants, Andrew Cowan, "Wil- liam P. "Wright ; 2nd Lieutenant, James A. Wood- ruff'. Six towns had each supplied recruits to man one gun, viz : Venice, under Sergeant H. C. Yaughn ; Boonesville, Lewis County, under Sergeant N'athaniel Thompson ; Mies, under Sergeant Orsamus Yan Etten ; Auburn, Sergeant James R, "Wood ; Milan, Sergeant Jonathan E. Johnson ; and Aurora, Sergeant Henry S. Steele. Captain Kennedy was able to clothe his men here. lie left Aubm-n on the evening of Monday, De- cember 2nd, and at the head of his gallant band fought many bloody bf.ttles in the fields of A'"irginia and ISTorth Carolina. Captain Solomon Giles made the next effort for men, in favor of the 19th, at a public meeting at the court- house, December 5th, which he addressed. The old organization wanted nearly three hundred men to make its maximum, and our citizens were earnestly invoked to step forward and fill its depleted ranks. Hon. George Humphreys and John I^. Knapp made spirited speeches. But the enlistments were few. Recruiting lagged. Tlirough January scarce anything was done. 42<) HISTORY OF AUBUKN. No detachments were forwarded from Anburu till tlie 7tli of February, w^heii Lieutenants Boyle and Allen went to the front with fifty men for the 3d Ar- tillery, into which the 19tli had meanwhile been con- verted. Lieutenant William A. Kirby, of the 3d, left Auburn March 11th for his command, at the head of tortymen. The surrender of Fort Donelson, announced in Au- burn February ITtli, was the occasion of a general jubi- lee. Flags were displayed, cannons fired, and bon- fires kindled ; at noon, all the bells in town rang out a merry peal, and the powerful whistle at the car-shop blew for an hour steadily during the discharge of a na- tional salute of one hundred guns. The cheering successes at Shiloh and Island 'No. 10., and at Newborn, and the repossession of New Orleans by Farragut soon after found a similar joyful echo in Auburn. Li the midst of the pleasant feeling excited by these events, there occurred an incident, which showed very happily the high consideration entertained in this com- munity for one of its loyal members. On the evening of Saturday, May 2-±th, a number of prominent gentle- men gathered in the ofiice of the Atihurn Daily Adver- tiser, among whom was General Jesse Segoine. The meeting was called to order, and General John Chedell invited to take the chair. D. P. Wallace was made sec- retary. Benjamin B. Snow then arose and read a let- THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 42T ter that had been handed to hhii in an open envelop^ running thus : Fort Pickens, Florida, April, 1863. Major- General Jesse SeGOiNE, Auburn, N. Y. — Dear Sir : I am commissioned by tlie officers of the field, staff, and line of the 75th regiment, N. Y. V., to forward to your ac- ceptance the accompanjdng cane. They beg you will accept it as a slight testimonial of their personal regard for you as a neigh- bor and friend, and of their appreciation of your zealous and dis- interested labors in behalf of the organization of the regiment to which they belong. The work of raising a second regiment in Cayuga County at the time when this was proposed, and under all the circumstances of discouragement which then existed, was no easy work. By many it was deemed impracticable. Your faith in the accomplishment never faltered, and your zeal failed not. By your eloquent public appeals, and your personal solicitations, by your kind words of encouragement to officers and men, by your valuable instructions in the art of the soldier, at all times freely given, by your constant display of interest in our welfare as a reg- iment, and as individuals, you aided much to fill our ranks, to en- courage our hearts, and to promote our skill and efficiency as sol- diers, and by all these acts, you gained our lasting gratitude and esteem. It is in testimony of these feelings, that we otfer you the little gift accompanying this note. "We know you will not measure the feelings which prompt it by the value of the gift. We wished it to be something associated with the island where we have been so long stationed, and which has been the theater, if not of our ex- Bloits, at least, of the trial of our faith, patience, and endurance ; and you will readily understand that the resources of this island afford no great variety of appropriate gifts. This cane, if not strictly a "natural product" of Santa Rosa, was at least found here in its rough state, and manufactured on the island. 428 nis'foiiv ok albuh.v. Begging you lo accept it with tlie heartfelt wishes of us all for your long-continued health, welfare, and happiness, I have the honor to remain, in behalf of the officers of the 75th, Very respectfully and sincerely your obedient servant, Charles C. Dwight, Captain 75th Regiment N. Y. V. Mr. Snow then presented a rich, dark-colored cane, mounted by Tiffany & Co., of New York, bearing this inscription : "Major- General Jesse. Segoine, from the officers of the 75th Regiment, at Santa Rosa Island, Florida, 1862." The surprise was complete ; but the General rallied and made a neat reply, and pledged a continuance of his efforts for the honor of Cayuga County, and the welfare of the Union. Early in July, 1862, news came from the army of the Potomac that stirred the heart of every patriot with such grief and anxiety, that when, on the 1st of July, the President sent out his appeal for three hun- dred thousand additional three years volunteers, and on the 2d, that appeal was re-echoed by Gov. Morgan, few believed, under the universal discouragement, that a soldier could be raised. But in this city, several military men and citizens, with indomitable energy and hope, instantly revived the idea of a third Cayuga regiment, proposed the November before, and pre- pared themselves to raise it. It is impossible here to enter minutely into the story of the achievements of the summer and fall of 1862 in Auburn, notwithstand- ing tlie numerous instances of lofty patriotism and TlIK KECOKD OF THE WAR. 429 self-sacriticing devotion to tlie Union with which they abound. We can at best no more tlian sketch their leading features. Hitlierto tlie work t)f enhstnient had been done by the patriotic citizens of the State in and for the vari- ous counties. There was now framed a system of do- ing it in and for military districts, into which the State was divided, by means of the influence and ef- forts of district military committees. For the Dis- trict of Caj^uga and Wayne, Grov. Morgan appointed the following committee : Wm. C. Beardsley, S. Wil- lard, M. D., Wm. H. Seward, Jr., and ]^. T. Stephens, of Auburn ; Hon. C. M. Abbott, of Niles ; and Hon. E. B. Morgan and Smith Anthony, of Aurora ; in whose hands ^vas lodged the supreme control of all eflTorts to recruit in the 'district. A majority of the committee met the morning of July 8th, with its chairman, Mr. Beardsley, to agree upon measures nec- essary to raise a new regiment. Having been author- ized to increase their own number, they did so, and sent E. B. Morgan and J. N. Ivnapp to Wayne County to procure active members to be added to the com- mittee from that region. They were furnished on the 10th with the names of W. H. Adams, Joseph Wel- ling, and S. B. Gavitt, of Lyons; G. W. Cowles, of Clyde ; and J. E. Walker, Pomeroy, Tucker, and W. C. I^ottingham, of Palmyra. A joint meeting was held at Port Byron, Saturday, July 12th, when the 430 HISTORY OK AL'BL'KX. gentlemen abo\e named, as well as S. K. Williams, E. N. Thomas, L. S. Ketchnm, Geo. W. Cuyler, Wm. T. Barne_y, Willis T. Gaylord, uf Wa^Tie, and Theo. M. PomeroY, Ileniy W. Dwiglit, Wm. A. Halsey, Geo. B. Gillespie, Wm. P. Robinson, A. L. Smith, W. Hos- furd, Charles ]S"ear, Pliilu Camp, x\mzi Wood, Wm. C. Cramer, and David. J. Van Auken, of Cavuga •Conntv, were added to the committee. A resolution was passed approving the call for 300,000 men. In pursuance of a request from the Governor that the name of some person fit for a regimental commander should be forwarded to him at once, the subject was introduced and discussed. The choice of the commit- tee fell upon General Segoine, then the most popular war man in this county, who was at the time in the town of Summerhill, working hard with Capt. E. A, Thom- as, to fill up the latter ofiicer's company. Sub-commit- tees were appointed to make aiTangements for war meetings in the various towns : for Cayuga, were J. iN". Knapp, X. C. Simons, and Wm. A. Halsey ; for Wayne, J. E. Walker, S. B. Gavitt, and G. W. Cowles. The care of the finance in Cayuga County was intrusted to E. B. Morgan, S. Willard, and Charles P. Wood, and in Wayne, to S. K. WilKams, S. B. Gavitt, and E. N. Thomas, who were empowered to incur a liability in each county of two thousand dol- lars. A mass-meeting was appointed at Aubm-n for the ITth, and another at Lvons, on the 19tli. Each THE KECOED OF THE WAR. 431 town was assigned a certain specified part of tlie labor to perform, and a certain number of men to raise for the new regiment. The quotas assigned to the wards of Auburn, in their numerical order, were 28, 24, 21, and 37—110 in all. Springport was first in the field. Dr. Silas A. Tre- maine making a commencement in the work of recruit- ing on Monday, July 14th. The ball, however, did not fairly begin to roll till an enthusiastic war-meeting at Auburn, on the ITth, had revived once more the droop- ing spirits of our people. Delegations attended this meeting from the various country towns, especially from those south, which, assembling in procession on the day appointed, were led by Gen. Segoine from the court house to the park. After an eloquent prayer by Dr. Condit, Major Beardsley introduced Gen. Se- goine with a few happy remarks. Gen. Segoine on advancing was enthusiastically cheered. With a thrilling speech, he admonished the people of their duty, and then gave way for the meeting to organize. This was done in due form. Kesolutions submitted by J. IS". Knapp, E. B. Morgan, and Wm. Allen, endors ing the Union and the Constitution, and the call for 300,000 men, denouncing secession as treason, and dis- loyalty as a crime, offering to sustain the supervisors of this county in raising a bounty of fifty dollars for each volunteer to the new regiment, and recommend- ing an appropriation to cover that charge, as well as 432 HISTORY OK ATBUKN'. three thousand dollars more to defray iiicideiita] ex- penses, were adopted. Theo. M. Pomeroy spoke foi* half an hour. The Kev. Mr. Warner, of Weedsport, made a spirited ap- peal, under the intluence of which se\eral young men sprang forward and enlisted on the spot. The assembly was hereby wrought up to the highest pitch of enthu- siasm. An oiFer by E. E. Marvine, of this city, often dollars apiece for ten volunteers was greeted with long and loud applause. Among other speakers that suc- ceeded, E. B. Morgan appeared upon the platform, and said that he was authorized to offer to the first company that should be formed under the present call a bounty of two hundred dollars, one hundred to the second, and fifty to the tliird. He declined to an- nounce the name of the author of the offer, but Gen. Segoine took the responsibility of stating that it was none other than that of Mr. Morgan himself. The statement met with tremendous cheering. Other warm and hopeful speeches followed, after which the crowd dispersed, and the people returned to their homes. The eloquence of the speakers and the gen- erosity of our wealthy men made their impression. The despondent were encouraged, the indifferent were aroused. JSTo longer was the fearful reverse upon the Chickahominy considered the death-blow of the Un- ion, but faith and resolution again took the place of grief and alarm. THE EECOED OF THE WJK. 433 The press, public men, and the war committee, la- bored assiduously to fan the glow of enthusiasm with which the people were now inspired, into a flame. Mr. Beardsley, the chairman of the committee, was untiring and self-sacrificing in his eflTorts to carry on the good work. Recruiting oflices were opened in Auburn by Captains E. A. Thomas, Lewis W. Husk, and Ezra H. Northrop, and the county rang with their appeals for troops. It having been reported that certain persons in the community were discouraging enlistments, the com- mandant of the post issued on the 13th a peremptory proclamation, declaring that all persons detected in this act should be an*ested, and visited with the penalty of the law. Its bold tone electrified the district. Every- where recruiting received the most powerful impulse. In Wayne County, particularly, the most intense ex- citement sprang up. Though second in the field, the captains of that region were first at the muster. By the 26th of July, Seneca B. Smith reported the first full company of men, for which, when the regiment was organized, he w^as rewarded with the post of ma- jor. John S. Coe reported quickly afterwards with a company that was lettered B. In Auburn, for some strange reason, enlistments were slc»w, although in "Wayne Countj'- the work was going on splendidly. Capt. Thomas indeed reported immediately to Gen. Segoine, and obtained for his command the letter C. 26 434: HISTORY OF AUBUKN. But tlie citj did not wake up to a vigorous perform- ance of its duty till spurred to do so by an immense war-meeting in front of the Western Exchange. The people were then fired with proper enthusiasm, and began to take vigorous action. Gov. Morgan had on the lYth offered a bounty of fifty dollars to every ac- cepted volunteer. The United States was offering one hundred dollars more. The different wards of Auburn now offered an additional local bounty of twenty-five dollars, a sum which was raised by private subscription, and faithfully paid. The unwearied exertions, however, of the ofiicers and speakers were the main causes of the rapid enlistments that now began. A stream of volunteers now set in from both counties. Four companies came down from Wayne, and Captains Husk and Northrop report- ed from Cayuga. Capt. Sidney Mead next brought to camp a band of sturdy farmers from Moravia, and finally, Capt. Tremaine's company from Springport, which, though the first begun, was the last organized, joined the regiment and the command was full. The bulk of this regiment was raised in twelve days, the whole of it in seventeen. Upon the 20th of August, 1862, it was mustered into the service for three years or during the war, as the llltli ^N". Y. Y. Its organ- ization was then as follows : Colonel, Jesse Segoiue. Major, Seneca B. Smith. THE RECOKD OF THE WAK. 435 Lieut-Col, Clinton D. McDougall. xidjutant, Henry H. Segoine. Surgeon, Wm. Vosburgli. Quartermaster, James Trulan. Line Officers. Gompany J..— Capt. Aaron P. Seely ; 1st Lieut. Samuel B. Mc- Intyre ; 2d Lieut. Ezra A. Hibbard. Qo^ 5.— Capt. John S. Coe ; 1st Lieut. Jacob T. Van Buskirk ; ■2d Lieut. John Tremper. (Jo. C.f-Capt. Ed. A. Thomas ; 1st Lieut. Ira Jones ; 2d Lieut. Theo. Lampson. Co. B. — Capt. Sebastian D. Holmes ; 1st Lieut. Hasseltine S . Moore ; 2d Lieut. Erastus M. Granger. Co. ^.— Capt. Isaac M. Lusk ; 1st Lieut. Andrew D. SoveriJl 2d Lieut. John A. Lanig. Co. ^.— Capt. Benj. W. Thompson; 1st Lieut. Robert C. Perry ; 3d Lieut. John H. Drake. Co. 0^.— Capt. Lewis W. Husk ; 1st Lieut. John I. BrinkerhofF Jr. ; 2d Lieut. Edgar J. Hueston. Co. JET.— Capt. Ezra H. Northop ; 1st Lieut. Frank Rich ; 2d Lieut. Reuben J. Myers. Co. /.—Capt. Sidney Mead ; 1st Lieut. Merrill W. Murdock ; 2d Lieut. Arthur W. Marshall. Co. £■.— Capt. S. A. Tremaine ; 1st Lieut. Geo. M. Smith ; 2d Lieut. A. B. Capron. Upon the 4th of August, 1862, a further call of 300,000 three years' men was made by the United States Government, with the admonition that a draft would be inforced if the country did not respond by volunteering. Few in this district believed that such an alternative would be necessary here. The men who had raised the 111th had merely broken the 436 HISTORY OF a^uburn. ground. The tide of volunteering that set in with the first of August never ebbed nor abated ; on the contrary, it swelled to an unprecedented extent. The formation of a new regiment appeared to be scarcely the work of a week. On Thursday, the 8th of August, there occurred in Auburn an incident of intense interest. Capt. James W. Snyder, of Wayne County, had formed a company of infantry. It was full, but the men kept on coming. He took them all. In a few days, he had one hun- dred and eighty men under his command. They en- tered Auburn in a train of about twenty wagons by way of State Street, on the afternoon of the day men- tioned. Their arrival created the most unparalleled furor. Saluted with cannon, with flags, and the spontaneous cheers of thousands of people who came out to greet them, they were conducted through the principal streets of the city by Lieut. J. IST. Knapp, ad- jutant of the post, and after the most triumphant ova- tion ever yet bestowed on the same number of men in this place, they were led to the barracks, and assigned their quarters. Upon the spur of the moment, a com- mittee, consisting of "Wm. H. Seward, Jr., Gen. Se- goine, l^J". T. Stephens, and a gentleman from "Wayne Coimty, took the cars to Albany to obtain the authori- ty to raise another regiment. Having transacted the business in just fifteen minutes, they returned Friday evening with this order : the eecoed of the wak. 437 General Head-Quarters, S. N. Y. Albany, Aug. 3, 1863. jSpecial Orders, No. 419. The Regimental camp established in the 25th Senatorial Dis- trict is hereby continued, and a second Regiment of Infantry is hereby authorized in said District. General Jesse Segoine, Col- onel of the Regiment now quartered there, will act as Comman- dant of the Camp. By order of the Commander-in-Chief. Thomas Hillhouse, Adj. Gen. The noble band of Capt. Snyder was now divided into two companies, Capt. Truman Gregory receiving command of the surplus men. The two companies became respectively A and B of the new regiment. The militar}'- committee met to consider the subject of a proper commander for the newly-authorized corps. The claims of "Wayne County demanding at- tention, the name of Joseph Welling, a member of the committee from that county, was accepted, and for- warded to the Governor. Col. "Welling received his commission in due time. There were in Auburn, on the 8th, three hundred men already for his command. Upon the 12th a company of ninety men was tele- grap]ied from "Wayne as being ready to start for Au- burn. By the 14th, other companies had reported sufficient to swell the number of recruits to seven hun- dred, which made the regiment an assured success. In this city everything was bustle and activity. The wards were putting forth their best efforts, by means of com- 438 HISTORY OF AUBURN. mittees, to escape the impending evil. Cliarles Bur- gess and others were making up companies in town. The citizens turned in and helped. Many that could not give time, gave money liberally. Generous dona- tions from wealthy residents enabled the wards to offer local bounties of fifty dollars to married, and thirty-five to single men. The time arrived for the expected con- scription. But the authorities were not ready. It was postponed till September 3d, with the announcement that the government was now desirous of filling up the decimated ranks of the old regiments, and that if a draft was to be made, it would be made first of all for their benefit. There were now quartered at the barracks a larger number of men than ever before. The immense crowds that daily visited the camp, and swarmed through the city, and the impossibility of exercising the proper control of the undisciplined troops, made it necessary to call on the Auburn militia for assistance in guarding the camp. This duty was performed on the night of the 19th by the Auburn, Willard, and Shell Guards. The contracted accommodations having made a new building necessary, a rough wooden bar- rack, with a capacity of five hundred, was erected to meet the requirements of the case. Room in abun- dance was, however, soon obtained. August 21st, the day after muster into the U. S. service, the 111th moved from the camp at Auburn. THE EECOKD OF THE WAR. 439 At three P. M., one tlioiisancl and twenty-four strong, they marched to the Western Exchange, escorted by the Auburn Band, and the three Auburn companies of the 4:9th, under Col, Richardson. They were here presented with their colors, purchased at the expense of !N^elson Beardsley and Nathan Burr, through Hon. C. Morgan, after an appropriate address and response. Then, through clouds of dust and under a blazing sun, they repaired to the depot, where the largest crowd that had gathered in Auburn since the beginning of the war, had collected to witness their departure. At five P. M., the train of twenty-two cars, with two locomotives, moved out of the depot amid the deafen- ing cheers and salutes of the multitude, carrying on its way to the front one of the most splendid regiments of x^ew York State. Colonel "Welling continued the Auburn post under the name of Camp Halleck, of which J. IST. Knapp was ad- jutant. The major part of a regiment, as already stated, was already on hand, and such success crowned the continued efforts of his officers, that by the 26th of August, eighteen days after the issue of the order au- thorizing the formation of the corps, ten full compan- ies had been mustered in, and the regiment w^as organ- ized, September 19th it was mustered into the U, S. service, as the 138th N. Y. V. Half of the organization was from each county. The officers were : Colonel, Joseph Welling. 4:40 UISTOUY OF AUBURN. Lieutenant- Colonel, Wm. H. Seward, jr. Major, Edward P. Taft. Adjutant, "Win. R. Wasson. Sergeant-Major, Lyman C. Comstock. Qiuirtermaste?', Henry P. Kuowles. LINE OFFICERS. Company J..