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Tous les autres oxemplaires origiriaux sont filmte en commenqant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparaltra sur la dernidre image de cheque microfiche, selon Ie caa: Ie symbols — »► signifie "A SUIVRE", Ie symbols T signifie "FIN". Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc.. peuvent *tre filmte A des taux de rMuction diff^rents. Lorsque Ie document est trop grand pour Atre repruduit en un aeui ciich«. il eat filmi A partir do I'angie supArieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en baa, en prsnant ie nombre d'images n^cessaire. Les diagrammea suivants illustrent la mithoda. 1 2 3 f M SOM] HISTORY PIONEER SETTLEMENT or mm m mmi numi AND MOERIS' RESERVE; KMBEACINO THE COUNTIES OF OF ORLEANS. GENESEE AND WyOMIN^ TO -nrHICII IS ADDED, A SUPPLEMENT ', OR EXTENSION OF TOE PIONKKK UISTOEY OP MONROE COUNTY. THE WHOLE PRECEDED BT SOME ACCOUNT OF FREXrn *Mn ..«„, SENEOAS-WITH "a GLANCE AT THE IROQUOIS." Ik BY 0. TURNER. [AUTHOR OF THE "hiSTORV OF THE HOLLAND PURCHASE."] ,.,»-*^*..*jB ^ ^ ai' BIT WILLIAM .ALtlNG. 1861. 34316 ^ > Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1851, by Wir. Alling, in tlie Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Northern District of New York. Stereotyped by J. w. nuowjf, Rocliester. rniNTEn by lee, maxn & oo., Rochester, JV. Y, TO THE " SURVIVING PIONEERS AHQ THS DESCENDANTS OP PIONEERS or PHELPS AND aOEHAM'S PURCHASE, AND MORRIS' RESERVE, THIS -WORK 18 EESPKCTFDLly DEDICATED:— To the first, — as a feeble tribute, a moiety of what is their due, for the ph3,sical and moral triumphs they have won through long early years of toil, privation and endurance. In view of the brief space allotted to man by an All Wise Providence, as an average existence — (uo more than thirty fleeting yeara constituting a generation) — you live to be the witnesses of more than it is often given to man to see. The wilderness you entered in your youths — some of you in middle age — you have lived to see not only "blossom as the rose," but to bear its matured and ripened fruit. ^Vhere you have followed the trails of your immediate predecessors — the Seneca Iroquois -- or your own woods paths, are Canals, Rail Roads and Telegraphs. A long line of internal navigation — an artificial River — bearing upon its bosom the products of your own subdued, teeming soil, and continuous fleets, laden with the products of an Empire, that has sprung up around the bor- ders of our Western Lakes — winds along through vallies that you have seen but the abodes of wild beasts; from whose depths you have heard in your log cabins, the terrific howl of the famishing wolf ! Aqueducts, structures that the architects of the old worid might take for models, span the streams you have often forded, and over wliich you have helped to throw primitive log bridges. And upon these Lakes, whose commerce you have seen to consist of a few batteaux, lazily coasting along near shore, putting into bays and inlets, whenever the elements were disturbed — are fleets of sail vessels, and "float- ing palaces," propelled by a mighty agent, whose powers were but little known when you began to wield the axe in the forests of the Genesee coun- try. A subtle agent was occasionally fljishing in the dark forests, indicating its power by scathing and levelling its taU trees; then but partiaUy subdued to man's use; now tamed, hai^essed, control' 3d; traversing those wirea and bringing the extremes of this extended Union to hold convene mth each other with the "rapidity of thought,"— more than realizing the boasts of the spirit of the poet's imagination, who would '• Put a girdle 'round the Earth in thirty minutes !" IV DEDICATION. I Villages, cities, institutions of religion and learning, are upon sites where you have, seen the dark shades of the forest rest wi.h a profound stillness, that you could hardly have expected to see disturbed by the hand of improve- ment. But more than all this, you have lived to see an extended region of wilderness converted inlx> fruitful fields ; a landscape every where interspersed with comfortable, often luxurious, fai-m buildings; surrounded by all the evi- dences of substantial, unsurpassed prosperity. Who else that have planted colonies, founded settlement*, have lived to see such consummations ? Peaceful, bloodless, and yet glorious ! The conquerous upon battle fields have been destroyei-s; you, creatore; they, have made fields desolate; you, have clothed them with smiUng promise and full fruition. The)', have brought mourning; you, rejoicing. Theirs, was the physical courage of a day, perhaps of a for- tunate hour; youi-s, was the higher and nobler attribute — the moral courage — the spirit of endurance and perseverance, that held out through long years of sufiering and privation ; that looked dangers and difficulties in the face, till they became famiUar associates. In the retrospect of well-spent lives — in view of the consummation of the great work of civilization and improve- ment, you have helped to commence and carry on — now that the shades of evening are gathering around you — now that you are admonished that your work upon earth is done — well may you say : — " Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace.^'' To the second, — as the inheritors of a rich legacy, the fruits of the achievments, of the long years of enterj^rise, toil, fortitude and perseverance, of those Pioneer Fathers; the conservatoi-s of their memories. Honors, titles, stars and garters, such as kings may bestow, are baubles compared with what they have bequeathed ! Far most of them breaking out from their quiet New England homes, in youth, and strength, went firet to the battle field, where it was the strong against the wealc, the oppressor against the oppressed, and helped to win a glorious national inheritance ; then, after a short respite, came to this primitive region, and won a local inheritance for you, fair and fertile, as rich in all the elements of prosperity and happiness, as any that the sun of Heaven shines upon ! Guard the trust in a spirit of gratitude ; cherish the memories of the Pioneers ; imitate their stern virtues ; preserAc and carry on the work they have so well begun ! And both will accept this tribute, from the son of a Pioneer — one " who was to the manor bom," — who has essayed to snatch from fading memories, gather from imperfect records, and preserve these local Reminiscences ; — and who, most of all regrets, that in the execution of the task, he has not been able to recognize more of the names and the deeds of the Found eus of settle- ments IN THE Genesee Country. The Author. I' i ODE. IN C01IMEM0HATI0.V OF THE FIRST SETTLIMENT OF WESTBEM NEW-YORK. [by W. H. 0. H081IKE, ESQ.] High was the homage Senates paid To the plumed Conquerors of old, And freely, at tlieir feet were laid. Rich piles of flasliiiig gems and gold. Proud History exliaustod thought, Glad bards awoke their vocal reeds; "VVliile Pliidian hands the marble wrought In honor of their wondrous deeds : But our undaunted Pioneers Have conquests more enduring won. In scattering the night of years. And opening forests to the sun ; And victors are tliey nobler far Than tlie helmed cliiefs of other times. Who rolled their chariots of war, To foreign lands, and distant climes. Earth groaned beneath their mail-clad men. Bereft of greenness where they trod. And wildly rose, from hill and glen, Loud, agonizing shrieks to God. Pur%'eyors of the carrion bird Blood streamed from their uplifted hands. And wliile the crash of States was heard. Passed on their desolating hordes. Then tell me not of heroes fled — Crime, renders foal their boasted fame. While widowed ones and orphans bled. They earned the pAantom of a name. The sons of our New England Sires, Armed with endurance, dared to roam Far from the hospitable fi es. And the bright, hallowed bowers of Home. The storm tliey met with bosoms bared. And bloodless triumphs bought by toil ; The wild boast from liis cavern scared. And clothed in bloom the virgin soil. VI ODE. Distemper leagued with famines wan, Ncned to a high resolve, tlioy bore ; And flocks, upon the thymy lawn, Eanged where the panther yelled before. Look now abroad ! the scene how changed, Wliere fifty fleeting years ago Clad in their savage costume ranged. The belted lords of shaft and bow. In praise of pomp let fawning Art Carve rocks to triumjjh over years, The grateful incense of the heart Give to our living Pioneees. Almighty I may thine out-sti-etched arm Guard through long ages, yet to be, From tread of slave, and kingly harm. Oca Eden of the Geneske. ERRATA. Page 131 — arta of peace, instead of " acts." Page 151— read sister instead of " daughter of Zachariah Seymour." Page 174— in note— Judge Taylor, should be in place of "Judge Wells. " Two references whicJi belong to ])age 325 are earned over to page 326. Page 483 — Shay's Rebellion — " General order" — ilate sliould have been 1786. Page 314 — 8th line, " after," should precede "his appointment." Page 416 — 9th line $200 instead of $2,00." Page 597— 15tli Une, receipts of Rochester P, 0., should be as iu a few lines above, :3,4b, instead of "|34G." ii E V .*.*>^*t*-':*^*i>^^ '^. 'hJ^'o,: ■ :^•■^ -^^^ PREFACE. I ^ ^ f ' f ""^'in^ed nearly one year since, the publication of which has been f£'rtt\^^°''^ tt«F°'ni«cd period, owing to causes unforBecn - princiLly to the fact that it is of greater magiiitude, and has fnvolved a fur greater amount o?£e labor and research than was anticii.ated - is now presented to the public ' 1 lie general plan of it will hanfly be misunderstood by its readers : — It is a his- tory of the Pioneer, or first set. xement, of that portion of the Genesee Country em- braced m the purchiise of Oliver Phelps and Nathaniel Gorham of the State of M:^I sachusetto and the Seneca Indians, and of that portion purchased by Robert Morri. J^hth '"""^^ "I H' • "^A" V^^ ^""""^ Company. *rho boundaries of the Sn f!?™l ^V-'^If ^"'^ "! "'" ^'^}'' P''^''' «'"' '-^^^ "'""^ '^le-'irfy '''^fin^'d in the body of w y \r ^V-? ^''^ ?'^^™' ''"'^ "'"'^^y t^»° "lie half of what constitutes, pro,)erly Western New York ; its eastern boundary being the Massachusetts hue of pre-em Sn' fr«.„• chronology of events, commencing wiUi the lanchng of the French upon the St. Lawrence, and continued through the period of Wfl'i' r"^ English occupancy As all this wa.s but incidental, it has been, geuemUy. bnefly disposed of, for tlie author w.-is admonished tliat his space would berequirt>d when he had entered upon a less beaten track. Yet he may venture to anticipate that even Jie s udent of history, will find sometliing of interest in this precedent portion of the work; for It IS not wholly an explored leld, and each new gleaner may bring something from it to add to the common stock of historical knowledge ti,: iTf the original design of the author to incorporate in the work, something of the history of our immediate predecessors, the Senecas. It was mainly abandoned however on learning tiiat a local author, quite competent for the task, (as his now Dublished work bears witnes.s,) was preparing for the press, a work which would em- .nT 'Til of Interest in their liistory.* Much of them, however, will be found scattered throughout a large portion of the work, and a separate chapter is appropriated to them, from the pen of a native, and resident of the Geneseo Valfey _ a scholar and a poet, whose famejias gone out far beyond our local region, and conferred credit upoa Its literature.t It;^ See chapter II, Part L uvii^muupou The colonial period passetl, — the local events of the Revolution briefly disposed ol; — Indian treaties commencing under tiie administration of George Clixton — the almost interminable difficulties in which the State, and individual purchasers were involved in with the Lessees, — the slow advance of settlement in tliis direc- ri'^.l^T'"'*' ^""["Jf ts next ;,n order. Much of all this has been drawn from authentic records, and did not previously exist in any connected printed record. 1 he mam subject reached - settlement of the Genesee country commenced -a general plan of nan-ative, somewhat novel in its character was adopted : — History ana briet personal Biography, have been in a great measure blended. This has vastiv increased the labor of the work, but it is hoped it wiU be found to have added to ite uiterest It will readily oe inferred that it involved the necessity of selectin.' the most prominent of thr- Pioneers in each locaUty — those with whom could be blended most oi the Pioneer events. In almost every locality there ^aa been regretted omis- sions ; a failure to recognize all who should have been noticed. This has been pai-^ly the result of necessity, but oftener the neglect of those who had promised to furnish the required information. While tiie work contains more of names and sketches of personal history, tiiau are to be found in any other local annals that have been pub- lished in our countiy, there are hundreds of Pi oneer names reluctantly omitted. • " League of the.Iroquois," by Lewis H. Morgan, Esq., of Eochegter. 1 W, H. C. Hosmer, Esq., of Avon. vm PREFACE. In a. 1 that relates to early difficulties with the Indians ; to tliroatened renewals of the Border Wars, after the settlement of Uie country commenced, the author lias been fortunate in the possession of authentic records, hitlierto neglected, which gives to the subjects a new and enhanced interest. The accounts of the treaties of Messrs. PicKERiNfi and CiiAriN, with the Indians, arc mostly derived from official coiTespon- dence ; while most of what relates to the councils held with them to obtain land ces- Hions west of tlie Seneca Lake, are derived from the manuscripts of Oliver Phelps and Thomas Morns, the principal actors in the scenes. The autlior cannot but coaclude, tliat poorly as the task may have been executed, It hafl been undertaken at a fortunate period. More than one half of this volume is made up from the reminiscences, the fading memories, of the living actors in the scenes descnlxid and tho cvent.s related. No le.ss tlian nino, wlio, iviihin tlie last ten months, have rendered in this way, essential senico, - ^vithout whoso assistance the ■work must have been far more imperfect -- are either in their graves, or their memories are wholly impaired. The thanks of the author are especially duo to Henry O'Rielly, for the use of val- uable papers collected with reference to continuuig some historical researches, ho had so weU commenced ; to James H. Woods, for the use of papers of Chas. Williamsox ; to Oliver Phelps and James S. Wadswohtu, for the use of papers in their possession, as tlio representativea of Oliver Phelps and James Wadsworth ; to Johx Grkio and JosEPul'ELLOWsfor accoss to papers in their respective land offices; and especially to tho former, for the essential materials in his possession as tlie representative of Israel Chapih, and his son and successor, Isbael Cuapin ; to tlie managers of the Rochester Athameum, for free access to their valuable Lii^ary ; to 0. C. Clarke, of Albany, and S. B. B>jckley, of Yates, for valuable contributions; to numerous ther individuals, most of wliom are indicated in the body of the work. And to Lee Mann & Co., the Printers, and Wm. Alling, the PubUsher, for their liberal terms' and the business accommodation with which they have aided the enterprise. taf The manner of pubhshing is a n.aterial departure from the original intention. Instead of pubhshing one work, there wiU be four. This is the first of tlie series. 1 hose that wiU follow in order— (and in rapid succession if no unforeseen difficulties occur) — will be: — P. and G. Purchase — Livingston and Allegany; — P. and G. P. -Ontario and Yates ;- P. and G. P. -Wayne. In this plan it is confidently behevod the interests of Author, Publisher and Purchaser, will he made to harmonize, it obviates the necessity of a large work of two volumes, and a high price, fatal to that general sale that a loeal work must have, within its scope, to remunerate the labor of Its preparation and defray the necessary expenses attending it. While the citizens of Monroe, for instance, will have all the general history of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase, i.nd Morris' Keserve — 493 octavo pages — brought down to a late Pioneer period ; they will not be under the necessity of purchasing at an an enhanced price, the mere local history of other counties. The only alteration there will ^le in the main body of tho work, m the subsequent volumes announced, will beng the attention of Europe from the pursuits of peace, civilization, and their extended sphere. There was no prophet to awake the sleeping energies of the Old World to an adequate conception of the field of promise that was opening here;-no one to even fore- shadow all that was hidden in the womb of time; and had there been, there would have been unfolded to Kings and Potentates, little for their encouragement; but how much to man, in all his noblest aspirations, his looking forward to a better time ' When colonization, such as contemplated permanent occupation finally commenced, it was in a measure, simultaneous, upon our northern coast.. Two powerful competitors started in the race •iH' idoa that ll.rro \^^^' \n^^t:tu'''^T t" buvebeeu prepossess.,! witl, ..et.ml .liscovery a ul a qu So "^ ''"' l^^'"""^Satf.l of wlmt in our day is 12 PHELPS AND GOKHAm's PURCHASE. for possession and dominion in America ; and a third was awakened and became a competitor. While as yet the Pilgrim Fathers were refugees ni Germany, deliberating as to where should be their assylum, appalled by all the dangers of the ocean and an inhospita- ble dime, and at times half resolving to go back and brave the per- secution from which they had fled; — while as yet there was but one feeble colony, upon all our southern coast, and the rambling Do Soto and the romantic Ponce de Leon had been but disai)pointed adventurers in the south-west; the adventurous Frenchmen had entered the St. Lawrence and planted a colony upon its banks ; had erected rude pallisades at Quebec and Montreal, and were making their way by slow stages in this direction. Halting at Kingston, (Frontenac) they struck off across Canada by river^and inland lake navigation — carrying their bark canoes over portages and reached Lake Huron ; then on, amid hostile tribes, until thev had explored and made missionary and trading stations upon Lake's Michigan and Superior, the upper waters of the JMississippi, and the Illinois rivers. Jn all the French expeditions to the St. Lawrence, previous to that of Champlain, there is little interest save in those of Jaques Cartier. In his second one, in 1535, with three ships, and a large number of accompanying adventurers he entered the St. Lawrence and gave it its name ; giving also, as he proceeded up the river, names to other localities which they yet bear. Arrived at the Island of Orleaas, he had a friendly interview with the natives. In a previ- ous voyage he had seized and carried to France, two natives, who,, returning with him somewhat instructed in the French laniruHge^ now acted as his interpreters, and gave a favorable account to their people of those they had been with, and the country they liad seen. Proceeding on, he anchored for the winter, at " Stadacona," after- wards called Quebec. Here he v;as met by an Indian chief, Dona- cona, with a train ot five hundred natives who welcomed his arri- val. The Indians giving Cartier intimation that a kirtrer vilhirre than theirs lay farther up the river. With a picked crew of thirty- five armed men he a.scended the river, had friendly interviews with the natives upon its banks. Arriving at the present site of Man. treal, he found an Indian village called Ilochelnga. which "stood in the midst of a great field of Indian corn, was of a circular form, containing about fifty large huts, each fifty paces long and from' PJIELPS AOT) GORIIAm's PUECIIASE. Ig iburfeen to fifteen wide, all built in the shape of tunnels forned of wood, and covered with birch hnrt • tl..^ ii ^ ,'. '^™^^ ^^ seven] rnnm. ^^'^^ t^ifch baik , the dwellings were divided into nres bu.ned. Three rows of pallisad-^s encircled the town with th'oirrriTd r^'"^\'^^ '-''-''' ^^- '- wiK>ie L;:;:' the outc. nng of defence, there was a gallerv, approached by ili.hts resist attack. * The strangers were entertained with fetes and to Jaqucs Cartier. who m the simple minds of the natives possessed some supernatural power over disease, which he dLc a:imed ut he p,ous adventurer "read aloud part of the Gospel of S John and made the sign of the cross over the sufferers " ' parting uuh ns newly acquired acquaintances at Hochela^. In - absence the intense cold had come upon his people un-TpaJ; UK or less allectcd. The kind natives gave him a remcdv that tfa IftTT-^ ^'--P^^^^^-P-P-dtoretur^rF;^ AS It al of the first mtervievvs of our race with the natives were to be signa ly marked by acts of wrong and outrage, as n ea mesl of the whole catalogue that was to follow, under pretence "ha "e|ad c Pt "s and tl ^ ' ^ "/'"^ ^'" ''"■^^^' ^«"''^-"'^' t'^« fo'-- toTk 1^; t" I ": ''^"t', "' '""'^'"^ ^'"'" ^" ^--^ his vessels, k ml t e u 'en T' ",'? ^^'"^ '^'^''S^^-'' i^ has been said, by a Kind tieatment that reconciled them to their flite lie expedition had found no "gold nor silver" and for that re. son disappointed their patron, the King, and the peoi of F .ce n ir ;::^h ' ^^^ ^^'^'^ ^^ ^"^^"-^^^ ^^ a n-goLi 0^1^.^ t Idtl^ ;:;•"' '^'.^^'-^-hle repots of an he had seen and enou'ho F 1? 'll ^^''"^^^"'^. «« «oon as he had acquired of t^ bl tv " \ ' " '"'f'^^'' " "^"'"••"«'' «" ^''at had been said otl, beauty, richness and salubrity of his native country " The chief, however, sickened and died ^' The next commission to visit the new dominions of France, was * CoiKiucut of Canada. t A decoction of tlie loaf anu tlie bark of tJio fir tree. 14 PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. I Is i granted to Jean Francois de la Roche, with Jaques Cartier as his second ni command. It was formidable in its organization and equipment; after a series of disasters : — the arrival of Cartier, upon his old grounds; a reconciling of the Indian.^ lo his outrage, a winter of disease and death among his men; a failure of de°la Koche to arrive in season ; it returned to France to add to a war in which she had just then engaged, reasons for suspending colonial enterprises. Almost a half century succeeded for French advents to become but a tradition upon the banks of the St. Lawrence. How like a vision, in all this time, must those advents have seemed vvith the simple natives ! A strange people, with all that could excite their wonder : — the'.- huge ships, their loud mouthed cannon, whose sounds had reverberated upon the summits of their mountains, in their vallies, and been re-echoed from the deep recesses of their forests ; with their gay banners, and music, and all the imposing at- tendants of fleets sent out by the proud monarch of a showy and ostentatious nation of Europe ; who had addressed them in an un- known tongue, and by signs and symbols awed them to a contempla- tion of a Great Spirit, other than the terrible Manitou of their sim- pie creed; who had showed them a "book" in which were revela- tions they had neither "seen in the clouds nor heard in the winds;" whose advent had been a mixed one of conciliation and porfid": — who had given them a taste of "strong water," that had steeped their senses in forgetfulness, or aroused their fiercest passions. All this had come and gonr-, began and ended, and left behind it a vacu- um, of mingled wonder, amazement and curiosity; and of darkfore- bodmgs of evil, if there was some kind spirit, caring for their future destiny, to foreshadow to them the sequel of all they had witnessed. Would the pale faced strangers come again ? — Would their lost ones be restored to reveal to them the mysteries of those wondrous advents; and tell them of all things they had seen in that far off land, the home of the strangers ? These were the anxious enquiries, the themes around their council fires, in their wigwams, when they held communion with their pagan deities, or asked the moon and the stars to be the revelators of hidden things. One generation passed away and anoth-r succeeded, before the mysterious strangers came. T)hUr«,nn vn li ,J f ^^ ^'T r ""^ ^''^'^'V tl'e advents c? Cartier nnd Clmm- fc mil ;J '''I'^l'"" ','« "1 l"i-'''H'lj fi^licrmon and traders, Kt'iiendly coastin- off New Foundland, occasionally entered the St. Lawre.ice and traded with the natives i PlIELl'S AKD OOKIIAil's PUT^CIIASE. 15 first to conciliate their favor by offering themselves as allies; then to wrest from them empire and dominion. The first expedition of Champlain was in 1603 and '4 The ac counts of them possess but little interest. In 1G08, equipped by his patrons for an expedition, having principally in view the fur trade, he extended his own views to the addition of permanent colonization and missionary enterprize. Arriving at Quebec, he erected the firsi ±.uropean tenements upon the banks of the St. Lawrence The In dians with whom Cartier had cultivated an acquaintance, were re- duced to a few in number, by removal, famine and disease Re- maining at Quebec through a severe winter, relieving the neccessi- ties of the Indians, his own people suffering under an attack of the scurvy, Champlain in 1609, accompanied by two Frenchmen and a war party of the natives, went up tlia St. Lawrence, and struck off to the Lake that still bears his name. The war party that accom- panied him. were of the Algonquins and Hurons, of Canada, who were then at war with the Iroquois. Their object was invasion of the Ir- oquois country, and Champlain, from motives of policv had become their ally. Upon the shores of a lake to which he ga^'e the name of St. Sacrament-afterwards called Lake George-the party met a war party of two hundred Iroquois ; a battle ensued, the tide c^ it was as uusual, turning in flivor of the wariike and almost every where conquering Iroquois, when Champlain suddenly made his appearance, v.t his two Frenchmen and the first fire from their arquebuses, kil- led two of the Iroquois chiefs, and wounded a third. The Iroquois dismayed, as well by the report and terrible effect of new weapons of war, as by the appearance of those who bore them, held out but httle longer; fled m disorder; were pursued, and many of them killed and taken prisoners. This was the first battle cf which history gives us any account, in a region where armies have since often met - And It marks another era the introduction of fire arms in battle," to the natives, in all the northern portion of this continent. They had now been made acquainted with the two elements that were destined TheltdT't^r^''^'^'"';; '^^'''" ^^^ ^^^'^^^ extermination They had tasted French brandy upon the St. Lawrence, English rum upon the s^iores of the Chesapeake, and Du.ch gin, up^n the ba'k" of he Hudson. They had seen the mighty engines, one of which was to conquer them in battle and the other was to conquer them m peace councils, where cessions of their domains were involved IG PIIELP8 AND GOKUAM's PUECHASE. Champlain returned to France, leaving a small colony at Quebec- was invited to an audience, and had favor with the Kin-r. who be- stowed upon all this region, the natn^ of New Franco.* Cham- plain visited his infant colony again in KJIO. and 1013, recruiting it, and upon each occasion going himself to battle with his neifriil'rors and allies against the Iroquois. In ICloa company of merchants in France, having procured a charter from the King, which embraced all of French interests in Ni^^v Trance, gave to Champlain the prin- cipal direction of their aflliirs. Having attende. to the temporal affairs of the colony, the conversion of the natives, bv Catliolic missionaries, engaged his attention. Four missionaries of the order of Recollcts were enlisted. These were the first missionaries in Canada, and the first upon all our Atlantic coast, with the exception of some Jesuit missionaries that had before reached Nova Scotia. Leaving the large recruit of colonists he brought out at Quebec^ where he found all things had gone well in his absence, the intrepid ad- venturer, and soldier as he had made himself, pushed on to Montreal, and joined again a war party of his Indian allies, against the Iroquois.' The Iroquois were this time conquerors. Defea^t had lessened the importance of Champlain in the eyes of his Indian allies, and they even refused him and his few followers, a guide back to Quebec, although he had been wounded. Remaining for the winter an unwilling guest of his Indian allies, he improved his time, as soon as his wounds would allow of it, in visiting more of the wild region of Canada. In the spring he returned to Quebec, and in July, to France. For several succeeding years, Champlain visited and revisited the colony, extending and strengtheningit; encountering vicissitudes in France consequent upon the breaking up and change of proprietor- ships ; his colony subjected to attacks from the Iroquois whom he * OiarlovoLv. Jond, u;vu,,„noy„t tins r.-mr, _ f ). ]I. Marshall. Esq. „f HufFal. — t,. asantn w "re Champ am and lus In,l,a„ allios „,va,l..,i 11,,. (crrilo/v ,.f ,ho Ir„.j,.oi.s. T .y c "ue ac )..s tho 1 .uvr ond ot Lake ()„fari„, an,! passinjn tlnm.frh what is now .M\wlm2d sw,.,^,. ro,,n1„.s, cr„ss«l tJ.o Onoi,lo Lak. luul attacked the 0„on,lai,a.s at Ih ■ pHn- rxn^lf^ l,f^^ .• ''!" """"'•■■' S'"'"^'' "" "'iviinta-o ; and Champlain who PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 17 had injudiciously made his implacable enemies. Still, French colo- nization in New France slowly progressed, and trading establish- ments were multiplied. In 1(523 a stone Fort was erected at Quebec to protect the colonists against the Iroquois, and a threatened rndof amicable relations with the Ilurons and Algonquins. In 1G25, 'G, the first Jesuit missionaries came out from France, among them were names with which we become familiar in tracing the first advents of our race in Western New York and the region of the Western Lakes. In 10-27 the colonization of New France was placed upon a new fooling, by the organization of the "Company of One Hundred Asso- ciates." Their charter gave them a monopoly in New France, and attempted to prothote ci.ristianization and colonization, both of which had been neglected by making the fur trade a principal object. The "Company" engaged to introduce 16,000 settlers before 1643.— Before the advent of this new association, the colony had become but a feeble one ; the Indians had become hostile and kept the French confined to their small settlements, at times, to their fortifications. Hostilities having commenced between France and England, the first vessel sent out by the Associates fell into the hands of the English. An English expedition after destroying the French trading establishment at T.idoussac, on the Sagenay, sent a demand for the surrender of Quebec. Champlain replied in a manner so spirited and determined as to delay the accack, until the English force was increased. In July 1629 an English fleet appeared, and demanded a surrender which Champlain with his reduced and feeble means of resistance was obliged to obey. The terms of capitulation se- cured all private rights of the French colonists, and most of them remained. Champlain, however, returned to France. It was a siege and capitulation in miniature, that after the lapse of more than a century, was destined to be the work of concentrated armies and navies, and weeks of fierce contest. English possession was surrendered by treaty in 1632. At the period of this small conquest :— "the Fort of Quebec, surrounded by a score of hastily built dwellmgs and barracks, some poor huts on the Is-land of Montreal, the like at Three Rivers and Tadoussac, and a few fishermen's log houses and huts on the St. Lawrence, wore the only fruits of the discoveries of Verrazano, Jaques Cartier, Roberval and Champlain, and the great outlay of La Roche and \i I! I' i 18 PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. a'^LfC''"' ''' '"'^ '"' "^"^"Ss of their followers, fornearly of Ser£n ''^"'^ ^" '"''• ^^"'"^ '^^^^ re-appointed Governor cllTts and"'. "'"' ' '"; """'^ of Missionary and other colonists, and gave a new impulse to colonial enterprise • settle- "s flrmfrat O \"r^^"'^ ^^"^^^' w.thrich'endo«s was tormed at Quebec, for the "education of youth andthemnvpr the /ounder of French colonization in New Fiance, to whose perse veranee courage, and fortitude, France was indebted for lefoo ' hold she had gamed upon this continent, died, and was "buri d in the' oily of which he was the founder." t Montmagny succeeded Champlain. Deprived of much of the patronage from the Associates that he had reason to expect, the work of colonization progressed but slowly during his alin straZn winch continue until 1047. Trade, advanced settlement ;„„: pr L h'ad'a „' "r r''°=""' '"' "'"'""'^^ ^""^ educa.ionalfn er- w founded Th n'rr""^ ^^"'"^' "-'Q-bec,a college waslounded. The Dutchess de Arguillon founded the Hotel Die^, and Ma ame de la Pel.rie, the convent of the Ursulins The las,' gio^ ai^i: T'™? ™ ""'"'■ "''«' ''"'■■ ^ ^-"'- "> her e ' n"w Wnu .r P''°P''S"°'- "' i'- She came hers, ' "to the r,7. ;r " ™^«l"''"^''''™, accompanied byUrsulines ofLt°rr r"r?"'"™°"'™"'p'™°-'y-*'thewto;' of Lo«r Canada. Such was the eclat that attended the advent o^ the noble patron and her followers, who had left all the refinement" ga ties and luxuries of France, to take up their abode upon . ,e w" d' sTgnatdCa : l"" "'"' "• ^''™"'=^' '^'" ">-> -iv Z" signalized by a public reception, with military and religious observan- ma!!' °"'°'' T^r' '™"" ""''" 'he administration of Mont- Foifthere™'''. '""""'■'=" "' Montreal, and the building of a Foit there and at the mouth of the Richlieu, as out.posls a<.ainst ^le Iroquo-. whosmce they had become exasperated by Champ ai" made Ircjuent attacks upon the French settlements. A threat reth * Conquest of Canada. .i£:t= -r;xiKr £ s^:a^^^^^^^ PHELPS AND GOBHAm's PURCHASE. 10 ed the ears of Montmagny that they would "drive the white man into the sea, and becoming convinced of the powers of the wild warriors ^.'hose strength he had no meansof estimating, he sought the means of es abiishing a peace with then., in which he was encouraged by his neighbors the Hurons, who were worn out, and their number's re- duced, by long wars with their indefatiguable adversaries The -ov ernor and the Huron chiefs met deputies of the Iroquois at Three Itivers, and concluded n peace. M. d' Ailleboust who had held a command at Three Rivers was the successor of Montmagny, and continued as Governor until ier.o' The peace with the Iroquois gave a spur to missionary enterprise and trade, both of which were extended. During the administration of Montmagny, missionaries and traders had followed the water courses of Canada, and reached Lake Hu- ron where they had established a post. From that distant point, in 1640, came the first of our race that ever trod upon the soil of Western Nevy lorlc, and left behind them any record of their ad- vent. * On the 2d day of November, 1040. two .Jesuit Fathers. Brebeauf and Chaumonot, left their mission station at St. Marie on the nver Severn, near Lake Huron, and came upon the Nia^^ara nver. both sides of which were occupied by the Neuter NatiJn. f Ihey found this nation to consist of 12,000 souls, having 4,000 vva^Tiors, and inhabiting forty villages, eigliteen of which the mis- sionaries visited. They were, say these Fathers :_" Larger s ronger, and better formed than our Hurons." " The men Tike all savages, cover the=r naked flesh with skins, but are less par'ticu- Neuter Nation. If tliis is so he J^lZ"ti^.! V-^ ^ tlie winter ut IG^ti „n.,.n-r the The period is earlier Ln we em w^I«,f^ wnten.un who saw Western New York, so fa.- away fro,n tl.e S irenN „no '^71 '''"■" '""''' ^''^:^^*" »"/ J''»'"chn,a„ tl.e tlien utter hostility o the Imq^ / '^tHl tfe'"'^ osp.e.ally wlu., wo eonsid., as this have tolerated! few miS a^s ^ fti^""™ '''^'"^'' ■" ^'""" ""'^ -^-^ly the west side of the N a.^ni river it wtv,^^ Lake Eno and a wide strip om «'ere at, war, and they we e neutnls iT^tl,;,!""- «>•""',"'• ^j''il^«'"-nm„dini, nation, and Chanmorot, the/we,.^d s w^,^ V'"' ^"'^'^ "^ "'•'-■'^«'"f as we found it-a pit of ttC ,fo Th i w'^l''''^ ^ r!' ''" '>-'"" '^''^^'»°^^' " the fury of the Iroquois, thev fina Iv n .!, ,^ "'?• ^■■'•^'? Clinrlevoix ; _ " To avoid cothi.-,; by the union T o r>nn„ J r'f ,'.*'" "S'^lv'-s a-ainst the Hurons, hut mined ^■■.tiafui, c/ostroy d aU thl canic^ H. ';' ''v': ^'"'f ^^i^'^r' '''"^^ Wood.' can ?iot hi of the Neuter :N^atioii." '''^' ' '""^ "^ ""^ '^"y ^'^^c remains no trac- 20 PHELPS AND GORUAm's PURCHASE. It' lar than the Ilurons in conceaHng what should not appear." " The Squau-s are ordmarily clothed, at least from the waist to the knees- They have Indian corn, bean... and .j^ourds in equal abundance- |.lso, plenty of fi.h They are much employed in huntin.de.^ buf-' hdo, wild cats, wolves, wild boars, beaver, and other animals. It is rare to see snow m th. country more than half a foot deep But tins year, it ,s more than three feet." Th. Rev. Fathers found our remote predecessors here upon the soil of Western New York with the exception of one village, unfavorable to the mission they' were upon, and intent upon which they had braved all the ri^^ors of the season, and a long forest path which they soon reiraeed^' tu.be 'wl-N^fT" •"'" "'"'■"" '' "^^"^^'^ ^'--^ -du- mbed woik.., fresh, as it were, Irom the Creator, and bearing he mipress of His bands-and we may well suppose they were' lor t„ey had come fro. > cloistered halls and high ats of iLlZ' and relmeinent-h,..v must their eyes have been satlJed in : eS ol he panorama ot lakes and forests, hills and plains, rushin. tor- rents, water- falls, and the climax in their midst -1 the mighty°clta -^ of I^K,gara, thundering in its solitude! Who woulcT^ w^ t ';:^^f ".-^-""V'"'" - "' '''''' '^ P^^'-P^ -- ratio "1 tlwu he could enjoy such a scene as Western New York then was ^ T .treaty with the Iroquois had but suspended their ho i uLs In Cia they were again out upon their war-j.aths upon the banks station of the small settlement of St. Jo.seph Whon ihn U 'Id men l,owo,„o„ and children, collec.ed for reli-io,,, scrvico . party o Iroq„o,« „„,„ up„„ ,hem and massacred <& l^^n^ «s probably ,l,o (irs.of a series of martyrdoms that aw lied he ■losuit missionaries. In the carlv mn ,.r i,mo ,i ''""''so '"e .cl, upon ,.o vi„a,os.„f the Ill^'l: e ly' tZ, ■ :?"£ .uofupon, n,, X*s: ;■; "■ '"r -^^^ van at. ;and, .ith their <^^^s^::^^ :.:^;::^2:^"y:::^ '^:^;i the war-club, had visited the Hurons "Most of tho r conqaerois, and were received into their nation. The few PnEu.s ASL oouium's PunonAsE. 2I flushed will, their victories over .heir mvn L r °''''"'"»- Wdor and n,„ro delermine.l t, Tv ,1 T '"'i'™' K"'- ^oprded . intruder. : zt:\x.r:^zi::/^ p- U,e ConrederacA^ion;::, irFirero' ^r.t^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ "' a"^«j...^;:i::it;':;::;t:=:,;::r-''-' In 10.8, V,.seount d'ArRuson succeeded M de Liuson Tl rFTetrr' ";; '■'if^™-'--- - si,™,i.'d J;: :..: : a. Tl, ee RKert w^' fr'^T'r " '"''"' "^ » ^™'' °'' M°l'-vk^ ™ij^:^i;r:r^?h:Shr<:^Xu:ir;:;;:: a„J",l,e'''F ■ " ','"' '^.""'■""'' '^™'' O"'-'!''' Baron dAv„„„„r_ : ,i T'l ' r"7V'": '""'""^'' •■>■ ••"' '-P».-.».iOn°o 400 C if f 7n Q""''^'^ I'--"' "O"- l>a.. appoimed_M.de Monts. lie found all spiritual and len,p„ral ell 'rts liU-Iy to he eo omsts, that d Av ajour had alloued. The Bishop hastened to r.anee, represented the evil to the Kin?, and cami hae ' whi, ahe.t '■' of Champlain, his equal m all, and h,s superior m many respects ; advanced in a.e bat v^orous, arburarjvn ail his designs and ...ovements ; too t e r^ of government m New France, and in many respects created an w era. Following out the plans of his subordinate, M. Talon, an exne d.t,on was set on foot to explore the "great river," the "Me hasepe " .n he dialect of the western tribes, of which but va^ue and Li finite Ideas had been gained of the natives. Mar„„«.ra Jest Missionary, with Joliet, and other attendants, set outlom S. Mar" and veachmg the Miami, obtained from ,hem two natives a guWs Thy struck upon the waters of Fox River, and descendin/rem crossed the short portage, and descended upon the waters" of X' Wisconsin River to :ts confluence with the Mississippi Their llL u u ""' """^ ™"l 'l-ey came to a villa.re of the fflnois where they were " kindly and hospitably received." ° Tl e x pedition, fa hng m with none but friendly natives, went as fa down as below the mouth of the Arkansas, where, hearin.la he rivc^ mpt.ed Itself into the Gulf of Mexico, instead of the PacMc as th.v fe^ .ondly hoped ; and fearing that they might fall inioZC^Jf "^e Sjxm^ds^hey^^t^^ c-onimencing missbnty »<»» ¥' •24: PlIELPS AND GOEIIAm's PURCHASE. labors among the Miamis, and Jolict carrying?- the news of their dis- coveries to Quebec. These were the lirst of our race that saw the upper Mississippi and its vast tributaries. The pajrcs of general his- tory that tell of the hazardous journey ; that recounts the impressions made upon the mind of Marquette, who had a mind to appreciate all he saw in that then vast and hitherto unexplored wilderness of prairie and forest, inland seas, and wide rivers ; is one of peculiar attractions. Few historical readers will fail to peruse it. The name of a county in Illinois, and a village, perpetuates the names, and the memories of Marquette and Joliet. IT ADVENTURES OF LA SALLE-TUE FIRST SAIL VESSEL Ui'UN THE UrPER LAKES. '. i Previous to the western advent of Marquette and Joliet, La Salle, a young Frenchman of ample fortune, after completing his educa- tion, with, all the religious enthusiasm peculiar to the disciples of Loyola, mixed with a spirit of adventure then so rife in Fiance, had crossed the ocean, pushed on beyond the farthest French settle- ments upon the St. Lawrence, an., become the founder of Frontenac, now Kingston, the ownership of which was conferred upon him by his King with the rank of nobility. The grant was in fact, that of a wide domain, with some exclusive privileges of Indian trade. When Marquette and Joliet returned, they took Frontenac in their route, and found the young adventurer in tlic midst of his enterprises, drawing around him missionaries, traders, agriculturalists — the pa- froon ot one of the most flourishing settlements of New France.— Listening to their accounts of the vast beautiful region they had seen, its broad Lakes, wide prairies — and with especial interest to their story of the "Great River,"-he resolven for tlie g parties ;ara Riv- vke Erie, from the er at all Invited claimed, Fronte- I griffins. naviga- ebuses.* :he Nia- success II shore e Erie, ofcan- -cl was charts (liffionlty it Lowis- 27 After a protracted voyage, the Griffin cast anchor in Green Bay, where a trade was opened with the natives and a rich cargo of furs obtained. Late in the season of navigation, it started on Its return voyage to the Niagara River, encountered severe gales, and the vessel and all on board were never more heard of— their fate remain- ing a mystery.* ^ Hennepin describing what they saw of the shores of Lakes Erie, St. Clair and Huron, and the banks of the Detroit and St. Clair Riv- ers, observes ;— Those who will have the good fortur;e some day to possess the beautiful and fertile lands, will be under many obliga- gations to us, who have cleared the way. Anticipating the return of the ill-fkted vessel. La Salle established a tradmg house at Mackinaw, and proceeding to the mouth of the St. Josephs, added to a small Missionary station, under the care of Al- louez, a trading house with pallisades, which he called the " Fort of the Miami." Despairing of the return of the Griffin, leaving ten men to guard the fort, with Hennepin, and two other Missionaries, Tonti, and about thirty other followers, the impatient adventurer ascended the St. Joseph and descended the Kankakee to its mouth. From there he descended the Illinois to Lake Peori where he erected a fort amid the murmuring and discontent of his followers, who deemed their leader and his expedition ruined by the loss of the Griiiin. Yielding temporarily to despondency, the stout hearted leader, named it For^t Creve Crjcur, the " Fort of the Broken hearted." Recovering his wonted energy, however, he set his men to sawing ship plank, dispatched Hcimepin with two followers to explore the Upper Mississipi)i, and started himself with three companions, for Frontenac, to procure recruits, and sails and cordage for his vessel.- The journey was made in the month of iMarch, and was one of peril and suflering ; the route ovcrln.ad to the Niagara River, and from thence around the head of Lake Ontario to Frontenac. New adventurers Unlws tlio autlior was ri-ht in tlic cniidnHion he forniu.l m to its fate in a nvovimis walk. 1 hu Jesuit Missionancs coiicliidcd that it was straiulod in a tralc, phindoml by the natives and its ci-w niurdcivd. Sii.'h was ])rol,ablv the t-ir( :_ln 1,!<0.-) s.,in.. ot tlK> early settlers in Hanlhul•i,^ Faw e.ninty, after a seveVe blew thai bad renieved a lara;(! bmlv »i sand and y-ravel iijien the lake sbere, tbuiid where it ha.l hevn deeply jMiibedded, an anelmr. In later years, near the saniespot, there ha-^ been found several luindred jviunds ot iron, sueh as would seem to have b<'en taken from a. vessel • and near the snot, I wo rannon, the whole buried in iheVarth, and (rood sized forest trees otow ini,' over them. There is no record, or tradition, of the lo-s of any vessel other tha the (JrifHn at the early j.eriod in whieb thfsu relic must have been left 'where the th ■were foiii'd: 28 PHELPS AND GOEHAM'S PUECHASE. es^ped, and ound refuge among the Potawatomies on Lake Mi- Returning to Green Bay, he commenced tradincr and estibh-shin^r ovt: llntT"''" t' '''''''''-''-' -"-telhisscat™' part of'ir^t ^ '^'"n ^r^^ ^" ^^« ^"'"^'^ ii-e'-. -d in the early ~o!t^'rl^'''''r^^^'^^^^^- He planted a called it Tou^^^^^^^^ ^^--^ ^he country for France, and in o?r' l''"^" '/ °^ '1^''' ^"''^"S enterprises, that have no parallel even m our day of wondrous achievements -that paved the wav for the occup, ,^^^ ,^ ^„ ^^^ ^^^^ ^P^.^^^ the ay f or th sippi -IS a long chapter of disaster, of successes and reverses mosX remote from our local region, and belonging to the pages of C^ history. In all that relates to French occunanov of' th It""^ count.y, the borders of the western Lak^: ^ft ^;a L; o,tt mT .,ss>pp,_ especially, to the adventures of Marrmette Jolt T tallu T"'^' Vh"' ^^"•'' '''^''^''^ h.torionr h d but et tarn guules, andbut unsatisfactory, authentic details. Recent di ovenes m Quebec, and among the archives of the Jesuits in Rom " afford encouragement that with some future historian the el tures, that led hmi oA-er the plams ot Texas, to New Mexico • that me i unity River m Texas, on a return, overland, to Frontenac conphshed national historian, Bancroft :-" For force of will ntj ■eturned to is absence, J, Father Jwers, had Lake Mi- stabh'shinjT ttered fol- i the early planted a ance, and illel even ay for the e Missis- es, mostly 'f f^eneral Genesee the Mis- ilief. La tt uncer- cent dis- n Rome, liese de- )r leaves r adven- 30 ; that eries of Hovvers, >ntenac. our ac- r'ill and 1 of his ty that r afllic- uperior lewhat 3mark- PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PUECHASE. 29 ed : One hundred and thirty nine years ago, the Griffin set out upon Its voyage, passed up the rapids of the Niagara, and unfurled the first sail upon the waters of the Upper Lakes. Intrepid navigator and explorer! High as were hopes and ambi- tion that could alone impel him to such an enterprise ; far seeing as he was ; could the curtain that concealed the ^uture from his vfew, have been raised, his would have been the exclamation : " Visions of glory, spare my aching sight ;— Ye unborn ages, rush not on my soul !" He deemed himself but adding to the nominal dominions of his King; but opening new avenues to the commerce of his country; founding a prior claim to increased colonial possessions. He was pioneering the way for an empire of freemen, who in process of time were to fill the valleys he traversed ; the sails of whose commerce were to whiten the vast expanse of waters upon which he was em- barking! _ How often, when reflecting upon the triumphs of steam naviga- tion do we almost wish that it were admitted by the dispensations of Providence that Fulton could be again invested with mortality, and witness the mighty achievements of his genius. Akin to this, wouk' be the wish, that La Salle could rise from his wilderness grave in the far-off South, and look out upon the triumphs of civilization and improvement over the vast region he was the first to explore. Ours is a country whose whole history is replete with daring en- terprises and bold adventures. Were we prone, as we should be duly to commemorate the great events that have marked our pro- gress, here and there, in fitting localities, more monuments would be raised as tributes due to our history, and to the memory of those who have acted a conspicuous part in it. Upon the banks of our noble river, within sight of the Falls, a shaft from our quarries would soon designate the spot where the Griffin was built and launched • upon Its base, the name of La Salle, and a brief inscription that would commemorate the pioneer advent of our vast and in'.reasincr Lake commerce. "^ Frontenac returned to France in consequence of disagreement with other officers of the colony, but to return again in after years Le was succeeded by M. de la Burrc, who found the Iroquois dis- 30 PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. posed to lean toward the English interests upon the Hudson, and assuming again a hostile attitude toward the French. The Otta- •as, who were the allies of the French, had killed a chief of the .roquois ; and fronn this and other causes, they were again exaspera- ted, and preparing for descents upon the French settlements. Hith- er. -> the Senecas, far removed from what had been the seat of war and almost continually waging war with those of their own race,' had participated but little in the wars with the French. Provoca- tions now began on their part, in the way of endeavoring to divert trade to the English, and in warring upon the French Indian allies; and upon one occasion, they had robbed a French trading party on their way to Illinois. A long series of provocations were given by the Iroquois, which determined M. dela Barre to go against them with all the forces he could command. He had information that a descent was to be made upon the French settlements upon the St. Lawrence He assembled an army of 700 Canadian militia, 130 regular soldiers, and 200 Indian allies, in July, 1683. While coming up the St Lawrence, he learned that the more friendly of the Iroquois nations had prevailed upon the Senecas to listen to overtures of peace. The English had offered their mediation, with intimations that they would make common cause with the hostile nations of Iroquois if the French Governor persevered in his warlike demonstrations. M. de la Barre crossed Lake Ontario, and quartered his army at a Bay m what is now Jefferson countv, and awaited the arrival of peace deputies of the Iroquois. While there, the French army suf- lered much for want of wholesome provisions, and they named the place « La Famine," or Hungry Bay. The Indians met them, with an Unondaga chief, Garangula, at their head. A speech was made by the French Governor, and replied to by Garangula, in a tone ot contempt and derision, rather than of fear or submission. * He well knew that famine and disease had weakened the French force, and even tantali:.ed them by allusion to their misfortunes. De la *For n rorn'ot translation of this noted ! speed., copied from La Hontan seo offn'i n '/'"■'■■'■■■'^^ M--- Clinton s,ud : _ " I believe it i'n.poH.sil.lo to tind i , a i the ITn the'veir'.'™'"' "/'/''-''•"/'■■'l""-.^. ^ ^P-'^"'' "'ore . mropriate or convinoi,,,' Liii.rtlevedot roHpcotfid profession, it conveys tlie most ()iti'iir irony: and wliiU- i .s !pf'',l „Tm '"i V'lr *^P'""^i'' i'n^ory, it cont^.ins the most adid reasonintr," The of tbeiiquit ' ^^^«t°'-:^«f Onondaga," regards Lim as having been the NesU,r PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PUKCIIASE. 31 Ban-e, says the Baron la Hontan, who was present, " returned to his lent much enraged at .hat he had heard." The interview ended by a stipulation on the part of the Senecas that they would make reparation for some alleged wrongs ; * and on the part of tlie French Governor, that he would immediately withdraw his army. The dis- comfitted and chagrined la Barre withdrew an army made feeble by disease and hunger ; and upon reaching Montreal, learned that a French force had arrived, which would have enabled him to humble the proud warriors, and provoking orator he had met on the wild shores of Lake Ontario. [Of local events, the expedition of De Nonville follows next in order of time. A brief nUimnii to it wiU be found in Mr. Hosmer's chapter upon the Senecas, and more of it will be found in tliu Appendix, No. 2.] The Iroquois were prompt tocairy the war home upon their in- vaders. In November following De Nonville 's expedition, they at- tacked the French fort on the Sorrel, and were repulsed, but they ravaged the neighboring French settlements, and made captives. Darkness lowered upon the French cause. "In this same year, there fell upon Canada an evil more severe than Indian aggression .or English hostility. Toward the end of the summer, a deadly malady visited the colony, and carried mourn- ing into almost every household. So great was the mortality, that M. De Nonville was constrained to abandon, or rather defer, his project of humbling the pride and power of the Tsonnonthouans He had also reason to doubt the faith of his Indian allies ; even the Ilurons of the far West, who had fought so stoutly by his side on the shores of Lake Ontario, were discovered to have been at the time in treacherous correspondence with the Iroquois." " While doubt and disease paralized the power of the French, their dangerous enemies were not idle. Twelve hundred Iroquois warriors assembled at Lake St. Francis, within two days' march of Montreal, and haughtily demanded audience of the Governor, which was immediately granted. Their orator proclaimed the power of his race, and the weakness of the white men, with all the emphasis and striking illustration of Indian eloquence. He offered * The wronnp complained of. wore the destruction, by the Senecas of a l.-ir™ nnnibor of the cmuoos „f the Freucli trnders, on (heir way to the K the akiiS 32 PnELPS AKD GOEUUI'S PTOOHiSE. peace on terms proposed by the Governor of New York but o.I„ allowe,! t e French four days for deliberation," ' °"'^ strations. The whole country west of the river Sorrel, or Uichlien was occ„p,ed by a savage host, a,.d the distant fort o c4ta touv' on the Ontario shore, was with dilBeultv held loail Ron T ^' wo had burned the fann stores with l^ Z , and ZZ oatte of the settlers. The French bowed befor he ,„rt "he„ could not resist, and peace was concluded on Condi ions th" war » ould cease in the land, and all the allies should Tar „ X bloss.ngs of repose. M. De Nonviile furUier agreed to rel e he n .au c ,ers who had been so treacherously to™ rom i ei " a. va w.Ms, and sent to labor in the galleys of France "• Before the treaty was concluded, however, the implacable ene m,es of the Iroquois, the Ahenaquis. attacked then, o he SorreT destroyed many, and pushed Iheir conquest even to the F l ,- .ernents. And nearly at the sa,„e ti.nl, a^ZunSitut :iah:n-i.:~f-i-^^t5 to h,s own country, he went up the St. Lawrence, and lyi„,r-„ a" .t:: ■tSSsrkiit^r™ irL^ ''-'■■ '-^ ^^'""- ...en preluded that he was a!ti„^ wtly backwoods Mefernich had concluded it would : - A retKwtl * Conquest of Canada. ~ ' ~ ' • — vi.o honof-ablc and u.sdul ca 'eor can U'^ .^^ '^' *? Franco :-<• His othu-l act of troacliory. Fron. tl.e day we, h, cv 1 d fl '"/" '^''""^ '/^"^ "*' ""« ^'"'k "K.US Indians, sctiriied .. broLii "ml t ■ t , I ' '';"'/' U"' ""'^' '"'f •""^'".'ifii. Kiiould not Itave nintio Do CSc w , k - • '^^^^^^^^ Tho awtl.or ..ndcr instructions. The instnlcVilt o iVi Tn'^o^V ■• "' J""^^''^""^^^- '''^ --t-' ^^l^e t.e,^ ^^edl^ e^S^o^^^uSlt;^]],!— ^ S -'LSi^ PHELPS AliD GORIIAM's PTJBCHASE. 88 of hostilities was soon made by the Iroquois, to revenge themselves tor the supposed baseness of the French Governor. Twelve hun- dred Iroquois warriors made a descent upon the Island of Montreal burnt the French houses, sacked their plantations, and put to the sword all the men, women and children within the outskirts of the town. •• A thousand French were slain in the invasion, and twentv- six carried into captivity."* The marauders retreated, but not with- out further destruction of life;-a force of one hundred French and htty Indians, sent m pursuit, were entirely cut off. " The disastrous incursions filled the French with panic and astonishment. Thev at once blew up the forts of Cataracouy. (Kingston,) and Niagara, burned two vessels, bulk under their protection, and altogether abandoned the shores of the western Lakes.'' y Frontenac m-rived at Quebec in October, 1689, at a period of great depression with the colony. H.s hands were strengthened by the government of France, but a vast field of labor was before him. Ke repaired to Montreal, and summoned a council of the western Indians ; the hrst rnd most miportant consummation to be effected, bein- their perfect conciliation and alliance:-" As a representative of the Ualhc Monarch, claiming to be the bulwark of Christendom - Count Frontenac, himself a peer of France, now in his seventieth year, placed the murderous hatchet in the hands of his allies; and ivith tomahawk m his own grasp, chaunted the war-song, danced the war-dance, and listened, apparently with delight, to the threat of savage vengeance." J In the February preceding the event just alluded to, the revolu- tion m England had been consummated. William and Mary had succeeded to the throne, and soon after which France had declared a war against England, in which the American colonies became at once involved, and a contest ensued, in which the question of undi- vided empire m all this portion of North America was the stake to be won; -France and England had both determined upon entire conquest Frontenac succeeded in conforming the alliance of nearly all the western tribes of Indians, and through the mission- * Smitli'8 History of New York. t Bancroft. M 34 PHELrS AND r.OIinAM's PUECnASE. aries was enabled to make a partial divisioMof the Iroquois from the English interests. He soon received from his government instruc- tions to war for conquest, not only upon New England and New Vork, but upon all the Indian allies of the English. His instruc tions contemplated an attack upon "Manathe." ("Manhattan" or l\ew York,) by sea, and an attack upon Fort Orange by land and a descent upon the Hudson, to co-operate with the naval expedition. The French force in Canada, of regulars and militia was about two thousand. In February, 1G89, an expedition started from Montreal and after a long march through the wild- erness. in which they were obliged to walk up to their knees m water, and break the ice with their feet, in order to find a solid tootmg. they arrived in the vicinity of Schenectady, the then farthest advanced of the English settlements. Arriving at a soli- tary wigwam, the benumbed and disabled from the effects of the severe cold weather, warmed themselves by its fire, and information was gamed from the squaws who inhabited it, how they could best fall upon the village and execute their terrible mission of war and retribution upon those who had as.cisted the Mohawk branch of the Iroquois ,n their onslaughts upon the French settlements. In all their march and contemplated attack, they had been assisted by a formerch.ef of the Mohawks, who had deserted his country and Identified himself with the French allies at the west. Approaching the point of attack, he had eloquently harangued the French and their Indian aJIies to "lose all recollections of their fatigue in hopes of aking ample revenge for the injuries they had received from th Iroquois at the solicitation of the English, and of washino them out m the blood of thetrai^ors."* At eleven o'clock at nighuhey came ne.r the settlement, and deliberating whether they should no^no pone the attack to a moredead hour of the night, were compel I'd by th^e xcessive co ld^ton^sh^ their victims and destroy them, tJ that oLped. bc4nVrdotX'.Vpit f tll^s "tH^^ ^'"^•^' "'' "" *'"' P"P"l'»tion inandantof the pkco, "C. Sa Jc?- wl , 1^ ' ^ ^ '"/'^"'^■"'''^' of the British com- to some Frencl, PrLs, „„9 ' The Fr 'nrl !'.' 'n*'^." ''T" ^''^'"■' P'■<'^'i<>"aly " tl,e lives of fift'y or "i^n- nc, on. o J" " ' ' '" *'"/ 'V-^ Do<-u,„ent..,' .ay. that havii^S escaped tlL fir.t l?.ry ol uttacS' ' "" ""'^ '^''^'^'''' ''"'' 'l"^"^- ^W ' ■ i. I mm PHELPS AND GORHAMS PURCHASE, 35 enjoy the warmth of their burning hamlets. A small garrison, where there were soldiers under arms, was first attacked, carried, set fire to aiid burned, and all its defenders slaughtered. Then succeeded hours of burning and massacre, until almost the entire population and their dwellings had been destroyed. The details of the terrible onslaught are familiar to the general reader. It was a stealthy mid- night assault, a work of the sword and the torch, that has few par- allels in all the wars upon this continent. The whole forms an early legend of the Mohawk, and was the precursor of the terrible scenes, that in after years were enacted in that once harrassed and ravaged, but now smiling and peaceful valley. As if satiated with this work of death ; paralized by the severity of the weather, or intimidated by the English strength at Albany ; the French retraced their steps, with their prisoners and plunder, not, however, without suffering from hunger and cold, enough to make the victory, if such it could be called, a dear one. The flesh of the horses they had taken at Schenectady, was for a part of the march their only food. About one hundred and fifty Indians and fifty young men of Albany, pursued them to Lake Charaplam, and even over it, killing some and taking others prisoners. Another expedition left Three Rivers and penetrated the wilder- ness to the Piscataqua River in Maine, surprised a small English settlement, killed thirty of its inhabitants, and made the rest prisoners. After which they fell in with another French force, and destroyed the English Fort at Casco. A third expedition went among the Western Indians to confirm their alliance by intimidation and a lavish bestowal of presents ; and was by far the most successful of the three. It helped vastly to turn trade in the direction of Montreal, and strengthened the French with many of the powerful nations of the west. On their way, they fe'l in with and defeated a large war party of the Iroquois. While all this was in progress, war i)arties of the hostile Iroquois had been making repeated incursions down the St. Lawrence, harrassing the French settlements. The incursions of the French at the eastward had aroused the people of New England to make common cause with the people of New York and their Iroquois allies. In May, 1G90, deputies from New York and all the New England colonies met in Alliany, and made the quarrel fheir own insfear! of that of England, who had been PIIEirs AND G0imA3IS PURCHASE. remiss in aiding their colonies to carry it on. A general invasion ol the Lrench colony was resolved upon. Two expeditions were arranged, one to sail Iro.n Boston to Quebec, and the other to cross the country to the St. Lawrence, and descending the River join the naval expedition at Quebec. Both were failures. The land force under General Wintlirop of Connecticut. 800 strong, marched from Albany to Lake Champlain. where they were disappointed in not meeting 500 Iroquois warriors a^ had been aggreed upon, and the In- dians had also failed to provide the necessary canoes for crossi;.g the Lake. A council of war was held and a retreat agreed upon Major Schuyler of the New York levies, had however, preceded the main army, and crossed the Lake without knowing that Winthrop had retreated. He attacked a small garrison at La Prairie, and oblicred them to fall back toward Chambly. The French in retreatin- fell m with a reinforcement, and turned upon their pursuers; a severe engagement ensued ; overpowered by numbers, Schuyler was obliged to retreac. Sir William Phipps had command of the naval ex- pedition, which con.sisted of 35 vessels and 200 troops. After captur ing some French posts at New Foundland, and upon the Lower St Lawrence, the British squadron arrived at the mouth of the Sa-e- nay, Frontenac having learned that the English land force had turned back, had hastened to Quebec, and ordered a concentration of .is forces there. The slow approach of the New England inva- ders gave him a plenty of time to prepare for defence. On the 5th of October the squadron appeared before Quebec and the next day demanded a surrender. To the enquiry of the bearer of the mes- sage what answer he had to return, the brave old Count said •- iell your master I will answer by the mouth of my cannon, that he may learn that a man of my rank is not to be summoned in this TT'- Jr^u '"''^ ^"""^^^^ •■ - ^ ^^^'^^ «^ 1700 was landed un- der Major Walley, and had much hard fighting, with but indifferent success, with French out-posts. In the mean time. Phipps had ibrtr TrT ' ^'"'^"^ '^' {^eaviestguns against the town and loitress. The fire was mostly ineffectual; directed principally against the high eminence of the Upper Town, it fell short of the mark, while a destructive fire was pouring down upon the assail- fl^! 'f L '""u ''''' '''"''""'^ but twenty hours, when the Briti..h fleet fell down the stream out of the reach of the galling fire from the h.gh ramparts of the besieged fortress. The force under Major I- n PHELPS A^TD OORHAm's PLRCIIASE. 37 Wrliey, upon land, continued the firrht frennmllu c,.„« 1 .heir approacho. After a -nes of "slwpTnJatm "r, fe'Tand orco were oMipd ,o resort ,o a hurried embarira.r '^ Id o^ Ile.r vessels. It was a night scene of panic and ,lis„,^ l'.sing tl,ei,- lives l,y ,he ups° ..ing of boatT The ar* v 1".""' taken on shore, fell into the hands of the French LeS .7 abled ship. Phipps retnrned to Boslon to'lf.o tltT, f ot'lt Quebec ■"''• " "' """""' "^ '"^ ™-" °f '- ^'egeTf Then followed a winter of re|>ose with the French colonv b„. of d^ay and apprehension in New England and New York' who! fl et and „„y ^^j ,„ .^^^^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ Iroquois who h"d & led to co-operate with Winthrop in th« fall, werl early in .he held by themselves in the sprint In Miv n .). "^"7 '" '"« warriors approached Montrea";, lading ^al^^FXltlle^^^^ and re-cnact,ng all the horrid scenes of former year7-ulT"„; repeated, and with similar results ^' "'""'"'" "' .he'^Frenlh'rdtTh"" '"" "' '',""''* ^"'' '''^'•"'' -^ '"d-" -a^, merrench under the energetic administration of Frontenac all ,U wh,le extending their settlements, and stren^theniniTheirwho 1 1 omal pos,t,on. though with arms in their hai^d l^we I ,n s J content to act upon the defensive, while on the part of tie fT. .akiT-t Oiitarit) and ClianiDlaii, i„ inptm . *-""']"^'st« overthoir own raco. Crossina- heir .tealtliy a.s,,ault,s and savago wartim^ £ on 1' ° ' "'--^ '"'• '.^^°'" ^'^^ "«' ""^v tlu^r race added to ordinary >)ravorv-.thev ^r d f ■' °'^'""«''?"« ^itli the stoicism of so dions of Franco, a.tonislfinj. the "men Xl Sinii-^ '""^'^ *™"''^ *'"'' ^*^'*^'-'»" achievements. The best soldrers of Franco ^ndfe "^ 'he aits of war with their occasion, for aB e.ual un.berof unt^^ saJdlii^^f S^^S S^ '"^ ^^ £ 8 PnEPLS AND GOIIHAm's PURCHASE. tering the Onondaga Lake, the army was divided, a portion of it being sent against the Ojieidas, while Frontenac landed with the main force destined for the attack upon the Onondagas. The old Count had now become so decrepid from age and hard service, that he was borne to the point of attack upon a litter ; presenting a scene spiced somewhat with romantic heroism, if the object of attack had in any considerable degree corresponded with the military array and pre- paration. The French army landed upon the banks of the Lake, and threw up some defences. The Onondagas were aware of the ap- proach, fortified themselves as woll as they could in their castle, .sent away all but their warriors, and resolved upon a desperate de- fence. They were, however, intimidated by a Seneca prisoner, who had escaped from the French, who told them that Frontenac's army " was as numerous as the leaves on the trees, and that they had ma- chines which threw up large balls in the air, which falling on their cabins would burst in pieces scattering fire and death every where around, against which their stockades would be no defence," This was a kind of warfare new to them, and which they resolved not to encounter, setting fire to their castle and cabins, t-hey fled and left their invaders the poor triumph of putting to death one old Indian Sachem, who remained to become a sacrifice and defy and scorn the invaders, even while they were applying their instruments of torture. The Oneidas fled at the approach of the other division of the French army, but thirty of them remaining to welcome the invaders and save their castle, village, and crops. They were made prisoners and the village, castle, and crops destroyed. No rumor came from the English, but the fear of one hastened the French retreat across the Lake to Fort Frontenac, and from thence to Montreal. The treaty of peace concluded at Ryswick, and the death of Fron- tenac soon followed, leaving partial repose to the harrassed French and English colonies. The amiable Callieres, the governor of Mon- treal, succeeded Frontenac, but hardly lived to witness the consum- mation of his wise measures for conciliating the Iroquois, renewing Indian alliances, and generally to better the condition of the aflliirs of New France. lie was succeeded by Vaudreiul who was soon waited upon by a deputation of Iroquois, that acknowledged the French dominion. It was but a short breathing spell for the colonies : — In May, 1702, what was called "Queen Ann's war," was declared, and the rnELPS AND goeiiam's purchase. 39 scenes of what had been called " King William's war," were re-enact- ed upon this continent. The Province of New York took but little part in the contest, and itschief I irden fell upon New England. The Indians, within their own limits, reinforced by the Indians of Canada, and not unfrequent- ly accompanied by the French, made incursions into all parts of the eastern English Provinces, falling upon the frontier settlements with the torch, the tomahawk and knife, and furnishing a long catalogue of captivity and death, that mark that as one of the most trying pe- riods in a colonial history, upon almost every page of which we are forcibly reminded how much of blood and suffering it cost our pio- neer ancestors to maintain a foothold upon this continent.* The war on the part of the English colonies, was principally directed against Port Royal, Quebec and Montreal. Most of the expeditions they fitted out were failures ; there was a succession of shipwreck, badly framed schemes of conquest ; organization of forces but to be disbanded before they had consummated any definite purposes; "marching up hills and marching down again." Such being the geographical features of the war ; the Province of New York having assented to the treaty of neutrality between the French and Five Nations, and contenting itself with an enjoy- ment of Indian trade, while their nei'Thborinc; Provinces were strung- gling against the French and Indians ; there is little to notice having any immediate connexion w-ith our local relations. Generally, during the war, the Five Nations preserved their neutrality. They managed with consummate skill to be the inti- mate friends of both the English and French. Situated between two powerful nations at war Avith each other, they concluded the safest way was to keep themselves in a position to fall in with the one that finally triumphed. At one period, when an attack upon Montreal was contemplated, they were induced by the English to furnish a large auxiliary force, that assembled with a detachment of English troops at Wood Creek. The whole scheme amounting to a failure, no opportunity was offered of testing their sincerity; but from some circumstances that transpired, it was suspected that they were as much inclined to the French as to the English. At one '•t if From the yonr 1675, to llio ch •■ of Queen Ann's War in 1713, about six thousand of (lie Enirlisli colonists, liad perished by tlio stroke of tJio eneniv. or by distsmnei-a contracted la military service. . . i 40 mi Mi'.' I PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PUECHASE. period during the war, five Iroquois Sachems were prevailed upon to visit England for the purpose of urging renewed attempts to conquer Canada. They were introduced to the Queen, decked out in splendid wardrobe, exhibited through the streets of London at the theatres, and other places of public resort ; feasted and toast- ed, they professed that their people were ready to assist in extermi- nating the French, but threatened to go home and join the French unless more effectual war-measures were adopted. " This was a les son undoubtedly taught them by the English colonies, who had sent them over to aid in exciting more interest at home in the contest that was waging in the colonies. The visit of the Sachems had tern- porarily the desired effect. It aided in inducing the English gov- ernment to furnish the colonies with an increased force of men and vessels of war, in assisting in a renewed expedition against Mon- treal and Quebec, which ended, as others had, in a failure. They got nothing from the Five Nations but professions; no overt act of co-operation and assistance. The Governor of the province of New York, all along refused to urge ihem to violate their engage- ments of neutrality ; for as neutrals, they were p. barrier to the frontier settlements of Nev. York, against the encroachments of the iTench and their Indian allies. "The treaty of Utrecht, in April, 1713, put an end to the war France ceded to England 'all Nova Scotia or Arcadia, with its ancient boundaries ; also, the city of Port Royal, now called An- napohs Royal, and all other things in those parts, which depend up- on the said lands.' France stipulated in the treaty that she would 'never molest the Five Nations, subject to the dominion of Great Jiritam,' leaving still undefined their boundaries, to fbrm with other questions of boundary and dominion, future disagreements. ' In all these years of war, French interests at the West had not been neglected. In 1701, a French officer, with a small colony and a Jesuit missionary, founded the city of Detroit. * The peace of their respective sovereigns over the ocean, failed to reconcile difficulties between the colonies. Tiie trade and the right to navi- gate the Lakes, was a monopoly enforced by the French, which the English colonies of New York were bent upon disturbing, though yond Iho UeneseeSn '^°'' ^' ''*"°"''"'^ "^ ^''^''' ^"^^ ^''^ ^'''^ ^'^'^'"'''^ ^«' PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 41 liled upon tempts to II, decked ' London, and toast- i extermi- e French ivas a les- had sent e contest had tem- lish gov- men and 1st Mon- . They rt act of i'ince of engage- r to the ts of the he war. with its led An- •end up- e would »f Great th other had not colony e peace concile navi- ich the though iced be- the terms of peace had in effect, confirmed it. The English as- sumed that all of what is now Western New York, was within thair dominions, by virtue of but a partial alliance of its native owners and occupants ; and the French claimed by a similar tenure ; for, in fact, it was a divided alliance, fluctuating with the policy of the Senecas, who seemed well to understand the importance of their position, and were resolved to make the most of it. Soon af- ter 1700, we find a marked and progressive change in the disposi- tion of the Senecas towards the French. This we may well at- tribute to the influence of the Jesuit missionaries, who had sue- ceeded in getting permanent missionary stations among them, in a greater degree, perhaps, to the advent of an extraordinary person- age, who, for a long period, exercised an almost unbounded influ- ence throughout this region. This was Joncaire, a Frenchman, who, from a captive among the Senecas, merged himself with them, was adopted, and became the faithful and indefatigable promoter of the French interests. We first hear of him from Charlevoix, who, m 1721, found him the occupant of a cabin at Lewiston, where he had gathered around him a small Indian settlement, and where a fortress was contemplated - the right to build which, he had nego- tiated with the Senecas. He then bore a commission in the French army. He was familiar with all the localities of this region, and gave to Charlevoix a description of the "river of the Tsoutonouans," (Genesee river,) the Sul^-hur Springs at Avon, and the Oil Spring at Cuba. In 17r.O, Kalm, the German traveller, found a half-blood Seneca, a son of hb, at Lewiston ; and in 1753, Washington made the acquamtance of another son of his, while on a mission to the French at the West, and mentions that he was then preferring the French claim to the Ohio, by virtue of the discoveries of L.i Salle. In 1759. these two half-biood sons bore commissions in the French army, and were among the French forces of the West, that were defeated on the Niagara River, on their way to re-inforce the be- sieged garrison. In 1730, M. de Joncaire, the elder, ',M made a report to the French Superintendent at Montreal, of all the Indians whom he regarded as '-connected with the government of Canada." rie embraces the whole of the Iroquois nations, and locates them principally through this State, from Schenectady to the Niagara River ; and in Canada, along near the lower end of Lake Ontario, all of the nations of Canada, and nil inhabiting the. valleys of the 42 PHELPS AND GOEHAM'S PFRCHASE. lii i western lakes, the Ohio inrl th^ i\r ment, he ment ons that hoT. " ^^''f'^PV^- I" this official docu- "He snok. » """' ^^7« '« "engaged at the history of the Sioux" mZ t^eJZ 'enit fi " ''V ''' '-' ^^"^ '' ^ '^'- elo^enceofou^^^t '"^'^ ''■''''' ^^ ^^^^ all the .ublime ernor of Ne v Yc^^ ^ . ^'"'''^' '" '^'' '^''''''''■' b»t the Gov- a fort at Osvve.0 and XJwn ^"^I'sh Governor, Burnett, built ouoit " ThI ■ P "" store-house" at the Bay of "Ironde- quo.t. The year previous, the French, upon the ruins of ZT porary works of De Nonville h-id h,nU / v ^^'^■ protests and remonstrance: ontE^L ^'^'''^ '^^^'"^^ '^^ J': Tz:^i:^::':;~z:^ -- ^^ ^^^^^^ out- sanatory expeditions, of F enTandTnIn '?"''"'"^^' '^ ^" but little reference to this o..T '''^''' ''"'''' '" ^^' "^^i" one prominentTaVse c!^^^ J^SltTofV ^f h ^'"^^". '^^'^ ^^'- countries had but little influen e witlfXnl "''" '^^ ""^^"^' make war upon their own accost Toft ^a^^^^^^^^^^ ''^'^'' t Wk n,otwith tl.o Hire,;;:, p ^ ^;/ n^F^::,?' '"•i'f'"T^t'»H.,n nt Lowisi a''^ ^^ Son..ca,s ponsislh,^ i/, allcnvinff /l/ei ' j ' ' " 7^?'.'/ " 5""tn,]Ii„f, tJ.c ,„H(fcr. T),e country , sin poaec, the 4,k.I, a, /^v ' ';,.i,l I ""■'";''' ' 'f '^"'"''"'''■■'^ rq.li,.,l :_.o''; raisi,,;. .listMrbanccH. ilore. v • '/ ' .^ "™'" ^" "'' ° *" "v^' t,«othcM- with, t >.;ro ; he IS a d.ihl „f the nation h^ 'ni m n;:;;r? /■' i' •^'""^""•^^'«'"lH was acco.nnlishl,,! by a ursB on the t-f f r "*•''' "'""" *■•""•'•«« "t Nia.^. ra Ihe Senecusha.'l no iUea^of,lLti,iTi;1.^."^'''f •"'%••"'' "tl'-r Fren"""' "* > " take It ni the presence of the Hc^Zt ul^^ '^ "o nieans stron.j. eno„-ii to nndcr- tirst f,'ot jierniission (o bui! | •, ^I'T' •J"''' watclun- their rnov,.n,e,rm TJ Z It c.slron.'bein.wi,nes.S;IVL^,n^Sbi:; '^kn'''""^^ UMble the French to protect nvcinsolv^seSi attack '''""»'' '"^™"^«1 ^o PHELPS AND GOEIIAm's PURC.TIASE. 43 French continued to extend their posts to the West and South West and the English to strengthen the frontiers of New Encrland, and their advance post at Oswego. ° n^^T'^t ^'^^^ ^''^'''''' ''^''^^'^^ "^^^ ^g'"^'"''* F^^'i'^ce and Spain. 1 he first blow struck upon this continent, was the capture of Louis- burg, which success emboldened Governor Shirley, of Massachu- setts, to ask the co-operation of the other colonies in an attempt to drive the French from all their American possessions ; some de- monstrations with that view were made; but the principal events of the campaign were at sea, and upon the frontiers of New Enrr. land. The short war was closed by the peace of Aix la Chapelfe, of 1748. Its chief result had been the loss to the French of all the Northern frontier coast, to repair which, they immediately projected schemes for extending their dominion to the valley of the Ohio and upon the Mississippi, to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1750, commission- ers met in Pans to adjust American boundaries, but after a long session, accomplished nothing. Difficulties arose in a new quarter. The crown of England granted to an association of its subjects at home, and in Virginia, called the Ohio Company, 000,000 acres of land upon the Ohio river, all of which was upon lerriiorv claimed by France. The attempts of this Company to survey and settle these lands, and the building of French posts upon them, simulta- neously, brought the English and French colonists into direct con- flict. The campaign was opened by the Governor of Vkmnla, who sent an armed force to the disputed ground. Other colonies soon co-operated ; and after the contest had been attended with alternate successes and reverses, in 1755, General Braddock came with a force from England, to aid the colonies. All the events of the war upon the Allegany and the Ohio, form prominent pnges of American history; ultimately connected with the history of our western States ; but deriving its chief general interest from the circumstance that it was the school of experience and discipline, where the sword of the youthful Washington was first unsheathed. Braddock's defeat followed ; then General Shirley's abortive ex- pedition in the direction of Niagara ; Sir William Johnson's par- tially successful expedition to Lake George ; the advent of Lord Loudon, as Commander-in-chief of the British army in America ; which principal events closed the campaign of 1755 ; and in the a'''»' '» "<"^ 'he a French f„,co „, Ihr W "" ''"S''«='™"' "f 2n.J».roc. wi,h Ihe British fort" Z?ZT r;V"'" '■""°"^'' ''>' "'^ "P""-" of These princ pa 1°: r ^^^^'^Tm- ''°"'°'"™- Indian depredations ?,! , "'^ "P °'' f''™'^'' ""d mination of the border s« I "'^ '..-"""""^ "''"os. to the exter- terests, at tl,e close of th, l'™"7l'»nia ; gave to British in- e»cct,r,i„, .::rot\:7Zht r.rs -- - Lord L n on CO ee^ , 1 rT '^r"f ™- ^"""»' ""' -'— • posablc forces of till " T"' "'"'" "'""^'" """y- "" "'= d''" added, u e, o Cm !" n "l'' " P"""*' ""''=' -™™™' .on.butaba„redS::itra r"'^ ble ; for reasons vvhieh7„l ■•° '"'''°''>' '"™'"'' "»="'.» ="»'na- fare T,l i;? ™'"" '' '"}-^"=0-in the history of En dish war cah„ in perso", ct SI, '^t;:::;^!! :.i'^,';?^ •■-- '^'-- wasayearofdisa^terswi,MI,„ 17 V> / Wilham Henry. It were embarke „d Jil | 1 ='"'' ' '°'™"'''"'' """«'' »"" ■"'vie. t;crc:H^~="-=- '.-«:::r^:cp--t^^^^^^^^ Mr P ,!' ,d ' ""'"'"' ^"S'"""* ''"'""'^'.ood .— It wa, that of of itf ff itv 'r"T'°" °' "^ ""'""■^- «'• •""•">-'l -a To aspcc wi/b^St^tttS^^^^^^^^^^^^ or whoever is out " s-ii,-l J nrA r\ . 7 ,' °"''- Whoever is in. ^nehare::rrdots::i^:i ;:t:!-:r^r '"- tbe'ix o'r[::i:bt:rrc''"''°^f = ""^"^^"'^ •'•'"«-™ military offiecr7XS n . '' '° '■™°''''' "f"'" ""™l and recalled I-or: A*r tiThe ^./.^tG"' '" '"""T' "'■ "" irom tne auny in Germany, and made him ack of tJie ^ now the •trcct with capture of renc'i and tlie exter- British in- even less ring, by a under the rengthen- ! summer, II the dis- irmament ^ape Bre- y attaina- clish war- is, Mont- Jnry. It id navies !re abor- s of the t'okition, that of 5 aspect t it was er is in. , "lam increas- . Ttie are no gs, was .'al and Ir. Pitt de him mELP3 AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. 45 commander in chief of the expedition, and made the Hon. Edward Boscawen the Admiral of the fleet. An expedition consisting of 23 ships of the line, 15 frigates, 120 smaller vessels, on board of°which were nearly 12,000 British regulars, sailed from Portsmouth and arri- ving at Ilalifiix on the 2Sth of May, soon commenced the siege of Louisburg, which ended in a capitulation of the strong for»ress,"after a gallant and protracted resistance, on the 25th of July. The' fruits of the conquest were 5,000 French prisoners ; 11 ships of war taken or destroyed ; 250 pieces of ordnance ; 15,000 stand of arms, and a great amount of provisions and military stores. A scene of plunder and devastation followed in all that region, which dimmed the lustre of British arms. Far less of success attended British arms in this campaign in other quarters :— Mr. Pitt had infused among the despairing colonies, a new impulse; they had sent into the field an efficient force of 9,000 men, which were added to 6,000 regulars— all under the command of Aber-' crombie. In July, he had his strong force afloat on Lake George, proceeding to the attack upon Ticonderoga and Crown Point, 'a protracted siege of Ticonderoga followed, badly conducted in almost every particular; the sequel, a retreat, with the loss of nearly 2,000 men. The intrepid Bradstreet soon made partial amends for this un- fortunate enterprise, by the capture of Fort Frontenac, then the strong hold of French Indian alliance. General Stanwix advanced up the Mohawk and built the Fort that took his name. In the mean time General Forbes had left Pliiladelphia with an efficient army of over 0,000 regulars and provincials, and after a defeat of his advance force, had captured Fort du Quesne, changing the name to Fort Pitt in honor of the great master spirit who was controlling England's des- Note. -How ofton iiro tnuinphg of arms, the result of chance! It is btit a few vcarsBmco an Arnoncau General confe.sse.l that a sple.ulid victory wns owing r^.tl^ ftict that . on.e unJj^cn.Lne,! troops ,11.1 not know when they we.4 fmrly conqnered pcrsevere.1 ,n (ho hj^ht and turne,! ll,o ti.le ,.f battle. An ini,Wi.sh hist.frian la ml i upon ev. ,y subjec he touohoH, a.j.nivs that ll-e capture ..f Louisburir was accid.'ntu - the hrst successful landm- was made by W„]f, then a Bn-a.fi.r General. Gen Amherst doubte.l >t« j,rm-t,cal,ility. "The chivalrous Wolf himself, as he „e ed tbe awlul sml, sniggered m las resolution, and nrop„siugto .h.ferthe enterprise, waved his hat lor the boats o retire 'I hr,.,- y„uMg subaltern oHlcers.-howevor, connnandin.Mhe 1 ad ng eft, puH HMl on shore, having miHtaken the signal for what their stout hca ts H , r , : ,f L -T r ' '•^';'^'''"'.'?«V.'.'^' ■■""! ci.'ov.'ned, but tlie renmint^er climbed up r, f IT V • '"."' (""""'^ "I'"" ^'^^ ™"""^f- '•'''« Bng'^'lier then cheered on tlie rest lit tliM i|ivi«i,iri (.1 ti>,. tiMiir-iii't of f'ii> •.iH , t (• i •• ■ i ^""-""" i'". landing was accomplishod.'''^ ' ' ""^^'"^ ^''''' "'"^ '"'' "'° '^^'""'^"' '^'^'i"'"^ 46 PHELPS AHD OOimAM'3 PUECIIASE. be n ;.ectl e Ltr "'' ""f r^P^'S""' «>e year, Abercrombie ha,l CHAPTER II. m 'i SIEGE AND SURRENDER OF FORTNrAPAn* I'UKl NIAGARA. CONaUEST OF WESTERN NEW YORK. Toward he close of 1758, the policy of the British Minister Mr Pitt began to be clearly developed. It looked to no farthe b effi cenM^easures but to a vigorous and decisive canWn vhth t:^z::::r t? i^i-'' ^?^^^^^' ^^^-^ -^ ^^'^' ttiis continent. 1 he British people, stimulated by a spirit of con quest, and a hatred of the French, both of which haSbe n assidu" ously promoted by the public press, and public men of En" nd' seconded the ambitious views of the Minister p7r ^"f ''"?' dre^sinrr thp Thrr>, i , ^» uie ivimistei. rarliament. in ad- dre .ing the Throne, applauded him, and upon the recommendation of the King, wei-e prompt and liberal in the voting of suppl s corl a ::? '■'' '"" '^'^^" "P°" ^'- '-'- «f theltlant' to secure ord lal and vigorous co-operation ; the colonists, wearied with w ^md Its harrassing effects, were cheered bv the exDressionlnf I commiseration of the Kincr nnr? I,;. expiessions of the fl„ I ■ J -^ "' ^"" '"^ assurances of protection nnrJ fina .„dem„,fioa„on; and more than all, perhap, h/lnovT.cT^ that Mr. Pi., had projec.ed. ,„ H. ^o^Z^^^ ^^^ pme. a .nonopoly of the Indian .rade, ,ho c„„™orce of e Lake PHELPS AND GORIIAM'a PUECHASE. 47 control to bear upon the King am Parliament, and of course, had not failed to magnify the hindrances to British interest which continued French dominion imposed; nor to present in glowing language, the truits of conquG t and the extension of British power in America. Sir William Johnson, always faithful to his liberal patron the Kintr was more than usually active in wielding the immense influence h'e had acquired with the Indians to secure their aid ; he drew them together in different localities, urged upon them his professions of re- gard for their interests, inflamed their resentments by recounting the wrongs they had endured at the hands of the French ; listened to their complaints of English encroachments upon their lands, and was lavish m promises of ample reparation; not omitting the more than usually liberal distribution of presents, of which he was the accustomed almoner. By much the larger portion of the Five Na- tions of the Iroquois were won over to the British interests, a portion of the Senecas being almost alone in standing aloof from the contest or continuing in French alliance. ' General Amherst having succeeded to the office of Commander in Chief of the British forces in North America, had his head quar- ters m New York, in the winter of 1758, '9, actively calling to his aid the provincial troops, appointing Albany as the place of rendez- vous at which place he established his head quarters as early as the month of April. The force at the disposal of General Amherst, was larger by far than any that had been before mustered upon this continent. In addition to a large force of British regulars, the colony of Massachu- setts had furnished seven thousand men, Connecticut five thousand, and New Hampshire one thousand. The provincial regiments, as ast as they arrived at Albany went into camp, and were subjected to rigid discipline ; the regulars, who were destined for operations at the north, were pushed on and encamped at a point some fifty miles on the road to Fort Edward. The general plan of the campaign contemplated the conquest of ti.e tJiree important strong holds, and seats of power, of the French • Quebec, Montreal, and Niagara. The main army, under General Amherst, were to move from the shores of Lake George, reduce the French posts at Ticonderoga and Crown Point, descend by the river Kichheu and occupy Montreal ; then, on down the St. Lawrence to join the besiegers of Quebec. 48 PHELPS AND OORIIAm's PURCHASE. Leaving the northern expedititlon to the province of general his- tory.with the exception perhaps of a brief allusion to it in another place, we will take up that portion of the general campaign, which IS more .mmediately blended with the history of our local region : _ Ihe force destined for Ningara rendezvoused at Schenectady early in May. It consisted of two British regiments ; a detachment ot Koyal Artillery ; a battalion of Royal Americans ; two battalions ot i>lew York Provincials; and a large force of Indian Allies under the command of Sir William Johnson; the most of whom were Mohawks, Oneidas and Onondagas, the remainder, Cayugas and tsenecas, with a few from such western nations as had been partly won over to the British interests. Brigadier General Prideaux was the Commander in Chief; next in rank, was Sir William Johnson who previous to this had been regularly commissioned in the British army. The force moved from Schenectady on the 20th of May came up the Mohawk, and via the usual water route to Oswego' where it remamed, completing the preparation of batteaux for ascend- ing Lake Ontario, for over five weeks. On the first of July, the whole force were embarked, and coasting along the shore of the Lake toward their destination ; a strong fortress, the seat of French domin. ion, over a widely extended region ; the key or gate-way to the pri- mitive commerce of the western lakes; its battlements in solitary grandeur frowning defiance to any force that would be likely to reach It through difficult avenues, in its far ofllocation in the wilderness. JXever m all more modern periods, have the waters of Ontario borne upon their bosom a more formidable armament. In addition to a large force, to their stores and camp equipage, was the heavy artillery, and all the requisites that British militarv skill and foresight had deemed necessary for the reduction of a strong fortress by regular approaches; such as the plan of attack contemplated. And how mixed and made up of difibrent races, and men of different habits and characters, was this expedition ! - There was the proud com- missioned and titled Briton, who had seen more of the refinements and luxuries of courts, than of the hardships of camps in the wilder- ness ; veteran officers and soldiers, who had fought in European wars, inured to the camp and the field ; the sons of the wealthy and mfluential colonial, in New York, along the Hudson river counties. who had sought commissions in the army, and were going out in their first campaign. Provincials, men and boys, transferred horn i m PHELPS AND GORHAlfs PURCHASE. 49 the stores counting-houses, and nnechanic shops of New York, and the rural districts of Yestchester, Richmond, Kings, Queens, Suffolk, Dutchess, Ulster, Orange, Albany, and the lower valley of the Mo- hawk, to the camp, the drill, and the march that seemed then as far extended, and beset with more difficulies than would one over the mountains to Oregon now ; and lastly there was the warriors of the Iroquois, fully imbued with their ancient war spirit, decked out with feathers, claws, and hoops, the spoils of the forest chase — and with new paint, broad-cloths, blankets and silver ornaments, the gifts of the King. The armament coasted along up the south sliore of the Lake, en- camping on shore ; the first night at Sodus, invited there by the beautiful bay, in which their water craft could be made secure from winds and waves, as their frail structure demanded. Their other halting places for the night, were at Irondequoit, Braddock's Bay, and Johnson's Creek ; (which latter place was named in honor of Sir William Johnson ;) arrived at the mouth of the Eighteen Mile Creek, (what is now the village of Olcott,) within eighteen miles of Fort Niagara, a halt was made to enable recounoitering parties to go out and determine whether the French had made a sortie from the Fort in anticipation of their arrival. As they coasted along up the lake, they had occasionally dis- charged their heavy artillery, well knowing that a noiseless approach would give them no advantage, as the Indian scouts from the garri- son, glimpses of whom had been caught upon several occasions, had kept the French well informed of their movements ; and there were Iroquois enough in the French interest, belonging to the lower na- tions, to give the French missionaries and traders, in all their localr ities in Western New York, timely notice of all that was going on. But they wished to inspire the Senecas in their interests with cour- age and the neutrals with terror ; and well, perhaps, did their device subserve those purposes. Leaving the British army almost within sight of the field of con- flict, let us pass over the lake, and down the river St. Lawrence, to see what preparation had been made for their reception : — Well informed at home of the policy of Mr. Pitt; of the prepara- tory acts of Parliame.it ; of the shipping of reinforcements to the British army in America; of all the minutiae, in fact, of the cam- paign ; the French had not been idle. Despatches were sent to M. .';o Iff PHELPS AND OOnnAM's PCBCHASE. If etcTbvtif ■ ""' """'T' °' "'"""''■ ""'' ^i» I--* «erc strength, eneci by reinforcements from Frnnpp u^ i * .• ■ ^ and country over the forest and best portions of the New World men., and colencod if J J J "'^ *"' ''«»"" "" -'-"'h" the advance workmen ■,. Ihl , "''"'""■ ""'"« "Pon into the opeVZund ; IlT T' "''""" '" """"-S^ f'™ 'h" foU tired into t for, /fit ' '"'"'. ""''""S"''' ""'' *e party re- fort, whic ;:; kept iiTr "r "^ '"'^--^^^ f"- "-^ On the 8ih m. p ■ u"^ ^ " 8™""='' portion of the night men! Mhe Fr th ottuCtr-'l''" ™"'" "P™ ">''^ ---'>■ the f„ ,, and Hon' ieur La F? T " "''°" "'"'" =" '"""-'"'^ f™" in the anned rhooner l\ "^"'""^ "'' ""'' ''™" '>"> Lake ^hot. Genera Pndel'' """"^'""""y "^''d'ms them with a ".anding a :™jt X "" "'' "'"' " """ '"'» ">e fort, de- Freneh'commrdt ot ™1 ^■^■""'■■'^-'y --efced by the exchange orXlo^Jil Tu^l '""' '""P'"^ '^^^'""^ *« the loth, the EnHlradvanee r""'"''''"'"''^'^*'^'-^- «» themselves hy entrenchment, V " "'" "P"" 8™"''. P™tecting ^^^elment^^ occasional fire fro.n the fort! r««..n, ,1.0 l„,fc, ,„„if„, J V° »' 2 J; ,'; : '" 'i""',"",'"' "' « »»'"' i- 1> C and b,a,c, m die F™,ch .mice „ , Lli °o^?»"'"''"'' »' » >"n.J .3™ «" acU™ PHELPS AND gokiiam's puuciiase. 51 %Nliich became almost incessant during the nigbt, obliging tiiem at tunes to suspend their works. The small French force at Schlosser succeeded in reaching the fort. On the 11th, a small ,krty of French approached within a short distance of the English trenches irom which they sallied out in strong force, but were driven again into their defences, by the guns of the fort. At 5 P. M., the En.'. lish opened their fire with eight mortars. ' ' '^ The siege continued from day to day, and night to night, with oc- casional, but not long-continued intermissions ; the French, too few in number to risk a sortie, holding out valiantly amid the tunblinva.s .ntTieo,,- ac(.rpsof J'rovincial |.".a7„a,r,s ; (le r,r 01 ' , If ",' ^^"'^ w,^ a vo„n^M,(ru-er i,, SKMi ain(,M- tlio I'roviiu'ials ^n the .iel ,, ' \' ,'''?' "^^"'"^■'1. 1""^' '>■ coniinis- ward, rendered ilhr.lrio n.'e; in i.vf "'■'''' ''""' "'^■•■^■^'■^' "thcr imn.e.s, after- Crown Point, Tico.uler...a:Si;I;^',;;:i'i;;;:;;;;['''^«'"'''« ^( the cauipaignH .igai„«t 56 PHELPS AND GOKHAM's PURCHASE. and strengthen the alliance of the Iroquois, ami detaching a suffi- cient force to repair and occupy the captured fort. Sir William Johnson, with his main force and his prisoners, departed for i ' in I • ■ I'l CHAPTER III. ^mu 8XEGE AND CAPTUUK OF TICONDEROGA, CROWN VOim , aUEBEC, AND MONTREAL -PEACE OF 1763 - END OP FRENCH DOMINION. While all this was transpiring, war was waging with equal vigor It not with as signal success, upon the banks of the St. Lawrence' and upon the Northern Lakes. On the 22d of July, the main arm; under General Amherst, arrived at Ticonderoga; and, opening I heavy fire upon the French out-posts, compelled them to retire vvithm the walls of the fort, leaving their heavy breast-works to shelter the besiegers from a brisk fire they poured out from the strong-hold to which they had retreated. The siege and stout re- sistance continued until late in the night of the 23d, when the l-rench, warned by the formidable preparations the besiegers were making, withdrew their main force to Crown Point, leaving but 400 to mark^their retreat. Seldom, perhaps, in war's annals, has an unequal lorce-a handful against a powerful array -so much annoyed besiegers, as did these 400 gallant Frenchman, left, as it would almost seem, for a sacrifice. In the daikness of the night, a d taclunen of them went from the fort, and stealthily appro.^hed the Enghsh in their entrenchments; breaking them up. and for a entln .K T^ '"^^^^^'"S ^^y«' ^^""«yi"g the besiegers in their Toltt^Z 'Vr"'""' ^^-^i^ecied fire. On the night of he 26 h, the small force, perceiving that the English had planted themselves strongly within six hundred yards, of the fort -that l'( ig a suffi- William irted for PHELPS AND GORU Ail's PURCHASE. 5T longer resistance would be unavailing- blew up their magazines, fired their wooden breast-works, barracks and store-houses ; made a wreck of their fortress for the besiegers to occupy, and secured a .^afe. retreat, uninterrupted but by a pursuit across the Lake, and the capture of 16 of their number. At daylight, on the morning of the 27th, the French flag was struck down, and the Enl Beauport, gave shelter and hospitality in the rear A crested bmik of some height over the great river, nuarkcd the main hne of defences from east to west, parapets planked at everv favor- able spot, aided their natural strength. Crowding on this embattled bank, swarimngin the irregular village streets, and formed in mass- es on the hil s bej-ond. were 12.000 French and Canadian troops, led by the gallant Montcalm." The scenes that followed-all the details of that protracted and IfJ. * Aiitlior of Conquest of Cuiiaila. PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 59 eventful siege — form prominent pages in our general history. It would be but repeating that with which most readers are familiar, to give them a place in these local annals. The siege commenced on the 29th of June, and lasted with but brief intermissions, until the 18th day of September. Upon that memorable day the French, after a gallant resistance — a holding out almost unparalelled, considered in reference to time ind the fierce and frequent approaches they had to resist — surrendered the great citadel of their strength in America ; the Gibraltar upon vvhich they had fallen back in other days of untoward events ; the spot they had occupied since Champlain chose it in 1608, as the seat and centre of French colonization. The American reader has been surfeited, through English sources principally, with accounts of the bravery, the skill and the fortitude, of the besiegers and conquerors of Quebec. The story of the gal- lant Wolf, the mild, unassuming and amiable commander ; in whose character there is mixed up the finest sensibilities of our nature ; child like simplicity, with as stern heroism as Britain can boast in' her long catalogue of military conquerors ; his almost shout of tri- umph, when the news reached him that the enemy was vie!din imt het'ii ^■ay to tlio )hetii\ While he was listening to the sound of cannon from an unexpec- ted quarter, a horseman came to him in full speed, and announced that the English were occupying the plains of Abraham. He aroused a sleeping and wearied soldiery, and by promi)t action hod them soon hurrying in long lines over the valley of the St. Charles to the battle ground. Incredulous at first, that the besiegers had ventured and succeeded in gaining the rugged ascent — almost be- lieving it a feint; — when convinced of its reality he nei'ved him- self for the decisive contest which he knew had come. The hour of conflict found him at the head of his army ; as Wolf was of his. Where danger was most imminent, he was to be found ; flying from column to column, inspiring confidence by his presence and infusing into his ranks, a desperate courage that England's veteran troops had no where before contended with. At one moment, simultaneously al- most, as if each charge was exploded by an electric circuit, came a volley from the drawn up columns of the British lines. The French were swept down like forest trees before a whirlwind. Upon this hand, fell his second in command, upon the other, one of his bravest generals ; the day and the battle, the citadel and an Empire was al- ready lost ; and yet Montcalm was undismayed. Recoiling from the shock, like hardened steel that has been bent almost to l)reakinrr, again he collected his scattered forces and presented a bold front to the enemy. Then came another terrible fire from the British lines, and with it a charge, such as has but few parallels in the his- tories of battles. Overcome, trampled down, yielding and flyino- in every direction, was the whole French force. Amid this scene of death and carnage, Montcalm died as he had hoped he should ; w}ien-h& could no longer resist the march of the invader. He fell mortally wounded at the head of his troops, that he was in vain at- tempting to rally and make stand firm, in the face of a fire and a charge, incessant and desperate. When the surgeon had examined his wound, he told him it was mortal. " I am glad of it," said he, " how long can I survive ? " " Perhaps a day, perhaps less," was the reply of the surgeon. " So much the better," replied Montcalm, " I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." It is given on the atuhority of a British officer, who was present at the siege of Quebec, that Montcalm, in his last moments, paid a high compliment to his Conquerors; and at the same time bitterly reflected upon his own troops. That he said : " If I could survive tiiis wound, I would 62 m ill m W it litr PinSLPS AND GOBIIAm's PCIiCIIASE. engage to beat tliree times the number of sueh forees as I commnn- ded th,s mornmg with a third of their number of British troop, on 'h B °iJ tie '""";"""■ ••">■' "« g""' -=.'0 mounted up. besil'ed c tv . , rf- ''""'^' '° "■'"" " "'■••• """^ <^™'' from the befo^ the fex. l: •:" '° r''°"""' '^ "° -■"'■--ment, ca.ne '^^ moining. This was in anticipation of the arrival me^Ti^^^ ^-Tf-o- Montreal that had been ordered d vv^ Tl arC J^d?D;n ''',? T""'' '"-^"^ ^'^'^'- «^' ^he French The'; "ttd^ PoT""'''^' ^ f ^''^'^ ^-'^ P-t«d at another point. 1 ney letned t^ Port aux Trembles. When the Governor of Mon treal came down and joined them, it was agreed to send encour"" g.ng words to M. de Ramsay, the Governor of Quebec urZl" o hold out against the siege. The courier reacheVte£:i ty The English army took possession of Quebec, and the French anny retn-ed to Three Rivers and Montreal. Thus ended h campaign m that quarter, for the season of 1759. It re7u ti had been the conquest of Quebec. Crown Point, Ticondero! a,td Niagara. Occupying these vantage grounds, the Englisl - ." well be supposed to I,ave surmounted the most formidabk. b n- rs against the complete success of the campaign; yet. on he parof he French colonists, the stake they were co1.t;r^iin;fo w'as Jo large - the issue was too momentous _ to admit of entire un ender as long as there was the least chance of winning '"'^"' M. de Levi, the Governor of Montreal, had succeeded Montcalm as commander- n-chief TIip F,-o,.