— Capt. James W. Snyder ; 1st Lieut. James H. Hyde ; 3d Lieut. Rufus M. Campbell. Go. B. — Capt. Truman Gregory; 1st Lieut. Nelson F. Strick- land ; 3d Lieut. "Wm. E. Greenwood. Go. C— Capt. Loyal "W. Alden ; 1st Lieut. Harvey Follett ; 3d Lieut. Marshal B. Burk. Go. B. — Capt. Charles L. Lyon ; 1st Lieut. Anson S. Wood : 3d Lieut. Samuel C. Redgrave. Go. £'.— Capt. Selah Cornwell ; 1st Lieut. Seth F. Swift ; 2d Lieut. Geo. C. Stoyell. Go. i'"'.— Capt. Charles Burgess ; 1st Lieut. George "W. Bacon ; 3d Lieut. Sullivan B. Lamereaux. Go. G^.— Capt. Wm. Wood; 1st Lieut. Wm. Hawley ; 2d Lieut. Seymour Woodward. Go. i£— Capt. John L. Crane; 1st Lieut. Tunis Vosburg; 2d Lieut. Daniel B. Harmon. Go. I. — Capt. Hugh Hughes ; 1st Lieut. Orson Howard ; 3d Lieut. Philip R. Freeoff. Go. K. — Capt. Irwin Squyer ; 1st Lieut. Dennis E. Flynn ; 2d Lieut. George P. Krupp. The Board of Supervisors of Cayuga County con- vened August 22d, 1862, to consider tlie propriety of offering, in order to stimulate recruiting, a bounty to our volunteers. A resolution was reported in favor of giving one hundred dollars to every man who should enlist between August 23d and September 3d, THE EECOKD OF THE WAE. 441 at which latter date the draft was expected to take place. An amendment making it fifty dollars pre- vailed. The county treasurer was empowered to issue bonds to raise the bounty. Auburn then girded herself for " coming in out of the draft." Upon an agreement signed by forty-two of the principal merchants of the city, that their stores should be closed after four o'clock P. M. of each day, until the 3d, in order that the undi- vided attention of all might be given to the business of recruiting for the army, Mayor George Humphreys issued a proclamation, August 25th, invoking all good citizens to engage in this movement, and lu'ge on the work. The stores were therefore closed on the 26th after four P. M., and for several days thereafter. En- thusiastic war-meetings were held in the street, with music and bonfires. Platforms were erected for the speakers, and near them the tents of recruiting officers. On the forenoon of the 28th a meeting of the busi- ness men was held, of whicli Charles A. Lee was chair- man, and William II. Arnett, secretary. The object was to appoint ward committees to facilitate recruit- ing, procure music for the meetings, and raise funds to continue the bounties. For this purpose, there were appointed in the First Ward, I. L. Scovill, E. B. Par- melee, and William FI. Arnett ; in the Second Ward, William B. Ehoades, H. J. Sartwell, and D. Wetherby ; in the Third, J^elson Fitch, S. Lockwood, and E. B. Cobb ; and in the Fourth, IT. Brooks, John Elliot, and 44-2 [HSTORY OF AUBUKN. B. A. Tuttle ; who were solicited to act at once and decisively. The same day a full company of one hundred and one men was reported from Wayne County by tele- graph as awaiting transportation. The war committee, having resolved to raise another regiment that this district might escape the draft, met at Port Byron, and elected Captain Charles C. Dwight of the 75th, then at J^ew Orleans, Colonel of the new command. J. B. Yan Petten, of Wayne County, Chaplain of the 34th, was chosen Lieutenant Colonel, and William H. Sentell, of the 44th, Ellsworth Regiment, Major. The harmony of the action which had characterized the former meetings of the war committee was dis- turbed at this by party rivalry, insomuch that, on the 30th, the chairaian, William C. Beardsley, forwarded to Governor Morgan his resignation. Upon the 2d, the reply came : " The Governor regrets that any cir- cumstance should have arisen to mar the harmony existing in an organization which has rendered so im- portant service to the country, and cannot accept your resignation. Your services cantiot he dispensed with at present P Through the m*gent solicitation of friends, Mr. Beardsley was persuaded to remain in the position of chairman of the war committee. War meetings were now daily held in this city, with unfailing enthusiasin for the Union. Enlistments, THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 443 however, were not excessive. A great meeting was held at the parli on Sunday, the 31st, at which Rev. Dr. Hawley, Herrick Johnson, and Eev, B. I. Ives, made magnificent addresses. When the day had arrived for the draft, Cayuga County had raised, since the July call, over fourteen hundred men. Three hundred more would fill her quota. To obtain these, the supervisors met and increased the county bounty to one hundred dollars. Colonel Dwight had already four companies mustered into his regiment. But these were from "Wayne County. Cayuga seemed drained and the draft was impending. The war committee now made a final thrilling appeal. ONCE MORE TO THE BREACH. LAST APPEAL OF THE WAR COMMITTEE. PATRIOTS OF WAYNE AND CAYUGA. Only a few days remain to complete tlie work so gloriously co'm- menced. ifou have nobly responded to the call of our bleeding and out. raged country. Already, -within a few weeks, more than two thousand of your citizens have left the peaceful pursuits of indus- try, and have volunteered to beat back the traitor hordes that as- sail our national life. More must join them. The crisis is UPON us ! The national peril is imminent. If you would save our country from further desolation, and from ultimate ruin— if you would preserve the priceless boon of freedom for yourselves and for your descendants, if you would save the lives of the noble men already in the field, if you would put a speedy close to the inexpressible horrors of civil strife, and again enjoy the pros- perity and all the blessings of peace, order, and good government, 444 HISTORY OF AUBDKN. rush, rush to the aid of our imperiled country I Let not an hour be lost ! FILL YOUR QUOTAS AT ONCE ! And even then do not falter in your patriotic labors. Add to your quotas, and thus in- crease the honor of your community. He who does most in a crisis like the present, best attests his patriotism and love of country. The national necessities admit of no delay. The auda- cious insurgents will acknowledge none other than the stern logic of POWER ; and they must be made to feel its irresistible force. There is now no middle ground. "We must triumph or become the vassals of a most violent and unrelenting despotism. We must subdue the insurgents, and force them to observe the Consti- tution and Laws of the country, or drive them from the soil which has too long been polluted with their traitor feet. The sturdy Northmen are fully aroused. They come forth in their resolute might to assert their love of free government, and to defend it from the assaults of either internal or external foes. "Will Cayuga or "WajTie falter in the noble work ? Shall a single conscript from these counties stand beside the patriot volunteers already in the field ? "We, in their behalf, emphatically answer, neter ! Patriots of "Wayne and Cayuga, " once more to the breach," and put forth one more vigorous and overwhelming effort to rescue the great cause of all from the dangers impending. " "Wji. C. Beardslet, Chairman. "Wm. H. Seward, Jr., Sec." Hopeful signs of activity being elicited by this ap- peal, the draft was again postponed. The 138tli broke camp, and quietly departed for the front on the morning of Friday, September 12th, by special train. Having been summoned to march in haste, they passed through the city at an hour when the streets were comparatively empty, and, embark- 'JlIE EECOED OF THE WAE. 445 ing, were off before the citizens were generally ap- prised of the movement. Colonel Dwight's regiment, now known as the 160th, increased by slow degrees. That officer arrived in Aubnrn from the South upon the evening of October 20th, and was met at the depot by the battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Yan Petten, and by a large crowd of citizens. Introduced for the first time to his com- mand, he was received with rousing cheers, and re- plied to them in a few happy remarks. The following day, he took command of the barracks, now bearing the name of Camp Wayne. By the 28th the quota of Auburn was full, and recruiting virtually ceased in this place. The colors of the 160th were presented to that regi- ment ISTovember 11th, through Adjutant J. 'N. Knapp, who made the presentation speech. On the 18th, at four P. M., having been enlarged by the accession of two companies from Buffalo, the 160th, eight hun- dred strong, left Auburn upon the cars for New York, amid the salutations of an immense throng of people. It was mustered into the United States service for three years, at New York, November 21st, 1862. The organization was as follows : Colonel, Charles C. Dwight. Lieutenant-Colonel, JoLn B. Van Petten. Major, Wm. H. Sentell. Adjutant, Gorton W. Allen. Surgeon, Cyrus Powers. 44:6 IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN. 1st Assistant Sitrgeon, David W. Armstrong. Chaplain, Wm. Putman. Quartermaster, Dighton H. Winans. LINE OFPICEBS. Company A. — Capt. Wm. Potter ; 1st Lieut. Wm. J. Van Deusen ; 2d Lieut. James B. Vauglm. Co. J5.— Capt. H. P. Underbill ; 1st Lieut. L. L. Wiieelock ; 3d Lieut. James Kelley. Co. C— Capt. B. R. Rogers ; 1st Lieut. Robert B. Ennis ; 3d Lieut. James V. D. Westfall. Go. !>.— Capt. J. D. Burrerd ; 1st Lieut. Myron H. Shirts ; 3d Lieut. E. H. Sentell. Co. E. — Capt. Henry Moore ; 1st Lieut. James Gray ; 3d Lieut. Nicbolas McDonougb. Co. F. — Capt. Josiab C. Jewett ; 1st Lieut. Gideon F. Moorey ; ■3d Lieut. Edwin Kirby. Co. G. — Capt. Malcolm Wrigbt ; 1st Lieut. Horace Silsby ; 3d Lieut. A. S. Stillman. Co. H. — Capt. Daniel S. Vaugban ; 1st Lieut. CbarlesR. Cattord ; 3d Lieut. Miles I. Jones. Co. I. — Capt. Allen L. Burr ; 1st Lieut. Sir Newton Dexter ; 3d Lieut. Robert R. Seeley. Co. K. — Capt. Lewis B. Hunt ; 1st Lieut. George L. Merrill ; 8d Lieut. Jobn H. Shaver. The barracks were left in charge of Brig.-Gen. John H. Chedell, who assumed command l!fovember 11th. He was relieved on the 1st of December by Major IS'orthrop, of the 9Yth K. Y. S. Yolnnteers. Adjutant Knapp retired from the service soon afterward, hav- ing borne an active and prominent part in the forma- tion of the three regiments. Recruiting ended in the 25th Senatorial district for 1S62. THE EECOED OF THE WAK. 447 The honorable achievements of this year will ever remain the boast of our citizens and the pride of the members of the war committee. The unexampled ti- delity and unwearied efforts of the latter saved the "district from conscription, and gave to the country three noble regiments of loyal volunteers. To Mr. Beardsley, the chairman of the committee, the utmost honor is due. With a fearless disregard of all party con- siderations, he threw himself into the front rank of the active war men of the county, and labored assiduously for the preservation of the Union. He assumed the clerical work of the committee, which was immense, and gave his private clerks continual employment for months. Through him officially were all recommen- dations for commissions made, while to him personally did many a brave officer and soldier incur a heavy debt of gratitude for substantial aid both before and after departure for the army. For his invaluable ser- vices he was once publicly thanked by Secretary Sew- ard. The war committee was discharged early in 1863 by Gov. Horatio Seymour. A smaller committee was subsequently appointed by him, composed of "William C. Beardsley, Elmore P. Eoss, and Benjamin B. Snow. The Loyal ISTational League or Union League of Au- burn, was formed at a public meeting of the loyal citizens of the city, held at the court-house March 25th^ 448 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. 1863, as one of a system of organizations in all the Northern States, for the purpose of strengthening and encouraging Union men in the work of crushing the rebellion. It was required that every member should sign the following pledge : " We, the undersigned, citizens of the United States, hereby associate our- selves under the name and title of the Loyal N^ational League. We pledge ourselves to an unconditional loyalty to the government of the United States, to an unwavering support of its efforts to suppress the re- bellion ; and to spare no endeavor to maintain unim- paired the national unity, both in principle and in terri- torial boundary. The primary object of this league is and shall be to bind together all loyal men, of all trades and professions, in a common union to main- tain the power, glory, and integrity of the Union." The first permanent organization of the league was as follows : Cyrus C. Dennis, president ; N^. D. Car- hart and George W, Leonard, vice-presidents, 1st Ward ; Jonas White, Jr., and John S. Fowler, vice- presidents, 2d Ward ; C. G. Briggs and Wilham C. Barber, vice-presidents, 3rd Ward ; Eli Gallup and C. Eugene Barber, vice-presidents, 4th Ward ; J. I^. Knapp, corresponding secretary; and William H. Meaker, recording secretary. Laws, providing for the enrolment of all the males of the republic, by Congressional Districts, into a na- tional militia, under the supervision, and by means of THE KECOKD OF THE WAR. 449 boards, composed of a provost marslial, a commis- sioner of enrolment, and an examining surgeon, upon wliicli tlie President miglit draw from time to time, having first given fifty days notice, for material to fill the Federal armies, were passed by Congress in the spring of 1863, In accordance with which John N. Knapp, of Anbnrn, was appointed in April, 1863, pro- vost marshal of the 24th Congressional District of ]^ew York, comprising the counties of Cayuga, Seneca, and Wayne; James M. Servis, of "VVayne County, commis- sioner ; and Dr. Davis, of Seneca Falls, surgeon. An en-^ rolment of Cayuga and Wayne Counties, that had been eifected during the fall of 1862, under Colonel John M. Sherwood, commissioner, and Edward Hall, M. D., examining surgeon, was now revised, and carried on through the entire district, by the newly appointed Board. Eeturns at the ofiice of the Provost Marshal Gene- ral, in May, indicated that the number of the available 'ighting men of the nation, between the ages of twenty and forty-five, was 3,500,000. Upon this magnificent body of reserves, a draft was ordered, to take place in July, the call being intended to supply the places of a large number of the two years veterans, whose terms of service were about to expire. While the enrolment was progressing, the tranquil- ity that then pervaded Auburn, as in times of peace, was one day broken by the sudden arrival from the, 27 450 HISTORY OF AUBURN. seat of war of four hundred and thirty swarthy, Weather-beaten soldiers of the old 19th, under Cap- tains Wall and Gavigan, and Lieutenants Fuller, Sherwood, Tomlinson, Potter, Randolph, Boyle, Brannick, Dwyer, J. Fred. Dennis, and others, bearing a familiar, but now tattered flag, to be mustered out of the service. The citizens, not being apprised of their approach till too late, were unable to greet them in a manner suited to their wishes. The storm of cheers, and demonstrations of joy, however, that arose from the assemblage of citizens and military and fire com- panies at the depot, and the eloquent and heartfelt address in their behalf, by J. 1^. Knapp, at the Western Exchange, must have convinced the returning volun- teers that they were welcome. They arrived May 26th. On the 29th, the regiment paraded and was addressed in front of the court-house, with a glowing speech from Hon. William H. Seward, Secretary of State. The men were paid off at the court-house, and mustered out June 6th. Matters at the provost marshal's office being in readiness, on the 23d of Jul}^, about threp weeks after the splendid victories at Yicksburg and Gettysburg, a draft for the quota of the 24rth district was com- menced at the court-house. The famous riot was at the time raging in 'New York city. Forcible resist- ance, and the mobbing of the provost marshal's office having been threatened here, by certain irresponsible THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 451 parties, in case a draft should be enforced, the citizens were impelled by prudence to place the armory under guard, and to organize a special police force of two hundred men, and the old 19th was invited by the common council to remain in Auburn till the draft was over. These precautions, fortunately, proved to be needless. The draft was carried on for three days, without disturbance. So groundless, indeed, were the fears of an insurrection, in this loyal and order-loving city, that the conscription was received by the elect with the most unshaken good humor. And, on the evening of Thursday, the 23d, they formed a procession, numbering about two thousand, Avith banners and transparencies, and paraded the principal streets, with ■cheers for the government, and " the man that drafted them." The suffering condition of numerous families of vol- unteers in this city, and the likelihood that the draft would cause distress to others, were pressed, during the summer of 1863, upon public notice. The Citizens' Yolunteer Fund being exhausted, the common coun- cil was led to create another for the same object. At a meeting of the board, August 3d, 1863, Alderman John S. Fowler introduced the following preamble and resolutions : "Whekeas, In the operation of the act of Congress, passed March 3d, 1863, commonly known as the Conscript Act, there are fami- lies iu this city likely to be left without the necessary means of 452 HISTORY OF AUBURN. support, as are also some families of volunteers now in the mili- tary service of the United States ; therefore, " Resolved, That this Board hereby appropriates the sum of five thousand dollars and such other sums as may from time to time be deemed necessaiy to aid in the support.of families whose mem- bers have volunteered, and are now in military service, or may hereafter be drafted into such service from this city ; the moneys so appropriated to constitute a separate fund to be known as the Soldiers' Relief Fund, in accordance with Chapter 514, laws of 1863, of the State of New York." The fund created by this resolution was placed in the hands of Thomas Douglass, city treasurer, who disbursed the whole of it to the needy, during the en- suing winter and summer. It may be remarked that five thousand dollars was added to this fund by an or- der of the common council, dated August 16th, 1864, and six hundred more on a later occasion. The examination of conscripts took place at Corning Hall. The men came in from every part of the dis- trict, in companies, with wagons, and often with ban- ners and bands of music. The avails of this draft was commutation money, however, instead of soldiers, A provision of the law of Congress had secured to drafted men the privilege of exemption, on the payment of three hundred dollars to the government. Four hundred and fifty men only were sent to the front by the provost marshal under this draft. The same failure to obtain the required number of men occurred in the country at large. THE KECOED OF THE WAE. 453 A call was therefore made by the President, October 17th, 1863, for 300,000 men, and the Governor of 'New York was informed that this State was expected to put in the field, by January 4th, its quota of 108,058 soldiers. The quota of this county was soon after an- nounced to be seven hundred and sixteen men ; that of the city, one hundred and fifty-four. Our supervisors, having received assurances from "Washington, that if this county filled its quota by vol- unteering, no draft would be made upon its citizens to fill the quota of other counties, passed a resolution re- questing the various towns to hold special town meet- ings on the 12th, and vote upon the propriety of pay- ing a bounty of three hundred dollars to volunteers under the last call, the bounties to be a county charge. Forty-nine hundred votes were cast on the day ap- pointed, two hundred and forty only of which were op- posed to the measure. The supervisors, therefore, on the 16th of December, 1863, authorized the payment, to recruits enlisting to the credit of this county, of a bounty of three hundred dollars. Horace T. Cook, county treasurer, was empowered to issue bonds, to be paid in one or two years, to the amount of $220,000, in order to raise the required funds. Eecruiting under Governor Seymour's war commit- tee was carried on by agents, who were paid the sum of twenty-five dollars for every accepted volunteer. Four of these agents were appointed by this county. 454 HISTORY OF AUBURN. namely : Captain John II. Amnion, Captain William B. Rhoades, Lieutenant Martin Laughlin, and Sylves- ter Schenek. These gentlemen labored hard, and, in. a week's time, recruits began to be received at the rate of sixty or seventy each day. No new organizations were formed, the men all going into the old regiments of the county and vicinity. All enlistments were made through the office of the provost marshal, and such was the jam at this point through December and January, that a guard of veterans was detailed to pre- serve order. About the 10th of January, after a month of incessant labor, the 25th district had filled its quota. On the first of February, 1864, the nation wa& called upon to furnish 200,000 men, in addition to the last levy of 300,000. The quota of Auburn was one hundred and five ; that of the county, four hundred and ninety-three. The recruiting agents worked vig- orously, and the quotas were all raised by volunteering,, in twenty days. The enlistment of recruits to represent individuals not liable to draft was the popular passion in the early part of 1864. It was one of the many devices used to swell the army with good men. The command of the camp at Auburn was transfer- red in February, 1864, to Major Henry Y. Colt, 104th N. Y. Y. The powers conferred upon the President of the United States by the conscription law were twice re- THE KECOED OF THE WAE. 455 sorted to in 1S64. In the first instance, a call was made Jnly 18th, for 500,000 one year's men, to be im- mediately raised, if possible by volunteering, but by a draft at the expiration of the fifty days allowed by law, if the soldiers were not otherwise obtained. The quota of the 24:th district was twenty-six hundred and thirty ; of the county, it was eleven hundred and seventy-four. Eecognizing the importance of a prompt response to the appeals for troops at that eventful period of the war, the wards of this city with great decision deter- mined to raise the handful of men assigned to them at once. Each ward took substantially the same course. The Board of Supervisors having, at the motion of William J. Moses, agreed to grant a bounty of three hundred dollars to every able-bodied recruit, the wards held public meetings, and appointed war committees, which they authorized to raise money, enlist soldiers, and perform all duties incident to the business of fill- ing the quotas. The active men of these committees were, in the First "Ward, John M. Hurd, Emory Os- borne, William Lamey, and Henry Lewis ; in the Sec- ond, Benjamin B. Snow, Eichard C. Steel, William B. Woodin, E. H. Avery, John S. Fowler, and William P. Kobinson ; in the Third, Elbridge G. Miles, William E. Hughitt, William J. Moses, John Choate, John S. Brown, Orlando Lewis, E. A. Thomas, KoUin Tracy, and Charles F. Durston ; and, in the Fourth, Myron Cowel, Truman Cowel, and Chester Weir. 456 HISTOFLY OF AUBURN. On the 16th of August, the coinmou council author- ized the general law of February 9th, 1864, of two hundred dollars to every soldier enlisting to the credit of the city. On the 19tli, the supervisors again convened and raised the county . bounties to $600 for one year men, $650 for two years men, and $700 for three years men. The action of the city bounty ordinance was then suspended by Mayor C. G. Briggs. Tliat ordi- nance was soon afterward revoked, and in lieu thereof another was passed authorizing the payment to the city volunteers, after the wards should have enlisted fifty per cent, of their quotas, of a bounty of one hundred and fifty dollars. The Ward Committees, upon whose activity de- pended the question of conscription in Auburn, were now at work. Recruiting cabins were built at various places in the streets, committee-men attended with drums and flags, war-meetings were held at the court- house and in the streets, huge placards met the eye at every turn, bon-fires illumined the town at night, and finance committees ransacked the place for subscribers to the bounty funds. The town, also, was full of recruit brokers, who furnished volunteers or substitutes at prices ranging from seven to twelve hundred dollars. The yield of soldiers was large. They came to Au- burn from all the neighboring towns, many of them from the work-shops of Seneca Falls. The First Ward of this city did handsomely, furnishing from its own in- THE EECOKD OF THE WAE. 457 habitants fifty fine fellows for a company then being raised by Captain Russell. The Second Ward was out of the draft by August 25th, and the Third, in nine days from the time it commenced work. The fifty days allowed for volunteering elapsed September 5th, but there was no conscription in the 25th district. It had then nearly filled its quota. By the 10th it had entirely. The second call of 186i, made December 19th, was the last of the war. 300,000 men were wanted, but the hearts of our war men sank when they heard the call. Auburn was in feeling and in faot well drained. I^ot only had our citizens expended in cash, for ward bounties under the July call, the sum of twenty thou- sand dollars, but the city had incurred a liability of twenty-five thousand and twenty-five dollars for city bounties, and a debt of about ninety thousand dollars for county bounties. And such was the terrible na- ture of the struggle in the field, that an enthusiastic volunteer was not to be found. Slowly and wearily did recruiting again begin in Auburn, under the direction of ward committees, cho- sen as follows : First Ward, John M. Hurd, William Lamey, and E. C. Selover ; Second Ward, Eichard C. Steel, E. H. Avery, Albert H. Goss, Benjamin B. Snow, William B. Woodin, and John S. Fowler ; Third Ward, John Choate, Charles A. Myers, John S. Brown, E. G. Miles, Eollin Tracy, Enos Bostwick, Josiah Fiero, 458 HISrOKY OF aubukn. Charles Wellner, William J. Moses, and William H. Stevenson ; Fourth Ward, Myron Cowel, and Chester Weir. Five new infantry regiments were ordered to be raised in this State, and Lieutenant Colonel J. B. Yan Petten, of the 160th, was detached to recruit one at the Auburn post. The supervisors offered a bounty to three years vol- unteers, on the 18th of January, 1865, of five hundred dollars, and the city authorities, a premium of one hun- dred dollars hand money. The county bounty was changed, on the 16th of February, to $300 for one year men, $400 for two, and $600 for three years men ; and $250 were voted for drafted men. The city committees labored incessantly, and at the greatest sacrifice of time and means, to save Auburn from the draft. Though the men they furnished were in only too many instances mere mercenaries, who were after the bounties and that alone, they did the best they could under the circumstances, and are enti- tled to the lasting esteem and gratitude of the people of Auburn. The ofiice of the provost marshal of the 24th dis- trict of 'New York was transferred January 1st, 1865, upon the resignation of Captain John N. Knapp, to Captain Benjamin B. Snow. The headquarters then occupied the second, third, and fourth stories of the two buildings at the west end of the Exchange block. THE EECOKD OF THE WAE. 459 on Genesee Street. Yolunteering continued at this office through the months of January and February, lagging at times, and at others accelerated by dread of the draft, or by reports of the successes of the armies in the field. The 193d regiment, forming at the Au- burn post, received the largest proportion of those en- listing here. Many of the privates of this command were genuine patriots. More were not, and, by the 1st of March, were deserting from the camp in the night, in squads of thirty and forty at a time. The 24th district, this time, did not get out of the draft. In Auburn, three wards were doing splendid- ly, but the fourth, scarce anything. Several country towns were wofully behind. Captain Snow, there- fore, could no longer delay the conscription. The second draft in Cayuga County began at the court- house in Auburn, at two o'clock P. M., of March 15th, 1865. Luckless Owasco, chosen by lot from the defi- cient towns, was drawn from first, and Sodus next. In due time, a draft was also made from the fourth ward of Auburn. This business was carried on with occasional interruptions, for about ten days — two or three hours being drawn from each day. Whenever recruiting was sufficiently brisk to keep the employes of the provost marshal's office busy, drafting was dis- continued ; when it lagged, drafting was resumed. Conscripts began to report at headquarters the last of March. Such as were accepted received a short fur- 460 HISTOEY OF AUBURN. lough, to enable tliem to ^YincI up tlieir affairs prepara- tory to a march to the front. The men thus obtained were a splendid material for the armies. Sound, hearty farmers and mechanics, they accepted their fate, when once determined, with pleasant faces and reso- lute hearts, and, donning uniforms, went cheerfully forward to take up arms for the government. Squads of from twenty to forty at a time left Auburn for Elmira, till several hundred had been credited to the 24:th district. Upon the second of April, volunteering received a powerful impulse, from the news of the fall of Rich- mond. Within a few days thereafter the 193d regiment, still in camp here, had more than a thousand men on the rolls, some being received from Oswego and other places, and was fully organized with the following officers : • Gohnel^ J. B. Van Petten. Lieut-Col.'y Zo\LYi. C. Gilmore. i Ma^or, Alford Morton. Adjutant, Thurlow B. Wasson. Quartermaster, Charles H. Bailey. Surgeon, David H. Armstrong. Chaplain, W. Dempster Chase. Captains : — John Jones, Edwin C. Knapp, William H. Porter, Archibald H. Preston, Joel Reed, James H. Hitchcock, Sidney W. Ainsworth, Orin D. Staplin, "Wm. L. Yeckley, and Wm. H. Harris.^ Under the stimulus imparted to volunteering by THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 461 the brilliant successes of the Federal armies in Yir- ginia, two of the wards of the city quickly filled their quotas, and the others were doing splendidly, when, on the 14th of April, four years exactly from the day that the tidings of the evacuation of Fort Sumter reached Anburn, the following order wa& borne over the telegraph wires : Elmiea, April 14, 1865. Capt. Benjamin B. Snow, Pro. Mar., 24th Dist, N. Y. Discontinue drafting and recruiting till further orders. S. B. Hayman, A. A. P. M. Gen., W. D. N. Y. The fact was announced upon the street, and filled the city with powerful excitement. A few volunteers were in the act of signing enlistment papers, in the mustering room of the provost marshal's oifice. These were instantly shown down into the street, and the ofiice closed against further applications. The bounty brokers and recruiting agents indulged in expressions of the wildest joy, rushing here and there, and tearing down their signs and placards, amidst the shouts of the populace. The drafted men, honest fellows, many of them already wearing the army blue, being fully prepared to go to the front, were the only ones who were discontented by the changed aspect of aifairs. They, indeed, could scarcely conceal their disappointment. This was the close of the war in Auburn. An order 462 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN, iirrived on the 25th, directing the discharge of all conscripts not forwarded to general rendezvous. Thenceforward, nothing remained to be done at the -office of the provost marshal, but to prepare for a final winding up. The office "svas transferred to Syracuse in October, and soon after consolidated with all others in Washington. Captain Snow received an honorable discharge from the laborious and responsible position, the duties of w'hich he had discharged for nine months with signal ability and integrity. When our city rested from her labors at the close of the rebellion, she had expended directly in the enlist- ment of troops, for city bounties, expenses, hand money, and relief to soldier's families, the sum of one hundred and ten thousand dollars. The number of soldiers furnished from her actual residents was as follows: Recruits to the 19th regiment; 112 ; 3d artillery, 117 ; 75th infantry, 49 ; 111th infantry, 37; 138th infantry, 24; 160th infantry, 15 ; 193d infantry, 18 ; 9th artillery, 51 ; scattering, 202 ; total, 625. Commissions were held by a large proportion of these, viz: Brigadier-Generals, J. H. Ledlie, Cliuton D. McDougall, John S. Clark, and William H. Seward, Jr. Colonels, Charles H. Stewart, Terence J. Kennedy, John A. Dodge, Jesse Segoine, Clarence A. Seward, Charles C. Dwight, Lewis W. Husk, and Edwin P. Taft. LiEUT-CoLOKELS, Hcnr}'' M. Stone, and Wm. M. Hosmer. THE RECORD OF THE WAR. 463 Majors, Tlieodore H. Sclienck, Wm. R. Wassou, Charles Bur- gess, Sullivan B. Lamoreaux, Lewis E. Carpenter, Benjamin F. TJiurber, James H. Hinman, and Sidney Mead. Surgeons, Theodore Dimon, David H. Armstrong, Charles L. George, and John I. Brinkerhoff. Chaplains, William Hart, Henry Fowler, Thomas B. Hudson, Simon S. Goss, and John E. Worth. Captains, John T. Baker, Owen Gavigan, John H. Ammon, John Wall, and Charles White, of the 19th Inf. ; George E. Ashby, William M. Kirby, William A. Kelsey, and Samuel P. Eussell, of the 3d Art'y ; William H. Cray, Henry B. Fitch, John Choate, Charles W. Crocker, John E. Savery, Elbridge G. Miles, and William H. Stevenson, of the 75th Inf. ; Edward A. Thomas, Ezra H. Northi-op, Robert E. Perry, Jerome M. Lattin, John I. Laing, and Edgar J. Hueston, of the 111th Inf.; Edwin Kirby, of the 160th Inf. ; Cap- tain Adams Merriman, and Andrew Cowan, of the 1st Light Batt'y. First LiEUTS., Martin Laughlin, Charles Tomlinson, Edgar H. Titus, William Boyle, Luke Brannack, John Stevenson, Jr., David W. Stewart, George H. Crocker, Antoine E. Robinson, George W. Leonard, Jay E. Storke, George E. Sherwood, and Frederick W. Prince, of the 8d Art'y ; Seth F. Swift, George P. Knapp, Lyman C. Comstock, and Lendall H . Bigelow, of the 9th Art'y ; John Poison, J. Fred. Dennis, and Randolph R. Kim.berly, of the 19th Inf ; Edward B. Lansing, James K. Warden, Horace B. Fitch, and Frederick Cossum, of the 75th Inf.; Henry H. Segoine and Roland R. Dennis, of the 111th Inf.; Gorton W. Allen, and Stephen G. Hopkins of the 160th Inf; Thurlow B. Wasson, Dexter Smith, and George D. Lanehart, of the 193d Inf; and William P. Wright, of the 1st Light Batt'y. Second Lietjts., Richard J. Allen, Patrick Dwj^er, Martin Web- ster, George H. Wright, John O'Neil, and James O. Woodrufl', of the 3d Art'y ; Charles E. Patten, and Charles H. Hitchcock, of the 111th Inf. 464 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. Tlie formation of societies of ladies in Auburn, for the purpose of alleviating the sufi'erings of our gallant armies while in the field, is a subject worthy of honorable mention. When protracted war had become a fixed fact, and camp life had shown that exposure and disease were enemies far more terrible and destructive to our soldiers than the national foes themselves, and that the preservation of the comfort and health of the northern armies was therefore a matter of the most vital importance to the country, the ladies of the Good Samaritan Society of this city were assembled by their president, Mrs. Alvah Warden, at the residence of the Rev. T>&j K. Lee, in order to determine how they might aid the humane efibrtB of the Sanitary Commission for the good of our volunteers. A series of meetings at Corning Hall was resolved upon, in order to prepare flannels, havelocks, medicines, and delicacies for use in the hospital and camp. These meetings w^ere held and were attended by the loyal women of the town generally. Large quantities of sanitary stores were, by this means, collected and forwarded to the army. Among the articles that were most urgently needed for the soldiers during the fall of 1861 were blankets. Mrs. Frances Seward, wafe of Secretary Seward, saw upon one occasion large bodies of volunteers sleeping in the open air on the ground near the city of Wash- THE EECOKD OF THE WAK. 465 ington, without the slightest coveriDg or protection. Finding, upon her return to Auburn, directly after- wards, that the Good Samaritan Society could not do all that the times seemed to require of the ladies of this city, she originated, and directed the preliminary steps toward the organization of, another association, known as the Ladies' Union Society, in which, how- ever, her modesty forbade her taking any prominent po- sition. Quarter-m aster-General M. C. Meigs had been, from the first of October, appealing to the loyal families of the country for contributions of blankets from their surplus stores. Mrs. Seward desired to press this matter particularly. Accordingly, a committee, composed of Mrs. Benja- min F. Hall, Mrs. Niles Perry, and Mrs. William H. Seward, Jr., issued a card to the public, and, referring to General Meigs' call, invited all who were so dis- posed to bring their surplus blankets, if weighing not less than four pounds, to Corning Hall, whence they should be forwarded for the use of the troops. Large numbers of blankets were sent into the hall ; but most of these were diverted from the use of the soldiers in the field, to the 75th, then forming at the camp in Au- burn. A call, signed by Mrs. Harmon Woodruff, Mrs. Miles Perry, and Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, was then made for the formation of the society. Pursuant thereto a large number of ladies met at the rooms of the Y. M. C. A. October 21st, 1861, and organized 28 466 HISTORY OF auburn. the Ladies' Union Aid Society, Mrs. Wordeu was tendered the presidency. Her duties in a similar posi- tion in the Good Samaritan Society caused her to de- cline it. Mrs. David Hewson was then elected presi- dent ; Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, vice-president ; Mrs. O. F. Knapp, treasurer ; and Mrs. P. P. Bishop, sec- retary. A large committee was appointed to meet at the rooms every Thursday with the members of the soci- ety, to plan the work, and assist in its execution. The committee consisted of Mrs. E. l!»r. Pomeroy, Mrs. J. I^. Starin, Mrs. T. Nelson, Mrs. William H. Hosmer, Mrs. James K. Cox, Mrs. C. H. Merriman, Mrs. H. L. Knight, Mrs. M. L. Kerr, Mrs. Maltby, Mrs. S. C. Lester, Mrs. Stahlnecker, Mrs. Day K. Lee, Mrs. C. Mcll^eil, Mrs. Samuel Titus, and Mrs. C. Miller. The membership of the society was soon over an hun- dred. Meetings at the beginning were generously permit- ted to be held in the rooms of the Y. M. C. A. After- ward, at different times, they were held in a room over the Auburn City Bank, on the corner of l^orth Street, belonging to Messrs. Brown & Lee, whose constant encouragement of the object of the organiza- tion is a matter of grateful remembrance, and also in one of the rooms in the basement of the 2d Presbyte- rian Church. They were usually held once a week, but in times of pressing want, as at the close of a great battle, the ladies assembled semi-weekly or even daily, THE EECOED OF THE WAE. 467 and made up and sent on box after box of the sanitary, hospital, and other stores, then so necessary. It will be proper to say that in the faithful promotion of the pliysi- cal welfare of the national troops, in the incessant devotion of time and means to the work of the Aid Society, and in the amount of work actually accom- plished by them, Mrs. Titus, Mrs. C. H. Merriman, and Mrs. Hewson were, amongst an hundred noble women, unapproachable. The labors of the aid societies of Auburn ended only with the disbandment of the Federal armies. The Good Samaritans were indefatigable to the last mo- ment, and the Ladies' Union Aid Society ceased only when they had come to realize the return of peace. A statement of the articles sent to the array is here given. They were 230 second-hand shirts, 1277 sheets, 2100 cotton shirts, 640 flannel shirts, 71 surgi- cal shirts, 92 flannel wrappers, 1324 pairs cotton drawers, 467 pairs flannel drawers, 261 arm slings, 67 eye-shades, 1216 pairs of socks, 223 blankets, spreads, and quilts, 62 bed-sacks, 538 pillows, 862 pillow-cases, 448 pairs of slippers, 2689 towels, 3097 pocket handkerchiefs, 142 dressing-gowns, 7480 com- fort-bags, 2889 rolls of bandages, 68 coats, 58 vests, 47 pairs of pants, 502 pairs of mittens, 1776 bottles and cans of wine, jelly, etc., 1 cask of wine, 2 cases of claret, 31 bottles of blackberry syrup, 1 barrel of elderberry vinegar, 100 cans and jars of pickles, to- 468 HISTOKY OF AUBUEN. matoes, etc., 9 barrels of pickles, two barrels of eggs, 1,701 pounds, foiu' barrels, and four boxes of dried fruit, 21 busbels of dried apples, 140 papers of corn starch, farina, cocoa, etc., 102 cakes and bars of soap, 120 tin cups, 50 bottles of cologne, 7 barrels of lint, boxes of the same without number, a very large quantity of linen and cotton compresses, 776 books, 58 fans, 28 brushes, 3 yards of oiled silk, numerous sponges, 32 pounds of pepper, 1 piece of flannel, have- locks costing $140, 60 yards of new cloths, sundries amounting to $100, freight equal to $124, and four flags costing $395. To this list should be added three competent female nurses fitted out and sent to minister to the suiferers at the front. Money was raised to the amount of $5,313. Yet this can not be said to be the whole of the good work done by the Ladies' Union Aid Society of Auburn, Their minis- trations to the sick amongst the soldiers quartered in our city constitute no small portion of their honor- able record. For heroic zeal and earnest attention to both the bodily and spiritual wants of the inmates of the camp, Mrs. C. H. Merriman, Miss Ella Marvine, and Mrs. S. Titus are entitled to particular mention. ]^or were the indigent families of volunteers neglected by them in the general effort. Their necessities were, as far as possible, cheerfully met and removed. The society met for the last time in the lecture-room of the 2d Presbyterian Church, July 6th, 1865. THE EECOED OF THE WAR. 469 Those who had for four years toiled so faithfully for the comfort of both their own boys and dear ones in the field and those of pthers, and who, now that the weary war was over, had laid down the needle and the bandage to welcome back such of the heroes as had been spared in the struggle, met once more, to review the fruits of their labor, to receive the blessings of the community, and then to disband. The Rev. Mr. Boardman, Dr. Willard, Rev. Henry Fowler, Rev. Dr. Hawley, and Rev. Dr. Condit, each took the fl.oor on this occasion in eulogy of the devotion and cour- age of the association. Reports, giving summaries of the thiugs done by the society, were read, and resolu- tions, expressive of the gratitude of the citizens and soldiers, were adopted. Mrs. Merriman, then presi- dent of the society, and Mrs. Titus, then vice-presi- dent, each received a token of the public appreci- ation of their extraordinary labors. The former was presented with a memorial painting, executed by Mrs. Murdock ; the latter, with a bust of President Lin- coln. With the adjournment of the meeting the Aid Society dissolved. ATO HISTORY OF AUBUEN. CHAPTER YIII. AUBURN IN 1869. The City of Auburn is planted on the eminences that bound the basin of the Owasco Lake on the north, at the point where the outlet, breaking through the hills, leaps down a succession of