^i . • ^"''" ^'^""^^^"^ 1750 'fin h.A u . ^"^'' ^™>'' ^"'^"g the winter of !!::!l!!:J:1!!!!^!^^ '^^^'' -^^ - i^rge o„8 cn,.„,y m tl.o open fidtl. T,, aav fo h '"? 'l^'';;'""ncHl lo meet ]iis danger- Wc. Jlatl tlio French Cener'il tl n t, ■ ' '^■'^f''""-''"'<'i'7 msulutwn, is inipossi- dofietlhis assailants fnmi be LZ ..,'''"'';'* "•',^;' '^."'■^«<^' '^« ""ffl't J'a™ ^Ju^ly short tinte belbre, he l,a,l i w ,M ; " "/'i'"'; *''^ '""^?"' ^'■"™ ^1^^'"' ^^^^'ay. l^ut a lintish army in a ,r,„eral en^^^j ^ "^'it^': rT'''"''-'!f '"V""''' ""^f='- ^''^ in(lofal,.rable enemy had been^h Su.u eve^^. I 7'-'" ^'"'^ "" »''^' ««'"-•<« "f l"s terms: antl yet, at leni,nh, ,.„ an me l- in V'\ '''''^' "" "" "^■^'"" >'I""' ■''"}- unaided by any advan(a«o of i.os fi L ' , "' ". " '',","" '^■'"^■"'- *"■• '"'^ ''"-'iH'^rv, veterans of Kntrlantl. Once a do I ^'•' /'".''^^' f'"' '■"^''^ Cana.lian militia ai^ainst flie «iis gallant Frt:?,eh,„an fb.Sl hi w stLn? •^'' n • '''-^'''^"^ ^""^ '"'"^f""^'^ '^•'^■"r S dous en'or led him to defeat and d,tu' * '"''""'"^ ''''"' ^"^ '^''^^ one tremeu i W ' I city bod PHELPS AjSD GORIIAAl's PURCHASE. y o{ Indians. In April, as soon as the ur 63 enoui cr portion of the St. he transportation of nis artillery, Heavy baggage, and nnilitary stores, M. de Levi re- solved upon a descent and an attempt to re-conquer Quebec. It was a rash attempt, but he relied much upon the eflects a cold win- ter had had in reducing and enfeebling the British force, that had been lelt at Quebec ; and in fact, shut up as they had been, but scantily supplied with salt provisions, death and disability had fear- ^ully thinned their ranks. The defence had devolved upon Gen. Murray. On the morning of the 27th of .April, M. de Levi had posted his strong force within three miles of Quebec. The British General, fully aware that investment, for any considerable period, in the condition of his army, would be equally as fatal as defeat 're- solved to follow the example of Montcalm. His unequal force was marched out, and an attack commenced. After a desperate fight, and the loss, in killed and wounded, of nearly one-third of his army he retired within the walls. U. de Levi followed up his success,' approaching and strongly entrenching ; the lost citadel was apparent- ly w'thin his grasp, when a small, but efficient English fleet came up the St. Lawrence, and made quick work in destroying and cap- turuig the whole French armament ; a new spirit was infused in the English camp; and M. de Levi, with hopes so suddenly crushed, made a hasty retreat at the sacrifice of his guns, amunition, stores, and entrenching tools. Thus ended an expedition that the chagrined Canadians stigmatized as "de Levi's folly." On his way to Niagara, Prideux had left Col. Haldimand in com- mand at Oswego. On the 4th of July, the fort was besieged by a large force of Canadian militia and Indians, under the command of M. de la Corne. A surprise was attempted and failed, the garrison, being forewarned, was ready for their reception, and opened a fire upon the besiegers, which compelled a dispersion. An attempt to burn the English boats in the harbor failed, and the besiegers re- crossed the Lake. The English opened the campaign in 1760, to complete their con- quest. Early in May, Gen. Amherst had collected a large force rt Oswego. Two armed vessels succeeded in forcing all the French armament upon the Lake to take refuge among the " Thousand Isles.'' The army at Oswego consisted of over 10.000; allied to which, were 700 Indians that Sir William Johnson had brou.dit into 64 PHELPS AND <:}ORHA.m's PURCHASE. (jr Iheficld The mam army under Gen. Amherst, went down the Lake, and the St. Lawrence; a detachment under Co!. Ilaviland gomg via Lake Champlain to Crown Point, to be joined by the force stationed there The first point of attack was the small garrison upon Isle Royal, commanded by captain Pouchot. That surrender- ed after a spirited resistance. Here the Indian allies mostly deser- ted, or marched offin a body, chagrined at Amherst and Johnson's refusal to allow them to massacre the whole French garrison as they had intended. After a perilous passage down the St. Lawrence in which 80 men and (50 boats were lost, Amherst's army landed nine nnles from Montreal on the 0th of Septemb.^r. Murray, with all his disposable force, had left Quebec and sailed up the St. Law- rence on the 14th of June. As an evidence how strong was vet the attachment of the Canadians to the French interests -even in this hour where there was little hope, it is mentioned that Murrav's orce was constantly annoyed by guerrilla attacks from the banks 'of the nver as they ascended. After a slow passage, delayed in expect- ation of being joined by fresh troops from England, the squadron reached the Island of Montreal on the 7th of September, and were disembarked. Col. Ilaviland having come dovn. Lake Cham^ aTn cap tui.d the post at Isle Aux Nois, to which the French had re-' iTo^ T'i;f"'V^' ^''^''''' ^^^^^^"' ^^« "«^r ^' hand, and reached the Island on the 8th. Under Amherst, Murray and Ilaviland, there was now an English force o 10,000 elTective troops. With but little delay, in ZZ^ir r] f "" army of besiegers, M de Vaudreuil surivn- ered Montreal and signed articles of capitulation, which included. cair^ r;; ' """''"''" ^''' ^'°''^' '""^ ^^ ^'^« extent of the French ciaima at tlae west. If any thing excused the French Governor. Vaudreuil. for so sud- den a surrender, it was the favorable terms he exacted from the be- ' H-egers, which were conceded to, as a better alternative, than the hedding of more blood, of which the banks of the St. Lawrence, and the shoi-es of the Lakes, had alrea.lv seen enough to satiate the most morbid desire for human sacrifice, in the respective countries to wh.ch the thousands of victims owed allegiance. The foreign French troops; the civil officers, their families and bar^.a^e -were to be sent home in English vessels; the troops under p^^oL^to' serve no more durmg the war. The militia were allowed to return to PKELPS AXD GORIIAMS l'URCIL\i?E. G5 their homes. The French colonists were to enjoy the same privi- eges ami unmunities as British subjects. The Indians that had ad- hered to the Lrench interests, were to be unmolested, and disturbed m no rii,rht they had enjoyed under French dominion Thus terminated French dominion uj.on this continent, which had existed lor a century and a half. IIovv badly was all that time improved ! Tbe sympathies which are naturally excited by a peru- sal of all the details of the fmal contest ; the mislortunes and casual- ties^we may well call then,, that one after another baflled the arms of France, and paralize.l the arms of as brave men as were ever tramed in her armies; shutting them up in fortresses; closincr the avenues by which succor could reach them, with ice and snow, or adverse wmds; cutting ofT reinforcements in their march of relief- disease prostrating them, and famine staring them in the face, while hos s of armed men were thundering at their gates, and their stron.^ walls were swaying and trembling over their heads; are in a mea! sure abated by the reflection, that they so long held dominion over as hne a region as arms ever conquered, or enterprise ever reach- ed, and were so unmindful of the value of their possession. An occupancy of five generations, and how little did it leave behind of nsjpress ! How little was done for France ! how little for man- There was in Canada, (East,) the two considerable cities of Quebec and Montreal, and a few small villages upon the St. Law- rence. In their vicinities, upon the most favorable soils, there was an agricultural population, but little more than supplying their own food In Canada, (West,) but a small garrison at Frontenac, (Kin^s- ton) with a little agricultural improvement in its immediate neigh- borhood; a small trading station at Toronto ; and a few missionary and trading stations in the interior, and upon Lake Huron. In western New York, the valley of the Lakes, and the upper vallies of the Mississippi, over all of which the French claimed dominion here was but Ibr trading and missionary stations ; with few except t.ons of agricultural enterprise ; by far the most considerable of which, was upon a narr nv strip upon the Detroit river There is much that is ad.nm-able in the French Missionary enter- pnze m all the region they occupied. The world has no where seen as much of devotion, of self-sacrifice, of courage, perseverance and endurance. A host ot gifted men who had left the highest G6 PHELPS Amy G0RHA3l's PURCHASE. iUicj. 1. 81? walks of civilization and refinement, which they had helped to adorn, took up their abode in the wilderness, in rude huts ; here and there, upon the banks of lakes and rivers, where there were none of even the foot prints of civilization, save their own. Solitarv and alone, they wrestled with the rude savage ; displayed the ^-oss. the emblem of salvation, to his wondering gaze, and disarmed his fierce resentments by mild persuasion ; adapting themselves to his condition, and inducting him into the sublime mysteries of a re- ligion of peace and universal brotherhood. Each missionary was a wanderer: -ice, snow, swollen streams, winds and tempests, summer s heats and winter's chills, were to him no hindrances, when duty and devotion urged him onward. Inured to toil and priva- tion a small parcel of parched corn and a bit of jerked beef, would be hKs on y sustenance in long journeys through the forests, seeking new fields of missionary labor. Olten were they martyrs - there are few localities in all the vast region they traversed, where one or more of them dd not yield up his life as an earnest of his faith _ As often as they perished by the tomahawk, the rigors of the cli- mate, exposure, fatigue or disease, their ranks were supplied. Like disciplined soldiers, the Jesuit missionaries, one after another, would Wl ranks, the vacancy of which would admonish them of danger _ And where are now the evidences of all these lang years of mis- sionary enterprize, zeal and martyrdom ? In the small villages of Western New York, which now contain remnants of the once powerful Iroquois, there is the form of the cross in tlieir silver or- naments, and around the western Lakes and Rivers, the traveller TZr T, h" T ''"'' ^'^^^^^^^"^^"y' ^ ™de cross, over an Indian grave. This is all that is left, save written records, to remind us of that extraordinary, long continued, missionary advent. All else faded away with the decline of French power. The good mission- mould of the forests he had penetrated, or relire,. when the fla. of his country no longer gave him confidence and protection. The treaty 17G3 forbid any recruits of his order.' In his absence, his simple neophytes soon forgot his teachings. The symbols of his f^aith no longer reminded them of the "glad tidings" he had proclaimed. Tradition even of his presence, has become obscure _ iNever perhaps, was rejoicing in England, as universal and enthu- siastic, as when the news of the conquest of Quebec _fh. onn- i*i PHELPS AOT) GOEnAll's PUECIIASE. 6T quest of Canada as it was rightly construed _ reached there sessions had been rmsed ; and hatred of the French had become a umversal pubhc senthnent. A scries of defeats and ,ZoZ^ hat had prevtously attended the British anns in this quart..,. „ "he war then was„ng, had disposed the people of England to , ak" the was p,oeIa,med, pageants upon land and water succeeded with bonfires and tllutrnnaticrs. The victory was the thenre o the Zt was m:^*^°' ^ r' "'"' "'^'"»^^^- M'"8led with alHlS was mouimng for the brave men that had perished in the lon^r -uc oess,o„ of conflicts, or rather the reverse of the pictl w^ he futleral pageant, the widow's and the orphan's tears, t earths made desolate. When .he remains of the lamented V. „i, w re earned home and conveyed to Greenwich eemetry, there wa a EtZdher''"'"""'"'" '■" "" ""'''""■•" i"'-''- ^-l^"' ' ' °v- cmpne, and the triumph of its armies We know how ,vell it is ordered 'for us, as individual, that a curtain is drawn between the present and tlie future; that ou pi en happmess is unalloyed by any taste of the hiUe i,-ntZ!Z eoncealed even ,„ the cup of bliss. So with nations, if fh y „u d always see the tendency and the end of events, the e won d have a pldleTE'T";'" r '"^ '"""""'^ °f --• H-v wold ha™ app. lied England , how would her Kin;;, her Statesmen, sittinc u„! t "'".'"l^'"l/'-'=l'0». o-- holding saturnalias at festive boards liave u : tu ;: 11""' 'i^r^"' "■ ^""•^ P'-^'-'- "and had ilscriS upon^then walls:-" You have „A,»En a P»ov,»cn a»„ lost a» And such was the destiny ;_ crowding into a brief space the cause and the eff-ect, the triumph and its consequences riitted have been, at the commencement of the Revolution, in the absence of tie apprenticeship in the trade of war, that the last French and E, g sh war upon t is continent aff-orded. What better discipitne could men have had ; what better experience, to inure them t^toil SLf P^^^ \ :; J ^^f'-^: Q-hcc, Montreal, lu i^ia^a.a. i.veiy cuiDpaign svas a school far «8 PIIELPS \XD GOPJUm's PURCIUSE. better than West Point and Annapolis. Mingled in all these were the colonists of Wew York and New England". New Jersey, Penn- sylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Out of the ranks of those retir^-d arm.es, came a host of the efficient men, who, upon thebreakin-out of tne Revolution, so well convinced their militarv instructors of the proficiency they had made under their tuition." The military skill and genius necessary to organize armies, the courage and chi^-- alry necessary to lead them to triumph, which had been inert, was aroused in the stirring scenes of the French war; its succession of splendid triumphs. England had made war a profession with a large number of the colonists, little thinking where would be the field and what the occasion of its practice. In the prosecution of the French war, England had fearfully augmented its public debt; in an hour of evil councils, against the protestations of her wisest statesmen, taxation of the colonies was added to the burthens the privations and sufferings that had borne so heavily upon tliem And It may be added, that a handful of feeble colonies would hardly have ventured to strike a blow for separation, as long as the French held dominion here. Independence achieved, the colonies would necessarily have had to assume the relative condition that England bore with France. They would have assumed England's quarrels growing out of unsettled boundaries and disputed dominions Had there been no English conquest of French dominions, the separation of the colonies, if realized at all, would have been an event far removed from the period in which it was consummated. France surrendered her splendid possessions in America, sullenly and grudgingly, yielded to destiny and a succession of untoward events, hoping for some event -some "tide in the affairs of men " that would wrest from England's Crown the bright jewel she had picked up on the banks of the St. Lawrence, bathed in blood ; and which she was displaying with a provoking air of triumph It came more speedily than the keenest eye of prophecy could have orescen^ In a little more than twenty years after the fall of Que- bec, La Fayette, Rochambeau, Chastelleux, D'Estang, M. de Choisv Viomen.l, de Grasse, M. de St. Simon, and a host of gallant French- men beside, saw the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown • -.n event as crowning and decisive, in the loss of an empire, as' was the surrender of Quebec, in the loss of a colony. PIIELPS AOT) GOEHASId PUECIIASE. 69 CHAPTER IV, ENGLISH DOMINION BORDER WARS OF THE REVOLUTION. From the end of French dominion in Western New York, to the close of the Revokition, constituted a period of twenty-four years ; the events of which, having an immediate bearing upon our local region, must be crowded into a space too limited lor elaborate detail; allowing of but little more than what is necessary to pre- vent a break in the chain of events that leads us to the" main de- sign of the work in hand. Little of historical interest occurred previous to the Revolution. The English would seem to have made nu belter use of the rich prize that the fortunes of war had thrown into their hands, than had their French predecessors. Settlements made the advance of but a day's walk, and occupancy in any form, west of the lower valley of the Mohawk, was but the fortresses of Oswego and Niagara, and small English trading establishments, that had succeeded those of the French. The rich soil, that has made this region the prosper- ous home of hundreds of thousands ; in which lay dormant the elements of more enduring wealth than would have been the rich- est " placers " of California, had no attractions for their ndventur- ers, and were without the narrow circle of enterprize that bound- ed the views of colonial governors and legislators. The change of occupants does not seem to have pleased the Senecas. Scarcely had the English got a Jbotl.old in their coun- ty, before a war was commenced by an attack upon a British wagon-train and its guard, as they were passing over the Portage from Lewiston to Schlosser. A tragical event that has much prominence in the local reminiscences of that region. This was followed by an attack upon a detachment of British soldiers at Black Rock, on their way from Niagara to Detroit. Sir William Johnson, in his official correspondence, called the Senecas a "trou- blesome people."' 70 PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. All of Engish dominion west of Albany, other than its military posts was a 'one manpower;" and before proceeding forther ft .tied;, mcidentaljy, been introduced in our narrative. SIR WILLIAM JOHXSON. He was a native of Ireland, of a good family, and was well edu- cated. Soon after he became of age, in 1737 or '8, he came to America as the land agent of his uncle, Sir Peter Warren, an Ad- minil in the English navy, who had acquired a considerable tract of and upon the Mohawk, in the present county of Montgomerv He located a few miles from the present village of Port Jackson Of a romantic disposition, and liaving acquired, from the unsuccessful ternaina ion of a love affair in hi. native country, some distaste for civilized society, which he was well qualified to adorn, he had not been long a resident in the backwoods of America, when he had determined upon permament settlement. He formed an exception to a arge majority of his countymen, in the ease and facility with vvhich he exchanged the refinements of civilized society for life in the woods, with few but the native Indians for neighbors or associ- ates. JNo Frenchman ever sit himself down upon the borders of our western lakes, alone of all his race, in the midst of Indian wig- wam., and sooner merged and blended himself with all about him ?>ays the London Gentlemnn's Magazine, (1755) :- "Besides his skill and experience as an officer, he is particularly happy in making himself beloved by all sorts of people, and can conform to all com pames and conversations. He is very much the fine gentleman in genteel company. But as the inhabitants next to him are mostly uutch he sits down with them and smokes his tobacco, drinks flip and talks of improvements, bear and beaver skins. Being surround- ed^^.lth Indians he speaks several of their languages well, and has a wa>. some of them with him. He takes care of their wives and old lnd.ans when they go out on parties, and even wears their niess. m short, by his honest dealings with them in trade, and his courage, wh'.ch has often been successfully tried with them, and his courteous behavior, he has so endeared himself to them, that they chose him one of their chief Sachems, or Princes, and esteem him as their father. PHELPS AND GORTIAM's PURCHASE. ^1 He was just the man the English government required in the contest they were waging with the French; and he had not been long m the Mohawk valley, before he became its Indian a-nt and the dispenser of its gifts, which added to his personal popularity with the Indians, gave him an influence over them greater than any one of our own race has ever possessed. He was the first Englishman to contend, with any great measure of success, with French Indian diplomacy; their governors, missionaries and tra- ders. On the breaking out of the last English and French war upon this continent, he was made a General of colonial militia, and by virtue of a leadersliip that had been created by the Iroquois, he was head warrior of all of them that inclined to the English interests. His first military service, was to head the formidable expedition against Crown Point, in which he was the vanquisher of the Baron Dieskeu. For this signal service, he was made a Baronet The other prominent event in his military career, was the siege and con- quest of Fort Niagara, which mainly devolved upon him, by the death of his superior in command. Gen. Prideaux. The gifts of his sovereign, and the facilities he enjoved for pur- chasing Indian lands, made him the possessor of great wealth, which, with his military honors, the partiality of his countrymen, and his great influence with the Indians, rendered him as near a Prince as any thing the backwoods of America have witnessed. * After the close of tlie French war, as a British agent, he held treaties and negotiated with the Iroquois, and some of^he western , nations, all of the territorial acquisitions in middle New York north- ern Pennsylvania, and upon the Ohio River, that was made pre- «n ft-r-ir .' ':^ * • f I 1 ,"•'" '^'"'>' ^''''■'' "•' liberally entortjiinod by Sir William and 500 un American Lady ■' ^ ^ "''^^^^8^° them valuablo ox A<^mM^: '- Memoir, of 72 PHELPS AND GOmiAai's PUECHASE. Ill vious to tlie Revolution. To his influence with the Indians as a British agent, mhented by his family, may be attributed in a great ZZl h7:n "T' '" ^'""^ ^^"•^"Shout the Revolulon ; and yet had he hved when the contest was waged, it is doubtfu what would have been his position. There areVong reason for assumn^g that he would have been at least a neutral. He died at JohnsonHallm June, 1774, just as the storm was gathering, soon after he had himself predicted that " En'gland and her colonie; were approaching a terrible war, which he should never live to witness." tils health had been for some years declining * In his youth, soon after he became a resident upon the Mohawk hetook for his wiie, (conventionally,) a comely, German girl, 2. being a redemptionist, was serving her time with one of his nLlbors She was the mother of his son and successor, Sir John Johnson" and of his daughters, who became the wives of Col. Claus, and Col' Guy Johnson, a distant relative of Sir William. A lecral marria™ ook p, when Sir ^yI]liam was on his death bed, whicii cremof: had reference to the descent of property. And here it would b'e historical dehnquency to conceal the fact, that Sir William, awav from th^ restraints of civilized life, had indulged in what M Ban croft would call the <• freedom of the backwoods." Ebeneze Allan' who was at one period, in the valley of the Genesee, "L^S": William was m the valley of the Mohawk, without taking his many yiitues as his examples, was but an humble imitator of his one pr J- mentv.ce. The fruits of his amours may be traced at this d'^t a 1 the re reats of the remnants of the Six nations. Upon tii. banks of the Allegany, the observing traveller will recognize the family resemblance in the contour of faces; the " blood cJ the Johnsons '' ouoL""%'h' ^f ' 'A^ harmoniously blending with that of the Ir;. quois. The sister of Joseph Brant, in some respects as good a speci- men of her race as was her renowned brother, was the mother of several of his children who were also legitimatized by a private marriage that took place a l■o^v years before his death Histories of the Revolution exist in too many forms, are too easily accessib^ ^todlclasses of readers, to make it necessary to em! * DocuiiicntniT History Vol o,i ,, O'-.? • n ,i r» x ^ ." T ~ ~~ PHELPS AND OOEKAm's PUKCIIASE. IB brace even any considerable allusion to it in a work of this character. All ofit that has any more than a remote connection with the his-' tory of our local region, are the Border Wars of New Vork and with them the author will assume that his readers are " generallv familiar. On the death of Sir William Johnson, his son, John Johnson, suc- ceeded to his titles and estates, and his ofHcer of General Superin- tendent of Indian Aflairs fell into the hands of Col. Guy Johnson his son-in-law, who had as his deputy Col. Claus, another son-in' aw. Thus inherited, all the official and personal influence that had been acquired ^vas wielded against the Colon^ . and in favor of the mother country. The natives unschooled in all that could enable them to understand the merits of the quarrel -(Iiemsflvcs recog- nizing in their simple form of government heriditary rulers -could see in the up rising of the Colonies against their i^ing, little else thnn unjustiflable rebellion, and they were told by the Johnsons that the outbreaKs in Boston, and the battle of Lexington, were the acts of disobedient children against the King their Father, who had been kmd to them as he had to the Six Nations. Sir William Johnson had been the almoner ofannual gilts from his sovereign, and minglino- a smcei-c regard for them, with his official duties, had wedded them strongly to him and to his government. ri°''ltn'^''^'x^''' ^"^^^"' Thay-en-da-ga,) had been the protege of Sir WiUiam Johnson. When quite a youth he had sent him to the Kev. Dr. Wheelock's school in Lebanon, Connecticut, after- wards employed him in his private business. * Engaged in military service, when he took the field, the young chief took the war path, one of the leaders of Sir William's Indian allies. Under these cir- cmnstances It was very natural that Brant should have been found a follower of the fortunes of the Johnson family. With those influences bearing upon them, the Six Nations, with river, l,is piuvnlj av ? ;; S ""^^^ ^''"^ ^^^^'^>^ '^ jVIol.nvk, iK.rn .m th. Ohio Chc.l.es i. all it. .^uiou. of ulelLiL^^i^: S^eSJS J^ ^^^ 74 PHELPS AND GORIIAJi's PUECJIASE. 14' a l,cs 01 Lnsiand throughout the war of tho Revolution Immerfi ' ::;':. hf °' '' '?"'™' «"^ •"■^-°" renewi "I : ces and as host.hties approached tho Mohawk valley, ■■ brightened the Cham oflnendship" with gift., „„d lavish promiseJof i^crea"cd patronage from hi, master, the King. A "committee o™,;- wh,ch was early organized in " Tryon county," were iealou of every movement of the Johnson, and especiall/ihose of G John- son. It would seem, m fact, that he had at f.rst'ra.hly determined to mam am h,s ground, and, for that purpose, under prete e o e of attack from "the rebels," had fortified his hotse and dra™ auxniary to the central committee at Albany. Thev made re- present.at,ons to the Albany committee of all 'that dZZZ tht'::; "'.?"': ^"""'""'f-""^" ««'» and ,he hostUe-mdC they say.- We are, gentlemen, in a worse situation than any par of Amenca at present. We have an open enemy before our faces and a treacherous enemy at our backs." Thev assure the Alba, y ■^rSC ' '' r"' "-•'^--"'™' •" 'hi acts of Parltmrn^ 1101 Lol. Johnson s arbitrary conduct." A series of stirring local events followed : - The Johnson fmilv c^ob; dhed in interest and ft-iendship with other infliiZl t^^ hesof Tryon couMy, not only controlled the Indians, hut had .uch an influence with the whites as almost to enable th^ni to co"c oca obedience to them, and fealty to the King. They even U.c^ ancl partial were successfbl, in using tl^ civil .L W or ho instances ,n breaking up what they termed "rebel n-e^tin^s " -Laily HI the summer of 1775 however, Guv .Tohnson had deter- mined that his own safety and the interests of'his Kin., won d b^h be promoted by removal to Canada. Up to this time, lie had . .lie "27" h-V" -r'"^'---T movements were init temp r y outbieaks, which would be suppressed bv the strong arn/of his govemment, or conciliated by a redress ol^' son,e of the -n-ievanc s complained of. But admonished by the dark clouds of^v ha ere gathenng, that the crisis had arrived, that he could not preserve uhere he was with safety, a position even of neutrality, he resolved upon placmg himself in a position to take an active part in the coa- nn.;j:L n-e the firm Immedi- wcd allian- brightened ' increased of safety," jealous of Guy John - M-mined to ce of fear id drawn s alarnaed ganized as made re- goin,2; on, e Indians, I any part our faces, c Albany arliament 3n family tial fami- Iiad such coerce ley even 1 authori- ng in one eetintrs." id deter- )u]d both ;id iolied inporary n of liis evances lar that ireserve ■esolved ihe con- PIIELP3 AND GORIIAm's PUllCUASE. 75 test. Under the pretence that he could better control the Indians and keep them from harming the inhabitants by fixin^ his head-' quarters at Fort Stanwix, he left "Guy Park" and repaired to that post, where he was soon joined by John and Walter Butler Brant and a formidable body of Tories and Indians. He soon removed with most ot his retinue to Oswen-o. It should here be observed, that inured to war as had been the Iroquois -fond of it as would seem fromthe avidity with which they had engaged in it with their own race and ours — the breaking out of the Revolution, found them with somewhat altered inclinat tions. Vastly reduced by wars with the southern and western Jnduns, and with the French, the remnant of them that had enjoy- ed a few years of peace had learned in some degree to estimate its value. Fully realizmg the consequences, should thev take up the hatchet for the King, the local committees of safetv for Tryon and Albany counties, heM conferences with the Mohawks and received assurances of neutrality. In June, 1776, General Schuyler, appoint- ed for that purpose by the Congress at Philadelphia, held a council with all of the Six Nations upon the German Flats, where assur- ances of neutrality were renewed. But the superior influences that have been spoken of, finally prevailed. Guy Johnson soon repaired to Montreal, where he made his head quarter.;, and engaged with zeal and activity, in enlisting the Indians m a harrassing border war, chiefly directed against Ids old neighbors. Sir John Johnson, previous to the flight, or he-ira of his brother-in-law, had stipulated with Gen. Schuvler that he would remain and be a neutral, the chief motive being the preservation of the vast estate he. had inherited ; but encouraged bv the prospect of a final triumph of the King over the colonics, lie followed his incli- nations, violated his pledges of neutrality, and taking with him three hundred of his neighbors and dependents, (chiefly Scotch,) loincd his brother in Montreal, and became like him an active par- tisan The immediate presence of the powerful family was thus withdrawn from the Mohawk, and little left of them but their deser- ted f^ields and mansions; but the devoted valley had yet to feel the terrible scourge which loyalty could inflict, when sharpened by mo- tives ot ])rivate vengeance. Col. John Butler soon fivred his residence on the shores of Lake Untario, ni the immediate vicinity of the village of Niagara, where 'n 70 PHELPS AND GOEHAM'S POECnASE. j'l; 'i! he ,™ .oon installed as the leader of the torv refugees. Erectine' tt salM 7- ' "'Sf'^'^^J""'! quavered; and from that |,oint hlk ri '"'"•■"\"'''"S -Podi'w"' to the valli,»- ol the Mo. hey relumed when their errands of ml^diief had been executed (was there the expeditions to the devolod valley of Wyomin-- and to arres the mareh of Sullivan, were projected. ° After leaving the JMohawk valley, Brant was alternately at Oswego A-gam upon the Susquehannah and Genesee Rivers' until Sy at uld Ih' n.^""; '"^. W'=™"»<= with an armed band of warriors at Unadilla, an Indi.an village upon the Susquehannah. There Gen Herknner, with a strong guard of Tryon county militia sou4t an |".e,-v,ew with him. in hopes of changing his purpos ^l eng li ^ n the Kmg s servtce. They met. Bran.rather'ha,!ghtilydema,rde3 he object of the mterview. which ,vas explained. Hinting to Gen Herknner that h.s attendants were pretty numerous for a peac: a.nbassador he assured hi.n that he Itad a superior force, fiv llZ7d varnors w.th winch he could crush him and his part^ a, a "o d bu sa,d he, "we are old neighbors and friends and I w'll no" dot " A ot.headed and .mprtjdent Coi. Cox, who had accompanied Gen. Iletknner, grossly tnsulted lirant, which came near bringing on an unequal contest, bu, Brant hushed the impending storm and prnLed another tntervew. It was had according to promise ; Brant a u,. cd the General that he fully understood his enand ; "but" sa d h you are too late, I am already engaged to serve the King. We Ls ed. although you are entn-ely within my power." This was the last conference held by the agents of Congress with the Man pendM,gordu„ng,hewarof the Revolu.io;; and after thi . ton lollowed the tern be scenes with vvl„V.' fi.^ .i reader to be famih-ar. ^^^^h vvhicu the author presumes the Imrnecliately following this interview with Brant, Sir John John- son and Col. Water Butler sent out runners and convened dele' - tions rom all of the Six Nations at Oswego. The counci w 's open by a speech fro. Sir John, in' which L assured thc^Ind;::: hat then- assistance was wanted "to subdue the rebels who Imd taken up anns a,an.st their good Father the King, and was about to rob him of a great part of iiis possessions and wealth." Tiau PTIELPS A .m GORIIAJl's PURCHASE. 11 JlO chiefs then rose and severally assured the British agents that they had only one year before in council with General Schuyler, pledcred themselves to neutrality, and that they should not violate the pledge by taking up the hatchet. The British agents told them that the rebels were few in number and easily subdued, and that on ac- count of tneir disobedience they fully merited all the punishment that white men and Indians united could inflict ; that the Km£ d isfnnf • I ""/'xc.'lont dmuer with Col Bu,>i.ed ine .0., wa. to see a^fiVlll^aolr ^^Z a^'US'l o^l^^lSli^ PHELPS AND GORlIAJi's PURCHASE. 79 and where to execute the most terrible mischief. In the retrospect, when nations have settled down in peace, and look bnck upon the excesses they have committed in the strife and hr it of w ir, there is always inucii even for self-accusation ; but r all t' .ist'ory of wars, there is nothing that so stands out in bold •-,iief, < ithout miti- nation or excuse, as was the sanguine policy of ;.,.. hv' in the em- ployment of the tomahawk and scalping knife, to aid uv:i in warring against her colonies. In all her own dark catalog.- n .,: wrongs, in the east, at home, in compelling obedience to i.'u; Uuune, the°re is nothing that so far outraged humanity, that so far transcended the rules of civilized warfare, as was the arming of savage allies, and sendmg them to lay waste unprotected backwoods settlements and massacre their inhabitants, without regard to age, condition, or sex. What the feeble colonies scorned to do in self-defence — after they had determined upon asking nothing farther than to have the toma- liawk and scalping knife kept out of the contest — British agents, with the sanction of their government, did not hesitate to do°in a spirit of inhumanity so sanguinary aud unrelenting, that it urged on Indian warfare, even when it hesitated in the execution of its stealthy and bloody missions. The Border Wars, the tory and Indian incursions from Canada Oswego and Niagara, continued at intervals from the flight of the Johnsons, Butler and Brant in '75, until August 1779. The horrid details already fill volumes of published history.* With powerful British armies to contend with upon the sea board — work enou*. *i«.f, vi""^'"^V "] l"''^-'''f, motives, btealthy, quiet approaches, would have fou.^ as vicums ni every village, the o.d^Len, th^ .ZJZ Huma^^^^ '^"'^^'* ''''' ^'-- ^-^-^^ ^I'ies. vTat s ' , ^''""''^^S, that those he did not come to war against cou d have time to flee. It would have been a f.r darker feature oi the campa.gn than those that have been coLain; o an o,ie that could not have been mitigated, if old men. . and children, had been unnlarmed, and exposed to the vengeanc o hos who came from the valleys of the Susquehannah .-md th.^ ^o^^tr'T f ''''' '''''''' -'' -^'^^'^^-- '^h ex ept n a small degree -just as it should have been, if lie could not make victims of those he was sent to punish The third expedition of this campaign, which hasgenerallv b.-,. Fort 1 itt m August with six hundred m.Mi. and d....oyed seven,' M.ngoand Muneey tribes living on the Allegany, French Co ' and other tribmaries of the Ohio. '«"i-" «-Kl... The heavy artillery that Gen. Sullivar , :,n,.ht.s for as IVowton- wod.l uidicate that N^^gara was ong:.:.i!y the destination. T^l the Geiu-ral and Ins ollieers, sen.g how !,„g it had taken to reach N.' 84 i:-L. i If 'ill If', ' m ^' ill: h PHELPS AND gokiiam's pueciiase. season that pomt, m all probability dclormined .hat toomuch of had been wasted, .„ allow of executing their tasks in h ZTll ?""? ''."'^'r *' '"""" '" "f ™"'"- Besides, befofe aseeZed hat ,1," 'n T"'^ °'' "'= <^''™'»* ""^ f»«' ™s After the expedition of Gen. Sullivan, the Indhans never h-d an- i: :■; vef' xre'"' rrr "''^' °^ •^^'- ^■"■~' »' •">« eneseenvei. They settled down after a brief (li-^ht in tbei,- i: o°"m. M ' ™i f' °' '"^ "^^' ■" '^^ -■=* •"^«i G " Hinel "'"' "'""' '™°I''' ^"'^ ""frati™ of William ..eommt of Sull.vai, s expedition, as copied from the manuserints I) J'nrve.«t. ''J'liis .tocupaucy contimicTi 'Afr'"in." •'' '",'"'1^:'''^" '"'^'"l ""''1 tlie next liPi- at tlie .Morris treity.-^ contimiccl, .AIi,,. Jemisoii liml the Giudcuu tract grautud to PAET SECOND CHAPTER I OUR IMMEDIATE PREDECESSORS - THE SENEGAS ~ WITH A GLANCE AT THE IROaUOIS. I It IS not the design of this work to embrace a detailed account of Uie Five Nations. The Senecas, however, the Tsonnontouans of I rench chronicle, who guarded the western door of the Lon^ House, looking out on the Great Lakes, demand a passhig notice, as we are approaching a series of events connected with the "par tition ot their wide and beautiful domain. In common with the red races, they are the " autochthonoi " of the soil- "fresher from the hand that formed of earth the human ^ce, than the present rulers of the land that was once theirs Un their hunting grounds, the pioneevs of the Genese^; country preparatory to settlement, kindled their camp-fires. Our clusteriii Cities and villages are on the sites of their ancient castles, forts and places of burial. In the vallies where they lived, an.l on hills where blazed their beacons, a people with the best blood of Europe 111 their veins, at one ana the same time, are founding halls of leain- mg, and gathering in the golden harvests. The early annals of their occupation, to which the reader is soon to be introduced, are intimately blended with this once powerful and numerous branch oi the Iroquois confederacy, that furnished under the toteiuic l)ond, at the era of confederation, two of the presiding law-crivers and chiefs. * '"^ An opinion prevails, that the guardians of the Eastern Door, the Mohawks; or. as called by their brethren, " Do-de-o-gah," or * Docimicutaiy History, m ! C- m 8Q PHELPS AND GORIIA]\i's PURCHASE. message bearers," were the most warlike; but a careful exami- nation of history and the pages of Jesuit journals, establishes the luct, that the Senecas were not their inferiors in every martial at- tribute, and were always represented at a general gathering of ^he clans, m time of danger, by a more formidable force. They're is no foundat^ion for the remark of Buchanan, speaking in reference to the_ Mohawks, that their allies neither made war or peace without their consent. Unquestionable proof is on record, that the fierce Senecas were not always governed in their action by the general voice at Onon- daga. Sternly independent, they some times took up arms, when the other tribes, to use an Indian metaphor, sate smokin- in quiet on their mats. After the rapid decline of French ascendancy on this contUK'nt, and many of the tribes beheld with terror the .rov- ernmentof Canada fldling into English hands, the Senecas, "un- daunted by the danger, adhered with dogged obstinacy, to the vanquished. For a time, they were in alliance with Pontiac, and played a conspicuous part with the great " Ottawa " in his plan of surprisin.^ a cordon of posts in the Lake country, and exterminating th^ • dogs m red clothing," that guarded them. This statement does not rest on vague conjecture, or blind tradition. By reference to Apul, 1763 Sir William Johnson concluded at Johnson Hall, on le Mohawk, preliminary articles of peace with eight deputies of Pon^^r' Wrr;; "'' "'r ''' ^'^ ^^°^^^^^ '"-g-' ^ad joined Pont ac. WMe he proud and conquering Mohawks imposed n bute on the Mohegans. and scoured the pine-forests of dLan Maine in pursuit ot flying loe.s, westward the track of the Seneca ::^tl^'nr'^ -^ "'-''• ^^- ^-'^er Nation, with UoZZ both Ides the Niagara, were "blotted from the things that be •" and the Eries, after a brave resistance, destroyed _ tlie pri.e of c<.nquest, the loveliest portion of our trans-denessean o try The barren coast of Superior, a thousand miles away from the r great counc.l-fire, was trodden by their warriors The IH.nois turned pale at their approach on the shores of he M ssissipp, and no hatchets were redder than theirs in the et-culean tas of humbling the Lenni Lenapes, and fo etc hushing into silence their boasting tonnies. PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 87 I The ChippoAvas, a valinnt pc^nplo, discomfitted and utterly dis- mayed by their prowess, lied like hunted deer to the remote vil- lages of the Sioux. The Ion- and bloody wars waged by the Five Aations with the Southern tribe., owed their origin to an attack made on the Senecas in one of their distant expeditions to the south west, by a party of Chorokees. The war-post was at once struck, and the confederates joined with their injured brethren in resenting the insult, and taming the pride of their wily antagonists Though a vast extent of territory lay between the hunting grounds of the latter and the central fire of their cantons, the^ dreaded war-whoop of the Iroquois w.as heard on the banks of the Talla- poosa and Ocmulgee. Forbidding wilds, draped in the lonrr .ray moss of mdder latitudes, and swampy fastnesses, the savage haunts of the alligator and terrapin, were explored by the infuriated in- vaders. Nature opposed no barrier to a triumphant campaign, and dis- tance was no obstacle in the fearful work of retaliation. Hiokatoo, the renowned husband of the " White Woman " was a leader in one of those wild forays, and when a grav-haired ancient, cheered many a listening circle at his lodge fire, with a narrative ot his exploits on that occasion. Individuals of Cherokee extraction, still reside on the Tonawan- da Reservation. They trace their descent to captives, saved from torture at the stake, and adopted as tribesmen bv their victors I must differ from many writers, misled by Heckewelder in the opinion that compared with surrounding nations, the Iroquois were no a superior race of men. No primitive people can boast of nobler war captains, than Kan-ah-je-a-gah, Jlon-ne-va-was, Brant, Hendrick an.! Skenandoah ; - no abler orators and statesmen than Dekanissora, Canassetego, Logan and Red .Jacket When the adventurous Frenchmen first set foot on Canadian soil, HI 003 ho ound the tribes of the League settled near Hochelaga on he site of Montreal. Previous to this eventful period, they we'^e' said o have been a peacc^ful and. happy people - more inclLd to rl \ ]'' f ''' '^' "'="-P''^^^- ^''h« unprovoked encroach- men o the Ad.rondacl. on their land - a powerful nation residing . 00 milos above Trois-Riv.eres, at length woke their latent enennes banks of the .S^ Lawrence, one of America's mighty arteries, and 88 PIIELP3 AND GORHAM's PUECIIASE. ; conquering the Satanas in (lie .. . . , , i'' migrations, they laid the founda- tion of empire on the borders of our beautiful Lakes. Seasoned hke C«;sars veterans, by hardship, long marches and victory, they bravely resisted the inroads of their old ene.nies, the Huron and ameiKls therefm-, by the exercise of greater prudence, and super or tiategy Fighting in small detached parties, and under iii repid aders they struck blows in remote points, at oiie and the same moment of time, producing a general panic and surprise. In turn, assuining the offensive, they drove back the invaders, di.heai toned and disconifitted, to the neighboi-hood of Quebec. Thcii came the tug of war. Through the intervention of Jesuit mfluenee so puissant in the 17th century, that Kings and I'ontiffs su mi ted to its dictation, the F,-ench coloiiists foi.iied an alliance ith the vanquished tribes. Supplied with moi-e de;idlv ^^■ea].o^s - the fire-ocks of civilization -the Algoi.quin ai.d ilm-o,; again .a-uggled lor the ma.tei-y. By coiisulting Golden, we learn that previous to the conflict between Chamj.lain and the Irocjuois, on the Lake that bears his name, the latter had never hea,-d the thun.Ier or seen the iightniiig of the pale faces. Though debated on that occasion, they were not humbled ; all fear of conseque.ices was mei-ged in a feeling of deep and deadly exasperation. The re- doubtable Cha.iiplain himself, was doo.ned a few years after to feel he heavy weight of their vengeance. * Incautiouslv lavinc. ..ie^e to one of their forts on Onondaga Lake, in October, Ul'o, he "was twice wounded by arrows, and forced to retire in disgrace with his motley an-ay of French and Indians. He who foils, in hard encouiUei-, a dexterous swordsman, with an oaken stall, gives proof of matchless uddi-ess and prowcss- and the fact that the Five Nations, recovering fi-om the illbcts of a first sui-prise, boldly maintained their ground, even at this period, and o.ten played an aggi-essive part, proves their native superioritv and gives them indisputable right to their own haught^• tei-m of designa t.on _ " O.i-gui-hion-wi " - men without peer.? ' Irench interference, in behalf of the.r old and implacable foes, only developed the genius of their Sachems, and attested the devo- tion ol their warriors. *0. 11. Mar«lu.U'« ulle.addrcss before the YouDg Men'. As«ociatiuu at ButtUlo. PHELrs AND GORilAM's PUUCllASE. remely 89 «l.em ,0 wage a w tin. Zl I "'' ""''"""'■'' ""=>■ '=""°™8'=d in... «n.i. Canada Is^pXf T^°Z::'^rr '"'■ posts were burned — fh^ r ■ scream, louns and out- -e, a,. .„. :l i;^'r,: iLr,t ;',::r %r age nor sex was spared. ciearnig. NeitJier The fur-trader found a red frrave in iU. -i . sentinel was shot mr>in. f. "^ ^ . ^'Iderncss ; even the rovZtolTx'^V ■°"''', "" "'''""-'-'ion of succlsive Vice- Ar„:;^!:;f ?a;r:r i::;- ":;;: "^ f ;'f r -^ ^ Hurons under Iho ..uns „(■ Omi!, "" °' •""■ 'aiHiful foe that overran the°Z.°„e?l' "f '"""''"''"S '■'"l''-"^ "^ ^ isis, ■■ as a torre, , i ^ , " ■ ,"'' ""^ f ™"S """"■'' »'' l""' annal- and there i "^^Itl.tndt!;""'-''"''^' "■'■^" " »-'"»- - "--k^. fer^r ■'Lt:. ™,rl' Ita't"?""^, """ """■• ^»P-' "^ Ab„righ,al League Th„n , f ""''''" ""'' "''"'■^ "' 'l>i» I'i-rro. with a few horl "f S 'ch"' """""r" ""^ shouting rider- deemed bv tl,r=l , '^'""^'"5 slecd and Centaur of fable !!ra,,ll„; ^'"> ,"""«»"<= a'M"aI, like the ^bdned them '^th T^^JZ'"^ "" '','"'' "^ "'^- '™">P»' overcome In ,i. 1^ „f ^ , ™ "PI*"' '° P""-'"'!^'" could . »iain like unre is n ,|1„ i!' '"'"" ""',' """'^' "'""-"i^ -'e yoke, and loold;^ ^n X 'ol/ ^Z:,™'?""™" f'"' "^'=^^ '° ""= ed ignominious dea.l^^ Vr '"■ '"'••"■'■'"■'*en Incas sufltr- perieueed a f vjXt J ^e Thf '^' ™r" ""^ """^ ^^'^^ ""^ -- away, as it wore in , nuZ '"r ]''^'-'^^"<"'» f>'c ; U crumbled feet^aliy insur,'; i^:! J.i» ^'"™''" " '' """""'S -ore ef- 6 il 00 PHELPS AND GORnA:\l's PUECIIASE. ii» n The romantic valor of a few Castiiian adventurers, outweighed in the scale of rondict, the countless multitudes that opposed them. Montezuma and Guatimozin, after all, were nothii.f^ more than royal shadows, notwithstanding their patient martyrdom. The sceptred i)hantoms invoked by the weird sisters were less trad and unsubstantial, for they inspired fear — extorting this shud- dering cry from a tyrant and regicide, bloody and false like Cortcz — "Lot this pernicious Jiour Stand, aye, acciirsetl in the calcmhir." Of difTerent mould and mettle, were the Sachems and Attotarhos of the Five Nations. They were endowed with the will to dare — the hand to execute. Their Garangulas and Decanissoras — their OuHdiagas and Karistageas united to indomitable courage, talents for negotiation, and resistless eloquence. Less brilliant than banded states that paid submissive tribute to the Aztec emperor, there was more stability and strength in their unwritten compact of union. Though a mere handful, compared with tlie swarming and priest-ridden slaves of Mexico, they posses- sed an inherent valor and spirit of independence, that submitted to no wrong, and brooked no rivalry. Seldom in the field with more than a thousand warriors, they went forth conquering and to con- tjuer— bound by an heraldic tie that evoked a deeply-rooted senti- ment of regard and national pride. Less formidable by far was Spanish inroad at the extreme south than French military power on this continent so vainly exerted, under De Nonville and Frontenac, to overawe and subdue them! " and it can scarcely be deemed fanciful to assert," says a dis- tmguished writer, * " that had Hernando Cortez entered the Mohawk valley inst, .d of that of Mexico, with the force he actually had, his ranks would have gone down under the skilfulness of the Iroquois ambuscades, and himself perished ingloriously at the stake." Wherever they were urged onward by a martial impulse and ardor that no diiHculties could lessen or abate — whether traversing the Appalachian chain or western prairie — the fame of their ex" ploits preceeding them, created panic, and paralized resistance. Though thinned in number by long and bloody wars, they were fear- fully formidable in modern times : foes in our revolutionary struggle, * Schoolcraft. PHELPS AlfD GORIIAm's PURCHASE. theyproye.1 their devotion to their British Father at Wyom i\iinni«ml.- onri rvi,M,..,^r.,l /-»_• i._ .... J " 91 Al.nn.sink and mournful Oriskauy- friends at a later epoch, of ou Union, they followed Oundiakaand Ilonneyavvas to the red field of Chippewa. Atall periods oftheir history -flushed with triumph.or clouded by disaster -there has been no decay of hereditary valor. Whether known as 'Massavvornekes' to the southern, or 'Na- dowu to the western Tribes, they were alike terrible and invinci- ble. A more splendid race of savages never launched their war- cnnoes on our streams, or drew bow in our forests ; and a wild macr. namity throws light on their darker traits, in their practical applica- tion of the motto, " parcere subjectos, et extirpare superbos." Hu- manity blushes to recall the scenes of rape and hellish licence that have followed the storming of towns, and sack of cities in the old world t.ut an Iroquois warrior was never known to violate the chastttv of a temale prisoner. Often a chivalric spirit gave an air of romance to their native daring. After a successful foray into an encmv's country, pursu- ers on the trail, finding their gage of mortal defiance, would move with greater circumspection. Like the generous reptile whose dread rattle arrests the step of the hunter, significant tokens dropped by the way, warned foemen to retire, or expect no mercy at their hands. Thus in 1696, when Frontenac's army was on the Oswec^o two bundles of cut rushes, in their line of march, a numerical si^n' conveyed the startling intelligence that more than fourteen hundred warriors were on the watch for their comincr. Not less haughty and heroic was their conduct in 1779, when re- tirmg before the greatly superior force of Sullivan. Thev bent a tree, and twisted its rugged top around the trunk, as an emblem of their^own situation - bent but not broken - smitten, but not over- Though all the tribes of aboriginal America were competitors ; the palm forgreatest manifestation of mental power would be awarded to this extraordinary people. The principle of unity that banded them together, oflspnng of profound policy that lifts them above the hunter state - the.r love of liberty that scorned submission to foreign Tt it ' f r f '" rP'' ^" '°""^^'' '''''^ '^' ^''' ^J^i"^"' diplo- matists of a boasted civilization -the wonderful eloquence of their Ihene?' t,! "^l?^ eompanson with the finest periods of Demos- thenes - their self-reliance that laughed r.tthe menaces of kings- '4i " IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. '^ {./ '9/ ^m J^ SsM'm & V. t/i 1.0 I.I 1.25 IM 2.2 12.0 1.8 U IIIIII.6 #3 •?v# {Jy^v'o. # Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (>16) 872-4503 r O 15^^ it- r~?A ;p.; : 92 PHELPS AND GOUnAM's PURCnASE. their long adherence to one great plan of conquest ; — bear witness that they were a highly-gifted race, and may well make them objects of intense interest to the poet, philosopher and historian. The climate enjoyed, and the country occupied by them were favorable to the de- velorpement of a noble manhood. Their broad domain was irrigated by streams whose rich alluvial bottoms rewarded the rudest tillage with a full supply of golden maize ; its forests abounding in animals of chase — bear, bounding deer, majestic moose and elk — furnished their lodge boards with venison ; and the lovely lakes that spotted its rolling surface, paid rich tribute to the bark-net, and barbed spear of the fisherman. Man owes many of his characteristics to the scenes amid which he is nursed, and the grand, geographical features of Iroquois em- pire were sources to its upholders and lords, of liigh, ennobling thought. Rivers rushing to find a level "either in the gulfs oi' St. Lawrence and Mexico, or in the intermediate shores of the Atlan- tic " — Erie and Ontario, those lonely worlds of waters, that border- ed on the north and west, with a blue belt, their hunting grounds ; the Adirondack chain, with its deep gorges, vapory cones, and splintered cliffs — old mossy woods, where the mysterious winds awoke their wildest music ; glades basking in the light, and glens, where reigned at noon-day a sepulchral gloom ; and, more than all, the mighty Cataract of Niagara, singing an eternal anthem at the western door of their Long House; were sights and sounds that found a reflex and an echo, not only in their magnificent traditions, but in the sublime imagery and symbolic phraseology of their orators. Previous to the overthrow of the Neuter Nation, and subsequent to that event, of the Erics, the Seneca country extended westward to the Genesee. After that period they were undisputed masters of the soil from the valley of Pleasant Water, to the banks of the De-o-se-o-wa, or Buffalo Creek. Disputes have arisen among antiquarians, as to the question whether the Kah-kwahs and Erie.s were one and the same people. All Indian history proves that a tribe is often known by diverse names in their own tongue, as well as in difierent dialects. For example, referring to their position, the Senecas were called "Swan-ne-ho-ont," (door on the hinge) — in reference to the place of their origin — an elevated point at the head of Canandaigua Lake, " Nun-do-wa-ga," or people of the Hill. Whether known as Allegan, Erie, or Kah-kwah, the weitern door- PIIELPS AND GOPHAM'S PUilCHASE. 93 keepers strucrgled many years in vai'n tr. „• .u t of .he League a grca.efeins „ " To" eS , t si ™' "°"" Iheir Canadian seats, on the St. Lawrence and ,Kr"''""'"« .hey checW in their march .owarV he e , j Jn "xhT' ^'7 m arna, ,ve,e incHned. while hand could wM L.che. no o" - well worth the bloody sacHficeTrw T5 ''''= ^''''^■•"''^ gallant people i„ defen'din; hf i olrr oTt 'V 'T^' '"" .hen, wa. a foe. renowned throu„Wh/naiI T ^"^^ '° durance, enterprise and boundlef/lbita "' '" "™"^^' '"■ i he latter assign as cause of war, the defeit of fJ,« K" u i u ■n^J^ll Playing, and other athletic ^^n^Z^t Z^^^;:^ lav one 01 the tairest gardens of this western Wnrl^ t* was a„ easy task for their subtle minds to frame Ip^ text t h bitterly bewailin- il„ !„.. .k 7u """'"'"gas. and found them massacre "f, 7 "I line *lt°f ''^^^ '■"<' -»'--"°P»l-e the savage .,i „, Iwl^-ltr/^lThrq^r ''^ '"' ''' tecttett^rh:t'„rr:^^r-"'^-- •» - villa put his ar„,, i„ '^^.T wlT:'^ T'^'' ^' """"■ body of the Seneea warriors hastened to rrn'ovethti;. 'old ""''" women and children to places of safelv ll , "'"^ ™™' men at a small fort to lctZ!co!j^fT^ " '""''""^ "''^'""^ watch the progress of the invader^ *"~""'°"' ""'' ^^'-^ The latter, informed that " Ynnnnnri;^" sent runners to their friends „d Z ™ "" "■»'•■'"'*• give him a suitable recept!"„ " ^'"""S '™" """^'^ ^-"' '° baitr^t^'r;,: S!'::!'^e!::t:f r-" "°*^ ''"'-^- which was a deep and dan^erot's ttile ""=""''■ " "'^ '■°°' "^ No„oteofa,arJd;:rhctd:irZd:L"gTer^^^^^^^^ -.vmgs to quicken their moyempnt, Ti • j ^] "^""^ "^"^ •be nation bad Hed, JZT^X^tS X ^T '™''' °' the French plunged rashly into thedelil While icV'T'"™' *e dreaded and blood-curdling war vh^iop'o? ' T ""' ''"''^' their ears, foII„wei>'o aismov the historian of the H-ht -" 'separated tf/rt' ' T'^'"'' "^^' r,.,f I n „ ° separated into platoons, that ran with- ou o.,e, pe„.„,], , ,he right and left, not ..«..•„. Ju^t v^r,nt. A more vivid picture of utter overthrow for the timp 11 the contagion of fear, could not be drawn ' ''''^ Before tJ,e panic subsided, the Senecas broke cover, and charged the flying foe, tomahawk in hand. cnarged f..,^f-^''i''''["Sitivesvvere slain, but the pursuers followed too far, losing the advantage of a thick wood, and strong position Such vuie checked the Senecas, and after a valiant stand, and desoerate Spartan prowess could l,ave done no more. A General thirty years ,„ serv.ce, and a favorite officer of ..the Magnificent Lou s" had been surprised ; his savage hordes coloni-,1 levl. , regiments disordered, charged' and tren ^ ' JTCo, ™S numbcs from he crmvnmg disgrace of a disastrous defeat Though repulsed, the Senecas were not disheartened and when challenged, ,„ the.r retreat, ,o stand and figl,,, halted onTermw d ed ,' ', ""^'"''1'' ^-"^""'^ ""■ "■"" '■""dred to our four hZ we ti^fU: :::.::' Lt'':" t"-" *"™ ^-^-^ '^'^ iU^ r. :■ • '^ '^ unnecessary to remark thif inX ;" T ""' ""'"^''' '"' ™ ""™ ^--1- -" »% or 'hri:r:;et.t°''™'""° """ *'^"' "•"""■'^ °-^'"»^- If De Nonviile was the chivalrous ;,o!dier and christian fh,, * Doc. "Ilk" Vol. 7, p. 248. + Doc. "His." p. 231. !• • < 98 WIELl'S A.\D GORHAm's PUKCIIa'se. l.v Zu ^ '"""" '° "'^ '"^'^ "'»' fell i"lo Ills Land, wnicn he billorly deiionnces their cowardice and cruel'v' lln.J TOoate^s 1 iclory. w,th La Hontan's, Ijiat besides twentv-Uvo woun ded, a„ hundred Frenchmen, and ,e„ savages were slak ? /he Baron s honest narralive, so little flatlerin,; to the militnrv in view or their „t.:rl„reLc7:o cTf ^i^ ^ 'XeTnT mans, sneenn-ily exclaim, tha, "they were only f„ to make war on' Indian corn, and bark nnn«o. » r *i ■ ^ 'uiumdKe wai on .he French ^ffic s "t Snt kovS vl™ ," "'°''' 7 "°"''' *" o„„,ii II ,1 ''""' "°}"l' jeered one another for bein^' ^' ^'^^ d^-a^'ated fron- e se tlements fully attested, made no provisions for their allies; but left them to the mercy or discretion of those against whom they clr'^f .r«' ^"^r '"'^ «^"g"-^^T warfare. "The ancient the 1 1 f h !, 1''""^' '^' '''''^''''' °^ ^heir ancestors, from the time far beyond theiv earliest traditions, was included in the boundary granted to Americans." f According to the usages of , ,, . , tMaj. Schuyler to Gov. boiigan, Doc. His. v. 1 p. 255 t Menional of tlie Six Js^ations, presented to Lord Camden. 'lit: l-^VI w i !l US! I U ^ I; ¥i II 100 rilELPS AND GOPJIAm's PURCHASE. ;rr r::::;r!:« rr;!:;r rrr ties of our General nm] ^t.t. r ^""'1"«' "> • -"ut the authori- so strinrrpnt. , , u '^^^^ Governments did not clioose to apply so stringent a rule to the simple natives, who were unlearnoH n reference to the position in which their action in e w t 'pi " mmmms Gene., sc,,„,:e. aided b^. :^r:it:er„?t:,iir:;:":: co..,ue.. would have been far .„„ expeiive .h npraee oh The cessation of hostilities on the pa,t of those to whor,, they had lately been all,es, left them in an embarrassing position Enll „d had made a peace, and left her allies in the fidd to fi"ht it ou or Previous to the cession by all the states, of lands within their Ge"r: :u;d%M "T^' ^°^^^""^^"' ''' -^P-tive ri^f astliiStnt Governments were but illy defined; and so far as h,s State was concerned, especially, a collision was had As making the Governor and a Board of commissioner the Superb ten ents oflndian a^airs. The commissioners designated weTl Abraham Cuj^er P ter Schuyler, Henry Glen, who°associated with Yates, jr., P. W. Yates, John J. Beekman, Mathew Vischer, (ien a umJdTh 1 . ""™"' ""^"-^^ ^'^"^^"' ^' "- head of the Boar ,' assumed the laboring oar of negotiation. The services of the mis- thc.iraids«S,f til w'slr'""'/^ been pursued, the Indians .vould have called to HIacksnake, m.w Tn h mdre Tve '.""fl ""^- r^'""^"'^ ^'^" '''''■ '^'^'^ ^^^^'^^''We chief «ists that tie Six Natriwe^Wo tt/r''r f''^ ^"'^-^''"^ Keservatiou, i„. onquered poo- Jt the authori- loose to apply unlearned in 5 war had pla- id, ungrateful, vailed in the g those who >tate Legisla- favor, that it opposition of on, with the ' by a feeling ed war and ice negotia- )etter policy orn they had 1- England [ht it out, or has seldom ivithin their e rights of ; and so far s had. As !ed an act, e Superin- d were : — :iated with 3roeck, A. cher, Gen. the Board, f the mis- ve cnllcd to erable chief irvatiou, in- a conquered rmsips AND ooeiiam's PUECIIASE. 101 sionary, the Iv.v Mr. Kirkland, of Peler Ryokman, Jacob Keed James Deane, Major Fonda, Col. Wemple, Major F,y, Col Va„' %le, - „,„s, of whom had been India,, trader, or captive, -were enhsted. Peter nyck,„a„ beean,e to the Board.Tlcie Tf ■w,nged Mercury," flying from locality ,0 locality- now aX da then at Kanadesaga, then at Niagara, consulting, with Bran, and ne« a, Albany, reporting the result of his conferences vh t e sta esn,e„ and d,plo,„a.ists of the forest. The time and place ol a treaty vvas parl,ally agreed upon In the mean ti,ne, Congress had contemplated a general treaty with the Indians. bor<}er,ng upon the settlements in New York Pen„syU,an,a and Ohio; and had appointed as its commisLner ' Ohver Wolcott, K.chard Butler and Arthur Lee. A co,re po^.' ence took place between the New York Boa,-d and the Co,l,s he respec..-e nghts to treat with the Indians, wasse,-i„usly involv- ed. The New York Commissioners found the Indians generally averse to treating with a State, but generally disposed to mee 2 pelt of"so "' Tk' ''"" " "'"'' °f ^^'^ J°'""J' "i* 'heir people of some of the western nations. Most of the sp,in., and ummer of 1784, was consumed by endeavors of the New Y„ k Board to get acouncilof the Six Nations convened. On the fi"., o September, they met at Fort Schuyler-deputies from the mI hawks, Cayugas, Onondagas and Senecas. The Oneidas and Tus- caroras held back; but deputations from them, were b,ough. i,^ by runners on the th.rd day. The deputies of these two nat,°o„s were first addressed by Governor Clinton. He assured them of a di p„s, ,o„ to be at peace ; disclaimed any intention to deprive hem of thetr lands; proposed a settlement of boundaries; and warned .hem ap,nst dtsposing of their lands to other than ommissione,; V h th ra for lands, when they were disposed to sell them. In re- pl) to tins speech, a delegate of the two nations cxp,essed their gra.,ficat,„„ that the war had ended, and th,at they couM now me "vh :rv'" p''" '"''''''■" '■^°"'>-° ---P." -wTe th,s path winch you have seen as you have come along, has been rewed w,th blood. We. therefore, in our turn, console'your Z es and sorrows during these troublesome times. We rejoice that 102 PIIELPS AND GORIUJI'S PURCHASE. you have opened the path of peace to this country " Hp fh. v A the commissioners for their nL\r^ f. fi VT 7^" ^^^^ikeA r^ J ,u , / * '""' °° """""'"y f™"! Cons-ras ; but as he h-,'''' -''-^''^ 'ke fire, in J that no future events may ever arise to extinguish n ■ but that von and we, and the offspring of us both, may enjfy its beiign i fl e'nce heletteisof the commissioners of Congress, he assured them that their business was with Jndian. residing out of any Stlte Z h New Yorlt had a right to deal with those residing. 'Z hj;":;,:.' JJ^l ?.!"" '" *' ^.'^'"•""■■■^ speech was made by Erant He aid that It meets with our dispositions and feehngs of our r^'inds " tlrZ'Z 1 *^':^^P^""™ "'-- of Congress "and New York to treat with the Indians, he thought it strange that « there shou d He thanked nd Tusoaroras, •chase of their iscarora chiefs !s. The letter commissioners, ce with all the - that the Gov- ; but as he had ™ the 20th of two councils, iil at Niagara, 'arriors of the assured them md his friends I that friendly lite neighbors 's speech was mg our State ghted both at the Six Na- endly a light extinguished ?ether at this he true spirit fire, in hopes but that you gn influence •eference to ;d them that te ; but that in her boun- Erant. He our minds." ^ew York here should PHELPS AND GORHAJl's PUKCIIASE. 103 be two bodies to manage the same business." Several speeches followed, Brant and Cornplanter being the spokesmen of the Indi- ans. The utmost harmony prevailed ; the Indian orators treating all subjects adroitly, manifesting a disposition to make a treaty, but evidently intending to stave otf any direct action, until they met in council the U. S. Commissioners. To a proi)osition from Gov. Clinton, that the State of New York would look for a cession of lands to help " indemnify them for the expenses and sacrifices of the war ; " they replied, admitting the justice of the claim, but say- ing they were peace ambassadors, and had no authority to dispose of lands. The council broke up after distributing presents, and leaving the Indians a supply of provisions for subsistence while waiting to meet the U. S. Commissioners. The treaty of Fort Stanwix followed, conducted by the United States Commissioners, Oliver Wolcott, Richard Butler, and Arthur Lee. No record of the proceedings exist in our public archives ; the general result is however known. Terms of peace were con- cluded ; the western boundaries of the Six Nations were so fixei as to enlarge the " carrying place" on the Niagara river they had previously ceded to the King of Great Britian, and starting from the mouth of Bufialo Creek, was to be a line running due south to the northern boundary of Pennsylvania; thence westto the end of said boundary ; thence south along the west boundary of said State to the river Ohio. The treaty was eflected with considerable ditTi- culty, a large number of the Indians insisting that it should be gen- eral, and embrace the western Indians, so that all questions of boun- daries could be settled at once. Brant was absent, transactin^r some business with the Governor of Canada. Had he been present" it is doubtful whether any treaty would have been concluded. Red Jacket, then a youth, made his first public speecii, and as Levasseur, (who derived his information from La Fayette,) says : — "His speech was a masterpiece, and every warrior who heard him, was carried NoTE.-La Fayette was present at the treaty of Port Stanwix. After the laDso of forty yearn, the (,rcum,us Frenchman, tlie companion of Wasliingto.t uu the s'neca orator, affun met The author was present at tlie interview. A conconi^o of cit"i"ens hiwl been asseml.lec Or nearly two .lays, awaitinf: the arrival of the st™m boa from Dunku-k, which had been cliartcred by the committee of Erie county to come La Faye te to Buffi, o, and among them was Red Jacket. He made, a.sui.a1, a somcilm ostentatious display of his medal_a gift from Washington - and it required the c- peml a tention of a select committee to keep the aged cliief from aXd ,.e ce _ a "sin that so easy beset him," -which woiUd have'^ marred the dignity if'not tlic 104 PHELrS AND GORIIAM's PnECHASE. i't away with his oloniipnrp " TT^ * , away the hun.ing r„„,i, "fVl'""'', '""'T'^ "S"'"^' "''""« advocated a ro„o°va Tt t' '^t,"\, "' ""'• """ ''°'J'> planter, however, nreva le Th .,*" """""'■' "^ Corn- agreed to surrend,. "n o he ''"«"='-''"l".v. Th. Six Nation, brought to the ,r v-11 1 r T"'"' """ ""■ "■''»'" '■"'l '-een in be1,„lf of th I S s" Lr '""''T- "^''^ ""--"i-'oners. T..et po.e.io„ oftelfnTSerrS ^h'ief '^ ^""°"^ ''" advising tlL tl",t he t ,e h Id hf " ^""'"=" "'°''' "='"»' -"l infonned ti.em that it v „ e ,oST '" ""^^ '" ^"''''"-■ ™mo of their lands south o" U Taji, "''a^rT ''T"' '" ^'" sioners were ready to purchase Am ' T '°' "» '^™'"i'- ;io.;, the Go.ernoJ.s sp^lt ™ rf;",": ^ ;"i;.,t^^,f;f ""■ before the Kevo,uti:„t aid ■ ttZTFlT. "'"'V'^ f ""^-'^^ were poor, applied to us lor h,l \ T ''™'''" "ben Ihev 'hey are .-iclfthey dol ° 4 : li^l .^°\T"° ""f ^^ *"" ™"- const,™™te abilit; ; especiallydid "he ihief I I leT ■"" °"^ ^^ Governor, in a lieouent allnsi™, i„ i ! ^ '"'''™ "P"" 'bo to keep their lands D „ " H , , , "' '"^™'' '° ""^ '"dians ceeded": the Indians nr U " rofi^ ll?'' ^^^^^ r""' -- romance of the i;itomlerl iiifcrvioxr ~Th'. '■ —-— ipiiiiiiipiili gainst ceding 3t, and boldly cils of Corn- ploquence of Six Nations om had been )inmi.ssioners N'ations the ! recognized had made !v, after the ner, in June 'ov. Clinton rights, and 5 purchase, ared to sell cam mis- s delibera- the minis- with lands 5 Mohawks vhen ihoy ; but now ras one of s upon the le Indians '^hig suc- lantityof ut failincr orally, were iroiiirli wi( Ji. t,'!ii.s-< ill lii-i '' '» iiroiulcr 'll^^ii'li, if i; leral in liis '«', LaKav- '•I'.'lt" 8;i'i,! ■MkoU Til.. 'as enrich. HIELPS Amy GOPJIAM'S PUECIIASE. 105 get lice. a. .hey were o^a loiv 7°'"^ '^ ^■™™''"'' «•" "°-''' •hey e.pro.cd't„e A^l^ ^le ? ^I "'h'^'IT- ""^™°" overcome their cneraies " ^' * ''"■* "'""""gli lousy, ^et^t:rrrattwr::t:r"^^ east an,l west through those s^^" I ' "'""' "' " '"" d'"™ nia line, &o., for "^ich t M 7, fl"""^, °' "- P^-.vlva 'hem a liberal amount of gooS^ tril.'s °' 1° -'"""'' ™°"« announcing the c„ncIusion°to sell , t/"i P""™"'- '» "-"-V ■This news about sellin. „ur ill '^ ' \° "''•''chopper said : - Six Nations, when thev h° .r „» h n '" " S'''"' ""'"^ "' 'he -e hope we shall , o, « ann LdT "" '"'' V"""^' ""> "«''=''°'-e How 'vas th, f.tt^rS , , 7°^^'/°""y°'''''''■™''«0•." ^>atis,! Little duLltfT " ™P'' ''""''™'l'' <"P'»- gmdgingly and unw lli ttp Ld "th"™", f':''' """"^ ""« "Mened out, until his peo°pfe ^1^1; sh^ f ", "'''?' '"' ""'' sessions ! ' """^"y *om of then- broad pos- llerc, in the order of thm^ it i, hindrances that were int "Id ,1""" "'f ""^-^ '" ™"«^ -o ary me,asure, for the See o eTr""'^' ""'"^ ""^ P'"''™'"- lower valley of the MohavTater !'«""', T"'""' """' *= of England and France wJre ° ?„ ° '"°" ^ " ^''° ^''"8^ eareless in their .ran of ,e, l f""' Seogfaphers, or very 'ed what they n^^er .osselTn'i" "I"" ™^'''- "^^'i- S™"" other's ri»hts and crelT? "^^ ""^' '""° °''<^'"i™ 'o each ny a tractof -un,r;d:Lti:r;dr:i:,::nd':'rT' '"""'- degrees of latitude north and S,„„l, j"S'-""''e"endtng several Paeitic ocean, east and ts, 'rcha*r 1 T^l "" ^""°"" '» "«' port on of this territory, granted by Irs I tf^:"""'''" °' » the Atia„„e,o,be Pacific ocean. Charts ri,„v, ' "'I '™" ""^= - vor. a,,d Albany, .,. .■ovinii^:;^ Vos::":!^ 106 PHELPS AND GOPJIAM's PUECIIASE. i ii ii I 1 - ! It , I the present State of New Jersey. The tract thus granted extended from a line twenty miles east of the Hudson river, westward, rather in lefinitsly, and from the Atlantic ocean north, to the south line of Canada, then a French province. By this collision of description, each of these colonies, (after- wards States.) laid claim to the jurisdiction as well as pre-emption right of the same land, being a tract sufficiently large to form several States. The State of New York, however, in 1781, and Massa- chusetts, in 17S5, ceded to the United States all their rights, either of jurisdiction or proprietorship, to all the territory lying west of a meridian, line run south from the westerly bend of Lake Ontario. Although the nominal amount in controversy, by these acts, was much diminished, it still left some nineteen thousand square miles of territory in dispute ; but this controversy was finally settled by a convention of commissioners, appointed by the parties, held at Hartford, Conn., on t!ie 16th day of December, 178G. According- to the stipulations entered into by the convention, Massachusetts ceded to the State of New York, all her claim to the government, sovereignty and jurisdiction of all Jhe territory lying west of the present east line of the Stale of New York ; and New York ceded to Massachusetts the pre-emption right, or fee of the land, subject to the title of natives, of all that part of the State of ISlew York lying west of a line, beginning at a point in the north line of Penn- sylvania, 82 .miles north of the north-east corner of said State, and running from thence due north through Seneca Lake, to Lake On- tario ; excepting and reserving to the State of 'New York, a strip ot land east of, and adjoining the eastern bank of Niagara river, one mile wide, and extending its whole length. The land, the pre- emption right of which was thus ceded, amounted to about six millions of acres. The other dilRculty alluded to, arose from the organization and operations of two joint Lessee Companies. The constitution of the state forbade the purchase of the fee in lands of the Indians, by mdividuals, reserving the right to the state alone. To evade this, and come in possession of the lands, an association of individuals •was organized in the winter of 1787, '8, who styled themselves the " New York Genesee Land Company." Tlie company was com- posed of some eighty or ninety individuals, mostly residing upon the Hudson; many of whom were wealthy and influential. The prin- Pm?LPS AWD GORIIAm's PCECnASE. 107 cipal seat of the company was at Hudson. Dr. Caleb Benton John L,v„,g^„„, and Jared Coffin were the principal manager"' At the same time a branch company was or.tani7eH in r,„!. called the ..Niagara Genesee Land' cL,p.a„;-° TO consheTlf John Dntler, Samnel Street. John Powellf JoLson a Z2 a d Beruannn Barton ; all but the last n.amed. bein, residents of S„da Ths branch organization enabled the company to avail themselves of the then potent influence of Col. John Butler with the Sk Nation,, and the innuence of his .as,socia.es. Benjamin Barton fhe father of the late B.mjamin Barton Jr. of Lewis, „™ an ac, ncmbcr of the assocktion. Soon after the close of the Revolution he had engaged m the Indian tr.ade, and as a drover from New N,,igara. By this means he had become well acquainted with the S™e as was adopted by them, and had taken while a youth Hen y OBail, the .son of Cornplanter, and placed him in a Loo ^7 to r-Ne : YoTc " "'° '"""""r "■"^ "^''-=^' «'-- W°"^d o the New -i oik Company, several who had fcr a lon■ "'^ *^"'' ^^1"=" '^coming sober we esck andu„.,blc to reach For. Schuyler, and a Cayuga chief, Sp ce Garner d,od on the road. When thcy were en'eamped a S vyace, twlve m,les east of Seneca Lake, on .he eas.en, .rail wen, r ■ " '^J^r ''."■'■"' ■■ a' C-^l.ong, in .he in.erest of .he Lessee wen. there, and by mtimida.ions, .he use of rum, and pro.nises ol" presen.s, induced .hem .o .urn back romisesol JrVir,™"' ",",'"■ "'■ ^""""'^^ """ ""^ ^'"■"™' Nations ot tl e council. Governor Chnton addressed the Ononda^as inform tng them minutely of the positions in which .ho Six Na". oVsto"; in refei-ence .0 .heir lands; .hat they were theirs .o d ", o o when .hey pleased, bu. .hat to protect them from frauds, hi a" had reserved .0 itself the right .„ purchase whenever hey wee rnELPS AND GORHAm's rUECIIASE. 113 disposed to sell. lie told them that the acts of the Lessees, were he acts "disobedient children " of the State, and that thev were a cheat and at the same time informing them that as commis- sioners of the State, he and his associates were there prepared to purchase. He cautioned them to keep sober, as there were stran- gers present "who will laugh at us if while this business is in a^i- tation, any of us should be found disguised." "After the business IS completed,' said the Governor. " wo can indulge ourselves in innocent mu-th and friendship together." Eiack Cap, in behalf o^ the Onondagas. replied, assuring the Governor that the Onondar^as who ly disapproved of the proceedings with the Lessees, had made up then- nunds to sell to the State, but wanted a little farther time 1.0 a k among themselves. On the 12th, the treaty was concluded and the deed of cession of the lands of the Onondagas, some res ervatums excepted, was executed. The consideration was 81000 "1 liand and an annuity of $500 forever. After the trelty wa! conc,,ae , additional provisions were distributed, presents of 'go d made and congratulatory speeches interchanged. " As the business on wluc we had met. said the Governor, is now hapnilv accom sh ed. we shall cover up the council fire at this time i!;d Uake a dH k andsmoke our pyes together, and devote the remainder of the day to decent mirth. J It should be observed, that this council was called for the double purpose of perpetuating friendship with the Six Nations, ndpu chasing ands. Though New York had ceded the p e-emron ngh to the lands of the Senecas. to Massachusetts, still' t^^r s.rab e t at the Senecas should be present. Most of their chiel and head n-.en were kept away, but about eighty young Seneca the old Foit. The governor addressed them, distributed amon. hem some provisions and liquor, and desired them to go back to their nation and report all they had seen, and warn their peop e nganist having any thing to do with the Lessees. A young Seneca warrior in his reply said :-" We had to struggle hard ^ break through he opposition that was made to ourcomh^down, by some of your disobedient children. We will now tell ^^u how ^hin^s really are amonjj us The voice of the birds,* and proud, strong ^V.gu.nnnor«, and falsehoods, were caUed by the Senecas. "tZZ^Z^^^^, >i ■ 114 PIIELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 1-4 f ■, llC'? .i w !•# ' words uttered by some of our own people at Kanadesaga, overcome tlie sachems and turned them back, after they had twice promised to come down with us." Negotiations with the Oneidas followed : — Gov. Clinton made a speech to them to the same purport of the one he liad delivered to the Onondagas. This was replied toby "One-yan-ha, alias Beach Tree, commonly called the " Quarter Master." who said an answer to the speech should be made after his people had counselled to- gether. The next day, just as the council had assembled, word came that a young warrior was found dead in Wood Creek. It was concluded after som.e investigation, that he had been drowned ac- cidentally, in a state of intoxication. Tiie commissioners insisted upon going on with the treaty, but the Indians demanded a postpone- ment for funeral observances. At the burial, A-gwel-en-ton-gwas, alias, Domine Peter, or Good Peter, made a pathetic harrangue! eloqueu. in some of its passages. It was a temperance, but not a total abstinence discourse. The funeral over, the business of the council was resumed. Good Peter replied to the speech of the Govemor: — He reminded him of a remark made by him at Fort Herkimer in 1785, in substance, that he should not ask them for any more lands. The chief recapitula- ted in a long speech, with surprising accuracy, every point in the Governor's speech, and observed that if any thing had been omitted, it was because he had not "the advantage of "the use of letters." He then made an apology, that he was li^tigued, and wished to sit down and rest ; and that in the meantime, according to ancient Note.— The backwoods srnntnal and temporal adviser, insisted that his people must abide by the resrdufi.m of tludr chief, widcli forbid anv of tliein askin- the Gov? emor or connms.sioner.s for rum, but only to take it ^^hvu it%vas offered and measured out to them. "We are n,,t fit " said he, "to prescribe as ro this .-Mtick.. Some who re p-eat drinkers have often given in botli women and eiiildren in their list ad nvn tor the whole company ,is warri(,r,., and tliereby inc.vased the quantity beyo d all reasonable bounds. Let the Governor therefore determine, if he Les fit^to -ie a glass mthemorn.n- and at noon, aiul then at night ; and if anv remain aftei-eaclt one IS sen-ed, let it be taken off fhe ground. Thi.^ was the ancient custom at AlW n '. T *;r'"f^',V'-«- ^^i"'" ■•! «'-^>^'t ■"""^■^■'' of Indians were a,.^embled on th. hill above the city. The rum was brought there and each one drank a -la^- .oik V as satisfied. No trie ndian who had the spirit of a man, was eve no vn at th ay t() run to a commissioner and demand a bottle of rum, on the ground that he wis m'suc ."r\""' .-.nother too, for tlie .s.me .eason, which is the practice now-a-day nc such great men wer j known in ancient li; p])v times " ^ I Good IVler's temperance e.xliortation, is similar to that of the Scotch divine • - dri dSmS"'n"'' «"H«''-. ""'» '^ little on g.anging to bed; but dilina bo "drau,; , overcome promised on made a elivered to lias Beach an answer [nselled to- )led, word Creek. It ■owned ac- rs insisted L postpone- -ton-gwas, larrangue, i, but not ?d. Good nded liim substance, ■ecapitula- )int in the n omitted, f letters." bed to sit o ancient his people lis: the Gov- k1 iiicasured ■Some wlio fir list, and itjty beyond • lit to give a I after each II at Albany v-eiiibled oil a i(liis.< and own at that that he was ow-a-days ; 1 divine : — •f a niorniri, i be "drum. PHELPS AND aOEIIAM's PUECHASE. 115 custom, anoth^^r speaker would arise and raise the spirit of their de- ceased sachem, the Grasshopper. But before he sat down, he in- formed the Governor, that the man bearing the name of Oe-dat-segh- ta, is the first name know in their national council, and had long been publised throughout the confederacy ; that his friend, the Grass- hopper, was the counsellor for the tribe, to whom that name be- longed, and that therefore, they replaced the Grasshopper with this lad, whom you are to call Kan-y-a-dal-i-go ; presentiiig the young lad to the Governor and Commissioners ; and that until he arrives at an age to qualify him to transact business personally, in council, their friend, Hans Jurio, is to bear the name of 0-jis-tal-a-be, alias Grasshopper, and to be counsellor for this young man and his clan, until that period. The Governor made a speech, in which he disclaimed any desire on the part of the State to purchase their lands; bu', strenuously urged upon them that the State would not tolerate th purchase or leasing by individuals. He told them that when they chose to sell the State would buy more for their good than anything else, as the State then had more land than it could occupy with people. Good Peter followed, said the Governor's speech was excellent, and to their minds. " We comprehend every word of your speech, it is true indeed ; for we see you possessed of an extensive territo- ry, and but here and there a smoke." " But," said he, " we, too, have disorderly people in our nation ; you have a keg here, and they have their eyes upon it, and nothing can divert them from the pursuit of it. While there is any part of it left, they will have their ey^^ upon it and seek after it, till they die by it ; and if one dies, there is another who will not be deterred by it, will still continue to seek after it. It is just so with your people. As long as any spot of our excellent land remains, they will covet it, and will never rest till they possess it." He said it would take him a long time to tell the Governor " all his thoughts and contemplations ; they were extensive ; my mind is perplexed and pained, it labors hard." In a short digression, he spoke of the Tree of Peace, and expressed his fears that, " by-and-by, some twig of this beautiful tree will be broken off. The wind seems always to blow, and shake this belov- ed tree." Before sitting down. Good Peter observed that they had all agreed to place the business of the council, on their part, in the hands of two of their people, Col. Louis and Peter Ot-se-quette, 1 IIG who PHELPS AND GORHAjfa PURCnASE, ap. ' would be their " mouth and their ears." * There was, a pointed, as their advisers, a committee of principal chiefs. The negotiation went on for days ; speeches were interchanged • propositions were made and rejected, until finally a deed of ces'^ion was agreed upon and executed by the chiefs. It conveyed all their lands, making reservations for their own residence around the Onei- da castle, or principal village, and a number of other sma-.er ones for their own people, and such whites as had been their interpret- ers, favorite traders, or belonged to them by adoption. The con sideration was $2,000 in money, $2,000 in clothing and other goods, $1,000 m provisions, $500 in money for the erection of a saw-mill and grist-mill on their reservation, and an annuity of "six hundred dollars in silver," for ever. Congratulatory addresses fol lowed ; the Governor making to the Oneidas a parting awl'> produce Senecas, ad trans- rn to Al- ; Albany, >m Peter idesaga ; •e. ^[le iissiou un- Kulo in the II and t'du- inkcd, and tliat for a mind, he iiur years' tliciu. PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 117 letter was forwarded by " Mr. Lee and Mr. Noble," who had been residing for the summer at Kanadesaga. The writers say to the Governor, tiiat the bearers of the letter will detail to him all that has transpired in their locality ; and add, that if required, they can induce the Cayugas and Senecas to attend a council. The Rev. Mr. Kirkiand gave, in writing, an account of his mission. He stated that on arriving at Kanadesaga, he ascertained that to keep the Cayugas back from the treaty at Fort Schuyler, two of the principal lessees and their agents, had " kept them in a continued state of intoxication ibr three weeks;" that "Dr. B. and Col. M. had between twenty and thirty riflemen in arms for twenty-four hours ; and gave out severe threats against P. Ryckman and Col. Heed, for being enemies to their party, and friends to the govern- ment, in persuading the Indians to attend the treaty at Fort Schuyler." Mr. Kirkiand stated that he had been as far as Nia- gara, and seen Col. Butler ; and that at the Seneca village, on Buf- falo Creek, he had seen Shen-dy-ough-gwat-tCj the " second man of influence among the Senecas;" and Farmer's Brother, alias '• Ogh-ne-wi-ge-was ;" and that they had become disposed to treat with the State. Before the Board adjourned, it was agreed to ad- dress a letter to Reed and Ryckman, asking them to name a day on which they could procure the attendance of the Cayugas and Senecas, at Albany. Reed and Ryckman, on tho icuc^ytion of the letter, despatched James Manning Reed with an answer, saying that they would be at Albany, with the Indians, on the 23d ot January ; and adding, that the lessees kept the Indians " so continu- ally intoxicated with liquor, that it is almost impossible to do any thing with them." It was not until the 11th of Febuary however, that Mr. Ryck- man was enabled to collect a sufficient number of Indians, and reach Albany. Several days were spent in some preliminary proceedings, and in waiting for the arrival of delegations that were on the way. On the 14th, James Bryan and Benjamin Birdsall, two of the Lessees appeared before the commissioners and delivered up the "long leases" that had occasioned so much trouble. On the 19th Note.— Gov. Clinton and many of the commissioners resided in New York. As an illustration of the then slow lassage down tlie Hudson, they resolved at Albany to charter a sloop, and tlius be enabled to settle their accounts uud arrange their papers on their way down the rirer. ! n 118 rnELPs AND gorham's purchase. the council was opened with the Cayucras, many Senecas, Onon- dagas and Oneidas, being present. ' Good Peter in behalf of the Cayugas, made a speech. He said his brothers, the Cayugas and Senecas had " requested him to be their mouth." As upon another occasion his speech abounded in some of the finest figures of speech to be found in any preserved specimens of Indian eloquer. ■ In allusion to the conduct of the Lessees, and a long series ofprcjedent difficulties the Indians had had with the whites, he observed : — " Let us notwithstanding, possess our minds in peace ; we can see but a small depth into the heart of man ; we can only discover what comes from his tongue." Speaking of the relations that used to exist between his people and the old colony of New York, he said, they "used to kindle a council fire, the smoke of which reached the' heavens, and around which they sat and talked of peace." He said in reference to the blessings of peace, and the settled state of things that was promised by fixing the Indians upon their Reserva- tions, under the protection of the state : — "Our little ones can now go with leisure to look for fish in the streams, and our warriors to hunt for wild beasts in the woods." Present at the council, was a considerable number of their women, ^vhom Good Peter called "Governesses," and gave the reasons why they were there.— "The Rights of women," found in him an able advocate : — "Our ancestors considered it a great tran.^gression to reject the counsel of the , women, particularly the Governesses; thev considered them the mistresses of the soil. They said, who 'brings us forth? Who cultivates our lands ? Who kindles our fires, and boils our pots, but the women ? Our women say let not the tradition of the lathers, with respect to women, be disiegarded ; let them not be des- pised ; God is their maker." Several other speeches intervening, the Governor answered the speech of Good Peter; — He reviewed the bargain the Indians had made with the Lessees, and told them that if carried out it would be to their ruin; explained the laws of the state, and their tendency to protect them in the enjoyment of a suflicient (juantity of land for their use ; and to guard them against peculation and fraud. In re- plying to that part of Good Peter's speech in reference to the women and their rights, the venerable Governor was in a vein of gallantry, elociucntly conceding the immunities that belonged to the " mothers of mankind." He told them they siiould have re- Mirt as, Onon- lalf of the ^'ugas and 3n another I of speech ier,r In prcjedent served : — .'e can see over what t used to :, he said, ached the ce." He d state of Reserva- 5 can now arriors to ! council, 'od Peter e there. — ■ : — " Our le counsel Jred them IS forth ? hoils our m of the t be dcs- /cred the lians had it would ;endency "land for In re- } to the vein of >nged to lave re- PIIELPS AND GOEHAm's PUKCIIASE, 119 servations " large enough however prolific they might be ; even if they ^should increase their nation to its ancient stao and num- bers." He apologised to the dusky sisterhood by saying that he "was advanced in years, unaccustomed to address their sex in pub- lic ;" and therefore they " must excuse the imperfections of his speech." Other speeches, and days of negotiation followed. On the 25th of February, all the preliminaries being settled, the Cayugas ceded to the state all of their lands, excepting a large reservation of 100 square miles. The consideration was 8500 in hand, .$1,G38 in June following, and an annuity of 8500 for ever. In a congratulatory address, after the treaty was concluded. Gov. Clinton recapitulated all of its terms, and observed : — "Brothers and sisters ! when you reflect that you hod parted with the whole of your country, (in allusion to the long lease,) without reservin<- a spot to lay down, or kindle a fire on ; and that you had disposed^'of your lands to people whom you had no means to compel to pay what they had promised, you will be persuaded that vour brothers and sisters whom you have Mt at home, and your and^their children will have reason to rejoice at the covenant you have now made' which not only saves you from impending ruin, but restores you to peace and security." The three treaties, that had thus been concluded, had made the state the owners of the soil of the Military Tract, or the principal amount of territory now included in the counties of Cayuga, Onon- daga, Seneca, Tompkins, Cortland, and parts of Osw.-o ant? Wayne Other cessions followed until the large reservations were either ceded entirely away, or reduced to their present narrow limits. The deed of cession of the Cayugas stipulated that the state should convey to their " adopte.i child," Peter Rvckman, " whom they desire shall reside near them and assist them," a tract on the iin;iti.r,.,n..M( tl,.. ,v,t,„,f „..,., : i , '..■?", *^"S '.'! *-" "^^''' J?.V wnlc, or some jilier ..wiuTslup, as i, was art.r v ' ■ 4'^vn ,' ,\l "i ' l"'"-^'',"l'f'"" I'ne. but their .^u.UL- promises on tlie nart of Hv,:!.-,..:, '^'^^ ""^ Vr.ArMy had rctcrouoc U< Bumu promises on tlie part <>f iiyckmau. t ¥ 120 PIIELPS AND GORIIAM's PUECIIASE. west side of Seneca Lake, which should contain sixteen thousand acres, the location being designated. Soon after the treaty of Albany, the superintendency of Indian affairs principally devolved upon John Taylor, as the agent of the board of commissioners. Although the treaty had seemed amica- ble and satisfactory, a pretty strong faction of all three of the na- tions treated with, had kept back, and became instruments for the use of designing whites. Although the Lessees had surrendered heir leases they did not cease, tiirough their agents and Indian traders in their interest to make trouble, by creating dissatisfaction among tlie Indians ; probably, with the hopes of coercing the State to grant them remuneration. Neither Brant, Red Jacket, Farmer's Brother, and in fact but fe^y of the influential chiefs had attended the reaties. Hnn-assed for a long period, a bone of contention, first between the French and the English, then between the Enc- ish and colonists of New York during the Revolution, and lastl^, between the State of New York and the Lessees, the Six Nations had become cut up into contending factions, and their old land marks of government and laws, the ancient well defined immuni- ties of then- chiefs, obliterated. Dissatisfaction, following the trea- ties, found ready and willing promoters in the persons of the cov- ment ofhcers of Canada, and the loyalists who had sought reflige there, dunng the border wars of the Revolution. When the first at tempt was made to survey the lands, a message was received by Gov Clinton, from some of the malcontents, threatening resistance but an answer Irom the Governor, stating the consequence of such re- sistance, intimidated them. At an Indian council at Niagara. Col Butler said the Oneidas were "a poor despicable set of Indians, who had sold all their country to the Governor of New York, and had dealt tre'ticherously with their old friends." When the period approached for paying the first annuitv, the Onondagas through an agent, represented to Gov. Clinton; that hey had '• received four strings of wampum from the Senecas, for- biddmg their going to Fort Stanwix to receive the money ; ann(>rns m>ro jicrsuadcd to tnko in promotinrf thrso om- luiTjwsnu.nts wii. o.l,.,nni,'ly inconsiHtciit. 'I'liuy 1,;; I sold a part of thfir lands to Mr J lK'Ii)s tlic lidl bctorc, without oon8idtin;,'otluT nations, to sav nothini,' of their havin-r ronswiti'd to tho "loase" which was afar worso harsrain than thoso niarses paid vn. For ibuted to »ng them e ncccs- of lands [Country. ) protect •ity. Tlie for by tlie iiLabitaiiUs PHELPS AND GORHAm's PUECIIASE. 123 the frontiers of this State from the incursions of the British and their Indian allies, the State of New York, thrown upon its own resour- ces, in 1779 and 'fcO, enlisted two regiments to serve three years, unless sooner discharged. They were to be paid and clothed at the expense of the United States ; but the Statt pledged to them a liberal bounty in land. To redeem this pledge, as soon as Indian titles were extinguished, the surveyor General was instructed to survey these bounty lands and prepare them for the location of warrants. The survey was completed in 1790. It embraced about two million eight hundred thousand acres, in six hundred acre lots. The tract comprised all the territory within the present boundaries of Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca and Cortland, and a part of Oswego, Wayne and Tompkins. A large district of country adjoining on the east, was thus put in the way of being settled, about the same period that sales and settlement commenced west of the pre-emp- tion line, though it did not progress as rapidly. Land titles wore in dispute, and emigrants chose to push on farther, where titles were indisputable. Speculation and fraud commenced as soon as the patents were issued, a majority of those who it was intended the bounty of the State should benefit, sold their right for a trifle,* and some were defrauded out of the whole. By the f.me that settle- ment commenced, there were few lots, the title to which, was not contested. In addition to other questions of title, the officers' and soldiers' wives, held in a large majority of cases, the right of dower. Land titles upon the whole military tract, were not finally settled until about 1800, when a committee appointed by the Legislature, one of whom was the late Gen. Vincent Matthews, accomplished the work. In 1784, Hugh White and his family progressed beyond the set- tlements on the Mohawk, and located at what is now Whitestown. In the same year, James Dean located upon a tract given him by the Indians, in consequence of some services rendered them as an interpreter, near the present village of Pome. In 1787, Joseph NoTE.--TnaIutto-frornMr. Moriss to Mr, Col-iuhoim. dated in Juno 1791, he .avs ^.R 1 n7 '*'"^"'?;l\*'''^f 'i'^'f"''' "'■ "^1^'' J''"J "^ *»"• ""lit'^ry tract ha 1 ri Jn YorS ,f -^- ' n. "'"* " ■''''' "^"^"P"' ^■'"^•'' '"^ »""! '^""S''t of the State of New lork ,n <86 in Otsego county, which by a fortunate use of some public so uritiel cost him but 6d per acre, had rinen U, 10s per acre, New York currency. "''' * "Many patents for GOO ficrcs woresohl it nricda in crvr. ;.>=(„., .» i • i dolIara-L Juude, an English JounS ^ ' ""'^^"''^ "^ *°^ "^ "'^ht JKk, 124 PHELPS AI05 GORIUM's PUECHASE. I . \AV ■s i Blackmer, who was afterwards a pioneer in Wheatland, Monroe count)', advanced and settled a short distance west of Judge Dean. In May, 1788, Asa Danforth, with his family, accompanied by Comfort Tyler, progressed far on beyond the bounds of civilization, locating at Onondaga Hollow. There being then no road, they came by water, landing at the mouth uf Onondaga Creek. The very earliest pioneers of all this region, speak of " Major Dan- forth " and the comforts of his log tavern, as compared with their camps in the wilderness. Another name has been introduced, that should not be passed over by the mere mention of it. Comfort Tyler was conspicuously identified in all early years with the his- tory of the western portion of this State. He was teaching a school upon the Mohawk at the close of the Revolution, and also engaged in the business of a surveyor. He was with Gen. James Clinton, in the establishment of the boundary line between this State and Pennsylvania. He felled the first tree, (with reference to improvement,) assisted in the manufacture of the first salt, * (other than Indian manufacture,) and built the first turnpike in Onondaga county. He also constructed the first " stump mortar," or hand- mill, of which the reader will be told more in the course of our nar- rative. He filled many important offices in Onondaga county, and was one of the original projectors of the Cayuga bridge. He was the friend of the early pioneers ; and many in all this region, will remember his good offices. The Indians, who were his first neigh- bors, respected him, and his memory is now held in reverence by their descendents. His Indian name was •' To-whan-ta-gua " — meaning that he could do two things at once ; or be, at the same time, a gentleman and a laboring man. While a member of the Legislature in 1799, he made the acquaintance of Aaron Burr. A charter having been procured for building the bridge. Col. Rurr and Gen. Swartout subscribed for the whole of the stock ; and at that time. Col. Burr had other business connections in this region. ea for new sot'ilcrs in says, that ".sixtooii rylcv ami Daiifoilli, l,„th eiignj:', i in making a little wilt early vearB. A letter puhlished in a J'hl.-i.lelijhia iianer, in 17[)3, bushels ol salt are in:inufiieture,l .lailv at 'A>1, Dani'erth'.s works." It i.^ n.ention«rin the history ot Onondaga, tliat Col. Daniortli commenced the business of salt boilina by caiTymg a five pail inm kettle IVoni Ononda-a Hollow lo the Salt Sprin-s iipoiihis lieaci J.est this sliould be looked upon as incredible by (he younger class of read- ers, .lie tact inay be mentioned, that it was a very comnuni practice of the pioneers to carry tluur live puil kettles into the wood.s for sugar-mukiug iu thia way. P PIIELrS AND GOr.irAll's PUECnASE. 125 " Thus commenced the intercourse of Aaron Burr with the people of Wes .ern New York, many of whom," with Col. Tyler, "were drawn into the great south-west expedition." Col. Tyler and Israel Smith were commissaries of the expedition ; went upon the Ohio river, purchased provisions, and shipped them to Natches. Coh Tyler was arrested and indicted, but never tried. With fortune impaired by all this, in a few years after, Col. Tyler removed to Montezuma, and became identified in all early enterprises and im- provement at that point. In the war of 1812, he acted as Assistant Commissary General to the northern army. He was an early promoter of the canal policy, and his memory should be closely associated with all that relates to the early history of the Erie Canal. He died at Montezuma, in 1827, There followed Danforth and Tyler, in the progress of settle- ment westward, John L. Hardenburgh, whose location was called, in early years, « Ilardenburgh's Corners," now the city of Auburn! In 1789, James Bennett and John Harris, settled on either side of Cayuga Lake, and established a ferry. This was about the extent of settlement west of the lower valley of the Mohawk, when set- tlements in the Genesee country began to be founded. * The ven- erable Joshua Fairbanks, of Lewiston, who with his then young wife, (who is also living,) came through from Albany to Geneva in the winter of 1789, '90; were sheltered the first night in the "un- finished log house" of Joseph Blackmer, who had become a neighbor of Judge Dean ; and the next night at Col. Danforth's ; Note. --For tlio pnur-piil farts in the above brief notice of one whose history would. iiake a.1 inteivstin- volume, tlie author is indebted to tlie "History of Onon- aagii. 1 le counection, in ail this reirjon, of prominent individuals with Col. Buit m liiYouth-western .sdieme, was tar more extensive than hius ^a'nerallybeeu supposed! It en.braced names here the mention of whieh would -„ far to favor the c<,nclusion W p 1 i'"" '""' ''^^';^ "■'"''V''",^"^"'''" '"'''" Pro'l'^'i'ig, that the scheme, as imparted by Col I.urrtohis followers, had nothinjr in it of domestic treason. There wire no better Inends to their country, or more ardent devotees to its interests, than were many inen ot western ^ cw \ ork, wlu. were enlisted in tliis scheme. In after years, when u. finnhar cnnveivation with an informant of the author, (n resident of western iNew loik,) Ool. ,urr fipoke even with enthusiasm of his associates here — namino- them, and saym- that anionjj; tlicm, were men whom he would choose to lead armies'! o len-a-i. ni any u-h achievement that rcpiired talents and ener-y of cliaracter. At tliciiskot e.Mendni- this note to an unreasonable len-th, the author will add tho ^?r!^ 1 ri!'""V/f""'"-' ''f' *''"^^'"-' "'^'I'«andchart,s, by which the British fleet api..oached^ew Orleans m the war of 181:2, were those jirepared in w.-stern New ioif-. I>y a then resident here, tor the south-western expedition of Col. liurr. The cucumstance was accidental; the facts in uo way implicating the author or maker of the maps. * Other than the settlement of Jerusalem. 12G PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. >h ill' there being no intermediate settler. They camped out the third night ; and the fourth, staid with John Harris on the Cayuga Lake The parents of Gen. Parkhurst Whitney, of Niagara Falls, came through to Seneca Lake, in February, 1790, " camping out '' three nights west of Rome. It is mentioned, in connection with some account of the early advent of Major Danforth, in May, 1788, that his wife saw no white woman in the first eight months! These in- cidents are cited, to remind tne younger class of readers that the pioneers of this region not only came to a wilderness, but had a long and dreary one to pass through before arriving at their desti- nation. I The first name we find for all New York west of Albany was that bestowed by the Dutch in 1638 : — " Terra Incognita," or " un- known land." It was next Albany county ; in 1772 Tryon county (named from the then English Governor,) was set off, embracing all of the territory in this state west of a line drawn north and south that would pass through the centre of Schoharie county. Imme- diately after the Revolution the name was changed to Montgomery. All this region was in Montgomery county when settlement com- menced. In 1788, all the region west of Utica was the town of Whitestown. The first town meeting was held at the "barn of Captain Daniel White, iu said District, in April, 1789 ; Jedediah San- ger, was elected Supervisor. At the third town meeting, in 1791, Trueworthy Cook, of Pompey, and Jeremiah Gould of Salina,' Onondaga county, and James Wadsworth of Geneseo, were chosen path masters. Accordingly, it may be noted that Mr. Wadsworth was the first path master west of Cayuga Lake. It could have been httle more than the supervision of Indian trails ; but the "warning" must have been an onerous task. Mr. Wadsworth had the year previous, done something at road making, which probably suggested the idea Jiat he would make a good path master.* At the first general election for Whitestown, the polls were opened at Cayue \VadHWorth8. from the setthnumt at VVhitestown to Canaidai-la through a country Uien very Uttle explored, and then quite a wiJderness ''-So-v PHELP3 AND GORIIAM S PURCHASE. 