natural and artificial falls, and affords a water-power, that, in many respects, is the most magnificent in the State. The latitude of the city is N. 42 deg. 53 min., and the longitude deg. 33 min., E. from Washington. Lake Ontario lies thirty miles to the north. A densely populated farm- ing region, widely known for natural beauty and pro- ductiveness of soil, surrounds the city, and furnishes it with a large trade. The distance to Albany is 174 miles ; to Boston, 374 ; to Rochester, 78 ; to Buffalo, 147 ; to Chicago, 685 ;, to St. Louis, 874 ; to Detroit, 735 ; to Toronto, 237 ; to Montreal, ma Lake Champlain, 385 ; and to Quebec, 554. To New York, by way of Albany, the distance is 318 miles ; by Cayuga Lake, and Erie R. R., 317; and by Southern Central and connections, 394. To the city of Philadelphia, via S. C. R. R. it is 374 miles ; to "Washington, by the same, the distance is ATJBUEN IN 1869, 471 400 miles, but, by way of Seneca Lake and ISTorthern Central E. E., no more than 384. Area of Auburn 3,600 acres. Assessed value of real estate (not including 7tli ward) $3,035,125 ; personal, $2,251,730. Bonded debt, in aid of old L. O., A., & K Y. E. E., $100,000 ; loan to the S. C. E. E., $500,- 000. Floating debt none. The Owasco Outlet, at a distance of two miles from the lake, runs into the city with a northerly course, makes an abrupt turn in the heart of the town, and runs out directly westward. Substantial framed bridges are thrown across the stream at six different points. The ground descends toward the outlet in every part of the city proper ; the drainage is therefore excellent. The principal part of the town lies in the valley of this stream. The plain upon the bold hill that bounds the valley on the north and east contains, however, some fine residences and important public Institutions ; it is now being generally occupied by the new dwellings of our growing manufacturing population. The region of ele- gant residences immediately surrounds the beautiful eminence known as Fort Hill, whose groves and green sides have aided our landscape gardeners in an extra- ordinary degree. Beds of blue and gray limestone and Oriskany sand- stone underlie every part of Auburn, and crop out from the hill-sides, and along the bed and banks of the outlet. The quarries of building, paving, and water- 472 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. limestone are valuable and inexhaustible. The blue limestone has a peculiar tendency to assume a fissured character, the fissures crossing at right angles and cor- responding in direction with the cardinal points of the compass. The city is laid out with considerable though not en- tire regularity. Ninety or more streets subdivide its area into blocks, which, among the residences, are gen- erally rectangular in shape, but in the business parts of the citj'- polygons of every description. The irregu- lar arrangement of the principal thoroughfares may be ascribed to the early importance given to Auburn by the timely enterprise of our first citizens in erecting and maintaining a bridge over the outlet on North Street. It will be observed, by glancing at the map, that all the grand turnpikes laid out across the site of Auburn meet at or near this bridge, which was for many years the only point on the whole stream where a crossing might be affected with a loaded wagon. This was a circumstance of great moment, when the -chief highways of the country were being located and opened. The Owasco bridge governed the location of North, South, Genesee, Franklin, Clark, and Garden Streets, and, therefore, the plan of Auburn. The ■cross streets have all been put in at right angles to the main avenues. The streets are dry, straight, and comparatively level. So many changes have been made in the grade AUBUEN IN 1S69. 4^3 and character of the streets since the incorporation of Auburn, that many of them are quite bejond recogni- tion by those who saw them in their virgin state. A most fortunate change, truly ; for, if the testimony of the most ancient inhabitants is worthy of belief, this virgin state of the Auburn roads caused our village much disquietude of mind and spirits, as well as the surrounding country ; since, in spring and fall, the peo- ple were summoned daily, nay, almost hourly, not only to extract teams, wagons, and cattle from some one of the numerous frog-ponds and miry places in the streets of the place, but to endure the vituperations of their owners, which were always, by the way, bestowed so heartily, that, on a quiet day, those living in the next towns could plainly hear them ; whereas, the city now reposes amongst her hills undisturbed, in the serene con- sciousness that she has elevated morality in the com- munity, and ameliorated the condition of the traveling world and her citizens, by burying the pools, leveling the hillocks, draining the soil, and providing spacious, straight, well-paved thoroughfares. Kows of hand- some elms, maples, poplars, and sycamores, now adorn every street. Auburn, indeed, is the city of shade- trees. The residences of the place are, for the most part, solid and elegant structures of brick and wood, and stand in the midst of lawns, conservatories, fountains, choice shrubbery, and other evidences of taste. The 474r HISTORY OF AUBURN. business blocks are massive cut-stone and brick edi- fices, with handsome froAts and costly interiors, and are generally four stories high. The public buildings and works are of superior finish and architecture. Auburn fully maintains the reputation for beauty accorded to her modest little namesake in Europe, despite the ugliness of ancient rookeries in some of the older streets, and the drawbacks in this direction that attend an extensive manufacturing town. The number of buildings in the city is 3,154, of which there are 2,226 residences, (174 of the same having been built in 1868), 602 barns, 221 stores and shops, 13 churches, 7 banking-houses, 41 mills and manufactories, 6 school-houses, 6 wagon-shops, 4 carpenter-shops, 1 theological seminary, 2 concert halls, 6 hotels and taverns, 4 fire-engine houses, 1 prison, 1 court-house, 1 jail, 1 town hall, and 11 miscellaneous buildings. PUBLIC BUILDINGS. Tlie Prison of Western New York is the first object that greets the eye of the traveler arriving in Auburn, It is visited daily by crowds of people from every part of the United States, who are conducted through the various shops and buildings at stated times by keepers. It now contains and employs at hard labor about nine hundred and AUBUKN IN 1869, 47& fifty convicts, whose services are let to contractors at the average rate of five shillings per capita per day.. The shops are six in number, namely : The hame^ shoe, tool, machine, cabinet, and sash and blind. An important benefit accrues to the city from the large- amount of cheap labor brought in by the prison, and the large sums annually expended by the institution for salaries and supplies, which latter range between two hundred, and two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. — The Theological Seminary, elsewhere fully described, contains much that is rare, precious, and ancient, and the visitor is fully repaid for inspecting it. — The Orphan Asylum, standing at the corners of Walnut, Bradford, and Owasco Streets, is a fine,, three-story brick building, surrounded by large, well- kept gardens, and grounds handsomely adorned with shrubbery and shade-trees, enclosed by a high lattice fence. The original asylum was opened in 1852^ in a wooden house on the east side of James Street^ by means of the untiring and benevolent exertions of Mrs. Harriet T. Pitney, a lady whose long experience and devotion to the cause of Sunday- schools convinced her of the urgent necessity of a. home in Auburn for orphan children, and whose con- victions led her to undertake its establishment. She was warmly supported in this work by Mrs. Mary Ann Eobinson, Mrs. Maria Keed, Mrs. Deborah A. Bronson, Mrs. Melita Chedell, Mrs. Abby Warden, 4T6 HISTORY OF AUBUEN. Mrs. Andalusia Starin, Mrs. Harriet S. Conkling, and other benevolent ladies, many of whose names appear upon the first Board of Managers. The present site of the asylum, with a wooden house thereon, was purchased in 1854. The brick building was erected in 1857 ; its predecessor was moved off, and now formes the residence of Lewis Paddock, on Canal Street. The comfortable school-rooms, and well ventilated and orderly dormitories, are creditable both to the competent matron, Mrs. Eogers, and to the city. The asylum now affords a home and gram- mar-school education to eighty children. — The State Armory^ at the corner of Dill and State Streets, is a strong and capacious building of brick, containing a drill-room in the second story, seventy-five feet long by forty wide, and, in the first story, three company rooms and the headquarters of the 4:9th regiment, S. N. G. Two brass six pounders are posted here. A bill is now pending in the legislature to authorize the sale of this property, and the erection of a new armory in another quarter of the city. THE CHUKCHES. The First Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Franklin and IN'orth Streets, is now being demolished, and replaced with an elegant limestone structure, fronting the last-mentioned street. The session- house, now nearl}'- completed, cost $25,000 ; the AUBUEN m 1869. 4:77 entire building will cost $100,000. Kev. Charles Hawley, D.D., Pastor. — The /Second Presbyterian Church is a lofty, cut-stone building, of Ionic archi- tecture, seating eight hundred and fifty people. The basement contains a session and a lecture-room. The church cost $17,000. Eev. S. W. Boardman, Pastor. — The Central Church congregation separated from the last-mentioned in 1856, and with great enter- prise laid the foundation of an imposing church, and built the superstructure the height of the basement story. This, being roofed, has since constituted the house of worship for the society. It is proposed and intended to erect a new and entire church on the west side of William Street the coming season. Rev. Henry Fowler, Pastor. — The Church of the Holy Family stands on the west side of ISTorth Street,, above Chapel. It is well built of brick in the N^orman style of architecture, with a handsomely painted interior, and seats twelve hundred people. The cost was $30,000. Eev. Thomas O'Flaherty, Pastor. — St. Mary^s Churchy (Roman Catholic), wa& organized in the summer of 1868, with Rev. T. A. Maher, Pastor. A temporary wooden chapel has been erected on the corner of Clark and Green Streets. — The Baptist Church is a plain, but sub- stantial stone edifice, standing on Genesee Street, between South and Mechanic. Nine hundred people may worship here at once. Rev. "W. H. Maynard, 478 HISTORY OF A.UBUKN. Pastor. — St. Peter^s Chwch, (Protestant Episcopal), is situated on a fine lot on West Genesee Street in the midst of handsome shade trees, and the monuments of the dead. The location has few, if any, superiors in Western New York. The old stone, ivy-covered ■church has been removed, and a larger structure partly completed in its place. A chapel at the north-west ectors of State prisons have been chosen from the State at large since the revision of the State Constitution, in 1845, the list of inspectors since that date loses its local interest, and is here omitted. Benjamin Ashby, Feb. 7, 1840; John H. Beach, April 20, 1818 ; Samuel Brown, March 2, 1843 ; Artemas Cadj', April 16, 1822 ; George Casey, April 20, 1818 ; Samuel Cumpston, Feb. 13, 1821 ; Robert Cook, April 23, 1839 ; Seneca B. Dennis, April 10, 1838 ; Ulysses F. Doubleday, Feb. 25, 1838 ; Charles D. Fitch, May 3, 1845 ; Peter G. Fosdick, Feb. 7, 1840 ; James Glover, April 20, 1818 ; John Garrow, Feb. 25, 1834 ; Samuel Gilmore, May 3, 1845 ; Stephen A. Goodwin, March 2, 1843 ; John H. Hardenburgh, March 28, 1828 ; Joshua Haskins, Apr. 10, 1838 ; Horace Hills, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13, 1824 ; Apr. 3, 1830 ; Apr. 6, 1832 ; Harvey Hinman, Apr. 6, 1832 ; Thos. Y. Howe, Jr., Feb. 25, 1834 ; Ellery A. Howland, Feb. 7, 1840 ; Henry Ivison, Jr., April 18, 1840 ; Freeborn G. Jewett, April 10,1838; Archy Kasson, April 20, 1818 ; Lounsbury Willet, April 10, 1838; Harvey Lyon, Feb. 7, 1840; Elijah Miller, April 20, 1818 ; Michael S. Myers, March 2, 1843 ; William H. Noble, March 2, 1843 . Eleazer R. Palmer, May 3, 1845 ; Gershom Pow- ers, Feb. 13, 1821 ; April 2, 1830 ; Henry Polhemus, May 8, 1839 ; John Porter, April 6, 1833 ; Joseph L. Richardson, April 10, 1838 ; Woodin Rice, March 13, 1824 ; Aprn 16, 1827 ; Luman Sherwood, May 3, 1845 ; Bradley Tuttle, April 6, 1832 ; Feb. 25, 1834 ; Ho- ratio Van Dusen, April 10, 1838 ; Walter Weed, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13, 1824 ; April 16, 1827 ; April 2, 1830 ; Elijah Wheeler, March 2, 1843 ; Ezekiel Williams, Feb. 13, 1821 ; March 13, 1824 ; April 16, 1827; April 24, 1830; April 6, 1832; Feb. 25, 1834; Jared Wilson, May 10, 1845. A.GENTS OF AUBUKN PBISON. William Brittin, April, 1818; Capt. Elam Lynds, February, CIVIL LIST. 515 1833 ; Richard Goodell, — , 1835 ; Hon. Gersbom Powers, — , 1836 Col. Levi Lewis, November, 1839 ; John Garrow, June, 1836 Capt. Elam Lynds, May, 1838 ; Dr. Noyes Palmer, June, 1839 Henry Polhemus, — , 1841 ; John Beardsley, March, 1843 ; Russell Chappell, July, 1845 ; Abraham Gridley, January, 1848 ; Henry Underwood, January, 1849 ; Benjamin Ashby, March, 1850; Col. Chas. W. Pomeroy, April, 1851 ; Col. Levi Lewis, May, 1854 ; Thomas Kirkpatrick, January, 1860 ; David B. McNeil, January, 1864; John H. Conklin, February, 1865; Morgan Augsbury, Au- gust, 1866 ; A. G. Salisbury, — , 1868; Allen Ross, January, 1869. TKUSTEES OF THE AUBURN THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. 1830. — John Linklaen,* Glen Cuyler,* Rev. Hering Davis,* David Hyde,* Thaddeus Edwards,* Henry McNeil, Rev. Levi Parsons,* Rev. Benj.B. Stockton,* Rev. Dirck C. Lansing, D. D .,* Rev. William Wisner, D. D., * Rev. Henry Axtell, D. D., * Rev. Ebenezer Fitch, D. D., * Rev. David Higgins,* Rev. Seth Smith,* William Brown.* 1831.— Bradley Tuttle,* Col. Samuel Bellamy,* Hon. Nathaniel W. Howell.* 1833.— Hon. John H. Beach.* 1833.— Eleazer Hills.* 1835.— Henry Dwight.* 1838.— Horace Hills. 1839.— Rev. Henry P. Strong,* James S. Seymour, Hon. Hiram F. Mather. 1830.— T. Marshall. 1833.— Rev. Josiah Hop- kins, D. D. 1833.— Rev. John Keep, Hon. S. M. Hopkins, LL. D.* 1834.— Hon. John Porter, Hon. Gerritt Smith, Rev. Sereno E. Dwight, D. D.* 1835.— Abijah Fitch. 1838.— Rev. Miles P. Squier, D. D., * Jabez Goodell,* Nathan Munro.* 1839.— Rev. L. E. Lathrop, D. D., * Rev. Washington Thatcher.* 1840.— Rev. Simeon North, LL. D., Richard Steel. 1841.— Azariah Smith, Simeon Benjamin. 1843.— Aristarchus Champion. 1843.— Hon. Asher Sampson.* 1845.— Benjamin B. Johnson, John J. Knox. 1846.— Hon. Abner Hollister,* Sylvester Willard. 1848.— Hu-am H. Seelye,* Hon. Elijah Rhodes.* 1849.— Rev. William H. Spencer,* Rev. Samuel Gridley, D. D. 1851.— Rev. Timothy *Since deceased. 516 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Stillman, D. D., Rev. P. H. Fowler, D. D. 1853.— Rev. R. W. Condit, D. D. 1854.— Alfred Cobb. 1855.— Rev. Henry ^endall, Albert T. Chester, D. D., Hon. Frederic T. Starr. 1857.— Nicoll H. Deering, M. D. 1858.— Rev. J. B. Shaw, D. D., Rev. A. W. Cowles.D. D. I860.— S. W. Fisher, D. D. 1863.— John Fisher, Esq., of Batavia, Rev. W. C. Wisner.f 1865.— Rev. Levi Parsons,^ Mount Morris. THE SHEBIFFS OF CAYUGA COUNTY. Sheriffs were originally appointed every year by the Council of Appointment. ISTo person could hold the office more than four successive years, nor could he hold any other office at the same time. It must be borne in mind that previous to March 8th, 1799, the present County of Cayuga formed part of the old County of Onondaga. Onondaga Coxjnty. — John Harris, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Abiather Hull, February 9, 1796 ; Comfort Tyler, February 17, 1798. Cayuga County. — Joseph Ammin, appointed March 14, 1799 ; Peter Hughes, August 10, 1801 ; Solomon^Buell,| January 13, 1804; Jacob S. C. DeWitt, March 18,1806; Jonathan \^Richmond, Feb- ruary 24, 1808 ; Zenas Goodrich, February 11, 1812 ; Charles H. Morrell, March 3, 1813 ; Nathaniel Garrow.^February 28, 1815 ; Archibald Green, February 13, 1819 ; Nathaniel Garrow, Feb- ruary 12, 1821. Since 1821 sheriffs have been elected for a term of three years, and are ineligible to tlie same office for the term next succeeding. t Vice father, resigned. t Son of the original Trastee,Rev. Levi Parsons. CIVIL LIST. 517 i'' iSTatlianiel Garrow, elected November, 1832 ; Archibald Green, November, 1835 ; Peleg Gallup, November, 1828 ; Peter Langer, November, 1831 ; Warren Parsons, November, 1834 ; George H. (Jarr,* March 30, 1838 ; Hiram Rathbun, November, 1838 ; George H. Carr, November, 1841 ; Augustus Pettibone, November, 1844 ; Joseph P. Swift, November, 1847 ; Stephen Fancher, November, 1850 ; John S. Knapp,f December, 1853 ; John S. Knapp, Novem- ber, 1853,-; Edwin B. Hoskins, November, 1856 ; Daniel D. Buck, November, 1859 ; James Mead, November, 1862 ; S3'^dney Mead, November, 1865 ; John E. Savery, November, 1868. THE CLERKS OF CAYUGA COUNTY, According to the act of February 12th, 1796, it was declared to be the duty of the County Clerk to keep the County Records, and act as Clerk of the Inferior Court of Common Pleas. In 1821, his term of office was fixed at three years, and his seal declared to be the seal of the Court of Common Pleas; and, in 1847, the County Clerks were declared to be Clerks of the Su- preme Court, and their seals the seals of the Supreme Court. Onondaga County. — Benjamin Ledyard, appointed March 14, 1794. Cayuga County. — Benjamin Ledyard, appointed March 14, 1799; Peter Hughes, January 3, 1804; Enos T. 'ihroop, February 5, 1811; Elijah Miller, February 26, 1813; Enos T. Throop, February 13, 1815 ; James Glover, March 3, 1819 ; George B. Throop, February 14, 1831 ; George B. Throop, November — , 1832 ; Abraham Gridley, November — , 1835 ; Michael S. Myers, November — , 1828 ; Wm. Richardson, November — , 1837 ; Philip * Vice Parpons deceased. t Vice Fancher deceased. 518 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Van Arsdale, November — , 1843 ; Ebenezer B. Cobb, November — , 1846 ; Edwin B. Marvin, November — , 1852 ; Benjamin B, Snow, November — , 1858; John S. Lanehart, November — , 1854. DISTRICT ATTORNEYS. The office of District Attorney wsis created April 4tli, 1801, at which time the State was divided into seven districts. The Seventh District included the Counties of Cajuga, Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, Tio- ga, Alleghany from 1806, Broome from 1806, Seneca from 1804, Genesee from 1802, Chatauqua and Ni- agara from 1808, and Cattaraugus from 1808. A law passed the 21st of April, 1818, made each county a district. From 1821 to 184T, the attorneys were appointed by the Court of General Sessions in each county. Since 1847 they have been elected triennially. William Stuart, appointed March 3, 1802 ; Daniel W. Lewis, March 9, 1810 ; William Stuart, February 13, 1811 ; Vincent Mat- thew, March 13, 1813: Daniel Conger, April 17, 1815; Joseph L. Richardson, June 11, 1818 ; John Porter, February 14, 1831 ; Theo- dore Spencer, — 14, 1838 ; Richard L. Smith, January 31, 1882 ; Michael S. Myers, January 25, 1838 ; Dennison Robinson, January 27, 1841 ; Luman Sherwood, June 3, 1844 ; Ebenezer W. Ames> January — , 1847 . Theodore M. Pomeroy, November — , 1850 ; Solomon Giles, November — , 1856 ; George I. Post, November — , 1859: Richard C. Steel, November—, 1863 ; William B. Mills, November — , 1867. JUDICIARY. SURROGATES. In 1787 the appointment of surrogates was author- CIVIL LIST. 519 ized in every connty by the council of appointment. There was an appeal from their decisions to the Judge and Courts of Probates, who also held jurisdiction in cases of decease out of the State, or of non-residents within the State. This conrt was abolished March 21, 1823. Under the constitution of 1821, the Surrogates were appointed for four years by the Governor and Senate. Appeals from their decisions were then made to the Chancellor. The office of surrogate was made elective in 1846, tho.ugh it was abolished in counties having a population exceeding 40,000, in which cases tlie duties were performed by tlie County Judge. ONOITOAGA SUKEOGATES. Moses DeWitt, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Thomas Mumford, Oct. 1, 1797. CAYUGA SURROGATES. Glen Cuyler, appointed March 14, 1799 ; Eleazer Burnham, Feb- ruary 5, 1811 ; Glen Cuyler, February 26, 1813 ; Eleazer Burnham, Feb. 28, 1815 ; Seneca Wood, June 7, 1820 ; Benj. L. Cuyler, Feb- ruary 14, 1821 ; John Porter, March 12, 1828 ; Thomas Y. Howe, Jr., March 18, 1836 ; George H. Wood, April 14, 1840; Charles B. Perry, February 15, 1844 ; Jacob R. How, June, 1847 ; William B. Woodin, November, 1859. SPECIAL SURROGATES. The constitution of 1846 authorized the Legislature, upon the application of a Board of Supervisors, to pro- vide for the election of not exceeding two officers in 520 . HISTORY OF AUBUliN. any one county, to perform the duties of Surrogate and County Judge in case of inability to act or vacancy. Solomou Giles, elected November, 1852 ; Campbell W. Haynes, November, 1855 ; John S. M. Davie, November, 1861 ; John S. M. Davie, November, 18G4. FIKST JUDGES. ' Under the first constitution the number of judges 1 and assistant justices in different counties varied great- 1 ly. March 27th, 1818, tlie number was limited to five. ' By the revised constitution of 1821, the first judges were appointed by the Governor and Senate for a term of five years. 1 Seth. Phelps, appointed March 14, 1794 ; Walter Wood, Febru- ary 26, 1810; Elijah Miller, March 13, 1817; Gershom Powers, January 31, 1823 ; Jos. L. Richardson, January 8, 1827. COUNTY JUDGES. The constitution of 1846 made the ofiice of county judge elective, and his term of office four years. John P. Hulbert, elected June, 1847 ; George Humphreys, No- vember, 1851 ; Charles C. Dwight, November, 1859 ; William Hughitt, November, 1863. SPECIAL JUDGES. The constitution of 1846 authorized the Legislature, 5upon the application of a Board of Supervisors, to pro- vide for the election of not exceeding two officers in any one county, to perform the duties of County Judge and Surrogate in case of inability to act or vacancy, Charles J. Hulbert, elected November, 1852 ; Fayette G. Day, November, 1857 ; Arazi Wood, Novembei-, 1863. CIVIL LIST. 5211 LEGISLATURE. SENATOKIAL DISTEICTS. Under the first constitution, the State Senate con- sisted of twenty-four members, apportioned among four great districts. Members were chosen for the pe- riod of four _years each. After the first election they w^ere so divided that the term of six members expired every year. An additional Senator was allowed each district, when its census showed an increase of its elec- tors of one twenty-fourth. The census of 1T97 made the number forty-three ; but in 1801, it was fixed at thirty-two. The County of Cayuga was included in what was called the Western District. So extensive was this district, that of all its members, elected pre- vious to 1821, but two or three were from this County. The list up to that date, therefore, possesses little or no local interest. The constitution of 1821 divided the State into eight senatorial districts, each having four Senators. One Senator was elected every year, and his term of ofiice was four years. The Seventh District comprised the counties of Cayuga, Onondaga, Ontario, and Sen- eca. To these were added, Yates, Feb. 5th, 1823 : Wayne, April 11th, 1823 : and Cortland, May 23, 1836. SENATORS. 1833.— Silas Bowker, Bryan Green, Jesse Clark, Jonas Earll, Jr. 1824.— Silas Bowker, Bryan Green, Jesse Clark, Jedediah 522 HISTORY OF AUBURN. Morgan. 1825.— Jesse Clark, Jedediah Morgan, Jonas Earll, Jr., John C. Spencer. 1836.— Jonas Earll, Jr., Jedediah Morgan, John C. Spencer, Truman Hart. 1827.— Victory Birdseye, John C. Spencer, Truman Hart, William M. Oliver. 1828.— John C. Spen- cer, Truman Hart, William M. Oliver, George B. Throop. 1829.— Truman Hart, William M. Oliver, George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather. 1830.— William M. Oliver, George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong. 1831.— George B. Throop, Hiram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward. 1832.— Hi- ram F. Mather, Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward, Jehiel H. Halsey. 1833.— Thomas Armstrong, William H. Seward, Je- hiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards. 1834.— William H. Seward, Jehiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong. 1835. —Jehiel H. Halsey, Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong, Chester Loomis. 1836. — Samuel L. Edwards, Thomas Armstrong, Chester Loomis, John Beardsley. 1837. — Thomas Armstrong, Chester Loomis, John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards. 1838. — Chester Loomis, John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards, John May- nard. 1889. — John Beardsley, Samuel L. Edwards, John May- nard, Robert C. Nicholas. 1840.— John Maynard, Samuel L. Ed- wards, Robert C. Nicholas, Mark H. Sibley. 1841. — John May- nard, Robert C. Nicholas, Mark H. Sibley, Elijah Rhoades. 1842 — Robert C. Nicholas, Elijah Rhoades, Lyman Sherwood, William Bartlet. 1843. — Lyman Sherwood, Elijah Rhoades, William Bart- let, John Porter. 1844. — Elijah Rhoades, William Bartlet, John Porter, Albert Lester. 1845. — William Bartlet, John Porter, Al- bert Lester, Henry J. Sedgwick. 1848. — John Porter, Albert Les- ter, Henry J. Sedgwick, Richard H. Williams. 1847. — Albert Lester, Henry J. Sedgwick, Richard H. Williams, Abraham Grid- ley. The constitution of 1847 made tliirtj-two senatorial districts, in which one nieraber was elected every other year for a term of two years. At first Cayuga and CIVIL LIST. 523 Wayne Counties constituted the Twenty-Fourth Dis~ trict^ but in 1867 it was changed to Twenty- Fifth. Wm. J. Comwell, 1847; William Beach, 1849-1851 ; William Clark, 1853; Samuel C. Cuyler, 1855; Alex. B. Williams, 1857- 1859 ; Chauncey M. Abbott, 1861 ; Stephen K. Williams, 1863,. 1865, 1867. • MEMBERS OF ASSEMBLY. The assembly has always been chosen annually. It consisted at first of seventy members, with the power to increase one with every one-seventieth increase of the number of electors, until it should reach three hun- dred. When the constitution was amended in 1801, the number had reached one hundred and eight, but was reduced to one hundred, with a provision that it should be increased after each septennial census, at the rate of two annually, until the number reached one hundred and fifty. In 1821 the number of members was fixed at one hundred and twenty-eight. Owing to the several divisions of the county, and to the occasional re-apportionments, the representation of Cayuga has varied at times from one to four members. At present Cayuga County sends two members to the Assembly. ONONDAGA. 1797.— Silas Halsey, Comfort Tyler. 1798.— Silas Halsey, Com- fort Tyler. 1799.— Edward Paine, John Richardson. CAYUGA. 1800.— Silas Halsey. 1801.— Silas Halsey. 1802.— Salmon Buell. 1803.— Salmon Buell, Silas Halsey, Thomas Hewitt. 1804,— Silas Halsey, Thomas Hewitt, Amos Rathbun. 1805.— John Grover, 524: HISTORY OF AUBURN, Jr., Amos Rallibim. 1806.— John Grover, Jr., Amos Rathbun. 1807.— John Grover, Jr., Amos Rathbun. 1808.— Elijah Price, Richard Townley. 1809.— Henry Bloom, Ebenezer Hewitt, Chas. Kellogg. 1810.— Henry Bloom, Charles Kellogg, Stephen Close. 1811.— Stephen Close, Ebenezer Hewitt, Elisha Durkee. 1813.— Stephen Close, Humphrey Howland, Thos. Ludlow. 1813.— "Wm C. Bennett, Thomas Ludlow, Wm. Satterlee. 1814.— William C. Bennett, William Satterlee, Silas Bowker. 1815. — John H. Beach Silas Bowker, Barnabas Smith. 1816.— John H. Beach, John Brown, Jr., John McFadden, Barnabas Smith. 1817.— John H. Beach, John Brown, Jr., John McFadden, Rowland Day. 1818. —William Clark, 2d, Thatcher I. Ferris, Isaac Smith. 1819.— William Allen, Elijah Devoe, Henry Polhemus. 1820.— William Allen, Samuel Dill, John Haring. 1821.— John Haring, Charles Kellogg, Henry Polhemus. 1822.— Samuel Dill, Charles Kellogg, Ephraim C. Marsh. 1823.— Josiah Bevier, Elijah Drake, John Jackway, John O'Hara. 1824.— Josiah Bevier, Silas Bowker, Asahel Fitch, Augustus F. Ferris. 1825.— Elijah Devoe, Roswell Enos, John W. Hulbert, Ephraim C. Marsh. 1826.— Eleazer Burnham, Aaron Dennis, Thatcher I. Ferris, Campbell Waldo. 1827.— James Kenyon, Gardner Kortright, Andrew Preston, Peter Yawger. 1828.— Henry R. Brinkerhoff, Philo Sperry, Gardner, Kortright, William H. Noble. 1829.— Henry R. Brinkerhoff, William H. Noble, Wing Taber, Ephraim Hammond. 1880.— Ephraim Hammond, Solomon Love, William H. Noble, Richard L. Smith. 1831. — Solomon Love, Elias Manchester, George S. Tilford, Peter Yawger. 1832. -John Beardsley, George H. Brin- kerhoff, John W. Sawyer, George S. Tilford. 1833.— John Beards- ley, George H. Brinkerhoff, John W. Sawyer, Simon Lathrop. 1834. — Dennis Arnold, Cornelius Cnykendall, Andrew Groom, Noyes Palmer. 1835. — Cornelius Cuykendall, Andrew Groom, Noyes Palmer, Andrews Preston. 1836. — Dennis Arnold, Charles K. Shepard, Richard L. Smith, William Wilbur. 1837.— Curtis C. Cady, Charles E. Shepard, William Wilbur. 1838.— Henry R. crv^L LIST. 525 Filley, Isaac S. Miller, Nathan G. Morgan. 1839.— Nathan G. Morgan, Henry R. Filley, John Mcintosh. 1840. — Artemus Cady, John W. McFadden, Andrews Preston. 1841. — Darius Adams, Osman Rhoades, John W. McFadden. 1843. — John L. Cuyler, Yincent Kenyon, Alvarez Tupper. 1843. — Vincent Kenyon, Al- fred Lyon, Darius Monroe. 1844. — Ashbel Aveiy, Benj. F. Hall, Robert Hume. 1845. — David Gould, Leonard Searing, Wm. Titus. 1846.— Samuel Bell, Wm. J. Cornwall, John S. Rathbun. 1847.— Samuel Bell, Wm. J. Cornwell, John S. Rathbun. 1848. — Ebene- zer Curtis, John I. BrinkerhoflE", Hector C. Tuthill. 1849. — James D. Button, John I. Brinkerhoff, Hector C. Tuthill. 1850.— Hiram Coon, John Richardson, Ashbel Avery. 1851. — Levi Colvin, Geo. Underwood, Delos Bradley. 1853.— William Hayden, George Underwood, Delos Bradley. 1853. — WUliam Hayden, Terence J. Kennedy, Mathias Hutchinson. 1854. — Justus Townsend, Mosely Hutchinson, Mathias Hutchinson. 1855. — Moore Conger, David L. Dodge, William B. Woodin. 1856. — Sordis Dudley, Leonard Simons, Tolbert Powers. 1857. — James J. Owen, Theodore M. Pomeroy, Hiram TilFt. 1858.— David B. Baldwin, Chauncey M. Abbott. 1859.— William W. Payne, Chauncey M. Abbott. 1860. — William W. Payne, Allen D. Morgan. 1861. — Heman Benton, Smith Anthony. 1863. — William A. Halsey, Smith Anthony. 1863.— George I. Post, Wm. P. Robinson. 1864.— Benjamin M. Close, Wm. P. Robinson. — 1865. — Benjamin M. Close, John L. Parker. 1866.— Homer N. Lockwood, John L. Parker. 1867.— Homer N. Lockwood, John L. Parker. 1868. — Charles H. Weed, Sanford Gifford. 1869.— Charles H. Weed, Sanford Gilford. DELEGATES TO CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTIONS. The first constitutional convention was held at Al- bany, October 13-27th, 1801. The delegate to this convention from Cayuga County was the Member of Assembly, Silas Halsey. .'526 HISTORY OF AUBDKN. The constitutional convention of 1821 assembled at Albany, August 28tli, and adjourned November lOtli. The County of Cayuga sent three delegates to this Convention. The delegate whose name is marked thus (*) did not sign the constitution. David BrinkerhofiF, Rowland Day, * Augustus F. Ferris. Agreeably to the expression of popular will in the election of November 6th, 1845, an act was passed by the Legislature, April 22d, 1846, calling the third constitutional convention, which met accordingly, June 1st, and adjourned November 9th, 1846. To this con- vention also Cayuga County sent three delegates, viz : Daniel John Shaw, Elisha W. Sheldon, Peter Yawger. The question of holding a fourth constitutional convention liaving been submitted to the people of the State of New York November 6th, 1866, and de- cided in the affirmative, the said convention was called in the usual manner, viz : by a special act of the Legislature, passed March 29th, 1867 ; and met at Albany, June 3d, 1867, and adjourned sine die^ in February, 1868, without completing its work. A"* in former cases, Cayuga County sent one delegate from each of its assembly districts. Hon. Charles C. Dwight, Hon. George Rathbun. PRESIDENTIAL ELECTORS. The Federal Constitution provides that the Presi- dent and Vice-President shall be chosen by electors CIVIL LIST. 527 appointed in such manner as the Legislatures of the respective States shall direct, and the number shall be equal to the number of senators and representatives. In accordance with an act passed April 12th, 1792, the electors from this State were, till 1825, appointed by the Legislature itself. The names only of electors re- siding in and representing Cayuga County are given. 1812.— Jothani Jayae. 1816.— Richard Townley. 1834.— Elea- zer Burnham. Since March 15th, 1825, electors have been chosen, one from each Congressional District and two at large, by a general ticket, on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November, 1828.— Asaph Strong. 1832.— Seth Thomas. 1832.— Nathaniel Garrow.* 1836.— Peleg Slade. 1840.^Albert Crane. 1844.— Daniel Hibbard. 1848.— Stephen Fancher. 1853.— William C. Beardsley. 1856. — Eleazer Burnham. I860.— William Van Mar- ter. 1864.— John E. Seeley. 1868.— Hector C. Tuthill. EEPEESENTATIVES IN CONGKESS. The Constitution of the United States directs that a census be taken every ten years, and that after each enumeration Congress shall apportion the representa- tion among the several States. As soon as practicable, after each apportionment, the Legislature divide the State into Congressional Districts. The divisions, dates thereof, and numbers of the Districts in which Cayuga County has been involved, are set forth in the following table. * Elector at large. 628 HlSTuKY OF AUBUKN. / ^arch 23, 1797.— Cayuga (1799), Onondaga, Ontario, Steuben, and Tioga Counties, district No. 10. Marcii 80, 1803.— Cayuga, Genesee, Ontario, Steuben, No. 17. March 20, 1804. — Alleghany (1806), Cayuga, Genesee, Ontario, Steuben, No. 17. March 8, 1806. — Cajoiga, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, No. 14. June 1, 1812.— (two members), Cayuga, Seneca, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins (1817), No. 20. April 17, 1822.— Cayuga, No. 24. September 6, 1843.— Cayuga, Cortland, No. 25. July 19, 1851.— Cayuga, Wayne, No. 25. April 23, 1862.— Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, No. 24. Kepresentatives hold their office two years. Each new congress commences on the 4th of March every odd year. The election in this State is held on the general election day preceding. 1797.— Hezekiali L. Hosmer. 1799.— William Cooper. 1801.— Thomas Morris. 1803.— Oliver Phelps. 1805.— Silas Halsey. 1807.— John Harris. 1809.— Yincent Matthew. 1811.— Daniel Avery. 1813. — Daniel Avery, Oliver C. Comstock. 1815. — Enos T. Throop, Oliver C. Comstock. 1817.— Daniel Cruger, Oliver C. Comstock. 1819. — Caleb Baker, Jonathan Richmond. 1831. — David Woodcock. 1833.— Rowland Day. 1835.— Charles Kel- logg. 1837.— Nathaniel Garrow. 1829.— Gershom Powers. 1831. Ulysses F. Doubleday. 1833.— Rowland Day. 1835.— Ulysses F. Doubleday. 1837.— William H. Noble. 1839.— Christopher Mor- gan. 1841. — Christopher Morgan. 1843. — George Rathbun. 1845. — .George Rathbun. 1847.— Harmon S. Conger. 1849. — Harmon S. Conger. 1851.— Thomas Y. Howe, Jr. 1853.— Edwin B. Mor- gan. 1855.— Edwin B. Morgan. 1856.— Edwin B. Morgan. 1859. —Martin Butterfield. 1861.— Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1868.— Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1865. — Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1867. — Theodore M. Pomeroy. 1869. — George W. Cowles. BIOGRAPHIES. ' 52& CHAPTER X. BIOGRAPHIES OF CITIZENS OF AUBURN. Hon. William Henry Seward was born in the town of Florida, Orange County, JSTew York, May 16th, 1801. His fondness for learning and his earnest perseverance while young, obtained for liim a superior education. He attended several schools in the vicinity of his father's residence, until he was nine years of age, at which time he was sent to the Farmers' Hall Academy, at Goshen. At this school, which already boasted of having had Daniel "Webster and Aaron Burr for pupils, and at an academy afterwards estab- lished in Florida, he pursued his studies till the year 1816. He then applied for admission to Union Col- lege, Schenectady, and, though qualified for the Junior class, was induced to enter as Sophomore. His col- lege career was brilliant. His favorite studies were rhetoric, moral philosophy, and the ancient classics ; and as a general rule he rose early in the morning to prepare his lessons for the ensuing day. Six months of his Senior year, 1819, he spent in the Southern States as a teacher; and the scenes of cruelty and wretchedness he beheld while there wrought into his character that strong hostility to every form of op- 32 530 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. pression, that has ever marked his public career. He was graduated from college with great distinction at the age of nineteen. Shortly after taking his degree, he applied himself to the study of law, and was ad- mitted to the bar of the Supreme Com-t, at Utica, in 1822. In January, 1823, he took up his residence at Au- burn, and formed a business connection with Hon. Elijah Miller, a distinguished member of the legal profession, and at that time First Judge of Cayuga County. The following year Mr. Seward married Frances Adeline, daughter of Judge Miller. Mr. Seward met with several formidable competitors at the Auburn bar in the early part of his practice ; but their superiority, instead of discouraging him, only roused him to emulation; and by his talent, rigid self-discipline, and habits of industry, he soon raised himself to a station held only by the first lawyers of the Union. Mr. Seward presided over the memorable Young Men's Convention, held at Utica, August 12th, 1828, and performed the duties of his position with remarka- ble dignity, courtesy and decision. The Anti-Masonic party having, in 1830, nominated him Senator for the 7th district, he was elected by a handsome majority, notwithstanding that the district had the previous year given a heavy Jackson majority. About the 1st of June, 1833, he set out for a trip through Europe, in BIOGRAPHIES. 531 company with his father. During this trip he con- tributed letters of foreign travel to the Albany Evening Journal. He returned in time to take his seat in the Senate for tlie session of 1834. In the fall of this year he was nominated by the Whigs to the Governor- ship of ISew York, but failed to be elected. Mr. Seward has alwaj-s been liberal in his religious Adews, cherishing a strong attachment for the Protest- ant Episcopal Church. He united with this church at St. Peter's, Auburn, in the year 1837. Being once more nominated Governor in 1838, he was, in a closely-contested campaign, triumphantly elected ; and upon the expiration of his term, in 1840, he was returned to the office. When he withdrew from the gubernatorial chair, in 1843, he devoted him- self to the practice of his profession, and continued the same with distinction for the six ensuing years. The Legislature chose Governor Seward U.S. Senator in 1849, in the place of Hon., now General John A, Dix, whose term was about expiring. He remained in the Senate twelve years, being re-elected in 1855. In the spring of 1858 he undertook a journey to and through Palestine, returning early in 1859. When President Lincoln formed his cabinet in 1861, he called Governor Seward to the charge of the State Depart- ment, retaining him in that position upon his re-elec- tion in 1865. On the night of the 14th of April, 1865, when the lamented Lincoln was assassinated, an at- 532 IllSTOKY OF AUBURN. tempt was also made upon Secretary Seward's life, which almost proved successful. But a gracious Prov- idence spared him to the nation, and for four years more he administered the affairs of the State Depart- ment with that faithfulness and ability which has ever marked his career while in the service of the country. He has, therefore, performed the duties of his office, not only with greater distinction and success, but for a longer period than any former premier of this nation. Secretary Seward's career of nearly fifty years as a citizen, member of the legal profession, and a public man, has been that of a talented, public-spirited Christian. In private life, he has always been known as affectionate, generous, and enterprising. He was one of the founders of the Auburn and Owasco Canal project, in 1827, and at the laying of the corner- stone of the canal dam, in 1835, he delivered an ora- tion, which is given in an earlier part of this work. He took a leading part in all the enterprises of the day for many years, the Auburn Woolen Company in 1845, among the others. In 1857, he donated to the city land for a highway, from Owasco Street to the creek, and from the creek to Mechanic Street, a short dis- tance above the big dam, on condition of the city build- ing a bridge across the stream at that point. He gave his further support to the measure, and addressed the common council in furtherance of the project. A novel sight, indeed ; Senator of the United [States of BIOGKAPHIES. 533 America, pleading before the coimiioii council of this little city for public improvement. To his success in the matter the red bridge now testifies. The honor and esteem in which he is held by his fellow-citizens were demonstrated by the reception they gave him on his return from the Holy Land in 1859. The popula- tion of the city and country round turned out en masse / immense arches, decked wath evergreens and flowers, were erected in various places between the E.. K. depot and his residence ; cannon fired and bells rung ; a dep- utation of citizens waited upon Governor Seward on his arrival and escorted him to the house ; bauds of music attended, the crowds cheered vociferously, and waved their handkerchiefs, and a hundred or more lads thronged round the Governor's carriage with ban- ners inscribed : " God bless Governor Seward," " Wel- come home, Governor Seward," " Long live Governor Seward." This was the greatest ovation Auburn ever tendered one of her own citizens. They would have again met him with a reception on his late return from Washington, had he not absolutely declined it. Ilis fellow- citizens showed their high appreciation of his comprehension, judgment and foresight, by besieging him, upon his every return from Washington during the the war, for a speech — an exposition of the issues of the hour. During the comparatively few years of his pro- fessional practice, Mr. Seward distinguished himself 634: IIISTOKY OF AUBUKN. as one of the ablest lawyers of the United States. Hostility to oppression and love of liberty and jus- tice were leading traits of his character. As a pro- fessional rule he gave his assistance to the weaker party, and never but once took sides against the accused. His peculiar aptitude for mechanical and scientific subjects obtained him a large and lucra- tive practice in patent cases. But what was alone sufficient to render Mr. Seward's name illustrious was the part he took in the famous trials of "Wyatt and Freeman, In 1845, one Wyatt, a convict at the State prison, was indicted for the murder of a fellow-convict. The day before the trial, "Wyatt called upon Mr. Seward for help, and he under- took "Wyatt's defense. The case was evidently one of moral insanity, and Mr. Seward at his own expense summoned many capable witnesses, that the case might be fairly presented to the jury. After an exciting trial the jury disagreed. Before a second trial, a released negro convict, William Freeman by name, committed one of the most atrocious murders recorded in the annals of crime — that of a whole family in cold blood. Upon his capture, which was immediate, he acknowledged his guilt with idiotic indifiTerence and irrepressible shouts of laughter. The public was fearfully excited by this crime. It was with the greatest difficulty that Freeman was protected from their hands. The BIOGRAPHIES. 