127 CHAPTER III THE GKNESEE COUNTRY AT THE PERIOD WHEN SETTLEMENT COM- MENCED ITS POSITION IN REFERENCE TO CONTIGUOUb TE'ttRITORY CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY GENERALLY AFTER THE REVOLUTION. At Geneva, (then called Kanadesaga) there was a cluster of buildings, occupied by Indian traders, and a few settlers who had come in under the auspices of the Lessee Company. Jemima Wilkinson, with her small colony, was upon her first location upon the west bank of Seneca Lake, upon the Indian Trail through the valley of the Susquehannah, and across Western New York to Upper Canada ; the primitive highway of all this region ; one or two white families had settled at Catherine's Town, at the head of Sen- eca Lake, A wide region of wilderness, separated the most north- ern and western settlements of Pennsylvania from all this region. All that portion of Ohio bordering upon the Lake, had, of our race, but the small trading establishment at Sandusky, and the military and trading posts upon the Maumee. Michigan was a wilderness, save the French village and the British garrison at Detroit, and a few French settlers upon the Detroit River and the River Raisin. In fact, all that is now included in the geographical designation — the Great West — was Indian territory, and had but Indian occu- pancy, witii similar exceptions, to those made in reference to Mich- igan. In what is now known as Canada West, there had been the British occupancy, of a post opposite Buffalo, early known as Fort Erie, and a trading station at Niagara, since the expulsion of the French, in 1759. Settlement, in its proper sense, had its commence- ment in Canada West during the Revolution ; was the offspring of one of its emergencies. Those in the then colonies who adhered to tiie King, ffed there for refuge : for the protection oflered bv British dominion and armed occupancy. The termination of the strugglei 128 riIELP3 AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. ;lll i. !», f f V i If'* 5 1' in favor of the colonies, and the encourngoinent afibrdcd by the colonial authorities, gave an impetus to this emigration ; yet at the period of the first commencement of settlement in Western New York, settlement in Canada West was confined to Kingston and its ^neighborhood, Niagara, Queenston, Chippewa, along the"hanks of the Niagara Iliver, with a few small settlements in the immediate inte- nor. Upon Lakes Erie and Ontario, there were a kw British armed vessels, and three or four schooners were emploved in the commerce, which was confined wholly to the fur trade, and the supplyn-,g of British garrisons. Within the Genesee country, other than the small settlement at Geneva, and the Friend's settlement, which has been before men- tioned, there were two or three Indian traders upon the Genesee River, a few white families who were squatters, upon the flats ; one or two white families at Lewiston; one at Schlosser ; ane" growth, and re-production, but there are large groves of secund growth, now consisting of good sized forest trees, that were sixty years ago but small saplings. The aged Senecas point out in many instances, swamps that are now thickly wooded, that they have known as open marshes, with but here and there a copse of under- PIIEirS AND GORHA^^l's PURCHASE. 129 wood. The origin of many marshes, especially upon the small streams, maybe distinctly traced to the beaver; th.^ erection of their dams, and the consequent Hooding of the lands, having des- troyed the timber. As the l)eaver gradually disappeared, the dams wore away, the water flowed oiT, and forest trees began to grow. And here it may not be out of place to remark, that a very com- mon error exists in reference to the adaptodness of certain kinds of forest trees to a wet soil. We find the soft maple, black ash, a species of ehn, the fir, the spruce, the tamarack, the alder, and several other varieties of trees and shrubs ■ "^''"^i"- ^'i"' "*' witchcrai't-of lo ' tjVe ca.,se of the sudden deatl; (d one of their peoph'. He was tried and ac,,uitle.l t Im.u d Cnur* u/*'";^,^-'",*''^''''''*'^^''''^- ^'"^'"' ^-^"•'>' ""'' grandfather of Mrs.' oiSe Wosnu r. Afier this he wiis uninterrupted ;., ].m inis,sionary lal.oiu Mr. KirklancPs * See Appendix, No. 5. rilELPS AND (IORIIAm's PURCHASE. 131 ry.* But e perhaps, the army, a favora- vest shore the towns eld, Ilicli- ts ot' tho inly upon ocky hill t have af- what was ey were, sod them a second riculture, )sides of dark pic- )uldering -descrip. 1 valleys vas a far 3 posse s- jople of I known consum- s Nations, hurc they p intort'st sioiiiiiy of iiovi.sioii.s, k Ijoii^hs, lie iSciiocii tflc trees itsaiid in- cut Hiver. ' suiiiiner, uiiulu k'i'i of which being much depressed, it was selling at a high rate of discount. So much accomplisiied, the share holders held a meeting, appoint- ed Gen. Israel Chapiri to go out and explore the country; Mr. Phelps the general agent, whose first duty was to hold a treaty with the Indians, and purchase the fee or right of soil ; Mr. Gorham as an agent to confer with the authorities of New Yor.k, in reference to running the boundary or pre-emption line ; and Mr. William Walk- er, as the local agent of surveys and sales. The Lessees and their "long lease," was an obstacle duly con- sidered by the purchasers, for they were aware of the exertions I they were making to thwart the commissioners of New York, and had no reason to anticipate any thing less from them, in their own case. Massachusetts had joined New York, in declaring the leases illegal and void, but the association were well advised that they could not succeed in a treaty with the Senecas, against the powerful influences the Lessees could command, through their connection with Butler, Brant, Street, and their associates in Canada, and the Indian traders and interpreters in their interest. A compromise was resolved upon as tlie cheapest and surest means of success. Proceeding to Hudson, Mr. Phelps met some of the principal Les- sees, and compromised with them upon te-ms of which there are no records, but there is evidence which lead;- to the conclusion, that they were to become shareholders with him and his associates. The Lessees on their part, contracted to hold another treaty with the Indians at Kanadesaga, surrender their lease of all the lands west of the Massachusetts pre-emption line, and procure for the same, a deed of cession, Phelps & Gorham, for themselves and associates, to be the grantees. Mr. Phelps returned to New England and made preparations for attending the treaty at Kanadesaga, which was to be convened and carried on under the general supervision of John Livingston, the principal agent of the Lessees. In all confidence that the arrange- ment would be consummated, Mr. Pheli)s started upon his advent to the Genesee country with a retinue of agents, surveyors, and assis- tants, prepared to take possession of the country and commence operations. Arriving at Schenectady on the 8th of May, the party put their baggage on board of batteaux and arranged to go on horse- back to Fort Stanwix, as far as there was any road, and from there 9 uaiUu 138 rnEiPs AND gorham's puechase. embark in their batteaux. Mr. Phelps wrote from Schenectidv hat they were Hkely to be delayed there by the non-arralof M^ Livmgston ; that he had met many unfavorable rumors, the purport of one of whicn was that the Indians had refused to treat wUh Livings on and that they had " taken up and whipped seve al ?nl b H . """'"'l I" ^"'- Wadsworth, of Hartford, that Livings- ton had arrived with his provisions and goods for the treaty, that all W.1S on board of batteaux, and the expedition was about to move on, but he adds that an Oneida Indian had just arrived from the westwith theinformauon that Brant has "got the Indians colLted at iJufialo creek, and is persuading them to take up the hatchet, and if possi le not to treat with us." He expresses his fears that the treaty wi Ifai! , and adds h.s regrets, as he thinks it will " keep back settle- ment a whole year. Mr Phelps dkl not arrive at Kanadesaga. (Geneva,) until the fi..tof June. On the4thhe wrote to one of his associates, Samue Fowler, informing him that the Indians had not collected, that Ent- er and Brant had collected them at Buffalo creek and persuaded hem not to treat with Livingston. But inasmuch as Livings on had sent out runners and interpreters, he is in hopes they wilf ye e collected " I am well pleased," he says, " with what /have seen of the country. This place is situated at the foot of Seneca Lake on a beautiful hill which overlooks the country around it, and .ive^ afine pro^,ectof the whole lake, which is about forty miles in length. Here w^e propose building the city, as there is a water carnage from this to Schenectady; with only two carryin-. places of one mile each. I design to set out to-morrow to view the Genesee After waiting at Kanadesaga until the 17th of June, Mr. Phelns made up his mind that the Lessees would be unable to fulfil their urn IZT- T "'?™';^ ^''" '^''"^' ^^'- Livingston, that he should 1.1 oceed independent of them or their lease, to treat with the Indians. FroMoh Indian trnder at cCl on' X Sc W ^n3n t"' ^""""^'i'"' ^^'-''"'•■^^'^1'. fl>« tJiai, a„v one m.in Im-l since th^.lVvM of , . i' A hmico tlion among tlioSonocas es..c.n,ially aidod the I " cVs ^^^^^^^^ ^"'^T' ""'l ■J""eaire. Ho had alniost bo said, niisslona io. att^lt ncri^?^ . J 'i "T' 7^?':i''*t^^'-H, and it 'may generally payable iu land, in S a bcTobd^ini::"' '"' '^ I-^*^'" -^ it .ni PHELFS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 139 He had by this time discovered that there was a " screw loose" between the" Nevv York Genesee Company" and the "Niagara Genesee Company and that they were pulling in different directions. Infen-mg that the balance of power was in the hands of the Nia<.. ara Company, Mr. Phelps taking the Indian trail, proceeded to Niag- ara, where he met Butler, Brant and Street. He secured their co-operation, and they agreed to procure a gathering of the Indians at Buffalo creek for the purpose of holding a treaty with him. Mr Phelps, rejomed his friends at Kanadesaga where he remained until a deputation of chiefs waited upon hi,n to conduct him to the coun- cil fire they had lighted at Buffalo creek,* where he and his party arrived on the 4th of July. ^ v^nj Negotiations were commenced. The Rev. Mr. Kirkland was present, appointed by a law of Massachusetts to superintend the treaty and see that no injustice was done to the Indians, and his assistant, superintendent, Elisha Lee, Esq. of Boston. The ii tef- preters were James Deane and Joseph Smith. William Johnstone, Mr. Kirkland and several others. Besides these, there were also pi-eseru, John Butler, Joseph Brant, Samuel Street, the officers of Fort Niagara. Ihe Lessees, following up Mr. Phelps, were repre- sented by John Livingston, Caleb Benton and Ezekiel Gilbert. Chiefs of the Onondagas, Cayugas, and the Mohawks were also On the opening of the council, Mr. Phelps produced the commis sion given him by the Governor of Massachusetts : f had h TnTer.' preted; and made a speech, explaining the object of the treaty the right he had purchased of Massachusetts, &c. Most of the' weie fcrr selling a portion of their lands. They, however stood upon mdung the Genesee river the eastern boundary of their ces- s,oi> and they stoutly resisted innovation west of it for seve II days : but finally yielded, and fixed the western boundary as t w" treaty, he said : - ■'• TIkmi 1, IJi h- a ul T]^ "f «''"KMvmn,irm rdor.nc." to Mr. Phelp's took M. Phelps by the HaHa,Kff:^u;\jt?::;u!i;f^j^?\3^ baud. Wlieu he opened hisniiud p a pai'vi, \vitha seal to it, an biy tu us, we took it hard." my 140 PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCnASE. afterwards cstubhshed. Mr. Phelps, in a statement he made of the transacuons, says "the council was conducted in a friendK and amica le manner.'' The negotiation then turned upon the pr ce to he paid ; and Mr. Phelps and the Indians failing to i.,ee ley mu tually appo nted John Butler, Joseph Brant, Elilha L^ee as eferees' thous u)d dollars and an annuity of five hundred dollars for ;ver. Ihe Indians had consented to take for the quantity of land they o what the Lessees had agreed to pay for their whole country, and tins was the basis upon which the price was fixed The lands thus ceded, constituted what is now known as Phelp's P em:t"h.f:"'^"; '^ ''''''•'' ^-"d-y- the Massachusetts' pre-emption hne ; and its western boundary, a line " becrinnin.^ in the northern line of Pennsylvania, due south of the corned- o noi asciaga Cieek; thence north on said meridian line to the corner or point, at the confluence aforesaid ; thence northwardly alon'the waters o the Genesee river, to a point two miles north of Can^ wagus VI age ; thence running due west twelve miles ; thence run- mng northwardly, so as to be twelve miles distant from the w s te n ounds of said river to the shores of Lake Ontario." With these boundaries, were contained, by estimation, 2,G00,000 acres Soon after arriving at Buffalo Creek, Mr. Phelps saw that tiie delir \':dlT-';"'^^''T^ ''- n.^^^o.sL.t ,east, cal delay-and he, therefore, made a compromise, stipulatincr the con eyance to them of the four townships named in another onne agents well for a forbearance in the work of mischief, in n-liich ey were so persevering. Their release of so much as wa b eluded in his purchase, was interpreted to the Indians The Niagara Genesee Company, Butler and his associates, in ad- dition to heu- interests in common with all the Lessees, had an n- dependent claim for convening the Indians ; and by their influ nc tliucxtonBion of Lis T)uiA.u"'b"vo ml tl r P'-««""^«l. that Mr. PJiolps, i„ ,„41 the Falls ; and i„ all Jrr.l a ] ty^, "iS ^^T'f 'ri\ '^'''^' "^' l'""*'''"^ '^ "^ ^t diansand the white Kt^tlers ■ilri.m.iw f J"' ^'^'^ "'"'""^ benefit of the In- Ebeucer Allan, „pou cond!ticS\K^S ^'Z. ^H!!^,. '!^ ?-- "- ^f}^ -re .{I I fci't'Ct a saw-mill iuid giist-mili. lade of the iendly and lie price to , they mu- is referees, hased, five s for ever, 'land they proportion untry, and as Phelp's sachusetts' ginning in ?r or point I tlie Can- he corner, along the of Cana- ence run- e western Within ) acres. that the 1st, cause J the con- • connec- iimediate in ^vhich i was in- es, in ad- ad an in- nfluence, • . TLo au- I, in 'irgiiijr ? a niiH nt of t}io In- UO acres to I niELrs AND goeuam's purchase. 141 in fact, enablinp Mr. Phelps to accomplish his purpose. This was, probably, arranged by a promise on the part of Mr. Phelps, to give them an interest in common with himself and associates. * Mr. Phelps, before leaving the country, set surveyors to work, under the direction of Col. Hugh Maxwell, to divide the newly ac- quired country into townships ; and, having fixed upon Canandai- gua as the primitive locality, the focus of intended enterprise, re- turned to Suffield. All retired as winter approached, and left 'the whole region in possession of its ancient owners.f Arrived at home, Mr. Phelps reported, by letter to his principal associates, the result of his embassy. " You may rely upon it," says he " that it is a good country ; I have purchased all that the Indians will sell at pre- sent ; and, perhaps, as much as it would be profitable for us to buy at this time." Mr. Walker, after having remained in the country until nearly the setting in of winter, returned and was present at a meeting of the associates in January. He reported that he had sold and contracted about thirty townships. At this meetincr, a division of the land took place ; a large proportion of the shares werebut small ones, the largest portion of the lands fallincr into the .iiHl othom," (the Niagara Lessee Commnl^ fiV I I'n"'* *?°''"'' ^"^"""^l ^^'"^''^ Lis purchase. Canaudmirwas his^afxt c^^^^^^^^^ ""'''' '^^ '''""''^ ^^ «^ ''^'^ «ist tliat if w-i'j 'It P.,.,n,„i„; "^^'. pi^ooaoiy, tail mto tlio liaiids of tlioae who w 11 in- crv, the tomahawk ami so 5„f Ci' "^ "ii^!^ eloquently invoking the war whole storv is «|)(.ilo,l hv ulTlth tl' ^-'i^' "' « '''•"tlior opposing? him. The Hoanof Do.r^ ' ' ,i M, ■pi, , ..'""^'l,^ °*" assertion, that lie and "Billy, and the wai^no i Ition tT hrSVnrt,i-;'v'r^^^ 'T^ ''' Buffalo Cr/e'k. There The idea ,/ a land tre'i v of m7 PI '^ •'?,* A'''' l"']'- ' ''^* °"° afterwards appeared. came due. '-- ^'^ ■"•■; ^^'"f ^ir. liidpa' payments be- f 142 PHELPS AND GORDAm's PtJEOHASE. hands of Phelps and Gorham and a few associates. The most of the early sales of townships, was to those who held shares * Early m the spring of 1789. under the general auspicies of Mr siariea out to the new Genospp rnnt^t^'1r t^ „ . ., , , vjLULsce countiy to commence a sett ement .hegenorn ,le.a,l.of which will he found in another c„„„e" on LnC? air '"=,*?' T'""''"""^ y^^'^' »"e™a.ingbe: close of 178!., he had joinlly, wid, John Taylor, ,an agent of the State contraeted with Ephraim Blackmer. who has before been named, for the eut.ing out of a road, two rods wide from Fort Stln" w,x to Seneca La „. While in the Genesee eountry this jw in he absence o, any ocal laws, he entered into a written compact with Zlr7 "' of ^«->'"=»' character, each parly promising to punish olfences committed by their own people legislature n, 780, Messrs. Phelps and Gorham, and their associates found themselves unable to fulfil the eng.agements they had m de for the payment of the purchase money. They had predicated pa"r: "m " "^ ™"''"""'"- "■"' '"^y ^-^ P-hase' e pub le paper of Massachusetts, at its then market value, which was bm about fifty cents on the dollar. I„ ,he interval, before p y da^ ar r,ved, the prospect of success in the formation of a Federal 'overn ment, and a consequent funding „f ,he debts of the S tires [h; paper they had stipulated to make payment in, had nearly a pa va !e in market. Thus situated, and having failed to exLJuish h! nattve right to the whole, they memorfalized the legiZ e 1 P tint ont r b'f ' °"'=""""" ™ ■■^'■^■■™- '" -h' ' ^-ined payu g onlj for what was mcluded in their Indian treaty. The legislature the more readily perhaps, acceded to their request inas much as they were pretty sure of finding a purchaser foi wto re." mained, m the person of Robert Morris New difficulties however, soon presented themselves. The Indi. M Phelos tr^l-^'Ti' ""'™'-^-"'^ -.isfied with the Let Mr. Phelps, became divided upon the subject; the mischievous .'» ,.™. they p.i,, for ji»d„.;rri?/;pL:Esi'''""''"'''''"' »"'' PHELl'S AM) GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 148 traders and some interpreters among them, promoted the trouble, and in that then retreat of disturbed spirits, and liaters of every thing that was American — the refugees of the Revolution, and British officers and agents — Fort Niagara and its precincts — there were disturbers other than those that had been compromised with. The Indian chief Cornplanter, was the principal representative of the malcontents. In August, 1790, JMr. Phelps being in the Genesee country, wrote to the elder Mr. Gorham in Boston, and after giving a somewhat dis- couraging account of the almoft universal prevalence of disease among tlie new settlers,* informs him that the Indians had been at Canandaigua, and refused to receive any farther payments, alledg- ing that the amount of purchase money, aside from the annuity, was to have been ten, instead of five thousand dollars. He adds, that some recent murders of Indians committed at Tioga, by whites, had helped to exasperate them ; that he was about to set out to -'isit their principal villages to appeasa them ; and that if he did not suc- ceed, he feared they would retaliate by a general attack upon the whites. At an Indian council by Mr. Pickering at Tioga, in November, Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother made speeches, in which they both claimed that the sum to be paid by Mr. Phelps, was ten instead of five thousand dollars ; alledged that they had been cheated ; that their " heads had been confused " by treaties with the "thirteen Fires," with " Fires kindled by the Governor of New York," and by " Livingston." Speaking of the payment from Mr. Phelps, Red Jacket said : — " When we went to Canandaigua to meet Mr. Phelps, expecting to receive ten thousand dollars, we were to have but five thousand. When we discovered the fraud, we had a mind to apply to Congress, to see if the matter could not be rectified. For when we took the money and shared it, every one here knows, that we had but about one dollar a piece. All our lands came to, was but the worth of a few hogsheads of tobacco. Gentlemen who stand by, do not think hard of us for what has been said. At the time of the treaty, twenty broaches would not buy half a loaf of bread ; * He says: — " Wo have suft'erod mucli for tlio want of a physician ; Atwater has not yet arrived ; wc liave Udw a sditlenian frotii I'ciiiisylvaniii .attending; on tlic sick, who seems to undei-staiid liis business. Tlie t\vo Wad'swortlis, wlio came from Dur- ham, liave lieeii very sieli, are now recovering,', but are low spirited ; they like the country but tlieir sicKuesshas discourawd tliem." 144 PHELPS AND GOBUyvM'a PURCHASE. 80 that when we returned home, there was not a bridit spot of silver about us." In December, Cornplanter, attended by other Seneca chiefs, met 1 resident Washington at Philadelphia, and delivered to him a speech, m which he represented that the treaty at Bulllilo creek, had been Iraudulently conducted; that Mr. Phelps represented himself as the agent of the " thirteen Fires," that he told them that the coun- try had been ceded to the thirteen Fires by the British King; that It he could not make a bargain with the Indians, he could take their lands by force; and that generallv, it was by threats and de- ceptions he had obtained the Indian lands. He added that Mr Street, whom they supposed their friend, "until they saw him whispering with Phelps." had been bribed by the promise of a large tract of land. The President heard the complaints, promised an investigation of the matter, and to see the Indians redressed if they had suffered wrong. Soon after all this, Mr. Phelps addre-ed the President, giving a detailed history of the treaty, denying the allegations of Cornplan- ter, and asserting that he caused the Indians at the treaty to be well informed of his errand, their rights to their lands ; that he used no threats, or coercion to accomplish his object, and that the sum he was to advance to the Indians, was but five thousand dollars. He accompanied his statement, by dejiositions from the Rev Mr Kirkland, James Dean, Judge Hollenbeck, and others, ^\•ho were present at the treaty, in substance, to the effect that the treaty was conducted honorably, and fairly, and that Cornplanter was mista- ken as to the amount of the purchase money. In February, '01, Joseph Brant addressed a long letter to the su- perintendent of Indian affairs for the northern district of the United Jjn^^^H !'t^"f^ "•' ''r' ^if ^""''^',"''^' •>•"" '<'I™^' '"•" ""t of pain. A ot u.\]K que eat ol t]it. fatal root, and hI« -, with his fathers in i)oacc> " Tliis w.« m . iienn'o'^noTe. ■'"'"''"'■' ' "' ''" ^'''' '' -^^ <'-th,- .here one diHappearsild i rilELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 145 States, in which he attacks Cornplantor with severity ; alleging that " influenced by bribes and other selfish views, he prevailed on the chiefs who were sent to cover up the council fire at Kanadesaga, kindled by John Livingston, to lease the whole of the Five Nation's country, for a consideration of twenty thousand dollars, and an an- nual rent of two thousand ; and it was wiili the utmost difiiculty, that the Five Nations were able to move that lease, from off a por- tion of the country." He recapitulates the bargain made by Mr. Phelps, agreeing with other witnesses. He says that the Lessees wore only released from the payment of five thousand of the twenty thousand they had agreed to pay for the whole country, and a pro rata amount of their stipulated annual rent.* Thi^ was to show, that the bargain with Mr. Phelps, was abetter one even than Cor'.- planter had jn-omoted with the Lessees. When Mr. Pickering held his council at Newtown, in July, '91, he examined several Cayuga and Onondaga chiefs, who stated that Cornplanter's allegations were untrue ; and some of the principal Seneca chiefs, stated to him that all was fair on Mr. Phelps' part, in reference to the treat v. But all this did not entirely quell the dissatisfaction, and the al- ledged wrong was mixed up with other elements, to render the earliest relations of Pioneers of the Genesee country and the Indi- ans, equivocal ; in a condition to keep up alarm and apprehensions of evil. If the Senecas themselves were mainly disposed to be friendly, their jealousies and' resentments were kept alive, by the western Indians, and their British prompters, and British agents at Niagara. DCP See Mr. Phelps' speech to the Indians. Appendix, No. 6. tt ■> The whole history of the early Indian treaties in this State, is a complex one; there was a disjointed state of things existing among our own people ; the treaties began without any clear and definite understanding, of what were the respective rights of the State and the general government. The Indians, after they had heard of "one big fire being lighted for all the thirteen States," could not un- derstand why they should be invited to attend " so many little fires," i,roJil'orrhvn.?T'^ ''•'"■'^^•^ ^°. *•"'''; ^'>=^* ^''° poor Indians never realized the sura fl r^?vn. Z \ If'' ""^'"V^"'. t^*^ *«'•'» "f l^'il-es to some of their chiefs ; and iu tii.it torm hut a small portioti nf [t A,,,! -,.,,f fi,,. r^i-.-u- ir, -r,-, f „,.> . i X. realized a large amount for their meg/'aong klle."" ' ^"''" ""^ """'^''■' HI hi ■■i hi m Hi 146 PHELPS AND GOBIIAm's PUECIIASE. or councils. The almost interminable mischief, the Lessee move- ment, was thrust in to add to embarrassment. The close of the Revolution had left them with distracted councils, cut up into fac- tions themselves. No wonder that when they were pulled and hauled about from one treaty to another, beset by State commis- sioners. Lessee companies, speculators and " their old friends at Niagara," they should on several occasions have complained that their " heads were confused." But the crowning curse, the source of nearly all other evils that beset them, and nearly all that embarrassed our early relations and intercourse with their race, was the use of spirituous liquors. In the absence of them, the advent of our race to this continent, would have been a blessing to theirs, instead of what it has proved to be, the cause of their ruin, and gradual extermination. No where in a long career of discover}-, of enterprize and extension of empire, have Europeans found natives of the soil, with as many of the noblest attributes of humanity ; moral and ph}'sical elements, which, if they could not have been blended with ours, could have main- tained a separate existence, and been fostered by the proximity of civilization and the arts. Every where, when first approached by our race, they welcomed it, and made demonstrations of friendship and peace. Savage, as they were called, savage as ihf may have been in their assaults and wars upon each other, then • no act of theirs recorded in our histories, of early colonization, of wrong or outrage, that was not provoked by assaults, treachery or deception — breaches of the hospitalities they had extended to the strangers. Whatever of savage character they may have possessed, so far as our race was concerned, it was dormant until aroused to action by assaults or treachery of intruders upon their soil, whom they had met and treated as friends. This was the beginning of trouble ; the cupidity of our race perpetuated it by the introduction of "fire water," which, vitiating their appetites, cost them their native independence of character, made them dependents upon the trader and the agents of rival governments ; mixed them up with factious and contending aspir- ants to dominion ; and from time to time, impelled them to the fields of blood and slaughter, or to the stealthy assault with the tom- ahawk and scalping knife. For the ruin of his race, the red man has a fearful account against us, bince we assumed tlie responsibiiit litv PiiELPs Amy gorham's purchase. 147 s i of intercourse with it, as a separate and independent people • but as ni another instance, where another race is concerned, we may plead with truth and justice, that we were inheritors of the curse and that our predecessors are chargeable with having fixed the plague spot and stain up6n us, indelibly, long before the responsibility de- volved upon us. From the hour that Henry Hudson toled the Indians on board of his vessel, on the river that bears his name, and gave them the first taste of spirituous liquors, the whole history of British intercourse with them IS marked by the use of this accursed agent as a princi- pal means of success. The example of Hudson was followed up by al the Dutch and English traders upon the Mohawk, and when bir Wilham Johnson had settled as a British agent in the Mohawk valley, he had unfortunately learned the potent influence of spirit- uous liquors in Indian traffic and negotiation. He is probably the first that made use of them at Indian councils ; thus settincr a vicious example that has been perpetuated. The earl French traders upon the St Lawrence, and in all this region, commenced the traffic not until after they had ascertained that they could in no way compete with the English traders than by using the same means. The early Jesuit Missionaries checked them in their work of evil, but 'he English trader was left unrestrained, even encouraged by English colonial authority. The Senecas, especially, naturally inclined to the French. There was something in the French character that was congenial to (heir natural preferences ; the two races met and flowed into each other, (if the expression is admissable,) like kindred or easily assimilating elements ; with the English it was difTerent ' there was a natural repugnance, it may almost be said ; the blowze' turgid Englishman, and the Seneca who possessed generous and even romantic and poetic elements, were in caste and inclination anti- podes. It was with his keg of rum, that the Englishman could alone succeed ; and with a morbid, sordid perseverance, he plied it in trade as well as diplomacy. It was rum that first enabled the Englishman tl,S'n"-'':^;::i*'i^^!!:^T!*.°^th«, f-nch Fmnciscan and Jesuit Mi^ionaries ia li( OWl casks. Thoy l)c.('anic, in somo instances,* mail vi'H'in'('M(I.-nv..iM.r f. «un.>.-e-""tK> tr.'ffir' liu nist tciiiiKTuiu'c essay tluMvmi.i eversaw other than ilie ra'ecei)tq of tl,.. lii In >vaswnttunm this region by a Jesuit Missionary, andpubliiei iii K ^"^'^^'' r.oTL.-i- "'a. she iri e^ from The Fnend. The peculiar sect may be said to be eMincT .0. more than tln-ee or four are living who even hold ligbti; o t, ' ongmal a,.h Even the immediate .successors of Jan ma ad Itaehel, he mhentors of the property, and those who ^^1 be conservators ol tlieir memories, if not of their faith ar„ ,r, their teaching. The old homestead, th v rv ' ncttnrvT Universal Friend once with all things appertah n^ to ' -e L " ened by her ngid discipline ; is even desecrated Durin. ,|.° winter the sounds of music .and dancing have c^^^':^^:: once consecrated and venerated walls. nn=For „, ■ ! • sketch of Jemima Wilkinson and Iter follitir, 1,' luf ^''ir manuserii.ts of Thomas Morris, see Appendix No 7 ' 'Revs. James Smiilt :ni.lJolm Eruadhcad. Tliey had The tide of 'under way, faith in The ns of neigh- i came, and i and their v.'itii indie i- ! could kecj) nes remind- : their privi- themselves ; !t Robinson. ,* that were his western efore them, 3hool house, igs. Many iiith. way, as the it. Rachel ifl'iirs, died wtil a few Clark, who 3 inherited 36 extinct ; htly to the mima and should be ' forgetful ary of the so chast- ^is present within its Interesting from the PART THIRD. CHAPTER I, COMMENCEMENT OP SURVEYS, AND SETTLEMENT OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY. [Pioneer settlcmoiits will be taken up in tliis connection, by counties, as they now exist. The arrangement will not allow of strict reference to tlie order of time iu which events occuiTed ; but it will be found more convenient for the reader than any other that could be adopted. After Mr. Phelps had concluded the treaty,— before leaving the country he made arrangements for its survey into Ranges and Town- ships. This was done under contract, by Col. -Hugh Maxwell, who completed most of the northern portion of it previous to the close of the year 1788 ; and in the year 1789, with the assistance of Judge Porter, he completed the whole. The survey of townships into farm lots, in cases where whole townships were sold, was done at the expense of the purchasers. Judge Porter, Frederick Saxton, Jenkins, were among the earliest surveyors of the subdivis- ions. Mr. Phelps having selected the foot of Canandaigua Lake, as a central locality in the purchase, and as combining all the advanta- ges which has since made it pre-eminent, even among the beautiful villages of western New York, erected a building for a store house on the bank of the Lake. The next movement was to make some primitive roads, to get to and from the site that had been selected. Men were employed at Geneva, who underbrushed and continued a sleigh ruad, from where it had been previously made on Flint creek, to the foot of Canandaigua Lake, following pretty much the old 1. ■» ,j ! 164 PHEIPS AND aOEIrA,Vs PPECHASE. whtrMt'ohJ'"*''"?''™^' ""•"="" ""'■ "--•■"'» near gua outle . No one wintered at Canandaigua in 1788 '9 Earlv m the spnng of nso, before .he snow was ofl' JZund Wh Sm„h moved his family n-on, Geneva, and oecupi-d the „' store house thus making hin.self "he first settler wes of Sene a L ke Soon after h,s arrival he huilt a block hottse upon Main s re" up n fl s tstoek o hquors was obtained from Niagara, U. C. He wen re „ 1™/"|" "^r """"^ °' ""'"'^'^ "-"• i" •■' canoe ■ S Sr I ' ;f' --/™"d«cd in a gale, a. ,he mou.i, of the Uak Orcha d creek; but he saved n.ost of his stock, and carried it to Cananda,gua on pack horses. This primitive tavern a, dihe ude store house on the Lake, furnished a temporary JtSpl" place for those who arrived in the spring and st,mn,er of 1780 ° ^ Early in May 17811, Gen. Israel Chanin arrived at rni,n„ l • and selected it as his residence, erecting'a 1^ Lt^e La iT X ! -connected with him, and with surveys and land sales la, ,«; contemplated. v.»re some eight or ten others, who can . ^ ^ ho ,.1, ^i'™"''^' "■"'''■■ ''™" '■"°'h<' '"l^. '^ '" 'i''i ■•"ul Horatio .J,„u,ssix ^^ ,"': Leirc.stcT. A .la,,,-?! t",^;,,' ','^..''"'*\'^'''^ <..'.'asio,H..l hy an acci.l...t at a l)all ,,], .' D)Mix.BelJ, late CmialCuma^i;;;:^? """"' ''''^'"' "^ ^"^" ^^"'^ ^'^^ ^oJii.law, PIIELP3 AND GOEHAM's PUECnASE. 1G5 > made near e Canandai- , '9. Early und, Joseph "le log store 3neca Lake, street, upon ivern. His He went loe ; on his outh of the d carried it ni, and the pping place nandaigua, the outlet ; ! that were it the same 1 this was the out-let !rs, besides Benjamin agent of 3ned a log 2d for his named in -re was a H. Jones, emember diiniii-- tJio flis Slay at iiiU-rpietiT. ivcr I'liclps ''• Hi' wiia ni(if8('(l t'ur ( tin. Jiidi- ■vUh uwnt. I' J'l'tv. ill on-iii^l;iw, with great distinctness, early events, was one of the party who opened the road from Geneva to Canandaigua, and from Canandai- gua to the landing place on the outlet, in 1788, revisited the locality again in August, in 1709. He says : -- " There was a great change. When we left in the fall of '88 there was not a solitary person there ; when I returned fourteen months afterwards the place was lull of people ;— residents, surveyors, explorers, adventurers ; houses were going up ; it was a busy, thriving place." Mrs. Hannah Sanborn, is now the oldest surviving resident of the village ; and with few exceptions, the oldest upon Phelps and Gorham's purchase. She is now in her 88th year, exhibiting but little of the usual infirmities of that advanced age, with faculties, especially that of memory of early events, but slightly impaired, The author found her in high spirits, even gay and humorous, en- joying the hearty laugh of middle age, when her memory called up some mirthful reminiscence. Upon her table were some of the latest publications, and she alluded in conversation to Headly's fine descriptions in his " Sacred Mountains," as if she had enjoyed them with all the zest of her younger days. She had just finished a letter in a foir hand, shewing but little of the tremor of age, which was to be addressed to a great grand daughter. To her, is the author largely indebted for reminiscences of early Tioneer events at Can- andaigua. Early in the spring of 1790, Mr. Sanborn came with his wife and two young children to Schenectady, where he joined Judah Colt, and the two chartered a boat, with which they came to the head of navigation on the Canandaigua outlet.* Mr. Sanborn moved IsoTH.— >,atlianu-l Saiiboni, llio luisbnml of Mre. Sajiboni, died in 1814. There i- wareoly a pioneer .scM lev m tlio Ciunesee counli'v, tliat did not know tlie earh' landlord and landlady. -Ir* S. was Ihe da.i-hler of Jann-, Gonld, of Lvni.. Conn., 'i- ihc aunt ol Ji'.nies Gould ol Albany. Her son John and William ro.side in lliiiiois. Her el.lest .lautriiter — tlic lirst born m Canandaijrua.— now over (iO years of a;,'e, is tlie wife of )r. Jacol)sol Canandai,i.-ua; another (laui;hter is the wife of Henrv Fellow.s Ivsq. of lenlield; another, is Jlrs. Jh'astus Granger of Hulfalo ; and a foiirth i.s a maiden daughter, residing willi her iiKitlier. * Mrs. S.srivcR a c;raphic account of this journev. The last hou.so the j larty slept lu atti.'r leaving .^eheneetady unlil tliey arrived at the cubhi on llie Canaiu.aiguu out- let, was the then one lo^; house in Utioa. It was crowch'd with boatmen from Nia^'- ara. Mrs. S. spread lier bed ujion the iloor for herself, lui.sbaiul and ehihhvn, and the weaned boatmen liegged tlie inlvilege of hiving their heads up,)n its Imrders. The Iloor was covered. Alter tliat they camped wlierever iiii,dit overtook them. On tlie 0.swego lliver they took po,s.se.ssieii of a deserteil camj., antl just as they had got their Hupper jirepiired two sfotit IiuUans came who claimetl the camp aud threatened a sum- 166 PHELPS AND GOPJIAm's PURCHASE. I*" H 'i intchB loghut ,ha, ho hnd built in the R„bi„.on „e!ghborl,oo,l, where some Mrs S chose to go u-here she could have more than one mtt' s::^Z/f' ,™'-- . Tl.ey removed to Canan. „„ on h-nl; r\ *"= '°"."'' 'here .n May, 1790, Joseph Smith, hvtv- on ba„K of Lake, Darnel Brainard in a hltle log hou e near the pre 3 en, oen,e.ry. Cap, Martin Dndley, in ,(,e hons^ built b^M VV t- er James D. F.sh.n a log house down near the Lake; Gen. Cha, in wo had been on the fall before had built a small framed house'f" h.s famdy, a few rods below Bemis' Bookstore. Mr. Sanborn moved ,n o „ untd a small framed house was erected on the Atwa r ^ZL f ^^'^7'"= the occupant, opening a tavern, which ^v.lh ho excep,ionof wha, Joseph Smith has ana transferred even their old men, women, a? 1 children, to the feast, the carousal, and the place of gifts. The night scenes were wild and picturesque ; their camp fires lighting up the forest, and their whoops and yells creating a sensation of novelty, not unmingled with fear, with the far inferior in numbers who composed the citizens of the pioneer village, and the sojourners of their own race. At first, all was peace and quiet, and the treaty was in progress, beeves had been slaughter- ed sufficient to supply them all with meat, and liquor had been care- fully excluded ; but an avaricious liquor dealer, secretly dealt out to them the means of intoxication, and the council was interrupted, and many of the Indians became troublesome and riotous. Gen. Chapin however suppressed the liquor shop, harmony was restored, and the treaty concluded and the gifts dispensed. A general ca- rousal followed, but no outrages were committed. They lingered for weeks after the council, dis[)laying their new broadcloths and blankets, silver bands and broaches.* Samuel Gardner was the first merchant in Canandaigua ; he married a sister of \Ym Aiitis ; hi^i store was in a log building. Thaddeus Chapin was the next. * Jutlgt! Porter was then in C;uii:i>(li»ic!iia iutiiii; as the a!,'oiit ol' riiclps ami GurliMin, ij-.Uie iiainu of liis j)rin('i|)als, lie Juul lo niakiMlu'ni ])r("'er.isol' provisions and wliiskcy wiicn they came to Canamhiiii-iia, and tliat was pretty often. Uiithe oeoasion alhide'd to \\v denied an Indian wliiskey, tt'llinfj,' liini it was all ''one. "No, no," replied tlio Indian, " Genesee FulLs never dry." 'this was a shrewd allnsion to the j^nft to rhol]i8 and Gorbam of the enormous " Mill Lot," -s^hieli embraced the Ueuoriee FuHs. 'Mi;i m 168 i: During the rmiPS AND GOUII,Ul's PDECIIASE. age,,,, who h JZll'!!?' ""T r"":- '"^ '"""" °^ "- I'liys ciaii was T Dr A.u ^' '" '^anandaigiu. Ihe nearest been left hy a travel e. A, w ? , " "'"=" " '''"^'' "'»' '''"I Se, ;:!,tr^^el.r"'se''"=""'"°'■«""'^^'■""'■"«^"^--■ M,■. Sanborn Ie,l the ZT^ ^""'°"' ''"" '«'"' l"-^ •'«'>" Call ; .»one.o,„,e.hel";"S;^s:::r;L""t;V,:;:^.^::^^ "'."•ertoirx!;^^^^^ f.-o.n eight, to „„ hnn,,red taa /e S and tl Wh™ r"", h'"' ormeart. » 'M fru,ts — whortleberries, blackbrnle^ v:;i,i „l crab.ap,,,e.,, cranberric-.,, .,„-awberries, ,-a pber e I we^ S "^ ■'' .e,,. sea™, and furnished a prett/g J;;b:?i;,,eX\ ,U ^.^t^" "near ct" , T '""" ™ C-anda.gua Lake, a, the Old Gas- ' 4,-od,,e'eff:;o„,1i;f™:-ti;;-';„3'-'^^ saucei, Dy Ails, feanborn, m 1794 •it n tpi nnvt,- i , ■nuel, talked of; i, ,„arked an e,-a ' ' ^' '■""'' "'"' " """S Ebenczer Allan is well ,.e,„e,nbered a. Cananrtaigna, as he is in all tile I'joneer sett emonf? l\r,.o c i , " ...est on his way ^Z^J'^T - " "' ''' ''°"'= ""' I- two half-blood daaghte s ehoo ' i! .r,'" ''''''' '" f'"- -Iwas^t that period what .be'tene": ':tJr^T:£^^ iier of the nton, died, le nearest ■s destitute it that ha(! heiiig an first rch\i^- ssee Coun- ling Judge ohn CalJ ; ere being lith,* wlio next was plentj^ of sh. The ■ere easi- ■ould kill lien they for Hour i plums, lenty in iltivated 31d Cas- " J supply 'egan to irst dish ;i a tea- a thing e is in ing her ) plact.! along, lied a riEELPS AND GOIUIAm's PURCIIASE. 109 " Shin-ne-wa-na," ( a gentleman ; ) but stories of his barbarity in the Border Wars, were then so rife, that he was treated with but httle respect. Sally,* the Senecu mother, with all a mother's fondness, came as far as Canandaigua to bid her daugiiters good bye. In July, 1790, the heads of families in T. 10, R. 3, (Canandai- gua) were as follows : — Nathaniel Gorham, jr., Nathaniel Sanborn; John Fellows, James D. Fish, Joseph Smith, Israel Chapin, John Clark, Martin Dudley, Thineas Bates, Caleb Walker, Judah Colt, Abner Barlow, Daniel Brainard, Seth Ilolcomb, James Brockle- bank, Lemuel Castle, Benjamin Wells, John Freeman. Before the close of 1790, there was a considerable accession to the popula- tion. The first town meeting of the town of Canandaigua, was held in April, 1791. It was "opened and superintended by Israel Chapin," who was chosen Supervisor; and James D. Fish was chosen Town Clerk. The other town officers were as follows : — John Call, Enos Boughton, Seth Reed, Nathan Comstock, James Austin, Arnold Pot- ter, Nathaniel Potter, Israel Chapin, John Codding, James Latta, Joshua Whitney, John Swift, Daniel Gates, Gamaliel Wilder, Isaac Hathaway, Phineas Bates, John Codding, Nathaniel Sanborn, Jared Boughton, Phineas Bates, Othniel Taylor, Joseph Smith, Benjamin Wells, Hezekiah Boughton, Eber Norton, William Gooding, John D. Robinson, Jabez French, Abner Barlow. "Voted. That swine, two months old and upwards, going at large, shall have good and sufficient yokes." " Voted, That for every full-grown wolf killed in the town, a bounty of thirty shillings shall be paid." The reader, with names and locations that have occurred and will occur, will observe that these primitive town officers were spread over most of all the eastern portion of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase. It was the first occasion to bring the Pioneers together. Mutual acquaintances were made ; friendship, good feeling, tiiliari- ty, athletic games, (says Mrs. Sanborn,) were the order of^he day. ii'liiiin- 1 of the vc'i', not Note. -When the Scneca.s ut tlie Morris treaty, deeded four square miles at Mount Moms, to Allan, m trust for C hloe and Sally Allan, one conditio,, if the trust wa^ t^a he slH.M a have them tau-:ht "rendrng and siting, sewing, and other useful art.; ac- cordui!,' to the custom of while people." ^a^^-^.^i. u PIIELI'S AND GOEIIAM's PURCHASE. In April, 1792, the town meeting was "opened and inspected by Israel Chapin and Moses Atwater, Esqs." Most of the officers were re-elected. Eighty pounds were raised to defray the expen- ses of the town. In this year i!:r, record of a road' was made, which ran Irom " Joseph Kilbourn's house to the shore of the Lake •" and another, from "Sw.;fs ashory to west line of No. 13, R. 2 near Webb Harwood's ;" another, •' from Swift's to Canandaigua ;" and others, leading "from the square in Canandaigua," in different directions. Town meeting, 1793, it was voted that fence viewers "examine the size and dimensions of hog yokes ;" tiie wolf bounty was raised to %5. In this year, twelve scalps were produced; among the narnea of those who claimed bounty, were : - Thaddeus Chapin, William Markham, Benjamin Keys, Gamaliel Wilder, Daniel Cha- pin, Israel Reed. Roads from "Canandaigua to John Coddings •" "from Nathan Comstock's to Webb Harwood's;" "from old pre- emption line to Canandaigua Mills;" "from Mud Creek Hollow to Capt. Peter Pitts' ;" and many others, were surveyed this year. The early road surveyors were: — Gideon Pitts, Jairus Rose, Jonathan Edwards, Jabez French. By the tovva records of 1791, it would seem that Annanias M Miller had a mill in operation on Mud Creek. Roads were recorded tins year, "from Canandaigua to Jerusalem;" "from Jerusalem to Gerundegut." This year, Othniel Taylor presented six wolf scalps. Gen. Israel Chapin was Supervisor till 1795, when he was suc- ceeded by Abner Barlow. There is recorded this year, the sale of several slaves, the property of the citizens of Canandaigua. Although the county of Ontario, embracing all of the Genesee country, was set off from Montgomery, during the session of the legislature in 1789, '90, no organization of the courts was had until 1793. In June of that year, a court of Oyer and Terminer was held at "Patterson's Tavern in Geneva." The presiding judge was John Stop Hobart, one of the three Supreme Court judges ap. pointed after the organization of the Judiciary in 1777. A grand jury was called and charged, but no indictments preferred. The first court of Common Pleas and General Sessions, was held at the house of Nathaniel Sanborn in Canandaigua, in November, I794 The presiding judges were, Timothy Hosmer and Charles William- son, associated with whom, as assistant justice, was Enos Bough- :, f PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PUROHASE. 171 pec ted by le officers he txpen- ^as made, le Lake ;" 12, R. 2, idaigua ;" different ''examine ras raised Tiong the 3 Chapin, niel Cha- addings ;" old pre- lollow to !his year, us Rose, anias M. recorded isalem to If scalps, ivas suc- e sale of 1. Genesee 1 of the lad until ner was g judge dges ap- A grand i. The d at the r, 1794. Villiam- Bough- ■ ton. Attornies, Thomas Morris, John Wickham, James Wads- . worth, Vincent Matthews. There was a number of suits upon the calendar, but no jury trial. The organization of the court would seem have been the principal business. There was, however, a grand jury, and one indictment was found. The next session of the court was in June, 1795. James Parker was an associate justice. Peter B. Porter and Nathaniel W. Howell, being attornies of the Supreme Court, were admitted to practice in the courts of Ontario county. Stephen Ross and Thomas Mum- f:-rd were also admitted. At this court, the first jury trial was had west of the county of Herkimer. It was the trial of the indict- ment that had been preferred at the previous session, for stealing a cow bell. John Wickham, as County Clerk, was ex-officio District Attorney, but the management of the prosecution devolved upon Nathaniel W. Howell. Peter B. Porter and Vincent Matthews managed the defence. In November, 1795, Moses Atwater was added to the bench. It was ordered that " Nathan Whitney be appointed the guardian of Parkhurst Whitney, an infant at the age of eleven years." David Saltonstall, Herman Bogert, David Jones, Ambrose Hall, Peter Masterton, John Nelson, Major Bostwick, George D. Cooper, H. K. Van Rensselaer, were admitted as attornies, [most of them non- residents.] From Book of "Miscellaneous Records," 1797: — Peter B. Por- ter as county clerk, records the medical diplomas of Daniel Good- win, Ralph Wilcox, Jeremiah Atwater, Moses Atwater, Augustus Williams and Joel Prescott. 1799— Chiefs of Seneca Nation ac- knowledged the receipt of $8,000 from Gen. Chapin, as a dividend upon the sum of $100,000, which the United States government had received of Robert Morris, as purchase money for the Holland Pur- chase and Morris Reserve, and invested in the stock of the United States Bank. The medical diplomas of Drs. John Ray, Samuel Dungan, David Fairchild, Arnold Willis, are recorded. Peter B. Porter appoints Thomas Cloudesly, deputy clerk. Theophilus Caze- nove and Paul Busti appoint Joseph Ellicott and James Wadsworth, their lawful attornies. 1800— Robert Troup as general agent for Sir William Pultney, appoints Robert Scott local agent. De Witt Clinton executes a mortgage to Oliver Phelps, on .in " undivided fourth part of 100,000 acres [ying west of the Genesee River." 1801, Ill.t i 11 i I, i 172 I'lIELPS AND GOEIIAJi's PUnciIASE. Peter B. Porter as clerk, makes Aurrustus Porter his deputy. 1803— Benj. Barton and Polydore B. Wisner are made appraisers of dam- ages incurred by tlie construction of the Seneca Turnpike. 1801— Sylvester Tiffany as county clerk appoints Dudley Saltonstall his deputy. Thomas Morris appoints John Greii,' his lawful attorney. Harry Ilickox files certificate of license to practice medicine. 180(5 — John Hornby of the county of Middlesex, Kingdom of G. B. ap- points John Greig his lawful attorney. T. Spencer Colman is ap- pointed deputy clerk. Phineas P. Bates is succeeded as Sheriff by James K. Guernsey. 1807— Oliver Phelps appoints Virtue Bronson his lawful attorney. 1808— Stephen Bates as Sheriff ap- points Nathaniel Allen deputy. James B. Mower succeeded Syl- vester Tiffany as clerk. 1810— Myron Holley is county clerk. Canandaigua Library organized. 1811— James B. Mower as clerk appoints Daniel D. Barnard his deputy. In all the earliest years," the Cayuga, Oneida, Onondaga and Seneca Indians received their annuities at Canandaigua, which made it the place of annual gatherings of those nations, and the centre of the Indian trade. Although not entitled to it from population, in 1791, by a special act, Ontario was entitled to be represented in the Assembly. This was not known in the new settlements of Canandaigua, Geneva, and their neighborhoods, but in a small settlement that had com- menced on the Canisteo in what is now Steuben Co., they were in possession of the secret. Col. Eleazor Lindley, under whose auspi- cies the settlement was made, collected together a few back woods- men, held an election, got a few votes for himself, carried them to New York and was admitted a member of the Legislature. The whole proceeding was irregular, but there was no one to contest the seat, and the Legislature did not wish to deprive the backwoods of a representative. General Israel Chapin was its representative in 1792. In a letter to Sir Wm. Pultney, in 1791, Robert Morris had de- clared his intention of settling his son Thomas in the Genesee coun- try, as an evidence of his faith in its value and prospects. He states that Thomas was then reading law with Richard Harrison Esq. by whom he was deemed a " worthy young man." In August 1791, Thomas Morris v.ith some companions, passed through the country, visited Niagara Falls, and on his return, made a conb^dera- PHELrS AND GORHAIW'S PURCnASE. 173 ble stay at Canandaigua.* He returned and became a resident of Canandaigua, marrying a daughter of Elias Kane, of Albany. His father having become the purch ser of ihe pre-emption right of what was afterwards the Ho 'and ?■ r-haso and Morris' Re^'serve, it was probably intended that h • shou: 1 be the local agent. That interest however being parted x ', , H hnd much to do with closing up his Cither's affairs in this region, ,,,.u in all the preliminary meas"^ ures adopted by the Holland Corr,,.M,y, in reference to their pur- chase. His father having in .is sale to the Holland Company, guarantied the extinguishment of the Indian title, he acted in all that aHair as his agent. He was the first representative in Concrress from all the region west of Seneca Lake; and as a lawyer.land proprietor, and agent, was intimately blended with all the local history of this region. Becoming through his father, an early pro- prietor of the Allan tract at Mount Morri;^, that locality derives its name from him. He was the intimate friend of Mr. Williamson ; and in fact, enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all the early Pioneers. Like others of that early period, he over-traded in lands, shared in his father's reverses, and as early as 1803 or '4, retired to the city of New York, where he practiced law, until his death, in 1848. The author knows nothing of his family, save the fact, that Mr. Morris an Engineer upon the southern rail road, and Lieut. Morris of the Navy are his sons. *; Major Hoops, who was tlicn survoj-inrr for the father, Robert Morris in Stonhnn wntestoh„„.S.,,t 1791 :_;< Your «on Thomas is an exceUont wV.Xla . He <^t^ lo.s abou a ni.k. troni Canaudaigi.a, nigl,t came ou ; lie n.ade his way thnm ' h .v^„ a,.nind to settl.. ..f Oiuandai^irua. .-m soon as T .houkl iiave attained he age o of a 5 myadmisswu to the bar. Accordingly, in the early part of Murcli, 1792, I left New 174 PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PUKCHASE. John Fellows, who is named among the residents in Canandai- gua in lye ,, was in the Massachusetts line during the Revolution, with the rank of Brig. General. He was a resident of Sheffield! Mass., was sheriff of Berkshire county, and its representative in the State legislature. He was one of the associates of Bacon and Ada as, in the purchase of East Bloomfield; drawing his share — 3,000 acres, — on Mud creek, he erected a saw mill there in 1790, in company with the late Augustus Porter. Besides this tract, he had lands m Canandaigua and Honeoye. He never became a per- manent resident of the country — got discouraged, or rather looked upon the dark side of things; said there was no use of having good wheat lands, if they never were to have any market. He re- sold the 3,000 acres on Mud creed ibr 18d. per acre. He died in his native town, Sheffield, in 1808. He was the father of Henry Fel- lows, Esq. of Penfield, and of Mrs. Daniel Penfield. James D. Fish, was first town clerk ; his wife's death was the second one in Canandaigua ; and he died in early years. John Clark came with Mr. Phelps to the treaty. His trade be- ing that of a tanner and currier, he manufactured the first leather mthe Genesee country. This was from the hides of the cattle driven on to furnish beef for the Indians at the treaty. His vats were made by sawing off sections of hollow trees. From this small beginning, his business was extended, and in early years his ' snoe and leather establishment was well known throughout a wide region. His wife was the daughter of the early pioneer, Lemuel Castle. Mr. Olarke died in 1813, and Mrs. Clark in 1842 Thev Luther Cole came into the country with Gen. Israel Chapin He was the first to carry the mail from Whitesboro to Canandai^rua ' on horseback when the roads would allow of it, and often on foot * In winters he would travel with a sleigh, buy goods in Whitesboro that handsome town. wW the e .itl^ n mv hon,! 1 '"^'''^■'' "'"' '^^^■" "> g^iSe w£ '""" ""* ^' Whitesboro." The Louse is n^ S^^alS^ * See Post Office Canandaigua, Appendix, No. 8. PHELPS AOT) G0IlIIA3l's PURCHASE. 175 and sell them in Canandaigua. From this small beginning he be- came an early and prominent merchant. His wife was a niece of Mrs. Phineas Bates. He died many years since. His sons, Henry and James, emigrated to Detroit ; James will be remembered as an early and highly gifted poet. Dr. Hart was another early physician, and died in early years. He married the widow of Hezekiah Boughton, a brother of Jared and Enos Boughton, and father of Claudius V. and George H. Boughton. William Antiss emigrated from Pennsylvania, and established himself in Canandaigua as a gun smith, at an early period. He was employed by Gen. Chapin to make and repair rifles for the In- dians, and the white hunters and sportsmen, over a wide region, were for a long pc-iod, the customers of his establishment. He died in early years, and was succeeded by his son William Antip ■ 2d, who continued in the business until his death in 1843. The sons of Wm. Antiss 2d, are William Antiss of Canandaigua, Robert Antiris, who is the successor of his father and grand-father in busi- ness. Mrs. Byron Hays and Mrs. Wm. Reed of Canandaigua, are daughters of Wm. Antiss 2d. In his rambles in June, 1795, the Duke, Liancourt, went from Bath to Canandaigua. He staid all night at " Capt. Metcalf 's," and mentions the fact that a few years before the Capt. had bought his land for is. per acre, and sold a part of it for $3 per acre. He says the settlement was " called Watkinstown, from several families of that name who possess the greatest property here."* ''Capt. Metcalf besides his lands and Inn, possesses a saw mill, where 4500 feet of boards are cut daily. These boards he sends on the lake to Canandaigua, where they are sold for 10s. per 100 feet." " There is a school master at Watkinstown, with a salary of twelve dollars per month." Speaking of Canandaigua he says : — " The houses, although built of wood, are much better than any of that descrip- tion I have hitherto seen. They consist mostly of joiner's work, and are prettily painted. In front of some of them are small courts, surrounded with neat railings. There are two Inns in the town, and several shops, where commodities are sold, and shoes and other it. * The Duke was in Naples. rhelp.s and Gorhain aol.l the township to " Watkins Harriss & Co." ^ viuuo, 176 PHELPS AND GORHAJl's PURCHASE. articles made. The price of land here is three dollars per acre without the town, and fifteen dollars within. Speakinir of a visit to "Mr. Chipping," * (Chapin) he says he found him surrounded by a dozen Seneca Indians, (among whom was Red Jacket,) who had come to partake of his whiskey and meat." The Duke was evi- dently in bad humor at Canandaigua. His friend Blacons had selected the "second Inn, which was far inferior to the first," and he says their dissatisfaction was greatly increased, when they were " shewn into a corn loft to sleep, being four of us, in company with ten or twelve other men," and after he had got to sleep, he says he was disturbed by a recruit of lodgers, an old'man and a handsome young woman, who I believe was his daughter." At the idea of a young woman occupying the same room, with twelve or fifteen of the other sex, bethinks his European readers "will scofi; or laugh," but he thinks it showed in " an .ulvantageous light, the laudable simplicity and innocence of American manners." riiineas Bates was a native of Durham, Conn. He came to the Genesee country in early summer in 1789, with the early Pioneer, Gamaliel Wilder, and remained with him until the fall of the year! making the commencement at Wilder's Point, in Bristol. He re- turned to Connecticut in the fall, making the journey on foot. Early in the spring of 1790, accompanied by his eldest son, Stei)hen, his son-in-law, Orange Brace, and several others, he return- ed, starting with a yoke of oxen and sled, the party bringing with them a year's provision, and some household goods. Arriving at Schenectady, they put every thing they could not conveniently carry in their knapsacks, on board of abatteaux, left their sled, un- yoked their oxen, travelled up the Mohawk, and struck otY into the wilderness, preceding the Wadsworths a few weeks. At Onon- daga, Mr. Bates bought half a bushel of potatoes, slung them across the neck of one of his oxen, brought them ' > Canandaigua, and planted them upon some village lots he j ...chased. During the summer, he cleared ten acres, and sowed it to wheat. Returning to Connecticut late in the fall, in company with Amos Hall, Sweet, Samuel Knapp; soon r.fter the party left, they encountered a severe snow storm, the snow falling to such a depth ' Tlic tr.-iiislatnr of tlio Duko'.s "Trnvcl?," iniulc bad work willi names. William V\ lulKwui'tli inr iiistaiici', in ciillud Cupt. Watworth." PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE, m as to render their progress extremely slow. Walking in single file, one would go forward to break the path, until he wearied out, when another would take his place. Anticipating no such delay, they had provided themselves with an inadequate stock of provisions, and long before they reached Whitestown, the suffering of hunger was added to that of cold and fatigue. The carcass of an otter, their dog killed in the Nine Mile Creek, was a substitute for more palatable food. Undismayed by the scene of suffering and privation he had passed through, Mr. Bates on reaching home, made preparations for the removal cf his family, and in February, 1791, brought them by sleighing tc Canandaigua, making the seventh in the new settle- 's mcnt. He opened a public house at an early day, near the upper end of Main-street, which was continued by him and his son for many years. He was an early Justice of the Peace, and in all respects, a worthy citizen. He died in 1829, at an advanced age. Bring- ing with him into the country at so early a period, active and en- terprising sons, the family occupied a prominent position for a long series of ye;«-s. His eldest son, Stephen, marrying the daughter of Deacon Handy of W. Bloomfield, became a successful fa°mer in Gorham, was sheriff of Ontario, a member of Assembly, and a Senator. In 1845, he emigrated to Sauk, Wisconsin, where he died the year fbllowing ; and of a large family of children, but few survive. Asher Bates married the daughter of Elisha Steel, of East Bloomfield; in 180r-t, moved west of the Genesee river, 'and opened a public house on the main road between Caledonia and Le Roy; was one of the earliest sheriffs of Genesee; died in 1810. An only son studied law with Spencer and Sibley in Canandaigua, settled in Detroit, and is now a resident at Honolulu, one of the Sandwich Islands, acting in the capacity of the King's attorney or counsellor. His first wife was the daughter of Thomas Beals of Canandaigua ; the second, is a sister of Dr. Judd, the phydcian of the nn'ssionaries in the Sandv.ich lands. The widow of Asher Bates is now the wife of Dr. Wm. Sheldon of Le Roy. Phineas P. Bates succeeded his father as a landlord in Canandaigua, and was for many years a ,;, -rUy sheriiF and sheriff of Ontario.' He is the only one of a luge family that survives ; is the occupant of a fine farm adjoininr the village of Canandaigua. David C. n-m M 178 PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PUECHaSE. Bates was a farmer near Canandaigua; died in 1849. A daughter of the elder Phineas Bates became the wife of John A. Stevens the early Printer, and Editor of the Ontario Messenger. An elder daughter was the wife of Orange Brace, who has been named in connection with the early advent of the family ; in 1806, he be- came one of the earliest settlers upon the purchase of Phelps and Chipman, in Sheldon, Wyoming county. * Phineas P. Bates, Esq., the survivor of the family, who has been named, in 1800, was the mail boy from Canandaigua to Fort Nia- gara. The mail route had been, established about two years pre- vious, and was carried through by Jasper Marvin, who sometimes dispensed with mail bags, and carried the contents in a- pocket book. Mr. Bates observes that when he commenced carrying it for his brother Stephen, who was the mail contractor, it used to take six days to go and return. His stopping places over night, were at Mrs. Berry's, among the Indians at Tonawanda, and at rort Niagara. In some reminiscences of Mr. Bates, he observes, that "in 1793 one of those fatal accidents occurred at Canandaigua, which always cast a gloom over small communities. A Mr. Miles, from what is now Lima, and a citizen of Canada, were on their way to Massa- chusetts Riding i-nto the village, when they were within a few rods of Main-street, a tree turned out by the roots, fell upon the travellers, killing them both, and one of their horses. What made the affair a very singular one, was the fact, that although it was raining moderately at the time, there was not the least wind to cause the full of tlie tree." Dr. Moses Atwater settled in Canandaigua as a physician, at the early period of 1791. In some correspondence that passed be- tween Gen Chapin and Judge Phelps, there was much gratifica- tion nrianifested that their new settlement was to have the benefit of a physician. Dr. Atwater enjoyed for a long period an extensive practice, and made himself eminently useful in the -ew coun^rv PIIELP3 AND GOEHAMS PUKCHASE. 1T9 He was an early Judge of Ontario county. He died in 1848, at the advanced age of 82 years. Samuel Atwater of Canandaigua, and Moses Atwater of Buffalo, are his sons ; a daughter became the wife of Robert Pomeroy, of Buffalo ; and another, the wife of Lewis Jenkins, formerly a merchant of Canandaigua, now a resi- dent of Buffalo. Dr. Jeremicih Atwater, a brother of Moses, set- tled in Canandaigua in early years. He still survives at the age of 80 years, laboring, however, under the infirmity of a loss of sight. Mr. Samuel Dungan was a native of Pennsylvania, a student with the celebrated Dr. Wistar. He settled in practice in Canan- daigua in 1797. He possessed extraordinary skill as a surgeon, and in that capacity, was known throughout a wide region. He died nearly thirty years since. He left a son and a daughter, both of whom are still living. Dr. William A. Williams was from Wallingford, Conn. He en- tered Yale College at the close of the Revolution, and graduated at the early age of sixteen. After passing through a regular course of medical studies, he commenced practice in Hatfield, Mass.; but m a few years, in 1793, emigrated to Canandaigua, established him- self in a large and successful practice, which he retained until near the close of a long life, One who was his neighbor for near forty years, observes : — " He was a man of plain and simple manners, amiable and kind hearted ; at the bed side of his patients, he min- gled the consolations of friendship with professional advice ; in day or night time, in sunshine or in storm, whether his patients were rich or poor, he was the same indefatigable, faithful physician and good neighbor. He died in 1933 or '4. Col. George Williams, of Portage, and Charles Williams, of Nunda, are his sons. His daughters became the wives of the late Jared Wilson, Esq., and John A. Granger, of Canandaigua, and — — Whitney, the present P. M. at Canandaigua, and Editor of the Ontario Repository. NATHANIEL W. HOWELL. The venerable Nathaniel W. Howell, now in his 81st year, is the oldest resident member of the Bar of Western New York. His native place is Blooming Grove, Orange County, N. Y. The son „* ' _i- 180 IH I HI PHELPS ANB GORHAJi's PURCHASE. of a farmer, ot a period when farmer's sons were early inured to toil, a naturally robust and vigorous constitution was aided bv the healthy labors of the field. At the age of thirteen he was placed in an Academy in Goshen, founded by Noah Webster, the widely known author ; where he remained for nearly two years ; after which he entered the Academy at Hackensack, N. J., the Principal of which was Dr. Peter Wilson, formerly Professor of langua.'es in Columbia College. In May, 1787, he entered the junior cla'ss in Princeton College, and graduated, in Sept. 1788. A few months after graduating, making choice of the legal profession, he com- menced the study of law in the office of the late Gen. Wilkin, in Goshen. Remaining there but a short period, he accepted a call to take charge of an Academy at Ward's Bridge in Ulster Co.. where he continued for over three years ; after which, he resumed the study of law in the office of the late Judge Hoffman, in the city of New York. He was admitted an Attorney of the Supreme Court in May, 1794. In May, 1795, lie opened an office in the town of Union, near the now village of Binghampton, in Tioga county. The late Gen. Matthews was then practicing law in Newtown, now Elmira. The two were the only Supreme court lawyers then in the county. Judge Howell was admitted as an Attorney of the court of com- mon pleas in Ontario in June, 1795, and in the following February, removed to Canandaigua, where he has continued to reside until the present time. The records of the courts bear evidence of his having acquired a large practice in early years. He was one of the local legal advisers of Mr. Williamson^ and was employed by Joseph Eliicott in his earliest movements upon the Holland Purchase. Laying before the author at this present writing, are copies of his letters to Mr. Williamson written in 1795, and a letter written with- m the present year, in a fair hand, but little marked by the tremor of age. Fifty six-years have intervened ! In 1799, he was appointed by the council of appointment, on the nomination of Gov. Jay, assistant Attornev General fur the five western counties of this state, the duties of which office he contin- ued to discharge until his resignation in 1802. In 1819 he was appointed by the council of appointment, on the nomination of Gov pewitt Clinton, First Judge of the county of Ontario, which office he hlled ihr thirteen years. He was an early representative in the PIIELP3 AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 181 inured to ed by the s placed in le widely ars ; after ! Principal iguages in class in iV months he com- VVilkin, in d a call to /O., where uined the he city of ime Court ion, near late Gen. ira. The ity. t of corn- February, lide until 3e of his )ne of the oyed by 'urchase. es of his ten with- e tremor '. on the ■ the five contin- he was of Gov h office e in the state legislature, and in 1813, '14, he represented in Congress, the double district, composed of Ontario and the five counties to the west of it. On retiring from the Bench, he retired from his profes- sion, employing himself in the superintendence of a farm and gar- den, enjoying good health, v/ith slight exceptions; in summers labor- ing more or less with his own hands. In a previous work, the author has observed, that there are few instances of so extended a period of active participation in the affjiirs of life ; and still fewer instances of a life that has so adorned the profession to which he belongs, and been so eminently useful and exemplary. To him, and to such as him —his early cotem- porary. General Matthews, for instance — and others of his cotem- poraries that could be named, is the highly honorable profession of law in Western New York indebted for early and long continued examples of those high aims, dignity, and exalted integrity, which should be its abiding characteristics. They have passed, and are passing away. If days of degeneracy should come upon the profes- sion — renovation become necessary — there are no better prece- dents and examples to consult, than the lives and practices of the Pioneer Lawyers. The first wife of Judge ' Howell was the youngest daughter of General Israel Chapin. She died in 1808, leaving two sons and a daughter. He married for a second wife, in 1809, the daughter of Dr. Coleman, of Anchram, Mass. She died in 1812, leaving three sons and a daughter. The surviving sons are : — Alexander H. Howell, Thomas M. Howell, Nathaniel VV. Howell, Augustus P. Howell. Daughters became the wives of Amasa Jackson of the city of New York, and Henry S. Mulligan of Buffalo. Dudley Saltonstall was a native of New London, Conn., a grad- uate of Yale College. He studied law in the celebrated law school of Judge Reeves of Litchfield, and was admitted to practice in the court of common pleas of Ontario, in 1795. He had genius, and high attainments in scholarship, commenced practice under fovorabla auspices ; but aiming high and falling below his aim, in his first forensic efforts, he lost confidence in himself, and abandoned the profession. He engaged in other pursuits with but little better success, and in 1808, emigrated to Maryland, and soon after to Elizabeth city, N. Carolina, where he died some fifteen years since. •Dudley Marvin did not locate at Canaudaigua within a pioneer in. If 182 PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. period, but his name is so blended with the locality, that a brief no- tice of him will perhaps be anticipated. He was a native of Lyme, Connecticut. His law studies were commenced and com- pleted in the office of Messrs. Howell & Greig ; in the absence of any classical education, but in its place was a vigorous intellect, peculiarly adapted to the profession he embraced. He had not Ijeen long admitted to the bar, when he had no superior, and few if any equals, as an advocate, in the western counties of this State ; indeed, the giants of the law from the east, who used to follow the circuits of the old Supreme Court Judges in this direction, found in the young advocate of the west, a competitor who plucked laurels from their brows they had won upon other theatres of forensic strife. " When sitting as a judge," says one of his early legal mentors, " I freque-ntly li-stened with admiration to his exceedingly able and elo- quent summings up in jury trials. I was once present on the trial of an important and highly interesting cause, in which Mr. Marvin and the celebrated Elisha Williams were opposed to each other, and I thought the speech to the jury of Marvin, was quite as eloquent as that of Williams, and decidedly more able. He was, in- deed, unsuccessful, but the failure was owing to his cause, and not to him. He might well have said witli the Trojan hero : — " Si Pergama'dextra defendi possent etiam hac dcfensi fuissent." He was twice elected to Congress, in which capacity the high expectations that were entertained of his career were somewhat dis- . appointed. The new sphere of action was evidently not his forte — neither was it to his liking; while the free habits that unfortunately so much prevailed at our national capitol, were illy suited to help the wavering resolutions of a mind that was wrestling with all its giant strength, to throw off chains with which a generous social nature, had helped to fetter him. Years followed, in which one who had filled a large space in the public mind of this region, was almost lost sight of; his residence being principally in Maryland and Vir- ginia. He returned to this State, and resumed practice in the city of New York, where he continued but a few years ; removing to the county of Chautauque, and retiring upon a farm. Myron Holley came from Salisbury Connecticut, in 1803, locating at Canandaigua. He had studied law, but never engaged in prac- tice. He was an early bookseller, and for a considerable time clerk of Ontario county. He was a member of the first Board of r PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PURCHASE. 183 r I canal commissioners, the acting commissioner in the original con- struction of the western division of the Erie Canal, unil the whole was put under contract. Soon after the location of the canal he became a resident of the village of Lyons. So eminently able and faithful were his services as a canal commissioner, that the grateful recollection and acknowledgement of them, outlive and palliate the mixed offence of fault and misfortune, with which his official career terminated, Mr. Holley died in 1839, or '40; his widow, the daughter of John House, an early Pioneer at Canandaigua, resides in Black Rock, Erie county. Isaac Davis, an early merchant at Canandaigua, and subsequently at Buffalo, married another daughter of Mr. House. She resides with her two sons in Lockport. Wm. C. House, a surviving son of John House, was an early merchant in Lockport, and lately the canal collector at that point ; his wife, the daughter of John G. Bond, an early merchant in Rochester. Thomas Reals became a resident of Canandaigua, engaging in the mercantile business, in 1803. In early years his trade extended over a wide region of country, in which he was highly esteemed as an honest and fair dealing merchant. The successor of Thad- deus Chapin as treasurer of Ontario county, in 1814, he continued to hold the office for twenty eight years. As Trustee and Secretary, he has been connected with the Canandaigua Academy forty years. He was one of the trustees, and a member of the building com- mittee of the Congregational Church in 1812; and was one^of the county superintendents of the poor, when the Poor House was first erected. He is now, in his 66th year, engaged in the active pursuits of life ; the Treasurer of the Ontario SaviTigs Bank, a flourishing institution of which he was the founder. Mrs. Beals, who was the daughter of the early settled clergyman at Canan- daigua, the Rev. Mr. Fields, still survives. There are two survi- veing sons, one a resident of New York, and the other in Indiana. Surviving daughters are: — Mrs. Alfred Field, and Mrs. Dr. Carr, of Canandaigua, and Mrs. James S. Rogers, of Wisconsin. In 1798, a formidable party of emigrants arrived and settled near Canandaigua. It consisted of the families of Benjamin Barney, Richard Daker and Vincent Grant. They were from Orange countyi and were all family connexions.. With their six or seven teams! I' '' 184 puixps AND goeiiam's purchase. and a numerous retmue of foot passengers, and stock, their advent is well remembered. They practiced one species of travelling economy, that the author has never before heard of among the de- vices of pioneer times: — the milk of their cows was pift into a churn, and the motion of the wagon produced their butter as they went along.* The journey from Orange county consumed twenty- six days. The sons who came with Benj. Barney, were : — Thomas, John, Nicholas, Joseph and Henry. Thomas was the head of a family when they came to the Genesee country ; a surviving son of his, is Gen. V. G. Barney of Newark Wayne county ; a surviv- ing daughter is the wife of Elisha Higby, of Hopewell, Ontario county; — and in this connection it may be observed, that Mr. Higby erected the first carding machine in the Genesee country, in 1804, in what is now the town of Hopewell, to which he soon added a cloth dressing establishment. James Sibley, the early and widely known silver smith, watch repairer, and jeweler, of Canandaigua, still suivives, retired from business, a resident of Rochester. His son, Oscar Sibley, pursuing the business of his father, is the proprietor of a large establishmen° in Bufialo.^ By the aid of a singularly retentive memory — especi- ally in reference to names and localities — he has furnished the author with the following names of all the heads of families in Can- andaigua, village, in 1803 : — Setli Tlionipson, Almci- liunndl, Elijali 5J()r)»!y, H(;iirv Cliaimi. Samuel Latta, Dudley Saltonstall, Loaiul'cr ]5utlor, Luther W. Eeujamin, John Hall, John House, Maitin Dudley, V'cn. Wells, Jasper Tarisli, Mr. Crane, Daniel Danes, Mr. Sampson, Timothy Younglove, Samuel Abbey, John Shulur, John I!rork('ll)ank, Jeremiah Atwatcr, General Taylor, Widow Whiting, I'hineas Bates, Augustus I'orter, Zaoliariah Seymour, Natlianiel Sanborn, Timothy Hurt, TlioniiUH Morris, ThomjLs ISeals, M(jses AtAvater, .Thaddeiis Chapin, Israel Cha[)in, Gould it Post, James Dewey, Ezekiel Taylor, Wm. Anfisi, John Clark, James Srnedley, Jacob Haskell, Rev. Timothy Field, Joshua Eaton, Samuel Brock, Mosea Cleveland, Sylvester Tiffany, Wm. A. VViUiams, James llolden, Natli. W. Howell, Sanniel Dungan, Robert Spencer, Hannah Whalley, Ebenezer F. Xortou, John Furj^uson, Abner ]5in-low, Norton it Richards, Nathaniel Corhani. William Shepherd, Freeman Atwater, William Ciiaiimau, Col. Hyde, Virtue lironsoii, James B. Mower, Oliver I'helps, Feter H. Colt. Luther '"'ole, Amos Beach. fi.r ?"^^'"'^. '^IV^'' ^""'"? '""'« ^^'^^ i'« '"'Itch with an old lady who was fleeinn- from the frontier in the war of 1812. An alarm found her with her dough mixed for b'lkinl PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 185 i> heir advent travelling nng the de- put into a ter as they ed tvventy- — Thonnas, ; head of a rviving son ; a surviv- ill, Ontario !, that Mr. !e country, 2h he soon lith, watch itired from f, pursuing ablishinent ■ — especi- nished the es in Can- H'fany, illiiiius, leii, lowc'll, inpan, liiilley, \ Xortou, ISOIl, low, licliards, ioiham. icphcrd, twatcr, iipniau, ISOll, xnvcr, I IS, It. fleejlii;: fiotn 1 for bakiii"'. The first permanent church organization in Canandaigua. of which the author finds any record, was that of St. lALithew's church of the town of Canandaigua, February 4th, 1799. "A meeting was Jield at the house of Nathaniel Sanborn'; Ezra Piatt was called to the chair to regulate said meeting." The followin-r officers were chosen : — Ezra Piatt, Joseph Colt, Wardens ; Johii Clark, Augustus Porter, John Hecox, Nathaniel Sanborn, Benjamin Wells, James Fields, Moses Atwater, Aaron Flint, Vestrymen. The Rev. Philander Chase, the present Bishop of the United States, then in Deacon's orders, presided at this organization ; re- mained and ofliciated as clergyman for several months. About the same period, " the first Congregational church of die town of Cannandaigua," was organized. "Ail persons who had statedly worshi[.ped in said congregation," met "at the school house," and cho.se as Trustees : —Othniel Taylor, ThaddeusChapin, Dudley Saltonstall, Seth Ilolcomb, Abner Barlow, Phineas Bates. The first settled minister of this church, was the Rev- Mr. Field. The first record of election returns that the author has been enabled to obtain, is that of the election of Senators and Assem- blymen in 1799. Tliis was before Ontario was dismembered, or rather before Steuben had a separate organization, and the returns of course embrace the whole region west of Seneca Lake. Vin- cent ]\Iatthews, Joseph White, Moss Kent, were the candidates for Senators. The candidates lor Assembly were, Charles Williamson and Nathaniel Norton, opposed by Lemuel Chipman and Dudley Saltonstall. Williamson and Saltonstall were elected. The entire vote is given : — BloomfiL'ld Korthfield Charleston s Easton Auj,'iista - Sparta 1G8 59 125 58 58 82 Jerusalem Hartford Palmyra Gcneseo Sodus Sonera 101 70 55 44 4G 55 Sho rolled it up in a Wd, and sitting upon it, kept it warm, puUin- it out aud bakiuR as she stopjied along tlie road. i a uv* uaivmjj N-OTE.-TIiero was a little feeling of rivalry in tlu. organization of the,so Pioneer W^^^^^^^ 'i'l^^' 'iH.n yoimg de ,y mlm boardwl with Mrs. Sanborn, and to amuse one of her cLiMren, Vhittled < .n -i slnngle m the shape ot a hddle, and stringmg it with nilk tluead, put it in t^he S dow ; an ^ohan J.arp. The trifling affair soon got noised about .Ind son en b "s of Sic SfI mSngTlldXr' """^'-^^'^ '' ^° ^^ ^^^ '^^"^ ^^^ '^' "^ ^ ^^ 13 IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 I.I ■- IIIIM |50 ™l'^^ i^lllM If 1^ •" 140 M 22 ZO 1.8 1.25 1.4 J4 -^ 6" — ► .•§.-> ^. %, /. ^. ^^s <# ^//j f vsSvv Photographic Sciences Corporation « #^ 4C-^ .•V :\ \ '<^^ M rv 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 1458C (716) 872-4503 o l^? m/j "/, 186 PHEIPS AND GOEHAJi's PUECHA3E. Cannndaigua 66 Middlesex 52 Bristol - 110 Fiederickstown 46 Phelps 104 Painted Post 63 Pittstown 62 Dansville 54 Middletown 86 Canisteo 76 978 Bath - 106 766 978 V >tal - - - - 1744 In 1800, Lemuel Chipman and Nathaniel Norton were elected; number of votes, 3,582. Thomas Morris was elected to Congress, receiving almost the entire vote of the Genesee country. Canan- (iaigua, Palmyra, Bristol, Sparta, Hartford. Easton, Charleston, Northfield, Augusta, their entire vote : and in several other towns there were but one, two and three, against him. 1801 — Peter B. Porter and Daniel Chapin were elected to the Assembly. 1802 — Steuben elected separately, Pollydore B. Wisner, Augustus Porter and Thaddeus Chapin, were elected members of Assembly from Ontario. 1803 — Batavia, which was then all of the Holland Purchase, gave less than 180 votes. In that year, Amos Hall, Nathaniel W. Howell, Pollydore B. Wisner, were elected to the Assembly. 1804 — The members of Assembly were, Amos Hall, Daniel W. Lewis and Alexander Rhea. Jonathan Philips, an early shoemaker of Canandaigua, still sur- vives, hammering and drawing out his waxed ends upon a seat he has occupied for 51 years ; being now 75 years of age. The old gentleman observes, that in that now healthy locality, he has known it to be so sickly, that more than half the entire population would be afflicted with fevers. Southworth Cole, an elder brother of Luther Cole, came into the country in 1797. He located on the east side of the Lake, in a then wilderness, at what was known in early days as '• Corn Creek." There was an old Indian clearing of about 20 acres. Mr. Cole was for several years the only settler between the foot of the Lake and Naples. The location was famed as the favorite ground of the rattle snake : some members of this Pioneer family have killed as many as 100 in the course of a day at their den. Deer were so plenty, that a hunter of the family hrs killed 00 in a season. The sons of the Pioneer were Abner Cole, an early lawyer of Palmyra ; Dorastus Cole, of Palmyra ; Joseph Cole, of Michigan ; G. W. 52 46 63 54 76 lOG PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PUECnASE. 187 Cole of Saratoga Springs; and Benjamin B. Cole, of Ocrden. Mrs. Philetus Swift of Phelps, and Mrs. Kingsley Miller of Palmy, ra, were h.s daughters. Joseph Colt, the early merchant of Geneva and Palmyra, married a sister of Southworth and Luther Cole BLOOMFIELD. The settlement of East Bloomfield, commenced simultaneously with thatof Canandaigua. The east township was purchased by Capt. Wm. Bacon, Gen. John Fellows, Elisha Lee, Deacon John Adams, Dr. Joshua Porter (the father of Peter B. and Au-ustus) Deacon Adams became the pioneer in settlement ; — and tlie pa- tnarch it might well be added, for he introduced a large household into the wilderness. His family consisted of himself and wife his sons John, Jonathan, William, Abner and Joseph ; his sons in laws, Ephraim Rew. Lorin Hull, and Wilcox, and their wives, and Elijah Rose, a brother in law and his family, and three unmarried daughters. Joined with all these in the primitive advent, were • — Moses Gunn, Lot Rew, John Barnes, Roger Sprague. Asa Hickox Benjamin Goss, John Keyes, Nathaniel Norton. Early after the opening of navigation, in 1789, the emigrants departed from Sche- nectady, some of the men with the household furniture and stores, by water, but most of the party upon pack horses, following principally tlie Indian trails. In May, they were joined by Augustus Porter, Ihaddeus Keyes, Joel Steele, Eber Norton and Oran^re Woodruff. Judge Porter, then but twenty years of age, had been°employed to make farm surveys of the township. When he arrived h^. found the Adams family, and those who had come in with them, the occu- pants of a log house, 30 by 40 feet, the first dwelling erected west of Canandaigua after white settlement commenced. To accomo- date so large a family with lodgings, there were berths upon wooden pins along the walls of the house, one above another, steam, or packet boat fashion. It was the young surveyor's first introduction to backwoods life. He added to the crowded household himself and his assistants, and soon shouldered his "Jacob staft;" and commen- ced his work. The emigrants had brought on a good stock of pro- visions and some cows ; wild game soon began to be added, which made them very comfortable livers. The Judge, in his later years, I, 188 PHELPS AJ^D G0RILV:\1*S PURCHASE. would speak with much animation, of the primitive log house, its enormous fire place; and especially of the hread "baked in ashes" which Mrs. Rose used to bring upon the table, and which he said was excellent. William Bacon, a principal proprietor in Bloomfield, was a res- ident of Sheffield, JMass.; he never emigrated. He bore a captain's commsssion in the Revolution, and was a contractor for the army. After the Revolution he drove cattle through upon the old Indian trail to Fort Niagara. Deacon Adams, Nathaniel Eggleston, and several others of the early settlers in Bloomfield, first saw the Gen- esee Country, in connection with this cattle trade to Niagara. Col. Asher Saxton a prominent pioneer, i:i Bloomfield, Cambria, and Lockport Niagara co., and lastly upon the river Raisin, near Monroe, was a son in law of capt. Bacon and his local representa- tive. He died at his residence in Michigan in 1847 at an advanced age. He married for a third wife a sister of Gen. Micah Brooks. When he left Bloomfield to go into a new region in Niagara county, he remarked to an old friend that he was going " where they live in log cabins." " I want" said he " to see more of Pioneer life." The roof of a log cabin has seldom sheltered a worthier man. The author is unable to name the j-ear in which all of the emi- grants settled in Bloomfield after the primitive advent of the Adam'g household, and those who came in the same year. Those who will be named were of the earliest class of Pioneers. Dr. Daniel Chapin was the early physician. He was the next representative of Ontario county in the Legislature after Gen. Israel Chapin. He removed to BufFalo in 1805 and died there in 1835. Amos Bronson was from Berkshire, a persevering and enterprisino- man, and became the owner of a large farm. He died in 1835. His wife still survives, at the advanced age of over 90 years. Mrs. Bronson, and Benjamin Goss, are the only two surviving residents Note. — Tliero iirono suniving dcscotidants in tho first degree of tlio early Pioneer Deacon John Adams. In tlie second, tliiid and i'omth de<;reo, few families are nioro ininierous. The three unnianiod daughters mentioned above, became tlu! wives of John Kt^es, Benjamin, and Silas K«!,deston. Among the descendants are the lannlywho gave the name to "Adams Hasin," in Ogden ; Oen. Wm. H. Adams of Lyons AVni. Adams of Rochester, and Mrs. Barrett of Lockport ; and the autlior re- grets tliat he has not the memorandums to enable him to remember more of a mime aud lumdy so promiueiiUy identiliod witliPiouccr aettlemeut. PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PUECHASE. 189 of all the adult pioneers of East Bloomfield. The sons are among the wealthy and public spirited men of the town. Benjamin Goss, who is named above, was in the country as early as 1791. He married a daughter of Dea:on George Codding, of Bristol. Theirs was the first wedding on Phelps and Gorham's Pur- chase. He is now 90 years of age ; a Revolutionary pensioner. He was in the battl'^ at Johnstown, at Sharon Springs, and was in the unsuccessful expedition of Col. Marinus Willett to Oswego in the winter of 1781.* Nathaniel Norton was from Goshen, Conn. He was the foun- der of the mills that took his name, on the Ganargwa creek, in Bloomfield. He was an early sheriff of Ontario, and its represen- tative in the Legislature ; and an early merchant in Bloomfield and Canandaigua. He died in 1809 or '10. The late Heman Norton was his son ; a daughter became the wife of Judge Baldwin of the Sup. Court of the United States ; another of Beach, of the firm of Norton & Beach. Aaron Norton, the brother of Nathaniel, settled in Bloomfield about the same time; died soon after 1^15, Hon. Ebenezer F. Norton of Buffalo, and Reuben Norton of BLom- field, are his sons. A daughter became the wife of Kibbe, the early Bank cashier at Canandaigua and Bufialo ; another, the wife of Peter Bowen. Eber Norton, another brother of Nathaniel, died in 1810; Judge Norton of Allegany is a son of his. Roger, Azel, and Thomas Sprague, with their father and mother, and three sisters, were early pioneers. Roger succeeded Nathaniel Norton as Sheriff of Ontario, was a member of the Legislature, and supervisor. He died in Michigan, in 1848. Asahel and Thomas, both died soon after 1810. The only survivor of the family is a sister who became the wife of Dr. Ralph Wilcox. Tlic old gentleman gives a relation of suffering and privation in that expedition, winch exlahits some of the harshest features of tlie war of the Revohition. The con- tein]ilatc(l attack npon Oswego, was mulertakeu in mitl winter, and the army eiicoun- tere( deep snow. Many of tlio men had tlieir feet frozen, and tlie relator among the number, llie expedition was undertaken in sleighs, and upon snow shoes, the men going aliead unon the snow shoes, and partly beathig ihe track. Oneida Li>ko wna crossed upon tlio ice. Arriving at Fort Brewerton, a largo number of the pressed mil- itia, a])iialled Ijy the sutl'ering and diinger they were to encounter, deserted and return- ed to the valley of the Moliawk ; the remainder, an unequal force for the work that was belorethem, struck off into the dark forest in the direction of Oswego, were badly jnloted, missed their course, and were tliree days wanderers amid the ttuni sn,)ws of the wildernesf:. Coming within four mik's of a strong fortress, with provisions exhaus- ted, amnuimtion much damaged, and men already worn out in the march, a council de- culed against the attack, and the expedition retreated to Fort Plain. I! • H ^ PIIELPS AND GOEHAM's PUEOHASE. Moses Gunn was from Berkshire. He died in 1820 ; Linus Gunn of Bloomfield was a son of his; another son wa. an early tavern keeper on north road to Canandaigua As early as 1790 Daniel Gates located in the town of Bloomfield on the Iloneoye creek, at what is now known as North Bloomfield' and erected the first saw mill upon that stream. Procuring some apple sprouts from the old Indian orchard at Geneva he had one of the earliest bearing orchards in the Genesee country. His youngest .on Alfred Gates, now resides upon the old homestead. Dr. John Barnes was an early physician, remained a few years, and emigrated to Canada. Elijah Hamlin, Philo Hamlin. Cyprian Collins, Gideon King, Ben- jamin Chapman, Joel and Christopher Parks. Ephraim and Lot Rue, Alexander Emmons, Ashbel Beach, Nathan Waldron, Enos Hawley Timothy Buel, were Pioneers in Bloomfield, but in reference to thern the author as m many other instances, has to regret the absence of names Elijah Hamlin, who was alive a short time since, in Mich- gan. If ahve now, is the only survivor of them. He was a contrac- tor on the Erie Canal, at Lockport, in 1823. Joel Parks, a son of one of those named, married a daughter of Dea. Gooding of Bristol He was a pioneer at Lockport. Niagara county, a Jus:ice of the peace and merchant; and is nowa residen.of Lockport Illinois. iZZ'/rV'"""^ ^''"^ ^'''^''^'''' '' ^^oorni^-^d, in March. 1/94. vvith his wife and seven children. He was then but 27 years old. Remaining in Bloomfield until 1813. he removed with his lamily to the town of Henrietta, when settlement had but first com- menced and where he had been preceded two or three years by some of his sons. He died in the town of Gates, in 1820, aged 62 years At the time of his death he had Hving, 12 children, 67 grand-children, and 7 great-grand children; nine of the sons and PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 191 daughters are now living. The mother died in Randolph, Cattara- gus county, in 1840, aged 78 years; the eldest son at Council Bluff, on his way to Oregon, in 1840. The history of this family furnishes a remarkable instance of the spirit of enterprise and adventure in- herited by the descendants of the early pioneers of the Genesee country. Residing in one town, in 1813, in 1842 the sons and daughters were residents of five different States,. Nine of them are now living : James Sperry, in Henrietta, a well known surveyor, and a local agent of the Wadsvvorth estate ; Moses Sperry, the present Surrogate of Monroe ; Calvin Sperry, in Gates, Monroe county; Charles Sperry in Quincy, Illinois; George Sperry in Trumbull county Ohio. A sister resides in Cattaragus county ; another in Akron, Ohio ; another in Missouri ; another in Gates, Monroe county. Mr James Sperry having kindly furnished the author with some interesting pioneer reminiscences, they are inserted in the form adoDted in other instances. REMINISCENCES OF JAMES SPERRY. Among the trials of tlio first settlers, there wore none more irntatinij tlian the destniction of slieep and swine by th^- wohes ami bears. Often "wliole flocks of sheep would be shuiglitered in tlie niglit by the wol\-es. Tliis ha])- pened so frerincntly that those wlio determined to preserve their sheep, made l)ens or yards, so high and tight that a wolf could not get over or tlu'ough them. If left out by accident or carelessnes.s, they weio almost sure to be at- tacked. The state, coanty and town, offered bounties, in the ao-oTOfjate, amounting to 820 for each wolf scalp. Asnhel Sprague caught ten irBIoom- fiekl, which had the effect to pretty nnich stop their ravages in that quarter. Bears preyed iqion the hog's, that iVom necessity the new settlei's were clMged to let run in the woods for shack. About two years after we came to Bloomfickl, when our iicarciit neigld)or was a mile from my father's house, one dark evening in October, when we were all sitting around the table pearing pumpkins to dry, (and to make apple sauce,) we were suddenly started by a loud squeal from tlie motiier of the gruntei-s, who with her pro- geny, were resting in a hollow log in the woods. Mv father having no ara- nuuution for his old French gun, seize 1 an axe, and went to the rescue, un- hindered by the remonstrances of my mother. The bear tied at his appi'oach, biit had so injured the hog tliat my father killed her and dragged in the carcass. It was not uncommon for boys to see bears when at\er the cows, but I tl i:ik no one of tlie early settlers' received any injury from them, unless they had first been wounded. One of the Coddings, in BloomlieU, came pr<.'tty 192 PHELPS AND GORUAm's rUECIIASE. give ]u.n a I J. UMn^^^!^ '""? ^^P', ''f' ^"'-^ I^'''^^'^ ^'■^^"^^''^^1. ^o fled boarinj 'en. . When our family arrived in tt re liL'o th Tdn' ""^''i V '^'^ ""'f' '''' ^«™^'- «f the town, ne r te ol It of our fHmtv ".' ''"^ .? 'T\ ^'^'^ "^>' ^=^"''^ ^^l'^^^- ^^'^'"r of Norton nn-lTTr^^,'-'"*'.''''^ ^^'"^ •-°^"^'^' '"^^ «'»n as we arrived. Ilemin J^ o?^si;;^^"'a^r "went through college," wer/mr buiitl';roneiaSf":^::f:s.':::rcf^ ''% ^^'^?^ ^^^"^^ ^^='« waskrMitbvIovi.-i P f \V A ^ ^'^^''*^ ^^"^''^' ^^'^'^™ '■^ «'J'ool .to-uataMa. Uunng the summer o f '95 and '6, Betsey Sprague west of Uatavin. wL f ' o^ i f ' ^ '," ^""^'-'''^''i Crock, tlneo miles rlin.e. He canled the first tnuul o7. ,,, > ^^' '•' '"''' " '" "I"'" ^'"^ ^■^""•''"'l J*">- rloth, a,ul nia.le tlic fir "t rL^i^ f t n^r C ? '"'"■''"•^'T ■• ^IrosseJ the fi„.t piece of 78th year of his age ^ '" ''"*' "* Caladuiua. He still survives, iu the niELrs AND GORTI All's PUPwCUASE. 193 and kept tins school. TheiR was then but two schools in the town. Miss Spmgiie kopt the siiine school in the winter of '90 and '7. My eldest brother and myself attended this school in the winter, walking two and a half miles through the snow across the openings ; not with "old shoes and clout- ed "_ on our feet, but with rags tied on theln to go and come in, taking them oft" in school hours. The young men ami boys, the young wonu-n and girls, for three miles around, attended this school. John Fairchild, west of tho Centre, sent his children. In tint fall of '97, a young man with a pack on his back, came in.', the neighborhood of Ounn, Goas, King, Lamberton, and the Bronsons, two miles ciust of the south west school, and one mile north of may father's, and intro- duced himself as a school t<>acher from tho land of steady habits ; proposing that they form a new district, and he would keep their school. The propose tion was accepted, and all turned out late in the season, the young man volun- teei'ing liis assistance, and built another log school house in winch he kept a school in the winter of '97 and '8, and the ensuing winter. The school was as full both winters as the house could hold. Two young men, John Lam- beilon and Jesse Tainter, studietl surveying both winters, and in 1800, Lamberton commenced surveying for the' Holland Company, doing a laro-er amount of sur\eying upon their Purcluise than any other man. °Ho now lives near Pine Hill, a few miles north of Batavia. The first wmter, ray father sent seven to this scliool, and the second winter eight. In this school, most of us learned for the first time that the earth Avas round, and turned round upon its axis once in 24 hours, and revolves around the sun once a year. .1 shall never forget the teacher's manner of illnsti'ating these tacts : — For the ANTrnt of a globe, he took an old hat, the crown having "gone up to seed," doubled in the old limber trim, marked with chalk a line round tho mitldle lor the e([uator, and another representing the eliptic, and held it up to the scholars, with the " seed end " towards them, and turning it, com- menced the two revolutions. The simultaneous shout which went up from small to great, was a " caution'" to all young school masters how they in- troduce " new things" to yoimg Pioneers. Although the school mjister was afayoriU;_with parents and pujjils, the "most orthodox" thought he was talking of some thing of which he knew nothing, and was teaching for sound doctrine A\hat Avas contrary to tho common sense of all ; for every body knew that tho earth was flat and immovably fixed, and that the sun rose and set every day. That teacher finally settled in Bloomfield, was afterwards manv years a Justice of tlie Peace; for one term, member of the legislature; anil for one term, a member of Congress; now known as Gen. Micah Bi'ooks, of Brook's Grove, Livingston county. ■ TIk', fiist meeting house in the Genesee country, was erected in Bloomfield, in IRQ 1. A church and society had been formed some years before; Seth ■\Villiston and Jedcdiali Bushndl, ujissionaries from the east, hibored occa sionaliy and sometimes continually in Blcjmfield, from 1797 to 1800. An extensive revival in that ami adjoining towns continued under their labors for several years, and in 1801, they raised a large meeting house. Robert Powers was the builder. Meetings were held in it summer and winter, when it was in anunlinished condition, and without warming it, until 1807 and '8, when it wa.': finished ; Andrew Colton being the ai'cliilect. Ancient occupancy wsis distinctly traced "at the period of early settlement I s II 19^^ PHELPS AND QOEHAm's PUECHASE. in Bboinfie],!. On tlie farm of Nathan Wuldron, and on othei-s contio-uous, in tlionortliefist comer of the town, near whore the Adams, Norton! and Kues hi-st settled, many gim barrels, locks and stock barrels, of French con- struct.oti, and tomahawks, were plowed up and used for makini; w mendin-r agricultural implements. I have seen a,' many as 1 5 or 20 barreS at a time, al Wadrons blacksmith shop, while ho and David Reese, his journeyman, were vyorkino- them uji. I once saw Reese pointiniy out in the roof of the shop, the etlect ol a ball fired from an old barrel while heatini; it in the forge; his hearers wonderino; how the powder retained its strength for so long a period, the barrel having lain under ground. There were many old Indian burying grounds in Bloomfield, and many of the graves were opened in search of curiosities. In some of them, hatchets were loiind, out generally nothing but bones. In ploughing the ground, bones, skulls, and sometimes hatchets, were found.' The 'stones used by the Indians tor skinnmg tlieir game and peeling bark, were found in various localities, iheso stones were very hard, worked off smooth, and brou<^ht down to an edge at one end, and generally from four to six inches long. I'estle stones used for pounding their corn were frequently found. They were from one to one a half feet in length, round and smooth, with a round point at both ends, something like a rolling pin ; and they were frequently used by the settlers for that puri)ose. ^ The venerable Deacon Stephen Dudley, who settled in Bloomfield as early as 1799, still survives. In the summer of i848 he informed the author that there were then less than twenty persons living in Bloomfield, who were adults when he came there. He also inform- ed the author, that Gen. Fellows built the first framed barn west of Canandaigua; and as an instance of the value of lands in an early day, he related an anecdote : — Gen. Fellows had no building spot on the road, on his large tract, but an acre of land on a lot adjoin- ing was desirable for that purpose. Proposing to buy it, he asked the owner his price, who replied :— " I declare, General, if you take an acre right out of my farm, I think you should give me as much as fifty cents for it." In 1798 a second religious society was organized in Bloomfield, called the "North Congregational Society." The first trustees were : — Jared Boughton, Joseph Brace, and Thomas Hawley. MICAH BROOKS. Micah Brooks, was a son of David Brooks, A. M., of Cheshire, Conn. The father was a graduate of Yale College. He belonged PHELPS AND GORHAIm's PURCnA3E. 195 ( contiguous, J^ortous anil French con- ; or mending . at a tiiiio, at oynian, were of the shop, lO forge ; his ag a period, nd many of 3m, hatchets the ground, used by the 1 in various ind brouglit inches long, und. They r'ith a round e frequently Bloomfielil e informed s living in so inform- 'n west of n an early Iding spot lot adjoin- lie asked al, if you ve me as lloomfield, t trustees vley. Cheshire, belonged to the first quota of men furnished by the town of Cheshire ; en- tering the service first as a private soldier, but soon becoming the quarter master of his regiment. He was a member of the legisla- ture of Connecticut, at the period of the surrender of Burgoyne, and a delegate to the State Convention that adopted the U. S. con- stitution at Hartford. After his first military service, he alternated in discharging the duties of a minister and then of a soldier — going out in cases of exigency with his shouldered musket ; especially at the burning of Danbury and the attack upon New Haven. After the Revolution, he retired to his farm in Cheshire, where he died in 1802. Micah Brooks, in 179G, having just arrived at the age of twenty- one years, set out from his father's house to visit the new region, the fame of which was then spreading throughout New England. Af- ter a pretty thorough exploration of western New York, he returned to Whitestown, and visited the country again in the fall of 1797, stop- ping at Bloomfield and engaging as a school teacher ; helping to build his own log school house. [D= See reminiscences of Mr, James Spe:ry. Returning to Cheshire, he spent a part of a summer in studying surveying with Professor Meigs, with the design of enter- ing into the service of the Holland Company. In the fall of '98, he returned, and passing Bloomfield, extended his travels to the Falls of Niagara on foot, pursuing the old Niagara trail ; meeting with none of his race, except travellers, and Poudry, at Tonawanda, with whom and his Squaw wife, he remained over night. After visiting the Falls — seeing for himself the wonder of which he had read so imperfect descriptions in New England school books, he went up the Canada side to Fort Erie, crossing the river at Black Rock. The author gives a graphic account of his morning' s walk from Black Rock to where Buffalo now is, in his own language, as he is quite confident he could not improve it : — " It was a bright, clear morning in November. In my lonely walk along the bank of the Lake, I looked out upon its vast expanse of water, that unstin-ed by the wind, waj as transparent as a sea of glnss. There was no marks of civilization upon its shores, no American sail to float upon its surfivce. Standing to contemplate the scene, — here, I re- flected, the goodness of a Supreme Being has prepared a new crea- tion, ready to be occupied by the people of his choice. At what period will the shores of this beautiful Lake be adorned with dwel- 196 PfiELPS AND GOnnASl's PUECHASE. lings and all the appointments of civilized life, as now seen upon the shores of the Atlantic ? I began to tax my mathematical powers to see wh6n the east would become so overstocked with population, as to be enabled to furnish a surplus to fill up the unoccupied space between me and my New England friends. It was a hard question to solve ; and I concluded if my New England friends could see me, a solitary wanderer, upon the shores of a far off western Lake, indulging in such wild speculations, they would advise me to return and leave such questions to future generations. Dut I have r/ten thought that I had then, a presentiment of a ;)rtr< of what half a century has accomplished." Walking on to the rude log tavern of Palmer, which was one of the then, but two or three habitations, on all the present site of Buffalo, he added to his stock of bread and cheese, and struck off again into the wilderness, on the Indian trail, — slept one night in the surveyor's ca.-r^p of .Tames Smedley, and after getting lost in the dense dark woods where Batavia now is, reacheil the transit line, where Mr. Ellicott's hands were engaged in erecting their primitive log store house. Renewing his school teoching in Bloomfield, in '99, he purchased the flirm where he resided for many years. It was at a period of land speculation, and inflation of prices, and he paid the high price of 80 per acre. Boarding at Deacon Bronson's — working°for him two days in the week for his board, and for others during liaying and harvesting, he commenced a small improvement. Returning to Connecticut, he kept aschooi for the winter, and in the spring came out with some building materials ; building a small framed house in the course of the season. In 1801 he brought out two sisters as house keepers, one of whom as has been stated, be- came the wife of Col. Asher Saxton, and the other Curtiss, a settler in Gorham. In 1802 he married the daughter of Deacon Abel Hall of Lyme, Conn., a sister of Mrs. Clark Peck of Bloom- field. He became a prominent, public spirited, and useful Pioneer. Receiving in one of the earliest years of his residence in the new country, a military comminion, he passed through the different gra- dations to that of Major General. Appointed to the office of justice of the peace in i806, he was an assistant justice of the county courts in 1808, and was the same year elected to the Legislature from Ontario county. In 1800, he was an associate commissioner niELPS AM) GORHAMS PURCHASE. 197 n upon the :1 powers to population, ipied space nl question 3 could see tern Lake, e to return have f/ten hat half a tavern of tations, on bread and idian trail, ledley, and rm now is, engaged in purchased period of high price ng for him ig liaying ter, and in ng a small •ought out stated, be- Curtiss, a if Deacon 3f Bloom- Pioneer. . the new brent gra- of justice e county 2gislature missioner I with Hugh McNair and Mathevv Warner, to lay out a road from Caiiandaigua to Olean ; and another from Ilornellsville to the mouth of the Genesee River. In the war of 1812, he was out on the frontier in two campaigns, serving with the rank of Colonel. In 1811 was elected to Congress. He was a member of the State Convention in 1822, and a Presidential Elector in 1821. He was for twenty years a Judge of the Ontario county courts. In 1823, he purchased in connection with Jellis Clute and John B. Gibson, of Mary Jemison, commonly called the White Woman, the Gardeau tract on the Genesee River. Selecting a fine portion of it for a large farm and residence, on the road from Mount Mor- ris to Nunda, he removed to it soon after the purchase. The small village and i)lace of his residence is called " Brook's Grove. " Gen. Brooks is now 75 years of age, retaining his mental facul- ties unimpaired ; as an evidence that his physical constitution holds out well, after a long life of toil and enterprise, it may be remarked that in the most inclement month of the last winter, he made a jour- ney to New England and the city of New York. His present wife was a sister of the first wife of Frederick Smith, Esq. of. Palmyra, and of the second wife of Gen. Mills, of Mount Morris. His sons are Lorenzo H. Brooks, of Canadea, and Micah W. Brooks, residing at the homestead. A daughter is the wife of Henry Rielly Esq., formerly the editor of the Rochester Daily Advertiser, and P. M. of Rochester ; now a resident of New York, widely known as the enterprising proprietor of thousands of miles of Telcgrajjh lines in diflerent States of the Union ; another, is the wife of Mr. George Ellwanger, one of the enterprising proprietors of Mount Hope Gar- den and Nursery ; another the wife of Theodore F. Hall, formerly of Rochester, now of Brook's Grove. He has two unmarried daughters, one of whom is a well educated mute, and is now a teacher in the deaf and dumb institution at Hartford, Conn. The history of Mica'' Brooks furnishes a remarkable instance of a man well educated, and yet unschooled. The successful teacher, the competent Justice and Judge — as a member of our State and National counciis, the drafter of bills and competent debater — the author of able essays upon internal improvements, and other sub- jects — even now in his old age, a vigorous writer, and a frequent contributor to the public ^oress : — never enjoyed, in all, a twelve months of school tuition I The small library of his father, a good ]98 PItELPS AND GOEHAil's PURCHASE. native intellect, intercourse with the world, a laudable ambition and self reliance, supplied the rest. The original purchasers of that part of the old town of Bloom- held, which IS now the town of West Bloomfield, (or 10,5G0 acres of It) were Robert Taft, Amos Hall, Nathan Marvin and Ebenezer turtis. All of these, it is presumed, became settlers in 1789 '90 • as was also Jasper P. Sears, Peregrine Gardner, Samuel Miller,' John Algur, Sylvanus Thayer. Amos Hall was from Guilford, Conn. He was connected with the earliest military organizations, as a commissioned officer and rose to the rank of Major General, succeeding William Wadsvvorth At one period during the war of 18J2, he wos the commander-in' chief upon the Niagara frontier. He also held several civil offices ; and in ail early years was a prominent and useful citizen. He died in 1 827, aged G6 years. The surviving sons are : — David S Hall merchant, Geneva ; Thomas H Jl, superintendani of Rochester and Syracuse R. Road; Morris Hall, Cass county Michigan : Heman Hall, a resident of Pennsylvania. An only daughter became the wife of Josiah Wendle, of Bloomfield. Gen. Hall was the deputy ]\Iarshall, and took the U. S. censu<- in Ontario county, in 1790, in July and August, it is presumed. His roll has Deen preserved by the family, and will be found in the Ap- pendix, (No. 9.) ^ HONEOYE - PITTSTO W.^T - NOW RICHMOND. In April, 1787, three young men, Gideon Pitts, James Goodwin and Asa Simmons left their native place, (Dighton, Mass.,) to seek a nevv home m the wilderness. They came up the Su.squehannah and located at Newtown, now Elmira. Here, uniting with other adventurers they erected the first white man's habitation upon the site of the present villnge ; and during the summer and fall planted and raised Indian corn. Returning to Dighton, their favorable rep- resentations of the country induced the organization of the " Di^^hton 1 helps and Gorham had perfected their title. To be in season, Cal- vin Jacobs was deputed to attend the treaty with Gideon Pitts, and select the t'-Qn* a. .^^., __ .u. . i- i^.^, .um ie tr.;itlis omirred in our family, no sea.som:d WkuxU could bo olilainod for ootliu.s, short of takino- down a parti- tion of our log-house. The second winter, myself, a sister, a'nd youn^ bro- ther, w;ent to st'hool two miles and a half through the wood.^ into what is uow Livonia. We went upon the old Eig Tree Road, and mostly find tn PUELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 203 beat our own path, for but a few sleighs p.-is-sed during the winter. There was hut onefuniily — that of Mr. Brig2;s — on the way. I think it was in the summer of 1802, tliat a little daughter of one of our neighbors, 8ewal ]3oyd, three years old, was lost in the woods. A lively sympathy- was oi'cated in the neighborhood, the woods were scoured, the out- let waded, and the flood wood removed; on the third day, she was found in the woods alive, having some berries in her hand, which the instincts of hunger had caused her to pick. The nniscpietocs had preyed upon her until tney had caused running sores upon her face and arms, and the little wander- er had passed through a terriiic thunder storm. ^ The Indians, if they were guilty of occasional outrage, had some of the nncst miiHiIses of the human heart. The wife of a son of Capt. Pitts, who had alwiiys been kind to them, was upon her death bed; hearing of it, the hqufiws came and wailed urouml the house, with all the intense grief they exhibit when mourning the death of kindred. Upon "Phelps' Flats," as they were called, near the Old Indian Castle, at the foot of Honooye Lake, in the iirst jjlouLrhing, many brass kettles, guns, beads, &c., were found. An old Squaw that had formerly resided upon the Hats, said that the approach of Sullivan's army was not discovered by them until they were seen coming over the hill near where Capt. Pitts built his house. They were quietly braiding their corn, and boiling their succotash, bhe said there was a sudden desertion of their village; all took to fli(rhtand eft the invaders an uncontested field. One Indian admitted that ife never looked back until he reached Buft'alo Creek. In the earliest j-ears, deer would come in flocks, and feed upon our gi-een wheat ; Elisha Pj-att, who was a hunter, made his home at our house, and I have known him to kill six and seven in a day. Bears would come and take the hogs from directly before the doors of the new settlers— sometimes in open day light. I saw one who had seized a valuable sow belonging to Peter Allen, and reti'eated to the woods, raising her with his paws clenched in her spine, and beating her against a tree to deprive her of life; persisting even af- ier men had approached ami were attacking him with clubs. ° _ I could relate many wolf stories, but one will perhaps be so incredible that It will sutl'ce. A Mr. Ilurlbuit, that lived in the west part of the town, was ruling through our neighborlioo.1, on a winter eveniuo-, and passing a strip of ■woods near our house, a pack of wolves surrounded him, but his dog diverted their attention until he escaped. While sitting upon his horse, telling us the story, the ])ack came within fifteen rods of the house, and stoj)ping^upon a knoll almost deafened us with liieir howl. Retreating into the woods a short distance, they seemed by the noise to have a fight among themselves, and in the inorning, it was ascertained that they had actually killed and eat one of their own number ! * Capt. Harmon, built a barn in 1802 or '3; at the raising, an adopted son ot his, by the name of Butts, was killed outright, and Isaac Bishop wjisstun- noJ, supposed to be dead. He recovered, but with tiie entire loss of the fac- * This is not incredible ; other similar cases are triven upon i^ood authoritv. Vnm- ishiiig, iaveii,m.<; a fighl occurs, and usting blood, they know no distinction between uieir own and otier species. — AuiHoa. 204 rilELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. iilty of memory. Altlioiigli lie had possessed a good education, ho had lost It all, even the names of his childivn, his wife and farming utensils. His vMte re-taught him the rudiments of education, beginning with the ABC. !Uid the names of things. Rattle snakes were too common a thing to speak of; but we had a few of another kind of snake, that I have never heard or read of, elsewhere. It had a hom with which it would make a noise like the rattle of a rattle snake. In 1790 and '7, Peter Allen and his family ; his brother Nathaniel, and the father, Moses Allen, became residents of the town. The father and mother died in early years. Pete.' Allen was connected \.-ith early military organizations, and rose to the rank of a Brig. Gen.^ lie was in command of a Regiment at the buttle of Queens- ton, in which he was made a prisoner ; afterwards a member of the Legislatm-e from Ontario. DCr" See Peter Allen and "Hen. Fel- lows," Hammond's Political History. In 1810 he emigrated to In- diana, becouiingone of the pioneer settlers of Terra Haute ; i por- tion of his original farm, Veing now embraced in the village. He died in 1837, many of his descendants are residents of Terra Haute. Nathaniel Allen was the primitive blacksmith of Pitts- town ; working first as a journeyman in Canandaigua, and then starting a shop, first in the neighborhood of Pitts Flats, and after- wards, on the Hill, that assumed his name. He was an early officer of militia, deputy sheriff, member of the legislature. In the war of 1812, he successively filled the post of commissioner and pay master, on the Niagara Frontier. After the war, he was sheriff of Ontario county, and in later years, for two terms, its representative in Congress. He died at Louisville, Ky., in 1833, where he was a contractor for the construction of the canal around the Falls of the Ohio. Of five sons, but one survives. Dr. Orrin Allen, a resident of Virginia. An only daughter was the first wife of the Hon. R. L. Rose, who is the occupant of the homestead of the family on Allen's Hill. The family were from Dutchess county. The daugh- ters oi Moses Allen became the wives of Elihu Gifford, of Easton, Washington county, Samuel Wood worth of Mayville, Mont, co.,' Samuel Robinson of Newark, Wayne co.. Fairing Wilson, of Stock- bridge, Mass., Roswell Turner of Pittstown, Ont., and Stephen Durfee of Palmyra, Wayne county. Sylvester Curtis erected the first distillery iii town ; and James i PHELPS AND GOEIIAM's PURCHASE. 205 Henderson who Avas a pioneer at the head of Conesus Lake, was an early landlord upon the Hill. David Akin, Wm. Baker, Thomas Wilson, James Hazen, Silas Whitney, Cyrus Wells, the Johnsons, David Winton, Nathaniel Harmon, William Warner, were settlers in earliest years. Philip Reed, who came in with the Chipmans, died about twenty years ago. His surviving sons are Col. John F. Reed, Silas Reed, Wheeler Reed, Wm. F. Reed, and Philip Reed, all residing on and near the old homestead. As early as 1790 or '7, Elijah and Stiles Parker, Elisha Belknap, Col. John Gi-een, John Garlinghouse, became residents of the town. The four first namea, emigrated many years since to Kentucky, and in late years some of them have pioneered still further on, over the Rocky Mountains to Oregon. Joseph Garlinghouse, a son of the early pioneer, John Garlinghouse, an ex-sherilF of Ontario county, a prominent enterprising farmer, still resides in Richmond. A son of his married a daughter of Erastus Spalding, the early pioneer at the mouth of Genesee River ; another, the daughter of David Stout, a pioneer in Victor and Perinton. Daughters, are Mrs. Comstock, of Avon, and Mrs. Sheldon, of Le Roy. Mrs. Briggs and Mrs. Hopkins, of Richmond, are daughters of John Garling- house ; and a son and daughter reside in Iowa. Asa Dennison who is namea in connection with the Chipmans, still survives, a resident of Chautauque county. GORHAM. In all of the old town of Gorham, at first Easton, (what was is now Gorham and Hopewell,) a few settlers began to drop in along on the main road from Canandaigua to Geneva, as early as 1790. In July of that year, there were the families of Daniel Gates, Daniel Warren, Sweets, Platts, Samuel Day, and Israel Cha- pin jr. who had commenced the erection of the mills upon the outlet. Mr. Day was the father of David M. Day, the early ap- prentice to the printing business with John A. Stephens in Canan- andaigua, and the founder of what is now one of the prominent and leading newspapers of western New York, the Buffalo Commer- 206 PIIEIPS AND OOEIIASrS PURCHASE. cal Adverfser. Daniel Warren emigrated to SI.eldon, now Wyo- m,ng CO., ,„ ,8,0 or ■„, „l,ere he died within a few yea " I'ome roy Warren of Attiea. Wyoming eo., is a son of h^ and Mrf Harry J ara.lton. near Little For,, Ilhnois, is a daughter Conn., bo h were out with Mr. Phelps in his primilive .advent They purchased land in Gorham, paying ,s cd per aero. Tl !:« mwT;,: .: "f /.■=«" '«'•«"- H-vastl ,irsteollee.orof aies of the town of Gorham. His descendants are numerous a Hrdt" f-rs r" '1 "^"=*'^" ^"™"-8 heads of fl L H.S daug^ite s beea.ne the wives of Asahel IJurch.ard, the early P oneer of L,,„a; Asa Denton, Shubel Clark and J.amo Wyckoff 1 "; Bantcl Gates, jr. died in ,8,2; his wife was a sister o he wtfe of Major Miller the early pioneer near Buffalo, and o the Wife of Capt. Folle.t ; Daniel Gates of Palmyra is asoi earr,7 ror"'^" ","' '"'z ^"^ "" "^'•'™'^ °f «-'>-" - early as 179G or 7: — James Wood, Perlev Gitps T„ ii Frederick Miller Sdas Eeed, Cap,! FreZictp II^ITl S JorWarm ""' ""'"""' '"'^°^'' ■' '°'^^' -" J-- ^'"^^ Major Frederick Miller left Gorham soon after ,800 a' 1 was a Roneer at Black Roek, the early landlord and keeper of thTe^y M,s Darnel Gates jr., were daughters of George Babcoek. Silas Reed died m 1834, at the age of 70 years ; an only sur- Tf loi, »:£! ■ " "'■'' ''°"°"' °' '''''^''' "-' " -M- ™t,bone and E hsha Williams, on the Kingston side of the river w.th,n s,gl,t ol .he Wilkesbarre Fort, the party were s d nly at rnd^leTnS''SeT:i,;r::,'^-'s:il;f •""'="-''''»-'» fpll ^.. I • f , ^^""•''Pf^ais. fctill having consciousness, he fell on Ins face ~ be.n. unable to escape - held his breath as much lation at the hands ol his ruthless pursuer.. But he was not thus PHELPS AND QORIIAm's PURCHASE. 201 ovv Wyo- s; Pome- and Mrs. tonington advent. The old 'Hector of merous, a ' families, the early Wyckoff sister of , and of 11. 3rham as - Ingalls, Lemuel, Hrdseye ; \ was a he ferry nd Mrs. Ictt and •nly sur- ime the resident tiers of Steplien e river, ■nly at- red and ioulder, less, he s much r muti- ot thus to bo spared. The Indians came up to him, and without any un- necessary delay or useless ceremony, scalped him as he lay in hia gore and agony ; and but for tlie approach of assistance from the fort, would no doubt have ended his days with the tomahawk. The spear wounds were severe and deep — one of which penetra- ted his stomach, so that its contents came out at his side ! His case was deemed hopeless, but kindness prompted all the aid that medical and surgical skill could allbrd. lie was placed i i charge of Dr. William Hooker Smith, who did all in his power to save him — and his eflbrts were crowned with success, and he becr.me a hearty and well man. He was then young and full of vigor, and never experienced any particular inconvenience from these severe wounds, except occasional pain from one of the bullets, which was never extracted from his body, and extreme sensitiveness to the slightest touch, or even the air, of that portion of the head from which the scalp was removed. He afterwards entered the naval service — was captured, and taken to Halifax, and confined in a dungeon six months ; was re- leased ; entered the service again, and was twice captured by the British, and eventually returned to his native country, to Dalton, Berkshire county, Mass., from whence he removed at an early day to Gorham. It is a somewhat singular coincidence that his eldest son- now dead — who entered the naval service as a midshipman, in 1812, was captured on board the Chesapeake in her engagement with the Shannon, and was also imprisoned in the same dungeon six months that his father had occupied during our first confiict with the pow- ers of England. " Capt. Follett " is frequently mentioned in the manuscripts of Charles Williamson, and would seem to have been in his employ as early as 1794. His surviving sons are, :— Orrin Follett, an early printer and editor at Batavia, and a member of the legislature from Genesee county, now a resident of Sandusky, Ohio ; his second wife, a niece of James D. Bemis, of Canandaigua ; Nathan Follett of Batavia; and Frederick Follett, of Batavia, the successor of his brother, as a printer and editor — for a long period honorable assc •lated with the public press of the Genesee country — and at present, one of the Board of Canal Commissioners of this State ; having in immediate charge the western division of the Erie Canaii 208 PnELPS AND GORnAll's PUECHASE. M. Folletl, of Ihe U. S. army, a Rraduate of West roint ■ a .ir- cun^s ance wor.l.y of mention, as ,l,e patronage of tha M&na. cheol ,s not always a, well bestowed, as in this instanee, upon the d scendant of one so eminently entitled to be remember d L ser ™e^ sacr,nces and sulTerings, unparalleled in our Revolutionary BRISTOL. m tol. About the period that Mr. Phelps was holding his treaty with the Indians, ■„ 1T88, they locatod at the Old Indfan ebari Tn,l 1 lonccr MiJi that has heen often named in other connections Hp died many years since. Joseph Gilbert was living a ewLnS since, at the age of 93 years; if living now, he is the ordeTtsur vivmg resident of the Gene.see country Deacon William Gooding and George Codding were amon. thp ew who wintered in the Genesee c^'ountry in'l789 T" b1 famihes have been widely known, and few have been more usoM Deacon John G„o.i„g, another son, was one of h Irlv fo^T" of Lockport, Niagara county, where he died in ,838 oT'o " Coddin- Town Clerk Olhe,r, 2 ®"I"'"''Sor, and John Nathan Allen, nI i „ierFH,e i\* Goo7''";T '°'"''"="' Moses Porter. Amos Barber AldenSersrS Z '!f'' Stephen Sisson, Amos Uice', ^^^l^^^r^^J'^'^f Dan.el Bur,, Mose, Porter, Jonathan Wilde" 'ti'^SiHC PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PTTRCnASE. 209 Frederick nt; a cir- t national , upon the ed for ser- alutionary s of iJris- eaty with hard, and the small ons. He V months dest sur- nong the 0. Both re usefu] e health- is. The reside in )dding is is a son Illinois, founders >f 1797. id John 'oddinc:, Hicks, 'oddinnr, Hatch, coding, ere : ■ — . Allen, Elnathan Gooding, Chauncsy Allen, Samuel Mallory, Ephraim Francis, Seth Hathaway, Constant Simmons, James Carl, Zebulon Mark. MANCHESTER. Township 12, R. 2, originally a part of Farmington, now Man- chester; settlement commenced as early as 1793. Stephen Jared, Joel Phelps, and Joab Gilleit, were the fu'st settlers. DCP For Stephen Phelps, see Palmyra. Gillett, in early years, moved to No. 9, Canandaigua. Nathan Pierce, from Berkshire, was a settler in 1795. But small openings had then been made in the forest. Mr. Pierce erected a log house, had split bass wood floors, no gable ends, doors, or win- dows ; neither boards or glass to be had ; and " wolves and bears were his near neighbors." Coming from Parker's Mills through the woods at night, with his grist on his back, a pack of wolves followed him to his door. Brice Aldrich, a Pioneer of Farmington, w^as taking some fresh meat to Canandaigua on horseback, when a wolf stoutly contended with him for a share of it. There were many Indian hunters camped along on the outlet ; some times the whites would carry loads of venison to Canandaigua for them, where it would be bought up, and the hams dried and sent to an eastern market. Trapping upon the outlet was profitable for both Indians and whiles. Mr. Pierce was supervisor of Farmington for fifteen years, and an early magistrate ; he died in 1814 ; his widow is now living, at the age of 87 years. His surviving sons are: —Nathan Pierce, of Marshall, Michigan, Darius Pierce, of Washtenaw, Ezra Pierce of Manchester. Daughters : — Mrs. Peter Mitchell, of Manches- ter, Mrs. David Arnold, of Farmington. John McLouth, from Berkshire, came in '95, was a brother-in-law of Nathan Pierce ; died in 1820. Joshua Van Fleet, was one of the earliest; was an officer of the Revolution, a member of the legislature from Ontario ; a judge an*d magistrate, and the first supervisor of Manchester. He is 90 years of age, a resident of Marion, Ohio. First merchant, Nathan Barlow, a son of Abner Barlow, of Canandaigua; -resides now in Michigan. First physician, James Stewart. Nathan 210 PHELPS AND GORHAM's PUllCIIASE. arr hk 'l h, f ^' ""^ '-i'™'' ""'' Mrs. Simmons of I'helpg 1-h. :""'"T'" ?^ purchasing a la,.o tract of i:nrTt Hn" t ;'T '^^•«'" Berkshire; Gilbert died in 1830. Nicholas Howland of Farmington. and Jonathan IIou land of Adrian M.ch igan, are his sons. Mrs Sil-is T{m„.n ^r u i ^^ '"^"' ^"'cn- a daughter. °^ Hamburg, Erie county, is John Lamunion, came in early years ; was from Rhode Island of ctt fTu f? ''''' ^"^^- «'^ -•^^' -'- -- the w ow of Capt. Follett, died two or three year, since. leleg Redfield. was a townsman of Mr. Thelps in SufT.eld • was a musican m the Connecticut lineduringthe Rovolution.nl 99 he exchanged wuh Mr. Phelps, his small farm in Suffield. fo 200 r PhlT' H ' f ""'.' ^.'T ^^ '^^•^'^' °" ^^y unsold lands of Mr Phelps. He selected the land where he now resides on the Ra.l Road, a m.le and a half we.^ of Clifton Springs ; (a judiciou se ectjon, as any one will allow, who sees the fine farm inCw eh t has been converted ; ) clearing three acres and erecting the body of a og house he removed his family in Feb. 1800, consistmg of a wiJe and s.x children. " The journey," says a son of his, '^ was pe, form- ed wuh a sleagh and a single span of horses. Besides theZX h sle,gh was loaded with beds and bedding, and articles of house hold fun.ture. I shall never forget this, my first journey to the Genesee country, especially that portion of it west of Utica The snovv was three feet deep, and the horses tired and iodod'by the crad e-holes, often refused to proceed farther with their loaJ I had the privilege of riding down hill, but mostly walked with my father, my mother driving the team." ^ Arriving at their new home, the Pioneer familv found shelter with anew settler, "until the bark would peel in the spring," when a roof was put upon the body of the log house that Mr. Redfield had erected ; openings made for a door and window, and bass-wood logs ? ,1 ' r- "''" '^' ^"^'^y ^'^'^'^^"^'^ ""ti' -utu'nn. when a double log house had been erected. Mr. Redfield is now in his 80th year; his memory of early events, retentive, and his physical constitution remarkable for one of his years. He is the fatiier of rnELPS AND OORnAM's PURCHASE. 211 the Hon. Ileman J. RedncKJ, of Batavia; of Lewis II. Ro.lfiol.l p ,7 . rT "'''"'*' ^'"^'"'^'"'■' ^"^ l^«ok,seIIcr at Syracuse ; Hiram Kodfiold of Rochester, George Redfield, Cass co. Michigan Alex- ander H. Redfield of Detroit, Cuyler Redfield, with whom he i-e sides upon the old homestead. His .on. Manning Redfield, of Man Chester, was killed in a mill where he was marketing his grain in 1850. One of his daughters, was the wife of Leonard Short of hhortsv.lle, and the other, of Marvin Minor, a merchant at Bergen and Johnson's creek. "I could have made my location at I^rl Will, near Canandnigua," said the old gentleman to the author "but a town was growing up there, and I feared its influence upon my boys. There are many Pioneer fathers who have lived to regret that they had not been governed by the same prudent motive ' ' The Pioneer mother died in 1844, aged 80 years. It will appeal incredible to the house keepers, and young mothers of the present day when they are told, that Mrs. Redfield, in early years, when she had a family of six and seven children, performed all her ordin^ ary huu^e-work, milked her own cows ; and carded, cpun and wove all the woolen and linen cloth that the family wore. But the old gentleman thinks it should be (.dded, that he and the boys licrhtened her labor, by uniformily wearing buckskin breeches in the winter; tfiough the mother had them to make. REMINISCENCES OF PELEG REDFIELD. rv i? I ^ ^?'''^ ''''t ^''" '■''*'''*"'^' ^^ fi'^^ it up and hired Elam Crane to toucli a school. It was a mile from my house, and my boys used to go throiigfi the wood.s by maikod trees. ^ ^ mi?" r\^ ^'"'■'"m ''■"''''■' ''■'"■'' '"^ ^'''^^ ""i^nnce; nothing sliort of a pen sixteen it. ';- W f^t^'^'t «»■• «1"^^P- in ^vinters, when hungry, they would CO lect together and prow around the log dwellings; and if disappointed in sccirnig any prey then- howling would sturtlo even backwoodsmen. The Imhan wa,^ upon the wolf with great hatred ; it is in a spirit of re^■enge for ..en preyinjT up .u tlien- game, the deer. In the side hill, along on my farm l^jy dug pits, covered them over with light brush and leaves, and bendinff clown small trees, suspended the ortiils of deer dir.ictly over the pits. In sprm-nng for the b|ut tlie wolf would land in the bottom of the pits where they c-ouM easdy be k, lied. The salmon us.d ,o ascend the Canandaigua outH as ar up as Shortsvilo, before mill dams were erected. The speckled trout we.e plenty^n the gulphiu-^S pring brook ; and in all the small streams. '•'*£y ?n"lT8i'"^ ""''""^ '" '""^ BristolIgedT37e^8Th^l^;;;rt^ the Genesee 312 PHEIPS AOT) QOEHAJI'S PUECUASE. «l,e3 per biBbd, u, Watts Stem,™ J^ ' f ^;'**°f "'«'•■"■ I »U it for bofght tads tor t^rSvc l°,s r:r:ct '""" ■' ""^ '" ""=" '*»'■■ -" I 'iw!l h fir.tn?''^!''^ ^^"''^ '''"' °^S^^"i=^ed in Manchester in 1804- the evvey. i his was the first legal organization, a society had been formed previous to 1800. Judge Phelps gave the soci:'y a ste for Rev Anson .Sh/vn! . ? "^^^^^"g house was erected, for 25 x. 1 ^^ °''"''^ *'^' "'^"^"'^' ^"^ ^^'"^^ined its pastor T e M tl^:^i;tslaT''"*^^^^''^^''^^^^"^ ^^'^^^-^ '^'--' -^«^^ I ne Methodists had a society organization as early as 1800 hold ang their primitive meetings in school and private houses. ' St. John s Church, Farmington," (Episcopal, at Sulphur Springs ) vas organized by the Rev. Devenport Phelps, in 1807. Th offi cers were: -John Shekels. Samuel Shekels, wardens- Dart Wn^ms^ '^" '""rr ^^"»"^ '^'''^' A-hibald A Ll, Da Williams, Thomas Edmonston, Alexander Howard, William Pow- GOLD ■ BIBLE ~ MOBMOIf ISM. Hilt' Tr.p""'' '* *J" ^'"'' "^ *^'« S'"'^l' family-in sio-],tof "Mormon it in it« caro.r,\n I L W to fl^ I '■ Tl^- 1" '^ '' ''''''' ^"^ "'''''•<>' ^'^''^'4 ^'S^:S:^T%f^!7^l'^'-^^^'^f^^ J^ - ^- the tr, 11. ilo fi,>. settled in or near Palmyra village, but as man's store. C.inancliugua Banker, who was the bo„k keeper L Shl7- PublttSo'^H^l'"!''^^''^'^^ keeper at Qcnovn. The public huu.se at the Sprmga.-.n,! Wiulam was thclandCi. two brothers liad erected a : PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASP. 213 ss and naik. I ?at. I sold it for ndjuiid ISdper \arliest yeai's of ilieir labor, and in 1804; the and Jeremiah ety had been "'y a site for erected a log was erected, led its pastor 3ied in 1845. s 1800, hold- ?s. lur Springs.) • Tlie offi. 5ns; Darius l3eal, Davis illiam Povv- )f "Mormon lid siiio'ularly crc'Iy starting to Kirtlaud, as fi'oiri tlio IJagc, Lilt as 'd l)j Hoiiry l)er 111 SLer- ad ort'ctod a early as 1819 was the occupant of some new land on " Stafford street" m the town of Manchester, near tlie Tne of Palmyra.* " Mormon Hill " is near the plank road about half way between the villages of Palm3Ta and Manchester. The elder Smith had been a Univei-salist, and subsequently a Methodist; was a good deal of a smatterer in Scriptural knowledge: but the seed of revela- tion was sown on weak ground; he was a great balili^r, credulous, not espe- cially industi'ious, a money digger, prone to the marvellous; and withal, aht- tle given to dilHculties with neighbors, and petty law-suits. Not a very pro- pitious account of the father of a Prophet,— the founder of a state; but there was a " woman in the case." IIowe\-er jiresent, in matters of good or evil ! — In the garden of Eden, in the siege of Troy, on the field of Orleans, f in the dawning of the Reformation, in the Palace of St. Peterebuigh, and Kremlin of INIoscow, in England's histoiy, and Spain's proudest era; and here upon this continent, in the persons of Ann Lee, Jemima Wilkinson, and as wo are about to add, Mrs. Joseph Smith! A mother's influences; in the world's history, in the history of men, how distinct is the impress I — In heroes, in statesmen, in poets, in all of good or bad aspirations, or distinctions, that single men out from the ina.ss, and give them notoriety ; how often, almost in- variably, are we led back to the influences of a mothei', to find the germ that has sprouted in the offspring. The reader will excuse this interruption of nari'ative, and be told that Mrs. Smith was a woman of strong uncultivated intellect; artful and cunning; im- bued with an illy regulated religious enthusiasm. The incipient hints, the first gi\ ings out that a Projihet was to spring from her humble household, came from her; and when matters were matui'ingfor denouement, she gave out that such and such ones — always fixing upon those who had both money and credulity — were to be instruments in some great work of new revelation. The old man was rather her faithful co-worker, or executive exponent. Their son, Alvah, was originally intended, or designated, by fireside consultations, and solemn and mysterious out door hints, as the forth coming Pi'ophet. Tho mother and the father said he was the chosen one ; but Alvjili, however spir- itual he may have been, had a carnal ap]ietite ; eat too many gi-een turnips, sickened and died. Thus the world lost a Pi'ophot, antl Morinonism a leailcr; the designs impiously and wickedly attributed to Pro\idence, defeated; and all in consequence of a surfeit of raw turnips. Who will talk of the cackling geese of Rome, or any other small and innocent causes of mighty e\-ents, af- ter this? The mantle of tho Prophet which Mis. and Mr. Josejih Smith and one Oliver Cowdery, had >vove of themselves — every tarcad of it — fell upon their next ekh^st son, Joseph Smith, Jr. And a most unpromising reci|)ient of such a trust, was this same Joseph Smith, Jr., afterwards, "Jo. Smith." He was lounging, idle; (not to say vicious,) and possessed of less than ordinary intellect. The author's own re- collections of him are distinct ones. He used to come into tho village of Palmyra with little jags of wood, from his backwoods home; sometimes pat- ronizing a village grocery loo freely ; sometimes find an odd job to do about * Here Iho luithor rcnioinbors to have first scon the family, in the winter of '19, '20, in a nule log house, with but a small spot undurbrushe J oi-'ouud it. t France. 214 PHELPS AND GOEIIAm's PUnCHASE. Uie store of Seymour Se(U'f.ll • o„ i "dare i>...7." *' to oneo andTwl^lf: f ''T'" .""'' ""l"'''"'^ '" "^ Visla(lL. and mothir .'LS? n ^.i;"' S°?f 1" •^' r '"V^'^ ^'"^^ ^'^^^^ ••ompanied his father in the n.idiSf K ; "• '"'^ ''"''''"'' ^"'^ ^'^'^^ ^''- that guarded it. ""^'"'gi^t deh mgs, and mcantations of the spirits rJl^, ';"ti;'h:;rS:% ^;;i^£;r^''' '^7 -^"-^.-« ^^ ^1.. ti. smith was to eo„,e from thei £;, t,1 1 u l"';! J"'"'^rT^'"' '^''' ^ ^''-^J-''^^ AWon Ilill was the p.aee^;.:,:^ it tS ^d^' ^'^^ ^*^ ^^^ ^^'^^ an]^mc!;f::lSnf^th'n r^]:St 1??"^'" ^^'^^-^^^ ^™''v. foun,lation for the stateml h tl >? 1 V""™"^'"^''' '''^'* ^^'''^ i« "« Mr. Spauldin- of Olio A I ,' . ^'"','' '"''""^'^I't was written hy a Comniandnis" n II prowK^^ ^f ''"' "'1''- I^ook 'of been aided by Spauldin^l ttu^;,; J^ ^fj^ ^ L^ ''t •'"'•^f "'^ ''-« a production of tl,e Smith fann^^ a «U. oi r r T'^' '' ;"''"'"' ^'""''^' teacher on Stafford street an infh If > ^ u ?t'"-''' ^^''^ ^^s a school with the whole niatte Th 2 ; ';'^ "u ^'-if' ^T^y^ ""^1 ^'I^^^tilied it, or even given it u ur^ - ? t rn^';i.rV""';''''' ^'^ '—- ^ n>an. The bungling attcmp" to count M-fS tl ? . "" f ''."'"^'^^ ^'^"' "'• ^^'O' intermixture of inodernlXlo'v '^' ' '.'^ the Scriptures; the Pl'v ; it. utter crudm'y ; ^l dn;.?'i^"'''f 7 "'* chronology and eeogra- clearly exhibits its vuh.^. Sin Ta^." wholc^ stamp ite character and and bad composition ° ° " '^™-' '"^^^"^■>' ^'^ ^^P^ures, romance, ■Jhtained by a cheat and afriud T P.""'"!''.';^'/'^ a desire for noton,.f\-, t,, be wasanatdthougirinS-th:;;::;:^^^^^ pr^.S.:t;w;:;i;:j.:;!;.::;:r^,2-j^r£"/'''' '-'?:■■• ^'-i^' '- rcn,in.i«f that np. c^iiod, and j,u.ua4 it w^ r^^'^p;;^!;;;,:;^^ "^ ^'^-^ --^ «"ttoai.o.^ bce^ th!;; I niELPS AND GOEHAJ«''s PURCHASE. 215 into tho office i-S ill lis young len meddling Aioned liall.'s, old f'ahhioJiej teemed as lie eftilnoss, may 1, thus to dis- te. )iration,s; tho illy when ho 'liticaJ etliies, Id red school used to drop ■k of M(!tho- nna road, he ill as the de- t only heard but had ae- of the spirits It the Smith t a Prophet ; and that lith family, there is no ritteii hy a le Book of 9 may have lout doubt, ^as a school ■ identified > liavo read nan or wo- >tnres; tho nd gcogra- 'at'ter, and , romance, whry, was ■iefy, to be 1 ne\v sect, <1 that np. I'eou thus The projectors of the humbug, being destitute of means for carryin5«- out tlieir plans, a vi(^tim wjus s('lected to obviat(! that ditficulty. Martin Harris, was a farmer of Palmyra, the owner of a good farm, and an honest worthy citizen ; but especially gi\'en to religious enthusiasm, new creeds, the more extravagant the better; a monomaniac, in fact. Jtweph Smith upon whom the mantle of prophecy had fallen after the sad fate of Alv;i, began to make demonstrations, lie informed Harris of tho great discovery, and that it had been revealed to him, that he (Harris,) was a chosen instrument to aid in the great work of surprising the world with a new re\elation. They had hit up- on the right man. Ho mortgaged his fine farm to pay for priming the book, assumed a gra\e, mysterious, and uneailhly d(.>portment, and made he're and there among his acipiaintances solemn annunciations of the great event that W!is transpii'ing. His version of the discoverv, as coramunieated to him by tho Pi'ophet Joseph hims('lt; is well remembered by several respectable citi- zens of Palmyra, to whom he made early disclosures. It was in substance, as follows : The Prophet Joseph, was directed by an angel where to find, by excava- tion, at the place afterwards called Mormon Hill, tlu! gold jilates; and was compelled by the angel, much against his will, to be the interjireterof the sa- cred record they contained, and publish it to the world. That the j-lates contained a record of the ancient inhabitants of this C(nmtry, " eno-ra\(,'d by Mormon, the son of Nei)hi.'" That on tho top of the box containinoM;he phites, "a pair of large spectacles were found, tho stones or glass set in which were opa(pie to all but tho Piophet," that "these belonged to Mormon, the cjigra- ver of the plates, and without them, the plates could not be read." Ilarris'as- sumed, that himself and Cowdcny Avere the chosen amanuenses, and that the Prophet Jos(>ph, cuitained trom the woi'ld and them, with his spectacles, read from the gold j)lates what they counnitted to paper. Harris exhibited to an informant of the author, the manuscript 1 itlo page. On it were drawn, rudely and bunglingly, concentric circles, l)ctween above and below which were char- actors, with littl(i resemblance to letters; apparently a miserable imitation of hieroglyphics, the writer may have somewlKMv seen. To guard against pi'o- fane curiosity, tho Prophet had given out that no one but himself, not even his chosen co-operators, must l)e permitted to see them, on i>ain of instant death. Harris had n(.!\er seen the j^lates, but the glowing account of their massive richness excited other than spiritual hopes, and he ujion one occasion, got a village silver-smith to help him estimate their value; taking as a b;isis, the Prophet's account of tlieir dimensions. It was a blemling of Uie spiritual and utilitaiian, that threw a shadow of doubt upon Martin's sincerity. This, and some anticipations he indulged in, as to tho profits that would arise from the sale of tiio (Jold Bible, made it then, as it is now, a mooted question, whether he was altogether a dup(\ Tho wife of Harrs was a rank infidel and heretic, touching the whole thing, and deciiledly ojiposed to her husband's partici[)ation in it. With saeriligioiia hands, slu^ seized over an hundred of the manuscript pages of the new'Teve- l.'ition, and iiurned or secreted them. It was agi-cei] by the Smith family, t'ow.lery and Harris, not to transcribe those again, but to let so much of the new re\ elation drop out, as the "evil spirit would get up a story that tho second translation did not agree with the first." A verv in^'onious metluxl surely, of guarding against the possibility that Mrs. Harris had preserved tlio 216 PHELPS AND GOEHAll's PUECIIASE. .onSL'f :',S »',!:it,^„7 sl'iif £.;,*" 7'?;r = f ""st' i- 'tt'rf °n.',:il di""'*, TrTT' "■"■" '"''"■-■ H« .""™«i'iiX uie iu(, ot ci baptiht older, biitlia.l by some iirevious froak if the iiitlior i^ mat,,,,, Dc«,g,,,„g i,„I„t,o„.s a.nl dirf,<„,«i, „„,li.,i,„ so„,I,l„„cc of "3 "Yo too, b:licvers of incredible creeds, WLosu faith enshrines tlio monsters wliich it breeds ; Who bolder, even tlian Nimrod, think to rise By nonBciiBo henped on nonsense to the skies; Ye shall have miracles, aye, sound ones too, Seen, lieard, attested, every thing Ijiit true. Your preaching zealots, too insi)ired to seek One grace of meaning for the things they sjieak ; Youi- martyrs ready to shed out theii- blood ttempt an iuir lioiiseliold of 5 absence, tlie libors. They the sliore of 1 cotton, and 5 stone, in a it will be ob- was the same 3nded discov- ad with some le credulous, inie across "a 3ne. In tlie ce. Enlarg- d then explo- -lurknoss. " 'hetsand the ■Idly as wore )usiness con- by spiritual of the new d witnessed proceeds of I of $2,500, original in- ) made his ■■ of impos- oithily bore e author is ous denom- ce of sanc- the Smith 1 they were et, or more jd Prophet PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 217 For truths too heavcnlj to be understood ;" * * # , " They shall liave niystcrie.s— aye, precious stuff For knaves to thrive by— mysteries enough ; Dark tangled doctrines, diirkas fraud can weave, Wliich simple votaries shall on trust receive, Wliilc craftier feign belivf, 'till tliey believe." Under tlie auspices of Ri^rdon, a n«nv scet, the Mormon.s, was proiectod prophcc.s fell thick .and fast tVoin the li,>s of Jos..ph ; old Mrs. Smith Issum- ed all the airs o the mother of a J^rophet ; that particular family of bmiths were .saigled out and became e.Kalted above ail their k-o^ion of name- sakes. _ I ho ball, clumsy cheat, found here and there an enthusiast, a mo- nomaniac or ,-. knave, in and an.und its primitive localitv, to help it upon its start ; and soon, like another scheme of imposture, (that had a little of dij?- mty and plausibility in it,) it had its Hegir..^ or llio-Ut, to Kirtland; then to ^auvo; thentoashort re.stin;r pl^ce in Missouri— and then on over the Ivocky Mountains to Uta li, or the Salt Lake. IJanks, printing oilices, tem- pH cities, and hnally a State, have arisen under its auspices. Converts have multiplied to tens of tlu.u.sands. In .several of the countries of Europe there are preachei>. and organized sects of Mormons ; believers in the divine mission ot Jose})h Smith & Co. And liere the subject must be dismissed. If it has been treated lio-htlv — with a_ seeming levity -it is because it will admit of no other treatment. 1 here IS no dignity about the whole thing ; nothing to entitle it to mild treatment. It deserves none of the charity cxU^nded to ordinary reli"iou« la ^uacisin for knavery and fraud has been with it incipienily and progress- ively. It has not even the poor merit of ingenuity. Its succes,s is a slur"ipon the ago. lanatici.sm promoted it at first; then ill advised persecution • then the designs of demagogues who wislu'd to command the suilVao-es of Its followers ; until finally an American Congress has abetted the fraud and imposition by Its acts, and we are to have a state of our proud Union — in this boasted era of light and knowlodnre — the very name of which will sanction and dignify the fraud and falsehood of Mormon Hill, tli.; gold plates and the spurious revelation. This much, at least, might havci been omitted out of decent respect to the moral and religious sense of the people of thu 01(1 smti6s* FARMINOTON. Township No. II, R. 3, (now Fanuington,) was the first sale of Phelps and Gorham. Tlie purchasers were : — Nathan Comsfock, Benjamin Russell, Abraham Laphain, Edmund Jenks, Jeremiah Brown, Ephraim Fish, Nathan Herendcen, Natiian Aldrich, Ste- phen Smith, Benjamin Rickeason, William P>aker and Dr. Daniel Brown. Tiic deed was given to Nathan Comstock, and Benjamin V -__ 218 rnELPs AND goriiam's purchase. l!)> w Russell ; all except Russell, Jenks, J. Brown, Fish, Rickenson, Ba- ker and Smith, became residents upon the purcliase. Jn 1789, Na- than Comstock, with two sons, Otis and Darius, and Robert Hatha- way, came from Adams, Berkshire county, Mass. ; a part of them by the water route, landing at Geneva, with their provisions, and a 1- -♦ by land with a liorse and some cattle. When the overland party had airived within 15 miles of Seneca Lnkc, they had the ad- dition of a calf to their small stock, which Otis Comstock carried on his back, that distance. They arrived upon the new purchase, built a cabin, cleared four acres of ground, and sowed it to wheat. Their horse died, and thoy were obliged to iriake a pack horse of Darius, who went once a week through the woods to Ooneva, where he purchased provisions and carried them on his back, twenty niiles, to their cabin in the wilderness. Upon the approach of winter, the party returned to Massachusetts, leaving Otis Comstock to take care of the stock through the winter, with no neighbors otlicr than Indians and wild beasts, nearer thai. Bougliton Hill and Canandai- gua. About the same period of the advent of the Comstocks, Nathan Aldrich, one of the proprietors of the township, came by the water route, landing his provisions and 3ced wheat at Geneva, and carrying them upon his back to the new purchase ; he clear- ed a few acres of ground, sowed it to wheat and returned to Mass- achusetts. In the month of February, 1700, Nathan Comstock and his large Aimily, started from his home in Adam.s accompanied by Nathan Aldrich and Isaac Hathawny, and w^ere f jllowed the day after by Nathan Herendeen, his son "Wiiliam, and his two sons-in-law, Josh- ua Herrinrrton and John M'Cumber. The last party overtook the first at Geneva, when the \\lioIr' penetrated the wilderness, making their own roads as they proceeded, the greater part of the distance, and arrived at their new homes in the wilderness, on the 15th of March. After leaving Whitestown, both parties, their women and children, camped out each night during their tedious journey, and arriving at their destination, had most of them to erect temporary habitations, and this at an inclement season. The following are the names of all who were residents of the new township in 1790 : — Nathan Comstock, Nathan Comstock, jr., Otis Comstock, Darius Comstock, John Comstock, Israel Reed,' John Russell, John Payne, Isaac Hathaway, Nathan Herendeen,' Pirar.ps AND aoRnAM's pdrotase. 219 Welcome IlerenJecn, Joshua Ilerringlon, John JfCaml-cr Nalhan Adnoh, J"cobS„,,^l, Job II„„,a>Kl, Abrahnn, Ln,.ham. J I,„ t^ Wiic! Tir li"! '"' '"'"'''"'"'■'■'"='•• J™"'!'"" Smith. Pardon Wilcox. liobcrl Ilathavvny, Jeremiah Smilh. But a part of all hese ,ha, were n,arricd had brought in their families, and Is „ them were um)arried. Pa don Wdcox. and Levi Sn.i.h; ,0 the last of whom ,he author s nuleh.ed for many of his Pioneer reminiscences of Farmi„,,o„ Joshua Hercndeen died last winter, a. the advanced age of over Many of these early Pioneers were Friends, either by member- that an, of ts members contemplating any i.nportant enternrise ■e rXh '/""' °':r'S™'-' "-' -Ion their intentir. ' thetr meeting for eons.deralion and advisement. The rash enter- pnse of go.ng away off to the Genesee countrv. and seltli,' down am„n,g savages and wild beasts, was not consistent with °k nZ regard entertamed by the meeting for the Farmington e, g ", "^ onsent was refused, and they were formally disowned, vlh n a connn,,, f ,h„ Friend's Yearly Meeting of Philadelphia, attend^ Frie'ds! pT'°-" T" '' ^""--J-g- ■'" "0«. they visited the moetmg that had disowned them in Massachusetts, which resulted n he,r restoratton. A meeting was soon after cganized, tl e iL, e ,t a '""».''",""'• "-« ■"% o"" west of Utiea. The society etected a mee ,ng house in 1804. Their ea,ly local public Friend wT He died last year at an advanced age. Wheat was harvested in the summer of 1700, the product of : : ;;r 7'" '' ''" ^""^'"^"^ "•" ^'""- A'd,.ich,'i„ V PC. .ous. Some sun.mer crops were raised in the summer of '00 lie .stump mortai- w-as the principal dependence for pteparing lieii-gi-am for b,ea.l. I„ the fall of 1700, iosliua Ilcicnd™, ,"i"h Mills in Bristol ; arriving late on Saturday night, the n,iller' wife s:r^.if'a,;'F' '""'■ ■■"" "-'"-« >i-^" ^HouM 'i'rrLrf f«iii.aj, ,1 all iarmmgton starved." This ,„adc liin, a second »1 > 220 rinars akd ooniiAM's runciTASE. journey, and it was a work of d lys, as the first had boon. Duri the same season, Welcome Ilerendcen. John M'Cumber and J than Smith, took grain up the Canand ng ona- Wilder's Mill. They got hut in the season, a part of (I aigua outlet and Lake to a part of it grouiid, and it being late icir grist lay over until the next season. man of Nathan Aldrich and Levi Smith, in 1791, then a hired .......... Abrahan, Lapba.n, carried grists upon two horses toVhe'FrienL Mill, in Jerusalam, As an example of the dilTiculties and hardships that attended emigration at that early period, it may be mentioned that in 17!)I, Jacob Smith, wi'h his family, was thirty one davs in makinn- the journey (rom Adams, Mass., to Farmington. I'utling famil/and household lurniture on ^oard of a boat at Schcneetadv. and driving h.s stock through the woods, along tl« creeks, rivers, Imd lakes, the ^vllole arrived at Swift's Landing, beyod which he had lo make hjs road principally, as there had been little intercourse in that direction, from the settlement in Farmington. Nathan Ilerendecn himself wintered iiuhe new settlement, hi.^ son Welcome returning to bring out the family, who came in February, 01 ; and about the same time other considerable additions were made to the settlemenl, consisting of the families of those who had come in the year before, and new adventurers. Brice, and Turner Aldrich and their families William Ca.Iy, Uriel Smith, Benjamin Lapham, were among the number. A considerable nun d)er of them came in company, witli ox and horse teams, were twenty-one days on the route, the whole camping in the woods eight nights on the way. The young reader, and others who may be unacquainted with Pioneer life, in passing through that now region of wealth and prosperity, will h^ sur])rised to be told that the i'ounders of many of those farm establishments — clusters of neat farm buildings, "sur- rounded by flocks and herds, and broad cultivated fields — iV their primitive advent, plodded through snow and mud days and \v-eeks, with stinted means; at night, with their families of young children,' clearing away u.e snow and s[)readiiig their cots upon the ground J their slumbers often interrupted by the howl of the caunt wolf prowling around their camp-fires. Unless in that localitv, liom the peculiar character of its inhabitants, better ideas of rigin physical education prevails than is nsnn!. ihom f..-,. ,\--,„c.Ui..,-., ;.. .V . > > c arc daughters in those abod niELii'S AND OORnAM's PURCHASE. 221 of comfort and luxury who shrink even from the henhhful breeze w o.se nv.th.rs have prepared the frugal rrnal l,y the winter camp-hre, and kept ntu-sery vigils where the drivin/storm pelted her and her household through their frail covering. EJwt phy.s.eal degeneracy, the work of but one and tw^o gen La ion mar ed n. the sons. There are those in the Genesee eountr who would deem ,t a hardship to black their own boots, harness their own hor.e, or make their own fires, whose fathers and grand-fathers have earned provisions to their families upon their backs throurrh long dreary winter woods paths. Sincere.'v is it to be hoped ih^t mental degeneracy is not keeping pace with all this, as some ob- servers and theorists maintain. But we are losing sight of the germ of what became a prosperous settlement The new comers were soon in their log cabins, dotted down m the forest, and making openings about them to let in tho sun. i\afhan Comstock was regarded as surveyor general of roads. Mounted upon his old mare, he would strike off into the woods in oiilercnt dn-ecl.ons where roads were needed, followed by axe-men and a teamster with oxen and sled. The underl)rush would be cut, logs cut and turned out of the way. and thus the beginning of a road was n,ade to be followed up gradually, by widening out"o two and lour rods, and bridging of streams, sloughs and marshes. As an evidence that they commenced in earnest to subdue the wilderness It may be mentioned that there were ccnsiderable fields of wheat sow-n ,n the fail of 1790. Nathan Aldrich having raisvl .ome se.d wheat m that season. Welcome Herendeen worked for him thirteen days for two and a half bushels, sowed it, and he used to tell the story when he became the owner of broad wheat field, remarkmg that he never had to buy any after that. The first set- tlers of larmmgton, bringing with them apple seeds, and peach a.u plum Pits, were early fruit growers _ soon had bearing orchards- and for long years, the new settlers in far off nei7 and .00., alter the canal was the site of the vilia-re of A, 1, ■,,,,-. I"^' "V ' '"■'«(' r. Joel I'reseott, was the early physieian. He was an early surerv.„r of the town, and fbr several ears chairman of Z board of superv,sors ,>l Ontario. He died during the war of ISl- a son of ,s, Imly Preseott, recently died in Geneva; Z d te s'be came „e w.ves of Owen Edmons.on, of Vienna, a^d Jame Da . row, ot feeneca county. Elder Solomon Goodale, was the first resident minister in Phelps • was at Uaks Corners Prp« ivtori-.K. ti n- • ,• uxuLi!, iieso}teiian — the ofiiciatinfr.mm ster the se Lorrnve'^r""" '^'!"''™"^ """ ^''" ^'^^'^-- ^^ settled over a Weld, congregation in Ohio ; a grand-dau-diler, Jane Reese, was a poe,es.s whose early effusions appeared ind,e I'a my «est Of Seneca Lake, that of East Bloon.f.eld the first ]t wa, 01 Col. Co t who proone,! ,™bseripti„ns, and rented pews the ava.ls of winch, more than paid for i,s con.pletion, Thad Zoab locati™ "'" '""■"'"• ™''='"«i"ally co„,pe,i,„rs for the Pioneer''!'™ 't "T '" " ""'^' »' '"' ' """^ '"=»- ""■ "-" -""^t ;5f ^. ■t^:;e"z.rJJ;,;l:™:Ii~ p:^s:zr,^ii-:;:rr-i;:l^:nw;;i'.^f e was a large landholder. After accun, 1, i g" ^t f: 't ; r:'po ^^u "fr''-'' "-^ """"■>• ™^»-'"'". "" as ycdis, upon a llevolutionary nop.^inn If. j:.,! i,,,. ,• J 1 -. !j^ (j,cu L'ut u lew years David Mc- h enterprise, )n. Hotch- f Lewiston. of Vienna. s. McNeil Id the ulfice survives, a IS an early )f the board af 1812; a ugliters be- anies Dar- • in Phelps ; 2ed church inister, the 'cs, and is ;hter, Jane he Palmy. ey Durfee, icond built t. It was m became I in charge pews, the leus Oaks vas finish- Ts for the than most ;novvn as ry enter- >a,sturago It, where 'State, he his lasts -'vv years PHELPS AM) GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 227 since, at an advanced age.* His son, Jonathan Melvin, now resides upon the old homestead. Wells Wlntmore came in with Jonathan Oaks ; married a daucrh- S' . '•',"'"'' '''' '"" ^"'"'^' '''''^'' ''^ <^^'°''gi«. an J Mrs. JN'orton, oi Vienna, is a daughter. John and Patrick Burnett, brothers, came in 1795; Patrick left m a lew years; John became a prominent citizen. He held a Captam s com.nission in the Revolution. Wm. Burnett, his son was an early supervisor, magistrate, and attained t'le rank of Brier' Oen. of mihtia. He was in service on the Niagara frontier in 1813 and commanded the volunteer force, called out to repel the British mvaders at Sodus. He died in 1826; William Burnett, of Ann Arbor, is his son ; I\Irs. Benjamin Hartwell, and Mrs. Bainbridge of 1 helps, are his daughters. Cornelius Westfall came in '95; purchased 500 acres of land ; died in 1832. His only son, Jacab, a Captain of a company of riflemen, was killed in Queenston battle. Elijah Gates, came in '95 ; died in 1835 : his sons Seth and Dan- iel, reside at the old homestead. Oliver Humphrey, one of the earliest, died in 1838; was a Major of Mihtia. His son Hugh Humphrey, lives at the old homestead. 1-1 IS brother Charles, who came in with him, died a few years since ; his son John, resides upon the homestead. Lodowick Vanderniark, came in '94; erected one of the earliest saw mills on the outlet. He died just previous to the war of 1812 • 1- reder.ck and William, of Phelps, are his sons. His brother Joseph.' who came in with him, died in 181(5. Deacon Jessee Warner, one of the earliest, located on site of v.lnge of Orleans; was one of the founders of the churches at Orleans and Melvin Hill. He died in 1835 ; John Warner of Or- leans, is his son. Solomon Warner was in Geneva as early as '88. He located near, a;.d afterwards became the purchaser of a part of the Old ('astle tract, which he sold to Jonathan Whitnev. His wife was a daughter of Jonathan Oaks. He died in .1813; two of his sons re side in Michigan, a nd two at the homestead; daughters became » In pnssin^nl.o 01,1 Oastlo, in an early -lay, l.o jnrke.l m.T.^am loTinrwns h,^l^ now Hla..dina along tharoaJ, oa ias'dd iar:^:' "" " ^°"^ '' ''^ *""' ' "" ''^'^ '''' 228 PIIELP3 AlfD GORIIAM's PURCnASE. the wives of Cephns ShekclLs, Alfred Hooker. William Jones. Rev. Znl' Tu "•,'"" !^"'^"'' ""''" ''' y^''' '^^ =^Se, resides in the hous. Ins father btnlt in '89, and in winch he was forn Col Ehas Dickinson, on.s of the original purchasers of Phelps, was from Conway. Mass. II3 died in 1804, or '5. His son. Cdton, was killed m raising the church at Oaks' Corners, in 1804 ; Samuel Dickinson, die eminent printer and publisher, of Boston, was a son of Colton Dickinson; he was an apprentice of Elias Hull of Ge- neva. Another son of the old Pioneer, was the founder of the large mills of Vienna. He died in early years Col. Elms Cost wns a native of Frederick co., Maryland, a son of Jacob Cost; a sister of his, was the mother of Wm: Cost John- Shekel, and Abraham Simmons, he came to the Genesee country The party travelled on horseback, coming i„ via Mr. Williamson^s Nonhumberland Road; upon 40 miles of which, there was. then but one house; stopped at the Geneva Hotel, and continued on lacTw h7? ' ''. ?"'"' o'"" ''">'^^""^ Mr.' Williamson, lef ttrhn ; o """ ^^"" '''' >'^'^"S adventurers had left their horses at Oa.. tavern, and arriving at the outlet, at Ly- ons, were ferried over upon the back of a stout backwoodsman, by ^ name of Hunn. Shekels and Simmons, bought land at the Sul phur Springs. The party returned to Maryland. The next season Col Cost came out and purchased land near Oaks' Corners, where he has resided for half a century. He is now 72 years o^ a^e may almost be said to be robust in health; his mind retaining^its his native ^'•■'!''^''>' ' .'^---'■"^ the fine social qualities, peculiai- to his na ive region. His first wife was the daughter of Capt. Shekells After her death he married the widow of Thaddeus Oaks and was t e an lord of the Oaks' stand for fourteen yea:s. His darle." he fruits of his first marriage, became the wives of Thomas^John-' son of Maryland, and Lynham J. Reddoe. a son of John Beddoe, Of Yates CO. An unmmarried daughter whose mother was Mrs Oaks supplies the place of her mot' e , (who died recentiv,) in 1 1^ hspitabe mansion. Col. Cost was upon the frontier in tl. wlr of of As "1 ^'r^'';-:''\^' ."^« -'•'i- of Fort Erie ; was a member ot Assembly from Ontario, in 1840. .>'oiK._C,,, c.st, .li,.,} i„ Ai;rii hst^^MUt^u^ wurk was in inv,,. PHELPS AND GOPwIIAMS PURCHASE. 229 Jones, Rev. esides in the Phelps, was son, Colton, }4 ; Samuel I, was a son Hull of Ge- ader of the 'land, a son Cost John- h Benjamin ee country, i/'illiamson's 3 was. then ntinued on ViJiiamson, nturers had tlet, at Ly- xisman, by at the Sul- lext season lers, where irs of a!us Swift, Augustus Dickinson, Joel Prescott, Oliver Humphrey, Solomon Goodale. A "gratuity of four pounds" was voted for "every wolf's head that shall be killed in this district by an inhabitant thereof." At a court of special sessions of Ontario county, in June, 17CG, name was changed to ''Dist.ict of Phelps." In February, 1797, u special town meeting was called "for the 230 PIIELP3 AND GOPJIAm's PURCKASE. purpose Of establishing some regulations in roforencc to schools." After the town had assu.ned his name, Mr. Phelps save an enter- a.n.ent at Oal.-Wn, and a jovial time tL b'ackwLsmen had of It, as but few of them live to recollect. GEWEVA. While the Pioneer events we have been recordinjr, were jroincr on m other localities, the little village of Kanadesaga, at the foot ,3? beneca Lake, had been going a head under the auspices of Reed and Ryckman and the Lessees. In the compromise with Phelps and Gorham, the Lessees had come in possession of townships 6, 7, and 8 m the 1st Range, and 9 in the 2d. These townships were deeded to the Lessees under tlie name of the "New York Com- pany ;" and a fifth township (No. 9 in the 1st.) was deeded to Benton and Livingsto.." * " In the fall of 1788," savs a manu- script m the author's possession, "number 8 was divided into lots and balloted lor at Geneva; Benjamin Barton, sen., at that time being agent for the Niagara (or Canada) Company, drew the num- ber of lots assigned to them ; and Messrs. Benton and Birdsall being present, drew for themselves and associates " f In the fall of 1788, about the time that the Pioneer movements were making at Canandaigua, Geneva had become a pretty brisk p ace ; the focus of speculators, explorers, the Less(>e Company and their agents ; and the principal seat of thelnxlian trade tor a wide region. Horatio Jones was living in a log house covered with bark, on the bank of the Lake, an.l had a small stock of goods for the Indian trade; Asa Ransom (the afterwards Pioneer at Buffalo * Bui. the four townships were included in tJ.e coinproniiso Benton ^ind T i in^^f were nroinmont union" tlip L("W'>i^ • iml ..^ti,,..- ., . '.,',• ',',"^"" -i"" Unng^toii ti» iHt, „t ii„s„; v-rf,-'„;„i rl:!. ';::;IJ; ..'':!.,;'"'"'.'■"■'•■'■.'■ ™j h ■••t : o.k iuid Canada joint Lc-sce Coinpanic.i all to schools." /a an enter- kvvoodsmen were going the foot (>f i'.i of Reed vith Phelps nships 6, 7, ships were fork Corn- deeded to .'s a manu- d into lots, that time ' the nuin- 1 Birdsall, lovements rettj brisk ipany and 'or a wide ired with goods for at Buffalo 1 Living-itoii lip hy j;iir- ig the coiiv IP, witli tlu> I! lots tlicv t,V thcrcoC." I'l.'iiijiM was I Iho Liiko "t," wliich B iiiiniu of Eind liy all PITELPS AND GORnAM's PURCHASE. 231 and Ransom's Grove,) occupied a hut, and was manufacturing Indian trinkets; Lark Jennings had a log tavern on the baidv of the Lake ; the Lessee Company had a framed tavern and trading establishment, covered with bark, on the Lake shore, "near where the bluff approaches the Lake," winch was occupied by Dr. Ben- ton. There was a cluster of log houses all along on the low grounrl aear the Lake shore. The geographical designations wer°e '• hill md bottom." Peter Ryckman and Peter Bortle were residing there, and several others whose names are not recollected. Cot Seth Reed was residing at the Old Castle. Dominick Debartzch, an Indian trader from Montreal, was rather the great man of the! country. His ])rincipal seat was the Cashong farm, which he claimed as an Indian grant, and where he had a trading establish- ment ; though his trade extended to the western Indians, among whom he went after selling his claim to the Cashong iarm to the late Major Bsnj. Barton, of Lewiston.* The Lessees were then strenuously claiming all of the lands of the six nations up to the old pre-emption line.' A letter from one of the company at Geneva, to one of the Canada associates, dated m Nov. '88, speaks confidently of a compromise with the State, " by which we shall be enabled to hold a part, if not the whole of "the lands contained in our lease." To further this object, it is prop.,sed that the Canada miluence shall bo brought to bear upon the Indians ; and th.it a strong delegation of the chiefs shall be at Albany whe'n the legislature meets, and "retnonstrate openly to the sovereignty of the State, against the late proceedings at Fort Stanwix, and d'emand the restitution of their lands."t In April and M^iv, 1789, the New York company held out to their Canada associates, the strongest assurances of being enabled with their assistance, to induce the'ln- Jians to abide by the Lease, instead of their cessions to the State • hut in the fall of that year, they began to be disposed to take what- ever they could get. In September, one of the auditors of the " New John FI. Jom- y hu.«.,l tlie conf.rn.ahon of lliis ],a,-ai.<. Mi>jor Barton, in part pavwiont, pulled .,11 Ins ovorcnnt, un.l ^-.-.v,. it to l),.I,iu-tzdi. It Jian heretofore beoi SMd hat In,, pureluwewiis iniule of Pondry. ^fr. Jones correefs this, and savs Ih-it ondry at the tune was a servant of Debarty.ch, o.va^ioually a:s,ssi:sting liinfiu the Indian trade. Botli gloried m native wive.?. tin llio inoiith of Septend)er preeeding, tlio Ononda-aH had, at a treaty at Fort btiinwix,eeded their lauds to the Slate; and in the aaiue month, tho Ou-'l^Jas i sold for 8500 ; farmin.T lands in the neighborhood, sold for 85,00 an acre, that afterward" brought but $2 and 83,00. .Mr. Williamson had a slocp upon the Lake that was engaged in bringing down lumber. The mail was brought from Albany once in two weeks upon horseback. Mr. Wil- liamson's head quarters were then i)rincipally at the Genera Hotel. In addition to his other enterprizes, he was a'ctivelv engaged in the construction of the turnpike. Mr. Bogert is now 77 years of age ; his wife, the daughter of John Witbeck, of Red Hook, who also survives, is 73. Charles A. Bogert of Dresden, Yates county, is a son; a daughter became the wife of Derick C. Delamater, of Columbia county ^ another, of Her- man Ten Eyck, of Albany ; another, of Godfrey J. Grosvcnor, of Geneva. Early lawyers in Geneva, other than Mr. Bogert, Pollydore B Wisner, Daniel W. Lewis, Robert W. Stoddard, John Collins, Da- vid Hudson. Mr. Wisner was an early District Attorney. He died in 1814. He was from Orange county; studied law with Richard Varick ; at one period member of the Legislature. Mr. Lewis died within a few years in Buffalo, leaving no chikircn. An adopted daughter of his was the wife of Stephen K. Grosvenor, and IS now the wife of the Rev. Dr. Shelton, of BufTlilo. Mr. Stoddard died in 1847. A son of his is a practicing lawver in Brooklyn, and another son is an officer of the navy. Mr. Collins is now a prac- ticing lawyer in Angelica. Mr. Hudson still survives, and contin- ues a^resjdent of Geneva. Mr. Parks is yet a practicing Attorney NoTE.-Mr. T!oi,rcrt,aiu.n.g^.thor interesting reininisccnoe.s of early tiiiios, wlii^ V-!l7 "'tT ''""^ "' "^•^";«'"'"-'«i""^. «]'«>k. of a niavke.1 evont-a'\l,under! o , ' Zo Zir^'P'Tn"*'''^ 'l""'"^ succession, of tiunuler; not nnlike the rc- hudtw I'u'aiiek '" ' ''"' ^ '""''' of grandeur and terror, U.at h-a. 15 234 PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. in Geneva. He studied law with Lewis and Collins, and was ad- mitted to practice in 1814. In the war of 1812, he was upon the frontier, and in the battle of Queenston, in command of a company of volunteers. The early merchants of Geneva, other than those who were loca- ted there under Indian and Lessee occupancy, were : Grieve and Moflat, Samuel Colt, Richard M. Williams, Elijah H. Gordon, Richard M. Bailey, Abraham Dox. Grieve & Motlatt established the first brewery in all this region. Mr. Grieve was in the employ of Mr. Williamson, in the earliest years, as it is presumed Mr. Mof- fat wa-', as his name occurs in connection with the early move- ments at Sodus. Mr. Grieve was out in the war of 1812, a colonel, under Gen. McClure. He died in 1835. Mr. Moffat removed to Buffalo. Richard M. Williams became a farmer in Middlesex, On- ta- io county, (or in Yates county) where he died a few years since ; a son of his was lately in the Senate of this State. Mr! Colt was a lirothcrof Joseph Colt, the early merchant of Canandaigua, Auburn, and Palmyra. lie removed to New York, and on a visit to Ge- neva, attending tiie com'mencement at the College, he died suddenly, at the Hotel, in 1831. Mr. Baily is still living. He entered the regular army in 1812; had a staff appointment, was taken prisoner at the battle of Queenston; went to Quebec in company with Gen. Scott, where he was parolled. Elijah H. Gordon is one of the three or four survivors of all who were residents of Geneva previous to 1798 ; is in his 80th year. His goods came in early years, from Schenectady, via the usual \vater route, costing for transportation, generally about $3 per cwt. Barter trade, in furs especially, constituted his principal early busi- ness ; potash and ginseng was added after a icw vears. Mr. Gordon was a Judge of Ontario county courts in early years ; and the second Post Master at Geneva, succeeding Walter Grieves,' who was the first. His two sons, John H., and Wm. W. Gordon,' reside in Washington, Louisana. Dr. Adams was a physician in Geneva in the earliest years of settlement. Dr. John Henry and Daniel Goodwin, were the ear- liest permanent physicians. Dr. Henry died in 1812. Dr. Good- win removed to Detroit, where he died a few years since. Stephen A. Goodwin, an attorney at law, in Auburn, is a son of his ; another son, Daniel Goodwin, is an attorney in Detroit. M PHELPS AND GOBHAm's PURCHASE. 235 ind was ad- is upon the a company were loca- Grieve and [I. Gordon, established the employ d Mr. Mof- 'arly niove- I, a colonel, removed to Idlesex, On- ,'ears since ; Colt was a iH, Auburn, visit to Ge- d suddenly, intered the en prisoner .' rtith Gen. ; of all who 80th year. I the usual 83 per cwt. early busi- arly years ; er Grieves, V". Gordon, t years of re the ear- Dr. Good- Stephen 3; another A Presbyterian society wa orjranized in Geneva, as early as 1798. In July of that year, a meeting; was held ; John Fulton and Oliver Wliitmore presided ; Oliver Whitmore, Elijah Wilder, Sep- timus Evans, Ezra Patterson, Samuel Latta, Wm. Smith, jr., and Pollydore B. 'Winner, were chosen trustees. The Rev. Jedediah Chapman became the first settled minister, continuing as such, until hi3 death in 1813. He was succeeded by the Rev. Henry Axtell. The society built a church in 1811. In 180G, " nineteen persons of full age, belonging to the Protest- ant Episcopal church, assembled, and there being no Rector, John Nicholas presided." Trinity church was organized by the election of the following officers :— John Nicholas and Daniel W. Lewis, Wardens; Samuel Shekel!, John Collins, Robert S. Rose, Richard Hughes, Ralph T. Wood, David Nagler, Jas. Reese, Thomas Pow- ell, Vestrymen. The Rev. Davenport Phelps was the first officiating clergyman ; was succeeded by the Rev. Orrin Clark, who officiated for many years. He died in 1828. The society erected a church in 1809, which was removed, and its site occupied by the present Trinity Church, in 1845. Baptist and Methodist societies were organized, and churches erected, soon alter the war of 1812, but the author has no farther record or information concerning them. Among the earliest mechanics at Geneva, were : Wm. Tappan, John and Abraham B. Hall, John Sweeny, Elisha Douner, Moses Hall, W. W. Watson, John Woods,* Lucius Gary, Jonathan Doane,t Foster Barnard, Richard Lazalere, Jacob and Joseph Backenstose.'j John Nicholas, emigrated from Virginia, and settled at Geneva m 1804. He was a lawyer by profession, but had retired from practice. He was for several terms, a member of the State Senate, and a Judge of the courts of Ontario. He engaged extensively in * Mr. Wood, was also an eai'Iy landlord. t He erected the primative cliurclies ; was the father of Bishop Dcano of Xew Jer- sey, who received his primary education in Oenevii. t Thev were brothers, came to Geneva in tlio earliest years. Thev were the pioneer tailors of the Genesee country. Time was, when to wear a coatlVoiu (heir press board marked the wearer as an aristocrat. Men going to Ct)ngreHs, or the Legislature (jen- cnilly got it coat liom a "(lenevii milor," but never before election. "GeiR>rals''~and "Colonels" sotnelimes indulged insucli an extravagant lu.\ury. Tlie surviviu"- sons of Jacob, are :— John Harkenstore a mercliant of Geneva, and Jacob and Frederick, of iiloomtield. Jacob Barkcustorc yet survives, a residout of LocJijiort. t 236 rilELPS AND OOUIIAm's PUUCIIASE. agricultural pursuits, owning nnd occupying llio large farm after wards iMirchased by Cidcm Loo. Judge Nicholas died in 1817. iris surviving sons arc Rol)ert(J. Nicholas, Lavvson Nicholas, Gavin L. Nicholas, John Nicholas ; a daoghter became the wife of Abra- ham Dox, and another the wife of Dr. Leonard, of Lansingburg. Robert S. Rose, a broth<'r-in-law of Judg(^ Nichr.las, emigrated with him from Virginia. He located upon a finm on the oirposite side of Seneca Lake, where for many years, he was one of the largest farmers in westc-rn New York. Roth he and Judge Nich- olns, wore at one j.eriod extensive wool growers, and did much to promote the imi)n)vement of sheo[) husbandry in this region. He was for (.ik; or two terms, a rei)resentativo in Congress. " He died, suddenly, :.t Waterloo, in 1815.* His widow, who was of the Virgmiu family of T.awsons, so liighly esteemed for her quiet and unobtrusive charities, and especially for her zealous aid to the Epis- copal church, whose doctrines she adorned through life, died in 1817, or '8. The surviving sons, are: — Dr. Lawsmi C.'roso cf Geneva; John an.; (.alley three .slnlhngs." In same pape,', (Jeo,'go M'Chiro, announees that lie * In iwlv lif,. lu- li;ul eM(vi-(ai,.(..l a iM-eser.tin.etit of ,su.M<.|i .lei.Ui, arisi,«- fn.m sonu- .sor,.u„/,a„n„ ,n ,)„. ,-...um ..f ,1... lK,,rt. Jlany y..;.rs j-iovious , , l,is .K. l/ . ul .1 t ..t st..,,,„„- ,nt,. I„.s sii.,.;!, to refii,-,, l.o.ne, l\.ll nm\ .s,„m, expi,v,l So iluJi,, \ ' s farm affcr d in 1817. jlas, Gavin of Abra- emigrated le opposite t)nc of the idge Nich- ifl Miuch to gion. He He (lied, :as of the quiet and 3 the Epis- e, died in '. Rose, of s county ; esentative id Ciiarles sr became )pk ins Sill PlffiLPS AND GOKIIAm's PUIICIIASE. 237 1 early and '" Soo some the " Jjatl! l)oct(ir, or v .^liilliiu^'s; u'cstiiat lie C fn>m sonic I'.-ilh lie ]i;i(l I with siinu- and in the itiiiliii!,' «'a.s ill! CXi'^t']!- l>a« r^K.m..l a " house 'of ontert^iinmont," at IJath. Bath races arc advertised. "iN..rlliiiinl,-rl;iiirl and Siinhiirv (iazcttc " lino- rJ„„.|, • w,\v per aero to actual settlors." H.. says: — "A vill...c ell l i/- jV ,' islaid oatat „K. j.,.K.tion of the i.a....^ ^H '^^ ' o ^^^'tZ ihe Mla^., ^v,il l.ayo the advantage of asci.ool, chureh, dro." "MechanL ;v""te. , to whom vi lage lots will lu, donated." "Mr.' W liiam .n lo^ eavo t., n,tunM th. (icru.an settle, in JVnnsylvania, that h. ..pel Z 2 o he annal of 400 Saxons fion. (J.rmany, who havetak... u, land in it Oene,s,.o o.Minli y. Th.y sailed tVnm Hamifun^ in April la.t " * M t .t .hey vv.ll contract the n.aking of a turnpike from Onondaga llollol U) Gc.ncva, anc n>ake payn.u.t for the same "in g.,.d land." In s^„,e „ Z It .s announced that "Sloop Seneca, will sail fmm (icneva <-Nery lUZ ^vndand wvather pcrn-,i„in., fur the head of the Lake, andwiV^lT; tained'hv'') ^7u u""^' ^J"""' !«"« = - "I^<-tive proof has been ob- ; d ■ ,? '"^ "• .^^'l^'^/"orr.ey o-eneral for Keaitncky district, that Burr Ind fon /in'; ']{r';'^'^M ^^f-^ ^var against Si-ain, invadiLg Mexico, and toiijiing a distuict empn-o m the western "country." JAMES REESE. In all our country there are but few survivors of our Revolution- ary period -not one. perhaps- certainly not in our local region, survives, who was so familiar with its stirring events as the venera- ble .James Reese, of Geneva, now in his 87th year. Enterin- the counting house of Willing & Morris, in Philadelphia, in the memora- ble year of the Declaration of Independence, he remained thereuntil tlie close of the long struggle that ensued. Transferred from the commercial department of the firm to the private desk, and confi- dence, of one of its partners, Robert Morris, then so blended with and so particiinitnig in all that was transpiring, it may well be con- ceived that his yet vigorous mind is a rich storehouse of historical reminiscences. The man survives, a citizen of our own local region who was a witness of the interviews that often occurred between Geo. VVashmgton and Robert Morris ; when he who wielded the : i::'^£rir:;:i^i::::;::{::S'z^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ - that the eatc^ns. 238 PHELPS AKD OORIIAM'S PURCHASE. ■i ' 1-1 sword, would meet him who wielded the purse, and the two, with painful anxiety, surrounded by embarrassments — with an unclothed and unpaid army, and an empty treasury — would discuss the por- tentuous questions, the ways and means of our nation's deliverance. When unpaid armies, disheartened, wore down by fatigue and pri- vation, would threaten dispersion and a return to their long neglect- ed homes ; when even their sicit-hearted leader would temporarily yield to despondency, and almost in despair appeal to him whose financial expedients were seemingly exhaustless, for council and aid. The printed notes of hand that Mr. Morris issued in several emergencies during the Revolution, — especially those used in addi- tion to the sum borrowed of the French to enable Wa.-^hington to put the army upon its march, preparatory to the battle of Yoiitown, were filled up and afterwards cancelled by Mr. Reese. Of the hundreds in Mr. Morris' employment at that period, in all his com- mercial relations — as Superintendent of the finances, and Secre- taryof the Treasury — Mr. Reese alone survives. His position brought him in contact, and made him acquainted with the leaders or both the American and French army, and the officers of the Navy, of those whose memories are embalmed in a nation's heart. He names them with all the familiarity of recent intercourse ; but there are few, if any, in the long list that have not gone to their final rest^ He is one of the few remaining links that connect the Past with the Present — and his is not only in reference to our national history, but to the Pioneer history of our local region. Mr. Reese's first visit to this region was as clerk or secretary to the commissloutM;s for holding a treaty with the Indians, at " Big Tree, " commonly called the Morris' treaty. Returning to Phila- delphia he acquired an interest in the new region, and in 1798, he removed his family to Geneva, where he has since resided, with' the exception of one year spent in Bath,i>. connection with the land of- fice there. When Mr. Williamson canje out as the Pultnev agent his first business was v^ith Mr. Morris, where Mr. Reese became one of his earliest acquaintances in this country. On arriving here, he entered into his agency service, and after that, was his private agent until he returned to England. le two, with n unclothed iss the por- loliverance. jue and pri- )ng neglect- temporarily him whose iouncil and in several !ed in addi- shington to York town, !e. Of the ill his com- and Secre- is position the leaders ers of the on's heart. Durse ; but I their final t the Past ir national cretary to I, at " Big ;to Phila- 1 1798, he I, with the e land of- ley agent, le became ving here, is private of the work PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 239 He was appointed cashier to the old Bank of Geneva when it went into operation. He was in service during the war of ISiy, as a Deputy Quartermaster of the Northern Division of the Army • StiTlnrv^T' l" ''"%""'''' ^'"^ *^^'^^'"*' I^^"k Conunissioner of otato, and Postmaster at Geneva. In a work devoted to other objects, but a brief space can be spared lor iicvolutionary reminiscences -even those as full of interest as are those of the subject of this sketch. Speaking of Mr. Morris, he observes: — "His commercial transactions were immense, extend- ing over the greater portion of the commercial world ; and to all this was added the onerous task of providing for an army in the field, and an armed force upon the ocean. He brought all his energies ot mmdand body in requisition for the Herculean labor; wasactrve vigilant -at tunes sleepless,- and all in his employ were kept in motion 1 here was no man who could have filled his place He wielded an immense amount of wealth ; had an extraordinary facul- ty to inspire confidence ; he unloosed purse strings that no one else could have unloosed. Even those of the society of Friends, their principles forbidding an immediate or remote participaton in war or any of its relations, who constituted at that period a large class of Phdadelphia capitalists, lent him money; in one especial instance, «6,000 in specie, in a pressing emergency of the armv, with an in- junction of secrecy.* The relations between him and Washincrton during the whole of the Revolution, was one of great intimacy, con- Z7T -r^'^''^- There was no one individual upon whom the 1 ather ol his country so much relied, in all the terrible conflict that won our national Independence As the clerk of Mr. Morris, Mr. Reese had an opportunity of seeing Washington under circumstances which enable him to speak familiarly of him. " He always," says he. "received me and anfact"witrh-''""TT'"''"" '' ""^•"^' "^^" ' ^^' ^"^-^ ^o t ansact wuh him. He was mild and courteous - sedate - not Mr. Reese observes Ihat Mr. Morris' sudden reverses were in a ^40 VIIELPS A^D fiORHAM's PUECIIASE. -reat measure consequent upon what he re^rardecl as lus forf.nv.t investments! in ♦i.« /< "" "-o""^'^" 'is njs lortunate «:£i :;■:, ;«;- -s ,;".;v,::: CHAPTER II. ,t ii. MLE OP P,„„. „„ „.,„„,„ ^„ „„„^„ „„„,^ _„^_ A »A.« intimaielj, bla,id,d will, tl,„ whole history of Iho Revo reg,o„. What could well Imnid, the material for an elabonte ht successor J^f ,h> , ■""" ""= P"""" "^ ^'^ '"" "''i successor. At the breakmg out of the Revolution, althou-h en gaged m an extensive mercantile and eonnnercial l,u ines ra . e' z* '"irmrh;"^ "^="™ " °"- - »-™ i«'i^- i" ;'e =>"u le. m 1776, he was a member of Con, that hi. h:id pr«n.i...d, wud bonwcd, aiid paid to tho army. Init a lew days bulore tJiu attack upon Cornwallis. ' 'fill I Hi i|i! 24:2 PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. ful in his commercial affairs, and at one period, was by far the wealthiest man in the United States ; but engaging enormously in land purchases — other than in this region — he became embar- rassed, and the country he had so well served, had the sore morti- fication of seeing him, toward the close of his useful life, the tenant of jail limits. * Mr. Morris' extended commercial affairs, had made him in a measure, a citizen of the world, instead of that of the new republic. Such was his credit at one period, that in most of the commercial cities of Europe, his private notes passed from hand to hand, with all the confidence that would have been had in the issues of a sound bank. At the close of the Revolution, an immense quantity of wild lands were thrown into market, speculation became rife, and Mr. Morris entered into it upon an extensive scale. Mr. Phelps, during the Revolution, having been connected with the commissary depart- ment of the Massachusetts line, and Mr. Gorhnm, being a promi- nent merchant in Boston, Mr. Morris had made their acquaintance, and when they sought a purchaser for their unsold laiids in the Gen- esee country, they applied to him. Little was known in the com- mercial cities of all this region, other than what had been gathered from maps, and from those who had accompanied Sullivan's expedi- NOTE, of Lini in I TIio DiiK Liiinconrt, who itiiide the acquaintance of Mr. Morris, and speaks lan^'UMgc of rc'sjic'ct and cstocn), montionH anioni,'liis ![rii,'antic, l)n,sinfss oiier- ations, Ins investniouts in the city of Wasliington. Tlie c-ipital \vaa located in an era of speculation and inllation, and niiijjii I ficcut expectations wew entertained in reference to the city that would grow up anjund it. In company with Messrs. Nicholson and Greenleaf, of I'hiladelpliia, he i)urchased G.OOO lots at f 80 per lot, with the condition that there should be built upon thoni ILH) two story brick houses, within seven years. This purcliase was made of commissioners; the company bought about an euuai number of lots of original proprietors of the ground. Successful sales followed, ijart of the buildings were erected, but the bubble burst and added to the embaiTassinents of Mr. Jlorris, ruining manv others of the large capitalists of the United States. The city of " brickkilns," and "magnilicent distances," as Mr. Randolph called it, abounds with tlie relics of tlio extravagant views entertained at an early period. The iirivatc notes tliat Mr. Morris issued during the Kevolul'ion, were railed " Lon- J3ob8,"Saiid " liort Bobh ;" having reference to the drawer's name, and the periods of their maturity. Jttgs- For a more extended biographical sketch of Robert Morris see History of Holland Purchase. ' *An unthinking Sliylock at a public watering place, during the last summer, in W. X. Y., gave it as his sage and ])rofound oinuion, that no " worthy, (h'servin" man «' eversulFered by the operations •?•' MrEbo™\tfn )l "^ n T'^^l^'' P"'"f "■'^'*''' ^'"^ "" '"« "g'^"* i" London, tJiat Mr. Ji.l(iiczai Allan tlu^ oldest settler in that country" had .issured him "that 3,Xfs onr:o'fi^' "■' l'"t ' '^ "' ™"'P»■'^'•»'"1 '^troni an.l that he K ra sod loity busholh ot the htiesi ;vheat he ever .saw, an.l so of otlier articles in like abund- ance. Ho a.s,sert.s that the forest trees about Philadel,>hiu are not larger la th bran- ch, s of trees i„ h,s neighborhood." In another letter he assures his agen ha he has Si H^ml-f. Hi''''''"-; '''''%"''•' "^'"? ^""'^'^" P'"-'''''''^"' f--""' «'"«" who belonged to the iM lend s settlen.en oa fccncca Lake, tliat had returned to Pennsylvania on a vi^t o their connc^xion. He n.ssures him that he has from all quarttTS Srsuerfuor - ble accounts of the couutry, that were he a young man, he wldd " pifcl, Ids tent there i" Jf fhiu "','T '''■''' "'''• '"1? ';,";'■"■ I'''"«''''lplii-'i- Ho had been in the army through- «fy-W '■;'•''';'"' '"''%"' «""'™"'>' c.i'npMign, and at one period, belonged oAe staff ot W ashmgton ; and was one of the aid's of Gen. Sullivan, \n his expedition to the ^Tm 'Z''''- f}'- '""'i ^""•'T^*'^ ''''''^' the earliest surveys of aFl ^ region \\hen Mr Morris nf erwards, purchased all the regions west of 'Phelps and Gorha "s ^'hjiT'; T^T^:"""^ .t and commenced the surveys. In 1801. he i'^ 1^ w h Lbenezer I< .Norton, purchased the most of the township of Olemi. They la^d out Sud.:;? a?n weSSS'^Sf^s :^>r''- ^^^'^^^ ^° «^-"- ^ ^^ toUSi^/miJ'l^lirdr^ 1?h^he'i;K3i:JT' 7r'i *"''^°°1 i.,strumems. in anticipLtion of the t.anS ofVi:, ill^'h ttSll^dlS'j^St be present and enjoy a view of it Among the res he had iuv e a re pectaWe far- mer from tho ccmntry. who knew far more about raising crops, than hTSd about 244 PHELPS AND GOmiAJi's PURCHASE. In Mr. Morns' extensive land operations, he had a-ents in all the principal cities of Europe. His agent in London, was Win Tern- pie Franklin, a grand-son of Dr. Franklin, to whom he had .^iven an inadequate idea of its real value. Just as he became fully ap- prized ot Its value, and was in active preparation to bring it' into market for settlers, un^!i() ago•' "H.ntiouK liaviuLf sp,.nt .oinf tin.o in Anieriiu iMrvi- ous to I I'M : iiti i.s iiil..nvd. lu somu of thi' Siiuthcrn Stati's. PIIELPS AND GORHAMri PUKCIIASE. 245 tance faster than ever was expected by the most sanguine of the sanguineus." My Genesee lands are infinitely prelerable to any American lands that can be offered in Europe." After he had been apprised of the sale, he wrote to Mr. Colquhoun : — "Those iracts which Gorham and Phelps had sold previous to my purchase, are settling very fast, and the first settlers are raising enough to supply the new comers." " I am now at New York, on my return from Boston, where I saw several people from the Genesee country, and it affords me great pleasure to reiterate the account which you have already had, of that fine country. On my way through Connec- ticut, I met Mr. Wadsworth who has settled in the Genesee country, with whom I had much conversation, and who I find like every other person who has visited the country, is in raptures with it. Mr. Wadsworth is extremely intelligent, and one upon whose veracity the utmost reliance can be placed. The reports made by him and others in New England, has turned the attention of all who think of em-igration, towards the Genesee, and every man who pitches his tent there, adds to the value of your purchase." IMajor Hoops, prosecuted the surveys under the new proprietors, by an arrangement with Mr. Morris. He early discovered, what had been suspected, a material error in the running the Pre-emp- tion line. As this is a matter which it will be necessary for the reader to understand, in connection with after events, it may be here stated, that the State of New York ceded to Massachusetts, all the territory west of a line to be drawn due north antl south from the 82nd mile stone on the Pennsylvania line. Before the running this line, it could of course be but mere conjecture where it would fall, as far north from the starting point as Seneca Lake. Seth Reed, the afterwards founder of the settlement at Presque Isle, CErio.) Pa., the grand-father of the present ChnHes M. Reed, and Peter Ryckman, both of whom had been Indian traders, ap- plied to the State of New York, for a remuneration for services rendered in some previous negotiations with the eastern portion of the Six Nations, and proposed to take a patent for a tract, the boun- daries of which should "begin at a tree on the bank of the Seneca Lake, and run along the bank of the Lake to tho south, until they should have IG.OOO acres between the Lake and tho east bounds of the land ceded to Massachusetts." Their request was acceded to, and a patent issued. Thus situated, they proposed to Messrs. Phelps 246 I A' PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PUECIIASE. and Gorham, to join them in running the Pre-emption Line, each party furnishing a surveyor. " A Captain Allen," says one authority, " Mr. Jenkins " says another, was selected by Reed and Ryckman, and Colonel Maxwell, by Phelps and Gorham. In the mean time, the Lessees assuming that their transactions were valid, took an in- terest in the matter, and as Messrs. Reed and Ryckman were both share holders in their company, the matter was mutually accommo- dated between them. The line was run, which is known as the "Old Pre-emption Line." Messrs. Phelps and Gorham, were much disappointed in the result, suspected error, or fraud, but made no movement for a re-survey, before they had sold to the English Association. Their suspicions had been at first excited by an offer from a prominent member of the Lessee Company, for " all the lands they owned east of the line that had been run." They were so well assured of the fact, that in their deed to Mr. Morris, they specified a tract, in a gore between the line then run, and the west bounds of the counties of Montgomery and Tioga, those counties then embracing all of the military tract. Upon a superficial ej^amination of the line, Major Hoops was convinced of its inaccuracy. Mr. Morris having in his convey- ance to the English purchaser-s, stipulated an accurate survey of all he conveyed, instructed Major Hoops to correct the line.* Mr Elhcott with his two brothers, Joseph and Benjamin, had then just finished the survey of Washington city. The transit instrument, for surveymg by means of astronomical observations, havlwr just been invented in Germany, Mr. Ellicott availed himself of It, ! is brother Benjamin superintending its construction. Upon arriving in this country, Mr. Ellicott was joined by the late Judge Porter, who was then a surveyor in the employ of Messrs. Phelps & Gorham ; a corps of axe-men were employed, and a vista thirty feet wide opened before the transit instrument, until tlie line had reached the head of Seneca Lake, when night signals were employed to run down and over the Lake. So much pains were taken to insure correctness, that tne survey was never disjjuted, and thus the " 7iew Pre-emption Line" was established as the true division line between 11 ' a * In a letter to Mr Colquhovn, Mr. Morris says: "These tliree brother*" CAn- d ew, Joseph, and Benjamin Ellirott,) "are of tJio number of l,ein.s on X,'. n lU. e Sh t'l''" ^T''- J '7 '"\S''^^ ">Hthen,aticiaMS as well as nR.ehanical ge u os to Wlucli they have addocf much practical experience, and good moral character^'" PHELPS AND GORHAM's PUECIIASE. 247 % the lands of the State of New York and those that had been ceded to Massachusetts. In examining the old survey, Major Hoops had discovered the precise points of deviation to the westward. It had commenced s6on after leaving the Penhsylvania line, gradually bearing off until it crossed the out-let of the Crooked Lake, where an abrupt offset was made, and then an inclination for a few miles, almost in a north-west course ; then as if fearful that it was running west farther than was necessary to secure a given object, the line was made to incline to the east, until it passed the foot of Seneca Lake, when it was run nearly north and south to Lake Ontario. All this will be observed upon any of the old maps. It will at once be perceived that the site of Geneva, the 1G,000 acres of Reed and Ryckman, and the supposed interests of the Lessees, had caused more than a usual variation of the surveyor's compass. Judge Porter's explanation is as follows: "Geneva was then a small settlement, beautifully situated on the Seneca Lake, rendered quite attractive by its lying beside an old Indian settlement, in which there was an orchard." * The old pre-emption line, terminated on Lake Ontario, three miles west of Sodus Bay, and the new line very nearly the center of the head of the Bay. With the exception of the abrupt varia- tions that have been noticed, the old line parting from the true merid- ian about five miles south of the Chemung river, bears off gradually until it reaches the shore of Lake Ontario. The strip of land between the two lines was called " The Gore." In addition to the patent granted to Reed and Ryckman, the State had pre-^umed the origi- nal survey to be correct, and made other grants, and allowed the location of military land warrants upon what had been made dispu- ted territory. We shall see what was the final disposition of the matter. After Mr. Morris had made the purchase of Phelps and Gorham, he had once endeavored to promote the settlement of the Genesee lands, entering into negotiations with individuals, and with those who proposed founding settlements or colonies, but he had perfected nothing; though some sales he had in progress, were consummated * In speaking of this fraiul, to tlie author, Jiul,i,'o Porter eutiroly exonerated Col Maxwell, tor whom, in common with all who knew him, ho eiit<>rtained a lii^h res- pect. In fact, it turned out that Col. Maxwell was sick and ^Mhvd to tnist the lino to his associate at the time the fraud was committed. 248 PHELPS AND GORUAm's PURCHASE. II II; II' by his successors. His plan of settlement contemplated principally emigration from Pennsylvania ; but there were formidable difficul- ties in the way. A wide forest separated his lands from the most advanced settlements of Pennsylvania, over the mountains and across the streams, of which no avenue had been opened ; and the still greater difliculty was the fear of Indian wars. The Six Na- tions were looked upon as but in a state of armistice, as having re- luctantly yielded to necesssity, and paused in their stealthy assaults ; but far from being reconciled, ready to again take up the tomahawk and scalping knife, upon their own account, if opportunity was of- fered, or at the bidding of those who were yet brooding over their revenge behind the walls of Forts Oswego and Niagara, and in their Canadian retreats. The borderers of Pennsylvania had seen and felt too much of the horrors of Indian wars, to feel willing to place them- selves again in a position to be harrassed by them. News had reached them of Indian murders of surveyors and emigrants near Presque Isle, and of surveyors in this region ; of solitarv cases of a renewal of Indian hostilities upon the Susquchannah/ and rumor had vastly magnified the, apprehended danger. A society of Men- onists in Pennsylvania, had contracted with Phelps and Gorham for a township, and were negotiating with Mr. Morris for a larger purchase, to enable them to settle their sons in this country, but gave up the project in consequence of the fear of Indian war. Mr. Morris writes to Mr. Colciuhoun soon after he had sold to the As- sociation, that " these worthy but timid people had grown afraid smce the Indian wars at the westward had become so^general as it IS, to let their sons go out even to the townships tliev have bought, lest the Six Nations should become parties, and attack the Gcne'see settlements. Now as there is not the least danger of this happenino-, the Six Nations having decided already for peace, yet these timid peo- ple wdl await their own time. I will, however, announce to them that [ can supply them with the lands they wanted, and as I think the [ndian war will be of short duration, there is little doubt but thev will buy it when it is over." In a letter from Mr. Morris to Mr. Colquhoun, dated in June. 1791, he gives a general statement of wild lands in the United Slates! dien m market. Sjjcaking of his own operations he savs, he has 50,000^acres in Otsego county, that he had bought of the St.itc of \'ew York; and he mentions that the State of New York iias yet mi PHELPS AND GOEUAm's PUPwCIIASE. 249 principally ble difficul- tn the most iitains and d ; and the ho Six Na- liaving re- ly assaults : tomahawk ty was of. over their lud in their ^en and felt ilace them- News had rants near cases of a md rumor y of Men- id Gorhani )r a larger untry, but ■var. Mr. to the As- wn afraid neral as it fe bought, 3 Genesee lappening, timid peo- them that think the but they in June, }d States. f, lie has ! Stiitc nf : has yet 000,000 acres, but he knows of a "company who intend to buy it. 1 he fetate asks four shillings per acre, and want cash down, the ap- pheants want credit, an.l a lou'er price, and as yet the land remains unsold. On the Molr.iwk river, lan.ls are worth from £5 to£l5 per acre. New Englan ■ lectins much information, and eft it v 1 hilh e ? i'^' ""^ ''°'- ference to ;i> ,),. ,■ ■ ■ ■ Sti expectations h re- lerence toits dcst n.es, which were fully confirmed by the success IZZT""! "' ""^ "■•"• "'■ ''" ""™''"-"- After m Mug he" :::i^^trr^rz?f^:;Ssin^Erp-' "r '^^ qualities attracted thettentn o Mr't '^dU 001^ T'^' thensherin-of Wes,„,i„ster. and with then ' he befame v X M mate, wh.ch was only ended by the death of thenar. e7 Mr W,ll,^mson had a strong desire to return to this country wh ch ™ gm uficd by h,s appointment as agent of what was a't f s taW The, Assocatton, ■ and afterwards the Pultney Estate. Leav „1 London, he repaired to Scotland, and after arranging his affairs there sailed for this country, accompanied by his fiimilv ind t vo n educated and intelligent ScotcLen. /ohn jl" Le a d ch-'- Cameron, who came out as his assistants. After a long voyage the party arrived at Norfolk, and going ,„ Baltimore, Mr W I ramson provided quarters for his family for the winter. From tZi dty he wrote to his principals Iha. aii things looked well in the nw out 252 PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASK. try; that the city was so full of newly amved emigrants that he found it (lifllcuU to , . , -r. " ' "°^ *^- ^^^^y were irien laKen down to Painted Post, and ren.ained there until the sprin. of '93 when they were located at the home provided for them at William.', hurg. Each family had a house and fifty acres of land appro- priated to Its use ; necessary farming tools ; a stock of provisions ■ and there were distributed among the whole. 27 yoke of oxen 4o' cows, BO hogs, 300 sheep. Even their household utensils wore provided them. Beside all this, they had their minister and physician. The city training, and idle habits of the expensive colonists, soon began to be exhibited. They were both idle and improvident the women made as bad use of the provisions that had been furnished as the men of the farming implements that were pu to their hands. An eye witness informed the author, that thcN ^ .od their pork and then threw it away, supposing the grease only intended for use; and he gave other .similar specimens of their domestic econo- my. The whole fiddled and danced, and drank whiskey ; even the minister proved a bad specimen of his cloth. It soon turned out that most of them had been deceived. Berezy to sw^>Il his num- bers, and gratify his ambition to be tlie head of a colonv, had prom- ised them fine times in America ; had assured them that his patrons being rich, they should want for nothin-g, and as they were to be the founders of a city, they could each choose such employment as was best suited to their tastes and habits. That they were to dig and delve in the dirty earth, was not in the bond, according to th.ir under.«tandinff. * Mr. Williamson soon became convinced, that he had at least one bad job upon his hands, as the founder of new settlements. One stock of provisions was consumed, and another had" to be supplied ; the fallows that had been provided for them, lay undisturbed; th. sheep and hogs that were intended as breeders, and th. cows that were intended to furnish milk -all obtained at great expense and t.oube-one after another disappeared, and were found upon the shambles; the city appetites of the hopeful colonists cravin- occa- sional alternations between salted and fresh provisions. The very seeds that Mr. Williamson provided, instead of going into the ground, went into the pot. And what was worse perhaps than all, Berezy, by indulgence and other artful management, had oMain^ ed complete control of the colonists, and set ^himself above Mr 256 PHELPS Aim GORIIAM's PURCHASE. t'l Williamson, claiming to have brought his authority directly from head quarters in London. A store had been established at Wil- liamsburg, which was under the care of Mr. John Johnstone, and Berezy and the Germans had used its goods and provisions lavishly ; and besides. Berezy had contracted debts for supplies, especially with the Messrs. Wadsworth.s, assuming that he was acting for the Association, and not under the authority of Mr. Williamson. After having humored the whole matter, until some decisive measures became necessary, Mr. Willinmsnn visited his refractory colony, taking with him from Canandaigua, his friend Thomas Morris, determined to have some reform. He had a house at Williams- burg, then occupied by James Miller, where he kept a desk contain- ing all his papers that had reference to that locality ; and tlierc he and his friend took up their quarters.* Sending for Berezy he had an interview with him, which ended by displacing him as an agent, and forbidding him to exercise any authority over the Germans. Calling the Germans together, he mformed them of their new rela- tions, and proposed measures of further assistance to them, condi- tioned upon their going tb work, and trying to help themselves. At first they were disposed to listen to his proposals, but the superior influence of Berezy soon prevailed, and riot and mutiny succeeded. Sunday intervened, and Mr. Williamson says, " Berezy and the minister were all day pow-wowing in every house in the settlement." Monday came, and Mr. Williamson found the (piarters of .himself and friends besieged. The Germans had collected in a body, and under the influence of Berezy were making extravagant demands as the terms of peace, and a continuance in the colony. Mr. Wil- liamson retreated into the house with his friends Morris, Johnstone, and several others, in all, a force vastly inferior to the refractory colonists. " Driven into a corner between two writing desks" says Mr. Williamson, " I had luckily some of my own people near me, who were able to keep the most savage and daring of the Germans ofl; though the cry was to lay hold of me. Nothing could equal my situation, but some of the Parisian scenes. For an hour and a half I was in this situation, every instant expecting to be torn to pieces." Berezy finding the storm he had raised, raging too vio- •Thortwlcr nhonU iindorMt.'uul tliiit Wiriiarnsliurt,', tlui sifo of ,oH- .1 his dislike of 11,0 eountiy. Threadi,,.^ tl e rorest oif 1 0,1 ^"^T )vV'' ^" "^'''^ his eo,niK„,io„ wove a(tr;lc,edl,y the ;H,is;"/^S,""-nr^^M^^^^ p.. oi:e'h:^u:'i;:Sn;::tt ^:i:l::ikj!;^ti- ••?•' r '^^ Highland ('olony, was not early intHHliiwd into lhi,s reL'ion The read rim 1 ^ h.irn,i.