535 Governor of the State, Hon. Silas Wright, ordered a special term of court for the trials of Wyatt and Freeman. In the case of "VVyatt, jurors were chosen who owned to having formed an opinion ; and, as might have been expected, the prisoner was found guilty and sentenced to death. Mr. Seward spent upon this case four weeks of hard labor without the slightest pecuniary compensation, but rather at considerable private expense. The trial of Freeman now came on. Public excitement was raised to the highest degree of intensity. No other cause being apparent for the commission of his crime, the people believed it to be that he had heard Mr. Seward's argument in the first trial of Wyatt, and was impressed with some idea of the irresponsibility of one who is insane. When the indictment was read to the pris- oner, and he was asked whether or no he was guilty, he replied with a stupidity that astonished even those who wished his death. After the court had asked if he had counsel, a death-like stillness reigned for a moment, and then Mr. Seward stepped for- ward and volunteered to defend him. In bar of a trial he offered the plea of insanity, and the trial was directed to proceed on this question. A jury was drawn under circumstances similar to that by which Wyatt was tried. David Wright, Esq., vol- unteered to assist in the defense. Attorney-General 536 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. Martin Van Buren conducted the prosecution. For two weeks Mr. Seward contested the sanity of Freeman with such energy and perseverance as to draw plaudits from his most violent opponents. When the case was submitted to the jury, eleven decided he was guilty, but one that he was not. The court, with that irregularity which had already characterized its proceedings, received the verdict and pronounced upon the prisoner, who was utterly unconscious of what was going on, the sentence of death. To this proceeding Mr. Seward entered an earnest protest; and in a short time he obtained an order for a new trial. But the Judge before whom he was tried and condemned, declared the prisoner incompetent for a second trial ; and after the expi- ration of a few weeks. Freeman committed suicide in jail, — another convincing proof of his insanity. A jpost-mortem examination revealed the fact that Freeman's brain was badly diseased, thereby most triumphantly substantiating Mr. Seward's plea. The undaunted perseverance with which Mr. Seward defended that poor demented negro, in the face of popular clamor and prejudice, gained for him a reputation, which will last as long as this nation preserves the principles of justice and liberty, upon which it is founded. It remains to speak briefly of Mr. Seward's political career. Previous to the decline of the N^ational He- BIOGRAPHIES. , 537 publican party, in 1828, he was a member of that party ; thenceforward a "Whig and Anti-Mason until the revi- val of the Republican party, in 1856. In the various posts of public trust and honor wdiich he has held — State Senator, Governor, United States Senator, and Cabinet officer — he has ever proved himself tl^e foe of injustice and oppression, at home and abroad, and the friend of liberty, universal suffrage, the interests of education, internal improvement, and national exten- sion ; and now, in a ripe old age, he is loved and hon- ored as one of the truest citizens and noblest statesmen this country ever produced. Doctor Hackaliah Burt was born at Bridgefield, Conn,, in the year 1773. In his native place he studied medicine, though physic and surgery, as practiced in those days, does not appear to have been congenial to his taste. He came to this place in March, 1796, three years subsequently to the first white settlement, made by Colonel John H. Hardenburgh. At the time Dr. Burt came to this country, there could not have been more than half-a-dozen families in the neighborhood. The forests around were the abode of savages, and there was hardly a sufiicient clearing to mark it as the habi- tation of civilized man. The motive w^hich led young Burt to this region is unknown ; but was probably the love of adventure, whicli so often tempts the mind of youth to seek a fortune in an untried sphere. When 638 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. he commenced life in the new settlement of Harden- biirgh's Corners, he engaged in the mercantile business, furnishing supplies to the Indians forming a large share of his trade. He joined, at various periods, partner- ship with Dr. Crossett, Dan Hyde, and a younger brother. His place of business was a little west of where the Baptist Church now stands ; but he subse- quently removed to the site now occupied by the store of P. C. Woodruff & Co. In 1801, he returned to Connecticut, and, at his na- tive place, wooed and won Eunice, daughter of Epene- tus Howe. It was not till the following year, how- ever, that he brought his wife to share with him the trials of a pioneer's life. He then purchased a large farm on the east of South Street, and on the northern boundary laid out Grover Street. Upon the borders of this tract, whose southern limit was Swift Street, and eastern line. Mechanic and Moravia Streets, now stand some of the finest residences of the city. In 1813, Dr. Burt erected and moved into what was then considered a handsome house. No. 51 South Street, which building stands to the present day, and in which he spent the remaining years of his life. Dr. Burt adapted himself to the wants of the com- munity by serving in various public oflices, the duties of which he performed with ability. In the war of 1812-15 he held a commission as Lieutenant, serving thus his country in the double capacity of physician BIOGBA.PHIES. 539 and soldier. But it was in his religious life that he displayed his greatest strength of character. He was a stanch Episcopalian. At the age of sixteen he united with the church, and has been heard to say that, as he left the paternal roof, the parting injunction was, " Hold fast the profession of the faith." How far this counsel was heeded, the church in Auburn can testify. In 1805, the society of St. Peter's Church waa organized at Dr. Burt's house, at which time he wa& elected warden, an office he held for thirty-four con- secutive years. Through all trials attendant upon scantiness of the number and resources of St. Peter's, he remained its steadfast friend ; laboring with untir- ing zeal, until his efforts resulted in the successful com- pletion of a house of worship. Dr. Burt several times represented this chm*ch in diocesan convention, previ- ous to the division of this diocese. Dr. Burt lived to fine old age — long enough to behold his forest home become a large and prosper- ous city. His death occurred February 3d, 1859. The partner of his long life survived him but a few months. Their remains lie interred in St. Peter's church-yard. To Dr. Burt, one of the oldest settlers of Auburn, we are indebted as one of the founders of this large, beautiful, and rapidly-growing city. He was educated in the stern school of Connecticut morals, with habits of industry, strict integrity, and a high moral sense of 540 HISTORY" OF AUBURN. i right, which through life formed the basis of every action. Of this latter trait of character the following incident is related. When the speculating mania of '36 was at its height, a company in Boston negotiated with him for land, at what was considered an inflated value. When this mania collapsed and the land re- sumed its former value, the Doctor, unsolicited, and from his own conscious sense of right, released the contracting parties from a large share of the stipu- lated sum. Nathaniel Garrow was born at Barnstable, Mass., April 26th, 1780. While yet a lad he followed the sea for several years. At the age of sixteen he came to this comity, with an ax on his shoulder and a shilling in his pocket, as his sole possessions. He labored in clearing away the forests, which then overspread the now fertile fields of this vicinity, en- dured the trials of pioneer life, and, in company with other settlers, carried on an exchange of com- modities with the far-oif settlements of the Mohawk. It is said that his first labor here was paid for by half the skins of the deer killed by his companions. He received no early education, but had a vigorous iinderstandinp;, and qualities of mind and heart which stamped him one of Nature's noblemen. In public and private life he enjoyed the afiection and confi- dence of his fellow-citizens. From the age of twenty-one to twenty-five he re- BIOGEAPHIES, 541 ceived several commissions from the Governors of the State. About 1809 or '10 he was made, by the Council of Appointment, a Justice of the Peace. In the same way, in 1815, he became Sheriff of Cayu- ga County, which office he held, with one or two in- terruptions, until the alteration of the Constitution. During his official life, he gave many evidences of humanity and benevolence, even to a fault, in the duties of his office, when imprisonment for debt — that blot upon our statute books — was allowed, and when the county was comparatively new. By his money, counsel, and sympathy, he alleviated the misfor- tunes of those with whom he came in contact. No one in affliction appealed to him in vain. For many years Mr. Garrow was a trustee of the village. He was at various times director of the Cayuga County Bank and Bank of Auburn. In 1827 he took an interest in the cotton mills at Clarksville, in com- pany with the Hon. George B. Throop and Robert Muir. The following year he was elected Hepre- sentative in Congress for this district. In 1832 he was chosen Presidential Elector. He was appoint- ed marshal of the district in 1837, and received a re-appointment a few days before his death. About this time he lost his fortune in land speculation. The many other posts of confidence and honor, which he filled with credit to himself and satisfac- tion to his fellow-citizens, showed how well known 542 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. and appreciated he was, and how great was the vigor and activity of his mind. Mr. Garrow was engaged in all benevolent enter- prises for the welfare of society. He was a life member of the American Bible Society, and con- tributed largely to Hamilton College and the Au- burn Theological Seminary. In 1831 he became a member of the Baptist church of this city, and con- tributed $8,000 to the erection of a church edi- fice. To all objects of charity and benevolence he was, ■when fortune permitted, a cheerful giver ; when worldly possessions passed away, it was a constant source of grief that he could not relieve the necessi- ties of those in want. On the evening of March 3d, 1841, having spent the day in his ordinary employment, he suddenly died. The trustees of the village met on the morn- ing of the 5th and passed resolutions expressive of regret at the loss the village had sustained, and of their determination to attend the funeral in a body. The several Fire Companies, likewise, and the Au- burn Guards and Auburn Band, respectively, met, passed resolutions of grief, and agreed to attend the funeral. Hon. George Underwood was born at Cooperstown, N. Y., on the 4:th of January, 1816. In the third year of his age he came to Auburn with his father, and, as he grew to manhood, became identified with the pros- BIOGRAPHIES. '■ 543 perity of the place. He entered Hamilton College at the age of fifteen ; but ill health repeatedly interrupted his studies, and he spent seven years in the completion of his under-graduate course. His life as a student was a laborious one. Having in view the profession of a lawyer, he made present studies minister to his future career. He was graduated with the second honor in the class of '38 — a class containing names already marked with distinction. Several years later he testi- fied his devotion to Alma Mater by the endowment of a prize competition in chemistry. Upon his return to Auburn, Mr. Underwood applied himself to the study and practice of law. He soon at- tained high standing, and for the rest of his life ranked among the prominent members of the bar of this Judi- cial District. His peculiar excellence was that of a corporation lawyer ; he was for many years attorney for the Auburn and Syracuse Railroad Company. The confidence and esteem in which he was held by his fellow-citizens was evinced, in a measure, by his first and second election to the Assembly, in 1850 and '51, and to the mayoralty in 1854. Politics as such, how- ever, were not to his taste. As he took his seat in the Assembly, he playfully remarked that he hoped to pass a winter in Albany without detriment to his morals or his patriotism. Mr, Underwood was a friend of public enterprise, particularly of institutions of learning. He took an active part in the attempt to establish the 544 HIST<)RV OF A.UBUKN. Auburn Female College, in 1852 and '53, most of the meetings to discnss the project being held in his office. The subject of this sketch united with the First Presbyterian Church of this city, April 1st, 1855, and being a few months later chosen an elder, became a valued member of the session. The burden of professional business rendering him more susceptible to the inroads of disease, he was at length compelled to lay aside his duties and seek a cli- mate better suited to his health. He spent the winter of 1848-9 in South Carolina and Havana. Receiving no apparent benefit, he returned to Auburn about the first of May in a rapid decline. The grasp of his mal- ady, pulmonary consumption, could not be loosed, and on the evening of the 25th he departed this life. On the following day, the Bar of Cayuga held a meeting at the court-house, and, in resolutions passed thereat, paid a fitting tribute to the memory of the de- ceased. Beside his family, Mr. Underwood left behind him a large circle of personal friends ; and at his death Auburn lost one of her most honored citizens ; the legal profession, a valuable member ; and the commu- nity, a firm and steadfast friend of every enterprise calculated to benefit the people or advance the pros- perity of the place. Bev. George Morgan Hills, Rector of St. Paul's Church, Syracuse, New York, is the youngest son of BIOGEAPHIES. 545 Horace Hills, an early and prominent citizen of Au- burn, and was born in the then village, October 10th, 1825. He was prepared for college in select schools and under private tutors, and very early evinced great promise in oratory and belles-letters. When he was fourteen years of age, he removed with his parents from Auburn to the city of I^ew York. At seven- teen, he set to music what is believed to have been the first " Christmas Carol " sung in this country. He was graduated with distinction at Trinitv Col- lege, Plartford, Connecticut, in 1847; his oration at the commencement being so marked for vigorous and manly thought, as well as beauty of diction, that at the request of several distinguished literary gentlemen it was published. Immediately after his graduation, he was admitted a candidate for holy orders in the Diocese of Western E"ew York. After three years' study in divinity, he received the degree of Master of Arts from his Alma Mater, and was ordained a deacon by the Eight Eev. Bishop DeLancy. Mr. Hills took charge at once of Grace Church, Lyons, Wayne County, ITew York. In one year, he was ordained to the priesthood, by the same Bishop. He remained at Lyons till called to the rectorship of Trinity Church, Watertown, ]N"ew York. In 1857, he took charge of St. Paul's Church, Syracuse, one of the largest and most influential congregations in the State, which he still continues to hold. He made, in 1861, 33 546 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. an extensive tour in Europe, which occupied nearly a year. His contributions every week to the columns of the Gospel Messenger, of letters of foreign travel, are still remembered by the thousands of subscribers to that paper for elegant diction, and evidences of an un- commonly observing mind. In 1862 he was elected a trustee of the General Theological Seminary of the United States, and was subsequently placed by that corporation on the " com- mittee for the examination of students." In 1863, he was chosen by the convention of the Diocese of West- ern I^ew York 'as one of the four clergymen to repre- sent the diocese in the General Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. Five years later, at the organization of the Diocese of Central Kew York, he was chosen president of the first standing committee of the diocese ; and, at the special convention of the same, held January 13th, 1869, he was among those prominently balloted for, as Bishop of the Diocese. \ Mr. Hills, now in the prime of life, endowed with a vigorous, well-disciplined mind, and a genial disposi- tion, occupies a position in the ministry of the Episco- pal Church in this country, of which his native city may well be proud. Widely known for his church- manlike views, and as a sound, talented, and accom- plished divine, always promoting church-extension and missionary work, he is universally respected and ad- BIOGRAPHIES. 547 mired. In tlie pulpit he has few peers ; his style is fa- mous for its force, perspicuity, and grace ; and he is no less convincing in argument than attractive in de- livery. Among his published addresses and sermons, the most widely known are " The Wise Master-Builder, — a sermon commemorative of Bishop DeLancy ; " "A Step Between us and Death, — at the burial-service of the wife of General John A, Green, Jr. ; " "A Mother in Israel, — at the funeral of Mrs. Mary II. Pennell ; " and, " The Kecord of the Past, an Incen- tive for the Future, — the sermon preached at the last convention of the undivided Diocese of Western New York." Cyrus Curtis Dennis was born in Scipio, Cayuga County, May 6th, 1806. At an early age he learned the art of civil engineering, and practiced under the distinguished surveyor, David Thomas, Esq., along the route of the Erie Canal and its western branches, during the construction of the same. In 1826 he engaged in an iron foundry, at Ithaca, in company with Benjamin Yail. Coming to Auburn in 1833, he became a member of the firm of Hyde, Watrous & Co., and went into the hardware business. The following year, in con- nection with his brothers-in-law, Charles P. Wood and David II. Thomas, he established the well-known Commercial Iron AVorks, on State Street. Mr. Dennis 543 HISTORY OF AUBURN. took an active interest in the Auburn and Syracuse, and Auburn and Rochester Railroads, and was in one or both a director for several years. For these companies and for the Lake Shore Railroad Co. he manufactured large quantities of iron work and machinery. Mr. Dennis was president of the village of Auburn during the years 1840, '41 and '42 ; and was the first mayor of the city, being elected in 1848. The next year he associated himself with Josiah Barber in the manufacture of carpets. Receiving, in 1851, the appointment of superintendent of the Lake Shore Railroad, of which road he had pre- viously been a director, he removed with his family to Buffalo. The duties of this position he performed with great ability for a period of five years, within which time occurred the great excitement at Erie. Afterward, for more than a year, he was superin- tendent of the Mad River and Lake Erie R. R. Upon his resignation of this position he removed to Buffalo and engaged in an iron foundry as a member of the firm of Moore & Purdie. In the spring of 1859, Mr. Dennis returned to Auburn, and associating himself with D. Munson Osborne, Esq., under the title of D. M. Osborne & Co., engaged in the manufacture of the Kirby Mower and Reaper. ' The business rapidly increasing from the first, the buildings were largely and rapidly BIOGRAPHIES. 