-.ed, that the i,artj were viewing Clifton Springs? ^ " ''-'"^'' '^'" ^'■'"' t Name from ttio daughter of Si-- Wn,. ruUncy. who was Couutc«s of Bath. PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PUECHASE 259 Two boats with workmen, provisions &c., came up the Susquehan- nah to Tioga Point, where they left one boat and half the load of the other, and reached Bath April 15, 1793. Mr. Williamson ar- rived via Northumberland road, two days after. Some shantees were thrown up, a village plat survpyed, a log land office was built ; and during the season, about twenty other log buildings were erect- ed. As would be said in this later day of refinement in language, the Pioneers had a "distinct view of the elephant." Provisions failed, and they were at one time three days without food ; as they cleared away the forest, the fever and ague, as it was wont to do, walked into the opening, and the new comers were soon freezing, shaking, and then burning with fever, in their hastily constructed cabins. It was Mr. Williamson's introduction into the hardships and [)rivations of the wilderness. " He would lay in his hut, with his feet to the fire, and when the cold chills of ague came on, call for some one to lie close to his back, to keep him warm." To other improvements during the year, at Bath, Mr. Williamson added a log tavern, which was opened and kept by John Metcalf Bath having been fixed upon as the centre of all the southern portion of the Associates' purchase, farther improvements were commenced. Mr. Williamson built a saw mill and a grist mill ; emigrants from Pennsylvania and Maryland, soon began to be attracted there. It became the permanent residence of Mr. Williamson. The Dulte, Liancourt, who visited him in the summer of 1795, says: — "The habitation of the Captain consists of several small houses, formed of trunks of trees and joiners' work, which at present forms a very ir- regular whole, but which he intends soon to improve. His way of living is simple, neat and good ; every day we had a joint of fresh meat, vegetables and wine. We met with no circumstances of pomp or luxury, but found good ease, humor and plenty." Perhaps it is the fairest eulogium I can pass upon his free and easy urbanity to say, that all the time of our stay, he seemed as much at his ease as if we had not been present. He transacted all his business in our presence, and was actively employed the whole day long. We were present at his receiving persons of different ranks and des- criptions, with whom the appartment he allots to business is generally crowded. He received them all v/ith the same attention, civility and good nature. They came to him prepossessed with a certain Confidence in him, and they never leave him dissatisfied. He is at 260 PIIELP3 AND GOKTT.Ul's PURCHASE. ir I all times ready to converse witli any who have business to transact with him. He will break off a conversation with his friends, or sake of dispatching those who wish even get up from dinner for to speak to him. h\ the spring of 1791, improvements were commenced at Geneva, the first and principal one being the erection of the Geneva Hotel. It was comi)lcted in December, and opened with a grand ball, which furnished a memorable epoch in the early history of the Genesee country. The Hotel was talked of far and wide as a wonderful en- terprise ; and .such it really was. Even now, after the lapse of fifty- six years, when fine hotels have arisen in all of our cities and prin- cipal villages, the okl Williamson Hotel, as it is often called, in its fine location, with its large open park in front, is ranked as one of the first class. Imagine how it was when it had no competitors in all the region west of Utica, save perhaps three or Ibur moderate sized framed taverns ; when log taverns were generally the order of the day. It was an Astor House then ; and even this comparison falls short of conveying an idea of its then comparative magnitude. Mr. Williamson wrote to his principals, proposing such "a house, and urged that as it would stand in the doorway or entrance to the Genesee country, it should be respectable ; so designed as to make a favorable impression ; and urged beside, that such a house, where all the comforts of a good English inn could be realized, would mvite respectable people to the country. And so perhaps it did. How many readers of these early reminiscences, will remember the house, the landlord, and all belonging to that early halting place, in the long and dreary journles that used to be made. Blended with it in memory, is the old stage coach ; chilled and drowsy with long night rides, over hubs or poached clay roads, there would be the'^smart crack of the driver's whip, the trundling of the wheels upon a stone pavement, the squaring up to the door, the getting out and stretching of almost torpid limbs ; the ushering in to well warmed and com- fortable apartments, the smell and the taste of smoking steak and hot coffee, and other "creature comforts," that it will not do to speak of now. Your modern travellers know nothing of the ex- tremes of pain and pleasure of the old fashioned way of traveling from Albany to Bufl'alo. For landlord to his new Hotel, Mr. Wib liamson selected Thom;..; Powell, whom he had known in London, connected with the celebrated " Thatched Cottage, the rct^uH of PHELPS AND GOmiAll'a rURCHASE. 261 to transact friends, or who wish -t Geneva, va Hotel. »nll, wliich Genesee der'ul an- sa ot'fifty- and prin- in its fine ne of the lors in all 'ate sized er of the ison falls ide. Mr. 3use, and !e to the to make ^e, where :1, would IS it did. Mneinher ng place, d with it 'ng night le smart a stone retchinji id com- 3ak and t do to the ex- •aveling [r. Wil- -.ondon, sort of statc.^imen, politicians and wits." * He had previously emigrated to this country, and opened a house at Lansirigburg. Although Mr. Williamson's house was at Bath, a large proportion of his time was spent at Geneva, attending to mailers connected with the northern division of the purchase. The company that he drew around him, made a very considerable business for the new hotel ; and it was the early home of the young men without fami- lies, who located at Geneva; the principal stopping place for enu- grants, who could afford the comforts of a good iim. Under the auspices of Reed and Ryckman, Joseph Annin and licnjamin Bar- ton had surveyed a small village plat, which was superseded under Mr. Williamson's auspices by a new, cnlrM-t^ed survey, generally as now indicated, except that the new survey, i\ir. Willian)son"s plan, contemplated that the whole town should be built up frjnting the Lake; the space between the mam street and the Lake, was intended for terraced parks and gardens. Ii a few words, Geneva is now, though beautiful in all its appointments, more upon the utili- tarian order, than Mr. Williamson intended. He had seen the original in his travels upon the continent, and associating Seneca Lake with " Lake Leman," had in view an imitation, in a wilder- ness of the new world. In reference to this as well as other of his projections, his ardent and sanguine temperament lad him to sup- pose that villages and village imprfivements, to a considerable extent, could precede a general cultivation of the soil. Experience has shown that they must follow by slow steps after it. The Hotel was but a part of Mr. Williamson's enterprises at Geneva. Before the State had acknowledged the correctness of the new pre-emption line, as in the case of the site of Geneva, and Reed and Ryckman, patents had been issued, covering nearly the whole of " the Gore," Mr. Williamson, through the agency of Mr. John Johnstone, having purchased all the patents, had so fortified the claim of his principals, that he had ventured upon exercising ownership; though title was yet an open question. In March, 1705, while a bill was pending in the legislature, providing for run- ning a third line, by the Surveyor General, and if the one run by Mr. Ellicott should prove correct, to give the associates other lands * Mr. Powell became an early stajro propiictor. After keepiiiir the Hotel for many years, lie removed to Sclieuuclutiy, uiid was succeeded by Lia broLher, Win. rowcll. [■ 262 PIIELPS AND OOKIIA^il's Pr KCIIASE. in lieu of those that had been patented upon the Gore ; Philhp Schuyler introduced amendments, which prevailed, makinrr it dis- cretionary with the Surveyor General, allnvvins Irm to w.-dve the runnmg of a new line, if he satisfied himself that Mr. Ellicott's Ime was correct; and leave it to the commissioners of the land office to arrange matters between the holders of patent?) and the as- sociates, or Mr. Williamson, holding as he did, by purchase, most of the patents, to perfect the title to "the Gore," nearly 84,000 acres. As an equivolent for what he had paid in the purchase of patents, the commissioners of the land office conveyed to him about the same quantity of land embraced in the patents, off from the military tract, in what is now Wolcott and Galen, in Wavne county. The reader will have seen that the first location of " The Friend'' and her followers, was upon « The Gore." Their titles were all confirmed by Mr. Williamson, upon terms generally satisfactory. Sodus was the next site chosen for the foundation of a settle- ment—or in Aict, for the founding of a commercial villa^ro —not to say city. In all Mr. Williamson's plans for settling The coun- wl.oa,e nm.w,n thvHmiTtT^? w' *'?-" "PP?'-t""i'y. ^« I't thee know ««; wishes, t" ri , " , tffsS ' /v {;""nc'rvo(l, tliiit Ik- ronteniplatcil ilio iinpvovotneiit of t]w iiavii^atioii of those livers, and projuctuil a caiud to connect tiie lioga and Delaware rivers, in order to reach Philatlelphia. tMud Creek, until rec(ii\tly. Tlie old name was Mended witli tin- lecnllection of staj^nant waters, liof^s, chills and i'ever.s. When its whole a,spect liad been rlian!i;ed by tlie hiind of ini])rovt'inent, and it became even picturesque and bcatitii'ul in its inean- derintrs throUi,'li ('idtivated ticlds, and a rural sc( nery seldom i quailed, the dwellers in its valley werc^ enabled, witli the help of Lewis Morgan, PJsq , of Rochester, to couiu ul itaancieat Scuecu name, wliich they adopted. ivm. 2G4 PIIELP3 AND GORlIAil's rURCIIASE. I> I the Great Lake, and the St. Lawrence." The town was surveyed by Joseph Colt. Tlie plan was as indicated above. The in-lot3 contained a quarter of an acre, and the out-lots ten acres. The whole was upon a scale ofmagnificoncc illy suited to that primitive period; and yet, perhaps, justified by thru pr'^poctive events; and more than all, by the capacious ar.d hcnutiliil Bay, the best natural harbor upon our whole chain of Lakes, a view of which, even now, e.xcites surprise that it has not, ere this, more than reali- zed the always sanguine expectations of Mr. Williamson. The in-lots in the new town, were ofFered for one hundred dol- lars; the out-lots, for four dollars per acre ; the farming; l.iuds in all the neighborhood, at one dollar fifty cents per acic. Thomas Little and MolFat, were the local agents. A tavern house was erected at a cost of over $5000, and opened by Moses and Jabez Sill. * JMiJLs were erected at the Falls on Salmon Creek ; a plea- sure boat was placed upon .the Bay ; and several other improve- ments made. In roads, surveys, buildings, die, over 820,000 was expended in the first two years. The first difficulty encountered was the ague and fever, that early incubus that brooded over all of Pioneer enterprise, upon the Lake shore. When the sickly season came, agents, mechanics and labor- ers, could only work upon " well days. " Mr. Williamson soon be- gan to realize that there was something beside the " romantic and beautiful, " about the "Bay of Naples" he had found hid away in the forests of the Genesee country. And another trouble came. DO^ See British invasion of the Genesee country, at Sodus. Soon after Mr. Williamson had perfected his title to the Gore, the junction of the Canandaigua out-let and Ganargwa creek, the fine flats, hemmed in by hills and gentle swells of upland the facilities aflbrded for navigation with light craft, — attracted his at- tention. Fancying the outlet and the creek to be miniature repre- sentations of the Rhone and the Sayone, and struck with a coinci- dence of landscapes, he bestowed upon the location the name of Lyons. lie had been preceded here by some of the earliest Pioneers of the Genesee country. In May, 1789, a small colony consisting *Mosos Sill (lied in D;ui,svillo, in 1849. Jalicz Sill died at Wilkcsbarre, iti 1844. Th(! lattdi-was an oarly pmjirictor at I'lidcaiix, " IJrudiidck's Bay." His son, Uaiiiol Sill, is the forlutiaU; Caliioi'iiia adventurer from DansviJIe. IJ^* For Konu! .•icconiit of the Sill family. Bce History of Wyoraliig, and Mrs. Ellott's " Woraon of the lluvolutiou." PHELPS AND GOIUIAllS PURCHASE. 265 of twelve persons, were piloted up the Mohawk, and by the usual water route, by Weinple, the Indian trader who has been mentioned in connection with the Rev. Mr. Ivirkland. Arriving at what was then the principal head of navigation, especially for batteaux of any considerable size, they located and erected log huts half a mile south of the present village of Lyons, whore James Dunn lately resided. The heads of families, were : — Nicholas Stanscll, William Stansell, and a brother in-law, John Featherly. They had been inured to iiardships, toil and (I;inger, as border settlers upon the Mohawk, and in Otsego county ; Wm. Stansell had been to this region in Sulli- van's expedition. Their nearest neighbors were Decker Robinson and tlie Oaks family ; the same season, a few families, located at Palmyra. The Stansells and Featherly may be regarded as the Pioneers of all the northern part of Wayne county. They ground their corn in a small hand mill "until a German named Baer put up a log mill where Waterloo now is. " Jointly with the Pioneers of Phelps, they opened a woods road to that neighborhood and in the direction of the mill at Waterloo. The father of the Stansells died in the earliest years, and was buried in the absence of any funeral rites ; there being no one to conduct them. A few weeks previous to Wayne's victory, the early Pioneers became alarmed ; made up their minds they must flee, or see a second edition of the scenes that tliey had passed through upon the Mohawk ; the old batteaux that brought them into the wilderness was re-corked and pitched to take them out of it ; they were upon the point of starting, when news came that '• Mad Anthony " had humbled the western nations, and smothered the llame that had threatened to break out in the Gene- see country. These early adventurers depended much upon the " products of the forest ; " not such as comes under that head in our modern canal statistics; but upon wild game; deer principally, Nicholas Stansell was a hunter, and would go out and kill from eight to ten deer in a day. Nicholas Stansell, a surviving son of Note. — This curly colony hronslit in with tlicin some ling,s. and the rosult, with other i^iniilar oiic-j thiit will bo noted, coiifinnR Hk; fact that oui-'doniostioatcd ho^ will if tnriu'd into the forest, to share it with wild atiinials alor.c, gu hack U> his primitive condition in one, or two years, at farthest. A Iwar, of this primitive stock changed ni foiiii, liecame a wild racer, liis tusks grew to a frightful length ; he became more than a match fi>r bears and wolves ; and finally a terror to the new settlers, until he Wius hunted and shot. The first progeny of tliis primitive stock when caught could not be tallied, oiid geuurull^ had £u be hunted like otlier game. 17 J66 PHELPS AND GOIUIAM's PURCHASE. one of the two Pioneer brotlicrs, who now resides in Arcadia Wayne county, says : — " After our first stock of provisions was exhausted, we saw hard times ; got out of corn once ; went and liourrht of Onondaga Indians. For days we were without any pro- visions other than what the forest, the streams, and our cows aflor- ded. We eat milk and greens. Venison and fish we could always have in plenty. My father hardly ever missed when he went out after a deer. Salmon, bass, pickerel, speckled trout, ducks and pigeons, were in abundance. " A small patch of corn and potatoes, raised by the Stansells and Featherly, on the old Dorsey farm, in 17S9, were the first crops raised in Wayne county. Nicholas Stansell died in 1817 ; his surviving sons are, William - Stansell, of Arcadia, and George vStansell, who lives a mile south of Newark. John Featherly died a few years since in the town of Rose, aged 80 years. Nicholas Stansell, changing his residence in 1800, l)ecame the proprietor of lands upon which the village of Lockville has grown up. Mr. Williaiuson commenced operations at Lyons, in the summer of 171)1. He made Charles Cameron his principal local agent. Reserving nearly a thousand acres, which was afterwards sold to Judge Dorsey, a house and barn were built for Mr. Cameron; the first framed house in that region.* Mr. Cameron had the village surveyed, and built a store house and distillery. Before the close of 1790, Henry Tower, as Mr. Williamson's agent, had erected and com- pleted wiiat was long known as " Tower's Mills," at Alloway. The mills must have been of more than ordinary magnitude, for that early period, as the author observes that the cost was over twelve thousand dollars. In addition to other improvements, Mr. Cameron cleared land, a>id cunnnenced making a farm. Next to Sodus Bay, Mr. Williamson had regarded Prideaux (Braddock's) Bay as a favorable position upon the Lake. He made some surveys there for a town, but did little towards startins; it. In his correspondence with his principals in London, he often men- tioned the mouth of Genesee River, but not in a way to indicate a high oi)inion of its k)cality. His aim was to improve only such spots as were surrounded bv the lands he held in charge. Those nearest It is uuw !^ta^ldiul^ in a tolerable state of prcsen'atiou, on the bank of the outlet riiELPs AJND goeiiam's pukciiase. 2G7 the mouth of the River and the Falls, had been sold by Thelps and Gorham, before their sale to the London Associates. In 1794 he visited the Falls, Prideaux Bay, and spent a day c"- ;•'•. with Wm. Hcnchcr. He soon after purchased of Samuel l!. Ogde;, the Allan Mill, and the Hundred Acres, with a view i -> con. ..jncing some improvements upon the present site of the cit' -A' V chester. Al- lan had sold the property to Benjamin Barton, sen o ■ ; ,nd Barton to Of];dcn. DCT See deed, or title paper, in Library of Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanic's Association. At tlit fima of William- son's purchase, the mill, a frail structure origuially, with no cus- tomers to keep it in motion, had got much out of repair. He expended upon it some five or six hundred dollars— put it in tolera- ble rei)air— but unfortunately there were no customers. It was dilTicult of access from the older settlements, and mills more con- venient for them, were soon erected. The purchase, repair, and sale of the mill and mill tract, was about the extent of Mr. Wil- liamson's enterprises at the " Falls of the Genesee River," where the aspect of things in that early day, was any thing but encouraging. In 1798, a party of emigrants from Perthshire, Scotland, cmfgra. ted to America, landing at New York, and coming west as far as Johnstown, IMontgomery county, halted there to determine on some permanent location. Mr. Williamson hearing of the arrival of his countrymen, made a journey to see them. He found them poor in purse — with nothing to pay for lands — and but little even for present subsistence ; but they came from the Land of the forest and tlie rock, Of dark Ijlue hike and mighty river. Of mountains reared aloft, to mock The storm's career, the lightning's shock ; .X r <^^'".''^^''">' '""y '"> r'-osumod to bo the first business letter that was ever written fn.m tlie site ul the present eity of ]{„chost<.r. Christopher Du-au nwried a sister ot Lbenezer Allan, and was put in charge of the mill by him : „, .„ ^ , , ^, i'ALLS Of t^EXESEE, Aiig. 9, 1791. The null erected by Ebenezer Allan, which I am informed vou have purchased is n a bad situation luuch out of repair, and unless atientiou is'paid to itTwiU so„n fc.ke Its voyage to the Lake. I have resided here for .several ve;n ., aud ke t U ehTnd war, , w.thout ee e.r recompense ; and am please.l to hear *t hat t has t; lien So the bajuts o a gentleman who is able to repair ii', and whose character is sue 1 a 1 firm y x.heve he wdl not allow an old man to suffer without rew.anl lor his exertions I w2 lo have you come, or send some one to take care of the mill, as my sit^^ at ou is S as makes it necessary soon to remove. I am sir, with respect your mos OiiAiiLKa WiLLi.-iiisox, Esq, obedient humbl e servant. CUIUSTOPHEU DUGAN. 268 T'HELPS AND GOKIIAm's PURCHASE. they were rich in courage, in a spirit of perseverence, in habits of industry ; in all the elements that Ilk in the wilderness, and success in It, requn-cd. Mr. Williamson became to them not onlv a patroon, but a benefactor. "A Scot had met a brithcr Scot." ' He offered them a favorite loration, in the neighborhood of the " Big Springs," (Caledonia) ; - land at three dollars per acre, payable in wheat It SIX shillings per bushel ; a reasonable pay day; and besides, to fur- nish them with provisions until they could help themselves. Four of their number were sent out to view the lands; were pleased with the allotment that Mr. Williamson had made ; on their return, met him on his way from Geneva to Canandaigua ; he drew up a writing on the road, and the bargain was thus closed. In March, 1799, while there was yet sleighing, the Scotch adventurers came from Johnstown to the "Big Springs."* Those who first came were:— Peter Campbell and wife, Malcolm .MLaren and wife, John M'Naughton and wife; and Donald M"Vcan and Hugh M'Dormid, single men. In the fall of the same year, they were joined Ly their countrymen, John M'Vean, John M'Pherson, John Anderson, Duncan Anderson, all single men "but M'Vean! During the next year they were joined by Donald M'Piiersoni Donald Anderson, Alexander Thompson, and their families. Those whose names have been given, except Thompson and M'Vean, had crossed the ocean in the same ship. They are to be regarded as constituting the primitive settlers at Caledonia, though for s°cveral years after, other of their countrymen joined them. The Springs, being on the great trail from Tioga point to Fort Niagara, had long been a favorite camping ground.f Previous to the Scotch advent. Fuller and Peterson, had become squatters there, built log houses, and entertained travelers. This furnished the Scotch settlers a temporary shelter. John Smith, one of Mr. Will- iamson's surveyors, soon arrived and surveyed their lands, so j^lan- ning the surveys that each allotment would have a front upon the streams. Log houses were soon erected in the primitive manner, small patches of summer crops planted ; and the Scotch settlers ™no Vm '''" ^V, ""»!'',:■ *^ *'''' hcaVdy, even a.s far back ns (he first Engl Lsh occu- pancy „f Nia-Mva. Mi-. W illianison gavo it thu new niuno of Caledonia. t Au old C.'inrulian cniifrrant, and a frequent traveler upon the trail abont the close 1 Id l";\"'"".""' ""r ''"' ?"'r''"i^' "."^^'^^^^ '^ fr'-'l"'^"^, that the firen of one party would be burning when anulhor arrived, * ' PnELP3 a™ aORDAJl's PCRCnASE. 269 Zil^ZTr"'"'; "'""°' "™""'"'" "'"■ '""''' '--' «s--t Mel";, I '"",'"' r'"''"' ^"'" """" •" Alexander lor supplung some provisions. Wheat was procured at Dans vile and ground nuhe Mes.rs. Wads,vor,hs' ml at Co, esus and pork was drawn from the store at Williamsbur. Mr W 1 ^an,»„„ ako furnished them with some cows. And' how dM™ manage for yo,„. early team work ? was the author', enouir of'the bv hi t , " f'-^'^^-S'""". "°w in his 80,h vear.. „ Lnded and ro.;';":;?"' """"'f, °^™'- hi^gamersfilled to overflowing, "C o steX" Ti''"'^""'' P™-i-S'"'-e abundance rive,' it T "; '"' "■"' "« """^'^ -^P"". f" ^«'l«-x on the pu,ts h! e "T "? :"'^'"='' »»" «fty »-- for school r,r ,./ ["^ "' ""^ *P""S' •■' S"^' '-""I S'"" mill, which This is so far as Mr. Williamson was directly connected with the P.oaecr settlers at Caledonia. Their after progress will be m n*d w,d, event., „a,-ra.od in succccling portions of the work " The reader of the present d.ay will smile at the idea of ■■ Fairs " and Race grounds ,„ back woods settlements, at a time when settlers generally had but just made small openings in the forest anS stood n,o,.e ,n need of log causeways over streams, boa ds fo ter blr:;- 'tr '"J'rr'^^- 'h- of-o^ dorses or imp,, td »eef,ha „ tti "r"l T^"'"" "''-"'«"- Scotchman had seen ihQse thmgs m England and Scotland, and supposed them ments, and as , will be observed he had ulteiior object, in view mprcssed w.tl, the idea that the region, the settlemen of whic To «a cndcavoiang to promote, was nearly all it had m-„ved to ),! cnlhusi.islic even inhiseflrats- h„l,.,t i ^ '"' ■ niselloits, he had made up hjs mind that the Uio hi„ l„„,„„ i]i,„h Cli„ml„.,l ,"„".„», :""l,,'}^'- ■'!';'•"'"'; ":«• ll» wiaon-of 270 PHELPS AOT) GORIIAMS PURCHASE. Genesee country need only be seen to be appreciated. In travelling through Maryland, Virginia, and Pennsylvania, he had endeavored to bring niei- of wealth and enterprise to view the country, but had generally failed. It was too secluded, too far off from civilization, too much threatened with Indian wars ; liad in it too much of the elements of chills and fevers, to be attractive, to men who were not under the necessity of encountering such formidable difficulties. But he had discovered that those he wanted to come and see the country were fond of races and holiday sports, and he resolved upon instituting them in adeshe is g:ithei'ing up: — " It wont doto tt-f of all of our doings in those ilays of ' Lang Syne. ' 1 jiresnnie you liave iiot forgot . 'lie night we spent in Dunn's hotel when we roasted th't cpiarterof beef." "Give i ," v>>... 'go and any thing else you can tliinkof This is a llouri.shiiig town. The Chioaj.,.. nd (i.-deim rail road jw.sses through it. Why cant you come and ni.'ike iis n visit. You can come all the way by steam. 1 am now in my MItli year, anil enjoy good lu'ilth. * In connection with this (-nterprise, theauth:! hassmne items of account, shomng the cost of thiiigH at that primitive period : - !• . ,st.f 18 to take a common waggon load from Cenevato Le Hoy. 2 bbls. of |)(,iK and 2 i)bls. of whiskey cost, deliverecl, (at (ianson's) ;«0. The only urind-stoiie in all the region, was one owned by the Indians at Cunawagus, and tlie uso of it cost $1,50. • 272 PHELPS AKD GOEHAm's PURCHASE. aa&'ai- 'StuMii he called the " Hermitage Farm." Beside this, he had a larrre fonr on the Canascraga, a few miles below Dansville, and several farms in Steuben. Connected with all these improvements in the way of agencies, clerkships, mechanics, surveyors, road makers, &c., are many fami- liar Pioneer names: — Among them, those of William Wliite, John Swift, Jonathan Baker, "Capt. Follett," Reed, Buskirk, Fitzsim- mons. Woodward, Griswold, Henry Brown, Ralph T. Woods, Peter ShaeiTer, Fiancis Dana, Solomon Earl, Williams and Frazee, Gordon and Evans, James Bardin, Jonathan Woods, Francis Dana, Jonathan Mathews, B. Lazclere, David Miloer, William Mulhallen, Jacob Hartgiile, Elisha Brown, Leonard Beaty, Daniel Nicholson, Woods and Pratt, Thomas W^ilbur, Nathaniel Williams, Judah Colt, Caleb Seely, Thomas W. Williams, E. Hawkes, David Abbey, King and Howe, Joseph Merrill, Charles Dutcher, Jonatiian Bur- nett, Robert Burnett, Peter Lander, David Fish, Daniel Britain, E. Van Winkle, Gideon Dudley, Norman Merry, David Abbey, Obadiah Osburn, George Humphrey, Annanias Piatt, Wm. Angus, John Davis, Grieve and Moffatt, John Carey, James Beaumont, Joshua Laig, George Goundry, Elisha Pratt, Pierce Chamberlain, Joseph Roberts, Thomas Howe, David Dennett, Jeremiah Gregory, Darling Havens, Daniel P. Faulkner, Jonathan Harker, ifenry Bro\vn, Asa Simmons, Peter Rice, W. M'Cartney, James Hender- son, Rufus Boyd. These are but a moiety; i'or a considerable period, in one way and another, a large proportion of the new settlers were connected with his enterprises. He was a large subscriber to the Canandaigua Academy, to the first library established at Geneva, and aided in some of the first movements made in the Genesee country, in the cause of educa- tion. After he had extended his road Irom Northuinberland, Penn., to Williamsburg, on the Genesee river, he soon established a mail, on foot sometimes, and sometimes on horseback, between the two points, thus opening a communication with Philadelphia and Balti- more. A branch mail went to Canandaigua, Geneva and Sodus. ■lu^,"^''"'""''^^'""^ ^'"' •'""' "^ "^'' I'l-ojortion of tlie Stntc Roiul west, of Romo, Mr. VVilliaiiisun WHS n.linn; iipnii Jahut Islnn.l, in cr.Min.'inv witli Jlo WitI Cliiiton wlio re- iiiiivkuiL' upnti llio KiMo,,|}incs.s <.f tliii roiid. siii.l \n .Mr. W.; — "If you liiul such ro.-uls to your ooiiiJtry I would iiiiiko you avisit." — "It cnii lie donowith propor e.\urtioiis" Mr. (huloii pioniiscd liini liis co-opcralioM. and afterwards assisted in procuring the nu'orporatioii .,f tlie Genera Turninke fonipany, in which the State Itoau was tiicrg<'d. Mr. I'hnicui's iirst visit to tliis region, -was in I&'IO. PIIELPS AND G0RIIAM8 PURCHASE. 273 new For several years after, a better understanding was had with Gov. Simcoe and his successors by means of these mail facilities ; they received their letters and papers from Europe and the Atlantic cities, through this primitive medium. It is presumed that he had something to do with putting on the first mail and passenger wagon from Albany to Canandaigua, as the agent at Albany procured and charged to him a wagon and harness for that purpose. Mr. Williamson was elected to the legislature from Ontario county, in 1700 ; and for three successive years, while in that capa- city, he contributed with great energy and perseverance to dif- fei'ent measures for the benefit of the region he represented, which was all of Western New York. He was a Judge of Ontario county ; in the early military organizations in what is now Steuben, equipped an independent company at his own expense ; and rose from the rank of Captain in his Britannic Majesty's service, to that of Col. of a regiment of backwoods militia in the Genesee country. The manufacture of pot and pearl-ash was prominent in his view, as one of the resources of the new country ; he gave some en- couragement to it ; but the means of transportation to market at that early day, was a great drawback upon the enterprise. * The manufacture of maple sugar was also an object of interest with him ; and in fact, was an anticipated source of great revenue to the country, by many of the earliest adventurers. They failed to appreciate the competition it had to encounter in the sugar-cane and cheap hibor. One of the earliest enterprises of Mr vYilliamson, was the improvement of the navigation of the Conhocton and Canisteo, the manufacture of lumber, and the carrying of it to Bal- timore, in periods of high water. In all this career of Pioneer enterprise that has been passed over, it may well be anticipated that much money was required. There was little money in the country — hardly enough for the purchase of the common necessaries of life — of course, not enough to make any considerable land payments. Lands liad to be sold upon credit, payments of instalments postponed ; most of his enterprises were * Writiiip: to Mr. Colqulunm snon after his aifival in tliis country, lie slak'fl that Judfjo Cddpor, I'atlicr of .1. i'VimiiiKiro Cdopcr, who was tlicn just foundii. ;• ;i settlo- iiKMit on llic <)tsc),'o Lak(>, was (greatly pronioliiif^ salcH of land and sottlt'niciit, by furnishing; Ihe new wltliTS with pot-as^h kcUlc^rt to a largo amount. Ho Kjjoal.s of the aftor horo of backwoods' roinaiico — "Judge Tenijjlo," — as a proruiiioiit co-workoriu |:jroinoti!ig settlunii'iits. I I. 274 PHELPS AND GOPJIAm's PUECnASE. ahead of the time and the condition of the country, and made slow returns. The resources were mainly the capital of his princij.als, the London associates. Seldom, if ever, have property holders ad- vanced larger amounts for improvements, or more freely at first thougli they began to be impatient after years had gone bv, and the returns of their immense outlays were coming in but slowlv to re- plenish their cofl-ers. In 1800, the balance sheets did not iJok well for then- Genesee country enterprise. There had been expended for purchase money of lands, agencies, and improvements, such as have been mdicated, $1,374,470 10. There had been received for lands sold, but $147,974 83. In addition to tiiis balance a-ainst them, they owed of principal and interest upon lands purchased? over 5^300,000. To make all this look better, however, they had an im- mense amount of unsold lands, farms and mills, and an immense debt due for lands sold. While all Mr. Williamson's enterprises had been puttmg the country ahead in the way of settlement and miprovement, (even from ten to fifteen years, as manv estimate ) another direct effect must have been, the adding vastly 'to the prin cipals, the care of which he turned over to his successors He lound the wild lands of the Genesee country selling at from 1 to 4s per acre; he left them selling at from 81,50 to $4. He had at first formidable difficulties to overcome, other than such as have been named and indicated, as consequent upon the task of settling a country so isolated from the older settlements possessing so many harsh features to keep back emigration He was a foreignex, and had held a commission in the nmks of the British army, with whom a large portion of the new settlers h?d just been contending upon battle fields. Arms had been crrounded but feelings of resentment, prejudice, were rife. The pos^'ssion of' tort Niagara and Oswego, the British claims upon the territory of Western New York, their tampering with the western Indians, and even those that were unreconciled here, served to keep dive this feeling. Although Mr. Williamson had from the time he landed in America, given the strongest evidence that lie intended to mercrg himself with the disenthralled colonies, and throw off all ulle-iance to Great Britain, still he encountered jealousy and distrust. In re capitulating to Sir Wm. Pulteney, toward the close of his arrency the difficulties he had encountered, he makes the followiiicr renTarks •' 'Even previous to J794. there was a strong predisposiUou against PlIELrS AND GOKUAm's PUECHASE. 275 every thinj? that was British. But this was more particularly the case in those parts of the back country adjacent to the British set- tlements ; and where, I'rom the influence of the British govern- ment with the Indians, there was too nii^ch reason to fear that hos- tilities from that quarter would be directed against these infant set- tlements. These jealousies met me in an hundred mortifying in- stances ; and they were with difTiculty prevented from having the most disagreeable elTects, both to me and every old countryman in the settlements. To such an extent was this carried, that every road I talked of was said to be for the purpose of admitting the In- dians and British ; cveiy set of arms I procured — though really to enable the settlers to defend themselves againt the Indians — was said to be for supplying the exjiected enemy ; and the very grass seed I brought into the country for the purpose of supplying the farmers, was seized as gun powder going to the enemies of the country." He also alleges that these distrusts — opposition to his movements — were enhanced by influential individuals, who were interested in the sale of wild lands in other localities. All this, however, wore off, as we may well conclude, for he was elected to represent the county in the legislature, with but little op- position, in 1790, and the mark of favor was repeated. Well educated, possessing more than ordinary social qualities, with a mind im- proved by travel and association with the best classes in Europe, his society was sought after by the many educated and intelligent men who came to this region in the earliest years of settlement ; and he knew well how to adapt himself to circumstances, and to all classes that went to make up the aggregate of the early adven- turers. Changing his habits of life with great ease and facility, he was at home in every primitive log cabin ; a welcome, cheerful, and contented guest, with words of encouragement for those who were sinking under the hardships of Pioneer life ; and often with sub- stantial aid, to relieve their necessities ; away off in some isolated opening of the forest would be those prostrated by disease, to whom he would be the good Samaritan, and send them the bracing tonic or restoring cordial. These acts of kindness, his benevolence of heart, are well remembered by surviving Pioneers ; and repeatedly has the author been importuned by them to speak well of their friend, in those local annals. From the day that Mr. Williamson arrived in this country, until 27C Pinars and goritam's ruKoirASE. i'li PI he returned to Europe, his corrospondence was oxtonsivc and em- braced a lar-e number of prominent men in the northern States and in Europe. The interests of uli this rerrjon were deeply in- volved m the success of Mr. .lay's mission to Eiiirjnnd in 17i)l. 'Mr. Wiihamson's acquaintance with the stat(>smen of En-rjiuid were with those principally of the cf>nservativ(. class, and with them he urpd a reconciliation of all existing dilliculties. He made the I'ln- hsh government acquainted witii the conduct of their agents hi Canada : with their machinations with the Indians to brin." on an- other series of border wars ; an.l with the coiuiuct of IJritish oflicers at the western posts, in stimulating the Indians to stealthy assaults upon settlers, surveyors and explorers. [D- See account of munler oj Major Trueman, Appendix, No. 10. The treaty of Mr. Jay con- eluded, he urged upon the Colonial department of the Enrr]ish gov- ernment, the substitution of better disposed neighbors in The Cana- das, than Lord Uorchcster, and Gov. Simcoe ; anrl the hastenin, Mr. Burr made a visit to this region, continuing his journey as far west as Niagara Falls. He was accompanied by his daughter The- odosia, and her then, or afterwards, husband, Mr. Allston. The party were on horseback.* Upon this occasion, Mr. Williamson had interviews with him, if he was not in fact, his travelling com- panion in a part of the trip; and when Mr. Williamson became a member of the legislature in 'no, and in succeeding years, business and social relations, made theni frequent companions in Albany. In whatever project Mr. Burr had at the south, i\Ir. Williamson was blended, and would have taken a conspicuous part in it, if it had not been so summarily arrested. After Mr. Williamson left this country, he resided at the home of his fan)ily in Balgray, and in London. He died in 1808. The only record of the event, that the author has been able to obtain, is the following extract of a letter from Col. Walker, to " JMr. Wm. Ellis, ^OTE.— C(.I. BcTijaTiim Walker, vas an early and prominent ciHzcn of Utien In the early part ot the Revolution he had l,eei» in the statr of (ien. Washini^nini, aiu! ^va.? afterwards the aul of Baron Stenl,en. He is r<.nneeted with a i,^,,,,.! atu'clote of he J)uron:—Reviewnij< some raw troojiH, he ordered them witii liis im.ierfect J'hi.disli pronunaau.Mi, to fall haek which tliey mistook for "advaiKv," and eame n.slii,,- di- rectly npon lam. Irritated, and fearing they would understand him no belter in his repnnKiiuis, he ordered Col. \Valker to d— ii ihem in Eii"i;^li In 17!)^ Jk. was surveyor of the port of New York, ,md was employed by Messrs. 1 ulteney and Hornby to settle with an a-ont m this country, who had'invested some money or theni m lands (other tlian the (ienesee purchase.) whirl, h,l to Lis early aequain ance with Mv. VV, hamson. His corresp.mdence with Mr. Wilham^-on after ho returned to hurope, woidd mdicato superior talents ; and there could be Lrk,,„ed from tJiem niimy interesting early reminiscences .,f events in this country, t'ol. Waliver died m Ltica, m 1818, An only daimhter married H'Villicrs, a F/ench .'entlenrm who was m this region in '91, or '."). .She died in Franco. The only reiM-eseiitative of the family in this country, is an adopted daughter, Mrs. Bours (jf (Jeneva. *In this western visit Mr. Burr parted from his travelling companions at Avon Uiid went down andvisited the fallsof theOenesec, takhigtheirhei^ i\ .\ ^ction and progress. He was the intimate friend of Alexander Hamilton, antl in fact few enjoyed more of the. intimate acquaint- ance and friendship, of the most of prominent men of the Revolution, and early statesmen of New York. He died in New York in 1832, aged 74 years. He liad two sons, one of wljom died in Charleston, and the other in N. York. A daughter of his is Mrs. James L. Brinkerhoof, of N. York; and another unmarried daughter resides in New York. Before Col. Troup's removal to Geneva, the immediate duties of the agency devolved successively upon John Johnstone, John Hes- lop and Robert Scott. Heslop was first a clerk of Mr. VYads- worth, and ( ntered the Geneva office a short time before the close of Mr. Williamson's agency. He died on a visit to his native country, England. Mrs. Gresliom, of Brooklyn, is a daughter of his. HrELP3 AND GORnAH's PUECHASE. 281 JOSEPH FELLOWS. Joseph Fellows is a native of Warwirlcshi.-^ Pn i j r .00., an„ e„,e..e. ,h. office of Co,'. T™ ""rolrr Ge' e":' ■n I8I0, as a sub-»ge„t m the Pultney land office : the detail, JZ was the wife of DrEli Hi 1 T""," \ *'" ' '^ ^'"^ "f h- Geneseo Hr hT^ ' , H,'^''"''^ phjsic.an of Conesus and ImZ ir „ T,"' '" ^'"''"- Mi'^'"S»". where he died brofhe": '"""'■ """ '■^^'*' "' G^""", with her The purchasers of the Pnllney lands, have found in Mr Fellows an agent deposed to conduct the business with strictlTe^rhv L Wr ^^f''^'"^"" left Bath, James Reese removed thero fiom Geneva, and took the temporary charge of the wfo r Hesiqnmii fhenost In isni i * ^"Ji„e oi me L.and Office, o „ ne post in 1803, lie was succeeded by Samuel I TTni,rhf 282 PHELPS AND GOEIIAm's PURCHASE. to practice in the Supreme Court, and in the following year opened an office in Bath. Assuming the duties of the Land Office soon after, he • ontinued to discharge them until 1814. He was sub- sequently the law partner of General Matthews at Bath, and re- mained so until Gen. M. removed to Rochester in 1821. He now resides at Cubr<,, Allegany county. Besides holding important civil stations, in 1819 he received the appointment of Major General of the 25th military division, then comprising the counties of Steuben, Allegany, Cattaraugus and Chautauque.* The subsequent agents in the Bath office have been, Dugald Cameron, and William M'Kay ; the latter cf whom is the present agent. He is the son of John S. M'Kay, who emigrated to Geneva in 1800, and died in Pittsford, in 1819. JOHN GREIG. Mr. Greig was a native of Moffat, in Dumfrieshire, Scotland. His father was a lawyer by profession, the factor or agent of the Earl of Hopeton; and besides, a landholder, ranking among the better class of Scotch farmers. After having acquired in his native parish, and in a High School in Edinburg, a substantial education, while undetermined as to his pursuits in life, Mr. Johnstone, who, it will have been seen, had been in this region, connected with Mr. Williamson, revisited his native country, and meeting Mr. Greig, induced him to be his companion on his return to the new world. They arrived at New York, in the winter of 1799 and 1800, after a tedious passage of eleven weeks. Mr. Greig, after spending some time in ]\ew York and Albany, came to Canandaigua, in April, 1800. He became a student at law, in the office of Nathaniel W. Howell, and in 1804 was admitted to practice. In 1800, on the occurrence of the death of his friend, John Johnstone, he succeeded him in the agency of the Hornby and Cohjuhoun estate ; in which he has continued up to the present period. In an early period of his professional career, he became the part- ner of Judge Howell ; the partnership continued until 1820. Ming- ling with his professional duties, the arduous ones consequent upon 'lu 1819 all that territory coutcoined but 3,100 men, subJMt to .Tilitary duty, PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 283 Ming- the sale and settlement of large tracts of wild lands, professional eminence could hardly be expected ; yet in early days, when there were " giants in the land"— when the bar of western New York had in its front rank, a class of men, whose places can now harldy be said to be filled — tney found in the young foreigner a professional cotemporary, possessed of sound legal acquirements ; and especially recommending himself to th. ir esteem, by a high sense of honor^, and a courtes} , which ruled his conduct at the bar, as well as in the business ard social relations of life. As a patroon of new settlements — which his agency of a foreirrn and absent principal, made him — in that position, in which so im- portant an influence is wielded over the destinies of a new coun- try— his best eulogy is found in the frequent expressions of gratitude, which a gatherer of historical reminiscences may hear, from the lips of surviving Pioneers, for indulgence and kindness received at his hands.. Mr. Greig succeeded Mr. Gorham, in the Presidency of the On- tario Bank, soon after 1820, which place he continues to fill. He became one of the Regents of the University in 1825, .t, '. is now the Vice Chancellor of the Board. In 1841, '2, he was the Repre- sentative in Congress, from Ontario and Livingston ; and is now one of the managers of the Western House of Refuge. He is row 72 years of age ; his general health and constitution not seriously in)paired ; his mental faculties retaining much of the vigor of middle age ; having the general supervision of his estate, and discharging the public duties which his several offices impose. ' _ One of the largest estates of western New York, is the fruit of his youthful advent to a region he has seen converted from a wil- derness, to one of fruitful fields and unsurpassed prosperity ; — of a long life of professional and business enterprise and judicious man- agement. Leaving his young countrymen and school fellows to mherit estates ; with a self-reliance, which can only give substantial success in life, he boldly and manfully struck out into a new field of enterprise — a then fresh and new world — and became the founder of one. Liberal in its management and disposition, with a sensible estimate of what constitutes the legitimate value and use of wealth; he is the promoter of public enterprises, the Hb-.-al patron of public and the dispenser of private charities ; in J[ of which he finds a willing co-operator in his excellent wife, wlio is a worthv descend- W 284 PIIELPS AND GOEIIAm's PURCHASE. ant of one who occupied a front rank among the earliest Pio- neers of the Genesee country. She was tlie daughter of Captain Israel Chapin, the grand-daughter of Gen. Israel Chapin ; was mar- ried to Mr. Greig in 1800. CHAPTER III INDIAN DIFFICULTIES BRITISH INTERFEUENCE INDIAN COUNCIL." GEN. ISRAEL CHAPIN. In preceding pages, tHe reader has observed some indications of unsettled relations between the Indians, and the early adventurers of our own race, in the Genesee country ; and the mischievous influence of those to whom they had been allies in the Revolution. All this will be farther exhibited in connection with the early settle- ment of Sodus. In this chapter it is proposed to treat the subject generally, avoiding as far as possible a repetition of what has been and will be, in the other connections, but incidental. The reader of American general history, need hardly be told, that what was called a treaty of peace with Great Britain, in 1783, war rather an armistice — a cessation of hostihties — and that but little of real peace, or amicable '-elations, was immediately conse- quent upon it. On the one hand, a proud arrogant nation, worsted in a oontest with a few feeble colonies, its invading armies defeated and routed, grudgingly and reluctantly yielded to a stern necessity, and allowed only enough of concession to be wrung from her, to secure the grounding of arms. And on the other hand, success, victory, had been won by a last, and almost desperate eflbrt, — the wearied colonies gladly embracing an opportunity to rest. Thus conditioned, the terms of peace were illy defined, and left open questions, to irritate and furnish grounds for a renewal of hostilities. PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 285 British armies re-crossed tlie ocean, and British navies left our coasts, but British resentment was still rife. In the palace at Windsor, England's King was mourning with almost the weakness of childhood, or dotage, over his lost colonies ; yielding to the sacrifice with a bad grace, and in the absence of any kinglv digni- ty. Rich jewels had dropped from his crown, and he refused to be reconciled to their loss ; and his ministers, with more of philosophy, but little less of chagrin and discomfiture, in peace negotiations, seem almost to have made mental reservations, that contemplated a renewal of the contest. The homely adage, "like master like man," was never better illustrated, than it was in the persons and official acts of those who came out as government officers and agents, to look to the little that was saved to England, after the wreck of the Revolution. But one spirit, and one feeling pervaded in the home and colonial governments. It was that the treaty had been an act of present necesrev wore expoctinR ; and they especially requested t^,a° AeG..vernor should send to t fie council "all the property of the tmirderers" .->"] would" be a gi-eat satisfaction to the families of the deceLd.-' The resu t of ll o rf"frl' ul '{'ir't " . '° '"' ' ?•"'■'', ?'"'^ " co,npro,niMn.r of Uie murdei-s, and professions ot Iriendship, tliat were destined to remain equivocal "''""a 290 rilELPS AND GOKUAJi's PUKCIIASE. practiced upon them ; and that especially traders among them would be prohibit'^d from selling sjiirituous liquors. To all this Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother made replies, expressing much gratification that the "great chief of the Thirteen Fires, hi>d opened his mauth to them." They made formal complaints of the manner in which their lands had been obtained from them» to which Col. Pickering replied, that their lands were their own to dispose of as they pleased, that the United States would only see that no frauds were practiced in the land treaties. The Six Nations called their councils with the whites, measures for "brightening the chain of friendship, "and never did chains get rusty so quick after brightening as they did along during this critical period. One treaty or council was hardly over before another was demanded by one party or the other. In the spring of 171)1, when the Little Turtle as the successor of Pontiac — at i leader, almost his equal — had perfected an alliance of the principal western na- tions against the United States; when expedients for reconciliation with them had been exhausted, and General Ilarmar was about tu march against them ; it was deemed of the utmost importance to confirm the wavering purposes of the Six Nations, and divert them from an alliance with the legions that threatened to break up the border settlements west of the Ohio, and if successful there, to in- volve the new settlements of the Genesee country in the contest for dominion. For this purpose, Colonel Pickering was again commis- sioned by the Secretary of War to hold ■ treaty. It was held at Newtown, (now Elmira,) in the month of June. With a good deal of difficulty, a pretty general attendance of the Indians was secured. Fortunately Col. Proctor who had turned back in a peace embassy to the western nations, in consequence of intimations which induced a conclusion that it would not only be fruitless but dangerous, had spent some weeks among the Sjnecas at Buffalo, and his visit had been favorable to the drawing off of the chiefs and warriors from Canada influence and western alliance, in the direction of Colonel Pickering and his treat} ground. The treaty was mainly successful. With all the bad inclinations of the Set.3cas at this period, and bad influences that was bearing upon them, there was a strong conservative influence which had a powerful auxiliary in the, "Governesses, " or influential women.* - * The very coiiiiuuu imbues -luii iJiut the women L;ul no iiitlueiice ia tlie u. ucils of PHELPS AND GCRIIAMS PURCUASE. 291 The principal speakers were, Red Jacket and Farmer's Brother. Thomas Morris was present at this treaty ;* the autlior extracts tro# his manuscripts, spoken of in the prcl'acc to this work; — "Red Jacket was I suppose, at that time, about 30 or 35 years of age, of middle height, well formed, with an intelligent countenance, and a fine eye ; and was in all respects a fine looking man. He was the most "graceful public speaker I have ever known ; his manner was most dignified and easy. He was lluent, and at times witty and sar- castic. "" He was quick and ready at reply. He pitted himself against Col. Pickering, whom he sometimes foiled in argument. The Colonel would sometimes become irritoted and lose his temper ; then Red Jacket would be delighted and shew his dexterity in taking advantage of any unguarded assertion of the Colonel's. He felt a conscious pride in the conviction that nature had done more for him than for his antagonist. A year or two after this treaty, when Col. Pickering from Post Master General became Secretary of War, I informed Red Jacket of his promotion. ' Ah, ' said he, ' we began our public career about the same time ; he knew how to read and write, I did not, and he has got ahead of me ; but if I had known how to read and write I should have got ahead of him.' " The name of an early Pioneer has already been incidentally men- tioned, who became prominently blended in all the relations of the general government, and consequently in all the relations of this local region, with our Indian predecessors. General Israel Chapin was from Hatfield, Massachusetts. He was commissioned as a Cap- tain in the earliest military organizations of Massachusetts, after the commencement of the Revolution, and was in the campaign against Quebec ; soon after which he was advanced to the rank of Colonel, and at the close of the Revolution, he had attained to the tliG Six Nations — tliiu their whole sex was regarded as mere drudges — is refuted by tlio recorded facts, that in treaties with Gov. George Clinton, and iu the treaty at " Big Trei'," they turned the scale iu councils. * Mr. Morris, then just from his law studies, withayounger brother, set out from Phil- adelphia, and coining via Wilkwharre and what was called " Sullivan's path, " attended the treaty, visitoil tlie Falls of Niagara, and returning, made up his miud to fix his res- idence at Canandaigua. »^See sketches of early times at Cauandaigua, and see also Boiue further reniiniscences of Mr. Morris in connection with tlie treaty at NewtowD, Appendix No. 12. Note.— Among the Revolutionary papers of General Chapin, are many interesting relics. Ei)hraim Patch, a soldier of liis company, charges in his memorandum, for " one pair of bult'ed trowsers, one pewter basin, one pair ahoes, ouu tomahawk and 13 292 PIIELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 6 rank of Brij^adier General. In addition to his services in the field ftfc was occasionally a sub contractor, or agent of Oliver Phelps in procuring army supplies. Upon one occasion, as the author o' • erves by his correspondence, he was requested by Mr. Phelps to obtain a fine yoke of fat cattle for Gen. Washington's table." Gen Chapin was in active military service during the Shay rebellion : [D" See ''general orders,' transmitted to him by Major General Shepherd Appendix, No. 13. After the close of the Revolution, he was a prominent managing member of an association, organized for the purpose of dealing in wild lands in Vermont. He was one of the origmal associates with Mr. Phelps, in the purchase of the Genesee country, and was chosen to come out and explore it in 1789 which resulted m his removal with his family to Canandaigua. in 1790 Soon after the organization of the general government, the Sec- retary of War, General Knox, saw the necessity of a local a^ent among the Six Nations, and the well earned reputation of General Chapin, in the Revolution, and in the important civil crisis thai fol- lowed after it in Massachusetts, fortunately for the region with which he had become identified, pointed him out as a safe de pository of the important trust. From his earliest residence in the country, he had been entrusted with commissions, in connection with Indian relations, by Gen. Knox and Col. Pickerin y. Soon after the treaty at Newtown, he was appointed to the office of Deputy Superintendent of the Six Nations, though the duties of his office ultimately, in many instances, embraced the whole northern de- partment. The letter of appointment from Gen. Knox, enjoined upon him the impressing upon the Indians, that it was the " firm determination of the President that the utmost fairness and kindness should be exhibited to the Indian tribes bv the Uniteri States " Tint it was « not only his desire to be at peace with all the Indian tribes, but 'to be their guardian and protector, against all injustice." He was informed by the Secretary, that Joseph Brant had promised a visit to the seat of government, and instructed either to accompany him "or otherwise provide for his journey in a manner perfectly a^ree' able to him." *= bell, onobiiyoiiGt. 111(1 bolt, lost by moil. UiJ^at from Qiioboc, MiiTcTnipri^r athat. ClMrkohiirgos t.;it ho was equally lu.fortunato in the h.xstv ( i^^h ]JZl PHELPS AND QOEIIAm's PUECIIASE. 293 This attempt to get Brant to Philadelphia, together with a large representation of other chiefs and warriors of the Six Nations, and others not actually merged with the hostile Indians of the west, had been commenced in the previous winter. It succeeded very well, with the exception of Brant ; a large Seneca delegation, with a few Cnondagas and Oneida?, nearly forty in all, were conducted to Phil- adelphia, across the country, via Wilkesbarre, by Horatio Jones and Joseph Smith. It was upon this occasion that the Indian chief, Big Tree, was a victim to the excessive hospital'ty that was extended to the deJegation, at the seat of government, dying there from the effects of surfeit. British hospitality and liberality was outdone ; President Washington won the esteem and confidence of the Indi- ans, and they departed with promises of continued frlend.ship, and that they would undertake a friendly mission to the hostile Indians of the west. Brant w-is invited to the conference by the Rev. Mr. Kirkland and Col. Pickering, but he stood out somewhat upon his dignity, and intimated that if he went, it was to be in a manner more con- sistent with his character and position, than would be a journey through the country, with a drove of Indians, under the lead of in- terpreters. This being communicated to Gen. Knox, he took the hint, and thence his instructions to Gen. Chapin. Apprehensive, too, that Brant wanted the invitation to come directly from the seat of government, he addressed him an official letter, respectful and conciliatory, appealing to him upon the score of humanity, to lend his great influence toward reconciling the existing Indian difficul- ties, preventing tlie further shedding of biood, and to assist the government in devising measures for bettering the condition of his race. This drew from the chief an answer that he would start for Philadelphia in about thirty days, and in the meantime would con- suit the western nations, and be enabled to speak by authority from thorn. No statesman of the new or old world, ever penned a more guarded, non-committal answer in diplomacy, than was this from the retired chief, in the backwoods of Canada. The letter to the Secretary of War, was sent to Mr Kirkland, at Oneida, and forwarded by him by the hands of Dr. Deodat Al- len, to the care of Col. Gordon, the British commanding officer at Fort Niagara, with a request to have it sent hy private express to Captain Brant, at Grand River. This manner of forwarding- the 294 PIIELP8 AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. etter proved unfortunate. Dr. Allen, knowing its contents dosijrned. ly or imprudently communicated them to Col. Gordon, who acsompa- nied U with suggestions well calculated to promote an unfavorable answer. He also informed Captain Chew,* a deputy Indian agent under Sir John Johnstone, residing at Niagara, of the contents of the letter, who brought ail his influence to bear upon Brant, to prevent the journey. As the time of departure drew near, Gen. Chapin had Brant at- tended from the Grand River to Canandaigua, and from there, via Albany and New York to Philadelphia. The chief was at- tended by Israel Chapin, jr., Dr. Allen, Samuel Street, a servant of his own, and another provided for the party by Gen. Chapin. It was Brant's first appearance in the Valley of the Mohawk after his flight from there, and well knowing that upon his journey he must often encounter those of his old neighbors against whom he had carried on a sanguinary warfare, he feared retribution, and onlv proceeded upon the pledges of Gen. Chapin that no insult or indi.- nity should be offered him. It was only upon one occasion that fears were entertained fof his safety on the route by his attendants, who enabled him to avoid the threatened danger. Arrived at New York, it would seem the whole party, about to appear at court — or rather, at the seat of government — doffed their backwoods ward- robe, and patronized a fashionable tailor. Pretty round bills were presented to Gen. Chapin for payment ; that for a full suit for Brant would show that he at least did not appear in any less mean attire than was befitting an ambassador. The result of this visit of Brant to the seat of government, in detail, is already incorporated in history. Although in a measm-e satisfactory and productive of good, his position was by no means fixed, or changed by it. In the midst of feasting and civilities, the recipient of presents and flatteries, he was reserved and guarded • put on an air of mystery ; so much so. that Gen. Knox in a letter to Gen. Chapin, expresses fears that some thing was said or done at of rS^'!.S7.^'''^r7f,°^?'''.^^''^"'" '^^"'■•'' ^ h,-ilf blood T„8carora, the dm,f.hter piodsiit ot luHoaroia, a woman wlio is wtOl remenibm-.l by the I'ioiu'crs of tint ro- ^ b..n l"° ?'''"• ""^, \^"''} J"''*?" *" =^"^''' •"""-'•''• tolcf tla. autl, r th: t .so wag ! I nf r I'r •'^""'''" •^'^ ?^ "^'^ ^*'^'"' "i'-- fi™t ^■•'P""^^! Wia will, a ('., t .i^, J.;t- PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. 295 designetl- acsompa- ifavorable ty Indian a, of the )ear upon Brant at- 3m there, f was at- prvant of apin. It iwk after )urney he )m he had and only or indig- that fears nts, who at New mrt — or is ward- ills were or Brant, an attire iment, in measure means ities, the juarded ; 1 a letter done at > diiiif^hter )f that ro- t tiliu wag ijitain Ki- ll! nfttiyes Philadelphia that had displeased him. The truth was, that he had a difficult part to perform: — In the first place, he was sincerely tired of war, and wanted peace ; but he was bound to the British interests by gratitude, by present and prospective interests ; exist- ing upon their bounty, and apprehensive that his large landed pos- sessions were held by the tenure of a continued loyalty. He knew that every step he took, and every word he uttered in favor of the United States, or peace, would be used against him, not only to weaken his influence with the British, but also with what he proba- bly valued still higher, his influence with his own race. Gen. Knox drew from him a promise that he would visit the western nations ; but the promise was attended with conditions and mental reserva- tions, which were calculated to render the mission of little avail. There followed this movement, a series of fruitless embassies to the hostile Indians, a protracted period of alarm and apprehension. • Repeated conferences and councils were held by Gen. Chapm with the Six Nations, mostly with the Senecas, as they were most m- clined to be allies of the western Indian confederacy. Hendricks, aStockbridge chief, Red Jacket, and Cornplanter, were successively sent on missions to the west, under the auspices of Gen. Chapin ; but neither they, nor white ambassadors, succeeded in gettmg any overture better than the ultimatum that the Ohio should be the boundary line of respective dominion. There was a long period of dismay and alarm, in which the new settlers of the Genesee country deeply and painfully participated ; eveios. wlio had settled on a miioniS " tIcSJ'u^ ?f "^.^'■'t^'y t" ^^-^^h they ^ave this «an,o. What PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 29t solitary resident upon the present site of BufTalo, were Indian traders, and acted as local sub-agents, the two first named es- pecially. Upon the General's orders, and sometimes at their own discretion, they would dispense meats and drinks, and formidable accounts thereof would be presented. Winney occupying an im- portant position with reference to Indian relations, kept the General apprised of all that was going on in that quarter. The United States having passed a stringent law prohibiting whol'y the selling of liquor to the Indians and trading among them without license, an onerous task was imposed ujjod the superintendent to prevent its infraction. School masters, missionaries and blacksmiths, among the Indians had to be cared for, and their various wants supplied. In all difTiculties that arose between the white settlers and the Indians, the superintendent was usually called upon to be the arbitrator. If the Indians stole fiom the white settlers, complaints were made to the superihtendant and it seemed to have been a matter of inference that his office imposed upon him the duty of seeing all .such wrongs redressed. It will surprise those who ars not conversant with the scale of economy upon which our national affairs commenced, that the pay for all this, which was attended with large disbursement of public money, for which the most rigid accountability was deman- ded, was but five hundred dollars per annum. The season of 1794 opened with gloomy prospects; — Negotia- tions with the western Indians had signally failed ; one army had been routed, and another defeated ; Indian murders of border settlers at the west continued ; a war with England was not improbable ;* and among the fearfully anticipated results in this region, was a renewal of the border wars, with the active participation of the legions of savage warriors at the west, added to increase its hor- NoTE. — The fdllowin;; is ri spocimen of Mr. Wiimcy's coiTespondoiicc. Prince Ed- ward wiw tlio afterwards Duko of Kent, tlie lather of the present Queen of England, lie had then a commission in the British army : — lii FFAi.o Creek, c 23d Aug., 1792. "I inform General Chapin that :ihont 70 of the Cauiida Lidians is gone to Detroit, they seem to be for Warr and a number of Indians more are expected to go uj), I fmlhir inform you that the Indians of this place arc to go up in the iir.st Kings vessel tha comes di)wn. Prince Edward i.s amved at niagara should I hear anything worth while 10 writo I Bhall let you know. I am your most obedient rnd very humble servant. ■' C. WiNNEY. * The reader is reminded that a war botwoon England and France had commenced Entrl.iiid had nrostratxMl American commerce by her arbitrary orders in council; and impressment of American seamen, (of itself a ButHcicut cause of war,) was going on. 19 298 PHELPS AND aORHAJl's PURCHASE. rors. In the month of February, Lord Dorchester had returned from England, and meeting a deputation from the western Indians, had delivered to them an inflammatory speech, asserting among o her thing., tnat he should regard as invalid, any acquisition of the l/n.tejl States, of Indian lands since the peace of 1783. [Appen- dix i\o. 14.J This of course included all of the Genesee country I-ollowing up the hostile demonstration, Gov. Simcoe, early in April with a body of troops had proceeded 'o the west, and erected a Fort, at the foot of the Rapids of the Miami, far within the boun- danes of the United States, as acknowlcged in the treatv of 1783 Although General Chapin, as many of the old Pionee"rs well re- member, endeavored to quiet alarm, and prevent the desertion of the country, he was far from feeling all the security and freedom from apprehension of danger, that he with good motives professed All eyes were turned to him; from all the backwoods settlement.s, mes- sengers would go to Canandaigua, to learn from him all that was going on -to consult him as to anticipated danger: -if he had shown misgivings, or favored alarm, a desertion of the country would have ensued, the necessity of which he was laboring to obviate During the previous winter he had been to Philadelphia, and deliv- ered to the President a message from a council of the Six Nations and brought back an answer. In February he had convened a coun- cil at Buflalo and delivered it. It had proved satisfactory except in one particular -it had foiled to give an explicit answer upon the vexed question of the disputed western boundary. He however distributed presents among them -of which was a large supply of warm vyinter clothing -and left them with renewed professions of peaceful intentions.* In April he wrote to the Secretary of War that he had entertained confidence that the Six Nations intended to hold a council with the U. States, in order to bring " about a general peace," but that he feared that the '-inflammatory speech of Lord Dorches- ter (which had been interpreted to the Indians at Bufllvlo Creek by Col. Butler.) "with what passed between the British and Indi- ^ins on that occasion, had changed their intentions." "Captain Bomberry attended the council in behalf of the British government and took pains on all occasions to inform the Indians that war betweeii * At diis period the Senecas wore almost wholly clothed and fed tiv I.;,,, t^ the only poUoy w,nch could provout the,, ft.. r^Lrti^.t ^^^^^ iJ^::^ PHELPS AND GOmiAMS PURCHASE. 299 their government and ours, was inevitable. When I was at Buf- falo Creek, Gov. Simcoe had gone to Detroit. He started for that place immediately on receiving Lord Dorchester's speech to the Indians." " The expenses of the Indians increase with the im- portance they suppose their friendship to be to us ; hov»rever, you may be persuaded that I endeavor to make use of all the economy I can." The letter closes as follows : — " This part of the country, be- ing the frontier of the State of New York, is very much alaimed at the present appearance of war. Destitute of arms and ammunition, the scattered inhabitants of this remote wilderness would fall an easy prey to their savage neighbors, should they think proper to attack them." On the 5th ot May, General Chapin informed the Secretary, that the British had commenced the erection of a Fort at Sandusky. " If," says he, " it is consistent with the views of the United States, to put any part of this country in a state of defence, this part of it calls aloud for it as much as any. We are totally unprovided with arms and ammunition, and our enemy is within a few miles of us. If 12 or 1500 stand of arms could be spared from the arse- nals of the United States, to the inhabitants of this frontier, together with some ammunition, it would contribute much to their security."* The apprehension of danger extended over all the region west of Utica. In the small settlements that had been commenced in Onondaga, it had been enhanced by an unfortunate local occurrence: Early in the spring. Sir John .Johnson, through an agent, had at- tempted to take from Albany to Canada, a boat load of groceries and fruit trees. A party of men waylaid the boat at Three River Point, and plundered the entire cargo. It was a lawless attempt of individuals to take the power into their own hands, and redress na- tional wrongs ; gratify an ill feeling against Johnson, and retaliate for British offences upon the Ocean, and the annoyances of Ameri- can Lake commerce at Oswego. An invading force from Canada to land at Oswego, and march upon the settlements in Onondaga, was threatened and anticipated. Rumors came that Johnson and Brant were organizing for that purpose. In refirence to the whole complexion of things at the west, and in Canada, the legislature of New York had resolved upon erecting fortifications upon the western borders, and had appropriated • Some f.rras and aitinuniitioii were shortly afterwards sent to Gen. Chapiu, either by the general or stato government. 300 PHELPS AND QORHAm's PURCHASE. £12,000 for that purpose. Tlie commissioners under the act, were Generals Stephen Van Rensselaer and William North, Adjt. Gen, David Van Home and Baron Steuben, who was then a resident ot Oneida county. Soon after their appointment, they had enlisted the co-operation of General Chapin, Charles Williamson and Robert I orris, as to the location of the defences. Although Baron ^ \ben came west, and corresponded wit>- he last named gentle- n reference to the matter, the author can not learn that any vas finally consummated west of Onondaga. Before any uld have been matured, the clouds of war had began to dis- 1 the hour of alarm, the State commissioners came west rr.i- ^s Salt Point, and ordered the erection of a block house, %hich was soon completed. The Baron mustered together the backwoodsmen of Onondaga, officered and inspected them; a committee of public safety was organized. Before the block house was completed and garrisoned, on several occasions, the inhabitants fled to the woods with their most valuable effects. At this time, there was an unusual number of Indians at the British posts of Os-' wego and Niagara ; it was inferred that they were only waiting for Wayne's defeat at the west, as a signal for a movement in this quarter. ^ A new element of trouble was interposed to embarrass the rela- tions of the Six Nations with the United States. Cornplanter, with a few other chiefs, had sold to the State of Pennsylvania a district of country along on the south shore of Lake Erie, which included Presque Isle. The act was strongly remonstrated against, and Pennsylvania was early informed that it had not the sanction of competent authority, and would be regarded by the Indians as a nullity ; but at a critical period, the authorities of Pennsylvania very inddiscreetly commenced an armed occupancy and surveys. This threatened to undo all that had been done by General Chapin ^0TE. — The author of tJio oxcollont History of Onoiulaga.from which a portion of the account of movoinents in thiit (]uaitcr are derived, savs : — "Frederick William Auffustimharon do Steuben, once an aid-de-canip to Frederick the Creat, Kin- of I ruHsia, Qiiarterniaster (teneral, Chevalier of the Order of INIerit, (iiand Master of the Court of Hohenzollen, Colonel in the Circle of Suabia, Knight of the Order of l-'ideli- ty, (-oinniander-)n-ehief of the armies of tlio Prince of Jiaden, MnU>v General of the armies of the United States, and Inspector General of tlie same— the fortunate Boldier of hfty battles, an admirer of freedom, the friend of Washintrton, tlio man of virtue, tideht y and honor— performed his last mililarv service in revie\viii!r a score of !!!i!tnr,rd, half-elad militia, and in selectiie? a site ibr a blu.'k-hniise f(ir the defeuce of the Iroutier of New ^'ork, in the county of Onondaga, at Salt I'oint, in 1791." iiJ PHELPS AND GORIIAM'S PUKCIIASE. 801 to keep the Six nations quiet. He took the advantage of a visit of Capt. Williamson to the seat of government, to represent the con- sequences, and induce the Presitlcnt to interfere and persuade the authorities of Pennsylvania to abandon the enterprise. In a letter to the Secretary of War, dated on the 7th of June, he had fore- shadowed the difficulty that was springing up in a new quarter — " The Cornplanter, whose steadiness and fidelity has been, until lately, unshaken, has, I am apprehensive, been induced to join their interests. He has lately returned fro.n Niagara, loaded with presents. Shortly after his return to his home, he despatched run- ners to the different tribes of the Six Nations, requprfting them to meet in a general council at his castle, to proceed from thence to Venango ; informing them that an Indian had been killed by our people, and that it would be necessary for them to inquire into the circumstances." " I am afraid that the murder of the Indian is not the real cause of calling this council. The lands at Presque Isle, were sold to the State of Pennsylvania by Cornplanter, and a small party, without the consent of the nation. No division of the money was ever made. The Cornplanter has always denied h;,ving made the sale, and they have never considered it as a valid one. The troops sent on by the State of Pennsylvania, prove to the In- dians that the property is considered by the State as belonging ot them ; and the Cornplanter, in order to extricate himself from the unpleasant situation he is placed in, is perhaps desirous of inflaming the Six Nations against the United States." General Chapin sig- nified his intention of attending the council at Venango, as he had been invited, to thwart any mischief that might be engendered there. He succeeded, however, in changing the council to Buffalo Creek, to be held thero on the 15th of June. Cornplanter was present at this council, and the principal speak- er, lie led off with a speech to be transmitted to the President, in which he nearly threw off all disguise, and from a conservative, be- came an ultra ist. He opened smoothly and artfully, however ; ad- dressing the President through Gen. Chapin, he said: — " Brother, I have for a long time aimed at the good of both parties. I have paid you different compliments, as that of brother, and f^^ther, and now I shall call you friend. We were pleased when we heard that you war- appointed to have chief command of the T^nited States." He closed a long speech, and one of a good deal of ability, by join- I 302 PHELPS AND GOKIIAm's PTJECHASE. mg the western Indians in their ultimatum, in reference to making the Ohio the boundary line ; thus, in fact, nullifying his own acts. He demanded redress for two of their people killed by the whites ; and even hud the effrontery to complain of the occupation of Presque Isle, adding very significantly that it might "occasion many accidents," and presented the Gen. with ten strings of black wampum. General ^jhapin made a judiciou.« reply ; and in answer to a request that Cornplanter had made in behalf of the Six Nations, for him to go to Prcsfpie Isle, disclaimed any right he had to interfere with the acts of Pennsylvania; but said he would ac- cept the invitation, and go there and give his ad /ice. Accompanied by William Johnson, * two Seneca chiefs and ten Indians as a guard and as oars-men, General Chnpin left Buffalo Creek on the 19th of July for Presque Isle, where he arrived on the 24th. Their , 'ow progress had been owing to head winds that frequently obliged them to camp on shore and await their subsiding. There were then no Indian or white occupants at Presque Isle. A company of troops and a corps of surveyors were stationed at Le Boeuf, on French Creek, IG miles distant, to which place the em- bassy plodded their way through the woods on foot. A Captain Denny co:nmanded troops at Le Boeuf, and Mr. Ellicott f was at the head of the surveyors. The arrival of the ambassador of peace and his dusky retinue, was honored by the discharge of cannon. Runners had preceded the party, and on its arrival, a considerable number of Indians were collected. General Chapin delivered to Messrs. Denny and Ellicott , a message from the chiefs he had met at Buffalo Creek, which contained a demand for the suspension of surveys and a withdrawal of the troops ; a day or two was spent in makmg speeches, and in friendly intercourse with the Indians. The council, or interview, terminated in a promise from General Chapin of a general treaty to settle not only that, but all existing difficul- ties, and the representatives of Pennsylvania signified a wfilingness f abide by the result. Before leaving Le Boeuf, General Chapin despatched a letter to the Secretary of War, in which he said, that rrli"^'"wl''^'t1'*l^''','r''',"'l'"''-"r'''''*^''" '" ^'^'^ ""tish interests, residing at Duffxlo hTr^'.tlT ° '"!"'l "^" '■* ""^ P'''-'^''"^ "ty of Buffalo. A coniproniise .'avo Z £' a But W h" ""■ '"'■'^ " f'r. *='V' ""--" '"^ - '^tter dated atWlmsown, ,n this state, which says that « Wm. Johnston a British ndian agent was p,'esent at the t,-eaty an.l secretly at tins m General Chapin's correspondence with Gen. Knox but he ir^fers hat so.nething of the kii.d occu.Ted. In aleU^o B,nt Gene,, chapin speaks of the sudden departure o olm ton^ 1 h t..eaty g,-ound. as if he had advised it in consequence of a Z ha soine out.;age woi.ld be coniu.itted upon him ,y citizens in at tenda..c. ; as . he had intci-f^i.,, ai.d a Lm.na.^ ^nish:!;^ The_ forebodings of General Chapin, in his last letter to General Knox, m reference to his declining health, unhappily for his coun y wha s ,t ; ; ^" """'"""^ ^" '^^^^""^' '-^'- tl- effects of disease of the couiit.y, which fhu.Ily tern.i.iated in dropsv II'; e on he 7t of M.i,.eh, mr, aged 54 yea.-s. In the ^cha": 01 h.s olhcal duties, he had won the esteen. and confidence of the d u:""" w1"'n ''r' '''''' ''"'^ Sivon befbre ai.d af>er 1 u leath. Apprized ui his iiii.ess. his frie.id Colonel Pickering, who had PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. 309 He succeeded Gen. Knox as Secretary of War, carefully consulted the eminent physician, Dr. Rush, and communicated his advice by letter ; and equal solicitude was felt throughout a large circle of ac- quaintance. In all this local region, his death was mourned as that of a public benefactor ; and no where more sincerely than among the Indians, whose esteem he had won by his uniform kindness and strict regard for their welfare. Soon after 'his death a large num- ber of chiefs assembled at Canandaigua, and in public council de- monstrated their high sense of thi loss they had sustained, Red Jacket, addressing Captains Israel Chapin and Parrish, said : — "BaoTiiEiis — I wish you to pay attention to what I have to say. We have lost a good friend ; the loss is as great to us as to you. We consider that we of the Six Nations, as well as the United States, have met witli a great loss. A person that we looked up to ss a father ; a person appointed to stand between us and the United States, we have lost, and it gives our minds great uneasiness. He has taken great pains to keep the chain of friendship bright be- tween us and the United States ; now that he is gone, let us pre- vent that agreeableness and friendship, which he has held up between us and the United States, from failing. "Bkotiieus — It has been customary among the Six Nations, when they have lost a great chief, to throw a belt in his place after he is dead and gone. We have lost so many of late, that we are destitute of a belt, and in its place we present you with these strings, [9 strings black and white wairipum.] •■'BaoTHKRa — As it is a custom handed down to us by our fath- ers, to keep up the good old ancient rules, now we visit the grave of our friend, we gather leaves and strew them over the grave, and endeavor to banish grief from our minds, as much as we can." [14 strings black and white wampum.] Alter this the chiefs adopted a messngc to be sent to the Presi- dent, inlbrming him that the "person whom 'le had appointed for us to connnunicate our minds to, has now left us and gone to ano- ther world. He with the greatest care comnnmicatcd our minds to the gn>;it council Ih'e." They concluded the message by recapitu- lating the services that had been rendereil them by Captain Israel Chapin, his son ; reminded the President that ho is conversant with all the relations of his father with them, and request that he may t;ucce(;d to his place. I 310 PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. The President being of the same mind of the Indians, the ap- pointment of Captnin Israel Chapin soon followed. In announcing to him his appointment, Mr. Pickering says : — " The affairs of the Six N tions will henceforward be managed with much less trouble than rmerly. The treaty made with them last fall, must supersede all pre-existing cause of complaint. The treaty entered into by Mr. Jay with Great Britain, will, I trust, rid you of all such embarrass- ments, as heretofore have sprung from British influence, and peace with the western Indians, is now in fair prospect. The hostile na- tions liave all sent in their chiefs to Gen. Wayne, to sue for peace ; and have agreed upon a treaty, to be held at his head quarters, about the first of June next. So your principal concern will be to pro- tect the tribes under your superintendence from injury and imposi- tion, wliich too many of our own people are disposed to practice upon them ; and diligently to employ all the means under your di- rection, to promote their comfort and improvement." As the Secretary suggested, the principal ditnculties with the Six Nations had been adjusted, but a vast amount of labor and responsi- bility still devolved upon the local agency. Annuities were to be paid, not only the general ones, but special ones, to a large num- ber of chiefs and warriors, who had recommended themselves to favor; schools and school-masters were to be looked to; blacksmiths were to be employed and superintended in all the principal Indian villages; depredations upon Indian lands were to be prevented, and frequent difficuhies between Indian and white settlers were to be adjusted ; Indians killed by the white men were to be paid for.* The Indians had learned to lean upon the local Superintendent with all the dependence of childhood. All these arduous duties seem to have been faithfully discharged until 1802, when he was removed from the agency. His successor was Captain Callender Irwin, of Erie, Pennsylvania. The change would seem to have been one ot an ordinary political character, an.l not from anv cause that im. plicated his private or official character. In connection with these events, it should be mentioned that "KUliTiu: wiM n n.Mtt.T of ]>„siiHw c..mi)rnini«. : — " Roccive.l .,f Is-n-I ("I,-.,,ip / PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PUECIIASE. 311 the Six Nations found in the Yearly Meeting of the society of Friends of Philadelphia early and faithful guardians of their inter- ests and welfare. A committee of their number hospitably enter tained their chiefs when they visited Philadelphia ; at the especial request of the chiefs, a committee attended the treaty of '94, at Canandaigua. For almost half a century there has been a standing committee of that Yearly Meeting, having especial care of the Six Nations. In HOG this committee, availing themselves of a visit of Jasper Parrish to the seat of government, prevailed upon him to visit the Indians and tender to them their assistance in a plan to instruct them in "husbandry and the most neccessary arts of civil life. " They soon after established schools, sent men and women among them to teach them fanning and house work, and built mills for them, in at least one locality. The sons of General Israel Chapin were : — Thaddeus, who was an early merchant in Canandaigua, and subsequently, a large farmer near the village ; Israel, the official successor of his father, who was the founder of what was called "Chapin's Mills, " a ihw miles north of Canandaigua, on the Palmyra road ; the only survivors of his family, are, Mrs. John Greig, and a maiden sister ; Henry, who was an early merchant in Bufllilo, a resident of Ohio ; and George, a farmer near Canandaigua. A daughter of General Chapin, was the wife of Benjamin Wells, who came to Canandaigua with his father-in-law, in 1789. The surviving sons of Mr. Wells are, Walter Wells, of Webster, Monroe county, Benjamin Wells, of Conhocton, and Clement Wells, of Canandiagua. A daughter became the wife of Jonas Williams, who was one the founders of the village oi Williamsville, Erie co. JASPER PARRISH. His family were emigrants from the state of Connecticut to the head waters of the Delaware river in this State, where they were residing on the breaking out of the border wars. In 1778, wheti but eleven years of age, the subject of this sketch was with his father, who was six miles from home, assisting a family of back- woodsmen to move nearer the settlement, where they would be less exposed. Attacked by a small [rariy of Munsee Indians, they were made captives. Tlic father was taken to Niagara, and after being a 312 PHELPS AND GOHIIAM's PUECIIASE. captive two years, was exchanged and enabled to rejoin liis family. The protector of young Jasper, was a war chief, by whom he was well treated. After remaining a while at the "Cook House," he was taken to Chemung. When entering the Indian village, the war party that accompanied him set up the Wiir shout, when a posse of Indians and Indian boys sailed out and met them; pulling the young prisoner from the horse he was riding, they scourged him with whips and beat him cruelly with the handles of their toma- hawks — subjected him to one form of their gauntlet — until his master humanely rescued him. lie was soon after sold by his master to an Indian family of Delawares, and taken to reside with them at their village on the south side of the Delaware river, where he remained during the year 1779, suffering a good deal during the winter for the want of warm clothing, and in consequence of the scanty fare of the Indians. To inure him to cold, the Indians com- pelled him almost daily, to s'rip and plunge into the ice and water of the river. Adopted by the family who had become his owners, he was kindly treated, and accompanied them in all their hunting and fishing excursions. He was at Newtown with his captors, when Sullivan invaded their country, and used to relate what transpired there : — As the army api)roached Newtown point, a large body of Indians collected four miles below to make an attack, after having placed their squaws, prisoners and baggage in a safe place. They soon found they could not stand their ground, and sent runners to the squaws directing them to retreat up the river to Painted Post, where they followed them soon after. The whole made a hasty march to Niagar.i, via Bath, Ceneseo and Tonawanda. The family to whom Parrish be- longed were of this retreating party. In a short time after their arrival, nearly the whole of the Six Nations were encamped on the plain, in the vicinity of the Fort. They subsisted upon salted pro- visions curing the winter, dealt out to them from the British garrison, and great numbers died in consotjuence. To induce them to dis- perse and go back to their villn.gos on the Genesee river, or go out on scouting parties, the British oilicers offered them an increased bounty for American scalps. Before winter young Parrish was sold for twenty dollars, to Cap- tain Dnvid Hill, ''a large fmo looking Mohawk Indian,"' a relation of Joseph Brant, who conducted him to his tent and gave him to PIIELPS AND GORIIAMS VURCIIASli:. 313 understnnd that he would thereafter live with him. He disliked the change of . .asters at the time : it involved the nccessitv of learning another Indian language, and he had become attached to the Delaware family ; but it all turned out for the best. He resided in the family of Captain Hill for five years, in all of which time he was kindly treated, and well provided for. His time was chiefly spent in accompanying the Indians in travelling excursions, hunting, firihing, and when put to labor, but light tasks were imposed upon him. Soon after he was purchased by Captain Hill, a general council of the British and Indians took place at Fort Niagara; upon which occasion Capt. Hill took his young American captive into the midst of an assembly of chiefs, and adopted him as his son, going through the ceremony of placing a large belt of wampum around his neck. After which an old chief took him by the hand and made a speech, as is customary on such occasions, accompanying it with a great deal of solemnity of manner. Then the chiefs arose and all«ehook hands with the adopted captive. On one occasion, while with the Delaware family at Niagara, he came near being the victim of the British bounty for scalps. Left alone with some Indians who wei'c on a carousal, he overheard one propose to another, that they should kill the "young Yankee," take his scalp to the Fort and sell it for rum. In a few minutes one of them took a large brand from the fire and hurled it at his head, but being on the alert, he dodged it and made his escape. The Indians pursued him, but it being dark he was enabled to avoid them. In May, 1780, Brant founded a village of Mohawks near the pres- ent village of Lewiston, to vvhich Capt. Hill removed. There Par- rish remained until the close of the Revolution. He travelled with his Indian father a good deal among other Indian tribes, by whom he was always well treated. At the treaty of Fort Stanwix, in 1784, he with other prisoners, were surrendered in accordance with treaty stipulations. He immediately joined his father's family, whom he found in Goshen, Orange county. Having nearly lost the use of his own language, he attended school for about one year, which was all the opportunity for acquiring an education he ever enjoyed, otlier than what a strong native intellect enabled him to acquire in his intercourse with the world. He was employed by Mr. Pickering in his Indian treaty in 1790, and '91, and his qualifications as an interpreter, together with his 20 314 PIEELPS AXD GORirA:M's PURCHASE. character for faithfulness and integrity, coming to the knowledge of the then Secretary of War, General Knox, he employed him in the Indian department in 1792, giving him a letter to General Cha- pin, with ivhom he became associated as interpreter for the Six Nations. In all the crisis of Indian difficulties, he was the active co-oi)erater of General Chapin, ain] contributed much to the final adjustment of them. A " winged Mercury," in the earliest years his appointment after he was now here, and now there ; alter- nating between the seat of government, at Philadelphia, Buflalo Creek, Genesee River, Onondaga, Oneida and Canandaigua ; the interpreter at councils, and the bearer of messages. The captive boy of the Indian wigwams, becoming a man, remembered only the virtues and kindnesses of his captors — not the wrongs they had intlicted upon him or his countrymen — and was the faithful inter- preter of their complaints and grievances to him, whom they called their "Father, the great chief of the Thirteen Fires" — Washino-. ton. In 1803 he had the additional appointment of local Indian agent, and continued to hold both offices, through all the changes of the administration of the general government, down to the second term of General Jackson's administration. He retained to the close of his life, a strong attachment to the Indians, as was the case generally with liberated captives ; and by means of his position, and the influence he had acquired with them, was enabled to render them essential service ; to assist in ameliorating their condition, by introducing among them the Chris- tian religion, schools and agricultural pursuits. While a prisoner, he acquired the Mohawk language, and before the close of his life, he spoke that of five of the Six Nations with great fluency. Captain Parrish died at his residence in Canandaigua, July 12th, 1836, in the 69th year of his age. He married in early life, a daughter of General Edward Paine, one of the Pioneers of the western Reserve, and the founder of Painesville. She died in 1837. His surviving sons are, Isaac, a farm^'- on the Lake shore, near Canandaigua ; Stephen and Ed- ward, residents of the village of Canandaigua. One of his daughters became the wife of Ebenezer S. Cobb, of Michigan, who was lost with the ill-fated Erie, near Dunkirk, in 1841 ; another, the wife of Peter Townsend, of Orange county ; and another, the wife of William W. Gorham, of Canandaisxua. pirELrs Amy gorhams pukciiasb. 315 CHAPTER IV, ATTEMPT OF GOV. SIMCOE TO BREAK UP THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE GENESEE COUNTRY. The reader has already learned, generally, what was the temper and bearing of the British authorities in Canada, touching the early Pioneer movements in the Genesee country. A British and Indian alliance, a connected movement, having in view the re-possession of the country, was with much difficulty but barely prevented. In all the controversy — or pending the issue of the whole matter — ';here was, other than what may have transpi-ed at the west, but one overt act, in pursuance of Britisli pretensions and threats. This was an actual invasion, by a British armed force, of the Genesee country, at Sodus Bay. Previous to coming in possession of the valuable manuscripts of the late Thomas Morris, the author bad drawn up for this work, an account of the events the materials for which were derived prin- cipally from the papers of Mr. Williamson. Mr. Morris having included it in his reminiscences, it being a matter, " all of vvliich he saw, and a part of which he was," his L'story of the transaction is substituted : — " Gov. Simcoe had, from his first assuming the government of Upper Canada, evinced the greatest jealousy of the progress of t'iC settlement of our western country ; he was even said to have threatened to send Captain WiHiamson to England in irons, if he ever ventured to come into Canada. In 1794, Capt. Williamson had commenced a settlement at Sodus Bay. In the month of August of that year, Lieut. SheafTe, of the British army, (now Major General Sir Roger Hale Sheaffe, who, durir.g the last war, commanded at the battle of Queenstnn, after [AC (l■■^[h of Gov.. Brock,) was sent by Governor Simcoe, with a 316 PHELPS AND GOIlHAJl's PT'RCIIASE. protest to 1)0 delivered to Cnptiiin Williamson, i.rotosfinir no-ninst the prosecution of the settlement of Sodus. and all other Ameri- can settlements beyond the old French line, durini: the inexecution of the treaty that terminate.l the Revolutionary war. Findincr there only an .■.-jcnt of Mr. Willian)son's, (a Mr. Modat, who is yc^ livmji,) Lieut. Sheatlb intorn.ed him of the nature of his mission, andre(iuestedhinitomake it known to Capt. Williamson, and to inform hnn that he would return in ten days, when he hoped to meet Capt. Williamson there. Mr. MolTat came to mo at Canan- daigua, to acquaint me with what had taken place, and induce me to accompany him to Bath, to confer with Capt. Williamson in re- lation to this very extraordinary protest. I accordinolv went to Bath, and it was agree.l between Capt. Williamson and niyself that we would both meet Lieut. Sheallo at So.h.s, at the time lie had ap- pointed to be there. Acconlingly, on the day named by Lieut bhealle, we were at SonROHASE. The news of this hostile dcnionstration on the jiart of one, secm- inj; to act l»y authority from the IJritisli ^'overnnient, was soon s|)iea(l throui^h all the hackwoods seftjeinents of the Genesee coun- try. At no jn-riod since the settlement coinnionced, had the con- dilcl of till' Indians so riiiich favored the worst a|)|)relu!nsions. Ilar- niar and St. t'lair had in turn been defeated and r('|iulsed hy the weritern Indians, and the issue that Wayne had niado with them was pending; in"s defeat beinj^ not im|)rohal)Ie, in view of the for- midahle enemy with which he had to contend. Mvidences of IJritish aid to the western Indians, ajfainst General Wayne, was furnished hy returniii'^ adventur.Msfrom the west, and every travel- ler thai came throuu;!i the wilderness from Niatj;ara, confirmed the worst suspicions of all that was going on at that focus of liritish machinations, against the peace of the defenceless border settlers. It was, too, oiiiiiioiis of danger, that tho Senecas in their immedi- ate neighborhood, in their midst, it may almost be said, had armed and moved off in considerable numbers, to become confederates against General Wayne, bearing upon their persons the blankets, the broad cloths, calicoes, and whr decorations, served to them from the kind's store house at Niagara, by the hands of one whose very very name* was a terror, for it was mingled with the chiefest horrors, and the darkest deeds of the Border Wars of the Kevolutiun. Wayne defeated, it was but natural to suppo.se that the Senccas who had gone west and made themselves confederates against him, would brine back with them upon tlieir war path, allies from the western tribes, to renew the i)loody scenes that had been enacted upon the banks of the Mohawk and Susquehannah. fSueh being the cotemi)orary state tynmii)roti iii;lit tli;if his liritaiinie Miijestv, or (h)v. Siiiu'iie, has to iiilcrC'ie, wer on earlh, is |o t\w . iiileil dilates : and so far Iroin heiiii,' inliniidated hv threats ironi peo|ih'l liavc no eonneelion « ilh, I sh.ali proeecd willi'inv ini|inivetne'Mls; and iiothini,- lint superior I'oree ahall make me abandon the pla^'e. Is the protest y no means ! li is inU-nded to endirace all tlu^ Indian lands I'lnrhased since the peaee of 17!s;i." Mil. U'ri.ii.vMsus. — ".Nnd what are (lov. Simeoe's intentions, snpixisin"- the nrotost i.s disri'M-arded V ' l.iK;-r. SuKVKKK. — "I am merely the ollieial lir.aror vl' tlii' pajiers ; hut I have a Anther nie.'^saue to deliver from (iov. Simeoe ; which is that he rejiroliates your con- duct exccediiiirly lor endeavorini; lo ohiain llour from I'jiper Canada ; and llial should lie iierniil il, it would he acknuwledgiiiy the riyht of the Tiiitetl Slates tu these In- iliau lands.'" "Col. J oliu Butler. pinara and gcril^^^i's i'urcitase. 310 of tliiniTs, it is liardly to he wondered, that the landing of ,^''"i""" ""'"'"^"'t -'•''- author: tho'reason tor s piec iil,.te retreat, lie sai.i ,u h.s irraphic deserij.t.ou of the opening, of the li.^h' - lop pop l.op,-.hoo, woo, woo-o.oo,_wish. wish, wi^li-J-ee.-ho,., woo'l- ^ Liv •'' "^"'"^ """' """■'• "" -""^'' kv.l-nl" TJiis the reader will ui o„c-o r^h !! ,:; .IVr'L"' ^:';'lf '" ;'"";"" ""! ,«'■"'*? "f «'""11 '""'H and cannon, and the wiu/...ni^' o! till.- tu=e, uiid ihu burstnig oi Loinba. ■t,^iP PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PUECHASE. 323 retavy ot War, in his correspondence with the British Minister, that a conlerence was to be held with the Six Nations at Canandai- gua, in Septeuib'^r, for the purpose of concihating, and establishing finally a peace with them if possible. In reply to an application for arms, the Secretary says, that an order had been issued in favor of the Governor of New York, for one thousand muskets, cartridge boxes, and bayonets. 4 The following copy of a letter from President Washington to Mr. Jay, our then minister in London, possesses much of a general historical interest, and will aid the reader in a full understanding of the questions then at issue, so far as this local region wasc oncerned : "ArcjusT, 30, 1704. "As you will receive letters from the Secretary of IState.s' utlice, gi\iiig' an official account of the public occurrences as they ha\-e arisen and advanced, it is unnei'i'ssary for nie to retouch any of them ; and yet I cannot ivstiain my- self from uiakin^'some observations on the most recent of them, tlie commu- nication of whicli wiis receiveil this mornino- only. I mean the protest of tho Governor of Upper Canad;i, delivered by Lieutenant Hlieatfe, against our oc- cupving lands far fnun any of the jiosts, whicli, long ago, tliey ought to have surrendered, and far within the known, and uutil now, the acknowledged limits of the United States. " On this irregular and high handed proceeding of Mr. Simcoe, which is no longer masked, I wtndd rather licar what the ministry of (treat Liiuain will sav, than ]ironounce my own sentiments thereon. litit can that government, or\vill it altemjjt, after this oflicial act of one of their governoi-s, to hold out ideas of friendly iiilentions towai'ds the United States, and sutler such con- duct to pass with impunity ? "This may be considered a.s tht most open and daring act of tho British atrents in AnuM'ica, though it is not the most hostile and ciiiel : for there does not lemain a doubt in the mind of any well informed i)erson in this country, not shut against conviction, i\\\\i all the difficidties 'we cncounler with the ludi'iiis, their hostililieif, the murders of helpless women and ehildren, along oxr frontiers, result from the conduct of agents of Great Britain in this couiilri/. In vain is it then for its administration in Biitain, to disavow having giv(,'n orders which will warrant such conduct, whilst their agents go unpuni>he(l ; while we have a thousand corroborating circumstances, and indeed as many evidences, some of which cannot be I irought forward, to prove that thin arc seducing from our alliances, and endea\oiing to remove over tho line, tribes that ' ive hitherto been kept in peace and friendship with us at a he;\vv e.\[H'nse, and who have no causes of complaint, except pretended ones of their ei'eating ; whilst they keep in a state of irritation the tribes that wq li'istileto us, and are instigating those who know litUe of us, or we of them, to unite ill the war against us ; and whilst it \i-an undeuialile fact, that they are furi.o b.-in^r i.i> M.nlnn,.„.s, would bavobut little wd^^bt, I an,,H.>.„adoirwI,h h. i; '? nd mms ,.a..>n, orp..,.I,a,. wi,b tlu-nation, i„ Hil.,,!n.t!,.. ,n:.as„r s b, nu K. sat,shH, tint .f tl...y want to b. at peace with Ibis eonnf v. m o \V 1 di,: I't ''^'•''^''^- to givenp the posts is the ■" ^-''^ ^='« ""« "f <■'« ^''ite ^vivos ..f j^bone. ..m .lanes in,) the pros.nt site of ul^ «hato S^lel^ ' ^''' "^"" ''^"" "'"" '''' PHELPS AND GOPJIAMS PUKCIIASE. 320 Geneseo, upon the rivei-j now embraced in the farm of Eason Slo- cum ; Ken-de-wa, (Big Tree) was its principal chief. There was a small village of Tucaroras on the river, a little above t! 3 Geneseo bridge, which was called Tuscarora ; and two miles down the river from Geneseo, near the large Maple Giove of the Messrs. Wadsworths, was " Oneida Town," a large village of Oneidas. * The other, and a principal village, was on the west bank of the river, opposite Avon, near where the main road crosses the river, The chief was Ga-kwa-dia, (Hot Bread,) in high repute among his people, and much respected by the Pioneer settlers, f Gardeau, was the residence of the White Woman, and the several branches of her family went principally to make up the small village. Her husband was principal chief At Nunda, there was a small village; "Elk Hunter" and "Green Coat," were principal chiefs. At Caneadea there was a considerable village ; the head chief, John Hudson. He was an old man, and had been a leading " brave " in the southern Indian wars, waged by the Senecas, and afterwards, in the English and French wars. Hon. George Woods, a prominent citizen of Bedford, Pennsylvania, became a prisoner with the Indians, on the Ohio or the Allegany. Hudson porcured his release, after he had been condemned au.l tied to a stake. In after years, they met, and the Judge treated him with much kindness, making him a present of a fine house and lot at * The Oneidas and Tuscaroras were divided on the hrcakuig out of the Revolutiou. Those that adhered to the colonics, and llie jieiitrals, reniaiuins; in their eastern vil- lages; and those that followed Ihitler and Ihant, coining upon the Genesee River. A partial re-union of the Tuscaroras took place at their village near Lcwistou, in after years. fThis wa-s the birth place of Cornjilanter. In his letter to the Governor of Penn- sj'lvania, in lb'2'2, he says : — " 1 feel it my duty to send a speech to the (Governor of Pennsylvania at this time, and inform him the' place wliere I was from — which wag Conni'wauijiis, on the Genesee river." He then y;ues on to relate to the (T()vern. i; un^a d^ f^^^ "'." would bo U.t t., ,,. back to '■ Old Durha,„ " aild ^'o 11 uj^a'a bad gb."'""' ^'"^ '' Revolution, ^v.. n u,on,borot ,l,e Co;,;!,'' ^ i ,^ ^ss", w^r";. ;"" '" "" nent iiu-n oj ^c■w E nn-land. Ir wn,;!.| set'o, tint •.IWtl ,! , I < , '. '"' '"■'""'" U.n, if not tbe ,uanl,.n, .ho kind u..n,:;.':;,:.t;: ^.i ^ ..'Z''^'':'"''' fi rhis incniorv is ilw natura iinind^o uium ih.. „ ..i V i • '"■ '" l"" ^V'-- lu-vurciico had d..part«l fi.r the Gcnos, ."S-v ^HislSw^/T '''u''^'", *'"'"" ='"'■'• ^'""^ ono. re .loto ^vith advi... and ad.no , ^.n 'ilv ^ ", ti h". H 7' ''''' ■"" '^ ^*""f instructions as to tlio dutirs and imrMiitso f i l * ', ' ''Uio is soninuml, and the nc,,]K.ws ;dl fhccurront noVs I /, • "j -f t "; ""k' I'"^^]^,,'" ■^"'■V' l'.^' ^^'^-.s pa,.ors or mails, (as thov roallv ^veIv ^ •!, I .'o?' -, , i ••"'"' *'"' ''''"''^' "' "^'"■''- yol, of the in,,H;Aancc .^^ " Ss" , d •" I ^ ^n t in I'n'u^ ^ '"'"' """'"'^ obsm-alion of the SaM.nli ; of jiwiicc i" ■ „ ;, , ' '' '"^'^ •^^.''tl'^"'^"' • "i '^ I-'opcr and of inviolably Hupponini^ J' - c ml ' V, j ^^ ^'^^l^i ^l"-'''^''!;, ^^.th the Ind.ans; Indians. WhatVver nisbamlrv ^4?mlVVt ,',/', ".'"' '?;"'"' "^''^''''"'""i? other letter, he strikes off npo, f vU „e v li^ Tl ^r:'!?; ^ • '^'' "^''"" '" '"" topics an,on!,M,urpolitician,sand ^Jml C^;;^,.]ilJTZT''' '" f''""'^'' ."'■'• l''« are nun.h .h,. order of .he dav tluTe^'lt u1 ^ ^^"".^^Inrd a^ If H "' "'^'^^"'^""'^i"". pn;pe,.ly appli., i„ ...e i,,siances. K.p.ll^s^v;^ tlil^iin'^'hc , 'i; ;;rj|;ir^;;^ ^^ I'nELPH AXD GORTIAM3 PUI!CJTA?«E. 333 foiuhl '•brother Bill well ; and by ])ersin'eriiig indiistiylic h:\s much iiiiprnvoli;«ct. to sfiiimlafc ofluTs. and at firsi, lo cnvitc a, stioii;^ ilisiiositinn lor Aiiiciicaii land invcsdncnts. hund a-rciils liiid (locked lo iMiropc, and it is not at all stran-c tliat iinp(V'ili..ns had liccii piacliccd. and thai many liad lu-cn. (to ns<< :i in.'dcrn l<-nii,) viclinii/rd. Tlic reader need only Ik! told, (liat !i system of .<|.(-raiions had been carried on, not nnlik<' tlui inappinj^ •'>iid |il:illiii;r upon papiM-, uliicli prevailed in lN;t({, '7. Mr. W.ads- woith iv.aclie.l l':urop(« .at ;i p,>riod of ivaetioii, and yet. with llii> fp()rtment .and nianil'est in(ei.rrity of purpose, hy !i slow process, his mission was m.ainly siiccrssliil. II(. visited, .anil resided t(«mporaily in London, I'aris and An.sterdam. His Idlers of iiilrodiiction.comiii.-; fromhie;!! soiirci-s in this country, ,i;ave him no- r(>ss to the society of prominent fiiianci.al men ol'thal period, .and inci- dentally to that ol'some (Miiinent statesmen and scholars. Favored ;it y and AFr. folipdioun. and in Amsterdiim, with that of the memhers of the IloI!,and (\)mpany, aiiK.n.^ whom was on(> (,m a iavorahle lootinjr. not only with reCeivnce to the immo- diate ohiects of his mission, hut with nd'erenee to those advanin'^-es iHM'iMvd ( y foiviim (rav.d and r.>sidence. I Je remained abroad until the last of \ovember. 17!)S. In all this time, he elllvted a larw muonnt of sales, and to this mission is to be attributed many of the iorei-n proprietorships in this re-ion. as well as in oth(ss not only local, but i^eueral hist.irioni inter- est, imd are contained in a note .•utached. While in London Air. Wadsworth obtained a commission agency from Sir William rnlteney, for tho sale o[' lands ujion the I\rill Tract west of tienesee H Ivor, ombraciiur what is now (Vdcn, Parma, Ki^,!, {1,i|i ;ind a part of (Greece and Wheatland, from William Sixr.."f Am- sterdam, for the sale o( the township, now Ucnnetla, and from tethers, the agency for the sale of other tracts. And a.Med fall this, was the ns^ency for the s.ale o( lands in the Cene.see country belonpni^to.lerciniah Wadsworth and. other New England land*- holders. The duties thus as.sumed. loszether with the general man- au'onient o( what then, constituted. t!ie Wadsworth estate, of farms PITELl'H A,\I) (lOKIfAMS riTUOHARE. 837 rind wild Innds, throw niton his hmids an arnonnt dI' I)usin('ss seldom dcvnlvitif^ upon one individual, aiid rc(iuirin'^r nil his tirno and cner- founder. And while he was thus the. instrument, eventually, to promote the prosi)erity of others, he was laying the foundation, or accumulating, the. largo estate which his family now ]>ossess. The profits oi his agencies were large ones, and wore invested in wild lands and farms. These beiiK^ n g niM-ally retained and well managed, the ri.se in value chielly helped NdTK. — l''r(im lidiiihm, .hiiic, '!M;. ,F. W. writcw to OIiiirloM Wilkes,* lli:it lio wns Ujioii ilii' iHiinI 111' ('IJ'rcliii;,' l:irLCc siilcH oi hiiid, "luit all had hccii IViislralcrl l>v oppo- Hilidi'. in llic II. (it Kvp, 1.1 Jay's Ircaly." "'I'lii' t'car of sciiucslralinii and ii.iill«cati(iii lias (ir.sMoycd .all cdnlidcnrd willi cap'ilalislH in Kni^larKl. lii'sidcs tlicy l'c;:r llic cllert (if iMvni'h inlluciu'c in llic riiilcd yialcs." " Mr. Vdniit,^ ji lai;;c Kasl India cap- ilalist, l. to .1. W., Xov. 17!li; : — "1 refer yon to the !,'a/.ettes fo'r the name of the electors, and the parti'culara Vi'l known respectiii!.;' the elfdion ; .1 I think will he 15; 1, ha.s, I think Ud chance ; 1') and I will run ^'cnerally to!,'ether, 4mt the latter will not succeed liy rea.son of bomr .iisaU'ection in M ; — Hi, U), Wl been at home, i;{ would have lieen" the man iiH * .\.i rmineiit early inerchant of New York ; a namesake and family cdiinevion of Charii.- W dkos, of Londiui. I 338 rnELPs AXD goriiam's purchase. to make the lagest estate, perhaps, that has ever heen accimiulateii in the United States, by the same process. But lul no one, while viewing tlie broad domains of which he died possessed, suppose tiiat they came to hiia in the absence of in- dustry, economy, good management, or of long vears of severe trial and embarrassments. Dependent, chidly, in' his early enter- prises, upon the capital of others, he carried along through an ex- tended period of depre.-sion, a slow growth of the country, a war that bore heavily upon this local region — a large debt, and all the trials and vexations which it carrits in its train.* It was not until the war of 1812 made a good market for his produce, that lie began to •be relieved from embarrassment ; his large clip of wool, his cattle, grain, and the produce from his duiiy, enabled him to rapidly di- minish his indebtedness ; then followed a few years of depression ; then came that great measure of deliverance, and source of pros- perity to all this region, the Erie Canal ; and participating largely, as his possessions enabled him to do, in the rapid advance in the value of real estate, in the facilities for market that it at once atlbrded freedom from debt, unincumbered wealth that was soon rated "by milHons, was the reward of his early wilderness advent, and over half a century of industry and enterprise. In a history of pioneer settlement, such as this is intended to be, one who bore so conspicuous a part in it, must necessarily occupy a considerable space, and yet one entirely inadeciuate to the task of detailing his immediate and intimate connection with the 'growth 7011 will JO c.,nvino,..,l ^v uMi y„>, shall roturn hcmo. Tpon il,o wlu.lo I am quite sat- ishcH .v.ththe..lat.>.,t t hm.^s." "Kxcpt the lilllo h.i- ahvadv a.-kn-n lo"' I an 1 vluch appeai-od „ have bL..ii sent by ,ny bo.,ksellei-8, pr„bably under v.,ur onl ts I have m,t receive.l a .,nok or a pan.phh.t iVun, you sin,'e your >esi,|,.nee „broa,l." ' 1 h,ne t horn the very best authority that your triend Liuklaen i.s soon to In. luarried o a .lau,,']> er ol Major L.. yard, a prclly and aj4re..able ^dii Not a ba.l , ateh I S^hu s A ; 't W ■•; P'v^^'iit u.d.^putably at llie head of n,y list. Under otir. u dates A. B to J. A\ . --"J uive beeiMjiule a rerluse and a fanner this summer; lw\e not .een two miles troni home smee my r.^linn Inmi I'hilndelphia; am !,ot iiiar- ned nor have made any approaches to it, though .shall not probahlv y.s, another shx l.H , hs sinn.le. though no partu.dar objee, has y<.t engnged 'mv attwuion. Cnd ble s nnd piosper you ' t is hoped by some, feined by others, .■in'd b,.lieved bv all, tliat he ] resident will deelme being a .■andidate at the next eh-etiou. Tiie ea.ididatc.s will be burw-k, -1 i, .1 and I. Ihe ev.nl seems pretty doubttul. I have been told (this d.iy,) and ully behove it, that ^'D .-uul 21 « ere i-ublielv married a lew daysa-o. Adieu oiK'o more," » .. Jo- j»>"iu _* In a letter to a friend after he liad had an experieiue of fifteen vears hesjivs'— It IS slow realizing from new hinds. J will never advise iinotlier friend 'to invest in tlK'in, .Men genoridly h.avt! not the i-e.iuisitepatieiK'c for siiecuiaang in tliein "' PIIELPS AND GOEHAM S PUKCIIASE. 339 and prosperity of this region. His biography alone, if it followed him in all his relations to our local region, would be almost its early history. To say that his was a useful life, would be but a natural deduction from his early advent, and his leading participation in laying the foundation of that unexampled prosperity, which now exists in a region that he entered, the wheels of his cart, and shoes of his horse, making the first impress of civilization upon its soil ! The abatement, if any, from his life of usefulness, would be the amount of territory he encompassed, and held on to with a tenacity, almost amounting to dotage, or an inordinate desire to possess ex- tended fields and forests. This ambition was first excited when a young adventurer, on his way to IMontreal, in company with John Jacob Astor, to seek employment as a school teacher, he saw an extensive and beautiful estate, in one of the valleys of Vermont ; and traveling in Europe, a few years afterwards, making a sojourn, occasionally, at the hospitable seats of immense land proprietors, he seems to have been confirmed in his desire for a similar position, and to have steadily pursued his object in after life. Great landed estates in a country like ours, are a sore evil ; the effects, in various ways, bearing heavily and vexatiously upon their immediate neigliborhoods. It is no " vote yourself a fiu'm" spirit, no sympathy in common with agrarianism, that dictates the exjiression of a hope, that b)' all legal means, the evil may be abated. It would have been far better for the beautiful valley, where Mr. Wads worth cast his lot in early life, and with which he became so intimately blen- ded, if his ambition for large possessions had been more moderate; but, " may I not do as I will with mine own? '" is an interrogation he might well have opposed to those who cavilled at his monopol}- of the soil.* * And this rcniiiiils II11' aiilhur (if an aiu'Cildtu of iiii carlv and vi'iioratt'd coteinpora- ry of Ml'. Wadswoith, the late Ani,'ustuH I'orter. Tiie ])(isst'ssiou in liis family of " Goat Island." and all the most dcsii'atik' t;-rounds 011 tho Anicricau side, at Nia^'ara Falls, and the tcnarity with which tlioy were held, when iniiJi-ovcmcuts were s(Uii!:ht to he made, had oeeasioned nn I'li of mnrmmint; and faidt findini;;, in which the au- thor, as the editor of a iiajier in tjiesanie eonnly, had ]iailu'i]iated, oeeasionally !,'ivin,i» pome tln-nstsat what nsed to lie called the " nionopuly." While enn-a!i;ed in a |ireccding l.isitirieal worli, tlie old f,'eiitlenian had kindlv i,d\en liini tlu^ henelit of days and niu'lits of ounversatiou n])on Iheeaily iiistory ol' all this retjion ; his peisoiial narrative, that lii'^ini with Ids early adventures in the wilderuet^s, his early years spent in survey- or's canijis, eneounterini;' hardships and ])rivations; his at'ter Ions years of toil. At the close of tliis intc^rview. sulVerinir under I'oddy inthnntics. partly consequent ujion nil this, ho observed : — "Isow you have luy w'hule history ; you have seeu liow I 340 m i PHELPS AND GORITAm's PUECIIASE. At an early. period — almost as soon as the farming operations of the Wadsv^orths were fairly commenced —James Wadsworth crave much of his attention to agricultural improvements. He may be said to have given the impetus, in this state, to the application of science, the heeding of the simple teaching of nature, the elt/ntion of rural labor from mere uninslructed handicraft, to the position and the di^r. nity It has been rapidly assuming. He had cotemporaries, co-opera- tors — there were perhaps those before him in the state, who had labored m the same field - hut he had entered upon the work with an earnestness, with practical views, and aided with his pen and his purse, effectual measures, that helped to mark a new era in agricultural improvements. Practical in his views upon all sub- jects, his theories and recommendations occupied the mi.ldle crround betvveen a judicious and healthy reform in the cultivation "of the earth, and stock breeding, and the extravagancies of mere theorists. 1 he practicability and the usefulness of a thing with him were always allied. Had he been in the place of Mr. Jefferson, his spirit of enter- prise may have dictated the erection of a saw mill upon an eminence, to be propelled by wind, but before he had ventured upon the ex- periment, he would have seen how his saw logs were to be got up the steep ascent. His, was a mind too active to repose upon the possession of wealth, or fall into supineness and inactivity, when the stimulus of gain had in a measure subsided. It reached out after new objects, when old ones were accomplished. Education, — educat ' .n of the masses, alHed to political economy, in all its later years, became with him, if not a hobby, an object of intense interest. He was not unmindful of the higher interests of religion, but even those he would have made secondary in the economy of life, believing that educa- tion of the mind was the broad superstructure upon which all of spiritual as well as temporal good should be based. As the possessor of property, he urged upon the wealthy of the state, by stron.- r,p. peals, that it had no security short of the education of the masre- , out of which alone wou'd grow a respect for the laws, aii3 of ulh eiiturers, and with them visited one of the far westeni Indian nations — the Pawnees — spend- ing the inoBtof tt summer with them, joining them in their rural sport ■j, atvl i',ccf>';;- 344 PHELPS AXD GOKIIA.^l's PUIiOIIASE. 1^ Wadswortli, who marriorl the daughter of Auntin, of Boston, resides at the old (annW mansion in Geneseo. His son. James S. Wadswnrtii, who married tin: daughter of John Wharton, of Piiiladel- phia, IS the occupant of a fine mansion he has erected in a MV)ve a short distai^ce north of t.he village of Geneseo, upon a blua'lhat overlooks a broad sweep of the valley of the Genesee. Upon him. in consequence of the abscence of the surviving sister, and the in- firmities^ of his brother, flevolves the entire management of the Wadsvvorth estate ; a difficult task, with all its diversified interest Us numerous farms, and tracts of wihl lands ; but one that is well performed, not only in reference to the estate itself, but with refer- ence to the public interest in which so large landed possessions are necessarily merged. The representative of the early Pioneers — his father and uncle - " to the manor born" - while he knows little of the hanlships, self-denial, the long years of trial and anxiety which attended the accumulation of tiie immense wealth he controls, he entertains liberal and enlightened views in reference to its iu;in' agement and disposition ; is not unmindful, as his frequent acts of punhc munificence bear witness, of the local interests and prosper- ity of his native valley of the Genesee. While in many portions of our country, the evil attending the accumulation of great estates is much enhanced by the narrow and sordid views of those into whose hands they fall; in this, as well as in other instances, in our own prosperous region, it has been mitigated. It was something more than the mere possession of wealth — something of the more legitimate claims to poi)uIar esteem — that during the last winter created that intense anxiety in the local public mind, when the worst ieai-s were entertained in reference to the iate of the packet ship, in which the subject of this incidental notice, had taken pas- sage on iiis return voyage fi'om Europe. pa . n- tu>,u,n their huftilo huuU He is the .author of a hook of " Travels in North Amvna," an.l of he j.onulur talc of fnet anl(!yed hi the education of .any iiulii^cnt vcl.'ilive. He. also g.nve *! 0.000, tliein- coiiie of which is to be devoted to the benefit of the commou schools of the State. 22 f 1 ! 346 PlIELrs AND GORHASl's PURCHASE. Benjamin Gurdner, IViiz (tiirdiier, J. I'. ScaiH, Clark Peek, Jas|)cr -Marvin, Jiifiii Alifcr Jolm Gardner, Jcihii Elinor, yiiliiinon Hovey, Anius Hall, As,i linker, Saiiniol iiarkur, Paul Davisdii, Saniut'l |{aki'r,jr., lOliJah Mori;an, 'i'licpiiias Peck, Sylvi sior ilarviii, Nathaiiicil Fowler, Win. Harris Kbcrii'zcr Mcitv, Jariil) W'riL^lit, " Al)raliani VVrii,dit, S. C. linu'kway, Elisl.il \V;uh', StL'i)li('ii 'rui'kor, Amariali JJittts, Jos. Wright, John Park^, -lohn Gansoii, David 9(" villi mr, Alexander Forsyth, •Icihii Beach, Reuben Thayer, Nuthauiel ifun;'er. Henry Redding, Josejih Sniiili, Adiia lleai'ook, Marvin (iatos, Danifl (!ate«, Phineas Hates, Awdiei Jiiirchell, Klicnezer Sprague, Simon Titl'any, Ezra Burchull, Seth Lewis, Alexander Ewing, Gad W'adsworth, Wni. Markhani, Ehenezer Alerry, Wni. VVad^worih, Jed. Cuniniinf,'s, Benjamin Thompson, Lonn Wait, 'I'liomas Lee, lliehard Wait, Wni. Moore, John Barnes, Daviil Davis, Samuel Goodrich, Gershoni lieacb, Daniel Fox, Aaron Lyon, "William Layton, Hoiekiah Fox, Joseph Baker, Zebailon Moses, Asahel Warner, Tim. Ilosmor, John ItlioiU-H, David Bailev, Thomas Rlii,'ells Theo. She|)herd, Ransom Smith, Philip Simms, David Markhani, Reuben Heath, Daidel Wright, J'.s. Arthur, P. and J. Sheffor, Jo.s. Morgan, Enos Hai-t, Abel Wil.sey, John Morgan, Asa B. Simmons, David B. Jlorgan, Samuel Bullen, Samuel Stevens, Ge(jigo (iardner, Joseph >rorton, Jesse Pangburn, Joel Har\ey, David Benton, Jeremiah Olmsted, Joshua Whitney, David Pierson, Justus Minard, Jon.athan (lonld, Abiol (iardner, Ezekiel Chamlierlin, Benjamin Parsons, The location of the Wadsworths at Geneseo.made that point the nucleus of a considerable neighborhood, though for many years, there was but a small cluster of buildings. The business of the new settlements was divided between Geneseo, " Old Leicester," and Williamsburg. The Wadsworths resided in their primitive W house until 1794, when they built a large block house on the site of the old Wadsworth mansion. About 1804, they had erected the upright part of the present building, a large square roofed house that made an imposing appearance in a region of log houses, where a framed house of any size was a rarity. The early clerk of James Wadsworth, after he had opened his land office, was Samuel B. Walley, an Englishman, the father of Mrs. Dudley Marvin ; lie was succeeded by Andrew McNabb, who went into the Bath land office ; Joseph W. Lawrence was first blacksmith in Geneseo. He removed to Michigan, where he died in 1845. Among the promi- nent early settlers, were : — Lemuel B. Jenning.s, Benjamin Squire, Wm. Crossett, Rodman Clark, Wm. Findlay, David Findiav. As PHELPS AND OOUHAm's PUR(^nASE. 847 oarly as IFOl. Mv. Wadsworth visited Mnrlhorough. Connecticut, and exoiumtrc'd hnds I'or Ihrms, thus inducint,' several families to remove, who settled on the road leading to Conesus, among whom was David Kneeland ; their location was early called " IMarlhoroufrh Street." The early merchants atGeneseo were Minor & Hall. In 1805, one of the firm, Hall, died at Oneida Castle, on his way to New York to purchase goorls. The prominent early merchant of Geneseo was the late Major Wm. n. Spencer. He was from East Haddam, Conn. Arriving upon the Genesee River in 1803, with his axe upon his shoulder, he was a Pioneer of " Fairfield " now Ogden ; breaking into the wilder- ness on Rush creek, about a mile east of Spencer's Basin, he built a cabin, kept bachelor's hall, bought provisions of Mr. Shaefler, carrying most of them in on his back ; built a saw mill, and in a little over a year cleared fifty acres. Getting ready for his saw mill irons, he went to Connecticut, and brought them all the way from there with an ox-team. In 1804 he struck the first blow in Rin-a, makinc an opening, and erecting a house for Mr. Wadsworth, a mile and a half southeast of Churchville. In 1805 he was induced by Mr. Wadsworth to take an interest with him in a mercantile establishment in Geneseo. Starting with a large stock of goods for that period, his business extended as set- tlement advanced, and there were many early years that his trade embraced a wide region. His goods came by the water route from Schenectady to the foot of Cayuga Lake, and from thence on wheels to Geneseo; the transportation usually costing about 83,00 per cwt. Doing principally a barter trade, his furs, tobacco, hemp, grain, pork, and maple sugar, were in the earliest years marketed at Baltimore ; by wagoning to Arkport on the Canisteo, and from thence by water. The first produce shipped at Arkport, was from Dansville ; the sec- ond shipments were by Spencer & Co., from Geneseo. This was the avenue to market for all the southern portion of Phelps and Gor- ham's Purchase, until the Jefferson embargo ; then it changed to Lake Onfar- •, by wagon roads to the mouth of Genesee River, until bateaux wei j introduced upon the river. These ran from the rapids above Rochester, as higb up as Geneseo ; and Durham boats used to ascend to Mount Morris. In the war of 1812 INIaj. Spencer was the aid of Gen. Wadsworth. Many year's since he retired 348 PHELl'3 AND GOnilAJi's PURCHASE. from the mercantile business to his extensive farm of flats and up- land, on the river opposite Geneseo. lie was the owner of the beautiful sweep of flats, field after field, along on either side of the road from Geneseo to PifFardinia ; and had become one of the largest grazers, wool and wheat growers in the valley of the Genesee. He died suddenly, of ajjpoplexy, in January of this year, while engaged in the active management of the large estate that had been gai'ned by early Pioneer enterprise, industry and perseverance. In 1805 Geneseo had but about a dozen dwellings, there were two public houses, one kept by Faulkner, and the other by Bishop ; John Pierce had started the hatting business. Seymour Welcon was a tavern keeper there as early as 1809 or '10. Dr. Sill was the early physician. He died in early years ; he was the father of Dr. Sill, of Livonia, and Sill of Wheatland. He was succeeded in practice by Dr. Augustus VVolcott, who emigrated west in early years. Ashbel Atkins was the early tanner and shoe makei-. The earliest religious meetings were held in a small building called the " town house, " opposite the Park, which also answered the purpo- ses of a school-house. Elder Joseph Lindsley was the first resident clergyman. That portion of Morris Reserve and the Holland Pur- chase lying west of Geneseo, commenced settling along in 1805 and '6, and Geneseo being upon the main thoroughfare, its trade, and the business of its public houses, derived a considerable impetus from it. Much of the trade of the new settlers was done there and the grain raised upon Wadsworths, Jones, and Mt. Morris flats, was their principal dependence. A RECLUSE. In 1793 or '4, DeEoui, a Frenchman, wandered to this region with a single eninpaniun, a negro slave, Imilt a log cabin on Wadsworth's flats, and lived tJie life of a recluse. He was a nati\ e 'jf Alsace. While a youth, he cjuarrellcd witha fiiend, wounded liim in a duel, fled to St. Domingo, where he .served as a ])rivate soldier, until his sajtcndp attainments reeonuuended him for em- ployment in llie pul.lic ,ser\ !«• as an engineer. He finally received the appoin- ment of Inspector General of the higliroads, and became besides, a consider- able planter. Tlie rf\(»lution in St. ijoininon, bi'caking out, lie tied to Amer- ica, bringing with hiii! om faithful servant, iuict the remnant of hk eaalo, a PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PURCHASE. 349 few bills on France. Col. Wadsworth, of Hartford, assumed tlie neQ;otiation of his bills, ad\aiieod him money, and granted to him the use of a small ti-aet of land, which ho came on and occupied. When the Duke Liancourt, and his Frvnch compani(jns were upon the river, in 1795, they visited .ii.n and spent the night in his hut. They found him a confinnc-d misanthrope, but pleased at the unexpected visit of his ccuiitryinon to his backwooils I'etreat. A highly cultivated mind had been soured by misfortune ; and he had contract- ed a disgust for his race, seeking no other associates but his taitliful servant, who cooked his food, and cultivated a small patch (jf ground for tlu.-ir nuitual sustenance. Ll^nless he is right in assuming that he finally joined a colony of his countrymen at Asylum, in Pennsylvania, the author is unable to state what became of him. HORATIO AND JOHN H. JONES. B£ In 1788, John H. Jones had joined his brother Horatio, in Gene- \a. In the spring of 1789, having obtained a yoke of oxen, the two brothers went into what is now Phelps, found an open spot, ploughed and planted five or six acres of corn, which they sold on the ground. In August of that year, the Indians having promised Horatio a tract of land west of the Genesee river, the advent of the two brothers, was as related in page 328. With the history of Horatio Jones, the public have already been made familiar. In a previous work of the author's — the history of the Holland Purchase,— there is a sketch of his life. Identified as he had become, with the Senecas, and shaving hirgely in their esteem and confidence, in his settlement west of the river, he had relied upon their intention of granting him his location, in which he was not disappointed, as will be seen in connection with the Morris treaty. Receiving from President Washington the appoint- ment of Indian interpreter, in early years, his attendance upon treaties, the accompanying of Indian delegation.^ to the seat of gov- ernment, and various other trusts connected with the Indians, em- ployed most of his time. When alive, there veas none of our race, save Mary Jemison, who had been so long a resident of this region. He was with Col. Broadliead in his expedition to the Allegany, and as an Indian prisoner, he resided at Nunda, as early as 1781. The Nom — Noouo wlioselot was ever cast with the Seiiccas, was a better jikIot of Iheir chiiriietcr; mikI no one lui^ in ii ,nm\>}T ■.Icirrii'j contribute!! lis .ii;r kiuiv-U'd^e of them. Ills lirothcr gave to tlie author, some observations of his, in reference to^thok II !Ji i 350 PHELPS AND GORIIAM'ri PURCirASE, farming principally devolved upon John II. Jones, and in early years, the brothers were large producers, especially of corn, for the new' settlers who dropped in around and beyond them. At a primitive period, when the In/lians in all that region, far out numbere' l'"l'li^l"''i. ill' used to H!X^ tjMt thou- soutlicTi, wMrs M-,ih llioirowii ntcc, tlicir Kurass in tlu'tn. were .,ft,.n tl.rii-tljn,i..si,i t HMVMr .la.Kv, ;iii.l iu Hum,- ui-wiinis. ii,. iw.s oflon hvnvd ilu, „ld IT,'/' > ' I ",' '■'''■>■ "•'""" "'' '^''"'■'■■'. lui'l .1 ffiTor will. IiHliaiis .,f (itli.M- naliniiH At t ij' south ami tlu. wc'st, iiiid aiiinnir iho nalions u{ dnuuh. tlic Sciiwii wai-wiioon" would almost .•oiHiuci' of iiscli: II,. said that even as lalo as (ho war uf 18l:>, the In- auiiiH <.t ( aiia.ia w.to struok with tenor, whuii they k-amed that thov luusttncouuter PHELPS AND GORILUl's PURCHASE. 351 ncy, a Butler Ranger, and the only resident on all the south shore of Lake Erie, west of Buffalo, other than Indinns, was " Black Joe," a fugitive slave, at the mouth of Cattaraugus creek. Judge Jones was a magistrate of Ontario before the division; soon after Genesee was set off, he became one of its Judges, and from 1812 to 1822, was first Judge of Genesee, and after that for several years of Livingston. He was the first supervisor of Leicester, and was in all early years, a prominent, active helper in pioneer movements. His surviving sons are, George W., Ilorntio, Thomas J., James M., John H., Lucicn B., Iliram, and Fayette, all residing in his imme- diate neighborhood ; and Napoleon N., of Scottsville. Daughters ; Mrs. Clute, of Cuylerville, Mrs. William Jones, of Leicester, Mrs. James Jones, of Cincinnatti. The three brothers, Jellis, Thomas and William Clute, from Schenectady, were early settlers at Leicester. Jellis was engaged in the Indian trade at Beardstown. Thomas and William settled at Gardeau. The Rev. Samuel J. Mills was a graduate of Yale College, a na- tive of Derby, Conn. He emigrated to the Genesee river in 1795. He joined Thomas Morris and others in the purchase of 10,000 acres of land in Groveland and Sparta, at a period of high prices, paying and contracting to pay 80 per acre. The price soon fell below 82. He settled near where Col. Fitzhugh afterwards loca- ted ; erecting a framed house and moving into it, it burned down, with all his household furniture, the family barely escaping. This, with his unfortunate investment in lands, embarrassed him, and dis- couraged the spirit of enterprise that had brought him from New England. He was the early minister, for several years itinerating among the new settlements, until the period of his death, soon after 1800. His wife returned to Connecticut. One of his sons, the late Gen. William A. Mills, was destined +0 a more fortunate career. Thrown upon his own resources at the age of 17, he rented flats of the Indians, occupying a shantee, where he lived alone at Mount Morris, his nearest neighbors, the Indians. Renting iiis land upon easy terms, and hiring the Indians and Squaws to assist iiim in working it, ho was soon enabled to erect a distillery ; and when the Mount Morris tract was opened for sale, he purchased from time to time, until he became possessed of eight hundred acres, including several hundred acres oi the fine flats opi)osite the present village 352 PHELPS AND GORHAJl's PUECHASE. of Mount Morris. His Indian name, " Sa-nem-ge-wa," (generous) would indicate their esteem for him, and the probity that governed his early intercourse with them. He spoke their language (luent- ly, and from early associations, was much attached to them. When, after their removal, they would occasionlly revisit their old homes upon the Genesee, he met them, and treated them as old friends. * To his distilling and grain raising in early years, he added grazing upon the Mount Morris and Gardeau flats, and became finally large- ly engaged in that business ; and successful, as many have witness- ed at our early county and State fairs. He was for twenty years, the Supervisor of Mount Morris ; a commissioned officer in the early military organization in his region, he was upon the frontier in the war of 1912, and in later years, rose to the rank of Brig. General. He died in 1844, aged 67 years. His sons are : — Wil- liam A., Sidney H., Minard.H. and Julius F., of Mount Morris, and Dr. xMyron H., ol' Rochester. Daughters : — Mrs. Levi Beach of Knox county, Ohio, Mrs. Dr. G. W. Branch and jMrs. William Hamlin, of Mount Morris. Alexander Mills, another son of the early Pioneer, Rev. Samuel J. Mills, located at Olean in an early day, where he was extensively engaged in the lumber trade ; now resides in Cleveland. Major Philo Mills, another son, located in Groveland, emigrated to Tecum- seh, Michigan. Frederick L. Mills, another son, 'located on flats; he died in 1834; his living descendants are :— George, of Mount Morris, Philo, of Groveland, Lewis, of Allegany, and Mrs. Hunt, of Groveland. The first saw mill west of Genesee river, (save one at Niagara Falls, erected by Stedman,) was erected by Ebenezer Allan, on° the outlet of the Silver Lake. This supplied the first board^^ had in the ui)per valley of the Genesee. It was built in 1792, and raised by the help of the Indians, for the want of suflicient white men in the country. In some of the earliest years. Judge Phelps had a distil- lery erected near the present village of Moscow. In 1800, Augus- tus Porter, as the agent of Oliver Phelps, laid out the village' of And tl'is, the mitlior would here remark, wns not unlike the rcLitio", that existed .etween nios of (he I'lonenrs of the (ieiuwee country and the Indians, wlioro they hecarne nei-hliors ni early years, and Koniethin.' .'.f mutual dependence existed Jl.veii now. ni our I'ities fiud vill.u.f... tl.f. ,,i.i i>:, „,,,.,, _.. ,,.,:,,, i jv .. • ■, mg uitn (legrudation, and j.roinpt to resist any insult otrored totiieui. PHELPS A]ST> GOEIIA.Al'8 PUKCIIASE. 353 Leicester, * on a tract ho had purchased of Jones and Smith, and opened the direct road across the flats to " Jones' Ford ;" previous to which, it had cjone via Beardstown. He also erected a saw mill on Beards' Creek, near the present village of Moscow. For several years after 1800, the village of Leicester bore an important relation to the new settlements forming in Wyoming, Allegany, and south part of Erie. The early and well known tavern keeper, was Leonard Stimson, from Albany, who had been engaged in a small Indian trade at Mount Morris. He opened the first store, and started the first blacksmith shop. He left Geneseo soon after the war of 1812 ; his descendants reside in the neighborhood of Rochester. The first physician was Dr. Paul Newcomb. Colonel Jedediah Horsford, the present M. C. I'rom Livingston, was an early teacher of a missionary school at Squaky Hill, and an early land- lord at Moscow. Joel Harvey was an early tavern keeper a little west of Old Leicester. The first town meeting in Leicester, was held at the house of Joseph Smith. John J. Jones was elected Supervisor ; George A. Wheeler, Town Clerk. Other town officers : — Samuel Ewing, Alpheus Harris, Dennison Foster, Abel Cleavland, Samuel Hascall, George Gardner, Wm. A. Mills, Joel Harvey, David Dickinson, James Dale. One hundred dollars was raised to pay " bounty on wolves and wild cats, killed by white people." By a resolution of a special town meeting, in 1803, town of An- gelica was set ofT from Leicester. The village of Moscow was started just after the close of the war of 1812, under the auspices of the late Samuel M. Hopkins, who in company with Benjamin W. Rngers, had purchased three fourths of the original Jones and Smith's Indian grant, of Isaac Bronson. Hopkins built the fine residence now owned by W. T. Cuylor, between Cuylerville and Moscow. The first merchant was Nicholas Ayrault, late of Rochester ; Wm. Robb, William Lyman, and Sherwood and Miller, were (\irly merchants. The earl v land- lords were: — Jessee Wadhams, Wm. T. Jenkins, Homer Sher- wood. Early lawyers, other than S. M. Hopkins: — Felix Tracy, John Baldwin, George Miles, recently one the Judges of the Su- W * Name, from Oliver Lciceater Plielps. 354 PHELPS AND GOKUAM's PURCIIASE. preme Court, of Michigan. Rev. Mr. Mason founded the first Presbyterian church. An Academy was founded principally under the auspices of Mr. Hopkins, in 1817; the first rrinci])al \vas Og- den M. Willey ; his assistants, the Miss Raymonds, one of whom became the wife of the Rev. Calvin C. Colton, the author of the hfe of Henry Clay, then a settled Presbyterian minister, at Batavia. The early physicians were : — Asa R. Palmer, J. W. Montross, Daniel II. and Daniel P. Bissell. Cuylerville sprung up after the completion of the Genesee Valley Canal. W. T. Cuyler, who was an early citizen of Rochester, pur- chased tile Hopkins house and farm, of Richard Post, a son of the late Dr. Post, of ^cw York, in 1830. TJie village has grown up on or near the site of the old Indian village of Beardstown, where the road from Perry and Warsaw crosses the canal. Mr. Cuyler started the first ford warding and commission house; the early mer- chants were: — Odell and Evans, and Joseph Wheelock. From Ebenezer Allan, the Mt. Morris tract, of four scjuare miles, went into the hands of Robert Morris, and afterwards his son Thom- as became a joint owner with others. Col. John Trumbull, of Revolutionary memory, the celebrated artist, was one of the early proprietors. He visited the country, and selected for his residence, the site, in the present village, now occupied by George Hastino's, Esq.; planted an orchard, and made some preparations for building. The name, which had been " Allan's Hill," he changed to " Rich- mond Hill." Afterwards, when he had abandoned the idea of making it his residence, the name was changed to Mt. Morris. The early jjroprietors of the tract, other than those named, were : — Mr. Fitzsimmons, of Philadelphia, Charles Williamson, Robert Troup, the Messrs. Wadsworths, John Murray* & Sons, of New York (of which firm Wm. Ogden was a partner,) Benj. W. Rod-'ers' Isaac Bronson, Gen. JMills, and Jessee Stanley, were the prominent pioneers of settlement. Deacon Stanley was from Goshen, Conn., his residence was the site now occupied by James Bond. He died in 184G, aged 90 years ; he was the father of Oliver Stan-ley, of Mt. Morris. The village has grown up principally on the lands of Messrs. Mills, Stanley, and Mai'k Hopkins, a brother of Samuel M. * .Tdlin \{. Miirrny, liu Muiray. Ihe o.".rl-.- jiniiiri.' tor at Mt. Murri«, aud owner of tlio towiiwluj', uuw Oyduu. PHEirS AND GOElIA]\l's PUECnASE. 355 Hopkins. Mr. Hopkins came on as agent for owners, soou after the tract was opened for sale. He died soon after 1820. VALLEY OF THE CANASCRAGA. u Following the tract of Mr. Williamson when he broke in from Pennsylvania and made a commencement at Williamsburg, settlers soon began to drop into the valley of the Canascraga. In Grove- land, other than at Williamsburg, John Smith was the Pioneer. He wasiiom New Jersey, a surveyor ii. the eii.j)loy of Mr. Williamson. He purchased a mile square, upon which he resided until his death in 1817. Benjamin Parker, a step son ul' John Smith, John Harri- son, William and Thomas Lemen, William and Daniel Kelley, James Roseborough, were among the earliest. Smith in '99, built a mill between Hornellsville and Arkport, and as early as 1800 took lumber from it to the Baltimore market. Michael Roup was an early Pioneer upon the up lands in Groveland, with his son Christain Roup, He died during the war of 1812 ; iMichael Roup, of Grove- land is his son. The early minister that visited the neighborhood was the Rev. Mr. Gray ; the first school taught was by Robert M'- Kay, in one of the houses that the Germans had deserted. The early Pioneers of Sparta, on the Canascraga, between jNIount Morris and Dansville, were : — J. Duncan, John Clark, Thomas Ward, Wm. McCartney, Henry Driesback, Benjamin Wilcox, Geo. Wilkenson, Rev. Andrew Grey, John McNair. In Groveland, other than those named in another connection : — Samuel Nibleck, (Nibleck's Hill,) William Martin, Samuel Stilwell, John Vance, Doty, Ewart. In reference to all the upper valley of the Canascraga, Dansville was the prominent pioneer locality, as it is now the focus of business and enteri)rise. The Pioneer in the town of Sparta, near the present village of Dansville, was Hugh McCartney, who had accompanied Mr. Williamson from Scotland, and of whom, the author has no ac- count other than the fact of his early advent. Upon the site of the village of Dansville, Neil McCoy, was the first settler. He came from Painted Post, and located where his step-son, James McCurdy^ who came in with him, now resides. The family were four days in 856 PHELPS AOT) GOEHAMS PTTRCIIASE. making the journey from Painted Post, camping out two niirhts on the way. The only tenement they found, was a small hut built for surveyors, where Conrad Welch now resides on Ossian street. At this time there was no white inhabitant in what is now the town of Dansville. Preparing logs for a house 14 by 18 feet, help to raise it came from Bath, Geneseo and Mount Morris, with Indians Irom Squaky Hill and Gardeau. It is mentioned by Mr. McCurdy, in some reminiscences he contributed several years since to a local history of Dansville,* from which the author derives many facts to add to what he has gleaned from other sources, that his mother, Mrs. M'Coy, the first season heard of the arrival of Judge Hurlburt's iamily at Arkport, on the Canisteo, eleven miles distant, and as an act of backwoods courtesy, resolved upon making the first call. Taking her son (McCuidy) with her, she made the visit through the woods by marked trees, dined with her new neighbors, and returned in time to do her milking, after a walk, going and coming of twenty- two miles ! During the first winter they needed no hay for their stock, the rushes upon the Canascraga flats furnishing a substitute, upon which their cattle would thrive. The Indians belonging in the villages along the Genesee river, were almost constantly encamped on the flats of the Canascraga, as high up as Dansville, principally engag- ed in hunting, though they cultivated small patches of ground, l^ietr venison and corn was a part of the subsistence of the new settlers. Mr. McCoy died in 1809, childless; his representative, and the occupant of his primitive locality, is James M'Curdy Esq., his step son. The venerable Amariah Hammond, for a long period a patriarch of the setflement and village of Dansville, after living to see a young and flourishing city grow up in the wilderness, where he so early cast his lot, died in the winter of '50, '51. His large farm, is im- mediately adjoining the village, on the main road' to Geneseo. Daughters of his, became the wives of L. Bradfor, Esq., and Dr. James Faulkner, both of whom are prominently identified with the locality. L. C. Woodruff; Esq., formerly of Lockport, graduating in his youth from a printing office, and now the principal active manager of the Bank of Dansville, a sound and flourishing institu- tion, married the daughter of Mr. Bradner, the grand-daughter of If i 'Miniature uf Diinsville," by J. W. Claik. PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 357 the early and much respected Pioneer. The first wife of Mr. Huinniond died in 1798, " She had," says Mr. M'Curdy, "endear- ed herself to all of us by hei many virtues. When she died, all wept who had hearts and eyes." The author of the small local history already named, states that Mr. Hammond on coming in to explore, slept two nights under a pine tree on the premises he afterwards purchased. Early in the spring of 1796, " he removed his young family from Bath to this place ; his wife and infant child on horseback, his household goods and farming utensils on a sled drawn by four oxen, and a hired man driving the cattle." Some difficulty occurring in getting the cattle through the woods, Mr. Hammond after arriving at his log cabin, went b;ick upon his track, and remained in the woods all night, leaving his young wife with her infant child to sjiend the first night alone. Mr. Hammond among other instances of the embarrass- ments of pioneer life, that he used to relate, said that the first scythes he used, cost him a journey to Tioga Point. Two scythes and the journey costing him eleven dollars. In relating to his London principals the progress of settlement, Mr. Williamson says: — "I sold also on six years credit, the west half of township No. 6, Gth range," (this includes a large portion of the site of Dansville,) to a Mr. Fitzgerald, at $1 50 i»or acre. He so^d the land to gentlemen in Pennsylvania for a large profit. The purchasers were, a Mr. Wilson, one of the Judges of Northumber- land CO., a Mr. C. Hall, a counsellor at law in Pennsylvania, a Mr. Dunn, and a Mr. Faulkner. These gentlemen have carried on the settlement with much spirit, and Mr. Faulkner is at the head of it. The\- have a neat town, a company of militia, two saw mills and a grist mill, and indeed, every convenience. Mr. Faulkner, although he came from Pennsylvania, was originally from the State of New York, north from Albany. This winter he went down to see his father and other connections ;. the consequence was, that he moved Note. — In "Uescriptiniis of tlie Geiicsoc country," -Bjiftcu liy Mr. Willianisoii, in 798, 111' ii'iiiiirks : — " Ol'tlidso M'ttlcnicntH lu'guii fii ]7!)(i iJiuro tiro two worthy ofiio- ice , tiiat (if tlie Ui'v. Mr. Gray, in T. 4, 7th l<;ingc, who removed from ruunsylvaniix ritli a ri'spci'tablf ]iart of liis former j);iri>h, ami a ^Mr. Daniol Faulkner, witU ir.lereey cttlcmcnt, on the head of Canaseraga ereek ; both of them exhibit iristances of iudus- ry and enterprisi'. I'lie ensuini^ season, ilr. Faulkner beinf,'a]i])ointed cajitain of a onipany of i,n-eiiadiers to be rai.-ed in his settlement, at the ori;anization of tlie militia if Steuben, ;i[)|ie;i.'eil on parade ai the head of 27 f,Tena(!!ers, all in a iiandsonie uuiform, llld well .armed, mid eiiniiuiseil Riilelv iif the. vniinir ihi'M nf liis Hetfli'iiipiit " 35S PHELPS AND GORHAIM's PTJRCnASE. IP: up about fifteen very decent families, who passed through Albany with excellent teams, every way well equipped. He sold to some very wealthy and respectable men of Albany. r,,000 acres at a large profit. " The Captain Faulkner, who Mv. Williamson names, was Daniel P. Faulkner, an early patroon ol Uansville, as will be infer- red. "Capt. Dan. Faulkner," was his familiar backwoods appella- tive, and thence the name ~ Dans-vWle." He was the uncle of Dr. James Faulkner. Soon after settlement commenced, Mr. Williamson had erected a grist and saw mill, on the .site afterwards occupied by Col. Roches- ter. David Scholl, who was Mr. Williamson's mill-wriglit at the Lyons mills, erected the mills. The early mill-wright of the Gen- esee country, emigrated many years since to Michigan. Mrs. Sol- omon and Mrs. Isaac Fentztermacher, of Dansville, are his diuightcrs. The mill was burned down soon after 1800, after which, befm-e re- building, the neighborhood had to go to Bosley's mills at the foot of Hemlock Lake. Jacob Welch came from Pennsylvania to Dansville, in 1708. He died in 1831. His widow still survives, aged 80 years. His sons, Jacob, Henrv and Conrad, are residents of Dansville. His daughters became the wives of John Beltz, Peter Labach, Will- iam Kercher, and Valentine Hamsher. The deccndants of Jacob Welch, residents of Dansville and its vicinity, number over one hundred and thirty. The part of his farm inherited by his son Conrad Welch, embraces the Dansville canal slip and basin. Mr. Conrad Welch, a prominent and \vorthy citizen of Dansville, gave the author some account of the early advent of his fathcr,'^and others: — "My grand-fulher, Jacol) Martz, resided near Sunbury, Northumberland county, Pa. The advent of Charles Williamson through that region, his road, and all that was going on under Wu auspices, created a good deal of interest for the Genesee country. Jacob Martz came out and viewed it, and returning, reported so favorably, that an emigrant party was soon organized. It consisted of Jacob Martz, In's son Conrad Martz, George Shirey, Frederick Barnhart and Jacob Welch, and their flnuilies. The partv came via Batii, and up the Conhocton. From what afterwards became Blood's corners, the emigrants had their own road to make througn to Dansville. A winding road had been underbrushed, but no streams bridged, and high winds had encumbered it with fallen trees I'lLfiLPS AND GOMLUfs rUKCIIASE. 350 They were three days coming in from Buth, camping out two nights. Hearing of our approach, the new settlers in Dansville nearly all turned out, met and assisted us. Prominent of the party was Mr. Faulkner, who was ahvay ready to assist new settlers by such acts of kindness. Occupying an old deserted hut, and quartering our- selves upon the settlers in their log cabins, we got through the winter, and in the spring erected log cabins for ourselves. When we arrived, Samuel Faulkner had opened a small framed tavern, near where Mr. Bradner's store now is. In addition to the Faulk- ners, Hammond, and M'Coy, there was here when we arrived, Wm. riienix, James Logan, David Scholl, John Vandeventer,* the father-ill-law of Escp Hammond, Jared Erwin.Wm. Perrine. Tliere was three or four families along on the road to Williamsburg." "There had been, where Dansville now is, a pretty large Indian .settlement, fifteen or twenty huts were standing when white settle- ment commenced, and several Indian families lingered for several years in the neighborhood." "Game was very abundant; the new settlers could kill deer about when they pleased. After yarding their sheep, they would often have to go out and scare the wolves off. In cold winter nights, the wolves would set up a terrific howl in all the surround- ing forests. They attacked cattle ; in one instance, they killed a cow of my grand-father Martz. Steel traps, dead falls and pits, were put in requisition, and soon thinned them out. There was fine fish- ing in the streams. iMill Creek, especially, was a fine trout stream. Pigeons were so abundant, that almost uniformly, newly sowed fields had to be watched almost constantly." * A l)riitlic;r of Isaac VaiidevoiitLT, tlie oarly sottluroii liulfalo i-oacl west of Clarence Hollow. Note. — The autlKU- copies iVoin the iiiamiacripts of W. H. C. Hosmer, Esq., the fol- lowintj account of a!i " ancient trrave at Dansville : " — "Picibre the Revoliuioii, aceonlint; to Indian tradition, a liattlo took place on a hill a few miles distant fioui the village of Dansville, lietweeuthe Cauisteo Indians ajid those livin.s; on the ' Gii-nose-ga-j^-o,' [Canascra,L,a] Creek. A chief of the latter, of preat renown, was slain, and 1)!nie(l with f^reat ])onip by nis trihesmen. When the wliites first settled here, ihe spot where he f'.dl was niarkeil by a lar!j;e liole dug in the shajie of a man prostrate, with his arms extended. An Indian trail Idl liy the phice, and the passing,' red man was accustomed to clear away the dry leaves and brush lilown in by tlie winds, 'i'lie chief was interrt'd in an old burial jdace near the present site of Ihe 'Lutheran Church in the village of l);insville. The ground was formerly covered with graves to the extent of two or three anres. His monument consisted of a large pile of small stones, gathered IVom time to time by the natives, from a hill, a miledislant; ]iassiiig, they would add to tlie heap, by lusslng ou ii, after the manner of the ancient Cakdoui;uis", tlieir rude tiibules of .all'ectiou." if h ! ill IJ 360 PUELl'S AND GOEIIAMS PURCHASE. The primitive settlers of Dansville were mostly Lutherans, or Dutch lli'Ibrmed. The first meetings were held from house to liouse ; Frederick Biirnhurt or Adiim Miller, usually taking the lead. The Rev. Mr. Murkle, a Lutheran jn-eachcr from Geneva, occasionally visited the place, as did Elder Gray. The first loca- ted minister, was the Rev. Mr. Pratt. The Rev. Hubbard, a son-in-law of Moses Van Campen, was an early settled minister. He was the father of John Hubbard, of Oswego. Jonathan Rowley was an early landlord in Dansville ; he erect- ed for a tavern the first brick house in the villaae. He died in 1830, childless; the only representative of the family, residing in Dansville, is a niece of Mr. Rowley, the wife of Samuel W. Smith. William Perrine, has been before named as one of the primitive class of Pioneers, died in 1847, at the advanced age of 93 years. He was a soldier of the Revolution in the Pennsylvania line. His son, Peter Perrine, occupies the farm on which his father originally settled, near the village. William Perrine, of South Dansville, and Robert Perrine, of West Sparta, are also sons of the early Pioneer. Mrs. Robert Thompson, of Dansville, is a daughter of his. Harman Iiartman was one of the earliest of the Pennsylvania emigrants. His descendants are numerous, residing princii)ally in Dansville and its vicinity. Hugh McCurdy, Esq., in a statement made for tlie author of the published reminiscences of Dansville, already alluded to, says : — " The first tanner and currier was Israel Vandeventer ; the first black- smith, James Porter ; the first marriage was that of Wm. McCartnev to Mary McCurdy ; our first school was taught by Thomas Mac- lain ; the first established preacher and founder of a church among us, was the Rev. Andrew Gray ; the first Justice of the peace was Dr. James Faulkner, (uncle to the present Dr. James Faulkner;) the first Supervisor was Amariah Hammond ; the first death was that of Captain Nathaniel Porter ; the first P. M. was Israel Irwin ; the first merchant goods were brought in by Captain Daniel P. Faulkner ; the next merchant, Jared Ervvin. He died of the pre- vailing fever during the war of 1812 ; his widow became the wife of Col. James JM'Burney ; Mrs. Gansevoort, of Bath, is his daugh- ter. Joshua Shepherd, L. Bradner and S. W. Smith, were early and PHELPS AND (iOIUIAM's PURCHASE. 501 proniinont mcrclmnts of Dansville. Mr. Sliephenl died in lh'29 ; Mr. Bnidner is the President of tlie Bank of Dansville ; Mr. Smith is a son of the early landlord on the main road fn n Avon to Cale- donia. I'inneer settlers of Dansville, other ii:an tht'se named : — Natha- niel Porter, John Haas, Thonias Mc' 'i..>rt( i. Samuel vShannon. James Harrison, Daniel Hamsher, TJathe ],orr, Oliver Warren. a ne{)he\v of Dr. Warren, of llevolutionar} .Tiemory. Col. Xathaniel Rochester became aresideni of Dansville in 1810, purchasing a large tract of land, which includes the greater portion ol' the water power now within the limits of the corporation. The old Williamson mills were eiribraced in his })urchase. lie added to till! mills, a paper mill, the pioneer establishment in that line, in all western New York. * In 1815, Col. Rochester sold his land, mills, and water power, to the Rev. Christian Endress from the borough of Easton, Pa., and Mr. Jacob Opp, from Northampton Co.. Pa. Mr. Endress resided in Dansville but a year, when he return- ed, and resumed the charge of a German Lutheran cougregation in Easton. He died in Lancaster, Pa., in 1827. His interest in Dansville was purchased by Dr. James Faulkner. Judge Endress and Dr. Endress, of Dansville, are his sons. Mr. Opp died in Louisville, in 1847, aged 84 years. Henry B. Opp, of Dansville, is his son. North Dansville, in which is the site of Dansville village, was in the county of Steuben, until 1822, when it was attached to the town of Sparta, Livingston county. In 1840, the old town of Sparta was divided into three towns — of which the town of North Dansville, three miles square, was one. The town of Dans- ville, is still in Steuben county. Although it is one of the pioneer localities, of the Genesee coun- try, and commenced in an early period to be a place of considera- ble business, Dansville was but little known in the northern por- tion of western New York, until after the completion of the Gene- see Valley Canal ; and even now, away from the main eastern and western thoroughfares, as it is, it may well be presumed that this work will fall into the hands of many readers, who have neither * The pnro ■water at Dansville aiul fine ■n-ator pciwcr, has invitod tliis braiirli of inanu- fnpluvcs tlii'iv to a axeat cxtt-iit. TliiTu wire I'mr larire ])ai>L'r mills tlare in 1844, iiiauutai'turiiig over $1UII,UUU worth of paper jxir aiiiunu. 23 sssmmmmii^L 36f niELT'S AXD G MIFIAM's PUltCIIASE. seen the bustlinrr, prosperous large village, hid away among the southorn hills, nor perhaps, read any account of it. For this rea- son, a brief topographical sketch will be given — a departure from the uniform purpose of the author, in this history of pioneer set- tlement. Thouy'i some sixteen miles from the Genesee River, it is in fact at the head of the Genesee Valley.* Coming down through the nar- row gorges of Allegany and the southern portion of Livingslon, the river has but an occasional broad sweep of flats, until it reaches Mt. Morris. The flats of the river are continuous, and mostly of uni- form width, from a few miles above Rochester, to Mount Morris, from whicli point gradually narrowing, they follow the course of the Canascraga to Dans vi lie, where, after widening out, and gradually rising in beautiful table lands, they come to an abrupt termination, and are hemmed in by hills. The Canascraga, Mill Creek, and Stony Brook, coming down from the highlands, through narrow gorgi?s, enter the valley and unite maiidy within the village limits. The Canascraga enters the valley through a narrow pass called "Pog's Hole," through whicli, climbing along a steep acclivity, and tb.en descending to a level with the stream, passes the Ilornellsville road. Upon the opposite side of the stream from the road, through the whole length of the narrow pass, is a perpendicular ledge of rocks, an hundred feet in height. Beyond this pass, the valley widens out occasionally, into small areas of intervale, but ranges of highlands rise in near proximity on either hand. The scenery is wild and romantic, at every step reminding the contemplative ob- server, of the written descriptions of the passes of the Aljis. Mill creek making in irom another direction, has a rai)id descent for a con- siderable distance, before reaching the valley, furnishing a succes- sion of hydraulic facilities, as does the Canascraga, where it jjasses from the highlands, and for a considerable distance below. The aggregate durable water power of both streams, before and after their union, is immense —largely improved now — and equal to any present or prospective retiuirements. At the head of the valley, is a succession of promontories, over- looking the town, upon one of which is a rural cemetery, not unlike the Mt. Hope, at the other extremity of the Genesee Valley. Moulder- * Tl.p term " viillov " ia here uml not in its luliirged House — the term " flats " would ptTLiipri be better. PirELPS AND GORIIAMS PUECIIASE. 863 ing in its shades, upon its slopes and summits, are all that was earth- ly of nearly all the rioncers, who, eiiterin-j; that beautil'ul valley, when it was a wilderness, laid, amid toil, disease, and j>rivations, the foundation of that busy scene of enterprise, ])rosperity and happi- ness. Admonished may their successors and inheritors be, that their spirits may be lingering upon that summit, (guardians and watchers, over those to whom they bequeathed so rich an inherit- ance. Let that elevated city of the dead, be to them a Mount Sinai or an Horeb, i'rom which to catch, as if by inspiration, a nioietv of the stern resolves, the moral courage, the patriotism, of the Pioneers. The main street of tlic town is parallel with, and at the base of an unbroken range of high land, rising to the height of nearly f /e hundred feet — steep, but yet admitting of cultivation. Cultivated fields and woodlands, rising one above another, form tiie back grounti, or rurd landscape ; iu the foreground are gentle olfsets, or table lands, at the termination of which, the Canascraga winds along the base of another similar hill, or mountain range ; to the left are the headlands, that have been named, and to the right, the Canascra- ga, winding along between the two ranges of highlands, ilows to min- gle its waters with the Genesee, at Mount Morris. The Genesee Valley Canal, terminateti a half mile from main street, where it is fed from Mill creek, and a mile below, at Woodville, receives the waters of the Canascraga. The canal terminating too far from the central business locality of the town, individual enterprise has supplied a side cut, or slip which remedies the incon- venience. In reference to the whole scenery of the southern portion of the Genesee country, the upper vallios of the Genesee, the Canascraga, the Allegany, the Cattaraugus, the Conhocton, and the Canisteo, it may here be remarked, that the traveller or tourist of wdiat Mr. Williamson called the "northern plains, " who breaks out for a summer excursion to the east, the north or the west, may be told that a day's journey to the south, will bring him to a region of hill and valley, rivers and creeks, mountains and rivulels. cultivated fields and wild woodlands, which should satisfy any reasonable desire for the romantic and picturesque. And if health is the object of his summer wanderings, no where can he breathe " freer and deeper," of a pure and invigorating atmosphere — or drink I'rom purer springs and streams, — thau in jdl our local southern reuion. 3G4 niELPS AOT) GORHAaAl's PUKCIIASE. WILLIAM I'lTZHUGU. He was of a family, the name and services of which are inti- nnately blended with the history of the stirrinsr events of the Rev- olution in the colony of Maryland. The lather, Col. William iMtzlmgh, held the commission of Colonel in the liritish army, retired upon half pay, when the troubles l)etween the colonies and the mother comitry commenced. IJe resided at the mouth of the Patuxent.^where he had a larw estate, a farm, mills and manufac- tories. Exercising an unusual share of inHuence with his fellow citixens,^ the Briti.-^h colonial Governor made him the extraordinary oiler of a continuance of his rank and half pav, and the (juie't possesion of his property if he would remain a neutral in the con- test. Though an uivalid, by ivason of physical infirmities, here- jected the overture, surrendered his connnis.sion — (or inther left it tipon the Covernoi''s table when he refu.sed to receive it) — encour- aged his two .sons to take commissions in the "rebel" army, takin PHELPS AND GORHAJl's PURCHASE. 365 Genesee Country. Wlien Col. Willhmi Fitzlmgh first visited the country in 1800 in company with Col. Nathaniel Rochester, Major Charles Carroll, and several others, he brought a letter of introduc- tion to Mr. Williamson from his brother, foi himself and Col. Roches- ter ; IMaJor Carroll as would seetu from the reading of the letter, having previously known him. During this visit, in addition to a third interest in the "100 acre Tract" at the Falls of the Genesee, pur- chased in company with Messrs. Rochester and Carroll, jointly with Mr. Carroll he purchased on the Canascraga, in Groveland and vSpar- ta, 12,000 acres of Mr. Williamson, paying 8 201) per acre.* Their tract embraced the old site of Williamsburg, Mi-. Williamson having abandoned his enterprise of forming a town there after the failure with his German colony. Leaving iheir property in the care of an agent. Messrs. Fit/hugh and Carroll did not emigrate with then families until 181(5, when a division of the joint purchase was made. Col. Fitzhughdied in 1839, aged 78 years; his wife, who was the daughter of Col. Daniel Hughes, of Washington county, Md., died in 1821), aged 50 years. The surviving sons and daughters are : — Wm. H. Fit/.hugh, residing upon the old homestead in Maryland ; Dr. D. H. Fit/.hugh, residing upon the Canascraga four miles from Mt. Morris; James Fitzhugh, in Ohio county, Ky.: Richard P. Fitzhugh, on the Canascraga near his brotlier Daniel ; Hen.y Fitzhugh, in Oswego; m^. Dr. Fi'ederick F. Backus, of Rochester ;"Mrs. James G. Rirney, of Kentucky ; ^frs. Gerrit Smith of Peterboro ; Mrs. John T. Talman, of Rochester ; Mrs. Lieut. J. W. Swit\ of the U. S. Navy, residing at Geneva. A son, Judye Samuel l.H'ir tnu'i wiis i)niici|iiilly up Ituids ; a striuii,'.' clioicc it wn.s tlioiif,'lil at tlio time, wJiou X\\v\- wtTi' ,,lk'i'i'(l the Mt. .Mon-is tract, with its hfautifiil swoi'i.s .if tliits, at m,m per aoiy. l!ut they liad vumv IVdiii a n'i;i(.ii mIutc tiiiil)i'i- va.s ficaivo. aiul t'licv had loanu'd to apinvcian^ its value ;iiid wilii ivloiviici' to intrinsic relalivu valno i.i' soil ; tun.', and iin|iv,.voi systems of .■ultivation an- fust dcmonstfatini'- that their ehoice s mjndieious than it iisod ♦ . be considenMh 'J'iie late iMajoi- ^'jjenm- told tlie authevthat the uplands uj.on his L. >• f, . ■>■ were wofth as mueh T)eV anv as his Hats. ' NoTK.— Tlie i^hiikei- settleuienf af the [iini'tion of the Kishaiiua creek willi flio taiuiseni-a atew mdesahove Mt. Miu'iis, wheiv llie (ieneseo Vallev canal entefs tho valley ol the ( anas.raoa. isa])ait of the ofi-inal Fitzlmgh and ('arroU tr-t Tins s.|eletv puivhascMl .if Dr. Fitzlin.-'., :; '■ «• years ^in.v. 17(1(1 acivs, for whi.'h toey paid f ,U,(I( ; an,! t.. whu'h they ha 'u,m1 s.'veral hun.lred a.uvs. Tlieir ...ijani/.atiou is after the nianner ..1 lli.. socieliOH at Niskavuna an.l N.'w Lebanon ; thev are enterpri- bin.u'and prnsp>.rous : (h.niselvesan.' ;h..ir h.^autiftil location one of the many ubiects -A Jiiterest ii, the soiulicni portion of our h)L'id" region. |i , kJ it l!r IS! I I wn sou PflKLI'H AND OORHAm's I'l'KCirASK. Fil/Im-h, ivsi.li.iir ;,(. Mt. M«rris, died in 1811) ; ;„hI :i y()un!.cr son. ItoLerl, .li.'.l ill (In.vchni.l. in 1N.'{(;. Tlu-re :uv over 80 (Icsceud- unts ul (Jul. Wni. riizjuiuli. CHARLES CAKUOLL. Ifis coniioction with Messrs. Iloclu-slcr j.nd Fit/.himh, ;ind his .•idveiit to ;his ivoi(»n Willi them in IHOO, will Imvc hirn noticed. lie had pivvionsly in ttu; year 17i)8. with a bi-olher. Daniel Cnrroil, been here upon a four of exploration. They eanic via the Sus(iuo- hannah route, witii paek mules, made a general survey of the coun- try, were ])leased with it, hut made no investments as will he oh- served. until 1800. 1'heir residence in Maryland was at IJellevue, near 1ho;erstown : the earlier home of the family had heen ujion the site of the city of \Vashin,uton ; the cajHlal (.f die Tnited States, ii"w occupies a portion yf tlie estate of their father, Charles Carroll,' niio wa.s a cousin of • Charles Carroll of Cariollton." The author has little of the history of Major Carroll, disconnected with that of his associates. Messrs. Rochester and Fitzluio|i. He died at his residence in ( ooveland, in 1897, ajved (iO year.s. His hviiur sons are: — Charles (^irroll, the occupant of the homestead, recently the representative in (\.nnress of the Livingston and On- tario .li.strict, and a Stat.- Senator; Dr. ])aniel .). Carrol of New "^ovk: William 'J'. Carroll, a clerk of the Supreme Court of the ruited Slates. Dauuhters became the wives of Henry Fit/hnuh, of Oswego: I\ros(«s Tahhs, of Washington, D. C.; Dr. llard.ige' Lane of St. Louis. The (-Idest ..on was the jirivate Secretary of Mr. (lay, at tduMit : becoming soon :d'ter the clt-rk of his father who held the ..iHce of Kec(>iver at Franklin, Missouri, he was killed' in an alfray which occurred in that town. There came t.) the Cienesee country with Messrs. Fit/hugh, Kochester and Carroll, , oi)ened a trade with the Indinn village of Canawaugus, es tahlished a ferry, and pntertained the few travellers that passed through on the old Niagara trail. He died in '9() or '7, and was succeeded by his widow. The Holl and Purchase being opened for settlnnent soon tdterwards, the "Widow Berry's" tavern was widely know in all early years, west of the river; and besides fur- nishino- a comfortable resting place for early Pioneers, in her prim- itive tavern, i^ome of the best wives and mothers of the Genesee count ry, were reared and fitted for the duties of life. Her daughters became the wives of Geo. Hosmer, Estp, of A\(;n, E. Clark Hickox, the early merchant of J?atavia and Bullah^ .lohn Mastick, Es(i., the Pioneer lawyer of Rochester, and George A. TiHany, whose father was one of the early ]).rinters of Canandaigua. Cajit. .Tohn Ganson, was the pioneer settler following Mr. Berry. Holding a commission in the Revolutionary war, he had accompanied 'I'hi^i-i.'issmiu'tl tVointiu- l)cst iiiforniati.m the autlior hius bwrn able to olitsiin. WilliuH UicfwasiU Avon in llu' snine yoar, and must liavo sciili'il i'm-iv sunn allur Mr IUmtv Muiviina.ul Williiini Ih-slia, wove upon Iho " l)i'>lia l-lats," us oarly n.s ns'l .■hmiiiii" uiiil.T an Indian f;Tanl ; liut tiio title failin-,', tla-.y iviudvea to Canada. Tli.MV NvrivtluTe in tliat voar, be.sides, several lieads of fanulies. wlio afe supposed not toliav.. l,renpennaneuf settlers. Tlie son of the Wm. Riee named above, was the tirst horn up..i' tlie I'helps an.l Gorhan.'s I'nrel.ase. He wa. nmne, •Oliver 1 helps Uiee " .!ud"e I'lielps uave him an KKI aeres i.f land in Livoma, wlu.'h he oeer.pied when he beeanu' of a-e. Mrs. liiee was a «o<..l specimen of the slron- mn.ded ener- 1\h- women, who were the 1 l;„a.er n.olhers of thisre-iun MulUd as a nudw.leand nur-e she wnt from seltlemeni lo settlement, and trom In- eabir to lo^^ .■abin. olren sum.i'vin- the i.laee of a phvsieian. Her manv aets of kindn.'ss are jtraleluliy remein- l fl 11 ' 'a riv I'iot.eers. Mrs. Gould of Lima, and Mrs. llhodes ol Gcausco, an- I I I her daui,diiers. 3GS rjIELPS AND GOWlAJi's rUlICilASE. the expodition of Gen. Sullivan. Before the treaty was concluded, in 178H, he revisited the country, and selected a fine tract of land on the river, about two miles below Avon. Ills sons John and James wintered in a cabin in 1788, '<), ujKm the premises; and the father and family came on in the fall of 1780. During the fnllow- inc^ winter they erected a rude "tub mill " on the small stream that puts into the river on the Markham i'arm. It was a .'^mall lorr building; no boards could be had ; the curb was made of liewed plank ; the spindle was made by straightening out a section of a cart tire ; the stont's were roughly carved out of native rock. There was no b(jlt, the substitute being hand sieves, made of sjilints. It was a rude, ])rimitive concern ; but it would mash tiie corn a little better than a wooden mortar and pestle ; and was (juite an acquisi- tion to the country. It preceded the Allan mill a lew months, and if we shall call it a mill, it was the first in the Genesee Valley. The buckwheat that lias been mentioned, produced upon Boughton Hill, was ground or mashed in it, having been carried there twenty miles through tlui woods, by Jared Boughton, in the fall of 178!) ; and the producer, and mill boy (or man) lives to eat buckwheat cakes, now in the winter of 1850, '51. Borrowing the language of Shaks])care, and applying it to this one of the few survivors of that early period, may "Godil (lif^i'stiuu wail on iii)j)etite, Ami hoallli du botli." Capt. Ganson had claimed title either under the Indian grant, or under tlu' Lessees, which failed, and Col. Wm. Markham becam.e liis successor. He resided for several years afterwards, four miles east oi" Avon, on the main road. As early as 1788, about the period ot the conimencement of surveys ujton the Holland Purchase. Capt. Ganson, had jjushed on to the west side of the river, and purchased the i)ioneer tavern stand of Charles Wilbur, on the then vern-e of civilization, one mile east of the ])resent village of Le Rov. In this location he was widely known in early years. His iiouse \\as the liome of early land agents, surveyors, explorers and pioneer settlers. He was both loved and i'eared by the Indians; thev came t(j him for ct)unsel and advice ; and when they became turbulent in their drunken frolics and threatened outrage, he would quell thetn by his determined will, or with his strong arm. He was even ultra in his Revolutionary principles. When he came upon the river, he and the Butler Hangers — the tories of the Revolution, were far from PHELPS AND GORUAlVl's PURCHASE. [569 beini? ngreeuble neighbors ; lie was impatient to see the last of them on their wny to Canada. 'J'ownship 10, 11. 7, (Avon,) was sold by Mr. Phelps to " Wads- worth, Lewis & Co." Those interested in the purchase, wt-rc : — William Wadsworth, of Farmington, Conn., (a cousin of .lames and William,) Wells of Hartford, Isaiah Thompson, Timothy Ilosmer, and Lewis. The price paid was Is (Jd, N. E. cur- rency per acre; "a high price at the ))priod, in conseiiuenco of the hirge amount of open Hats." Dr. Hosmer, and Thomiison, were the only ones of the proprietors who became residents. ]\Lijor Thomp- son, who had not brought his family, died the first season, of hillious fever. His son Charles afterwards became a resident, ;nid died in Avon, nniny years since. Mrs. Tompkins, of Batavia is a grand- daughter of Major Thompson. Dr. Timothy Hosmer was a native of West Hartford, Conn. With a little more than an ordinary academical education, he be- came a student of medicine with Dr. Dickinson, of Middleton. But recently settled in practice in Farmington, at the breaking out of the Revolution, he entered the service of the colonies, as a sur- geon, in the Connecticut line. Serving in that capacity through the eventful crisis, he retired, happy in the recollection of its glori- ous result, hut like most of those who had achieved it, poor and pennyless, a growing family dependent on his professional services for support. In the army he had accjuired a high reputation in his profession; especially lor his successful treatment .of the small pox, at Daid)ury, where an army hospital hail been established for |>atients. The discovery of .lenner, having been but recently promulgated in Europe, its efficacy was a mooted question ; with a professional boldness which was characteristic of the man, he espoused the new discovery, and used it with gi;eat success. His mate, in the army, was Dr. Eustis, afterwards Secretary of War. Personally acquainted with jMr. Phelps, and hearing of his pur- chase in the Genesee country, partly from a love of adventure and iNoTK. — Jiiiiifs aii^. WiiiToi. roMuiiij.-iu.ai- Lcn-kimi-t, isa .laiin-hfr. Jainc-s Causm is stiU Jiuny-, ai-o.s,,U,,t ot .liickson, .Mu-l.i-aii ; l,is sons, arc .)olm S. Gaii-m,, ,,f liuffiilo, 1 rcsuuMit of ho Jiuiicol .\ttioa; Josoph (iansoii, .-. nu.roluiiit of J!i-ookiK,n. Ilira: t oi-iiolius aiK Coriioil. i-o,Hilonts(,fMiolui;ini. and aimtluM- son rosi.lo- llio sons ol .loliii Gaiison, aro Dr. Uolloii (iaiison of Ha iiaiu, in Mihvaiilvpc. • ,, ,;. , ,'"i' •"'•"• *""i"ii v.iiMMMi ui liataviii; Jolin (ian^dii. an .-Utor- lioy Jii l.iiUulo; luul Jiiino.s (imiHou, Ca.siiior of tliu .Marino Bank of iiuQUlo. 370 PIIELI^ AND GORIIA:\i's PURCHASE. new entcM-pnso, and partly to escape from alai-e practice that wa. re.iu.niiur too ,nuch of constant toil, in 1700, he visiteil this re-non 111 company with Major Thompson, with whom, for themseU-os''and associates, he made the purchase of a township. Spendin-r the summer ol -DO in Avon; in -Ol he brought on his two sons. Fred- eiickand Sydney; erectin.s; a lonr house, the first dwellincr on the liresent site of Avon, where Mr. Merrill's house now stands. His whole lannly joined him in 1792. Coming into the wilderness, with other objects m view, he was forced by necessitv-bv the ab.sence ot others of his profession, to engage in practice, widch he contin- ued until relieved by others. Among the old pioneers who in those primitive days, were in detached settlements throughout a wide range, you udl hear him .spoken of; and especiallv do thev remem- ber Ins disregard of fatigue, his long, night, wood's rides, prompted more by a .spirit of benevolence than professional gain; his .rood humor, and the kind words he always ha.l t.. cheer the despoiidin^ settler whuiU,o„. : a,Ml ,t isthwvlure not a matter of suquisc, to .e. Frauce, who.u a nnif linvi T— ?; PHELPS AND G0RHA:M 8 PtmCIIASE. an most of whom ciime to- the country as junior pioneers, are William T., of Meadville, Pa.; George, of Avon, who in early years occu- pied a conspicuous position at the bar of W. N. York, the father of Wm. II. C. Hosiner, the author of " Yonnondio," "Themes of Sonif,'' and other poems ; who is justly entitled to the positifui that lias been awarded him in the front rank of American scholars and poets. Geo. Hosmer pursued his early studies under the tuition of the Rev. Ebenezer Johnson of Lima ; in 17i)9 entered the law oflice of the Hon. Nathaniel W. Howell, as a student ; and in 1802 •svas admitted to practice, oi)ening his oflice in Avon, then the only lawyer west of Canandaigua. In the war of 1812 he was upon the frontier as the aid of Gen. Hall. He is now OO years of age. Timotiiy, the early and widely known landlord at Avon, resides at the Four Mile creek, near Fort Niagara ; Sylvester, in Caledonia ; Albert in Hartland, Niogara co. An only daughter of Judge Hos- mer is the wife of the Kev. Flavel F. BHss, of Churchville. Fred- erick Hosmer, deceased, was a son of Judge Hosmer; he was the first merchant at Avon ; another son, A. tSydney Hosmer, was long known ns a tavern keeper at Le Roy; he emigrated to Wisconsin, where he died in 1835. Colonel William Markham, who had first settled at Bloomfield, moved to Avon in 1790. In Bloomfield he had purchased an hundred acres of Innd, and paid for it with the proceeds of one acre of po- tat(»es. With the proceeds of tliat land, he purchased and paid for the fine farm on the river, now owned by his son, Guy Markham, which has rented tor !$1,000 per year. He became a useful, public spirited citizen, and his name is mingled with the reminiscences of the town, in all early years. He died in 1827, or '8. His surviving sons are ; Guy and Ira, of Rush, Wayne, on Ridge Road, near Clarkson, Vine, in Michigan. Daughters : — Mrs. Whitney, Michigan ; Mrs. Boughton and Mrs. Dr. Socrates Smith, of Rush. Gad Wadsworth was a distant connexion of James and William, and came in with them, in their primitive advent in 1790, in care, personally, pf the stock. James and William having become, by purchase from first hands, land proprietors in Avon, he settled liiivf fiiiii'liitlitiViiitlli.Mif liKlvpt-iidi'iice, ill Aiiicrii'M, vk'toriimsovi'iMlif tninidnsof des- pois. Anil it' I limy bo allti\v('re as early as INOO. I'n- der his roof, a lartje pioj)ortion of the Pioneers west of the river, have I'ound rest and refreshment ; and from under it, it may ;ilso be added, have eome not less th;m half a dozen excellent wives aii.l mothers. They were : — Mrs. Isnac Sutherland, and Mrs. K. Kim- berly, of IJatavia, Mrs. John M'Kny, of (^idedonia, Mrs. A. Sidney Hosnier, formerly of Le Hoy, Mrs. Faulkner, (jf Dansville, and Mrs. Sylvester Hosmer, of Caledonia. S. W. Smith, .^f Dansville, an, a Ijibrary was established at Avon. The trustees were : A. Sidney Hosmer, .Job Pierce, .Toshua Lovejoy, .lehirl Jvelsey, Elkanah Whitney, .lames Lawrence, Win. Markham, George Hos- mer, Stephen Ilodi,fers. ill ISIO, " a number of persons be inij; stated hearers of llev. John F. Pliss, of Avon," met and organi/.ed "Avon Rcjligious Society." Samuel Bliss and Asa Clark presided. Trustees: — .Tohn Pierson, George Hosmer, Nathaniel Bancroft, .Tolm Brown, E/.ekiel Mosely, William Markham. AVON SPHLVdS. Tlio ra]M(l]y incroasing colcbvity of Avon Springs a.s a sunn tier resort for invuliils, jileasure ]>nrlios, ami toinisls ; invite\ clKirniing seencry, the bmail, cnltivated fields, and beautiful t'oi'ests, tliat suriduud them, will juiiliaps render some early reininiscenees of them nut un- inleresting: — They were known to the Jesuit Mis.sionarie.s, and Joneaire, un- der l'"n;neli duuiinion, and they recognizeil their usi- by the Indians, fui' ir;edi- cinal or healing jnu'poses. 'i'lie Seneca name tor them was " Can-a-wau-gus," (feiid. liad smelling water,) and tlieneo the name of their villa::.', in ihc im- mediate neighliorhood. When settlement eonuneured, sixty years since, they were surround§ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 4. 1.0 1.1 u iii £ us WUu M 2.2 1.8 1.25 1.4 1.6 ^ 6" — ► Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 sr ^^ MP. (A i 374 PHELPS AXD GOItHAIM's PUECHASE. preva ont amono: tl,e_ hoo.. It was oLsen-d, tl,at when thus afflictK]. tl.ey lentl} ortbatol-ject In early yoa.., Miss \Ven.],le, a si.ter of M,.. ulL upon e ,.e<..„,„u,Kanuno D..Hc™, bathed in an.l chank the waters, a.K vas ,ehe^ed; an.l other snn.Jar ca.es occuvrecl. Soon aft.T the war of l.si'> visitors troni abroad be.Q-aij to resort to the Sprino^s, and Hiehard Wadsworth! at nesugges uon, and w,th the aid of George llosn.er, Ks<,., erected a sn'al kahmg.stabl,sh.nent and shower bath. Afrerthe pnrohase of the prup.l bv M.. iNowlen, and the erection of a boardinij house by Mr. IhnXL a new nnpetns wasgnen to ^npro^•enlents; ^■isito;>; be^an tJ increase, tV^.n year to yeaiv improvements have been progressive ; nntil sick or uvil, the.^ is notpot moieinMting in western^ew Vork. Bnt a ],ioneer history was only intended EEMINISCENCES OF GEORGE HOSMER. _ Mr. Ilostner confirms tlie position, tliat the domestic lioo- will go back to bis native s ate, soon after he has re-entered a f.avst lif<.. In earlf ye k of s.-ttleinent, there were droves of h„gs, generally roaming ov^ the I 1 kN a ong the Genesee river, the immediate p.-ogenitors of .ddch ha,I be V ' lose .omesticated by the Indians, and those brond.t here by Bntler's ]{ , o.^. They w<.re wiid, as ,u: those now seen by Ca!itV,rnia adintnrei^ in cn,;si, ^ he Isthmns ot Panama. They Mere nntameable, and when wanted t U' wild '-ame '" "''"^'^''"° ^ ^' ''^ ^'^"^'^ ''"'" ^''''^''^ ^'""^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ''ti'«' • 11^795 Frederick Hosmer, attlie instance of Mr. Williamson, went to reside at the mouth ot the river. Erecting a Jog shantee, he kept a tl. goods to barter with the Indians for fnrs, and trade with the b Ltteann ..Ai used to make that a stopping place. George Hosmer was freuueiuh ^^i mn. British deserte.^ trom Niagara would frequently come down the Lake Lpon one occasion some deserte.s were followed bv a voung Lieutenant and agmu-dof 8 nien in a boat. Arnving at the mouth of tlurrivei, and W ign<.thingof therctugees,_tbe Lieutenant hunted and fished; lendin.- Is to^^lng piece to two of his soldiers who were goino-up to theFalb'tlcv too deserted. The Lieutenant pursued them to dr^m,Z S oneV b B td " md 0? £1^ '^^"''-^l'^ tliey werefieemg toson.e new^llemo!;;'!;!'^ land ot hbe.t3 «o rapidly, that he gave uj) the chase, and returned to Fort Niagara, minus wo of his guard, addcl to Ihe deserte s. The unt , ami' ^"=::;;f tc:^-'^ '-' "^" -^ '^^ ^-^-'- -^ ^"^ ^-^'^ sol lierr;'? *!l "; f '''''" ^'"^^^^ ^^l' ^''^^^''^ ''^^ frequent a. soon as the soLheis knew that there we.e new settlements in this .juarter - placxs uf re- fuge ,- Lidians were iired by the British officers to pursue them and failinai' of 18 IL', Wailswortli, cteil a small ;llO lirnp(,'ity loiiulituii, a I', fii;iiiyfar no is no spot ly in tended. go back to y years of !io ti|ilanils, bei_-n ilioso s ]"t;iiio'ei's. Ill crossinfi" waiiletl fur fc like other II, Avont to kept ^ few luuii'ii tfcat lently with n tlie Lako. tonant and and liear- oiuliiio- Lis Falls,' t key L J)i'in'Iit(.in, lent in tlio led to I'uit iiifoiiunale he liei'o at oon as the aees ( )f re- nid failing the Fort, :im." '11)0 W!iy would iully difll-r- nnd intondinpf to pass through the wikh^rncss to the eastward, wore furnished with a medal, or a token, to show the Indians thus employed, to iire\ cnt ar- rest. " Tuscarora,'' or "Stitf-amiod George," was thus employed, and he was one, of the worst speeimons of his race; a terror wherever he was known. Ho shot and scaljK'd several deserters, carrying his trophies to Fort Niao-ara for reward. Ui)on one occasion, wlien (Joorgo Hosmer was left to take care of tliH shantee in the absence of his brother' Frederick, Gooro-(« deiiiandod rum, which being refuseil, the Indian pushed him back against a post, and striking at his head with his tomahawk, the blow was averted, making an impression upon the post which evidenced the intention of the reven'\'ful sa\-age. Mr. Iloncher and his hireil man came to the rescue.* ° Ebenezer Allan was rather imposing in his appearance, usuallv mild and gentlemanly, but ho had a bold and determined look; could easily put on the savage character. IIo had acquired a distaste for civilized life. Mrs. Dii'mn, his sister, was mild and amiable — somewhat accomplished. ° _ The "On-ta-gua," or Horse Shoe Pond, a mile and a half bel.iw Avon village, abounded in line fish, especially large black bass, in an oaily day ; and it was also the favorite resort of ducks, goose, and other wild water fowl. Speckled trout wcmo plenty in the river, an.l in all the tributary streams. Thei-o was no pickerel, or pike, above the Genesee Falls, until ]R10, wlK-n William Wjidswortli, and some others, caught pickerel in Lake Oiit'irio, and other Lake fish, and i)ut them into Conesus Lake; and pickerel abound tiiere now; have been taken weigliing 20 lbs. As the pickerel came down from the Lake into the Genesee river, the trout disappeared. The most troublesome wild animals in early days, other than boars and wolves, were the foxes and wild cats preying upon die fowls, piireons preying npon the newly sowed crops, chipmucks, ravens, hawks, owls, wood chucks^ and black stpiiri'cls. There were a few turkey buzzards upon the ri\er, and a few turkeys npon tlie uplands; several panthers were killed. The crow, the grey squirrel, the quail, came in with civilization. New species of bii'ds have been coming in almost yearlj-. The opossum is a new couior. LIMA. Paul Davison, in the summer of 1788,t about the period that Mr. Phelps was negotiating his Indian purchase, in company with his brother-in-law, Jonathan Gould, came from the valley of the Sus- quehannah, to look out a new home in the Genesee country. Passhio- * He finally met his deserts. Enlisting as an ally of the western Indians against Wiiync, lie was among the killed. ^ tif tlio aiitlier's informant is rorrect in the year, this was the first advent of an hou!ielwld west of the Adam's settlement, iuBlooiiitield. "! 376 PITELPS ANP GORIIAJl's PURCHASE. the last white habitation at Geneva, tliey pursued tlie Indian trail to the present town of Lima ; where, finding a location to suit them, they erected a cabin and commenced making an opening in the forest. Going to the Indian lands at Canawaugus, they plorited and raised a patch of corn and potatoes. Their location was about one mile south of the Indian trail, near the west line of the town. Af- ter some improvements upon their cabin, such as the luxury of a bark roof, and a hewed plank floor, and gathering the small crop they had raiserl upon Indian lands, they returned to the Susquehan- nah, and in the spring of 1789, Mr. Davison, with his family, con- sisting of his wife and her mother, and two children, came to make his permanent home in the wilderness. He was accomi)anie(l by Asahel Burchard, The family and household implements were con- veyed in an ox cart, Mr. Davison and his companion sleeping under the cart, and the family in the cart, during the whole journey. Their route was Sullivan's track, the whole distance from the Sus- quehannah to where the Indian trail bore off in the direction of Canawaljgus. They had bridges to build occasionally, and logs to cut out, before they left the track of Sullivan ; after that, they had their own road to make for the greater part of the way to the place of their destination. The journey consumed three weeks. Mr. Davison raised a crop of oats and turnips, the first of any kind raised in Lima ; and in that and a few succeeding ye-ars, cultivated Indian lands at Canawaugus. For two years, the family pounded all their corn in a stump mortar, getting their first grinding done at the Al- lan mill. Cai)tain Davison and some of his Pioneer neighbors, took six or seven bushels of corn to Canawaugus, hired an Indian canoe, and took it down to the mill. On their return up the river, their canoe ui)set, and their meal became wet and unfit for use ; a small matter to make a record of, some readers will say, and yet, let them be assured, it was no small matter with those new beginners in the wilderness. In 1790, Mrs. Davison's mother died; it being the second death in the Genesee country after .settlement commenced. A daughter of Captain Davison, who became the wife of James Otis, of Perry, Wyoming county, was the first born white female west of Geneva. Captain Davison died in 1804, aged 41 years, after having become a successful farmer, and the owner of a large farm. Mrs. Davison died in 1844, aged 80 years. Dr. John Miner and Abner Migells, had settled in Lima, in the PlIELPS AKD GCPJIA:m'3 PURCHASE. 377 summer of 1790 ; and it is presumed that Mr. Burchard liad tlien brought in his family ; as his name, as the head of a family, occurs in tiie census of that period. He still survives to enjoy the fruits of his early enterprise and life of toil. ■' He was," says a corres- pondent of the author, "always a kind and good neighbor, and much esteemed by the early settlei-s." Lima was cal' ^d, in arx early period, " Miles' Gore," the fraction of a township having been purchased in the name of Abner Miles, or Abner Migells, as the author finds it on some of the early records.' According to the recollccticns of William Henchcr, he must have left Lima soon after settlement commenced there ; as he was early engaged with his father in trading trips to Canada, and erected a public house at Toronto in the earliest years of settlement there. The brothers, Asahel and Matthew Warner, Miles Bristol, and others, who were early and prominent Pioneers in Lima, the author hopes to be able to speak of in another connection. At present, he has not the necessary datas. Reuben F. Thayer must have settled in Lima before the close of 1790. The venerable Judge Hopkins, of Niagara county, was in the fall of 1789, with a number of companions, returning to New Jersey, after a trading excursion. Passing Canawaugus, they as- sisted Gilbert R. Berry in erecting his first log house ; and the next day, finding a " settler just arrived by the name of Thayer, with logs ready for a house," they stopped and assisted him. Wheelock Wood came to Lima in the winter of 1795, Incatino- upon the present site of the college, where he commenced clearinc" and erected a log cabin. He remained there a few j^ears, and re- moved to Livonia, and from there, in 1807, to Gainesville, Wyoming county. He died in 1834. In an early period of settlement in Lima, ancient remains, and relics of French occupancy were to be seen in various localities. The "Ball Farm," so prolific in these, and so often alluded to by an- tiquarians, is within the town. Upon the farm of Miles Bristol, a short distance west of Lima village, upon a commanding eminence, the embankments and ditches of an ancient Fort were easily traced! In ploughing upon his farm, in early years, Mr. Bristol picked up several hundred pounds of old iron, chiefly French axes. James K. Guernsey, in connection with the Nortons, of Bloom- field aud Canandaigua, and afterwards upon his own account was 178 PIIELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. i the ear y prominent merchant of Lima. He removed 'to Pittsford, where he died m 1839. George Guernsey, of Michigan, is his son ' Mrs. Mortimer F. Delano, of Rochester, is his daughter. For m^ny years, his stare m Lima commanded the trade of a wide region CHAPTER VI PIONEER EVENTS IN WHAT IS NOW WAYNT^ COUNTY. chased T 12, R. 2 now Palmyra, and commenced the survey of it -nto farm lo ., m M^rch. Jenkins being a practical surveyoif bu a camp on the bank of Ganargwa creek, about two miles below the pesent village of Paln.yra. His assistants were his nephew, Al! pheus Harns, Solomon Earle, Baker, and Daniel Ransom. One mormng about 2 o'clock, the party being asleep .n their bunks, thai fire givmg hght enough to show their several positions, a party of fonr Tuscarora Indians and a squaw stealthily approached, and the Indi- ans puting their guns through the open spaces between the logs, se- lected their victims and fired. Baker was killed, Earle, lying upon his bacK with his hand upon his breast, a ball passed through his hand and breast, mutilated his nose, and lodged under the frontal sinus between h.s eyes. Jenkins and Ransom escaped unhurt, and en- countering the murderers- Jenkins with his Jacob staff, and Ran- som with an axe - drove them off, capturing two of their rifles and a tomahavvk In the morning they buried their dead companion, earned Earle to Geneva, and gave the alarm. The Indians were pursued and two captured on the Ciiemung river. Tlie nearest jail being Johnstown, it was feared they would be rescued; if an at- tempt was made to carry them there ; what in later years would be called a Lynch court, was organized ; they were tried and execu- ted at Newtown, now Elmira. The execution was after the Indian method, with the tomahawk. They were taken back into the PHELPS AND GORHAM's PTTKCHASE. 379" woods, and blindfolded. One of the executioners dispatched his TMCtiin at a blow ; the other failed ; the Indian being a stout athletic fellow, parried the blow, escaped, was followed by a possee, who caught and beat him to death with stones and pine knots ! This was the first trial and execution in the Genesee country. Horrid and lawless as it may now seem, it was justified by then existing exigencies. During the summer, John Swift moved into the township, erect- ingj^a log house and store house at "Swift's Landing a little north of the lower end of Main street, Palmvra. Before the close of the year 1789, Webb Harwood, from Adams, Berkshire county, with his wife came in and erected a cabin on the rise of ground near first lock west of Palmyra, upon the farm now owned and occupied by Dennison Rogers. He was accompanied' by Noah Porter, Jonathan Warner and Bennet Bates, single men. The author is disposed to regard Harwood as the Pioneer, although it is generally supposed that Gen. Swift had previously brought in°a family. No family but that of Mr. Harwood and David" White K'oTE.— The I'lJian party had their hunting camp neiirtlie aurvevors. and had seve- ral times shaved tlieir provisions ; tlie incentive was huii;,'er. One 'of them that escaped was " Turkey" well knmwn m after vears ujion tlie Genesee river. He had a s.^ar upon his face, the mark of a blow from Ileukin's Jacob staftl IJuiim.- the war ot 1812, he contracted the small pox upon tlie frontier ; came to Scpiak v llFll. The In- dians dreading the spread of the disease, carried him to a hut in the piiie woods near Moscow, where lie was left to die alone. Earl rci; )ve!ed. He was the early ferry num iit the Seneca outlet. Tliere have been many versions of tiiis aflair. The author de- rived his information from the late Judge Porter, and from Judge JoJin H.Jones, whoso informants were Horatio Jones and Jasper I'ani^h, wlio were' present at the trial and execution. He has a-lso a printed account of it in the Maryland Journal, of April 17.><9. Alpheus Hivrris waslidng a few years since, if ho is i.ot'now, at Sjiauish Hill, a few" miles from Tioga Pohit. He says the Indians were " tried by committee law." XoTE. — John Swift was a native of Litchfield Cotmtv Connecticut. He took .an active part in the Kevolutionar^ war, and at its close, with his brother Philetus was an emigrant to the disputed territory in Peiinsvlvania. He held a commission, and was at the battle of Wyoming ; and wa.s also engaged in the " Pennamite " war, where he set tiro to a Pennamite block house. He became a conimissionod otficer 'in the earhest organization of the militia and in the campaiirn of 1S14 iipers. It was about our only means of obtaining any money. I have re- iilized from muskrat and coon furs, 850 in a season. I caug'ht a beaver in a trap that I set for otter. Henry Lovell, a famous hunter was here in early 3S4 riiELrs and ooeuam's rcKcnASE. i«u1L,!I;,Ixi;z;;::„';L;;^ tW Smt-J^ If 1 hV '°™,'-' '?"" »'P"'i»'ti"'l. Join. Swift ,VM too^'inl'^oJT"'i '''*'' ^'^'^'""''1^'''^ '''^^'>' ^'""t*^^ «f P^'l'^vr^; and fisherman of C WniiSf:rcriT'" M?'^"'r^"^^''^' ^^-^^ ti. present rcia^^e &e '• m to .vlvi^^^ a» early convert to Mormonism, and mortgaged Lis nue laim to pay for the printing of the " Gold Bible."* b o " "'^ Zebulon Williams, who has been mentioned by Stephen Durfee, as the early merchant, died several years since, his widow survives, a resident at the old homestead. Piatt Williams, of California, who was early engaged in canal transportations at Albany, and Richard in- the broom stick aw) 1 i ?„ f ■i^l'ilW J. I'o.stei, fi (k'sceiidaiit ol one of 1 ho Pkiijopvh tL ul\ ,""'■ "* *'f ^•"^t'"'«"* t''° cliok.m at Saiulusky, in tliosu.n.nor of 848 ,.i-"„.ii^„Ti(UaiJOxa, aided m laying tiie fouudaUoua of (society and tiwse PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PUECHASE. 389 It is stated by the Rev. Mr. Fisher, that a Presbyterian church was organized in 1793, i-n Palmyra. If this is so, it was the first or- ganized church west of Seneca Lake. Mrs. Tice, a daughter of John Hurlburt, says their first religious meetings were conversational or social meetings, not sectarian, generally held at the house of John Swift. It is recorded that the Presbyterian church in Palmyra was organized in Sept., 1797; the trustees elected : — Jacob Gannett, Stephen Reeves, David Warner, Jedediah Foster, Jonah Howell! The first settled minister was the Rev. Eleazor Fairbanks, who was succeeded by the Rev. Benjamin Bell. Jonah Howell erected the first mill, a mile east of the village, on the Vienna road ; this was followed by one erected by Gen. Swift, on the site occupied by Goddard's mill. The first death in Palmyra was that of David White ; the first wedding was that of William Wilcox and Ruth Durfee ; the first male child born in town, was Asa R. Swift, a son of John Swift; the first female, the daughter of David Wilcox, who became the wife of Alva Hendee. WILLIAM HOWE CUTLER. His father, John Cuyler, of Greenbush. had been (at what period the author is unable to state,) a General in tiie British service. He was a resident of Greenbush, opposite Albany, an attorney at law. It is presumed, that when Mr. Williamson arrived in this country, upon his agency, he found in him an old acquaintance, as he is one of the first with whom he held correspondence, and he was one of his first legal advisers. As early as 1793, his son, Rich- ard, was in the employment of Mr. Williamson, as was his son Wm. Howe Cuyler, several years previous to 1800. Soon after 1800, Wm. Howe Cuyler became a resident of Pal- myra, having become the local agent of Mr. Williamson, for the bk'SfSi'd iiis^titutions wliich arc now tlio supjiort and ornanu'tit of ooinnimiitv Tho logciuls ul those tiriiCH are adoniLvl with tlie names of feiiialfs tliat slioiild diNcoiid to postcnty, and ],v cinlialined in tlicir most jiTatcful recollections. We oftt'ii wonder if the mantle of those veneniteil matrons liave fallen uiiou the wives of llie present day • With all the improvements m modern edncation, are they better qnalitied fo make ha].py homes ? Have tliey larKer hearts, better minds, pun-r patrioiism, wrn'm'T z«al, iu every jjood work '(" 4 390 PHELPS AND GOBnAM's PTTRCHASE. sale of lands in the north-east portion of what is now Wayne county. Sawyer, the brother-in-law of John Swift, who had an interest with him in the original purchase of the town, wish- ing to return to Georgia, where he had formerly resided, sold his property to Major Cuyler, in 1805. Included in this sale, was tlie old Cuyler farm, upon: which a considerable portion of the village of Palmyra lias grown up. Upon ihe breaking out of the war of 1812, Major Cuyler v/as early upon the frontier, as the aid of General Swift.* " Stationed at Butfalo, he was the active co-operator with Lieut. Elliott, in the preparatio-^s for the gallant exploit of capturing the British vessels, from under the walls of Fort Erie, on the 8th of October, 1812. In anticipation that the expedition would return with wounded men, he had been engaged through the night in making preparations for their reception. Anxious for the fate of men who had engaged in so hazardous an enterprise, before day light in the morningrhe had rode down upon the beach, towards Black Rock, when a chance grape shot, from a British battery, at Fort Erie, passed through his body, breaking the spine, and killing him instantly.f It was the first sacrifice of the war, on the Niagara frontier; the first and one of the dearest of the many sacrifices ot western New York, in all that contest. And it may also be added, that Gen. Scott being near him, it was his first introduction to the terrible realities of war, of which he wa^ destined to see so much through r lonj^ and brilliant military career.J After the war, his remains were removed to Palmyra, and are now entombed in the rural cemetery, which the citizens of that village, with much of good taste and public spirit, have within a few years added to their flourishing village. In civil life. Major Cuyler was a man of much energy and enter- . ...T^i" ""tJ^o'' !>«» «ii enrly epdcnce of liis military spirit and ambition. When some of the earliest military organizations were going m-of' and Wayne counties are loss known than most of the Genesee coun- try. Sodus ]_iay, ospeciiiUy, a markwl spot in the topography of the Genesee country, and in fact in all our Lake region, luis never been seen by many, otherwise faniilim- with the whnle region. Tlie.se considerations will excuse a seeming partiality, in making tliem an exception to a general rule, in this his- tory of i)ior.er settlement. Passing Irondequoit Bay, and tri'ing east, the Ridge Road becomes as well defined, as uniformly ele\ated, a- u]ion ;iny ]>ortion of it between the Genesee and tlie Niagara rivers. It psisses through the towns of Webster, in Monroe, 400 PHELrS AJfD GOEIIAM's rUKCKASE. „ „,_ _,.^ ^ Ontnrio, Willimnwn, and Sopino's corners, whore the m/iin road passes from Pahnvra to 1 ultney vijle. Hero the scene changes gradu/ill v, the slope and the Ridge becom- ing more irregular, and at the south knobs aiufsugar loaf hills bcconKrfrequent, to add to the variety of sccneiy, not to form an exception to the every wliero desirable farms, and prosperous agricultural region. No where in all this region of progress, has the hand'' of improvement eftectwl a more rapid change, or found a soil making better returns for its labor. And here it may be reniarked, that with reference to the stai)le grain i)i„Juct, wheat, there is no region (^t country on earth, that contains in its s(^il more of its elements, than the slope from the Ridge Road to Lake Ontario, in its whole extent. I assmg from Poppino's Corners to Sodus village — seven mil(>s — on either liand are broad wheat fields, clear of stumps, mHnv of them looking like vast onion beds ; the Ridge gcutly curving, and then strain-ht for miles, widi a regular elevation, you are gradually bearing towards the Lake, until for a con- siderable distance you catch glimpes of its blue waves, through vistas of the forest, schoonore with Fails spread, or perhaj is a magnificent steamboat— -a tloating palace — vnll cross the lino of vision. Sodus village has gi-ownu]) on tlie Ridge — hardly within a pioneer period — a liounshing, brisk countiy \illage, having a pleasant rural aspect ; its site. ^yhere the roail from Lyons to Sodus Point, crosses the Ridge. A walk, oi ride, of four miles through a fine farminjx reo-ion, of ridges and valleys, brino-s you to the Point, or the old site of Mr.AVilliamson's magnificently projected If yo'Kpiestion his judgement, or say that his plans were premature, yoii will be obliged to pay homage to his t'.ste ; for no where in all this re^rion is tliere a finer site for a village or a city. The bold shore of the Lake'^'fonns an elevated and beautiful terrace on the one hand, while the ground oint gradually wMens out in the back ground, it rises slowly, and is interspersed with XoTE.-In the years 1818, ']!), tlio nntlinr, a vontli, sorvin- lu's npiircntishin in i ■ < blind iio\\>i,a|or c rncT. ft was a iiidst iinjiruiiiisin.r rcijio i eC lo.' (vibins «iiiitod improven.e,, s ol cImIIs m,d fevers. '] h. owls 'hoete,! fVomlops c f liro . .'k t Jo mui^drli'l'r- ''?■'' ^""''"''*^" '.'"^ ''■■"" f'^rcsts;t].c^aucyl,.wk would bo ;^f Zr iS 'r' J"^"'T-''""" ••••"•'■, Jki.I t.kcll.e pl.rc of those n.gi;e,l sccnc^ nml c ,1, >s lK> ,,l,,,,.^,,,l t„ ]„,,;_. I ,„,j ^„ i^ ^.,^.^t ^.^^^ ,^^^j^ J lii'ic, tiuw I aJiiiost pity tho-elliat cnimot." t. uvo PHELPS AND GORHAJi's PUECHASE. 