549 extended, and the establishment is now well known as one of the most extensive and important, mann- factories in the whole world. When the Auburn Water-Works Company was organized under its second charter, in 1863, Mr. Dennis was chosen one of the directors of the same. The subject of this sketch died at his residence on West Genesee Street, June 1st, 1866. During the last year of his life he was deeply interested in the Southern Central Kailroad, of which he was the first president. The friends of the enterprise expected much from him in this important w^ork, his practical knowledge of civil engineering, and high reputation as a railroad man, securing to it a greater degree of confidence than it had ever before possessed. Mr. Dennis exhibited a high order of intelligence, and sustained an unsullied reputation for integrity and virtue. He was proverbially known as an up- right, straightforward, out-spoken, clear-headed, en- terprising, generous, and patriotic citizen, and there never was a business man in the whole community whose loss was more deeply felt than his. IsoAiG Sherwood was born at Williamstown, Massa- chusetts, October 13th, 1769. Of his early life we have no details. He was married to Mary, daughter of Captain Amaria Babbitt, of Ashford, in the same State ; and shortly after taking his departure from his native place, he settled at Korway, Herkimer County, 550 HISTORY OF AUBURN. then belongino- to the tract of land known as the Hoyal Grant. Detei'mining a lew years later to remove thence, he surveyed the Suscjiiehanna and lake countries, and, after some hesitation, decided to find a home in the latter. In 1798, consequently, he came to Cayuga County, and located in Aurelius, on militaiy lot No. 36, at the west end of what was then termed the Long Crossway : better known in later times as Corduroy. In the year 1804, having formed a co-partnership with Winston Day, of Skaneateles, in the mercantile business, he removed thither. In 1810 he opened a public house in this village, and the following year purchased an interest in the semi-weekly line of stages from Albany to Canandaigua ; in consequence of which connection, their trips were increased to thrice- weekly. Upon the declaration of war in 1812, the route was extended from Canandaigua to Buffalo, and their trips were then made daily. In 1824, in con- nection with Messrs. Jason Parker, of Utica, and Thomas Powell, of Schenectady, he contracted with the Government to carry the mails daily from Albany to Rochester, BuiFalo, and Niagara Falls, via the Ridge Road. These contracts having been previously let in sections of the route, the first contract for carrying through mails from Albany to Buffalo daily, was made and executed by Isaac Sherwood. In the spring of 1829, with his son — well known a& BIOGRAPHIES. 551 Colonel John M. Sherwood, now residing in Fhelps, Ontario County — he laid the foundations of the American Hotel, on the ground previously owned by James Glover, Emory Willard, and A. Y. M. Suydam. The hotel, being completed, was formally opened January 1st, 1830, by Thomas Noyes, sub- sequently leased to Joshua L. Jones, and afterward occupied by William B. Wood. In the year 1833, Mr. Sherwood removed to Auburn. After the decease of Parker and Powell, his partners, the building and completion of the Erie Canal devel- oped the resources of the State to such an extent, as to render it necessary for him to associate with himself other gentlemen, in order to meet the increased de- mands of transportation ; but the principal manage- ment of the business devolved upon himself till 1840, the time of his death. Doctor Joseph Clary was born at Conway, Massachu- setts, December 18th, 1787 ; and died at Throopsville, May 25th, 1863, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. While yet quite young, he removed with his father, Abel Claiy, to Adams, Jefferson County, in this State. He studied medicine at Kew Hartford, and commenced its practice at the age of twenty-five, ^ot possessing a strong constitution, physicians advised him to seek a change of climate and establish for himself a country practice, where he would have plenty of horseback ex- ercise. They furthermore recommended him to select 552 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. a fever and ague region. Setting out on a tour of in- spection, he came to Auburn, then Ilardenburgh's Cor- ners ; but not being satisfied with the locality, he pro- ceeded as far west as Rochester. The population of this place being small, he returned to Auburn, and finally settled at Throopsville, three miles north of this place, in 1812. Here he resided until the time of his death. The good old age to which he had attained shows how far a temperate, cheerful, and active life will go to supply the want of a good constitution. Dr. Clary was for half a century the principal phy- sician of the neighborhood in which he lived. He vis- ited his patients with regularity, and preserved the en- thusiasm of youth to the last fortnio-ht of his life. A man of larger ambition and less merit would have sought a wider sphere ; but his characteristic modesty made him content with the place of his first choice, although the changes of fifty j-ears were constantly opening more inviting fields for the exercise of his tal- ents. It is doubtful, however, whether he could have found a more useful sphere, or associations and social fellowship more congenial to his taste. He attained a high standing in his profession, was distinguished for his careful analysis of symptoms, and was rarely mis- taken in the nature or location of the disease. He pos- sessed in a high degree the moral qualifications of a phy- sician ; and by his virtues and consistent piety won universal confidence. BIOGRArHIES. 553 Thougli Dr. Clary was not a resident of this place, the proximity of his residence, the nature of his calling, and his attractive social qualities made him extensively known and highly esteemed, both in Auburn and the rest of the county. His two sons, John S. Clary and James A. Clary, however, are residents of this city, and are respected as able business men, and loyal, gener- ous, and enterprising citizens. Dr. Clary united with the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn at an early period, and was for many years one of its ruling elders. His extensive practice as a physician did not interfere with the punctual and diligent discharge of his duties as a Christian, or in regular attendance upon public worship. He took a deep interest in the late struggle in the land, and presented a calm and loyal confidence in the issue. His sickness was brief Having attended service on the Sabbath, and visited those of his patients with re- gard to whom he was most solicitous, he was taken violently ill of a fever, and died early in the following week. His remains were followed to the grave by a large concourse of people, who sincerely mourned his departure. It was a solemn and impressive scene, and a fitting tribute of respect to the memory of the de- ceased. Horace Hills was born in East Hartford, Conn., October 31st, 1T87. His youth was passed in the 554 HISTORY OV AUBURN. family of liis uncle. Dr. William Porter, of Hadley, Mass. In May, 1809, he came to Auburn, and began the mercantile business, in which he was successfully en- gaged for thirty years. From earliest manhood he was an earnest supporter of the public services of Christian worship, and always gave liberally of his time and means for religious purposes. In 1810, he encouraged and aided the building of St. Peter's Church, the iirst house of worship in the village. He was one of the founders of the First Presbyterian Society, in 1815, and one of the Second Presybterian Society, in 1828 ; in both of which churches he held the office of ruling elder for many years. He was also one of the founders of the Theological Seminary, of which he was trustee. He was at one time president of the village, and was long one of the inspectors of the Auburn State prison, under appointment from the Governors of the State. He was one of the first to introduce the cultivation of choice fruits and flowers, and to give the village its rural adornments of trees and shrubbery. Shortly after his removal to Auburn, he married Miss Almira Wilcox, of East Guilford, Conn., whose domes- tic and social virtues graced his home for nearly half a century. Their united influence was always felt in the cause of refined and Christian education. Their sur- viving children are two sons, the Rev. Horace Hills, Jr., and the Rev. George Morgan Hills, clergyman of the BIOGKAPHIES. 555 Protestant Episcopal Churcli, and three daughters^ the founders of the church school for young ladies in; Buffalo, N. Y. For the last twenty-two years, Mr. Hills has resided in Buffalo, where he still enjoys a. " green old age." Robert Muir was a native of Scotland, and born at Kilwinning, on the 25th of March, 1790. At the age of sixteen he came to this country with George Leitch, a prominent and early merchant of this place, and became- known to the inhabitants of the then village of Auburn, as his clerk. A few years later he established himself in the mercantile business, and soon won the enviable reputation of being one of the most exact and honorable of merchants. In 1822, he married Miss Nancy Bennett^ of this village, who, with her virtues, domestic and so- cial, graced his family circle until her death, in Janu- ary, 1864. Their family of two sons and five daugh- ters still survive. In 1827, he associated with himself the late Hon. Nathaniel Garrow, George B. Throop, and Eleazer Hills, in the manufacture of cotton cloth^ in the old factory at Throopsville — an institution of great value to this community — and afterward became sole proprietor of the business. At the same time he continued the sale of dry-goods and produce in a store,, which many of our citizens remember as standing on the north side of Genesee Street, just west of the bridge. In the year 1841, he met with one of those reverses of fortune, which often overtake the ablest 556 HISrOKY OF auhltkn. and most clear-headed business men, and lost a large fortune. Undaunted by this great calamity, he con- tinued his mercantile business, though upon a reduced scale, until the close of his life. Although a Presby- terian from the associations of youth, he gave his sup- port to St. Peter's Church in this city, and aided in the rebuilding of the church edifice, when destroyed by fire in 1832. He was by habit, education, and sen- timent, a religious man, Mr. Muir died at his residence in this city, February 17th, 1868, at the advanced age of seventy-eight. By his death Auburn lost one of her worthiest, most vener- able, and highly respected citizens. For more than half a century he was known as one of the most exact, honorable, and intelligent merchants. Five and twenty years ago, his name was associated with every en- terprise calculated to build up the interests of the town. He possessed the confidence of the community and surrounding farmers to a degree unsurpassed by any other individual. He was a man of fine social qualities; and his cheerful temper continued to the close of his life, though for several years the infirmities of age impaired his physical activity. James S. Seyinour^ president of the Jl^Tational Bank of Auburn, and now one of the oldest and most hon- ored citizens of our place, was born at the city of Hartford, Conn., in April, 1791. He received a com- mon school education in the old red school-house, an BIOGKAl'HIES. 657 institution well remembered by the people of that place. AVhile a youth he was a clerk in a mercantile establishment in his native town for some time, which he left to enter the Hartford Bank, where he remained six years, discharging the duties of his office with the care and precision which have ever distinguished him as a banker. During 1816, seeking a temporary relief from business, he visited Western New York, where he had two brothers residing, one at Canandaigua, cashier of the bank there, the other in Buffalo. In his. travels he met, at Utica, John H. Beach, Esq., of Au- burn, who was away from town on business relating to the bank, then lately established under the auspices of himself and his Auburn friends. On his return from the West, Mr. Seymour stopped, by invitation, at Auburn. A meeting of the directors of the Au- burn Bank was called as soon as it was known that he was in town, and he was appointed cashier. The stockholders had made their iii'st payment on their subscriptions and were anxious to have the bank run- ning. Mr. Seymour was undecided until after his re- turn home. He ultimately accepted, returned to Au- burn, and began the operation of the celebrated insti- tution, with which he has now been connected in an official capacity for over fifty years. Mr. Seymour has never taken part in political strife, and therefore can boast of no civic honors. He holds, however, the responsible position of president of a 558 HWIitKV OF ALTBUK>f. bank ; lias been a trustee of the Theological Se\ninary, is now a trustee of the U. S. Life and Trust Co., of New York, and president of trustees of Cayuga Oounty Orphan Asylum, of which institution he was one of the originators. His name has been connected with every charitable and philanthropic movement that has engaged the attention of the people of Au- burn during his residence here. Captain Geoi^ge Brown Chase was born at Nan- tucket, Massachusetts, April 7th, 1785, and like most of his playmates was trained for the sea. At the age of thirteen he sailed as cabin-boy with his uncle, John Brown, upon a three years' voyage to the Pacific Ocean. In 1802 he made another voyage of two years to the South Pacific, in the capacity of second mate, during which he became proficient in harpooning whales, which was considered a great accomplishment. From that time forward, to 1824, he commanded several fine whaling ships, and in that service was very successful. During that period of his life he married in Nan- tucket. In 1821 a splendid ship was built expressly for him at Middletown, Connecticut, and at its launch- ing his wife named it the Alexander^ with the usual ceremony of cracking a bottle of wine upon its stern. In this vessel he made his last voyage, setting sail the 18th of August, 1821, and arriving in port May 3d, 1821:. This cruise was made to the coast of Japan, where he took 2,970 barrels of sperm, (700 of it in 25 BIOaRA^PHIES. 559 days) and a large quantity of whale-bone. Upon his return to Nantucket, he found that his wife and daugh- ter had died during his absence. He then retired from the sea. In 1825 he removed, with the surviving members of his family, to the city of Hudson ; but during his first winter's residence at this place he was burnt out by a disastrous fire, and in the following spring he returned to Nantucket. Early in 1827 he came to Auburn with his family, and bought the Casey farm, of 150 acres, on North Street, a portion of which is now occupied by his son, George R. Chase ; and with a brief interval in 1837 and '38, resided there until his death. Captain Chase had the sternness of manner and energy of a vigorous sea captain, mingled with a high sense of honor and generous hospitality. His love of genial company was remarkable. He was positive in all his characteristics. His antipathies were strong, but were not stronger than liis attach- ments. He was naturally enterprising. Finding upon his farm an excellent stone-quarry, he suggested a more general use of stone for buildings, side- walks, and streets, than had ever been made of it before. Macadamized streets here are chiefly owing to his timely hints of their value. He served the public in various capacities. He was trustee of his ward under the village charter in 1840 and '41, and president of the village in 1844 and 560 HISTORY OF AUBURN. '45. He was one of the originators of the Auburn Gas-light Company, and was president of that or- ganization from its formation, February 16th, 1848, to the time of his death, Januarj^ 29th, 1853. His remains now repose in a vault built by himself du- ring his life time in the North Street cemetery. George Casey was born in Poughkeepsie, Dutch- ess County, September 20th, 1772. Marrying, at the age of eighteen, Jane, daughter of Mr. Christo- pher Dutcher, of that county, he thus early entered the duties and responsibilities of active life, settled upon a farm in Dover (then Fowling), in a beau- tiful and fertile region, and devoted himself to ag- ricultural pursuits, the engrossing interest of his life. He took a deep interest in the political issues of the day, and was called to fill several official sta- tions. He served in the capacity of Justice of the Peace for twelve or thirteen years. He was elected supervisor of his town, and at one or more sessions of the board was its presiding officer. He was one of the assistant Justices of the county court. In 1807 he was elected to the State Assembly, for .the session of 1808, in a canvass of unusual interest, involving among other questions the local one of the division of the county — Dutchess at that time rank- ing next to New York in point of wealth, popula- tion and resources. This subject became one of the most exciting and engrossing topics of the session. BIOGRAPHIES. 561 After a long, sharp contest, tlie measure, to whicli Mr. Casey was opposed, was carried through. In this, and other subjects which came before the house during that session, he took a prominent part, be- ing associated with such prominent and leading men of the State as Elisha Williams, Stephen Yan Rens- selaer, Thomas R. Gold, Abraham Yan Yechten, Sylvanus Miller, and others. In 1809 he received the appointment of jx)stmaster at Dover from Gideon Granger, the Postmaster General, which position he held until his removal from the county. Attracted thither by the glowing accounts of the richness and resources of the western part of the State, its beauty and fertility, its charming lakes and pleas- ant streams, its forest scenery, here and there checkered with cultivation, its landscapes of gentle swells and pleasant valleys, and its genial and invigorating cli- mate, Mr. Casey, in the fall of 1813, removed with his family to Auburn (then Aurelius), settling on a farm in the northern part of the town. In no region more healthy and inviting could he have selected a spot for his future labors and comfort. The sun never shone on a lovelier or more fertile tract — with its stately growth of hickories, its giant maples and spreading beeches, its towering elms and lindens, with springs and streams of the purest water, and the placid Owasco, gem of the western lakes, gleaming in the dis- tance. The county was a wilderness — the quiet little 34 562 HISTOKY OF AUBUKN. hamlet of Hardenburgh's Corners, the only feature of I bustle and activity, nestling in the forest. Uopn the passage of the Act of the Legislature, in 1819, for erecting the Auburn prison, Mr. Casey was ap- pointed on the first Board of Inspectors, the other mem- bers being Judge Miller, Judge Glover, John H. Beach, and A. Kasson. To the work of organizing the insti- tution, its discipline, employment of convicts, selection of officials, its records and statistics, and the adoption •of means looking as well to the reformation of the of- fenders as their punishment, he, with his associates in the board, gave much thought, patient stud}'- and unwearied attention. i Mr. Casey took a prominent interest in the subject of education and the establishment of schools and academies. He became a zealous inquirer on re- ligious subjects, and was an incessant Bible reader. Making the study of the Scriptures his delight, he learned whole chapters and pages of its contents. In religious discussion, in which he frequently mingled, he was ever ready with apt quotation from the sacred writings. At such times, however, he refrained from bitterness and caustic expression. His religious views were broad and independent, believing that the doc- trine of universal salvation was right and Scriptural, and that the Divine Government, in its dealings with men, was one of infinite goodness, mercy and com- passion. BIOGKAPHIES. 563 With courteous, dignified deportment, refined man- ners, and polished address, he was exceedingly plain, preferring the garb of homespun to the adornments of fashion. He detested foppery in all its phases, and on one occasion required his eldest son, tlien a stripling of ten, to rehearse in the presence of its venerable author, William Ray, the poem on the " Ploughboy and the Dandy." His simplicity of dress accorded with the truthfulness and sincerity of his character. He had a theory that if a man possessed merit, he had but to bide his time, and wait for the appreciation and re- ward wliich w^as sure to come. A mistaken theory, perhaps, as he considered not the scorns and buffets, " Which patient merit of the unworthy takes,—" and that success in life, in the race for honor and dis- tinction^ is as much due to pretension and clap-trap, as to solid worth and unostentatious desert. While a resident of Auburn, Mr. Casey took no prominent part in politics. He gave his time mainly to the improvement and cultivation of his farm. Hav- ing sold his estate, he removed, in 1829, to Oswego, whither his daughter, Mrs. Jehiel Clark, with her hus- band and family, had gone the previous year. He then purchased a large farm (m the shore of Lake Ontario. He was elected and served as one of the magistrates of the town. Soon after, he sold his farm and removed to Williamson, Wayne County', where his son-in-law, Charles M. Nichols, was engaged in the mercantile 664 HISTORY OF A.UBDRN. buBiness. Hence, after an absence of two years, he returned to Auburn. In 1835, about which time his daughters, Mrs. Hop- kins and Mrs. Nichols, had with their families re- moved thither, he made a journey to Michigan. He there purchased several hundred acres of Government lands in Kalamazoo and Calhoun Counties, then re- garded as the best of territory. He traveled much alone on horseback over the prairies and through the wilderness. Exposure to malaria brought on a fever, and on reaching Detroit he was prostrated with dis- ease. Although kindly attended and faithfully minis- tered to in the house of a friend, whom, by the way, he had known in Auburn, he died on the 16th of Septem- ber, 1835, after a long life of physical and mental labor. His end was peace — his record in life that of an honest man. His remains were deposited in the cemetery at Detroit, whence, twenty-three years later, they were removed by his son George to Auburn, and there deposited in the North Street cemetery, beside those of his faithful and devoted wife, who survived him until 1843. Of his eleven children four survive : Mr. George Casey and Mrs. Wm. Van Tuyl, of Auburn, John M. Casey, of Oswego, and Mrs. Hopkins, of Charleston, Michigan. Joseph L. Richa/pdson was born in Frederick Co., Maryland, in the year 17Y6, and came to Cayuga BIOGRAPHIES. 565 County in 1802. He studied law at Aurora, settled at Auburn in 1805, and the following year entered into co-partnership with Enos T. Throop, in the prac- tice of law. Mr. Eichardson was instrumental in the removal of the county seat from Aurora to Aubm'n, and also an effective advocate of the selection of this place as the site of the State prison, of which he was for many years inspector. He was District Attorney at a time when this Judicial District comprised a great portion of Western ISTew York. In the war of 1812, he held the position of paymaster of the army, with the rank of Major. In the year 1827 he was ap- pointed First Judge of Cayuga County, a position he held until the adoption of the new constitution, in 1846, a period of nearly twenty years. Judge Eichardson died at his residence in this citv, in the month of April, 1853. The preamble and reso- lutions adopted at a meeting of the bar of Cayuga County, held therefor, comprise a brief and appropri- ate summary of his character : " Whereas, The recent dispensation of Providence lias removed from among us, in the full maturity of years, our distinguished elder brother, the Hon. Joseph L. Richardson, a pioneer in the early settlement of the county, a prominent citizen, a strong- minded and vigorous Judge, the oldest and one of the most distin- guished members of the bar of Cayuga, the cotemporary, in his prime, and compeer of Spencer and his associates : Resolved, That in the death of our distinguished fellow-citizen and brother, although not gathered until " fully ripe for the har- 566 HTSTOKY OF AUBURN. vest," yet retaining in a remarliable degree the -vigor of intellect and force of character which marked his prime, the bar of Cayuga County has lost one of its ablest members. Besolved, That in temperance of living, in strictest regard of the moral and social requirements of the citizen, in the high-toned and fearless discharge of his duties as a Judge, in the vigorous and intelligent discharge of his duties as a member of the bar, in the strength of his personal attachments, in the purity of his domes- tic life, the deceased has set us an example well worthy of imita- tion." Hon. John Beardsley was born at Southbury, ISTew Haven Co., Conn., on the 9tli of November, 1783. From the 1st of October, 1798, the time of his father's death, he was obliged to rely for support and success in the world mainly on his own exertions. He mar- ried, in 1804, the wife who now survives him. In the month of March, 1808, he removed to this county, and purchased and settled upon a farm in Scipio. At this time he opened a store in that town, and, for the period of eighteen years, carried on mercantile and farming business together. During that period he was several times elected to various local offices, such as Supervisor and Justice of the Peace. On the 23d of March, 1820, he was appointed by Grovernor Clinton and the Council of Appointment, one of the Associate Judges of Cayuga County, and sat as Judge with the Hon. Elijah Miller, First Judge, so called, until the 31st of Januar}^, 1823, when both of them gave way to appointees under a new constitution. In years 1832 BIOGRAPHIES. 56T and '33, he represented this comity in the Assembly ; and in the fall of '35, he was elected to the State Sen- ate from the Seventh District. The following year he removed his residence to Auburn, where he spent the remainder of his life, in the mansion on Genesee Street, now occupied by his widow. In 1840, he became the President of the Cayuga County Bank, which position he held until the 29th of March, 1843 ; resigning it to enter upon the duties of agent of the prison. These he discharged with great faithfulness, until his retire- ment in 1835. The agency of the Auburn prison was the last official position which he held. Judge Beardsley was a self-made, industrious, up- right, substantial, thrifty man, who was held in verj^ high estimation by the community, and particularly by his Democratic friends. He was by nature and habit a good financier ; and by strict attention to bus- iness, while he pretended to be engaged in it, he amassed a handsome property. As a neighbor, he was sociable, genial, accommodating, and kind. As a citi- zen, he was clear-sighted, sound-minded, well-judging, and just. And as a legislator and public officer, he was faithful to all trusts, careful, considerate, and wise. His management of the State prison elicited very high commendations in every section of the State. Upon his retirement from the position of agent of the prison, he devoted his time to the cultivation of 568 HISTORY OF AUBUKN. his farm, until physical infirmities obliged him to give up all business. lie was ever fond of agricultural pur- suits. He died May lith, 1857, in the seventy-fourth year of his age. His remains are interred in Fort Hill cemetery, John I. Ilagaman w^as born at ISTine Partners, Dutchess Co., I^. Y., on the 21st of March, 1792. At an early age he came with his parents to Lodi, Seneca County, and was, on attaining a suitable age, appren- ticed to John Goltry, Esq., in the trade of a carpenter and joiner. His early and passionate fondness for architecture, however, led him to buy off his time be- fore the expiration of his apprenticeship and devote himself to the study of his favorite art. He soon es- tablished himself in the business of a master-builder and cabinet-maker. In 1820 he went to Groton, Cortland Co., for«the purpose of erecting a church which he had designed for that village. He came to Auburn in October of the following year, and opened a school of architectural design. The principal works that he performed in this place were the enlargement of the First Presbyterian Church, the designing and erection of the Second Church edifice in 1830, the preparation of the plans of the present court-house and town hall, and the building of many of the stores and private residences of the place. The village map of '36 was projected by him, and he furnished the eleva- BIOGRA.PHIES. 569 tions of the public buildings for the engravings issued with it. For many years he was foreman in the stone-cutting shop at the prison, superintending the dressing of plain and ornamental building-stone for edifices of this and many other towns in the State. Almost immediately after his removal to Auburn, Mr. Hagaman was ordained deacon in the First Church. He took a prominent part in the organization of the Second Presbyterian Society, by which he was chosen elder. For many years he was leader of the choir in that church, and he conducted a singing-school — in those days an institution of much greater importance than in later times. In 1843, he returned to Lodi, where he held his nominal residence during the rest of his life. The fol- lowing year he was employed by the Erie Kailroad Co., and three or four years later by the Ohio and Mississippi Railroad Company, to project bridges and design depots. He remained in their service until his death, in October, 1853. Deacon Hagaman was always known as a generous, patriotic, virtuous, and intelligent man, and led a most exemplary Christian life. Being exceedingly tender- hearted, he was greatly pained b}' the severe prison discipline of his time ; and he often carried in his pockets, to the convicts under him, medicine and other little articles for the relief of their sufferings. He en- tertained a deep love for music and the fine arts. The 570 HISTOKY OF AUBURN. liigh degree of excellence lie attained in the profession of an architect showed his great devotion to it. Ex- tremely fond of study and reading, he accumulated a large and valuable library of architectural works. He was highly esteemed by all who knew him, and his re- moval from Auburn and subsequent death were deeply regretted by the community. The surviving members of his family are Mrs. J. Rutsen How and Mrs. Benjamin F. Hall, of this city \ Mrs. John Hoss, of Yincennes, Ind. ; Mrs. Stephen T. Owen, of Big Flats, N. Y. ; and Mrs. E. Stuart Wil- son, of Brockport, IST. Y. Colonel John Richardson was born in Tauney town- ship, Frederick County, Maryland, on the 19th of De- cember, 1780 ; and died in Auburn, April 20th, 1849^ in the sixty-ninth year of his age. During his youth he resided at Baltimore, where he learned and became proficient in cabinet-making — a trade he followed through life. Upon his arrival at majority, he removed to Marietta, Ohio, and there established himself in busi- ness. While resident at this place he became ac- quainted with the unfortunate Blennerhassett, and through him, with Aaron Burr. By the la,tter he was solicited to join a secret expedition being then fitted out^ — for what purpose, it is not entirely known, even at the present day ; but suspecting treasonable designs,^ he declined having anything to do with it, thereby in- curring the wrath of Blennerhassett. After remaining BIOGKAPHIES. 571 several years in Marietta, lie descended the Ohio and Mississippi Eivers to New Orleans, with a large stock of furniture. Having disposed of the same satisfacto- rily, he took ship for Philadelphia, in search of a loca- tion better suited to his mind. Thence he came to= Cayuga County ; and, after a short stay in the town of Scipio, came and settled at Auburn in 1809. Wlien, in 1812, a call was made for troops to defend the frontier, he was among the first to respond. Hav- ing raised a volunteer rifle company, of which he was chosen captain, he soon entered actual service. He was engaged at Fort Erie and Chippewa, where he dis- tinguished himself for his presence of mind and daring. His gallant conduct drew warm encomiums from his superior officers ; and he was subsequently promoted to ' the rank of Colonel. Upon his return, he resumed his trade of cabinet- making, which he pursued, sometimes alone in busi- ness, sometimes in partnership with others, during; the remaining years of liis life. Colonel Kichardson was possessed of many shin- ing qualities. He was a steadfast friend, an enter- prising and patriotic citizen, and a generous, hon- orable, and honest man. The duties of the various military and civil positions wliich he held, he per- formed with credit to himself and to the satisfac- tion of his fellow-citizens. Dm'ing his residence of nearly fort}'^ years in Auburn, he was universally. ."572 HISTORY OF AUBURN. known and esteemed ; and his death was sincerely regretted by the community. Col. John W. HuTbert was born at Alford, Berk- ; shire County, Massachusetts, in tlie year 1770. He was the son of an eminent physician and accom- plished gentleman, and was one of a large family - of children. In 1793 he was admitted to the Jun- ior class in Harvard University, Cambridge, and graduated with honors in 1795, While in college he was presented by the Faculty with a copy of ' " Blair's Lectures," for his proficiency in rhetoric .and belles-lettres. He commenced the practice of law in 1797, and soon placed himself at the head of his profession. A distinguished member of the Berkshire bar, •writing to a friend in this city, spoke of him as "the brightest ornament of the bar for honor, wit, and eloquence." Mr. Hulbert subsequently re- moved to Pittsfield, in the western part of Massa- -chusetts, where he pursued his profession with ; great distinction and success, until he came to New York. In 1805 he was elected to the Massachu- setts House of Eepresentatives, and during its ses- sion took a prominent part in the debates of that assembly. He was the cotemporary and associate •of such distinguished patriots and orators as Harri- ;son G. Otis and Fisher Ames. In 1814 he was ^elected to Congress from Massachusetts, and during BIOGEAPHIES. 573^: his term of office displayed forensic eloquence, for- which he was justly celebrated. Mr. Hulbert, or as he was more generally known,. Colonel Hulbert, came to this place in 1817. Here, as at the place of his former residence, he ranked fore- most in his profession. He devoted his time to familyj, friends, and clients, rescuing the condemned from pun- ishment, and protecting widows and orphans — often without hope of reward. ]^ever but once did he fail to arrest the hand of the executioner. In the fall of 1824, he was elected to the State Assembly from this, county. The following year, when La Fayette passed through Auburn, he addressed him on behalf of his fellow-citizens. He died of apoplexy Oc- tober 19th, 1831. Colonel Hulbert was the most brilliant and emir- nent member of the Auburn bar. He was ever dis- tinguished for his benevolence, amiability of manuers,. inflexible honor, unwavering integrity, and his faithful and punctual discharge of duty. In political senti- ment he was a Federalist of the "Washington school. While he was in Congress, a then leading paper of Philadelphia said of him : " There is something in everything uttered by Mr. Hulbert, that reaches the heart of his auditors or readers. He is an honor to< his State, and one of the brightest ornaments of Con- gress. He is a Federalist of the right stamp. Were all Federalists like him, Federalism w^ould never have .57i HISTORY OF AUBURN. InciiiTed the opposition of the people.*" The grief felt at Colonel Ilulbert's death was testified by the •community in a larger funeral than was ever be- fore held in Auburn. Hon. Enos Thonvpsmi Throoj) was born at Johns- town, Montgomery County, ]^ew York, August 21st, 1Y84. At the age of fourteen he went to Albany, and •commenced the study of the classics and law in the office of George Metcalfe, an eminent lawyer of Johnstown, who had a few months before removed to the State capital. Completing his studies under other instructors and with other connections, he was iidmitted to the bar in Albany, January, 1806. Two months later he came to Cayuga County, but did not fix his residence at Auburn until l^ovember of the same year. The controversy concerning the location •of the county seat was then at its height, and Mr. Tliroop was instrumental in effecting the selection of Auburn for that purpose. The following year he en- tered into partnership with the Plon. Joseph L. Rich- ardson — afterward, for many years. First Judge of this county. This business connection was dissolved in 1811, upon his appointment to the office of county clerk. About this time he purchased the mill prop- erty at the village now called Throopsville ; shortly After which purchase the inhabitants, at a public meet- ing, named the place Throopsville in compliment to him. In the fall of 1814 he was elected to Congress BIOGKAl'HIES. 5Y5 from this district. Mr. Tliroop had been opposed to the election of Gov. Clinton in the campaigns of 1817 and '19. Upon Clinton's re-election, in 1819, it was in- timated to Mr. Tliroop, that, unless his opposition ceased, he would be removed from the office of county clerk ; but the intimation not being heeded, his re- moval followed. In April, 1823, he was appointed Circuit Judge for the 7th. District, which position he held until the fall of 1828, when, receiving the nomi- nation for Lieutenant-Governor, with Mr. Yan Buren at the head of the ticket, he resigned, in order to ren- der himself eligible to tlie latter office. In the en- suing campaign he was triumphantly elected. Mr. Yan Buren resigned the Governorship in March, 1829, in order to accept a position in the cabinet at "Washing- ton, and Mr. Throop then became Governor. He was re-elected in 1830. In the M^inter of 1833 the posi- tion of naval officer of the port of l!Tew York was tendered him by President Jackson and accepted. This office he retained till 1838, w^hen he was ap- pointed charge (Vaffaires to the kingdoms of the two Sicilies. Upon the election of Harrison he resigned, returned home, and retired from public life. Betak- ing himself to his quiet retreat on Owasco Lake — Willoio Brook — he sought among agricultural pur- suits the rest and happiness best fitted to grace his de- clining years. A few years later he transferred his property to his nephew, Hon. E. T. T. Martin, and 576 HISTORY OF AUBURN. removed to the vicinity of Kalamazoo, Mich., where he indulged his rural taste by purchasing, clearing, and cultivating a large farm. He subsequently returned to Willow Brook^ to spend the remaining years of his life. Gov. Throop was one of the earliest settlers of thi& place, and one of the most active citizens of that early day. He was a member of the first Board of Trustees of the village. He was instrumental in changing the politics of the county from Federalism to Democracy. He was the second postmaster of Auburn ; and he took an active part in the establishment of the Bank of Auburn. To Gov. Throop the author of " The Lives of the Governors of N'ew York " pays this well- deserved tribute : " Starting in life without adventitious aid, self-reli- ant, enterprising, and persevering, he achieved for himself an honorable fortune. Force of character and energy of purpose enabled him to triumph over every obstacle that impeded his way to distinction. Integ- rity, without spot or guile, was the polar star that guided his footsteps. He has filled, in every instance with credit, several of the most important offices in the State^and under the General Government, and now, as he approaches the close of his well-spent life, he presents an example to the young men of !New York, worthy of imitation and full of encouragement." Deacon Henry Amerman was born in Adams BIOGRAPHIES. 5n County, Pennsylvania, in the year 1Y70. Pie was of 'Dutch descent, his mother being great-granddaughter of Simon Van Arsdell, of New Amsterdam — one of those honest Dutchmen mentioned by Irving, "whose hand weighed one pound and foot weighed two." In 1801 he came, in company with six other families, from his native place, to Owasco, in this county. Here he secured a little unused log cabin, fifteen feet by twelve, which, with the assistance of his brothers, who had removed thither three years before, he soon placed in a habitable condition. Before th© ensuing winter set in, he purchased a piece of land, cleared it, and erected thereon a frame dwelling, twenty-six by eighteen feet, where he resided until 1804, when he came to Auburn. Having obtained a lot of Colonel Harden- burgh, upon the south side of Genesee Street, and east of the mills, he built a new frame house, and moved into it with his family in November. Hardenburgh's Corners, at this time, gave little promise of becoming a large city. Mr. Amerman's was the eighth frame building in the place. He now established himself in the business of a saddle and harness-maker, many of his customers being Indians from the camp on the pres- ent site of the prison. In 1806 he converted his resi- dence and shop into a tavern, and commenced keeping boarders. The same year Colonel Hardenburgh died, and Mr. Amerman was appointed one of the administra- tors of his estate. His duties were very arduous, as 35 578 HISTORY OF AUBUEN. the affairs of the deceased were left in an extremely complicated condition. In 1809, he was chosen captain of the Auburn mili- tia company ; and in the War of 1812-14, he marched out as far as Canandaigua at the head of his company, though he did not see active service. Mr. Amerman was one of the four who pledged the commissioners that the land for the original court- house should be free of expense to the county. He saw the site of that edifice staked out. He attended the meeting at which the name of Auburn was chosen for this place. Having sold his property in 1816, he purchased and removed to the Center House, where he kept tavern until 1822. While he was landlord of the Center House, the long room of that tavern was used for many public meetings — meetings for the dis- cussion of public enterprises, prayer-meetings, confer- ences. Sabbath schools, and singing schools. ' It is be- lieved that the first Sunday school organized west of Albany was held at the Center House. In 1817 Mr. Amerman was chosen one of the elders of the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn, in the organization of which he had taken a part. He witnessed the lay- ing of the corner-stone of the edifice of that society, and boarded many of the workmen engaged in its con- struction. For a number of years he was Overseer of the Poor of this place, performing the arduous duties of his office with signal faithfulness and ability. Upon BIOGKi^PHIES. 579 his disposal of the Center House, he removed to a house on Garden Street, which stood on a piece of land now occupied by the south-eastern corner of the N. Y. 0. R. R. depot. After a residence of five years in this house, he purchased a farm near Centreport, about seven miles north of Auburn, and removed thither with his family. Here he has spent the subsequent years of his life, living to a ripe old age, and enjoying in this, his 93d year, the use of his faculties to a re- markable degree. Deacon Amerman was one of the earliest settlers of Auburn — the oldest now surviving. During his resi- dence of twenty-three years in this place, he was ever known as an enterprising, energetic, kind-hearted, pa- triotic, honest, and honorable citizen ; and nothing has he since done, in his quiet rural life, to forfeit that well-deserved reputation. THE END. EEEATA. The reader will be pleased to correct the fol lowing; mistakes and omissions with his pen. Page 34, 8th line— For " double," read " both." 35, 14th " — For " were," read " was." 38, 24th " —Insert " and resulted," after " County." 49, 34th " —For " branch," read " bank." 68, 19th " —For " was," read " were." 83, 8th " —For " July," read " June." 107, 6th " —For " same," read " present." 136, 6th " —For " on," read " in." 136, 21st " —For " Hubbard," read "Hulbert." 162, 11th i' —For " Alvah" read " Allen." 209, 15th" — For "revelation," read "revulsion." 299, 6th " — For " and some," read " in some." 301, 18th " —For "gap," read "gate." 316, 21st " — For " ordinary," read " ordering." 319, 10th " —For " these," read " three." 322, 4th " —For " say," read " day." 456, 2d " — Insert " the payment of a bounty," after " 1864." 512, 28th " —For " 1846," read " 1848." Whenever the name " Daniel Hyde" occurs, read " Dan Hyde.'