401 swells of land, slopes and vallies, forming sites for residences overlooking Lake and Bay, and every way inviting. The Bay enters a cove of the Lake, which is protected on cither liaud by headlands, Itis about half a mile across its neck, gradually widening out to the extent of four miles. Li lenglli from north to south, itis ncaily seven inilt^s. A small Island in the Lake, l}ing opposite the entrance to tlu-Bay, a pier connects it with the main land, and another is extended into the Lake. These public impro\'ement'!, added to natund ad\'antages, renders it the iinost harbor upon all our Lake coasts. It is said of the magniticent li ay of San Francisco, that " all the navies of the world might ride at anchor in it at one time, with safety." It may bo said of Sodus IJay, that all the craft that will ever navigate our Lakes, Avould lind ample room there; good anchorage, and protection from the severest gales. Its mostly deep, still waters might at times, be passed over safely in a canoe, when a tempest was tossing the waters <)f the Lake. The scenery, especially upon the east siile of the Bay, is less bold and rugged, but its ])roinentories I'cmind one of the desciiptions of the Bay (jf Naples. AVith an eye for the pictureapie and romantic — a feeling of enthusiiism in reference to all this region, — Mr. Williumson Wivta to a friend in England; — "The town" (Sodus,) "stands on arising ground on the west point of the Bay, having the Lake on the north, to appearance as bound- less as the ocean, and the Bay to the east romantically interspersed with Islands, and parts of the main land stretching into it. The first view of the place, after passing through a timbered country from Genev;i, twenty-eight miles, strikes the eye of the beholdei", as one of the most magnificent landscajjcs human fancy can picture ; and the beauty of the scene, is not unfrequeutly heightened, by the ai)peartmce of largo vessels navigating the Lake." I! ii The " District of Sodus," was erected in the primitive division of Ontario county into Districts, in 1789. The earliest record of a town meeting is in 1799. The district then embraced all of the present town of Sodus and Lyons. The town or district meeting was held at the " house of Evert Van Wickle" in Lyons vilhige. The officers chosen were as follows: — Azariah Willis, supervisor, Joseph Taylor, town clerk ; other town officers : — Norman ]\Ierry, Samuel Caldwell, Chas. Cameron, Moses Sill, E. Van Wickle, Timothy Smith, Joseph Wood, David Sweezy, Daniel Russell, Henry Lovewell, Wm. White, Reuben Adams, Samuel Nelson, David Sweezy, and John Van Wickle. At a special town meeting in 1799, held "at the house of Jolm Briggs," John Perrine, Timothy Smith, and Samuel Caldwell were chosen school commissioners. There was at this period on the tax roll, the names of 50 persons, some of whom were non-residents ; the settlers would seem to have 402 PHELPS ANDGORHAm's PURCHASE. been located m Lyons village, on the road from Lyons to Sodus IZL ; l"T 7^ °" '^' ^^'"^^''•^ ^°^^^' ^^'^^h the exception of B own and R.chards, on the Lake shore between the Point and Pulteneyvdie. In 1800, Timothy Smith was supervisor. In this year the first records of roads were made. Two dollars bounty voted that "hog yokes be eight inches above the neck." It was also voted that Elias Dickinson, who it is presumed was a Justice of he peace m Phelps, "be allowed $3 for opening town meetings two years past. ^ In 1799, l^he District gave Charles Williamson and Nathaniel Norton candidates for Assembly, each 23 votes. In 1800 Thomas Moms had the unanimous vote of the district, 68, for representative of the Western District in Congress. _ In 1801 the district "neglected to hold town meeting," but three justices of the county, Wm. Rogers, Darius Comstock and Ezra Patterson, met at the house of Oliver Kendall, and appointed John 1 errine, supervisor, and Richard Jones town clerk Pulteneyville is upon the shore of Lake Ontario, at the mouth of Little Salmon creek. The waters of the fine pure stream that have been collecting upon the slope in Marion and Williamson, on ap- proaching the Lake, seem to have been coy and hesitating in fall- ing into Its embrace ; meandering along for a considerable distance, nearly , arallel with the Lake shore, a ridge elevated from 35 to 40 teet, affords fine building ground overlooking the Lake. Two prom ontories put out above and below the entrance of the creek into the Lake, which, with a bluff shore, affords the means of making a very good harbor with a small comparative expenditure of money It was a prominent locality in long years of French and English do- rninion-the frequent stopping place for the small craft that coasted along the Lake shore. Although the locality was marked by mT Williamson in his plans of improvement, and is mentioned in his c oirespondence with his principals, no commencement was made there under his auspices. Previous to 1806, William Waters was the only resident there. In that year. Capt. Samuel Throop, changed his residence from Manchester to Pulteneyville, accompanied by his father-in-law Jeremiah So by, who had settled at Pahnyra as early as 1801. rhey erected a saw mill and grist mill on Little Salmon creek rilELPS AIST) GOEHAm's PURCHASE. 403 Capt. Throop kept the first public house at Pulteneyville. Russel Whipple, becoming a resident there in early years, built the schooner " Laura,' which was sailed by Capt. Throop. The widow of Capt. Throop, is now the wife of Major William Ilodgers.of Pulteneyville. In addition to the son named in a note attached, Capt. Washington Throop, of Pulteneyville, is another son. Daughters becam.c the wives of W. H. Rodgers and Capt. Andrew HoUing, of Pulteneyville. Joseph Colt, the early merchant at Canandaigua and Geneva, was the pioneer merchant at Pulteneyville. Jacob W. Hallett, late of New York, was an early resident of Pultneyville, ar. was Samuel Ledyard, who is a resident there now ; of both whom, especially of the latter, whose family was early identified with all the region west of Utica, the author is in hopes to be able to say something in another connection. CHAPTER VII. PIONEER EVENTO IN WHAT IS NOW MONROE. In December, 1789, the Shaefier family became the pioneer set- tlers in all the region west of the Genesee river, and in fact of the whole valley of the Genesee, if we except those who had blended themselves with the Indians, w^ere Indian traders, or had become squatters upon Indian lands, in their flight from the Mohawk and Sus(iuehannah, during the border wars. With reference to pe ma- nent settlement and improvement, they must be regarded as the Pioneers of the Genesee Valley. NiiTK. — A Hiiifijular train of Lnkc ilisiisti'rs and deatliH, is connected with tliis pio- iicui family : — Capt. Tlnoop liinisolf was drowned from tli ■ sclioonor Lark, of which 111' was master, while attcniptiiiu; to i.iter Sodiw Bay, in a trale, in 1819. Previous to which, Mrs. Throop witli two young diildren, in a sldtf with lier luii-.hand, Jeremiah }!. Selhy and George Arnistrong', were going a few miles up the Lake ; the skiff filled, the children were drowned, and Mrs. Throo]) harely escaped. At the early age of IS, the jiresent well known Ca]it. Horatio N. Throop, of the steam boat Onta- rio, became a navigator of the Lake, as the master of a small schooner, which he had b\iill liimself In lH'2't on his way to ()swey:o, a carijo of corn with whicli ho was laden became damp, swelled, tlie ve8,sel suddenly Innsting and sinking. Two lads on l)o!ml drowned, and Capt. Throoj) himself escaped by swinimaig to the shore, four Iiiilu.s, on it door that had become detached. 404 PIIELPa AXD GOIUIAJU'S PUECIIASE. • ..^i^fe.'' Peter ShaefTer, the elder, was a native of Berks county, Pa., but emigrated from Lancaster to this region, at the advanced age of 85 years. His family who became permanent residents, consisted of hi-nseif and liis sons Peter and Jacob. In July, 1789, they came first ) Geneva, and then to Ganargwa creek, in B]oomfield,\vhere the} purchased 1200 acres of land of Gen. Fellows. Remaining there until December, the old gentleman apportioned that tract among his three daughters, and went upon tl.e river ^vith his sons. They found Ebenezer Allan, the owner of the fine tract of flats and upland at the mouth of Allan's creek, adjoining the present village of Scottsville. He had a comfortable log house, upon a gentle swell of land, which may be observed a short distance from the confluence of the creek and river. He was living then with a young white wife, whose name had been Lucy Chapman. Her family on their way to Canada, had stopped with him, and by the solicitations of Mrs. Dugan, (Allan's sister,) Lucy remained to keep her company. A sham magistrate came along soon after and made her a joint partner with some half dozen natives, in the aflections of the then lord of the Genesee Valley. Mrs. Dugan, had come on some years previous, with her husband and joined her brother, and had been his housekeeper. Allan had acquired three hundred acres of land by gift from the Indians, to which he had added one hundred and seventy by purchase, from Phelps and Gorham. He had a stock of goods for the Indian trade.* He had 50 or 60 acres of open flats under the plough. 20 acres of wheat upon the ground; some horses and cattle. A few years previous he had wintered seventy head of cattle on rushes, f The Shaeffers became the purchasers of his fine tract of land, paying him the then high price of $2,50 per acre ; though it must _ * And •;thcrcl)y lianra a talo : " - Tlieso goods were obtained of Jolin Buflor Brit- leh suponnterxlcnt of Indian affairs at Niagara. Tliey were taken fo.n Si Kino" , tScon r'T"?.! r'''f «"'^;"%i;'^>''l.«.l for Indian p4ent« npon the Genesee riv^r o do^^i !n f.i ^'''T'^" i". '■" ^^'''''''' '"*""'^*'^' ''"'» strengthen the British claim an, s n r l'' T "^' li ^''" ""r^T P"''^"" "^ tl"^ State. But tlie agent ,nis- In V 1 n H • h- i""^''^ ^"';t ^'^'' ^H 8"'"'« '"-"^ey 1 ecanie oftenergif^s of gal- lat.y than tins, ofdiploniacy. Butler made a business matter of it; demanded pay for t he gomis ; Allan eonH'sted the claim, but it was finally compromised by theinte/ven- uon ot James \\ iulsworth, Esq. .< i j 1 J A^^*"" ''"'"'"^, "P"n *¥ Geneseo river, he had become a grazer and drover. But- ler a Kiuiwrs andthe Indians would steal rattle froinUio Mohawk and the Susnuehan- n.ui ami dnvo them to him. After keeping them upon the river, until they becaineirood Doel, Uicy would command A ready sale at high prices, at Fort Niagara and in Cmiada. PHELPS AND GORHAMS PURCHASE. 405 be considered that sixty acres of improvement was tlien a valuable acquisition. Allan included in the sale, one acre of wheat upon the ground and a sow pig.* The father and sons added to Allan' house- hold for the winter, subsisting upon the milk of two cows they brought in, and Indian pudding that jMrs. Dugan cooked for them. Allan had erected the saw mill at the Falls, (now Rochester) in the summer previous, and had his timber out for the grist mill. The money that he realized for his farm, enabled him to push forward his enterprise. The grist mill was raised the forepart of winter. The frame was 26 by 30, of heavy timber. All the able bodied white men in the Genesee valley were invited to the raising — and they numbered fourteen, all told. It took them two days. A trading boat happening to enter the mouth of the river, while they were raising, some rum was procured, and the backwoodsmen had a dance in the mill, and a rejoicing at the prospect of something better to prepare meal for their bread than the stump mortar. The Shaeffers brought apple seeds with them from Pennsylvania, and planted them in December, 1799. These were the first apple seeds, (other than the old French orchard at Schlosser,) planted in the Genesee country, west of the river. After Allan had sold his farm to the Shaeffers, he went back to Mt. Morris, purchased goods at Philadelphia, bringing them in from the back settlements of Pennsylvania, on horseback. In the season of '90, he sowed 100 acres of wheat, besides raising considerable Like Alexander Selkirk, he was " lord of all he surveyed ;" corn. commanded the services of the Indians to work his fields for rum and trinkets, occasionally pressing into his service the Butler Ran- gers, who had stopped in the valley, in their flight from the Mohawk and the Susquehannah ; paying them sometimes, but often arbitrarily adjusting their services to suit himself, as there was then no au- thority superior to his own. His gallantries, truthfully related, would equal the tales of eastern romance ; the " turbaned turk might have yielded to him supremacy ; it extended even to the employment of a purveyor, in the person of a Dutchman, Andrews. About this time, alternating in his tastes between his own and another race. * Tluit same sow pis; cost a iiiglit's loilu;in!^ in tlio woods. She took to tho -woods Cfirly in tho mmuii;, ami liiid U. liu Inoktnl 14. wln;ii wiutCT came afralu. In the Rearch, tl 10 preswit Peter Shaoflfor got beuiglitod uud'slopl in a koUow log through a winter night I, 40G PHELPS AND GORHAHl's PURCHASE. he took another white wife, the daughter of a Ranger, named Greg- cry, who hved upon the Canascraga flats, near Dansville.* Mr. Shaeffer contradicts the story of Allan's murder of the Dutchman, Andrews.f but he says that he murdered a boy that lived with him, and points out the grave, near the site of Allan's residence, on the ShaefTer flats. The boy was sent for a bucket of water, and playing l)y the way, Allan met him, took the bucket from him, and beat him to death with it. He was, says Mr. Shaefler, mild and conciliating, when he had a selfish end to accomplish ; but always severe and harsh with his dependents. A refugee, a negro slave, had during the Revolution, come from the Mohawk to the Genesee river, and domiciled with the Indians. He was called « Captain Sun Fish." He was shrewd, intelligent, became a trader in cattle, selling in Canada, and at Fort Niagara, took a squaw wife, and acquired considerable money. At one time he was settled at the mouth of Tonawanda creek. Cov- eting liis money, and wishing, perhaps, in the way of matrimony to try a thu'd race, Allan married one of his daughters. Getting pos- session of the money, however, he aiscarded the mixed negro and Indian wife ; but as if there were some redeeming traits in his char- acter, he pensioned the old negro, and allowed him a hut upon his Allan's creek farm. Sun Fish finally went to Tonawanda. where his descendants now reside. Jacob Schoonover and his family had preceded the Shaeffers a few months, and settled near the mouth of Duijan's creek. Peter Shaefl-er married his daughter, in 171)0. He and his wife died in 1838, '9, at the ages of 93 and 94. Mrs. Shaefler died in 1835 aged 63 years. ^ The whole valley of the river below Mr. Shaefler's, was slow in T y' J''^ ^"''^ '^"''' '^^' •'^'^Ph J^^'^'-S'^"' Jii« f'^-m adjoining the Shaeflbr farm, in '92; a daughter of his, Mrs. Early, now occu- pies the place. His son, Joseph Morgan, resides on the river, a short wiZ\rin,,w!rrH'^ to Canada, l.e u.ulcrfook to le.sen the number of hi, white Pun'o«7tr,k n f .flrowninf? of thm hist one. Two men that were hire.l for the puqx.sc, took lier down in a canoe, and ixu-imKelv ran over the falls near tlie nr.Nenf sHe W ;;"li""""'^r'r ^^'"'"^■'^•^' ''"^ l-vin^h^^lIl^ooSj'^he ta^ hK Ser ^i : V'"'? f* them saving? Iierself, and 8„on appearing in the preseneo ^1 tdn, P . ' *1V'" '"""'•' 'f ^^'' '''-'''- --^ '''M'Pi-'S «•■■"'■'• "y'V Shi follow" (Kl hm to uanada, and became one of his now household there. mm" rirbir"' .*'•"' «''"<«^'e Falls when takin^r mill ii-ous dowa for the old AUaii null , the boat and irons were found below the Falls. PHELPS AND GORIIAJI S PURCHASE. 'c. .reg- distance below. In some of the earliest years, 407 — Peabody erected a dis, :iery, first at Handford's Landing, and afterwards, on the Joseph Morgan place; Win. Peabody, of Scottsville, is a son of his. Andrew Wortnian was a settler upon the river, as early as '94 or '5, occupying the farm that belonged to Samuel Street, of Chippewa, who was his brother-in-law. Caleb Aspinwall, Peter Conlde, T^rederick and Nicholas Hetzteller, were early in the Shaef- fer neighborhood. Reuben Heth, a Vermonter, stopping first at Bloomfield, came upon the river, in early years, worked for Mr. Shafter, without a change of his buckskin breeches and buckskin coat, until he had earned enough to pay for a farm. He died about twenty years since, a man of wealth, and the founder of a highly respectable family. Eldridge Heth, of Wheatland, is a son ; Mrs. Hyde, Mrs. Nettleton, and Mrs. Halsted, are his daughters. The two story, venerable looking farm house, near which is the old apple orchard, on the Genesee Valley canal, a short distance below Scottsville, is the residence of Peter Shaeffer. The fine flats spread out before it, in a high state of cultivation, with long lines of wire fence, are those he purchased from " Indian Allan." In a romantic spot, at the end of the ridge, that will be observed rising upon the flats, and terminating near the river and creek, stood the log dwelling, which served the purposes of a farm house, a store, and a harem, for this singular man, who fled from civilization, first to become the scourge of his own race and kindred, and afterwards to repay the confidence and hospitality of another race, by a career among them, marked throughout by selfishness and sensuality. It will hardly do to talk of antiquity, in a country where our race have been occupants but sixty years, in allusion to any relic of their advent. But the old Shaeffer home, with all its historical as- sociations, may be said to look antiquated. It was built in 1789, be- fore the new discovery, the cut nail, was in use, and all the doors had to be made consequently with wrought nails. Its strap door hinges, its locks, handles and latches were made by a blacksmith, who had come into the country ; none other could then be procured. It was the first framed farm dwelling, in all the region between Genesee river and Lake Erie. When it was building, the surveyors were making the preliminary surveys of most of all the territory now comprised in the counties of Orleans, Niagara, Erie, Genesee, Wyoming, Allega- ny, Cattaraugus, and Chautauque ; Buffalo contained three log 408 PHELPS AWD GOEHAM's PUBCHASE. dwellings, and Mr. Ellicot was making an opening to erect the first log dwelling at Batavia. For ten years after that house was com- pleted, and twenty years after its venerable surviving occupant was cultivating large fields; when those apple trees had become bear- ers, from the seeds he had planted, the site of a city of 40,000 in- habitants, was a rugged and forbidding wilderness! The orchard was planted six years before the British gave up all claim to W. N. York, and surrendered Fort Niagara, and the house built but two years afterwards. The father and brother of Peter Sh^efl^er died in early years. The fine start which the improvements gave him — the ready mar- ket he found for his early large crops of corn — the facilities he en- joyed for exchanging provisions for labor, with the new comers that dropped in around him, were advantages he well improved ; and to which he soon added grazing and droving ; his market. Fort Niag- ara and Canada. He added to his original land purchase, by degrees, until lie had a large possession ; and a competence of wealth has rewarded his early enterprise. He is now in his 88th year ; his faculties not materially impaired, his memory of early events reten- tive and intelligent ; and with the exception of a diseased ankle, his physical constitution holds out remarkably for one of his age. In his younger days, he used spirituous liquors moderatelv; none for i'u? last twenty years ; and as an example to old tobacco" chewers, it may be added, that he was one of them for iialf a century, but is not of them now. He has been the occupant of difl'erent town offices, and has always enjoyed the esteem of his fellow citizens. The Scotch settlers who became his neighbors, in indigent circumstances, and the pioneers of different neighborhoods, in the western part of Monroe county, many of them speak of his kindness in early years, in furnishing them with grain and pork, upon credit; and in return the old gentleman pays a high compliment to the honesty of the primitive settlers, by saying that of the numerous debts thus con- tracted, lie recollects no instance where he ultimately failed to re- ceive his pay. He speaks of the gratification it used to give him, to suppx^ vith a few bushels of grain, some potatoes, or pork, i)erhap.s, settlers in the backwoods, (to be carried off", generally, upon their backs,) who he has lived to see become the owner of broad fields and crowded granaries. The surviving sons of Peter Shaeffer, are : — Peter, Levi, Daniel, George ; the last of whom is the owner and riELPS AND GORHAJI 8 rURCHASE. 409 occupant ox" the old homestead, and one of the best farmers and stock breeders in the Genesee valley. Mrs. Philip Garbut and Mrs. Caleb Allen, are his daughters. His children all reside in Wheat- land and Chili. REMINISCENCES OF PETER SHAEFFER. It was several years after settlement commenced upon the river, before the Ridge Road was known ; an Indian tiail wont from the in(nith of the River to Foit Niagara, keeping near the Lake shtire; and an(.)ther trail was alung the west bank of the river fi'Dia Canawagus to mouth of river. Peter and Jacob Shaetfer laid out a road from vVilan's creek to the Fails, in '92; had no compass; took ranges from trees; but the road as it now exists, is mainly on the okl route. It wiis improved, the streams bridged with logs, so that tc.".ms could pass in the winter of '9;3, '4. Deer were plenty ; bears and wolves made it troublesome to keep sheep or hogs; but the raccoon was the most troublesome animal we had to contend with. To save their corn, the new settlers were obliged to Inmt them, but their fur sold readily, and paiil for the hunting. At some seasons the pigeons •were very abundant; they could be taken in large numbers, by the use of nets; the brciists were cut out, salted, and they made \ery good eating. Trout were so plenty in Allan's creek, that a string of an hundred and an lumdrod and titty, could be taken without changing ground. At Dumplin Hill, on one occasitm, a jjanther vv;us a victim to liis voracious appetite. Killing a Ueer, lie gorged himself, became stupid, an Indian found him hol}>less, avd shot him. Uj> to 1V94, there was a constant intercourse kept up between the British at Fort Niagara, and in Canjida, and th ^ Indians upon the river. A large proportion of the Indians inclined to the British interests, and by means of runnei-s, and speeches sent from Gov. Simcoe and Lord Dorchester, the idea was constantly inculcated that the British would soon want their aid against the United States. Just before the victory of Gen. Waj'ne, belie\ing as they were made to believe, from some source, that be Avould be defeated, they were menacing and insolent. AVhen a large ]iarty of them were encami)ed on the Hats of Allan's creek, on their way to become allies against Wayne, some (if the ])ainted wariiore gave out that they Avould return with help enough to drive otf tlie whites. The victory created a better state of things, but th re was not a feeling of perfect security until the surrender of Fort Niagarii, in 1790. " I lia\ e been the commissary of an army," said Mr. Shaeffer, and he ex- plained : — "When the American troops were on their way up the Lake to take possession of Fort Niagara, in battcaux, they met with head winds, ])ut back into the (ienesee ri\er, where their [irovisions failed. Hearing of Mr. Shaeffer, they came up the river, quaitered in his barn, and ho supplied them with pork and Indian meal, taking the ollicer's note. When they broke up their quarters, Mr, Shnefter piloted them to Caledonia Springs, put them upon the 26 410 PHELPS AXD GORnAM'H PURCnASE. trail, nn.l arrivin- at To„,iwan.la, Voudry pilot..! thorn to Fort Nia-•. ..,."..,.11 ,,„ .,;;;;. ™„ll'l"'.° ,i^""'l """". .''""■" '""' ■■"^'''' "ill' " l"i- *»-.T,.l ,h,v, wl,,.n 1,0 between fl...... I,v u-.. ,. ; ^^'''o'"'' ■'" • U.^u.m,,, a |„a,l u.so.l to lie eiinW. iW Vl ■ ''''■^"■V^^'"^'^'^''' ^^ '*• ^'^'"l "l I'-"n,l,.,,„,.ir, was ,.n,ssin.- th.lky m a canoe — saw a bear swiinmn.r — . struck atliim ...i - i .1 " ■ Parks, tl,3 lu,nt..r, n,a,|,. ,„y father's honso i.is head m,a te^ ' Ni ^ I.^uhT cocJnston'u,'''l .;;'"' T" ^"S"> ^^^'^ "^''^'l '^^ I'''^»^1<^'!>'oit, .ere out after dark T, 1 ' i'"!"'- ^'""' ''"-' ^'■'■'"' '""'- "'^ ^l'*'y ^"l'l"«t.d. It was dark, ]Ju, ,arelnnl„.d the tree, until he diseov.nd ,, .mi ofiyes laro^er tlnn coons usually hav., and backed .lown. Thcv built n> ti, ., mnaS lr25 loJ ^fS: *,■;; ;-^'^ !-"''!<- ---'l''l<;n^i.. the bank.of tlio river be- Slie ^n^u 'T "•'■'r'"-''^'^^^^ ^'"'3' ^vould come out, li^ r nT '' '^^''^'.r^^ ^^■'^'' ^''^'•' J'^^'l^^tiekiuixout; .0 ZseUel Im I ''^r''- /^'"'^ r."'^' ^■""^■■»"« "»'i' the weather to tliui den, unti cold weather came ao'ain. I have killed ll^rtv in a dav w^t 1 d^^Sr •; '•''' '''''' 'iV!r n '-^^ ^-^ ^•'^^■*'-' "" --'■•' -^^ the J-A , '","'"''■""' ^'"''' '^^^ '" ""■-'' '•''•>•• i '"'V.' no doubt of La I i . uTi "^ ^'':""""«-A-, ^■■^■t''"; ^ ^'''^'^ ^^'"'^^1 ••'•»"1« -snakes tJmt bl k 5^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^""''' ""^' '''^^■^^^'■^^■" --' l-i'-lstlutterin,. over snake, when they woidd quickly take thewino-, terof'D'.''\T'"'"'I-'p""''' '■''""-' "'' •^"''" ^^^■^^' ^^''"^ I>'>'1 "'^"■i^^l" <^'«'^h. M-^Jt n v'''V. \^''^''''rr'' "* ^^''- ^^'il"i"n,son. My father and Love Mcnt up t.;. Ls,,. >Shae rters and bought some corn, took it down to the Allan TvlZ ,ur"ir T ? "^'^f^^^' l;"^k«.l n over the portage d.nvn to a point a 1 ttie ab(.e Handtord s Landing, where they made ropes of bark and et it Clow n in a canoe. Deer we,-., abundant. I have killed six in one hour. Braddock'.s Bay was aiamouspiace tor trai.ping otters, muskrats and minks. Geese and ducks f fiimt'd I'iiise, PTTELPS AND OORnAM'3 PURCHASE. 413 brorvisor. lor tlie years '97, '8, '0, '<.>0, lie is credited for money expended on " Bridge over Deep Hollow," (llochester) $17^). In this year, Peter ShaeH'er was collector of the town. The number of names upon his tax roll was less than ir)0, and a lar^e number of them were those of non-residents. Althougli the whole fax was over S?,000, the sum paid by resident landholders was less than 6i2,00. In the collection of it Mr. Shaefler found it much cheaper to pay himself many of the small amounts, than to look up those to whom they were assessed, scattered as they were in the forest. To reach the town of Lewiston, from Buffalo, he had to cross the Niagara river and go down on the Canada side. In 1801, $100 were raised "for destroying wolves, and payinfr other contingent charges of tb.e town." It was voted that the "wolfs head must have the entire skin thereon." A resolution was passed, that "from the extensive boundaries of the town, it is neces- sary it should be divided. " A glance at the records of 1802, shew the progress of settlement westward ; although the town meetings were still continued at the house of Peter Shaeller, and Col. Fisfi was continued supervisor, the path-masters began to occupy a wide range : — Abel Howe was a a i)ath-master in the now town of Greece; Asa Utley, near Scotts- ville ; Daniel Buell, at Lo Roy ; Jas. M'Naughton, Caledorda ; Ezekiel Lane, Buffalo ; Joseph Howell and Lemuel Cooke at Niag- ara Falls and Lewiston ; Richard M. Stoddard of Le Roy was one of the commissioners of highways ; and Isaac Sutherland of Batavia was a constable. In 1803, the towns of Leicester, Batavia, and Southhampton, were erected from Northampton by a resolution adopted at a special town meeting. The commissioners appointed to fix the boundaries of the four towns, were: — Elijah Kent, R. M. Stoddard, Samuel Tupjier, John Thompson. The first general election for all the region west of Genesee River, was in April, 1800. For Congress, Thomas Morris had 37 votes. For members of Assembly, Nathaniel Norton had 37, Lemuel Chip- man 25, William Dunn 10. In 1801, Stephen Van Rensselaer had 78 votes fur Governor, George Clinton 10. For delegates to state * nmLI'S AND CiOKIIA.M's TT^RCirASE. 417 convention ; — Moses Atwatcr 52, John Knox 77, Israel Cliapin yi, Amos ITnll 0. In 1803, for (V,n \'ot the Indians to cover with bark; after which, the father and son went down to board with Sprague, who was then in charge of the Allan mill, at the Falls; "and pretty hard board it was," says the son: — " We had raccoon fur breakfast, dinner and supper, witli no vegetables ; and upon extra occasions, we had cakes fried in raccoon oil." This, with the fever and ague added, was a specimen ol pioneer life in what is now Rochester. Taking il 418 PHELPS AND GOEIIAm's PUECIIASE. I the son up to Mr. Berry's at Canawaugus, where he had a winter's sickness, the father returned to Vermont for the family; and in April, the whole were in their new solitary home at Black Creek hvmg without doors, floor, window or chimney. Over half of the family were soon prostrated by disease, whicii continued the crreat- er part of the season. In November, Mr. Williamson havin-^lnred Coi. .n Bay to Canandaigua. Having ariived in a boat he had sent In- dian runners to Canandaigua for horses, and was awaiting their return. He accepted our invitation and came up with us to my brother's house. His familiar conversation, and gentlemanly manners, soon convinced us that he was nut the savage we had conceived him to be, from accounts we had heard and read of him, in connection Avith the Border Wars. He (piieted our ap- prehensions of any farther Indian troubles, by assuring us, that as the Seneciis had sdld their lands to the whites, the bargain should be cairieci out in good faith, and the new settlements should not be molested. He manifested I'nuch interest in all that was going on in tlrs region, and inquired when new settle- ments were commencing. The visit gave us great pleasure, and (piieted our fears. In iiereon, Jaseph Brant bore a close resemblance to Gen. Braily, of the U. S. aimy. I knew an early settler of Irondequoit, who used to kill, dress, and eat skunks ; ho said their meat was fine flavored, free from any ofl;ensive odor.* The principal colony of the rattle snakes was in bank of river, below the Lower Falls, at a place Ave used to call " Rattle Snake Point;" and there wjis also a large colony at Allan's creek, near the end of the Brighton plank road. I think they grow blind about the time of returning to their dens, in August region tor the oil and the gall of the rattle-snake. The oil was used for stitf joints and bruises; the gall for fevers, in the form of a pill, made up with chalk. Fish were abundant, and a great help to the early settlers. A structure similar to an eel wire was placed in the Irondequoit, below the Falls. The rack was made of tamarack poles. I have known ten barrels of fine fat salmon taken there in one night. The river atibrded a plenty of black and st)ii)ed biiss, and the Bay pickerel and pike. I never knew of the salmon ascending the Genesee river, but one season. Allan's creek in Brighton, aftbrded abundance of trout. The geese and ducks were so plenty in Brad- dock's Bay, that bushels of their eggs could sometimes be picked up in the marshes. * Somo of the early surveyors of Wiaconain confirm this good opinion of the flesh of the skunk. 27 Ill lie m IS" i2G PHELPS ANB OORIIAMS PURCHASE. In one of tlie early ycnrs, I carried sonip jfrain to the Allan mill, to jvot pround for my brotlier Oranj^o, and had to remain over niylit. Allan was there, iu a spree or carousal. To mnke a fea-air<'r(l came on again to Ironde- quoit, himted, trapped, bought furs, until the surveyors again arrived> and they again embarked in their service. The principal of the party on this second expedition, was Seth Pea o, a brother-in-law of Gideon Granger. The expedition consisted of a Dout (50 persons. In the .summer — 1707 — they cleared and planted six acres, which are now in the centre of the city of Cleveland. In 1798, Mr. Culver was in the employ of the contractors who had taken the job of the New Connecticut com[)any to cut out the road from the Penn- sylvania line, across their purchase. Remaining the next year in Vermont, in 1800 Mr. Culver came out and purcliased the farm where he now resides; making his home at Major Orange Stone's, and going to his place through the woods by marked trees, he cleared seven acres and sowed it to wheat the first season ; realizing a good crop. Fearing a defective title, he abandoned his farm, and •was employed by Augustus Griswold for the next three years, at Ironde(|uoit Landing, in superintending an Ashery, the first estab- lished in all this region. It worked up the ashes and black salts of the new settlers I'or a great distance around it ; shipping at the early period, in 180;i, 108 barrels of pearl ash to Montreal. Ashes being a shilling per bushel, enabled the settlers, generally destitute of money, to get some store trade. In 1804, obtaining a small stock of goods at the east, by purchase, and a much larger stock of Tryon and Adams, at Iron(ief[uoit upon conunission, Mr. Culver went to Cleveland and opened a store, principally for Indian trade, where he had been preceded only by one trader, with a small stock. He bought furs of the Indians, and opening a barter trade with the settlements in Pennsylvania, his customers brought him upon pack horses, whiskey and cider brandy, in keg,s, butter, cheese and honey- He sold them salt at 83,00 per bushel. Extending a barter trade to Detroit, he obtained there, a|)ples and white fish. Disposing of his goods, he returned, had title to his farm made good, married the daughter of John Ray of Pittsford, and became a permanent resi- dent of Brighton, as early as 1805. In 1811, Mr. Culver built the schooner Clarissa, on the Roswell Hart farm in Brighton, and drew it to the Bay, with twenty six yoke of oxen ; and after tliat he built three other schooners, and put them upon the Lake. He was one of tlie contractors for building m 428 PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PUECIIASE. the ombifted locks at Lockport, on the original construction of the canal. In 1822, he built at Brighton, a packet boat, the first boat built as far west as there, and the fourth packet that was built on the canal. These are but a part of the enterprises of his active and useful life. He is now 72 years old, moving about and super- intending a large estate, neither his physical or mental constitution but little impaired. He has buried two sons ; his only daughter is Mrs. L. D. Ely of Brighton. EEMINISCENCES OF OLIVEE CULVER. lis On the .shore of Lake Ontario, on a liigli bhilf near Irondequoit Bay, in 1796, tlie bank caved otf, and untoiiibed a large (quantity of Imnum bones, of a large size. The arm and leg bones, upon comparison, were much larger than those of our own race. In 1797 I trapjied two young beaver, at Brush creek, above Braddock's Bay. I saw one of their kjdges. It was about the size and shape of a liay cock; carried up with brush, as aground work, co\ered with nislies, and pks- tered with clay. I have seen the stumps of trees they had gnawed down, that measured one foot across. They select the sites of their dams with something like human intelligence. At one pei'iod, jJivtty much all the Lake business of this region, was ens- acted at Irondequoit Landing. Tlie first flour wasshijiped there that v 4 to Montreal. It wa.s not untib along about 1813, that we abandoned the idea that it would be the great commercial point of this region. In 1805, 'G, myself. Orange 8tone, George Dailoyryiwnuel Spafford, and Miles Nortlui]), with tlie hulp'of $50 a]iproi)riated from the town of North- field, cut out the road, two rods wide, from Orange Stone's to the river, four miles. Wlien I first came to Irondequoit, in excavating the earth to build a store house, we found a large quantity of lead bails and flints. On a knoll, on the bank of tht' < reek, there were the remains of a battery.* In 1802 there was no school nearer than Pittsfoitl. We clubbed to- gether, built a log school house, and hired a young man by the name of Turner, who was clerk in Tryon & Adams' store," to ojjen a school. I wanted to go to school, and foi- my part, I got logs to a saw mill, and furnished the roof boartls. Our first iih\sician was Jol'in Ray, of Pittsford; our first mer- chant at Bi'ightnn, Ira West, who removed to Rochester. Amos Sparti)rd, of Orwell, Vermont, the father of Samuel Spaftbrd, who came to the Genesee country with me, was one of the early surveyors of the Reserve, and one of the founders of settlement at Cleveland. The U. S. hg. * The battery, undoublutUj, that La liontan sayb De Nonville erected at the LaiiJ- PHELPS AND GOEHAil's PURCHASE. 429 government granted him a mile and a half square of land, at Mauraee, to •nliich jilace he removed, and where his descendants now reside. Samuel Spart'ord setded at Brighton, and made first improvements on the Blossom farm, emigrating to Maumee. AniosSpatford being the first mail contractor at Cleveland, in 1805, his carrier being taken sick, I took the mai) on my back, and carried it to Huron, in four hours, traveling on the ice with skates. Timothy Allen sold his five hundred acres of land, in Brighton, to John and Solomon Hatch. In company with them, I built a saw mill on Allan's Creek, in 180G. They removed to Genesee county.* In 1798, Judge John Tryon, of Lebanon Springs, became through a brother who had failed to make the payments, the owner of a tract of land on the Irondequoit, in Brighton, three miles above the Bay. His brother had previously laid out a village, but had made no progress with it. Judge Tryon built a store and store house, and in the spring of '99, opened a store in the name of Tryon & Adams. The locality assumed the name of " Tryon's Town." The agent of the proprietors, Augustus Griswold, first came on with five sleigh loads of goods, and after that, in the fall, Capt. Oliver Grace came with a boat load from Schenectady, the freight costing $3 00 per. 112 lbs. Asa Dayton soon opened a tavern, Stephen Lusk started the tanning and shoe making business, and besides these was Asa Dunbar, a mulatto, and John Boyd, — four families in all. In 1800, Henry Ward, the present worthy citizen and Post Master, of Penfield, then 18 years of age, came on and became a clerk in the Tryon & Adams store. At that period, much of the business of this pioneer store, the first west of Canandaigua, con- sisted of barter, for furs, bear and deer skins, with the Seneca In- dians, and such white men as were hunters and trappers. In 1801, Silas Losea settled in the place, and enabled " Tr/on Town," alias the "city of Tryon," to glory in the addition of a blacksmith's shop. An ashery and distillery was added to the store, soon after. In the earliest years, the store commanded a wide range of custom- ers. There are names upon its old books, of the early settlers of all the western towns of Ontario and Wayne, northern towns of I 1 ! 1 irMi 1": 1 : f i ¥ i p I 1 * Jarvis M. and Hiram F. Ilatcli, attorneys in Rochester, are the sons of the early pioneer, Jolm Hateh. Tlie i'atlier and bruthor were from Madison county. John Hatcxi rernoveil froiii Hri^tlion t" B.irrc.Orlo" us count j, and subscnuentlj to Elba, near Bata* via, where his widow now roaidea mi 430 PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PUUCi'IASE, liiii Livincrston, and even a solitary settler of Orleans county, at the mouth of Oak Orchard creek, was a regular customer. The '• city" was governed by civil laws of its own enacting. What has since been called a " Lynch Court " was established, and several trials and convictions were had. The business of the place declining, shipping business going to the mouth of Genesee river, and rival stores springing up in other local- ities, in 1810 Mr. Grisvvold broke up the store, and went to Tren- ton, Oneida county. In 1818 the old store house was demolished, and there now remains scarcely a vestige of the once"citvot Tryon." Gen. Jonathan Fassett, of Vermont was the original purchaser from Phelps and Gorham, of T. 13, R. 4, now Penfield, and south part of Webster; he attempted its settlement in '91 or '2. He was accompanied by Caleb Hopkins, his son Jonathan Fassett, Maybee, and some others. Discouraged by sickness, and other endurances of the wilderness. Gen. Fassett abandoned the enterprise, and returned to Vermont; though Messrs. Hopkins and Maybee remained in the country. Mr. Hopkins was the afterwards Col. Hopkins, of Pittsford, and Mr. Maybee was the father of John and James Maybee, who were pioneer settlers of Royalton, Niagara county, and of Suflrenus Maybee, a pioneer settler at Bulfalo, and the mouth ui Cattaraugus creek ; a daughter was the wife of Orange Stone, another of Caleb Hopkin.s, another of Griffin, of Pitrs- ford. Dr. Fassett, of Lock[jort, and a brother of his in Rochester, are grand-sons of Gen. Fassett. Mr. ]\Iaybee was from the Mohawk! He came by water to Swift's Landing at Palmyra, there mounted his batteaux upon wheels, and cut his own road from a short distance west of Palmyra to Penfield. Gen. Fassett located at the old Indian Landing, on the east side of the Bay, about two miles below the present village of Penfield. He had a plat surveyed there for a town, but nothing farther was done. He soon sold his interest in Penfield to Gen. Silas Pepoon, who sold it to Samuel P. Lloyd, from whom, in consequence of some liabilities incurred, it went into the hands of Daniel Penfield. iCr' Farther reminiscences of Penfield will be added in another connection. What is now Pittsford, being a portion of a township at the PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 431 northern termination of the 5th range, 13,296 acres was purchased by an association, who were represented in the transaction by "Stone and Dodge." Settlement commenced there before the close of 1789. Tlie pioneers were, Israel Stone and Simon Stone, Silas Nye, .Joseph Farr, and at the same time, or soon after, other heads of families came in: — Thomas Cleland, Josiah Giminson, Alex- ander Dunn, and David Davis. William Walker, the local agent of Phelps &■ Gorham, purchased T. 12, R. 4, now the town of Perinton. In the sutnmer of 1799 his brother Caleb erected a log cabin, and moved into the township, taking with him Glover Perrin, with his wife. Perrin went fust in the capacity of a hired man, but after the death of Caleb Walker, had some interest in the purchase. The pioneers had no children,' and lived alone in the woods for several years, after which they moved to Pittsford. lEP For Mendon, see Monroe county. VICTOR. [Omitted in its appio]iriate place.] Enos Boughton, of Stockbridge, Mass,, and his brother Jared, had visited this region in 1788. Enos had engaged as a clerk of William Walker, the agent of Mr. Phelps, and as soon as sales com- menced, purchased the town of Victor, for twenty cents per acre. In the spring of 1799, the two brothers, Horatio Jones, a brother- in-law, who was a surveyor, and several hired hands, went upon what was afterwards called Boughton Hill, erected a log cabin, sowed a patch of buckwheat, (the first of that crop in the Genesee country,) surveyed the township, and after sowing three acres of wheat, the whole party returned to Massachusetts, except Jacob Lobdell, who remained "solitary and alone," to take care of the premises, and winter fourteen head of cattle upon wild grass, that had been cut upon the Indian Meadow, on what is now known as the Griswold place. In February, 1790, Jared Boughton started from Stockbridge, with his wife and iiifanl daughter, and made the long NoTK. — Mr. Lobdell loinained in the town, and became an enterprising and promi- nent citizcii ; was well known as iin curly ciuilraotor iipMii tlic Eric Canal! His many kind acts in jiioneer times, are well remembered. He died in IrtlH, as^ed 7H years. His sons are : — Levi and Jan.b L., of Victor, UeorKe, of Hennepin, Illinois, Wallace] of Cidlioun CO,, Micliiu-an : his dantditers, Mrs. Abraham and. Mrss. Ilufus lluihjihrey' of Victor, and Mrs. Ulcveland, of atouben llliuois. i ■ J' t t- 432 PHELPS AND GORHAm's PUECHASE. I winter, and wood's journey to their now home ; a pretty full ac- count of which is given in History of Holland Purchase. Their travelling companions were the family of Col. Seth Reed, who were coming on to join him at Geneva. Between Col. Danforth's at Onondaga Hollow, and Cayuga Lake, the whole party, fourteen in number, cleared away the snow, and made a night camp of hem- lock boughs. They were ferried across the outlet of Seneca Lake, by Solomon Earle ; after parting with the Reed family, they arrived at Flint creek — there was no bridge — had to fall trees to get their goods over, and afterwards tow the horses and sleigh across with ropes. Between Flint creek and Canandaigua, they found one small opening, and an unoccupied cabin. They arrived in Victor, March 7th, one week after the Adams family had arrived in Bloom- field. The stock of provisions they brought in, lasted with the help of the buckwheat that had been harvested the previous fall, until their wheat harvest. The early wheat crop was thrashed upon a floor made of split bass wood, and cleaned with an old fashioned corn fan, the rim of which was fabricated from an oak tree, and the bottom from a pine board, which had been a part of their sleigh box. After Enos Boughton had purchased Victor, his father took an intercot with him, selling his farm in Stockbridge, and coming into the new region. He died in Aug. 1798. His four sons were Enos, Jared, Seymour and Hezekiah. Enos, who was introduced to Mr. Clinton in 1825, as the man who built the first stick chimney, first framed barn, and planted the first orchard west of Seneca' Lake, he died in Lockport, in 1826, where he had made an early pur- chase of a large portion of the present village site. Jared is yet living, at the age of 84 years. In 1848, the author saw him in the full possession of his faculties, and he was afterwards indebted to him for .pioneer reminiscences, in a hand writing that showed little of the tremor of age, and exhibited a distinct and intelligent recol- lection of early events. The young wife, who with a child four months old, had cooked frugal meals by winter camp fires, and en- dured the most rugged features of pioneer life, was also alive in 1848 ; " hale and hearty," the mother of 12 children. She died in 1849. The living sons, in 1848, were : — Selleck, an Attorney in Rochester, Frederick, of Pittsford, [the first white child born in Victor.] Jared K., on old homestead in Victor ; EuoS: of E. Bloom- PHELPS AND GOmiAM's PUECHASE. 433 field ; daughters, Mrs. Dr. A. G. Smith, New York, Mrs. Bennett Lewis, of Green county, Ohio, Mrs. Mortimer Buel, of Geneseo. Hezekiah died as early as 1793 ; was the ftuher of the late Col. Claudius Victor Boughton, after whom the town was named in 1813, as a mark of esteem for his gallant services upon the Niagara frontier, to which the legislature of this State added the presenta- tion of a sword. Reuben H. Boughton, of Lewiston, is a son of his. Another son of Hezekiah, is George H. Boughton, Esq., of Lock- port. Col. Seymour Boughton was killed at the battle of Black Rock, in the war of 1812. Jared Boughton took the buckwheat and got it ground at Capt. Ganson's rude mill at Avon. His next milling expedition, (after wheat harvest,) was with a double ox team, to the Allan mill at Genesee Falls. Arriving within four miles of the River, (at Orange Stone's,) he came to the end of the road ; any direct route' to the River was through a dense forest, and low wet grounds ; which obliged him to go around, and work his way over the range of hills east of Mount Hope. Arrived at the River, he belled his oxen and turned them into the woods, carrying his grain across and down the river to the mill. As winter approached, the infant settlement was without salt. It was decided to send a boat to Salt Point. In November, Jared and Seymour Boughton. aud John Barnes, went to Swift's Landing, (Palmyra,) took a Schenectady boat, and pro- ceeded on their voyage. The Stansells, at Lyons, were the only white inhabitants on the whole route. Below the junction of the Ganargwa creek, and Canandaigua out-let, they came to a raft of flood-wood, 16 rods in extent. To pass it they were obliged to haul their boat out of the water, up a steep ascent, and move it on rollers to a point below the raft. Procuring twelve barrels of salt, the party starting on their homeward voyage, encountered a snow storm and ice when they got into the Seneca river. They made slow progress, on one occasion being obliged to wade into the ice and water to lift their boc.t from stones upon which it had struck. At the raft on Clyde River, they had again to transport their boat overland, with the addition of their twelve barrels of salt. On account of low water, they were obliged to leave their boat and cargo at the Lyon's Landing. Going through the woods to Farna- inston, followinsr township lines, they returned with six yoke of oxen via. Palmyra, and partly upon Wagons, and partly upon sleds, 434 PHELPS Am) GORHAjfs PURCHASE. making their roads mostly as they went along, they succeeded in getting the first cargo of salt to Victor. Levi Boughton, an uncle of .Tared and Enos. accompanied Jared and Jacoi) Lobdell in their primitive advent — moved his family in the next year. He died in 18-28, aged 78 years. His sons were, Nathaniel, of Bloomfield, Joim B., of Ohio, Thomas Morris, of Rochester, Horace B. of Victor. Thomas M. is tiie only surviving son. Daughters became the wives of Jacob Lobdell, Aaron Tay- lor, an early settler on the Ridge Road, near Molyneux's Corners, Niagara county, Zera Brooks, John Brace, and Philemus Smith, of Victor. Rufus Dryer from Stock])ridge, Mass., came to Victor with some portion of the Boughton family, and in 1799, accompanied Enos and .Tared m their lumbering expedition to Georgia, where he re- mamed with them for several years. Residing after that in Madi- son county, he became a permanent resident of Victor in 1806. He was the founder of the well known Dryer stand in Victor, and had opened it and kept it a year before his death in 1820. His son, Wm. C. Dryer, succeeded him, kept the stand for many years, and retired to a fine farm, upon which he and his brother Truman now reside. DCf= For additional reminiscences of Victor, see " Phelps and Gorham's Purchase — Ontario." [The Allowing omissions in reminiscoucos of West Bloomfield, page 198 • and in reminiscences of Bristol, page 208, are supplied.] ^ ' Ezra Marvin was one of the associates in the purchase of town- ship now West Bloomfield; he never emigrated; his son. Jasper 1 . Marvin, became a resident and died there, in early years The surviving sons of llobert Taft, are Jessee, Robert, Bezaleel, and Chapin raft, al of Bloomfield; daughters, Mrs. Peck, of Bloomfield, Mrs. Lea-:h, of Lima. Ebenezer Curtiss died in 1812 ; Mrs P .r ker, of Luna, is his daughter. Jasper P. Sears died in early years. O her pronunent early settlers : _ Marvin Gates, a brother of Dan- jei, mentioned in connection with East Bloomfield; Jacob Smith rJ/l,'',": '""'""'' ^''''^ '"ill- i» early years, on the Honeoye,- ^miths Mills -died many years since; Deacon Samuel Handy, aied 10 or 15 years smce, was the father of Russel Handy, of Alle- "\ m PHELPS AND GOEKAm's PUKCIIASE. 435 gany; Peter W. Handy, of Rochester. Mrs. Stephen Bates, and Mrs. Charles Wilbur, (the early pioneer in Le Roy and Lockport ) Bayze Baker, still surviving, at the a; e of 80 years ; Nathaniel Err- gleston, an early landlord, father of Mrs. William Parsons, of Lock- port; Palmer and Clark Peck, came in as early as 1790 Clark was an early Supervisor of the old town of Bloomfield, died in 1825 • Jasper Peck, of Bloomfield, is a son of his, Mrs. Page, of Blnomfield' a daughter; his sons, Joseph and Abel, resiae in Michi-ran- the' mother is still livinjr. ° ' John Dixon, was a native of Kcene, N. H., a graduate of Mid- dlebury College, studied law in Milton, near Ballston, Saratoga county ; was admitted to practice in 1812, and in 1813 located in West bloomfield, where he has since resided, and now resides mingling professional duties with the successful pursuits of agricul- ture, a useful citizen, and a much respected member cf the bm- of Ontario. He was a member of the State Legislature, in J 821), '30 and of Congres.s, for two terms, at a later period ; is now 67 years of age. The sons of Gamaliel Wilder, the earliest Pioneer of Bristol were : - Daniel, David, Joseph, Asa, Jonas ; daughters became the wives of Elisha Parrish, Theophilus Allen, Nathan Hatch, and — IToag. Daniel became the owner of the Indian orchard in Bristol, that had escaped the devastation of Sullivan. * Ephraim Wilder, coming in soon after Gamaliel, settled at first m South Bristol, but afterwards removed to T. 9, 4th Range. He died in 18^2. His surviving sons are, Timothy, John, and Russell Wilder, of Bristol ; daughters became the wives of George Goodinjr Henry Pitts and John Hatch. In Gen. Hall's census of 1790, Aaron Rice (other than the early settler at Avon, as the author concludes,) is named as the head of a family in South Bristol. He removed to Genesee county, and from thence to the west in early years. His daughters became the It contained both apples and jioaolie^, both in greator nunntity than in any other of tin. I.uhnn orchanls that ^y^^v. p.vsorvcl. A rid. to " ixMnk" apple nuIvS eatn,«-. and ouler dnnkinjr. „n horseback, o„ ox slo.lsand horse .le,>hs k.n. \hetcT- teied new settlements, was no uncommon occurrence. Tlie possession of an old Indian orchmd near Geneva, am some c eared hu.ds anmnd it, w!,s deeme.l of s „ c co,^ V^P ''''' '/'VT,'' r n'"""' '['"'I''' pre-empUon line was varied in order to c^n- bi.ice It. South Hns „l, hillv and broken as it is known to be, conld once have been exchanqfed for Eiist R nnn.H,.l,1 b"Mhe!>-ii-o"iin irim,l-^l- ' . ' , ' t i • orchard " ' ' "' '"S'"" ^\ ^^ dtehijva uii accountoi the " ludiau 436 PHELPS Am) OORHAm's PURCHASE. wives of David Wilder, Simeon Crosby, and Randall Chapman. Aaron Spencer was also the head of a family in South Bristol, in 1790, but of him the author has no account. The Coddings, whose advent is named, incidentally, in connection with the Pitts family, were three brothers : -^ John, George, and Faunce, [called erroneously "Fauner," in another [connection.] The surviving sons of John Codding are, John, George, Benjamin, Warren, of Coddingsville, Medina county, Ohio : and Robert F., of Summit county, Ohio. Daughters became the wives of Timo- thy Wilder, Isaac Van Fossen, and John Wilder. The sons of Faunce Codding are, Faunce and Stephen A., of Bristol ; George T. and Ichabod, of Lockport, Illinois, where their mother and sister, Mrs. Hale S. Mason, reside. George Codding died childless. Geo. Coddmg, sen., the father of the three brothers, joined his sons in early years. His other children were, Burt Codding, Mrs. Benj. Goss, Mrs. Zenas Briggs, Mrs. Elizur Hills, and Mrs. Wm. T. Codd- ing, who still survives, a resident of Bristol. M. O. Wilder, Esq., of Canandaigua, is one of the numerous descendants of this early and orominent Pioneer family. CHAPTER VIII. THE MORRIS TREATY AT " BIO TREE." — CESSION OP THE TERRITORY WEST OF PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE, WHICH BECAME MORRIS' REBERVB AND HOLLAND PURCHASE, Although Mr. Morris had acquired the pre-emptive right of Massachusetts to all the territory in this State west of Phelps and Gorham's Purchase — what was afterwards designated as Morris' Reserve and the Holland Purchase — as early as May, 1791, the native right to the soil was not extinguished until 1797.' Soon af- ter he purchased of Massachusetts, in 1792 and '3, he sold to the Holland Company all the land west of the transit line, over three millions of acres, which is now embraced in the countietj of Niagara, Erie, Cimutauque, Cattaraugus, and all of Allegany, Wyoming, PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. 437 Genesee and Orleans, except their tiers of eastern townships, leaving to himself a tract of about 500,000 acres, between the lands of Phelps and Gorham, and those he had conveyed to the Holland Company. In his conveyance to the Holland Company, he had stipulated to extinguish the native title, and had left in their hands thirty-five thousand pounds sterling, of purchase money, as a guarantee. Various untoward circumstances — the withholding of the mili- tary posts by the British, or in fact, their refusal to surrender their dominion over this region, the prospects of a renewal 'of British and Indian wars ; and more than all, j)erhaps, the indisposition of the Senecas to part with any more of their lands — delayed the fulfilment of this stipulation. It had been the firm determination of the Senecas, adhered to strenuously during all the preliminary negotiations of Mr. Phelps at Buffalo Creek, to make the Genesee river below Mount Morris, their eastern boundary line, and they yielded the "Mill Tract" with great reluctance and subsequent regret. Fort Niagara was surrendered by the British, and taken posses- sion of by a company of United States troops, under the command of Captain J. Bruff, toward the end of the summer of 1796. In a few weeks after American possession of that ancient strong-hold of French and British power — the spot where the Senecas had so often assembled to renew French and British alliance — had been established, a numerous delegation appeared before the garrison, made a salute after the Indian fashion, which was returned by the discharge of artillery. It seemed an overture to establish the rela- tions of good neighborhood, and was met by the commandant in a spirit which evinced that he did not mean to fall behind his prede- cessors in acts of friendship and hospitality. He made a friendly speech to them, presented them with the American flag and a bar- rel of rum, and apologised for not furnishing them with a supply of provisions, alleging that they vi^ere scarce at that " distant post." In the answer to this speech, the Indians alluded to Mr. Morris' pre-emptive right, and begged of Captain Bruff to protect them from the " big eater with the big belly," who wanted to come and " devour their lands." Mr. Morris was then about to make his appli- cation to President Washington for the appointment of a commis- sioner, but concluded to delay it on account of this manifestation at Fort Niagara. 438 PHELP3 AND GORirA:*l's PURCHASE. The next year, 1797, President Washington, at the solicitation of Mr. Morns, consented to nomiimte a commissioner, with the condition that Captain Bruir's speech and the Indians' reply of the precednig year, should accompany the nominati.ni to the Senate and observed that "such was the desire to conciliate the Six Na- tions, that lie did not believe that the Senate would confirm any nommation contrary to their wishes." The Senate confi. ned the appointment of a commissioner, but with the proviso that he should not act until the Indians themselves reciuested a treaty. The com- missioner first appointed was Judge Isaac Smith, of New Jersev but his official duties interfering. Col. Jeremiah Wadsworth was substituted. The task of getting the consent of the Indians to hold a treatydevolv- ed ui.on Thomas Morris, and he ob.serves that it "was not an easv one to accomplish." It required journeys on foot and on horseback,' con- ferences with the Indians in their villages, and all the persuasive arts of one who was not unfited for diplomatic missions to red or white men. The Indians objected that if thev asked for the treaty. It would be construed as the expression of a wish to sell their lands' Their consent was finally, however, obtained, the time of hoJdirKr the treaty agreed upon, and "Big Tree," now Gencseo, designated as the treaty ground. All concerned were principally congregated during the last davs of August. Thomas Morris and Charles Williamson, and .lan.'es Reese, as Secretary, were the representatives of Mr Morris- though Mr. Williamson being called away in an early staeneHervinparently an honest young man. Seldom meddled with the business of the nation; but when he did so, he ex- excised a great hereditary influence. On his arrival, all business was suspended, until what had been done was fully explained to him. He expressed his disapprobation of the course that had been pursued. Farmer's Brother and other chiefs informed Mv. Morris that the treaty could not be completed contrary to the wishes of Young King ; that however unreasonable it might appear to him that one man should defeat the will of a whole nation, it was a power which he had derived from his birth, and one which he could not be deprived of. Young King at last, though not reconciled to their parting witli their lands, acquiesced, saying he would no long- er oppose the will of the nation. 1 \wy were : — At bq.uiky Hill, two sqiiaip iiiil(>s : at Little Roanl's Town and Biff Iroc our; at Gank'iui, t\vonty-eifj;ht ; at Cana-dca. Kixtccn ; Oil Spri.ifr, one; on U.c Alk.-any Riwr, f,,vty-tw,. ; on the Catiara.i-K-sCroek, tortv-two ; on the BuiR.lo l.rivk (.lie liiin.lici and thirty; on the 'i'oiiawuuda Creek, soventy ; .it Tuscarora one ; iit Cauawaugus, two. ' i\„TK. — Yoiinijf Kin- n.si(l(>« upon tho Bnftalo ResoiTation, wliiw he diei! but a few vearK .since, boon atlerthewar of 1H1!2, he met with an .^^•cid..nt, wliich for a few •lays, seemed likely to orea-iion an outlvreak anien;; the Senecaw : — .\n altercation oc- curred between hmi and David Reese, the tierson ernnloyed to do black.stuith work for tlie iiidiauM, by the U. S. Indian aufent at iiuthlo. \\ j^rew out of an aUeired failure to niiike or repair a !i-h spear !WrY.>.in,.I\i„j.. Ju.,.ir.„h.|;.„c.., Reese dealt a trenien- (lous hlow wiiha scyihe, whicli nearly severed one of Yoniu^ lCiie''s arms; so nearin lact, IhatamputnUoii had to hv iiniiiudiately resorted to. The Indiaus became inucli 1,1, '■ 444 PHELPS AND GORnA]M's PURCHASE. i I II Red Jacket, who had ably defended the interests of his people and acquitted himself with much credit during the tedious negotia- tion, played Red Jacket, and not the great orator, at its close The night previous to the signing of the treaty, he sought a private in- terview with Mr. Morris, and told him that he had pretended to the other chiefs that he was opposed to it; but that after its execution uy the other chief:,, he would come to him and have his name alTix- ed privately ; and for that purpcjse, wanted a space reserved. He added that it would not do for the treaty to go to Philadelphia with- out his signature, as Gen. Washington would observe the omission, and conclude that he had been degraded, and lost his rank and in- fluence among the Senecas. The blank was left, and his signature thus privately added. UJ^ For unpublished reminiscences of Red Jackeli see Appendix, No. 10. Thus concluded a treaty which gave title to all of what is now known as the Holland Purchase and Morris' Reserve ; the account of which has been given in a detail that may seem to some unne- cessary for historical purposes ; but as there had been many garbled and imperfect relations of it, the author has availed himself of the authentic documents in his possession, to give a pretty full, and what may be regarded as a correct history of\he whole transaction. The surveys of the Holland Company commenced in 1788, un- der the general supervision of Josei)h Ellicott ; surveying parties were soon traversing the wilderness in all directions ; a mere woods road was made upon the main east and west route ; and before the close of 178^, flunilics had moved in tor the purpose of opening houses of public entertainment at Staffbrd, near the present village of Caryville, and at Clarence ; and at Staflbrd, Mr. Ellicott had erected a store-house quarters for iiis surveyors, covering them with bark. In the meantime. Captain BrulF and his successor, Maj. Rivardi, had prevailed upon the Indians to allow a sufficient improvement of the old Niagara trail to admit of carrying provisions through by J m Ins r..ut(! thai l.e wa. "gu.n^r to kill \h',sv." Well .l„o.ll„. atitlmr mncnboi F M-natod the " „l.al anovl ot .Lalh ;" h. wan arnu.i with a war ch,h an, lonmhawk ■a pan.t waR .laul.ed up,,,, hi. ^warlhy fa«., and I..,,,^ h,i,u-li,.,s „f h,„>,. hair, .lyil ru! ..<;,'p.-mli!iit tr.mieadiurm. Itcoso wa.-, k.-i,! Mvivk'.t.ami Ihiis.inall nmimbili- ty, avo.,Jod Uio lute that cvou kiudred Imd luct at Uie hui.ds of Jolui JeniisoL, PHELPS AND GOEHAil's PUE0HA8E. 445 sleighinjT, from the settlements east of the river to Fort Niagara ; and a weekly horse mail was put upon the lonrr and mostly woods route from Canandaigua to Fort Niagara. Add to this, the two or three log and one framed hut at Buffalo, and two or three tenements at Lewiston, and the reader will have a pretty good idea of all, in the way of improvement, thrt had transpired upon the Holland Purchase before the close of 1709 ; and at the close of the cen- tury, there was but little more than the addition of a few families along on the Buffalo road, and the prosecution of surveys. The author had supposed that he was done with Indian wars, and Indian war alarms ; coming down to this period, he finds a letter from Capt. Bruff to Capt. Israel Chapin, which would indicate that some apprehension was entertained in this quarter, that the Indians here would be drawn into a southern alliance with the western Indians, in connection with the then pending difficulties with France and Spain. The letter is given in the Appendix, [No. 1^,] more as a curious local reminiscence than from any thing of load consequence allied to it. Previous to the advent of Mr. Ellicott and his surveying parties, in the spring of 1798, the Senecas had not surrendered the possession of their lands, and were extremely jealous of any encroachments until certain preliminaries were arranged with the Holland Com- pany. In March, Hinds Chamberlain and Jesse Beach, who had the year previous been to Le Boeuf, Pa., and fixed upon locations there, started from Avon, with two yoke of oxen and sleds, and making their own road the greater portion of the distance, arrived at Buffalo, where some four hundred Indians were assembled, high- ly exasperated at what they considered an invasion of their ierri- tory. The trespassers informed them that Poudry, of Tonawanda, had assured them that he had obtained their consent ; and after menacing and threatening, the matter was settled by Red Jacket, as the principal negotiator, for " two gallons of Indian whiskey, and some tobacco." And this is but one of the many instances in which that chief sullied his high character, by as'sisting to feign resentment to levy tributes — generally payable in that which he would often sacrifice his honor to obtain. » 446 PHELPS AND GOEHAm's PURCHASE. CHAPTER IX. ALLEGANY JOHN B. CHURCH, AND PHILIP CHURCH. John B. Church came from England to the American colonies, a young adventurer, a few years previous to the Revolution. He had been placed by a wealthy uncle in a large mercantile establishment m London, but the business not suiting his inclination, he emigrated, fixing his residence in Boston, where he prosecuted for several years, with great success, the business of an underwriter. When the Revolution broke out, or as soon as an army organization was per- fected he was engaged in the commissary department, with Jeremiah Wadsworth, in which he continued throughout the war. Gen. Philip Schuyler, being also engaged in the commissary department for the northern division of the army, business relations led to an acquaintance, and before the close of the Revolution, Mr. Church married one of his daughters. The official duties of Messrs. Wads- worth and Church, embracing the care of the subsistence of the French army, an intimate acquaintance with the French military and naval officers of the Revolution, succeeded. Soon after the close of the Revolution - in '85, — some unliquidated accounts between the commissary department and the army of Rochambeau, made it necessary for Messrs. Wadsworth and Church to visit the French capital, where they remained with their families for eighteen months. Mr. Church removed his family to London, residing there and at a country seat in Berkshire, on the Thames, until '97, when he returned to America, and settled in the city of New York. The eldest son of John B. Church, is the i)resent Judge Philip Church, of Belvidere, Allegany county, the Pioneer ol that region. In iiis early boyhood he was taken to Paris by liis father and after- wards to England, receiving his education at the celebrated Eaton school. Returning to America, he became a student of law, with PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PUKCIIASE. 447 his uncle Alexander Hamilton.* and also his private Secretary Changing h.s destination in life soon after his majority, and becom. nig the patroon of new settlements in the wilderness _ Judge Church is now 71 years of age. With a yet vigorous intellect, n.s memory goes back to the early scenes of his youth, and calls up remmiscences of the American and French Revolutions ot England and English satesmen, which, although they belon- t.'. the provmce of general history, will, the author is confident, notb. unacceptable, if preserved in these local annals. -See Appendix While pursuing his studies, the difficulties occurring with France on the raising of the provincial army, he was commissioned as a Captain tliough he saw little of service, as the difficulty was soon adjusted.! Cen. Hamilton, as the agent of John 13. Church, had in his absence, loaned to Robert Morris $80,000 and taken a mortgage T fnZL *'"'■'' f f '^'^'^'l^'"'^; ^''« li«" being afterwards transferred to 100,000 acres of land, on Morris' Reserve in the now county of Allegany. In 1800 the mortgage was foreclosed, the land wassold , T-, "i"^ ^^' ^""j- ^^'^""- ^'^^" Sheriff of Ontario, and bid in by Phihp Church for his father.| At the period of this sale, there was no white settler on all the territory now embraced in the county of Alleganv, with the excep- tion ol two localities which will be named. The' survey and settle raent ot the 100,000 acre tract was commenced under the general supervision of Philip Church. Shortly after he had graduated from the law office of Edmund Pendleton, where he had finished his law studies-m July 1801 -he made a second advent to the Genesee country. Taking Geneva and Lyons in his route, he employed as ♦Gen. Hainiltoii married a daiigliter of Gen. Philip Sdiiivler tWh I J ■ he ngs- or- an opinion. " rtnnn^, in. « jj .tiuUcd bj h^ lulliur lur orfonng so rash 448 PHELPS AND GOUJIAm's PURGIIASE. surveyor and local agent, Evert Van Wickle, who was accompa- nied by John Gibson, John Lewis and Stephen Price. Laying in provisions and camp equipage at Geneva and Bath, the party ren- dezvoused at the setvlement, which had been commenced by the Rev. Andrew Gray and Moses Van Campen, in what is now Almond, Allegany county. Mr. Van Campen, who to use a sailor phrase, knew all the "ropes" of the forest, was enlisted in the expedition.' Proceeding on, the party came to the house of Dyke, a solitary settler who occupied the advanced post of civilization, near the junction of the eastern line of Allegany with the Pennsylvania Ime ; slept in a log tarn, and then pushed on into the dark forests upon the Genesee River. This was the first breaking into the woods in all the region which is now embraced in the western portion of Allegany, Wyoming, southern portions of Erie, Chautau(iue and Cattaraugus, and all that part of Pennsylvania bordering upon this state, with the exception of Presque Isle, and the solitary family of Francis King, at Cerestown, near the Allegany river, that had a short time before exchanged a residence in the city of London for a solitary one in the backwoods of Pennsylvania, a days journey from their nearest neighbor. The party made a pretty thorough exploration of the tract, camp- ing and breaking up their camp from day to day, encountering almost constant rains and swollen streams. With Judge Church i"t was a youthful advent — a first introduction to the woods — and a pretty rugged specimen he encountered, as all will acknowledrre who have traversed the alternating hills and valleys of Allegany. ^Arriv- ed at the north-west corner of the tract, the party mostly returned to their homes; Judge Church and Van Campen, making up their minds for a. pleasure trip, taking an Indian trail * that bore ofT in the direction of Niagara Falls. This they pursued for two days, when they found themselves in the Seneca Indian village. They made their appearance in the little white settlement of "Ivew Am- sterdam," (Buflalo) in a sorry plight ; with torn clothes, beards un- shaven, tanned and camp smoked. They visited the Falls, returned This trail led from the Indian village of Canaedeaon the Allesranv rivor, over the siiiJinut that (livid, i -ho waters nf the Geuuseo from tlioso of Lako llrie, fdl into tho valley of the Caiaraiiirus, tlieii passed over into tlie valley of the west branch of Btif- lalo creek, and jiursued generally, the conrso of that stream, to the Indian village at its juiKliou with the niaiu itreaiu, lour linies iVom its uiouLh. rilELPS AOT) aORHAM S PtJRCnASE. 449 to Buffalo, and took the " white man's trail " * on their return to Bath. No such tramps had been contemplated, and soon after leaving Buffalo, money and provisions had both been exliau>ted ; all but a surplus of chocolate, which they exchanged alonfr with the new settlers for meals of victuals. Mr. Ellicott had just got liis land iiffice built at Batavia. At Ganson's there was a militin training, the first that was ever had west of the Genesee river. Richard W. Stoddard being one of the officers, supplied Mr. Church with money ; and proceeding on to Geneseo, they visited Mr. Wads- worth, whom Mr. Church had become acquainted with in New York. Returning to Lyons, Judge Church arranged with Mr. Van Wickle to go on to the Allegany lands, and commence sui'veys and im- provements, having previously designated the site of Angelica, as a primitive location. A mill calcu' ited for one run of .stones, and a saw mill, was soon commenced, and a road opened from four miles west of Hornellsville, (west line of Steuben) to Angelica.f This road was cut through by Silas Ferry and John Ayers. The saw mill was in operation in 1802, the grist mill in 1803. A framed dwelling house for Mr. Van Wickle, a small log land office, and a few shantees to live in, were also erected. Judge Church remembers that the transportation of his mill irons from Albany to Angelica, cost 86.00 per cwt. All the early transporting was done with sleighs and wagons, from Geneva (80 miles ;) with liglit loads, a trip would generally consume seven days. In 1802, Joseph Taylor opened a tavern. In the same year. Judge Church opened a small store, which was managed by John Gibson, one of his companions m the primitive exploration, who now survives, a resident of the neighborhood of Angelica, aged 72 years, John Ayers who helped cut out the first road leading into Angelica, is also alive, a resident near the Transit Bridge, on the river. In 1803 a road was opened from Angelica to Belvidere, and in 1805 was continued on to the present site of Hobbyville, to which point Dr. Hyde had advanced and erected a log tavern house. This was in 1807 ; the road was for several years but little better than a woods' path. *"Wlion wolKHl iiKulc .-i track tlirougli iho. UnvM," suvs Mr Slepl.cn Ln.k of Pittsford, wo cdlccl It a "white huiu'h trail, to distinguish it from the huliau miils" 450 PIEELPS AND GORIIAM's PUKCIIASE. From the commence-nent of settlement, until 1805, Allegany was a part of the town of Leicester, Ontario county, and the new settlers had to go to the old village of Leicester on the Genesee river, via Hornei:svilIe, to town meeting. In 1805 what is now Allegany county, was erected into a new town, and called Angelica. In April of that year the fust town meeting was lield at the house of Joseph Taylor. Benjamin Criggs was elected supervisor, Jacob S. Holt, town clerk. Other town officers : — John T. Hyde, David Church, Luke Goodspeed, Sylvester Russel, Elijah Church, Wm. Barney, Evert Xixn Wickle, Joseph Taylor, Abisha Cole, Win. S. Hcydon, Stephen Waterman, Thoma.s Cole. John Bennett, Ezra Bacon, George Otto, Jacob S. Holt. In this year there are the records of roads, as follows : — Through main street of Angelica ; from Angelica to Indian line, or Canaedea; from Angelica to south liije of Van Campen's farm ; from Angelica to rhilip^burgh mills ; to Bhilips creek ; to Vandennark's creek ; to Dike's settlement. No resolutions were passed in 1805. In 1800 Luke Goodspeed was supervisor. It was resolved that "every man's yard should be his pound ; " that the town of Angelica should pay .$2,50 for every wolf caught within the limits of the town. At the first election, April, 1805, John Nicholas had 10 votes for Senator ; Ibr members of Assembly, Alexander Rhea, had 30 votes, Ezra Patterson 25, Daniel W. Lewis 10, Jeremiah Munson 12. Iri 1800, Daniel W. Lewis a.s a candidate lor Congress, had 51 votes; for the Senate, Joseph Aimin 42, Evens w'herey 38, John Mc-' Whorter 33, Freegift Patterson 33 ; for Assembly, Philip Church 82, Timothy Burt 35, Philetus Swift 33, James Reed 32, Asahel Warner 30, Joseph M'Clure 0. In 1807, as candidates for Governor, Morgan Lewis had 37 votes, Daniel D. Tompkins 28. Judge Church spent several months in the new settlement, in each of the years 1801, '2, '3, and '4. In 1803, 1.., selected as 'his residence, a location upon the Genesee River, where he now resides, four miles from Angelica, which was named Belvidere. His large farm is a beautiful sweep of flats, table and up land. The Judge, who in his prime, was somewhat noted for athletic feats, is said to have looked out the favorite spot, by climbing tall pine trees upon the highlands. The winding of the river at that point, and the frequent breaks in the ranges of highlands as they rise from the valley, sur- PHELPS AND OOIinAM's PURCHASE. iol rounds cultivated fields, a fine mansion with its En^dJsh lawn, culti- vated groves, orchards and gardens, — with a varied, wild and ro- nnantic landscape. The primitive framed house — built in 1803 — which slood for years, an outpost of civilization, is yet preserved ; its architecture, its old fashioned cut nails, marking a period when it must have looked almost aristocratic. Its founder still lives, but how n)any of the early men of the Genesee country, who have been sheltered under that venerable roof, have long since gone to thei r graves Belvidere is retired and secluded, even now. After an occupan- cy of nearly half a century, the guest of its hospitable founder, will often be waked from his slumbers, by the crack of the rifle, and the baying of hounds upon the surrounding hills. How must it have been when miles of forest intervened between it and the nearest settlements, and those settlements far away from the earlier ones of the Genesee country ! In 1805, Judge Church married the daughter of General Walter Stewart, of riiiladelphia,* transferring her at the age of eighteen years, from city life and its associations, to the ^ar oil" home in the wilderness, that has been described. The then youn" wife the now venerable matron — remembers that woods journey, and des- cribes it, even in a vein of gaiety and humor. There was the long ard tedious journey IVom Albany to Geneva, and Bath ; then the jolting wagon, over a wood's road to Hornellsville; and then when wheels could no longer be used, the horseback ride over what was but little better than a wood's path, to Angelica, and her new home at Belvidere. With a characteristic gallantry, Thomas Morris, then the active promoter of settlement, in the Genesee country, accom- * Glti. Stewart li;icl a commaiul in the Pcnnsvlvania line (luring the Rcvohition. Hw liouse in Philadel|.liia\vas(>t'toii the liospitable retreat iif Wiishiii!,'t<.ii, La Fayette, Rodinmbeau, and other of tlie eminent men of llie Revohilimi. Mrs. Cliiircli lins a valualik' heir loom of tlic family, a rdic, r,f the latliev of liis country. If is his por- trait m a^ frame ; imoii the haek of the fiame i.s jjasted an ortrait. It was soinethiii>r nniqiie in its way at the time. In the note, Washington witli characteristic modestv, begs Mrs. Stewart to regard it " not so much for any merit of the original, a.s for its excellence as a work of ait; the prodiiclion of a yomig hidv." E.xtract from Wasiiington's general order liook, Moore's House, 1779 : — "The com- mander in chief directs a general conrt martial to I)e held at the usual place to-morrow niornmg, at 10 o'chick, for the trial of Col. Arniand ; Col. Walter Stewart to ))reside." Ac. Ry a resolution of Congress, medals were ordered struck for Gen. Wavne, Major Walter Stewart and Lt, Co], Fleury, for their gallant, conduct in tlicstorming of Stouy I'oint ouj- 452 riTELPs Amy gohtiam's purcuase. panied her in this her bridal tour to the wilderness. She had her first experience in housekeepinu;, and lived for several years, miles away from neighbors ; often the busines's of her husband calling him away for weeks , her only compuniou a colored female domes- tic, and a small boy.* She m;; 'c in. ..• )r)y acquaintance with the Indians at Canaedca, and was a I'.ivorite with them. Upon one oc- casion, in the absence of Judge Church, she attended one of their festivals, contributing to its feast out of her stores, and enjoying with a high relish their Pagan rites, dances and rude sports. They gave her as a name, "Ye-nun-ke-a-wa," or the ' first \vum;in that has come ; " having reference to settlement upon the river. Judge Church being in England on the breaking out of the war of 1812, a party of Canaedea Indians, headed by a chief, went to Belvidere, and in gratitude for Mrs. Church's kindness to their people, offered to keep a guard around her house, to jn-otcct her from thi^ ]5i itish Indians, llegarding herself as secure from invasion, in the Nvnods of Allegany, she thanked them but declined their proffered gallantry. John B. Church died in London, in 181G. His sons, other than Philip Church, were :— John B. Church, who now resides in Paris; Alexander, who died young, and Richard, who now resides in Eno- land. His daughters became the wives of Bertram P. Cruger, of New York, and Rodolph Bunner, late of Oswego. The family of Philip Church, now consists of John B. Church, of ISiew York, who married a daughter of Professor Silliman; Walter and Henry Church, of New York ; Philip Church, who re- sides near Belvidere, and Richard Church, who resides at the home- stead. Daughters : — Mrs. John Warren, of New York, Mrs. Pendleton Hoosick, of New York, and an unmarried daughter, re- siding with her parents. The southern portion of all that part of Allegany, which is upon the Holland Purchase, was not settled until just preceding the war of 1812. As early as 1804, a few families had settled at Clean, but no road from Angelica to that point was opened until 1809 or '10, and then but a woods road. It was surveyed by Moses Van Campen, Thore was miidi of womaTi's nature in licr reply, in 1, ng after years, to nn obser- vation made to her, e.xpressinsf some surprise that she could liavc cndure.l such a change — Ironi a gay and social city to the woods : — •' Oh," said she, " I was just the one to do It, [ had youth, Iiealth ; to bo sure it was pretty hard at first, but the rela- tions ot a wife, to wliich was added the cares of a mother, soon reconciled me to my Uuw home." •' PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 453 in 1815, and soon after settlers drc^jped in, began to be worlied by them and the proprietors of Oleaii; though when it began, in 1810, '17, to lie thronged with western emigrants on their way to embark upon the Allegany, it was only by sleighing they could get along comfortably ; when that left them, as it often did, they plodded through sloughs, and over stumps and roots, making slow progress. There ar^ emigrants on the Ohio and Wabash and in southern Illinois, who remember their early journey through the woods of Allegany and Cattaraugus, as by far the most trying scene they encountered upon their journey. Soon after 1810, a state road was laid there, the state making a small appropriation, but the pay for its construc- tion principally made dependent upon the proceeds of tolls. It was completed in 1822. The road was principally built by David D. Howe. In 1805 Judge Church purchased and had drove to Belvidere twen- ty-four sheep. Arriving late in the evening, they were folded close by the house. In the morning a brother-in-law, from New York, being his guest, he invited him out early to see them. Approaching the pen, they found 19 of the 24 lying dead. The wolves had tracked them in, and made the havoc. As is usual, where they have a plenty of victims, they had only bitten the throats, and ex- hausted the blood. The woods of Allegany were especially the haunts of wild beasts ; trapping and hunting was a serious diver- sion of the new settlers, from the work of improvement. In early years, the Pust-olBce nearest Angelica, was at Bath, 40 miles distant. The citizens clubbed, and contracted with William Barney to make the trip, carrying letters and papers once a month. A blind boy of Mr. Barney made the trips, until he was killed by a fall from his horse. There was no physician in Allegany, in the earliest years ; Judge Church says he brought in a medicine chest, and " Buchan's Family Medicine," and occasionally made prescriptions. The nearest phy- sician. Dr. Niles, in Steuben county. The first settled physician in Angelica, was Dr. Ellis, who was succeeded by Dr. Southworth, now of Lockport. The primitive religious meetings were held in the loft of Judge Church's store house, by the Rev. Andrew Grey. " He was a broad shouldered man," says Judge Church, "of extraordinary muscular power ; I remember his getting »o earnest on one occasion, in en- *. 454 PHELPS AND GOKFTAM's PURCHASE. forcinrr rcliijjious precepts upon his brickwoorls conf^tofration, that in his gestures, he knocked our Htoro desk to pieces, tiiat we j^ave him for a pulpit.'" That ))art of the Morris' Reserve, in Allegany, which constituted the ('hurch Tract, was six miles wide, lying east of, and adjoining the Holland Company's lands. In the division among Mr. Morris' creditors, another tract, six miles wide, containing 150,000 acres, fell into the hands of Sterritt and Harrison, merchants of Philadel- phia ; and in turn, this was cut up into small tracts and divided among their creditors. This large tract was mostly kept out of market until after 1815. South of the Church and Sterritt tract, on the Pcmisylvania line, is another tract of 37,000 acres, which fell into the hands of Willing &; Francis, also merchants of Phila- delphia; Mr. Willing, of the firm, was President of the old United States Bank. The first settlement founded after Angelica, was at Van Campen's creek, in the direction of Olean. This name was giv-en dm-insr the primitive advent of 3Ir. Church, in honor of his woods' com])an ion, Mr. Van Campen. Harrison and Higgins were the first settlers. Six or seven miles up the river, above Philipshurgh, a settlement was commenced by Josejjh and Silas Knight. The first settlement down the river, was founded by the Sandfords. No new country has probably ever been opened for sale and set- tlement, that had as rugged features, as much of difficulty to over- come, as the territory which comprises the county of Allegany. Heavily timl)ered throughout, with the exception of small spots up- on the river, it was many years before the roots were out so as to admit of easy cultivation. The new settlements in all early years, were extremely isolated. The wide forests of the Holland Pur- chase bordering upon them, had been but little broken into, as late as ISOOor '10, and after that for many years, settlement upon them advanced but slowly. When the settlers began to have any thing to diriposo of, they had no market, but such as involved a ruinous cost of transportation, over long woods, roads, and up and down steep hills. The very earliest years, however, were far more pros- perous than a long period that succeeded. Black salts, pot and pearl ashes, and grain could be taken to Hornellsville, and from thence go to Baltimore, where it would command cash. This made for a few years, pretty brisk times ; but the navigation was precari- rany. PHELPS AND OORHAm's PURCHASE. 455 ous, and at best, had in each season but a short duration ; and soon came on European wars, the embarcro T, be...- especially heavy upon the enterprise and prosperity that h. d bctjir,. to dawn in the secluded backwoods. Pine lumber, >v. j.;oo(i /or nothing, beyond the homo uses of the new settlers. It v .s to, far from the naviga- ble waters of the Allegany, even if there ' ' -en roads ; and Too far from the, nortliern older settlements, to allcnv of any considerable market in that direction. The best of ,.. , > trees, instead of being any help to the new settler, was a great Inudrance, for they constitute the most difficult clearing of new lands that is encountered. The first consideralile market for the pine lumber of Allegany, was at Mt. xMorris and Dansville, after the completion of the Genese Val- ley canal to those })oints. Independent of other hindrances to prosperity — or especially to agricultural improvement — two prominent ones have existed' — The mountains, the valleys and the streams, had attractions fot the hunter, the trapper and the fisherman, and slow progress in felling the Ibrest, neglected fields, and dilapidated log tonenients, were the consequences. The free use of whiskey in all the new settlements of the Genesee country, was a curse and a blight, the consefjuences of which — the manner that it retarded prosperity and imjirove- ment— the strong men tliat it made weak— the woe and the sor- row that it carried to the log c;.bins of the wilderness— would fbrm a theme that might be regarded as an innovation here ; but elsewhere, in its appropriate place, would "point a moral," though it would not "adorn a tale." Especially was this an evil where men were attracted by the causes that have been named, from legitimate pur- suits. The other local hindrance succeeded when lumbering be- came a sufficient object to draw men away from agricultural im- provements. Soon after 1807, a serious embarrassment was added to other difficulties upon the Church tract, which constituted nearly all the settled portions of Allegany. John E. Church, who was then resi- ding m New York, became embarrassed, principally inconsequence of French spoliations upon American conunerce ; having made large ventures as an underwriter.* The title of one half of the * His licirs havu now largo, niul ms it would soum just claim upon our L'overninent. ^n-owng out ot thw. Uy Treaty with Fr;uu;o, uur goveriimwit Lunml pavme.it .,f Uic claims. 456 PIIELI'S ANDGOUIIAm's PUliCIIASE. • ' ii 100,000 acre tract, was in his son, Philip Church, but there had been no division ; a mixed interest was assigned to trustees, for the benefit of his creditors, and there was no final division and settlement until 1815. In all this time there was a distrust of title, which bin- dered settlement, and created an unsettled state of things, as the same cause always will. The war of 1812 prostrated all of enterprise and progress in all the newly settled portions of the Genesee country, wliere they had no surplus produce, were consumers instead of producers. The new settlements of Allegany furnished their full (juota of men for the frontier, drawn from feeble settlements, where they could least be well spared ; some were left upon battle fields, died m hospitals, or returned to die of disease contracted upon the frontier. Peace had but just been concluded, when the cold and untoward season of 1810, came upon them, its biting frosts upon hill and valley, de- stroying all their hopes of sustenance, creating distress and want, driving, in many instances, men to the game in the forest, the fish in the streams, and,wild roots and lierbs, as their only resources to ward off a famine. Independent of their own sufferings and privations, they had quartered upon tliem the poor Indians of Canaedea,who were reduced to the extremity of want. Then came propitious seasons, lite and activity ; for a few years a tide of emigration flowed through their midst, on their way to Olean, and down the Allegany, creatiuir a home market for their produce. This lasted, gradually declining until the Erie canal had reached its western terminus, when emigra- tion was entirely diverted, and their main roads and public hou.ses were deserted. The Erie canal so diffusive in its benefits, stimu- lating to life and activity, in all other localities of western New but came to crush the hopes, and depress the energies of the people of Allegany and Cattaraugus. Recovering from its first effects, gradually, and remotely, its benefits began to reach them, even be- fore the construction of the Valley canal. It is after almost a half century's struggle, but for Allegany the '•better time" has come. The whistle of the steam cars are start- ling the deer that yet linger in her forests ; the echoes of the boat- man's horn, ere these imperfect annals will issue from the ])ress, will be sounding along the valley of the upper Genesee ; the dark forests are rapidly disappearing ; the neat framed house is taking the place of the mo.„ke so nine 1 111 pniisc ot the town, and liccn tlic ineiins nf a inonl.cr coiiiim' t. it since I 7" luln \ Y"'I'"'';" ^^'' ^"■>''' ''^' •''"'"■"f ''"I"'"'^ "'■ 1''-^ '""•'^'•'''' : vet, with Uk^ loan V .'■"', *'; I • ',' """'^■•■' '>^' '""> K<'f ii paper (Hit, and move alontr, "if lioVan i,'<'t a room." tlis (IwelhiiK house was liimlly fnrnished, and a far hetter on<. it must liave heen than I inneer printers usually enjoy, as the amount i>ai(l for it by iMr. Williamson, was over * Frederick Follctt, Esq., who compih'd the proroedinirsof the " Printers' Fe«tivnl " ui K(K-hostcr, held in 1847, and ailded a " History of the Truss of Westuru New PHELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 459 Mr. Of the large nninlicr ol" printers, mot of wliuiii liavc been, or are now, conductors of ne\vs[>!i[iers, ^vllu serveil tlieir ;i|)iiri'nti(.('sl.ij)H witli Messrs. Beinis and Stevens, the names of the followino- ooeur to the author: — Oran Follctt, IJavid M. Day, [..'wis II. Kedli.M, I'lCz-kiah and Smith Salisbury, A. H. I)ennctt, Thomas 11 JJaiiium, Kandall ^leai. ham, John Van Sice, Ed- ward Van Cleve, John Gilbert, Elisha Stai'r, beside many othere of a later period; and the Author of this work, in ]iart. Eben I^aton, a brother of (ieneral Eaton, was the successor of Mr. Carey at (Jeneva. He started a paper in 18U0, called "The impaitial Observer and Seneca Museum." James IJogcrt came to Geneva in 1800. lie served his apprenticeship in the old ollice of T. it J. Swords, New York. In November, 1800, he is- sued the lirst nmnber of the "Expositor," which was continued until 1809, when he changed th" title to "(h-neva Gazette." He conducted the paper for ovi'r twenty-seven years, retiring from it in 18.38. Next to Mr. Beinis, he is the oldest survivor of the conductors of the jircs in western New York. He was a good printer aiul editoi', and in all respects, a Avortliy member of the "craft." He was u])on the frontier in the war of 1S12, bearing the com- mission of Captain in the regiment of Colonel Peter Allen, and was after- wnnls commissioned as a Colonel. After retiring from the Gazette, he was for five years Collector of Canal Tolls at Geneva. James I). Hkmis may justly be regared as the father of the press of west- ern New York: and thisr.ot only with reference to his eariy and long con- tinued coniieetion with it, but with tarther reference to the large number of printers who have gone out from under his instruction ; his character as a man, and as a member of a local craft, the dignity and respectability of which he has in so large Ji degree maintained. lie was a native of New Hampshire; though, if the author rightly recollects, lie served his apprenticeship in Al- bany. Soon after a riving at his majority, in the winter of l,--0.3, he left Albany with a small stock of books and stationery, intending to locate in Canada, but arriving in Canandaigua, was induced by the favorable jirospects held out there, to make it his permanent home. [See his own cotemporary acccnmtof his advent, Aiipendix, No. 19.] Soon engaging with Mr. Gould in the Repository, he sold his stock of books and stationery to Myron Holley ; but it was not long before he connected book-selling with printing, and for many yeais was not only the editor and ])ublisher of the most successful newspaper in western New York, but he enjoyed almost a monopoly in the printing of handbills, blanks, in the sale of books, and in the business of book-binding, in a wide region. All of this was inanaged by a close aj)plica- tien to biwinoss, in a careful, systematie manner. }ieculiar to the man. No one connected with the newspajier press in western New York, has been mor-^ successful, and no one better deserved succcv. Mr. li.'mis still survives, li.iving reached his i"*^"! year. Sincerely is it la- nieule.l iiy a wiile circle of friends — and <'■ pccially by those who have known him nnvst intimately; many of whom owe him gratitude as well ius respect — that the evening of his long and • fid life is ckxided with misfortune. I'e has been for a considerable periov ,i) aimate of an institution at IJrattleboro, Vt., under treatment for the cure of physical intinnities, in which hisonco well balanced mind in -omo degree ]»articipates. * He married in early life; liis wife still sarvi\es. An only son is George W. Bemis of Canandaigua, it If .i ^ t li ■ \ 0\ m m I'W d 1 M 460 I I' PHELPS AND GOEHAM's PURCHASE. D^;r;rs'M^''/l^7: ' V"^^^"^^' ^^^^^ ^^^ -^^^"*1>^ '^^^n appointed a IJepiity U S. Ma.-s}iall, Daughters became tlie uiv,.s (/ Tluulde is C}vm\r ot^gjnanda.gua, and W.n. B. Peck, a bookseller of New i^'Z^'^f and addc.) : _..^Tho wir artofS 'nl f^^.S^^ car..or, whotl.or wo conHidor t]>o oven s ,^ t nf . ■ ! / "/i "'^7'"^ 1" "^^^^>' y**''"'" acted tlifir parts in trnisf. rm ur tu2 , "■^^J'^'"'"'. "r the cliaractcr of men who il^'iS^;,;^^^- ^-^'^-t editor in we.tS.^l^iS Sll^h ^^^^^ [end of general history op PHELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE.] *fev ^Vr-, TABLE OF CONTENTS, OF GENERAL HISTORY OF PHELPS AND GORHAM'S PURCHASE. [Note.— A table of contents -which would .mibrace a reference to localities, persons and events, in regular order, was found far too elaborate, and occupying too much space. A shorter one lias therefore been adopted, by which the reader, having refer- ence to localities, will be enabled to refer to atiy given subject, event or person, with attle difficulty.] PART FIRST. CHAPTER I.— [Commencing page 9.] — Brief notices of Early Colonization — Pro- gress of the l-rench upon the St. Lawrence — French and Indian, and French and i^nghsh Wars-- Progress of tlie Frencli around tlie borders of the Western Lakes — Discovery of the Mississippi by Marquette and .Joliet — First advent of our race to woMerii New York — La Salle — First sail ves.sel upon the Upiier Lakes— M. lie La Barrie's invasion of tlie country of tlie IroquoLs — Do Nonvi]l."s inva- mon ot the Seneca Country, in what is now Ontario County — Foundiu" of Fort JSiagara — I-ivnchand English battles in the region of Lakes George ami Cham- CHAPTER IT.— [Coin, page 40.] — Siege and SuiTendor of Fort Niagara— Con- quest of ^\ esteru New York. CHAPTER in.— [Com. jiago fiG.] — Siege and Capture of Ticonderoga, Crown Point, tiuebeo and Montreal- Peace of lUi'.i, end of French Dominion. CHAPTER IV.— [Comjiage 69.]- olutiou — Sullivan's Cainpaigu. ■ English Dominion — Border Wars of the Rev- TART SECOND. CHAPTER I--[ Com. page 83.] — Our immediate predeces,sors, the Senccas, with a glance at the Iroquois — their wars with their own race, and with the French - tlieir bravery and prowess — invasion of tlieir country l.y De Nonville. CHAPTER II. -[Com. page !I9.]- Conflicting claims to western New York — In- dian 1 ieati(>s— The Lessee Company— The Military Tract. CHAPTER III.- [Com. page 127.] - The Genesee Country at the period when set- tlement commenced— its position in reference to contiguous temtory — Condi- tion ot thecouutrygenerally after the Revolution. ^^^'sHN '^)l,V,7,fi'^';'"- ^:''-" F'-^ r ',''"■''" '""' ^■"■•''•i'"'« I^'-relioso of Ma,^sachu- Se ne^Ts \ ,1 ''^'Ip.''' '"'^/"'^'^"t to the Gene.seo Country, and hi:^ treaty with the Oenecas — Jvatlianiel Gorliain. "^ *^"'Vow Yates Counter ^"'°" ^''^■^-^'''^'^ Wilkinson -Pioneer events in what is 462 PHELPS AND GOUIIAm's PUKOHASE. PART THIRD. CriAPTFR I._[C,.,n. rii-c KM.J -CmuM,.,,,...,...,,! of siim.ys nnd sotllomcnt of the O.. u'so.' ( nnnti-y-I'MMMTr ..vnits m1 (';i,„„„lm-un~ Mrs. Sa-il.nrn - J.i.W now,;ll-o luT, ,,Hy rioM.rr.s-l!;,M,n>ti..l,|-tlu.A,h,M,staMiiiT-oil„.r,,io,„.,r )iinnli..s-|{,.,mMisHaliMo Knnisli /vssocialio.i — A.lvoiit of C'liarlrs Williamson— Kvf.its at \y,ll,an.stM.vp, I,.,,],, (;.,,„,,,., Lyons. So.lns, Culclonia, l!nuldock'.s liay-Jolni OrcifT-HobrK 'I'roiip-JoHiipli Fellows. ^ ClIAPTKR III. [Con,. ]|a,nv :2,S1.J- In.lian .liflionltios-Uritisli intorimmcc- Jndian connciLs— (Jon. Israel CliajMn- Jasper I'arri.sli. CHAI'TKli lV._[Coni. jia^v 'Ur..]- AtL^nipt of (Jov. .sin.eoel,. Invak np llio set- tlenient at Sodus May- l!,i,isl, elain.s to weslen. New York-Wayne's Victory — Surrender ol J'orts Osweijo and Niairara. > '""ry CHAl'TKR y.-[Co,n. i.ai,re .Mr.,|.]-,i,,„„,; .„„, -^^rj,];,,,^, Wadsworth-Horatio and tlie Di.MM.t ol (.eneseo ' — Leir,.sler,.'\[ose<,w, m. iMorris- N'a ley .,f the Can- CPIAPTl'jJl Vr.-[Con,. p;i;,^e;)7S.]~T'ionorr events in what is now Wayne county ~.lolu, ^wilt - Harwoo.1 Spears, Dnrfees, Rodders, other early l'i,,Meers--Wm Hove U,yler-Jvons-Uor,s..ys, Van Wiekles, I'errine. othcT early '1^1 tiers - R.d-e Road - So.lus Ray- Per.-rino Fif/hugh-Dr. Lun.niis. ^ ^"1vtII'si,iy;;r'^iv;niT"%"*"'^'^7f'';V-'^^ 'r^'' "• ^^■'"'•^ '^""^^ ^onroe- Ki , • . ' ""■. ; llcnelier-Ool, Frsli-Ateliinsons- Hraddoek's Jiay- Kin^^ s setlJenen- Rriirl,t.n.- Lnsks. Stones, ( »liver Cuh er- Trv.m's Town - \SS'^':Z 'T^r '".'.'^f'"'''; ^''■'■'■'"'""- 1^"""-'^-" «»l'I'li-rin r Ibr^^c to Victoi, \\ e.st Uloomheld and IJnslol, paL;e -j;n.] CIIArTKR VIIL- [Com. pa-.. l.'Ui.] -The Jlorris Trealv at Hi.. Tree-Cession NewspicS"'^ "''''' '^'^"'^'^'^ -dGorhau.'. Purd.a^o - Eady I'rinlirand APPENDIX. ill' [NO. 1.] EXTRACT FROM MANUSCRIPTS IN TIIi: JESClTs' COLLEGE AT aUEBEC. On tlic mil of February, IGG,'), ubout half piint five o'clock iu the evening, a great rushing noise was heard throughout the wlioh; extent of Canada. Tim noise ciuLsed the peojile to run out of (heir houses into the streets, as if their habitations hud been on fire ; but, instead of flames or Hinoke, they were surprised to see the walls rwding backward and for\vard, ;ind the stonc's moving as if they were detached from each other. The timbers, rafters tind planks cracked. The earth treiubled violently, and caused the stakes of the jialisades and palings to dance, in a manner that would have been incredible, had we not actually seeu it in many jilaees. It was at this moment every one ran out of doors. Then were to be s(!en animals flying in every direction ; children crying and screaming in the streets ; men and women, seized with affright, stood horror-struck with the dreadful scene before them, unable to move, and ignor- ant where to fly for refuge from the tottering walls and trembling earth, which threat- eiu'd every instant to crush them to death, or sink them into a profound and iiiimeas- urabU' abyss. Some (hivw themselves (m their knees in the snow, crossing their breasts, and calling on tlieir saints to relieve them from the danger with which they were sur- rounded. Others passed the rest of this dreadful night in prayer; for tho"eartl](|uake ceased not, but continued at slKjrt intervals, with acertain undulating imj)ulse, resem- bling the w;)ves of the ocean ; and the same qualmish sens-itionis, or sickness at the stomach, was felt dining the s'.ocks, as is experienced in a vessel at sea. " The vioh'nce of the eartliquake was greatest in the forest, where it ajijieared ;ls if there was a battle raging between the trees ; for not oidy their brandies were destroy- ed, but even tiieir trunks are said to have been detached from their jilaces, and dashed against each other with inconceivable violence and confusion —so much so, that the Indians, in their figurative manner of sjieaking, declared that all the forests were drunk. The war also seemed to be carried on between the mountains, some of Avliich were torn from tlieir beds and thrown ujion others, leaving imtnense chasm.s, in the jilaccH fioin wlience they had issued, and the very trees with wliidi they were covered, sunk down, having only their tojjs above the surface of the earth ; others were completely overturned, tlieir branches buried in theeailh, and the roots only remained above ground. During this general wreck of naiinv, the ice upward of six feet thick, was rent and thrown uji in large pieces, and from the ojieiiings in many part.s there isued thick chnids of smoke, or fountains of dirf and sand, which spouted up to a very considerable height. The .sjiiings wiie eitlie:' choked ii]i, or imiiregnatcd with sulphur; many rivers were totally lust ; others were diveiled from their courses, and f? 464 APPENDIX. ihcir waters entirely corrnptod. Sonic of tlictn hpciimo yellow, others rod, and tlio ^ivat river of tliu St. Lawrence app(^are(l entirely white, as far down as Tadoiissjic Thi-* cxfriiordinary phenomena, must astonisli thowe \\li()kiu'W the size of the river and the immense liody of waters in various parts, whieli must hav(^ HMpiired sueh atmiid.'un'e of matter to whiten it. They write from Montreal, tliat durinij the earth- Unako, they plainly saw the stakes of tho picketing or palisades, jump up as if they had heon dancinjf ; and that of two doors in the sanio room, one opened and the oilier shut of their own accord ; that the chimneys and tops of the housi's, l)ent lik,' Krauches of the trees ajfilaied with the wind ; that when they wnt to walk, tiiey felt the e.arlh foUowinij them, and rising' iit every step they took, somethin!^ sticking against the solos of their fee',, and other lhiiii,'S in u very forcible and surprising inaiv- ner." " From Tlirec liivers they write that tho first shock was the most violent, and com- menced witli a noise rcsemhlini? thuruler. The liouses were actitated in the same man- ner as the tops of tre"s during a tempe^t, with a noise as if fire wius crackinu; in the g.'inots. The shock lasted hf'f an hour, or rather better, though its greatest force wa.s pro])erly not more than a (juartcr of an hotu', and we believe there was not a single shock, which did not cause the earth to open more or less. •' As for Uw rest, wc have reni.arked that, though this eartlKpiake continued almost without infermis:,ion, yet it was not always of an eipial violence. Sometimes it was like the pitching of a large vessel which dragged liea\ ily at her anchors, and it was this motion which caused many to have giddiness in their lieads, and a (pialmishness in their stomachs. At otJier times the motion wasluirried and irregular, creatini' sud- den jerks, some of which were (,'.\treniely violent ; but tho most common, was a slight, trenudous motion, which occurred frequently with little noise. Maiiy of tho French inhabitants, anil Indians, who were eye-witnesses to the scene, state that a gri'at way up the river of Trois Kiviercs, about eighteen miles below Quebec, the hills which bor- dered the river on citlier side, and which were of a prodigious height, were torn from tlieir foundations, and plunged into the river, causing it to change its course, and spread itself over a large tract of land recently cleared ; tho broken earth mixed with the waters, and for several montlis changed tho color of the great river ISt. Lawrence, into which that of Trois Riviera disemboques itself. In the course of this violent con- viU.sion of nature, lakes ajijieared where none ever existed bmen, and have no dependence on Yonnoudio," (the French Governor,) " or Corlear," (the Euglisb Governor.) ')\m i i t >l|' iif- ■j m J i i I f ■ 1 M IMAGE EVALUATrON TEST TARGET (MT-3) w.. 1.0 I.I ISKS llii ■" Itt 12.2 S 114 '"" S '- il|J£ WUi- 1.8 11.25 1.4 16 ■« 6" ^ ► P^. (? /^ "a ^- m. oS. ^^s .^ S^. V Photographic Sciences Corporation 33 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 ^M t<>/ f/ .<5> ^ I 468 APPENDIX. In June, 1687, the recniite having arriveu from France, the French army moved up the St. Lawrence, and occupied the Fortat " Cataracouy." The premeiiitatcd invasion of the Seneca country, W08 preceded by an act of treachery and perfidy, which has few parallels in liistory. The French Governor persuaded the go(*d misworiary, Laiu- bervdle, who was intent only upon peace, the service of his King, and the success of his mission, to take a large delegation of Indians to his head quarters, under the pre- tence of holding a peace council, and reconciling all difficulties. When they were shut up within the fort, and completely in his power, he ordered fifty of them to be put in irons, conveyed to Quebec, and from thence to the galleys in France ! His ob- ject, as will be inferred, was to hold them a.s hostages, to give him advantage in making overtures of peace ; but he sadly misjudged the effect. The news of the treachery reaching the Oneidas, a French Missionary was seized and led to t'le stake, and was only saved by th.! intervention of a squaw, who claimed the right to adopt him as her son. At Onondaga, the Missionary Lambenllle, was summoned before a council of chiefs, and while anticipating that his life had been forfeited by the part he had taken m the affair, a chief arose and addressed him thus : —"Thou art now our ene- my- thou and thy race. But we have held counsel and cannot resolve to treat thee as an enemy. We know thy heart had no share in this treason, though thou wert its tool. Wo are not unjust; we will not punish thee, being innocent and hating the cnme as much as ourselves. But depart from among us ; there a* some who mi-ht seek thy blood ; and when our young men sing then- war song, we may no longer be enabled to protect thee." Lamberville was furnished with an escort, who conducted him to the French upon the St. Lawrence. Previous to his arrival at Cataracouy, De NonviUe had sent presents to the western nations at war with the Iroquois, their ancient enemies, who were in alliance with the French, and had given orders to the commandants of the western posts to collect them, and repair with them and their respective commands to Niagara, and from thence to Ga-ni-en-tar-a-quet," (Irondequoit.) There were at this period, Fr..nch posts at Mackinaw, upon Lakes Superior and Michigan, Upon the Wisconsin, the Illinois and the Mississippi rivers ; and never had a King or a country more devoted or faith- tul subjects, than were the commandants of these far off posts, dotted down, hundreds of miles apart, in the wilderness. Chief among them was Tonti, wliom De NouviUe Lad named to the King, as "a lad of great entei-prise and boldness, who undertakes considerable." Tonti, it wiU have been observed, had been the companion of La Salle in the primitive advent over the waters of Lake Erie. Left by his principal, withahandfulof menatthe-Fortof the Illinese," (Illinois,) he had successfully defended it against the assuJts of the Indians. He was with de la Barre, in his expe- dition to the south shore of Lake Onterio; and returning to Illinois, he had been in search of the adventurous La SaUe, to the Gulf of Mexico. Undei him the western forces were marshalled. By a remarkable coincidence, the army under De Nonvillo, and the western French and Indians arrived at Irondequoit on the same day, -the 10th of July. Pushing directly across the Lake from Cataracouy, to "La Famine Bay," the main army had coat,ted by slow stages, encamping on shore when night overtook them. Thrir last andmost^onside^^ .^^ ^^^^^^^ ^^ . and ^aZ ^'l^l'.rS h?!' v*''l-' i' VF^^^^ stopping place for IV^ncYba t^xi^;;^ FrpnM . f ( 1. • ^"^'■'■'''i L"!'-" coasters. The sj)ecics of amAo tree wliich the fid ic^ : i^^dtrir' t'"*',':';g''^»./v.-.8 growing tl,ere, and there was the remains of a^ Sofn blf ^« I'lt^ T •^''"le'nent commenced. The place was known i.s "Ap. pienoon, before its present name was conferred, *^ APPENDIX. 469 The western dmsion of the army came d„,.n from Niagara by lan.l pur«uinwhe Indmr, trail upon t].e h.ke shore. Entori,,, the Bay of Inrnd.quoit with twolnaod butteaux, and n.n,ar.y canoes. De Nonville erected a paliJe fort upon an deva^ tedsrte, m wluoh to station a snmU force for the protection of his wat^r rnffand nnhtary stores. "Never had Canada seen and never perhaps will it se^ 1 ;''"- acl A camp composed of one fourth regular troops, with the General's uTt^one fourth habuans,* xn four battallions, with the gentry otthe country ; onetX'hr tian Indians; and finally a crowd of all the barbarous nations naked trooed .Th panued over the body with all sorts of figure, wearing horns o thettS t 1„^ down then, back, and armed with arrows. Wo could hear during the nig t ^nuT tude of languages, and songs and dances in every tongue. The "Tsonnontouan » (Senecas came to reconnoitre ns, and then went to burn their villages andTe to leffwit, r '^^'^•■•^-^'^.g"-^,:- 300 Christian Indians; the Pagan ^savages ntl^ Thercl r""-Tr T.^^^^^-'^OO Pou^, (Sloux.) 100IUinois,50HuronI headed by De Nonville, and the other by M. Duque " In the mean time the Senecas had not been idle. They were cognizant of thp ga hermg of troops and provisions at Cataracouy-had seen ^heTISri LLn push across the Lake ; squads of them concealed in the thick woods, had watched the Ernti: :Jn ^-^-'^ .t-^^-^: ^'-- "^^^•^ ^^^^^-^ -d their swift ^^it ti fhe' n s -"^'- '-^J-ed of their moven.ents. Preparations had been made for aetT^lTi, 1 "f •"«™"™lt'-<'^t'-eme youth, had been sent to places of sa ety all else without regard to sex, had been marshalled for the approach^ com- bat A party of an hundred, approached the French in canoes, bef re they had L embarked, and hailed them in a friendly manner; to which, as they re,« t" te French "rephed in base language : -Enustogan horrio, squa which irnuchn ti.- anguage. as the devil take you ! " Another scouting party ppr ch d t^o F.enoh and received quite as uncivil an answer; whereupon they wont back -nd re ported to the sachems, that to fight was the oidy alternative. Various accounts of the battle that ensued, have been preserved ;-There are De Nonvme-, ofhcial report; La Hontan>s account; the EngLi account d r dim the Indians; and that of L'Abbe de Belmont, in a manuscript, "Historvof Cunl " recently discovered in the Royal Library of Paris. Theau'tl or woulcl' 1 o'lte be n an e,. witne..s, and he has faithfully, as is evident, recorded the ev , '" coveied with aides. ^I'ls is the place which they selected for their ambuscade. iW * French militia. head a tuft of haii' is bound and tridned to If.nT • ^T'"^ VP«" ««> crown of the or tassel ' ^ '"""^'^ *° ^^and upright, terminating in a loose tuft 470 APPENDIX. divided Ihenisulvos, posted 300 men alori^ the falling brook botwoon two liill.^, in a great thi.kct (if beodi trees ; and 500 at the bottom of these hills, in a marrfi, among the alders ; with tlie idea that the first ambuscade of 300 men should let the army pass and then atti.ck them in the rear, which would force it to fall into the second anibus- cade whicJi was concealed at the bottom of the hills in tlie marsh. They -deceived Uiemselves nevertheless, for as the advanced guard which M de Calliera commanded, was very distant from the body under the command of the Marquis, tliey believed it was the entii'o array. Accordingly as the advanced guard pits.sed near the thicket of beeches, after making a terrible whrjoj), (sakaqua ! ) they tired a volley. " The Ottawas and the heathen Indian.s all fled. The Chrisfiau Indians of the mountain and the Sault, and the Abenaquis held fast and gave two vollies. "The Marquis De IS'imville advanced with the main body, conqiosed of the royal tro-ps, to occupy the height of the hill, where there was a 'little fort of piquets; but the t«'rof and disorder of the surprise were such, that there was only M. de Calzenne who distinguished liimself there, and M. Duquo who bringing up the rem- guard, rallied the battalliou of Berthier, which was in flight, and being at tliohead of that of Mon- treal, fired two hundred shot'i. The Marquis, en chemise, sword in baud drew up the main body in battle (mier, and beat the dnmi at a time when scarcelv anv one was to be seen. This friglitenetl the DDO Tsonnonouans of the ambuscade, who " fled from above towards the 500 that were and)ushed below. The fear that all the world was upon Ihem, made them fly with so nuich precipitation that they left their blankets in a heap and notlung more was seen of them. "A council was held. It was re solved, as it Wiis late, to sleep on the field of battle for camp. Oiij who was still alive said there were 800 of them ; 300 above, and 500 below ; and that the Goyogoaians, (Cayugas.) were to come the next day, which was the reason that they f\ aid where they were. There were found at several j)lac(s during the succeeding days, provisions, and some other dead savages ; or if not dead, our men killed them." "On the morrow we inarched in battle order, wating for an attack. We descended the hill by a little sloping valley, or gorge, througli wliich ran a brook bordered with thick bus^vs, and which discharges it.self at the foot of a hill, in a marsh full of deep mud, but planted with alders so thick that one could scarcely see. There it was tliat they had stationed their two ambuscades, and where perhaps we would have been de- feated, if tlu^y had not mistaken our advanced guards for the whole army, and been so hasty in firiug. The Manjuis acted -"ery prudently in not pursuing them, for it was a trick of the Iroquois to draw us into a greater ambuscade. The marsa which is about twenty acres, (aopens,) being passed, we found about three hundred wretched blankets; several nuserablo guns, and began to perceive the famous Babylon of tlie Tsou- nontouans ; a city, or village oi bark, situate at the top of a mountain of earth, to which one rises by three terraces, or hills. It ajipeared to us from a distance, to be crowned with roimd towers, but these were only large chests, (drums) of bark, about four feet in length, set the one in the other about five feet in diameter, in which they keep tlieir Indian corn. The village had been burnt by themselves; it was now eight days since ; we found nothing in tlie town excejit t'.ie cemetery and grave. It was filled with snakes and animals, tliere was a great mask with teeth and eyes of brass ; and a bear skin with which they disguise in their cabin.s. There were in the four corners, greiit boxes of grain which tliey had not burred. They had out.sidc this j)ogt, theii* Indian corn in a piquet fort at the top of a httlo mountain, steps or cut down on all sides, where it was knee high thvoughout the fort." APPENDIX. 471 " The Tsonnontouans have four largo villages, which they change every ton years, in order to hring tlien>selves near (lie wodds, and permit them to grow up again. They callthfiii CMgn.sjifa, Tohaitwi, which are the two larger; Onnntagiie, and Oiinenatu ffhich are Rinaller. In the kst dwells Ganonkitahoui, the principal eliief. Wu cut the hfau(iing grain already ripe enough to eat, and burned the old. It was estimated that we burnt one Imndred thou.iand minots of old grain, and a huntlrod and fifty thou-sand minotH of that standing in the field, besides the beans, and the hogs that we killed. Sixty persons died of wounds received inthebatlle, a multitude perished of want: many of them fled beyond tlie great mountainM of Onnontagtie, and went to dwell in the country of the Andastoez. The greater part of their captives dispersed, and Mncothat time the Tsonnontouau, (Seneca) nation, which counted at loiHit eight or nine hundred warriors, and ten thousand souls in all, has been reduced to half tliat number. " From here, against the expectations of our Indians, who believed wo were going among the Iro(iuoia crntons, we went to establish a Fort at Onnigara, [Niagara,] where we arrived after three days' journey." The ofheial account of I)e iVonville, does not difter materially from that of the L Abbe de Belmont. He says the French loss was but " five or six raeu kiUed and twenty wounded." He says : — " We witnessed the painfid sigh.^ of the usual cruel- ties of the savages, who cut the dead into quarters, as in slaughter houses, in order to put thcia into the jiot. The greater number were opened wliile still warm, that their blood might be draiik. Our rascally Ottowas distinguished themselves parti ularly by the.«o barbarities, and by their cowardice, for they withdr om the combat ; the Hurous of Michilimaquina did very well, but our Christian Indians surpassed all, and performed deed« of valor, especially our Iroquois, of whom we durst not make sure, ha\in- to firrht against their relatives." He is quite as extravagant as de Belniont, in hLsestimate of tlie amount of com destroyed.* The estimate of either is incredible; it was a new kind of war for the Marquis, and not much to his taste. He says to the Minister of War : — " It is an unfortunate trade, my lo.d, to command savages, who, after the first broken head, ask to return home, carrying home with them the scalps which they lift off Uko a leather cap; you cannot conceive the terrible efforts I had to retain' them until the com was cut. It is full thirty years since I hate had the honor to serve, but I assure you, my lord, that I have seen nothing that comws near this :n labor and fatigue. Baron La Hontan accompanied the expedition, as he was much disposed to tell the truth upon all occasions, his version of the general features of the battle is entitled to credit. Ho insists that the ambuscade was very successful, tlirowing the French into general disorder, and panic from which they were only relieved by a fierce assault of tlieir allies, the western Indians, upon the assailants. He savs the ]o.ss was that of ten of their Indian iJlies, and a hundred Frenchmen. " Six lavs we were occupied in cutting down Indian com with our swords. We found in all the villages horse?, cattle, and .n multitude of swine." The western Indians were much chagrined at the result of the expedition They had come down to join De Nonville, in the hope that their ancient implacable ene- mies, the Iroquois, were to be exterminated, when they found that the French intended to retreat without visiting the other Iroquois cantons, tiiey complained bitterly and indirectly taunted them with cowardice. They spoke in contei.iptuous language of an expedition assembled at so much expense and trouble, "to burn bark cabins which could bo rebuilt in four days," an.l destroy com, the loss of which t heir confederates * A minot ia equal to tluee bushels. 472 APPENDIX. in tlieir abundance, could easily Rupply. Many of tliem doparted for home in disgust Those that went with tho French to Niagara, were only a])[)wiKC(i by the proiuiac that the war should be renewed. Before leaving tlie Seni'ca country, De Nonville took fonnal posBftssiou of it m the name of liis king, making a ijoniiiousi)rorlaniation, in wliich he enumerates the Tillages of Ga-os-waeh-gwa, (upon Botighton Hill,) (Ja-no-gairae, (near where the old ludiai trail crossed the Oanargwa, in East Bloomtield,) De-yu-di-huak-do, (at the north-east bend of the Houeoye outlet, near West Meiidon,) Dy-u-doii-set, (al)out two miles south-east of Avon.) "^he proclaniation, act of possession, or " process verbal," sayb that the I'rench ;ai-my " have vanquishetl and put to flight eight hmuhcd Iroquois Tsonnontouans, and have laid waste, burnt, and destroed tlieu- cabins." Subsequently there has appeareau o\ir further success, by advices just arrived. Col. Biodhead, with the Continentid troops uuder his command, and a body of militia and volunteers, has penetrated about one hundred and eif^hly miles in.'o the Indian country, on the Allcfjany river, bu.nt ten of the Muuc'v and Seneca towns in that quarter, containing one huiuh'ed and si.xty- tive houses; destroyed all their fields of corn, computing to comprehend five hundred acres, besides large quantities of vegetables; obliging the savages to flee before him with the greatest inecipitatioii,and to leave behind them many skins and other articles of vahie. The oidy oi)position the savages ventured to give our trooi)s, on tliis occasion, was near Cuskusking. About forty of their warriors, on their way to commit barbarities on our frontier settlers, were met here. Lieut. Harden, of the 8th Pennsylvania regi- ment, attlieheadof (me of cmr advance partu-s, comjwsed of thirteen men, ot whom eight were of our friends the Delawan! nation, who immediately attacked the savages and put tluun to the rout, with tho loss of five killed on tho spot, and of all their canoes, blankets, shirts, and provisions, of which, as is usual for them when going into action, they had divested themselves ; ai;d also of several arms. Two of our men and one of our Indian friends were very slightly wounded in the action, wliich was all tho dam- age we sustained in the whole enterprise. "The activity, perseverance, and firmness, which marked tho conduct of Col. Brod- heau, and that of all the oflicern and men, of every descri])tion, in this expedition, do them great honor, and their services justly enlitlo them to the thanks, and to tliis tes- timonial of the General's acknowledgment." In a letter dated "West Point, 20th October, 1779," addressed to tho Marquis dc La Fayette, Gen. Washirgton incidentally alludes to these two campaigns, and their j)robable efT'eets njion the Indians. He informs Gen. La Fyetto as news that may be interesting to him, that — " Gen. Sullivan has conijileted the entire destruction of the country of the Si.x Nations • driven all their inhabitants, men, women, and children, out of it ; and is at Easton on his return to join this army, with the troops under his command. lie performed this service without losing forty men, either by th(^ enemy or by sickness. While the Six Nations were under this rod of correction^thc Mingo, and Muncey tribes, livingon the Alleganv, French creek, and other watei-s of tho Ohio, above Fort Pitt, met with similar chastise- ment from Col. Brodhead, who, with six hundred men, advance*tiisted to a bed. His 'tonf,'iie BWelled until it protruded from his nioutli, and tlie next day, after indeHcribable agony, he died. IV was generally believed by his neij,'hl)i)rs and friends, tliat the Indian had had Kocrot intelligence of the design to arrest hiiii, and adroitly druggeil, wiih boiuc Hubtlo poison, tho ' 'pior of his unsuspecting victim. Tlie murderer elfected iiis escape;, and joined hifl tribe in Canada, tiendritk Weniple, was buried close to Oueida Oaatle, ou the north side of the turnpike, about one mile from Skenandoah's residence. In his life time he claimed a large portion of temtory, afterwards bought by Judge Coo])er, of CooiRTstown, and embracing some of the best lands of Otjscgo county. Ho was a descendant of Hendrick 'Wemple, one of the original proprietors of .Schenec- tady— the O-no-al-i-gono of the Oueidas — and whose arms, Giles F. YatcH informs me, may still be seen over the door of an old Dutch church, one resumcH that the enumeration was made in July and August of that year. It embraces the names of all who were heads of families, in all the region v^cst of the old Ma^^sachusetts pre-emption line : * No. 9. 7th R. William Wadswoiih, Phineas Bates, Daniel .R0.18, Henry Brown, Enoch Noble, Nicholas Rosecrantz, David Robb, Naliuin Fairbanks. No. 1, 2nd R. Eleisio-i that "his party could go to (he House of Commons in a hackney coach." The country residence of the family was but four miles from Windsor Castle, and tJie family physician was the physician of George tlie Third. Long before it trauspir- e' The banditti were panic stricken, ran down stairs, sweep- ing the silver from tho side board as they passed, and hurrying off with them in their retreat to tho woods as captives two slaves,- the first amied rescue perhaps, of " .per- sons held to seiTice," that ever transpired in this State. No one was killed in the melee ; Waltemeyer received a slight wound from a pistol shot of Gen Schuyler •» sen-ant was slightly wounded. The slight injury of the child, named in tlie intnKiuc- tion, was had in the hurried retreat to the garret. The failure of Gen. Schuyler to bring to his aid any of the then few citizens of the tiUaseot Albany, was owing to a most ingenious contrivance of Waltemeyer Dunua his ambush in the woods, he had come across a woman, whom he bribed to precede hm. m Ins attack and report, in the village that there was a dead man in the woods off ,n another direction from Gen. Schuyler's house. The trick succeeded. When tho alarm was given the men of the village were away searching for the dead maO s B88; at In his retreat, Wiiltemeyer and his party <«ok General Gordon from his Lallstou, and carried him to Canada. ^ii;' not vary luatorial v from tlio account o( Col. StonV i, Li b of II,-, t .'" ",^f™ A writer in tlie Albany Express, a few years since snoakiiirr nf tl„. .,1,1 q i i mansion in Albany, say/: - '^ Here also til illustrious Tf am f , " w o 1 md .m?S daughter otns -hospitable proprietor, that venerable and exccWm wo na w1 sSl hves n tho full enjoyment of her intcllectu.il iiicuKi.s, „„e of the few re ',"'.1^, of S^ Revolutionary a,-e. Another daughter of Gen. Schuvler -i bidv of .rr,.f V> . i acconiplislinients, was als., niarried'in this housJ, to J&t c£^^^ came out to t ns country .hiring the Revofeion. Aiuong llSis Ze ■' 1 ave 492 APFEiroiX. [NO. 10.] MB. JAMES Ii. BEMIS' COTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF HIS ADVENT TO THE GENESEE COITNTUY. ExtiTict of a letter to Mr. nnd Mrs. Diuiiel Wiird, of Albany : — [Mrs. Ward was a sister of Mr. Ik-miH, -was tlio mother of Samuel and Uen. ^'ard, and Mi-a Oran FoUett.] "After being at Utica upwards of seven weeks, my patience was so far exhausted, that I dtteriiiiiied, notwitlistnriding the badness i.f the roads to make one nioreatttini)t to gain tlie place of my destination, mid iccordingly hired two wagons to taku me to Oaiiandaigua. They had proceedtvi about 50 rods when one of them got mired to the hub I Cood start, you will say. Well, we g.,t out in about a- hour, mul tinvi'lled eight milts the first day, and put up at Raymond's inn. Next morning after taking n warm breakfast, I rgain weighed anthor, and trudged in solitude along the inuildy waste, (for it is indeed solitary to have no company but swearing teamsters,) 'till wo reached Oneida village, an Indian settlement, where about dark, both wagons again got mired (o the hub ! Zounds and alack ! What a pickle wo were in I ! How dkl I invoke the aid of old Hercules to give one tug at tbo wheel 1 However, after Ufting, 1,'runibling. hoUowing and tugging three hours and a half, with the assistance of an Indian, we once more got on land. It was now ten, and no tavern within our power to reach. Cold, fatigued and liungry, we were glad to get under shelter; and accor- dingly sto])pe(l at thg first Indian hut we found, where there was no \ 1, nor victuals except a slice of rusty pork." * * * » •##«,' " After a night spent in yawning, dozing, gaping, we again got under way, and hove in sight of a tavern about ten o'clock ; but nothing like breakfast was to bo had — all confusion -and wo went on to Onondaga, (50 miles from Utica,) where wo anived about ten at night. Here the house was full, and I obt^iined the privilege of sleeping with two strangers, by paying for their lodgings and giving theia a glass of bitters ; an odd bargain to be sure ; but I iJiought it cheap, had it been my last shilling. But fate decrtied that the troubles of that day, should not end with going to bed." * [The young adventurer had become a room mate with a " snoring traveUer." He describes his enormous nose, and says, that the sounds It gave out all night long, "frightened Morpheus from his post."] " At tliis place, (Onondaga) the wagonera got discouraged and dispairod of the practicability of travelliug ; they r.ccordingly stored their goods and made the best of their way home again. Here I was obliged to remain two weeks, when a fine snow L-illing, I hired a man with a three horse sleigh, to carry me to Canada, and arrived at this place on Saturday evening, 14tli Januaiy, after a short and pleasant passage of SIXTY TWO days from Albany ! Here I put up for the night only, c xno( tin.r 'o depait early in the morning for Canada ; but receiving some advices hero froi ^ gH;n , 1 smcn of respectibility, which deserved my attention, I wjls persuaded ).. ..pt-i v^y store in this village, for the winter at least. How I shall succeed is yet among the secrets of fate ; but as yet I have had no reason to repent of having stopped here ; for such is the en- couragement I have already found, that I think it probable I shall continue here." "I have now only room to add, that the country is beautiful and flourishing ; the. inhabitants wealthy and respectable; the citizens enlightened, affable and friendly; and there is an agi-eeable society of young people, especially of Indies. Hence a Ktianger finds an agreeable reception. I am the seventh young man that is Jiere from Albany ; sill old acfjnaiutances." SUPPLEMENT, OR EXTENSION OF THE PIONEER HISTORY OF THAT PORTIOxN OF PHELPS AND GOllHAM'S PURCHASE EM- BRACED IN THE COUNTY OF MONROE, AND THE SOaTHEBN POBTION OP fflOBBIS' BESEEVE. :a^V H. ,r\i\ ' 'K 'a LIBRARY VM >o f#^ r ( , < I" . , ) Cl ^" CHAPTER I. '1! m *.< ,f 1 1 '• 1 ' . 1 WHEATLAND. That portion of the old town of Caledonia which is now Wheatl land, was, as ^vl 1 have been observed, the Pioneer locality — the spot where settlement first commenced in all the region between the Genesee River and the west bounds of the state. In connection wi h the enterprises of Mr. Williamson, the advent of the Scotch settlers, and in another connection in the body of the work, the tovvn has already been embraaed. It remains in this connection to ex end the notices of Pioneer advents in that localitv,as fur as the author s information will allow. .vpM^'r/f ^^nt'^Y ""T^ ^? ^^^^' ^^'""^ ^^"eca county, and soon erected the mills that bear Ins name, and those that were so useful to the eai-ly settlers west of the River. He removed to the Lake shore, m Niagara county, in an early day, where he died a few years since. _ His son Jacob Albright, one of the most successful and en- terprising tarmers of that county, resides at Olcott. Donald M Vean, who came a single man with the first Scotch settlers, was a mill wright ; had charge of the early mills built by the Wadswoi-ths at Conesus. He erected the first mill in Scotts- vU e; and selling it, purchased a large iract of land which he vif)us to the war of 1812. Zachariah Garbutt was a resident upon the river Tyne in England, in the town of Winston, county of Durham, at the period of the French Revolution. Espousing the whig side in jjolitics in those violent i)arty times in England, when freedom of speech was re- stricted, lie subjected liimself to jiroscription and persecution at the hands of his more loyal neighbors. His windows were broken in and his children stoned in the streets. Leaving Winston, he went into a retired part of the cuuntry, where he remained for three or four years, and then sought an asylum over the ocean in a land of toleration, of political and religious liberty. Borrowing thirty guineas to defray expense of emigration, it was repaid by liis son, John Garbutt, with money earned ujjon a shoe bench, anil remitted to England. Arriving at New York in 17i)8, they remained near Smg Sing tmtil 1800, when they came to the Genesee country, set- tling first upon sixty acres of 'land in the town of Seneca. ~ The eldest son John, in 1803 purchased laud on Allan's creek, which soon became the residence of the whole family — the site of what is iiow known as Garbutville. The three brothers, sons of Zach- ariah Garbutt, were, John, Philip and William. John Garbutt who still survives, was the first sujjervisor of Wheatland; in 1829 he was a representative of jMonroe county in the Legislature. Philip Garbutt, widely known in business enterprises, the owner of the mills and locality that bear the name of the family, also survives. His wife, as will have been seen, is the daughter of Esq. Shaelfer. The father-in-law was the original owner of the mill site and inotH'iisivc'ly ; froo from all public scandal known to us. That tlicroforo wc know of no iTah.(in to liiiidcr llicir reception into, oi- rosidonco in, any oontrrci^ation, socictv or family, wlierc God may cast their lilt. * * * » » "# ** ' « # « >. [A few closing lines arc ohliteratod.] " Signed. High M'nor(;Ar., ^linistor, •Iamks M'N.Miii, J'^Idcr, „, Jas. M'Gibdin, Parish Clerk." " The above is fact. CuAs. Cami'dkij,, Es(j. of Lockllordit, Francis M'Nabb, chief of M'Nabbs. J'>lui ItoDsox, liaron, Bailio to the Earl of Bradalbine." Dated Fel). 1798. " Do me the favor to name tlio fact," saiil an early inercliant of tlie Genesee country to the author, "that when reverses came upon me, 'and 1 was tluown uimmi jail limits. ■while those wlio owed me dehls of icratitude stood aloof ; a f^eni'rous Jieart'ed Scotch fanner, wiioni I had butslii;iit!y kiu.wu, in tlio way of business, souf,dit me out. kindly invited me in wharc his purse for all iliiit was necWsarv for tlie ci-uifort of myscli'or ttiniily. And you may add that it was John M'Naughtnn, of Wheatland." PIIELPS AND GOPJUJl's PURCHASE. 497 of what is now known as Garbiilt's mills and the land ujion which the celebrated pl.-ister beds are located. A saw n:"ill was erected by Es(|. Shaeilcr in 1810 and a p;rist mill in 1811. The venerable Powell Car])enter, now in his 80th year, became a resident in the immediate neighborhood of Scottsvillc in 1.804. In 1818, by })urchasc from Isaac Scott, he became the proprietor of most of the site of the present village of Scottsville. In 18'25 or '«). Abraham ilandford and Judge Car))entcr created a water power by conducting the waters of Allan's creek in a race, 1:^ mile, and thus obtaining a fall of 1!) feet. This was the commencement of any considerable mov^ements towards the founding of the pleasant and prosperous village; though mills had been erected as early as ISl."! by Donald M'Vean and Abraham Ilandford. Often sons of .Judge Carpenter, six are now living, three of whom were Pioneers iu Michigan. Ira Carpenter, of Scottsville is his son. He was one of the early Judges of Monroe. The Rev. Donald Mann was a nativo of Invcrnesshire, Scotland ; emigrated, settling on tiie 40,000 acre tract in Caledonia, in 1809 ; ifi 1815 removed to what is now Wiieatland, where he now resides. He had been educated in his youth for the ministry, in the Baptist connection, but located in the new region, he united the labors of the field, (or rather, the forest,) with tiie duties of his profession ; provi- ding lor the respectable maintenance and education of a large family, and at the same time itinerating occasionally where i)riiuitive and feeble church organizations needed his services. "When we had got together a small Baptist congregation in Le Roy," says an in- NoTK. — Tlio (lisco^'ory of tlio plaster, which has proved so valimblo an aoqiiisif ion to a wi(k' rojjio'i — tht^ heels jkihscssiiii,' more of what ''onstit\ik's real value tliaii if tiie.v had liceii llie riflR'.-it jilacers that liave been found ii])ou tlio slo]ii' o f tlie Sierni Nt'Mida — iiiMV nof lie cuiisidcreil an un interest iut^reniinisccncf : — It was accidental. Aa the y^rist mill drew ni'ur to completion in the winter of ISIO, '11, Mr. John Carbnt Went to Cayufi'a for a load of jiliusler, with the promise from Es(|. Shaefl'er that it should he i^i-ound in tlu; process of |ire]iarini,' the mill stoue.s. In his aliseiici\. wliile Home workmen were e.vcavaling the hank to procure earth to iinish the endjaidvininit of the mill race, one of them, a forei',nier, insisted that they werc^ e.wavatini,' i>laster. E.\]>erime,its followed whicli jiroved the fact. The demand for it Iteiii^- liiil limited, farmers hininf,' lieen slow in appri'ciatin^' its value, its mimufacture was not fairly underway until ISIS ; since which it has heeii constantly upon the increase and the heds wouM seem exhaustless. Note. — .ludgo Carpenter cmisrratod from Westchester county as early na 1704, loca- ting,' in company with William Arinesley, nein- Cash(.iiu' creek, on Seiu'ca Lake, ^[ajor Beujamin Barton was then residing at Cashouii' in a 1' '■■" *'■•■ ' ■ " *' ' Det)art7.ch and I'oudry, Samuel Wlieaton had been or fom- vears. Afti'r makinic !' little openini,' iu tlie fore J ■ ■'" " - ■ . cabin, tlii^ successor then,' in the ueijrldjorhood for three luildin;,' a jiole cabin. I.U iiMii ^>v-uis. iiiifi iMiiKiiit; a xinur (t[jemrii^ lo uie inreM, ioio iMiiioni;;; a [foii' eanui. Judij'e C;iri)enter went to Pennsylvania and hrouiflit a smidl stock of fiu'niture, and a younif wife into the wdderness. Comintc u[) the Susi|Uehamiali he workeil llieir pas- sai^'e on a Durham boat, crossed over to Catliei'iiiestown, and came down the Lake tu Cashotuf in a batti'au. The wife that he moved into his ]irimitive cabin, as well a- himself, are amonff Ihe few survivini; Pioneers of tliat early ]ieriod. There are pro'i- nlily not twetity pertjuns li\Hig' who were adult emigiiiuls lo IJie Genesee country jirevious to 17'j.'>. i:^ li II 498 fori PHELPS AND GORHAJl's PURCHASE. I^Z lthr;"°r""Th''''" Mr, Mann used .0 come up on ivr i' "r- The sumvinrr sons are : — Alexander !y. The mothev uL c ]i "^'^ 'T^ *°"'" unmarried daughters. emi'TZ An. r ' '"''^''''' ^' ^ ^^"ghter of the early Scotch emigrant, Angus uameron. me," TrJm '^^' ^'r^'!'"''^ V'PS^^'', ^"'''■g^ Goodhue, Joseph Black- mei J(,lm So_ge, Elud Goble, Peleg Weaver, Marvin Cadv See Iv ageu 48 jeais Mr. Goodhue, was a settler at Painted Post and removed ^V^ .1 'f'^'''""'/^^'' ^^^'^^^ddock's Bay. Ir. 180G he lemoedto Wheatland, where he now resides with his son To^n derc mhnts ""'uf^' ''^^T% ^"^ '^^ ^y riarrcircb 'of hL "te "son M ^;'r\^''^'' ^ ^rW"'' ^'"^^ ^" the 72d vear of ^eacf 'Mr cllZ '"?' ^^"^.l^^^'^'" ^age occupy the home- sieaci. Ml. GobJe was a resident of Seneca countv as earlv is 1 Ron • Frink l"V' n,' !''''T'' ""''''' «*' ^^heo.tland "his on '7r Funk >^d ^e tied in Westmoreland, Oneida county, previous to Jk aLohis w fi r^'''''"r"' f'^^ ^'^'^''^ epidenliic in 1813, as t . V ' r^r'"'"'"' ^^•^"'^' «t Wheatland is his son. P.M . ^/^^'o^^'»g "Pot pioneer enterprise with Joseph S SL" 0? if ""'"\^," ^^'^"^^^"^'^ ^" ^««« We have alreaSy comm utn J u "P^r t'^^ ^'«;y ^^erge of civilization, in Oneida cou •; in 7«« T 'o' a'u' ^''^, c°»^»^encing in the Genesee ho t-i^h^' w Ion ,;!" . ^^' "'^'''t^' Pioneers otten speak of his wee Ju l^r^ D^^^^ '""vv""'' ''"'f '^'^ ""'^ ^^-^i^^ habitation be- tueen Judge Deans, in Westmoreland, and Colonel Dantorth's, at a^vi.y fro,,, ,]„. l,n„ks. to t!,e , is an 'o " n , f ' "'•^i"'^' , """^^ ^'" ""'^ ^''^^^■«' ..xistcd tl,"r,. ; -r ntt; h . «. d'S l"''^ ''" 7^"'^^ '^'"''^ ^''" ^■■""^' •'irti'^"lfy drive tl.c..,. ncn.ss t , ov- n k . ■, do .m ■,.„"•■ """i"^' '"' ';-"'™V '" ""''^■"vori-,.' to in scvo.-;,l i„sta>,ces on vi ,^ . ;. ^M ] ^'^ '^''"^'''iy'Jf ^'^MV^ tlio ioun,c.y ; Im.luv t., w.f „„„„ tlw, .„IM :. ' "'.'„" ■*■,• .™ I'.' '^■'■'' H" ''t1 to I'l-eet a tor.-;,orary ■ ■" "ity .ito siu.,v, his .ito/si;;,, a;;?;^;;-;'s v;:?o;;X som'S" t^TfT "" "'^f Avciittd worktoniakoa l.iid..,. -l.,, «I i:;,,, "ii soli,l icc, to got thoni over, he t)iev Moi-c, hroke off id >.„;,. "'"';,"''* "'ff^S:*^^'! the section ofice upon which thoTails SeL n- ; , . ; Hi '^ ''!^'' '',"'■ ""'''''"^' '"^<^'3^ t^' »'« precipi'tated over tJie si -.nd hi i:i,t '""^v.nir .t to h.s ^vife, .ho fastened ,l„e. e„i of i: t(, Slus ' ;i r :^ ;i r, ;";;!i^;', :;7^''^'^ "i;" •'« 'r-^^i the ice to the si,ovo ami ice from wh L , „ v , I 1 '"";-"^'l'"l'l ^'^^^'<^^^- I" n tew moments thr rake of ortw'lt ule*^;! •; , : :;™,^^rtheoLrH:;VM^^^ the Fans . Stoppi,,, ..raday Mte whi.h is noM- f],e ee , n of he it ,• R *V 'I' '''' '"'VT'' '"■" ''''""' ^'I'"'^ ""-' woodsvoad,heAtehi,,:Shn:i,ul;:i";oii;.a!yo;Sl.^"*' '"""™^ ^"""^'^ ^'"^ PHELPS AND G0EIIA.^['S PUKCIIASE. 499 Onondarra. In a letter from John Tavlor, a State Indian acent, to T"r^r^'"'^?,L "''■"' "' ^'^'^^' '^ '•' mentioned that in co-cmeralion with Uhver 1 helps, he had made provisions for openin-r .1 road from Onondaga to Oneida, and that Mr. Blackmcr had contracted to do a i)ortH.n ot the work. He was a native of the town of Kent, State oi Connecticut, and may truly he said to have heen of a lioneer stock, as he was a descendant of Peregrine White the first born of white parents, in New England. Ile'died in 184S, arred 80 years. He was public spirited, enterprising as the reader will mier, a goo*} neighbor, and an efficient helper in all that was tend- ing to die prosperity of his locality. He donated from his farm tlie site for a meeting house, .school house and burying ground. Jirah i^phraim, and Oliver P. Blackmer, of Wheatland, are his sons' i^aughters became the wives of Jesse Kinney, of Michii- to^vhatwL th n WeS i-ulttney. We found it a densely and heavily timbered wilderness- the «ily oceupants other than ^ild boLts. John Si^ith and his sr^^^^^^^^^^^ p ored he township, and were pleased with it. Durino- the next winter I selected lor myselt, my present location, and fur my broTher, the site " Ihe preson village of Churehville. In March, 1806, I rem^; d ^^^ Lt from Phe ps to my new location, expecting that I had a house re'ady fbr them as I had contracted for the building of one; but on anivfnf we found ourselves houseless. William Parker, Samuel Shepherd ad Am^s^ Fro t, lad preceded me a few days, with their familie, and were oTc^ part of the, surveyors' camp, where myself and family w^re hospi ubh a - muted as jom occupants; and a crowded household we had-2S of us al together-al m one small cabin. We called it t!>e " Hotel," and tJutt it tlie name to the stream upon the banks of which it stood Isaac EH Im and David Farwell, then of " Springlleld," now Wheatland, hear nV- tl t I was houseless generously came and helped me erect one. whm up ^e body of It in one day; had it ready to move into on the fourt da/ The floor was of split basswood, the roof of cedar shingles; no boaX Tf v" • s^" TZTT"":' ' "'^ ''''^r '"^^^^^^ ^" Ehsha'FaruS for VI • , r'l , f^ "P"^ *'"'^y commenced a pioneer life, a small specimen of wluch I had already witness..d, and been a part of. ii^ Phelps. ' summer^.! T .f'1-,? .-'^^ ''"'"« "^ ^«°«' '"aised small patches of summci crops. In the fall ot that year. I had fiftv acres cleared which I sowed to wheat. I had got in debt in clearing land and in bu 1 I.'k, and ough I had an excellent crop of wheat, it ,vas difficult to pay debts S It , It would not con.mand money. 1 exchanged some of it for labo w th new comers In 803, 1 took wheat to Canandaigua: there w no p a and no sale for it there; no exchanging of it for ^tore trade. I remm'ed to Geneva, at a cost of 12i cents per bushel, and paid a debt lowed there for a barrel of whiskey with it; the wheat fin.lly nettino me m cents per bushel, or one gallon of whiskey for six bushels of whea^ w! busS * Tn ^1 . IH '''^' ""'Z^'' ''''' ""^ ^'^«'-''^"^' Pncc, 31 cents per bushel In the cold season of 181G, when summer crops were oeneral- &'" T the fdf 'r' \f """f T' '''''' "'" ^"^ '^-'^"-^ wheu^rop in fn "So [ , ' ^ ^?^^'''y '''^"'^'' ^'■^P ^° ^«"d anJ Hatch, Rochester, In some of the earliest years, Mr. Wadsworth sent some pot-ash kettles mto the township, and the manufacture of black salts and pot-asli was com- mence.l. It proved a great help to the new settlers; enabled them to pr^ cuie some of the common n ecessaries of life, when wheat would not. * Extinct of a letter from ."^Ir. Wmlswoitli to Col. Trom d.ito<] in ISO^ • •■ it ; XoTK.-Tlie first four pot-ash kettles that Mr. Wadswortli in-oourod iu All,-inr for the new settlcmeuts, co.t $10 each ; trau.purtaUou to Uie lailing place at clJu^S' If i 1 1: 1 ii ■^'"'i .in m ■)(»4 PITEirs AND GORHASfs PURCHASE. TIio first town meoting we attended was in Ogden, at the house of Esq. VVillcy, in 1807, Then the town of Northampton embraced the nortliern towns of Monroe, west of the river; or " sottk-rnents," and "districts," as they were tlien termed. We made choice of two Supervisors in su-ices- sioii, but their election was a nulHty, neither of tliem being freeliolders; tVee-liolders were scarce in tliat early day. Wo finally compromised the matter by appointing delegates from each settlement, to appoint town ofH- cers. The proceeding- was not exactly legal, but no objection being made, it all went off well enough. Our first religious meetings, previous to the organization of the Con- gregational church, wore held in my barn, it being the first framed barn erected in town. I think Elder Reed, a Baptist missionary, was the firfet to visit our settlement. The Rev. Mr. Phelps and several Methodist cir- cuit preachers, visited us in early years. Judiic Heniy Brewster, now a resident of Le Roy, at tlie :id- vanced au'c of 77 years, was one of the Tionecrs of Riga. Though laboring under the physical infirmities incident to old age, his men- fal faculties are unimpaired ; as a well drawn up and intelligent account of his early advent, which he has furnished for this work, attests. His surviving sons are; — Henry A. Brewster, Rochester, Edward Brewster, Builalo, Albert Brewster, Le Roy. F. W. Brew- ster, Brockport ; a daughter is iMrs. Norris, of Stratford, Conn. REMINISCENCES OF IIEXllY BREWSTER. My father was a farmer in New London county, Connecticut, town of Prescott. As with most ^ew England farmers, the Revolutior., its per- sonal services and sacrilices, its incidental burdens, was the occasion of depression and embarrassment. 2\.s soon as I was old enough to labor, ray services were required upon the farm, so unremittingly as even to de- prive me of the advantages of education, beyond what could be acquired before I was twelve years of age. I married at the age of twenty-three years, and unfortunati'ly bought a ffirm and settled upon it, in one of the poorest mountain towns of the county of Berkshire. Unable to sell it, I was obliged to cultivate the ungenial soil of the Berkshire mountains for ten of the best years of my life. The duy of deliverance came, however: — In 1805, I met with a large handbill sent out by James Wadsworth, Esq., of " Big Tree," pioposing to exchange each alternate range of lots of land in " West Pulteney town- ship," for improved farms in the county of Berkshire. Daniel Dewey, Esq., of Williamstown, and Hopkins, Esq., of Great Harrington, were named as the agents in Berkshire, who would give applicants all needed BiRige, lor till.' itiur, §156 :25. Tliis was in 1M)7. In IHUS, be bnuglit 24 kcttlos in Albiiny,at $35 eucli ; cost of transportation tmt little less than, in tlic preceding yeai'. PHELPS AND GOKirAM's PURCflASE. 505 information The farms were to l,e taken at appraised value, and the wild land given in exchanov, at H per acre. In October I8O0. Mr. 8amuel Baldwin, a neighbor of mine, and myself mounted our hor.es and camo to see liie Q.n.^^^e country, a .d csS v West Pul eney. Arriving nt Avon, a guide Imd been^' videdC r Wadsworth to conduot us to our destination. Ueacl.in/tlir' I] mo /; se tlenu-n," in East Pulteney. we went through the Zds t the s ! m-s cabin in We.t Pu Iteney. where we were lodged, fed, and providc'd wUh maps and a guide, while we made a pretty th").ou..h explur'Uion of. « township We found that several of our neighbors fi/m Bert ire I 3 been m. [those named by Mr. Church,] had Visited the to w, '^7 p t chased and exchanged lands; but all .hat was doing to prepare fo seUle Baldwm and myself selected 850 acres each, the quantity which th^ an- praised value ot our farms in Berkshire entiti kI us to. After this we vi S od the mouth of the river, and ascending it, viewed t!ie Fa! , S Ra id • and the present site of Rochester. All was a dreary wihlernestin which d a ely about the oM Allan mdl. There was a narrow and crooked w "oa pa h(. the east side of the nver, and such it remained for several ye-.rs the ver, made n.m the timber of my lands in West Pulteney. We then visited "liig Iree," where we were hospitably entertained b^ Mr. Wadsworth. our land exchanges arranged, and the deeds nreo m.f which we took with us to Albany to^" be signed by Col Tro p Velt' each of us, purchased several lots upon credit ^ ' In the fall of 1800, I re-visited tiie country to make preparations for the removal o my family. At the hotel in Can^Kulaigua, .LL I was r Idn! mg over the Sabbath, I met with Col. Troup. \'here bei,."^ X worship ,n the village, we spent the day in company. ObservlnrtI afhe took a lively inte. est in all that related to the Settlement ot the' cm try md especially in al that ndaled to public worship, and a stri t re' rft^o the observance of the Sabbath, I ventured to suo4st to him the hinnv • fluence it would have upon our new set.lementTn U'es T^ 1 en Ti f he would set apart or donate lands for religious and educational mLose • Tow isl in HrSl r%." "'"" P"'"^-^^ "" '■''' '•"'• -'"'^--t oTtl e township. He fell in with my views, saying to me :— " Go on and or-aniza a t-ehgious society, elect trustee's, and select^ two one hundred acre lots- on fur the support of the Gospel, and another f a- the support of schoo _ call on me at Albany on your return, and I will deliver you the title dee L " Duimg my stay in the settlement, a meeting of the Pioneers t ok pi 'e few m number, and measures were adopted toavailou.>elvesof the dona ion' ihere were then hve families in West Pulteney, and about fifteen heads of families were making arrangements to settle there. At the mceti e i? was agreed to take all the necessary legal steps in the form: tion of a fd gious society: one of whg^^^s^the^ that notice uf intention NorK.-Iu a letter frcm Mr. Wa.lswoi-tli to CI. Troup, in IH.I.J i,7s;;;:;idi^7M^ fine pr(,sp..cts h,. had „f settlin- West Piiifei.ev he iienr ,, , \i , ' » " • , Brewster as likely ,., prove a v.duublc a..iZ^6n tl: tl "^w l^ta;;;:!! "'''^"" '"^' i I ■ i ! ,' r ,'■ i •fs-^ '.'i WiV-i^ 506 PIIELPS AND GORIIASl'a PUTlOriASE. --•"^ slioiild 1)0 read nt tluj "close of public worship, three Sabbaths in sicces- sioM," nl ilic iiMKf and pldci! to ..lect to organize audi suciotv. Wo ap- puiiiicd a meiMiii^' thr e Siii/oaths in succesM"ii, at t!-. li-diouse of Anuwa I'rost. Doacon iVelioniiali Frost und myself were ih'^ only prof.ssurs of religion in llio fiftile n aL; we comlucted the reading uikI -j.ray.'r ii.!;elin.'s. LviTV pei-soii, yonng and i.Id, aitunded the meetings. On liie day appoint- ed for the orgamzaiion of the society, Xehoiniuii Frost was chosen niodura- t<)r, and mysc-lt .seeretary. Nidieniiah Frost, Samuel Church, Aniasa JJ^rust, Samuel Daldwin, Klilu, Churcli and myself, were cliu.sen trustee!!. Tlie society was ealh-d the " First Congregational Society of West Pulte- ney, m the county of Genesee." Tlio hnds W(!ro secured, and devoted to the objects designed by the donor, or donors, as Col. Troui) acted, of course, for Ins |)iincipals. In less than three ye;irs after the organization of the societ\', a church was lonjK'd, and the U-v. Allen llollister, from the county of Dutchess, was settlrd as its pastor. The church and society, thus early organized, have unitorinly supp(jrted a pastor, up to the present time, without any missionary aid. 1 am the only one living of the original members of that church, and I do not know of any of the original members of the society living, exoe|)tElihu Church, E-cj., and myself 1 moved my family from Herksiiire to the then new region of the Genesee country, in Alay, 1H07. Tin; town of Riga had a rapid and permanent settlement, the papulation being, with few exceptions, from New England, We saw, perliaj)s, less of the harsher features of pioneer life, than most of new settlers. We were tolerably well accomodated with a grist and sa\/ mdl; the substantial necessaries of life were obtained at ac()nvenient dis- tances, nndat fair prices; the lack of a market was a serious drawback. Before the completioi of the Erie Canal, in one year, I raised three thousand bushels of wheat. After harvest, the nominal price was from .•)! to 87^ cents per bushel. I tried the experiment of transporting Hour to Northampton, Conn, by sledding. For this purpose, I had seventy bar- rels manufactured from the best Q. He has been one of the Judges of Monroe county ; a CoIoupI mihtia ; was upon the frontier in the war of 181-i,"in CoondAfchinsons regiment. Rev. Daniel Brown, the father of Ju< ge Brown, settled m Ogden as early as 1807 or '8. He i.reach- ed the first sermon m the village (now city) of Rochester; ilied in 1 ittsfc.rd, in 1845 aged 84 years. William Brown, of Ogden, is a son <) his; a daughter became the wife of the Rev. Lemuel Brooks. ot Churchville. Daniel Arnold in 1805; died in early years; Daniel. Aaron and l-^noch Arnold, of Ogden, and Ebenezer Ar- nold, ot Boi-gen, are his sons ; a dauglifer of his became the wife ot Sainuel Latta, ot Greece. David W^andle was one of the ear- liest; (lie< some 25 years since ; no descendants rcsidiu'r in town. J!mr,>s Baldwin was a settler in early years; removed to Royalton, Niagara county, where he .lied a few years since, and where many o| his tami ly now reside. James Patfingill, Jarvis Ring, Stephen Cridley. Oliver Gates, were other early settlers :— Mr. Pattin-dH died al)out ten years since; Benjamin, Reuben, Osgood, and Moses aimgilL u( (3gden. are his sons ; adau-hter is the wile of Nathaniel iin hn, ot ()g'" ^" Salmon creek ; he emN g ated to Michigan where he now resides. These were all at the corners uid iln n Wl'' ?" ''T'^'''; ,'^"^''':'' ^'"'' '>^^'l removed from the Allan mills at Kochcster, and resided on the Ridge east of tlie vill ge Our hrst meirhants at Parma corners, were Joseph Thompson and David luttle; tlie.r successors were, John Rochester and Harvey Montoomery; then-successor wasW.lham M'Knighf, now of Rochestei- Dr. Gibbons Jc»ett, was our first phy.s.can; Gibbon II. Jewett, of i'arma, is his son; h vas an early superv.sor and magistrate. John D. Iliggins was the first to Rath. Dr. John Scott practiced here in several early years. /oyed Stevens settled in Parma in ]8i;j or '14; was a merchant and distiller; a supervisor and magistrate; died 12 or 14 years since beitlementw'ns entirely suspended during the warof 1812; some left, but none came ; and yet the beating up of recruits, the marching of soldiers the transportation of supplies for the army, made brisk times upon tiie Ridn-e Road It was a constant state ,.f e.xcitement and alarm, and little was doiTe in the way of iinin-ovements by those wlio remained in the country Hope Da- vis the early I loneer I have named, raised a volunteer comminy, and went to the Trontier; >yas at the battle of Lundy's Line, and in several other engagement.s. I have a cannon ball t at Aveighs si.xty-eight pounds, that was tired from the Mritish fleet, off the mouth of Genesee River. I saw where it struck, and went and picked it up. The early tavern keeper, .Air. Talmn.lge, resides upon a fine farm a mile west olPanna Comers; is cliildless ; his wile, wno M-a.sMlie widow of David Franklin, whose sudden death is noticed by iMr. I'ier.son, died m 1812. _ Samuel Castle settled hi Parma, north of Rid-re, in 1810 and vvas joined next year by his lather, Abraham Castle. The old .rcitle .nan d.ec m 18P2 Ili.s surviving sons, other than the one named, are :-Jeh,el Castle, of Parma ; Isaac Castle, of Greece. A dau-di- ter ol us became the wile of Arnold Markham, a brother of tlie earlv I loneers in Avon and Rush. Samuel Castle has been one of tlie Judges ol Alonroe count v. IIEMIXISCENCES (IK SAMUEL CASTLE. Our purchase of land when we came in, was of Birdseye & Norton; the location had upon it a small improvement that liad been made by Michael Heach, a previous occupant, lie had been a salt boiler; had sev- PIIELPS AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. 513 wlr'"'Sfn'' •■"'"'^^, /"^p.«^''; T^S by endeavoring to get stronger ^v, tor. ]3eac!, removed to Put^ford. died several years smce in Clarendon Koad to t e L; ke ,t was called the " Canawaugus ilocfd;" another road d from I5raddock's Bay to "Deep Hollow Bridge." What w ' ciS d ^le Canawauous road is now the main road from Parma Cor, er toPunu Centre and Un.onvil e. The inhabitants at that period nor h cf Rid, en Parma, other that, those in the immediate Bralidock's Bay settlement were:-Alpheas Madden, near Parmi Centre; died hero, lis funj J re- moved; Timothy Madden, a little west of Castle's Corners died 5 o^r 20 years since; Sdas Madden, of Parma, is his son; Mrs. Joseph Randal of Parma, ,s h,s daughter^ Hicks; died in early years Van Rm^se lear and Be-.jamin Hicks, of Parma, are his sons Joshua iSon Jeremiah Perry; died here. Nehemiah Weston. !"» ^I'cKson, In 1810 there was no framed house or barn in Parma, north of Rid^e excep m the Braddock's Bay settlement; there was but 0^11^ at K m. Coiners. It was very sickly north of Ridge, in all the early years; nouTtoni'T' '"r^" "i'^'^'^, T""' ^'^^^« would not be w'eli one enough to take care of the sick; deaths sometimes occurred for the want a -u n,'-o ""'"^ r'^'Ti f '^'' r"^- ^ ''^"'^ '^'''^ ^^J'^" -ffli^ted with the dkl l^av Tl, ■T^'^ ^""'1 '^' '""''"''y ^^'^^'^ I 8-ot well enougli; many ^e Poll A ''?^:''f,^''^ ^« P'--'^^i >"o«t at Braddock's Bay. and about the I ends. A spirit of kindness prevailed among the new setlers. a sym- rn2f!v'''f'"'n''''"'t'''^'"*^^= '^'''' ^^'^'^ "^'^^J i» settlement; a little and take care of the invalids day .nd night. The land north of Ridoe was heavily timbered, wet. It was so hard beginning, that men who had no means, could not take up land ami pay for i1; molt that attempted to do so, failed; were obliged to sell their improvements for what the? could get. 1 knew of one man, however, who persevered in this way, taking up OV.1"'; "^"^^ small improvemen-s, and selling out, until he became thL owne of a good farm. The proprietors of the land were very indulgent ; had It been otherwise, but few of the early settlers could ever become free- holders ihere was, m the earliest years of settlement, no market when the settlers had any thing to sell; in 1810. they had began to better their condition by the manutacture of pot-ash and black salts. During the war, settlement was mostly suspended; some left who did not return; others would move off at periods of excitement and alarm, and return aoain A smgular circumstance occurred with one of our nei-h. borsatthe battle of Queenst..n:-Jo,seph Stoddard was shot in the fo°re- head ; the army sui^-eons extracted a ball ; ],e came home, and another was extracted; the two balls having made but one perforation of the skull Parma Centre is three miles north of Parma Corners ; there is a post-othce, two meeting houses, two stores, several machine shops and a tavern house and dvvellinixs. Unionviile is two miles north ol Parma Corners ; there at that point, two meeting houses, a store, several machine shops and dwellings. The village has started on i:' ^1 H f 1 1 sH Illl 514 PIIEirS AND GORHAJl's PURCHASE. the farms of Jnson Tyler, and Jonathan Underwoorl. The last of manv Pion eers. II e IS a in, Avhorn, is especially remembered by bachelor, nearly 70 years of no;e. 'lie had a Inrire improved far and in an early day raised large crops of rirain. In seasons of scarcity he would withhold from" those who had money to purchase, and trust it out to his neighbors who stood in need of it. Let those old neighbors, or their descendants, see that marble, as well as history records this fact. The town of Parma was erected in 1808. At the first town meeting in 1809, Gibbons Jewett was elected Supervisor, Justin Worthington, town Clerk; other town officers : — Jarvis Rino;, Jonathan Underwood, Abraham Colby. Daniel C. Arnold, Joshua Wickson, Elisha U. Brown, Josiah Mather, Benjamin Freeman, Ephraim Colby, Hope Davis, Stephen Atchinson. The north part of Parma was called by Mr. Wadsworth, " Brad- dock's Bay Townshii)." It was surveyed in 1790, by Joseph Colt. Upon the original surveyor's map, many lots are marked as sold to "Thayer," and afterwards it is noted that they are "released by Thayer to Lady Bath." It would seem that Mr. Wadsworth's agency, in the township commenced in 1800, or rather that he first turned his attention to the sale and settlement of it in that year. — In September, of that year, he wrote to Mr. Troup : — "I have just been down to Braddock's Bay Township. Almost every man, woman and^ child was sick with the fever ; some of them were actually suffering. I supplied them with some articles of necessity. I am afraid the settlement will be abandoned." How changed ! The region which the enterprising patroon of new settlements then spoke of with so much despondency — where men, worn down by disease and all the trials incident to back- wood's life ; is now one of health and prosperity. It v.'ould take from $40 to 800 per acre, to induce its owners to " abandon" it now ; and most of them are under no necessity of quitting it even at that rate. GREECE. In a preceding portion of the work, the early advent of William Hencher, the lu'oprietors of the " -^0,000 acre tract," and a few oth- ers, in what is now Greece, has been noticed. It remains in this connection to speak of jiioneer events there at a later period. Messrs. Troup and Wadsworth would seem to have contem- plated the making of the mouth of the river a commercial point, soon alter Col. '^'roup succeeded to the agency of the Pulteney estate ; it is often a subject of discussion in their correspondence ; but it was not until a few years before the war of 1812, that any movements were made to that end. Samuel Latta was the first gust. PIIELrS AND GORnAl\l's PUKCnASE. 515 permanent settler there, as a local agent for the Pultenev estate, and the locality having heen made a port of entry, he was^ appoin- ted a collector of customs, and had also a small mercantile estal)lish- ment. The Latta family were early settlers at Geneva ; Mrs. Benjamni Barton of Lewiston, was a member of it. Samuel Lat- ta died in Greece ; his widow is now ]Mrs. Beal, of that town ; John Latta of Ijroclqjort, is his son. George Tiatta, now the owner and occupant of the fine farm on the lake shore, near Charlotte, was a younger brother of Samuel; became a resident at Charlotte, in ISU. Erastus Spalding, who had resided at or near Geneva, settled at the mouth of the river, under the auspices of Col. Troup, some time before the war of 1812, lie built and opened the first hotel; a building now standing on the bluff, a litde uj) the river from the present steam boat landing ; had a small trading establishment ; built the first vessel at the point — the schooner Isabel, which was captured by the Bnitish, in the war of 1813 — and was the first to commence the purchase of butt staves, a business that became one of considerable magnitude at that point. Mr. Spalding afterwards became the owner and occupant of the farm on tne river, which embracedthe eligible plat of ground now called Lake View, near the city of Rochester. His son, Lyman A. Spalding, was one of the earliest merchants of Lockport and has been for many years one of the most enterprizing business men of W. N. York ; other surviving sons are. Holmes Spalding of Michigan; Mark Spalding of Lockport, and Frederick Spalding of Rochester. Frederick Bushnell, was established as a merchant at Charlotte, previous to, and during the war of 1812. Samuel Currier was an early tavern keeper at Charlotte, and had some connection with the lake commerce. R is mentioned as an extraordinary fiict, that he was the husband of seven wives, five of whom are buried at Char- lotte. He was drowned in the Genesee River, below the Falls. The first steam boat that entered the mouth of the Genesee Riv- er, was the Ontario, in 1810 — Capt. Eli Lusher was commander. John Mastick, who afterwards settled at Rochester, was first located at Charlotte, previous to the war; was the Pioneer lawyer o| all this local region. Giles H. Holden, Esq., now a resident at Charlotte, settled there at the close of the war. He remarks : — ■'As late as 1815, there were but kw settlers at Charlotte. Sick- ness and the war had been the prhicipal hindrances. Wuen 1 came there were many deserted tenements in Greece, where the Pioneers had either died, or had left the country on account of sickness, or in fear of British invasion. For many years after, the ague and fever, and the billious fever were very"^ general in July "and Au- gust. In 1819, diseases were most i'atal — many died — there were instances of three and four deaths in the same familv. The prevalence of disease was attributed to the low grounds on the riv- er and lake ; to tJic ponds and marshes, of which there are over u I i i" i ; 1 i t H^ •,»i h s; ' •' V i 1. Ki' 51 G rilELPS AND GORIIAlt's PURCHASE. 4000 ncrcs in the town of Greece. I nttrilmte it rather to the clearing up of land, the letting in of the sun upon wet lands, the consequent decomposition of vegetable matter; li.r now that lands are cleared and dry, we have little of disease, and yet the ponds and ^ouiitiT ''"'''^ ^' '"'''"'"" "' ^''''^' '""'''^ '" ^''^ '^'^•''>' settlement of the _ Immediatelv after the war there was a considerable accession of inhabitants at Charlotte; the purchase and shi,,pin^ „f luml)er and pot ash, and a small business in the way of shippin- (lour an.l tting an intimation that an armed force was colecting at Ilandford's Landing. A body of armed men mat Had collected there marched down, arriving at the Charlotte landing just as the invaders were embarking on board their boats- pome shots were fired upon them, but from too great a distance to be ellcetive. Toward the last of September, of the same yeftr, both the British PITELPS AXD GORILUl's PURCHASE. 517 and^^ertcnn fleets were at the upper end of the lake, Conimo- do. ( hauncey making trequont demonstrations to Sir James Yeo ot hKs rea.hness to contend for the supremacy of the hd in. vaders, ol" the bridge over Deep Hollow. The fleet was (irst "descried by captain Stone and the citizens of Charlotte, a litfe after sunset, upon which expresses were sent into tht> settlements in dillerent di- rections, calling for volunteers. In what is now the city of lloches- ter, there were then 32 men capable of bearing arms. 'These were organized during the forejiart of the night, mikI armed with nniskets that Jiad been deposited with llarvcy Ely &, Co. ; or rather 30 of them, one refusing to volunteer, and another i)eing held in reserve, with a cart, to tidic off the women and children'; so few in num- ber, that the means of conveyance was (piite ample. The formida- ble force, marching through deep mud, and in rain, arrived at Charlotte, at 2 o'clock in the morning. They iuul constituted Francis Urown and Elisha Ely their olliccrs. In addition to the force of ca])tain Stone, there was stationed at Charlotte, a volun- teer company, under conmiand of captain Frederick Jiowc ; the men ])rincipally citizens of what is now the towns of Gates and Greece; and Col_. Atkinson's regimeiit, from what is now the north western towns of Monroe county, were cither there previously, or as soon as tlie exigency re(piire(l. The only fortification at Char- lotte, was a breast work, ui)on the bluff, near the old hotel, so loca- ted as to command the rbad leading up the bank from the wharf Ttwas composed of two tiers of ship timber, with a space between the tiers filled in with barn manure. The hastily collected defenders of their country were so impatient to meet the invaders, that before any demonstrations were made from the fleet toward shore, a volunteer party went out in an old boat that had been used as a lighter, just after day light, in a heavy fog, to reconnoitre ; the fog suddenly clearing away, they found themselves within range and reach of the guns of the\vhole British fleet. A gun boat from the fleet jait out after them, but they suc- ceeded in making good their retreat. All tilings remained in a state of suspense until about ten o'clock in the forenoon, when a ilag of truce was seen to leave the British fleet, and make^ toward the shore. At the retjuest of captain Stone, captainsFrancis Brown and Elisha Ely went to receive it. with orders not to let the party who bore it enter the river, or dis- einbark, but to communicate with them from the Lake shore. For this purpose, they went out upon a fallen tree, a short distance above the mouth of the river, and tied a white handkerchief to a stick, as a signal. The British boats' crew approached, proposed to land, as is usual with the bearers of flags of truce, but the orders of captain Stone were tenaciously obeyed. While the parley was going on, a small party of urmcLl men a{)j)roached, anxious to watch the progress of events. The British olHcer, a stickler for all the h PHELPS AND GOKHAm's PURCHASE. 519 rules niul iTcriilafioMs of war, onquircd :—" Ts it your custom to re- ceive a (1:.^ of irure uiulcr anus Y' Tn which ciiptnius IJrown and -Ny replied :— " ^ ou must excuse us, sir; we are not soldiers, but citizens The armed men, however, were reciucsted to retire, when the Untish oHicer disclosed his husiness. It was to tender iho iissuiance of Sir James Yen, that if all the public i)ro|)erty vvas surrendered, private profjcrty should he resp(>ct(!d. To favor his mission, he presented a paper si,-^r,„.,l by several citizens of Oswef^o, tlie purport of which was, that as the government had left lanre quantities of stores and munitions at that place, without any ade- quate lorce to protect tliem, thev had concluded not torisk their lives and pro|x>rty in the defence. The message and the paper was for- warded to captain Stone, whr decided at once that the citi/en sol- diers assembled at the mouth of the C^enesee river, could not follow the preccileni of their countrymen at Oswego. " Go back and tell the oflicer," said he, "that he may say to Sir James Yeo, that any puljlic |)roperty that may be liere, is in the hands of those who will delend it." Soon after this, a gun l)oat, sloop rigged, of from {)0 to 100 tons bun en, .sailed out from the fleet, approached the mouth of the river, fired a six pound shot, which compliment was returned from the 18 pounder on the American battery. The gun boat then fired 15 or 20 08 pound shots ; but one of them, striking the store-house, doin" any damage. " '^ Soon aiter this occurrence, Peter B. Porter arrived, and assumed command. Another ilag of truce came from the British Hect at 4 o clock P. M, bringing a perem])tory demand from Sir Jajiies Yeo, that the public property be delivered up; and the threat, that if the demand was not complied with, he would make a landing with his marines and 400 Indians. To this, Gen. Porter replied, through his aid, Major Noon, that he would endeavor to take care of any force thai. Sir James ielt disposed to send on shore ; accomi)anying the reply with an intimation that a third Hag of truce sent upon the .same errand, could not be respected. The demand for the surren- der of the public property was not repeated; and nothing farther occurrc(l, but an occasional shot from the fleet, which did iio harm. Many of the heavy balls thrown on shore, were picked up, and have been preservetl to this time, as memorials of the event. The whole force collected for delence, vvas at most, 800 ; a num- ber entirely insufficient to contend with one which could have been iurnished Irom the British fleet. The reason why Sir James Yeo sailed down the Lake without executing his threat, was probably an over estimate of the strength of the American force ; many ingen- ious maneuvres having been resorted to, well calculated to i)roduce that result. Or, he may very wisely have concluded that a victory, won with even a small loss of men," would have been a barren one" ; for with the exception of a small amount of public property, there was little in all the locality to encourage or provoke invasion. I ' i 1 : '.Ji I : ■li: r ' 1 !^ 1 hi ^1 PIIKL f;LPs AND oonirAji's rvRcirASJK. OATKS. arJ L i T TV'^ '" '^'' l^'''''^^"^ touns ,.f (ialos, Greece ami the city o Uochestor on the west si.le of the River had a o thRiv 'l -'T'"' ^'•'■•'"""P'"". once e.nhnu'n. all ZIl 1, •,, • • ''"■|.^'".'J^' ^^''' "'"-^ '•^••'•"•'''1 in territory. The iVech-.M- vi^sSl. s''''''M"''"^r''^;''^'''^-^'''-'- Hartor" n vent!; 1 ■ *'"■';■ ^^T' ^''''''''^^' ^'^■•"""^•> t'"''i<'r. I aac \ =u„le MnV •"''^,.'^'— J ''•;•""« Kniff, Richanl Clark, John Williams Mathew D.n.m.ck Moses Clark, Nathaniel Til, hies Al,.]'' ihonias Lee, Charles llarlord, Frederick Rou-o F .. , i> i ' Asahel Wdkinson, NaU.aniel .1.,^^; aI^s^^^! ^ w" ^ Zl; iNiU fcan.Kd Latta was supervisor; the hountv unon r-,nlr :r ;: «;:;"""";■:; '"'vr'""-;' ,','; •"- -ki"''! i"'r. i:l nn ,.nMi ?■ 1^ 1— >^acheus Colbv was suiicrvisor • hountv on lattle snakes was increased to V2i cents. 1812 - Toh /m ich ;8^!!'Ji::S j}«f-l^ounty on wolves w^s r^l::!;!^ ^1^! cWk. i/^rli =:!l";f.^"i--™-. Jo'^"^- Rochester, town - --.^v-v.,^ >nio oci Ull HI i«:;iij. 1 revious to the close of the war of iMio „^«,i, , . . e«,m^, „?"'?"■ "I'","'",!'" »»>ne,l in c.mec.io,, ,v ,1 ear y an impiovenient of al)out 30 acres on fh'if mnA ...wi i -if i = t/Xirrrr'^'', ^^- ^^^'-- ^i -ilJ:;!^ 'ri^e ^Xh^v•s nur i V'l "p/r '\^.«'"'»^ncement upon the farm \VSarUtir II ^h ''"'■'' ^^'''^^' '" ^^^«; now owned by i Id 'isn ■-''""" ""'^ a commencement upon th^ Mr. M ason, and comn In 181U. William Williams lenced inii)rovements the upon ulvanccd heyoiid luncey larm. I'lUai'8 AND GOitllAM's rirRCHASE. 521 I'EiVFIELD. commissary flcpurtment • -iff • • f ,.1 ^'"T" ^ ''^'l''^' '" ^^e field. Hediedin H4 » t . '^'^'^i' ^' ^^^'^^ settlement of Jiloom- lit^, dunn^ t;I ' , ^^; ; t;;:^;^ ^^^^^ ^'^-- a Ion, and active ters:_Mrs. Judge in o? Bl i t l1 T" ""ri^r ' ^^^"-^- The permanent settlement of Penfield commenced in isni Tn i«in. ""^ 1''^"^ "I village. 1 he former died in 1810 the lotforin 1810; sonsot both reside in l^enfield Th<. Jf\L I '^"^^'" II 1804 wore— Tn«inh T K u k • , ^^"'^'3 who came m Y yii!.,no, was at cue period the keeper of thf> l<'nr,i„ t'' • Pataya. Both of .ha 'brother, sut-vivl °' ito'-Bet.; Xd" In i' '.»' ' i I ; " 1 li J :m PHELPS AND GOEHAJl's PURCHASE. I ft; 1835. arroH 73 years ; Mrs. David Baker Mrs. Luke Thompson, Mrs John I). Scovell, are his before me!' " While in Hudson Brant was free to say that he regretted having espoused the liritish sirie in the Revolution ; and that in another contest such would not be his pf)sition. Capt. M'Kinster was upon the i'rontier in the war of 181-2, in com- mand of a company at the battle of Queenston. In 1814 Jacob B. lb-van became hi"s liu'iiness partner; the firm was continued un- til 18-io, until Mr. :\rKinstrv returned to Hudson. Mr. Bryan, who was the early P. M. of Peiifield, continued the business untd 1841 ; dioxl in 1813. Dr. \'an Dake commenced the practice ot medicme ni I enfield in 1801, died in 1810: Dr. Rich in 1808, died in 1814. Dr. Arms m 1810; removed to .Michigan in 1833. where he died in 1838. Dr. Oliver Reynolds eounnenced piactice in the village, m 1815; in 1S18 removed to what is now Webster, where he now resides. Dr. Daniel Durfee settled in the east i)art of the town m 1818, where he still continues the practice oi his profession, at the age of 70 years. , the first settled miaister was the Rev. Asa Cai'iienter, as early PHELPS AND GORII All's PUKCIIASE. o23 !}l/'^*^i«J-' ''''''' ^''^ ^''•""^'' ^^'^'^-'^ IVesbyteriau church. He UlCfl 111 loJ<^. Mr. I'eiifield erected a jurist and saw null, at the Falls of the Iromlequo.t .n 1805. As has been observed, he did not become a resident until 181]. In 1813. Henry Ward (who has been'uln'ed in connection with reminiscences of Tryon Town,) became his cerk- continuing as such until 18-1. Mr. I'enfield erected a tlourin.^ mil at an expense of ,S15,000. It is now owned by J. B. Roe In 18db, James Iv. Livingston erected a stone tlourinborhoc.d; Wm. Harris, a Scotchman, was the first eacher. Methodist circuit riders were our first ministers. The 1 ev So Ion Pierce organized a Methodist church in 1812 W the Lnghsh as.soc,at,on the Salt Works tract, 3000 aci^s. There was upon the tract, about two miles north of Webster Corner a salt spring that vvas first known as a much frequented deer lie ^'-^^ As agents tor the proprietors, Stephen Howard and Stephen S^:iTi ':\f ^ ^^^" «0 ieet deep and obtained tolerablv stron J w . ec for t wi l'v7''' T '"^^ '"'f '^ " -""'• ^'"^^''^3- was manun'i;.tur- ed toi a Wide region o new settlements. The price was Si 00 ner hushel. Christopher Prentice succeeded How'ard and SpraTe ^Ts agents ; as early as 1809 or '10 the business of salt manufacture fe! .no the hands o Daniel Hudson and his son-in-lavv, Joel Tlaye The property iell into the hands of Mr. Groicr, the n anufictu.e of sal was suspended, and the lands reserved tc.llu-nlsh timl r for s.d boihng forms now a landscape of beautitui highly cultivaS farms i he first town meeting in Penfield, was held" in 1811. William OtlTi T "^''^ '^"P«-i->'% «'-ooks Mason town c le Otl er town officers .--Nathaniel Case, Charles P. Moore, Josiah T. WiM fsn ' n-''''/± ^^''f'"'^'' ^'''^'^ ^^''' ««"i^^'^i" Tripp S . ll'?'"'' I f T' T'''°"' ^'''''^'^' T. Shaw, Reuben Bailfy bid?., "'r^^ ^'^•'^P'^''"''''^'^''^ '^'" exhibit pioneer names, and mdicate where settlements were made as late as 1811 :-John Strogor Gurdon Lewis, David Camp. Stephen Butler, Pelecr Ross w'lY ^^'\«-' Enos ILu.j s,,,,.^^^^., pi^,.^l_ EbenezorSpearrDavid S'n"' J/f ^P'\"«'-^:«y' Z'^^th Eldridge, Elisha Smith, Rufus D M ^h b-V^'^' ?/'"7^''' '^'^'^'^ ^''■^'''^'' E"'^''-'^ <'=^««' John Pierce Michael Hibnor Reuben Brace, Zaccheus Horton, Abner Brown,' Wm. Cole, Jonathan Carpenter. Willian. Spear was Supervisor in in 1838 The townof Web.ster was taken from Penfield Brooks Mason was an early Judge of Ontario, a Justice of the icace, and m other respects, a prominent Pioneer. Hussell B Mis. Andrew Lincoln, of Pennton, is a dautditen •^i7!"'~/' '■'■''* ^'^^™'^'^'f' '^""" Yankeu rionocr wnntwl nothiii.Hnit nn " -.vn u Ijmhld MM.l au^ur, a . rau-in.r knil\. an,! .jn..l< plan.." to bu Id „ M h use M Main, iKU not as nnu'l, ; ),nt l.ninir a l„.llnwH and anvil ),.. mad. 1 is o v dmi.loti' .iugur,s and plane iron., witl. which he Ix.ilt not only fra.no bu ii g , .illf ) -I i 1 t I . 1 i I ! ; i_ 1 i 'i ] J : V 526 PHELPS AND GOKIIA^iL S PURCHASE. Tlio village of Webster has grown up on the farm of Dr. Oliver Reynolds. The earliest merchants there, were Stearns & Coltiss ; the' permanent ones, William .-md Timothy Corning. I'lTTSFORD. The names of tlie first eight heads of families will be found on page 431. They were priiicii)ally from Salem, Washington coun- ty. Israel Stone died in early years ; his widow became the wife of Paul Uichardjon, and after his death that of Moses Barr : she died a few years since at an advanced age, Eri Stone, of I'itts- ford is a son of Israel Stone. Simon Stone died 15 or 20 years since. Orrin Stone, of I'ittsford, is a son of his. Jesihel (not .To- seph, as on page 4.'H.) Farr, died soon after 1812 : the death of Mrs. Farr was the first that occurred in " Stonetown;" Jesihel Farr, of Pittsfnrd is a son : a daughter became the wife of Caleb Nye. Silas Nye came into the new I'cgion at an advanced age ; had h(dd a commii^sion in the Revoh.lion : he was the first supervisor of the town; died in early years. Tlis surviving sons are, Nathan and Silas Nye, of I'ittsford. Nathan who is now 78 years of age, has been a suj)crvisor of the town, and justice of the peace. A daugh- ter of Silas i\ye the elder, becanie the wife of one of the brothers, Becliwiths, early merchants in Palmyra : another, the wife of Carmi Hart, of Pittsford. Thomas Cleland died soon after 1830, Josiah Gimminson did not become a permanent resident, neither did Dodge, who was one of the pro])rietors of the town. Alexander Dunn was a son in law of Silas Nye. Other Pioneers, as early as 1790, and mostly before 1800: — Anson Stone, John Stone, Ann is Stone, Samuel Stone, Daniel Per- rin, (the father of Darius Perrin, P. M. Rochester.) Caleb Hopkins, Wm Acker, Noah Norton, Thomas Billinghurst, Wm. Agate, Rich- ard Welsh, Nehemiah Hopkins, Robert Holland, Henry Bailey, JarcMl liarker, Elilui Doud, Nathan Calhoun, Ezra Patterson, Ben- jamin Weeks, Daniel Brown, (an early liaptist preacher,) Israel Canfield, Benjamin Miller, William Hill, Robert Holland. Wm. Acer, was the father of John Acer, the widely known landlord of Pittsforil; Ezra Act'r, of Pittsford, is a son; daughters became the wives of Theron Noble, Dwellie Clapp, and May. Caleb Hopkins was breveted a Colonel in the war of 1812, had com- mands upon the Niagara frontier, and at the mouth of the Cenesee River; was an active and efficient ])artizan in all the trying crisis; Marvin Hopkins, late sui)ervisor of Pittsford is his son. Nathan Calhoun still survives at the age of 73 ; lias been a sujiervisor ot the town 8 years, a magistrate 30 years ; is the father of eight daughters, of whom have become ^vives. WIELPS AND GOllirAM's PrHCIIASE. 52*7 ►Simon Stone 2(1, a connexion of the numerous family of thai nime who wore pioneers m the lociilitv, w:is the primitive kuvver. He WIS loeiited HI jH-actice soon alter 1800; filled the office of super- vise, and Justine ol the pence : he died 1 5 or 16 vears since. Wm. Cr. 1 ayior was the next practicing lawyer, locatinjr in early vears • he emigrated to the west. Ira Bellows; who has been so lone ideii- tihed with the locality, yet suryiyes, in the practice of the profession. 1 lie (Mrly physicians were, Dr. .Tohn Rav and Dr. Daniel Rood • .succeedinsr them were, Dr. Acliill<-s G. Snn'th, and Dr. Hartvveli Carver. Dr. Carver is a lineal descendant of John Carver who came over in the M.'ivtlower, and of Jonathan Carver, the ear- ly western explorer, lie was a -rraduate of Yale Colle-H-, .settled at littsloid soon alter the war of 1812. Althoimh makinir that hi.s hailinir place, a spirit of eiiK-rprise and adventure, has made him a traveller in Europe, a resident in New Orleans, in Florida, and in iViiiinesota; lew men are more widely known, or have obtained more prolessional celebrity. Though a waiiderinu bachelor, he would seem to be becoming a fixture now, as he is buildin-r th," m,. iquo dwelling place, that may be observed uiion the outskirts of the pleasant rural village of I'iitsford. Allhough Israel Stone in an early day, did a little in the mercan- tile way, the first considerable mercantile establishment was founded by U'-- A^ G. Smith, Nathan Nve, Caleb Hopkins and John Acer Samuel Hildreth, a brotiier of the Hildrelh's of Vienna, was an early merchant, tavern keeper and stage proprietor ; foundiii"- the first line ot public conveyance from Caiiandaigua to iJoeliT'ster, an( with others, the; first on the Riga road from Rochester to Can- andaigua; his widow survived until recentiv; John Ilildivth, of littsloid IS a son; Mrs. Babcock and Mrs. Richardson ol' Tittslord are his daughters. Augustus Elliott was an early merchant and distiller ; and in an early day erected an iron forue in IVnticid. lie was the lounder of the fine private mansion that was alterward^ oc- cu;)it d by James K. Guernsey. _ Glover Perrin who is inentioned as the pioneer of Perrinton. d,'(l sctflomont anvMpally of James Wadsworth, either as owner or agent. Tlu Ball trac^ was sold to Augustus and 1 eter B. Porter, and Zel ulon Norton. Zfliulon Norton '^from Ver- mont, was the Pioneer in the township, erecting mills as eaviv as 1791, on the Honeoye Falls. He died in 18 J i ; his son Ezra, upon whom the two years Sales ot the 11,00( year, sales Williams, Williams, not all of y tli''y paid Hickox. a! 1701. Ot fore the ch Samuel L Klijah licl atider, Ge wives of I' side at the years ; his settler at Capt. Tr a century could be s hrii^fness f and J'iller stead, aiu Ainaziah, lienjamin Nathan \ Mendon, ; viving sor residing u a daughte sons of Si .fudge Jol Iji'yan. Other e ters, Jacr Sims. ]i ot' Marvii ters of Bl an early n as do in f usual in < son of Jo The ea der of K He wa.s PHELPS ATSTD fiOTlHAM S PURCHASE. 531 wliom flic care of the mill and farm devolved in early years, died two yciifs y)revious. S;ili;s of farm lots were commenced by James Wadsworth, on the 11,000 acre tract, in June, 170.'{ ; in that and the succecdin;^ year, sales were made to "Dan Williams, Cornelius 'J'icat, Elijah Williams, Henjamin I'arks, lihene/.er llafhhun. Ilufus I'arks, Nathan Williams, Moses Everett, Wm. Hiekox, Lorin Wait, Ueuheu Hill;" not all of whom, it is presumed, became actual settlers. Tic ])rices tlu'v paid were from 61 2r» to S'-i pcv acre. Treat, Williams, Hickox. and Parks, "all from Berkshire." were actual settlers in 1701. Other earlv Pioneers in the tovvtishij), in succession, all be- fore the close of 1800, were, John Parks, Jonas Alhm, Joseph Hryan, Samuel Lane, Charles Foote ; and soon after 1800, Moses Rowell, Elijah fieland. Charles Foote, of Mendon, and Elias Foote, of Alex- ander, (ienesee Co., are sons of Charles Foote; dauj^hters became wives of Fnos Blossom and Gains Lane ; other sons and dauirhters re- side at the west. C'apt. Treat died in 1848, at tfie advanced ai ' \ \ . ' f» i !> t' ■ in I" l,i 532 PIIELPS AND GORIIAm's rURdlASE, Dr. Wm. Rrown was the early physician in East Mendon, is now a resident ot rembroke, Cenesee county. ^^ Zebulon Townsend was an early settler on what was called Abraham s riains," still survives, at the a^e of 75 years. Surviv- uig sons are: — Geo. P. Townsend, an Attorney, in Penfield, Jo- seph B. ol Mendon, Jeremiah, Seth and Gideon, of Maren™, Mich '^'\"\r L'' i''Vl ^^- ^^""'"'^ '-''"'^ ^^''- Oi-ra Case, of Honeoye Falls and Mrs. S. N. De^roli; of Maren, o, are liis daughters. Innothy IJarnard, who was the brother of the e. rly land propri- etor, (l)ut not resident,) named above, removed from the city of Hartlord— cxchaiitrinnr a comfortable home for a log cabin in the new i;egion--in 1808. He died in 1847 or '8, aged' 1)1 years. It IS a singular fact, that although he brought a large family into the new country, and his descendants in the second degree became nu- merous, his was the first death that occurred in the whole family circle. He was an early Judge of Ontario, and in other respects a prominent and useful citizen. He was the father of Daniel D Barnard, the U. S. Minister to Prussia, of Timothy and Henry Barnard who reside on the homested. Among the reminiscences of the early settlers of Mendon, is that of an oak stump, on the farm of Capt. Treat, nine feet in diameter 1 he tree was supposed to have been cut down by the Indians. On tne Jarm ot Mr. 1 arks, a section of a hollow sycamore was cut off 6 feet in length, through which a pair of oxen, of ordinary size, was driven in their yoke. John Stimpson, a trapper, caught on Capt fTJ T' '"^ '''°'''^' ^" ''"^ "'g'^^' ^"^»' which he received a bounty 01 bJO- a large sum ot money in those primitive times. Wolves pursued Capt Treat one night for miles ; and nothing but the supe- nor speed of his horse saved him from becoming an inhabitant of an older settled country, '•• where wolves cease from troul)linfr " Dr Joe Brace, the early physician in Victor, was going from Norton's Mills owards home, on the old Indian trail. When near what is novv Miller s corners, his horse suddenly stopped, and looking ahead ot him he saw in his path a huge i.anther, crouched and i^eady to spring upon him. An attempt to turn around would have been fatal. With much presence of mind he suddenly spread his umbrella, and shaking it, the animal walked otf. The town was organized in 1813. Jonas Allen was the first supervisor; Daniel Dunks town clerk. A Baptist church was or- ganized in 180!) ; the first pastor, the Rev. Jessee Brayinan ; a Con- gregationalchurcji inlSlTor '18, the first settled minister the Rev. eivm7fom,',']w./''i"^''''r'"'°" "*■ *H" En.pk7sMZ" is a designation oc^i^ni^ K r , / T '": •'''■''''^''''■''f ^'"''"^^y' '■•'^^''■' vauntingl/j,m-hap.s; l.ut it li li SvlJ fh our imtional oxiston.e conunonced. and for I.mi- rears nfr,.- rSviMn '.!''!•'• ' "f ^^^^■■^"'^'"' "'; H'^' ^'"'^^''' *'='f^'^ ; ^ ^'"^t MasUT General ; Ld hphaniah JJranch. A large family of (JolTs, of which the early and widely known Elder G'ofK was a member • Jaseph Sibley caine to the Genesee country in 1804 — in 1800 located ni Jiush He was from Renssealer countv, N. V Like witb' inl t •' ' k" '"''\ ■:"l^-^'"^^"-^'-«- l^e came into the wildernes with little to aid him in his enterprise; but with an in.Jomitablt spin of perseverance, he looked at its ruuged features undismayed, and bo l,t V and successfully wr.^.tled through long years with all of iStUud' lirSlj'"""""- '^'' ^""^'^^^"^' ''^^'^'^' --^'S^ -^ " Tlio iixc tlint w.indroiis iiistniiiient, TiiMt like tlii^ hilisinan, ti-niist'orms Ucst'i'ts to liulcls ami cities," and first in one locality and then in .aiother, made openincrs in he f-M-est ; and now m his declining years, favored with almost'un interupted health, and a sound constitution, he is enjoying the frui s of his h.bors-,s settled down m the midst of bnii; highly culti- vated fields, constituting one of the many large and beauliful ilrm^ in the immediate valley of the Genesee. "^auiiiui laims In 1812 he changed^his residence from Rush to Riiin, an.l was one o the first to commence clettring a farm in the neighborhood of Churchville ; and after that was a resident of Chili,' louiidii,. tl e mdhng establishment on Bh.ck creek, now owned by D Co ne When in anticipation of the declaration of war, Gov Tomnkins ordered drafts from the militia, he was one of the sk- hundre .1 vob unteers that supplie.l the necessity of a drt.ft, and promptly marched to tlie frontier, under tl ' .•/-.., '— i supervisor of Genesee and Monroe le command of Col Swift. H lature ; for five years a canal superintend a member of the State L e was an early eijis- the collector of the port of Ge and Samujl Church, of Riga, to whom I survives; a nioie lliun usual nioiiuliiyJi int; and more recently Miesee. His wife, the sister of Elihu le was married in 1807, still iiw lis prevailed with their i; The dauiih- ull, George nus, died ii, ■ iJrook. in oils. Mrs. di Bell of John jk'll, a settled ill ives. The I Svveeden, ^'e pjiit of i Ilartwell, 'ariand, of whieh the — in 1800, Y. Like wddeniess idoinitablt idisinnved. vith all" of urage and penings in ihuo.-jt un- ihc fruits hly culti- iliil larms d was one rhood of idinti; the D. Cope, .'oinpkins Ired voj- niarched an early e hems- recently of Elihu 807, .still eir large PHELPS AND GORHAJI rf PURCHASE. 535 family of sons and daughters; of a family of ten children, most of whom hecame adidts, hnt three siu'vive : — Horace J. Sil)lry a stu- dent of law ill lloclu'ster ; Mrs. John P. Stull, of Hush ; and Mrs. James M'Ciill, of t'incinnatti. REMINISCEXCK.S OF JOSEPH SIBLEV. AYIicn I came to Rush, in 1800, th(?re was no surveyed road in the township. The fall previous, .Mr. VVaJsworth hiid contracted with Major Mnrkliam to cut out a wuail's road as fur as the line of lluiiiicilii; but it wa-i several years before it was carried any farther. Tho lirst surveyed road tl>rough the town and West Henrietta, was the State roal from Ark- port to llie mouth of the (Jeuesee river. A road was surveyed from the line ot Meiuioii thne.inh the "Golf settlement," in 1807; and in 1808, a brid;;e was built by tho volunteer labor of sotllers, over the lloneoye, near where State road crosses, In 180!), a bridge was built over tiie Honeoye, in West Unsh, on r.ver road, by the town. In 1817, the bridge on the State road, vveut otV in a freshet, and about the same periud, Austin VVing, a broliiur of Dr. Wing, of Albany, was drowned in crossing the stream. There were large patches of rushes both on Hats and upiaiuLs, along the river and the lloneoye Creek; the locality was called "Hush liottom " — thence the name of tiie town. Cattle would winter well and thrive on the rushes; the Wadswortha would send large droves here to winter, and many were sent from Lima, llloomtield, and Victor, ibe rushes finally run out by being repeatedly fed down. The greatest amount of sickness and death that I knew of in any locali- ty in tli(! Genesee country, was as late as 18'2!, in the settlements along on Black and Sandy (Jreek. The prevailing disease had all the distinctive character of the yellow lever, ami in a dense population, vvoull have been equally as fatal. It was principally owing to the erection of mill dams, and consecpient flooding of timbered lands. When the mill dams were drawn oil, the sickness subsided. In one of tho earlier years, when Riga and Chili were one town, it was ascertained that 00 died in apopuhuion of less than 3,000. At one period, in a population of 83, within the distance of It miles alonii' on the Hrntklock's Bay road, G3 were sick, principally with billions inlermittents. In many seasons, along on the river, the per cent of sickness was greater than has ever prevailed in any of the large cities of the United States, not excepting even the seasons of cholera. This was the case in many of the early years. 1 have seen instances when entire families would be prostrated, deaths would occur wiihout any medical aid, and sometimes even without nursing. Physicians would be worn out, over-run with business; often it would be twenty-four hours af- ter they received a call before they could attend to it. In 1805, crops were very light, and before the harvest of 180G, there M^as much suflering for food; wheat, went up to $2 50 per bushel. The season of 1804 i.ad been very wet, espec'ally along about corn harvest; aud the seed corn planted in 1805, seemed to have lost in a great measure 536 PHELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. l! • Its germinating principle ; much of it rotted in the ground. The harvest of 1806 was an abundant one; many fields of wheat were fit to cut on the 4th of July. Wheat and corn became a drug; neither would sell for store trade, nor could they be bartered for the ordinary necessaries of life. I chopped, cleared, and sowed to wheat, twenty acres the first year I commenced in Rush. I harvested from 6 to 700 bushels, but could sell it for nothing that I wanted, except in a few instances. I gave a blacksmith m JJloomfaeld, a bushel of wheat for putting a small wire baii into a tea kettle. Leather, wheat would not buy : and so we had to go barefoot. This state of things produced a large amount of distilling, and whiskey became far too cheap for the good of the new country. The seasons of 1807, '8' '9, '10, '11, were productive, but that of 1812 was unproductive and they grew worse until 1816 inclusive. In that year, most of the' wheat was not fit to cut until September; the corn crop was almost entire- ly lost; but little summer crops of any kind were raised. From the 6th to the 12th of June, there was frost every night. I sold pork that year for $10 percwt., fresh; and beef for $6. The harvests of 1817, '18 were tolerable ones: from 1819 to '24, they were universally prolific. In 1819 wheat went down to 31 cents per bushel. ' In early years, there was none but a home market, and that was mostly barter:— It was so many bushels of wheat for a cow; so many bushels for a yoke of oxen, &c. There was hardly money enough in thee ountry to pay taxes. In the way of clothing, buckskin breeches and those made from hemp grown upon the river, were quite common. A young man would then have to work six months for such a suit of clothes as he could now buy for $12. Few wore shoes or boots, except in winter. I have seen men who are now wealthy farmers, barefoot long after snow came, lie price of a common pair of cow-hide boots would be $7, payable in wheat at 62 cents per bushel. Judge Peter Price told me that the first horse he ever owned in Rush, he paid ten bushels of corn for shocincr As a matter of necessity, l-.or:-.es mostly had to be used without shoeino-. When we began to have a few sheep, n cost usn great deal of trouble t"o keep them from the wolves; the coarsest wool was worth 50 cents per lb and cash at that. Woolen shirts were a luxury; the most common ones' were oi flax and hemp. Along in years previous to the war, there was extensive liemp culture on the river. The Wadsworths introduced it, raising much themselves, and turnisiungseed for others; upon their Honeoye farm, in 1811 18 acres of hemp were raised. Samuel M. Hopkins, and his brother, Mark Hopkins, were largely er iged in the business at one time, at whiit is row Cuyler- ville. Ihe principal market was at Albany. It finally became a losing business; cultivation, harvesting, preparation for market, transoortation, cost too mucii. It was abandoned after an experiment of a [c\v years Game was very plenty :-The hills of Rush, Avon, Caledonini Wheat- land, valleys and uplands, were favorite ranges for the deer. In the win- ter of 1806, '7, a deep snow came suddenly in December— a thaw suc- Note.— In 1816, iho uutlior paid some Indian women at Monnt Monis, $2 per tjuft.nci tor a oiiu liurwu wngon load of corn, and helped pound it outinthc biu'guin. PIIELPS AND GORHA^l's PURCHASE. 537 ceeded, leaving the openings pretty much bare, but there was eight or ten inches of snow left in the woods, which was suddenly crusted over. This drove the deer, in large flocks, into the openingr^. They were in good con- dition, and we could easily kill all we wante i. The Indians of Canawau- gus had tine sport, and laid in stores of venison. In all the early years, those Indians were frequently upon the trails that went down to Ironde- quoit, the Falls, and the mouth of the Genesee river. On their return, their ponies would be loaded down with the spoils of the chase, the tish-hook and spear. The winter I have spoken of, was generally a very severe one ; toward the last of March and beginning of April, ihere was a heavy fall of snow ; through Canandaigua, Phelpstowa, and in all that region, it was from four to five feet in depth ; on the river, three and half feet. AH the roads were entirely blocked up. A thaw carae suddenly and swept the flats of the river throughout their whole exl«.-nt. It was a singular fact, t the robin, remained in the country throw mt this generally hard winter, in the winter of 1808, '9, another de^ , ow and crust occurred. The wolves and dogs made terrible havoc i: ..ong the deer; the poor creatures would take to the roads, and flee into farmers' yards for refuge. Venison, in the way of meat, was a great help to new settlers. I have never heard of a regiou where deer were so plenty. In the winter of 1815, we had a general wolf hunt, or drive, as it proved to be.. The inhabitants of the whole region turned out, and surrounded all the swamps in Gates, Chili, Wheatland, aud Caledonia; sounded horns, fired guns, halloed, shouted, and raised a din of discordant sounds. Many deer, bear and foxes were killed; the wolves fled, and after that, there was but few seen in this region. Ducks were abundant in the river and tributary streams in early years. There was the wood duck, another species bearing a strong resemblance to the common tame duck, shell drakes, dippers, or divers; and occasionally, the real canvass back. Wild geese would come every fall and sprino; Pigeons would in some seasons come in large flocks, and seriously injure the newly sown crops. I have known an hundred dozen to be cauoht m a net in one day. In 1812, they made a roost in a cedar swamp on Dugan's creeli. They occupied the trees of seventy -five or eighty acres; there were, in some instances, as many as thirty nests on a single tree. The young squabs were brought away by the inhabitants in cart loads. When the young ones loft the nests, they would go off and remain about the neighborhood in flocks by themselves, and it was several months before the old and young ones mingled, The black squirrel was a great nuisance in early yeara I have ?een thirty on a single tree. They would sometimes destroy whole fields of corn. They have bcv3n gradually diminishing. The advent of ihe crow in this region was in 1817. They had been preceded by the raven, then- natural enemy, as I am led to infer. The crow made cautious and gradual approaches ; at first, they flew over, then ventured to light on the tops of the highest trees, in which position muc would seem to be detftrmininp' if it were safe to locate. It was F.nme w.i before they became permanent residents, and had fairly expelled the r^ 34 "1 ]! ' 538 PITELPS AND GORHAm's PUECIIASE. In after years, wlien a raven would venture to revisit tlie region, tlie crows would seem to be gntbered here and there iu council, to determine how ^ulVoTr;::: " '- '''''''- ^'^ --P-^^- ^^ '•- — > -- the re" In the earliest years, there were a few turkey buzzards upon the river, b they soon disappeared. A constant revolution has been goino on Mi h birds, annuals and quadrupeds; old settlers Inive been disappeaHn^, b d dn'Tf ^"r^^^«-- Tl^ere is scarcely a year in which some Strang I ..J, .u ^.4c.rj.irfaa nM become a permanent resident. Ehsha Sihley, a brother of Judge f^ibjov, -vas amonn- ,he enrjv ley, VVilIiam feible}- Kcj Jeremiah Siblov, of Ilus!,. Elisha Sibley, • S^^t ""T^'r ^- '•'''''' S''>'^-y'0<'t^'-'^veland, and Martin and Joseph ^'^I'^y- o* ^^/chignn. Daughters became the wives of Holt ot 1 ush Calvni Norton, of Groveland, and Jehiel Markhain _ Llnathan Perry was a settler in Rush, as earlv as ] SOU. He vva« in service ( unngthe Revolution, and came to*' this region in Sulli- van s expedition. At some period during the Revolution he had made the acquaintance of La Fayette, and was recognized by hin. at Rochester, in his tour through this region in 1825.^ He died in 1848 ; his wKlow still snirvives His surviving sons are, John Perry a Ll ivr''t'"'"' "'i r 'T' ^ T^'^^'/''' ^^"^''' ^^''- ^^-^than Green and Mrs. feturgess ol Rush, are his daughters. iVnjamin Campbell, who afterwards was a merchant and miller m ^iochester, ^yas an early merchant in Rush : soon after the war ot 181 J lie ,s now a resident of Builalo. John Webster and Miner, were early merchants. as?8n ^' n"'""' ^\t']',''' ■ '" f,'''>' '''""'^'' Pliysician-as earlv as 1811. He was killed by the lall ol a tree, fifteen or twenty year's S ll' M "'1 ''^ *'?V"J?f^"'' -^^^ A.s,semb!y from Monroe, is a ^on ot his , Mrs. Jeremiah hibley, ol Rush, and Mrs. Robert Martin, of Irlenrietta, are hi.s daughters. loi^f ^°?!''"^^ SmithVommenced practice soon after the war of 8 U and IS vet a practicing physician in the toxvn. He married a daughter ot the early Pioneer, Col. Wm. Markham. ihe irst rehgiou. society organised in ]{ush, was of the Baptist oidei ; their early settled clergyman. Elder (ioti: They erected a stone church about If^yo Elder Badger organized a christian so- ciety in early years. A Lutheran society was organized in early ycar.s; and built a church about IS.'JO. The town of IJush was organized in 1818. The first town meet- ing was lield at the house of Rcnajah Hilliufrs. Tli'> ofhc-rs chosen were:— William Markham, supervisor, Peter Price, town clerk. . was M piiELPs AND goiuiam's pukoiiase. 539 Other town ofTiccrs: — Nat' 1 an JefTords, Jacol) Stull, John Mark- ham, Natlian Rose, Dudley Braiiiard, Clark Davis, Ueorge Liday, Peter ]*rice, Adolplms Allen, Alfred Jones, John Ford, J3enj. Cam}).' bell_. Daniel llulburt, Philip II. llich, Alexander Kelsey, Oliver Case, Jericl Smith, Nathan Gilpin, Henry Hart. iiexrip:tta. James Sperry, Esq., who is generally familiar with the dcductionr, of land titles in this region, is under the impression that T. 12, 7th R.. which now constitutes'the town of Henrietta, was sold bv Phelps and Gorham, previous to the general sale to the J^ondon As- sociates. In tiie general deed of conveyance there is no reservation of that township, except that of 900 acres to "Major E. Scott," and the author therefore concludes that the main portion of the township became a part of the Pulteney estate : and this belief is strengthened by the fact that the township assumed the name of the daughter of Sir. Wm. Pulteney. Mr. Wads worth sold the township during l. tour in Europe, to William Six, of Hague, in Holland, and two associates, as the agent of the I^ondon Associ- ates, as is inferred. When he returned from Europe, the sale and settleinent of the town, constituted one of his numerous agencies. He did uiiirp J. Ducllf Walioiwtall, E. il. a»odUaid, Township 1. Elias Undenvdod, E. Uacoii, William Gilmorc, TowNsnir 1. Isaac Marsli, 'I'owNsnii' 4. Moody Freeman.] Township 1. PliiloiiKiii iVcttlcton, James Bates, John Fordham. TOWNSUIP 5. Benj. Fox, TOWNSITIP 1. Gaines Uiown, Jessee Foskett, Ccplias Fordbam,' Martin Kelsey, James Bates, Jessee Giiswold, Daniel Le Barron, Sylvan us Fail-field, Joseph Mapes, Ella Sinitli. Township 2. Eirliard Abbey, Abraliam Davis, Aley under Wliite, Township 1. Simon I'ieison, Joseph Pierson, Oliver Bates. Township 2. Samuel Oleason. William Peters, Jonathan Tliompson, Willard Leach, fleorge L(}tson, Joseph Eldridge, Sanmcl Farley, David Johnson, 1801. Township 1. David Fainliild, Thaddous Keys, 1802. Township 1. Lemuel F. Prindell, Natlian Hnrvey, Jormiiiih H.iMaU, 1803. ^Township 5. John Barns, Amos W. Sweet, John Cobb. 1804. Township 2. David Scott. Jolm Landon, ' Benajah Wordeu. Township 4. James Sayres, 1805. Township 2. James Austin, David Potter, Solomon Loach, Cotton Leacli, Gideon Elliott, Isaac Leacli, Levi Leach, Daniel Kelsey, David Franklin, Jolm I'ieison. Township 3. Isaiah Wliito, Jonathan Freeman, TJiomas White. 1806. Township 2, Roger Kelsey, James Gano. Township ,3. Jas. D. Mowlat, Archibald M' Knight, Josepli Hopkins, Levi Gilbert, Gideon Orr, John Ellis, ToVv-N-SHIP -l. Wm. Spafford, Samuel Algur, Township I. EbeiK'zer Oicen, Aaron Scriljuer. Township 1 . Abraliam liiissell, Horace She|iherd, Joshua Woodward. Township 2. Jacob Fuller. Township 4. Elijah Blodgett. Township o. James M'Casaon. Township 4. John Fowle, Wm. Davis, Simeon Daggett, David Stanton, Noah Owen, Benj. Boyd, Isaac Farwell, John Farwell. Township 5. Abigal Sayer, John Chajiman, Township 4. Aretas Haskcdl, Julius Curtiss, Samuel Cliiswell, Ebenezer Towlo, Svhester Eldritlge, Iv^oah Owen, Olney F. Rice, Carr Draiier. Township 5. Perry G. Nichols. ill ] PHELPS 1- i andoorham's purcil^e. 547 1 1807. I Township 1. Township 2. Township 3. H Oliver Biites, James Larulon, Ephraim (barter. H Jainos BiiteH, Sylvanus Durlain, Bethucl H.iiTou, IB Lock wood G. Iloyt, Aug. lUieli, Amos Parks, wL SylvjiiniH Franklin, Joim (iifford. I'liah L. James, Wt I'liilo i'iorson. Cyrus (litFord, AV^m. James, , ^M ToWNSIlU- 2. Dyre Thomas, AV. Stewart, , ^M Abriiliani Davis, Jo.sej)!! Tiiroop, Elisha Stewart, ' ^M Levi UussellJr., Orange Throop, Bi'iij. Sheldon, Elislia Ewer. ^M Pliili[) Conklin, David Johnson, ^M John A. Lackor, Aaron H. Kelsoy, Ei)er (Jriswold, Wlieaton Southworth, Hein-y i). (Jillbrd, Jeretuiali Hart, A. Bissell. Township 3. John Ellis, John Reed, Samuel Bishop, Stei)lien Jolmson, Township 4. Patrick Fowler, JoHe[)ii Grover, i i Wiliiur Sweet, ■ '■ ! Levi Loaeli, Eli (Hiuis, 1 Ahiier Lovejoy, D, l{. Peters, Benj. Woodward, Wju. Woodward, Josej)h Ho )kins, Wm. Dunsha, Samuel Liucoln, Luke Chase, 1808. Wm. Dickinson, Anthonv Case, S. Bigelow. 1 TowNsiiir I. Township 3. Township 3. H John Richards, Walter Palmer, Wm. Bentley, ■ ,' ^M 1 Leonard I'arinelee, Linc ^B Peleg 'i'honias. Juihih Church, Jas. M. Brown, .- ^M Abijah Cai)ron, Natliauiel Pool, Oliver Hamlin, ^M Simeon Gray, Daniel C. Stoue, Dani'ortli Howe, ^M Wni. H. Miinger, David Lovett, Macv Brown. ^M TowNsi'ii- 3. Jacob Bartlett, Eli Ijundell, ^M Samuel Linc(dn, Bonj. Kidght, Natliauiel PooL Joiiatlian Mead, t^t Johnson Hedull, Elisha Lake. ^M Amos Parks, Micajah Moon, ^M Edward Parks, Reuben Downs, 1809. 1 Township 2. Township 3. Township 3. H Joshua tireen, Amos Frill k, Reuben Stickney. Jr., ^M Daniel Guthrie, Alaiison Tlioraas, Tlios. W. Taylor, 9S Azariah Haywood, Iwiac Howard, Reulien Downs, ^M George Ornian, Zadock Hurd, Township 4, ^M Jacob Orman. Joseph Lan 'don, Levi Jlerrills, Isaac Holmes, ^M Township 3. James Hoy, ; n Matliias I'ease, Joshua Gieeu, Joshua H. Brown, ^^ Ebenezor Champney, John ilarshall. Walter Billings, H Gale Funuan, Stephen Clark, Orange Risdeu. 1 1 1 548 PIIELP3 AND GORIIAm's PURCHASE. Ttie successor of R. M. Stoddard in the lanrl acrency, was Gra- ham Newell, who was succeeded by Egbert Benson. Jr. The suc- cessor of the last named, was Jacob Le Rov, a son of one of the m-oj.rietors. In 1839, Mr. Le Roy returned to New York, and Joshua Lothrop who had been his clerk, succeeded him in the agency, which position he still retains ; though the affairs of the agency are pretty much closed ; the whole tract being sold, deeded, and paid for, with the exception of a small amount which remains m the form of loans. The reader by a cursory examination of the list of earlv settlers, will observe that tor the first few years, settlement of the Triangle beyond the immediate neighborhood of J^e Roy, had a slow progress. I n 1803, there were but two lots sold in Bergen ; in 1804, but seven ; in 1805, but twenty-one. In 1805, but three in Sweden ; in 1806, but nine ; in 1807, but twenty-six. In 1803, but one in Clarkson , in 1804, but three; in 1805, but twelve. And it is not to be pre- sumed that all who purchased became actual settlers ; in fact, many did not. Jeremiah Hascall removed from Canandaigua, where he had set- tled in 1800, to Le Roy, with his family, in 1805; having pur- chased a part of the present Murphy farm in 1802. He was a Justice of the Peace when his jurisdiction embraced all the territo- ry west of Genesee river. He died in 1835, aged 96 years ; his wde in 1834, aged 84 years. They had thirteen children, twelve ol whom arrived at adult age. The surviving sons are :— David, Amasa, and Augustus P. Hascall, of Le Roy, the last named being the member of Congress elect, from the county of Genesee ; John Hascall, of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Daughters :— Mrs. Wiard, of Le Roy; Mrs. Hurvey, of Pike; Mrs. Austin, of Le Roy; Mrs Knowlton, of Ohio. James Austin was an officer of the Revolutionary army ; settled fn-st in Bristol; in Le Roy soon after 1800. He died in Bergen. His widow still survives, over 90 years of age. Mrs. Bissell'and Mrs. Lee, of Bergen, Mrs. Allen, of Mendon, were his daughters. Nathan Harvey settled in Le Roy in 1802. He and Jeremiah Hascall were both engaged in opening what is now called the Brock- port road. It was done at the expense of the proprietors of the Trian- gle. The road makers took camp equippage, and encamped as they progressed. Mr. Harvey died in 1839. Harmon Harvey, of Le Roy aid Nathaniel Harvey, of Allegany, are his sons; Mrs. Hiram Butler, of Le Roy, is a daughter. Richard Waite was the Pioneer blacksmith ; was an early officer of the militia. He still survives, a resident of Alexander.' He is the father of the Rev. Richard L. Waite, of Carvville ; Daniel D. Waite, editor of the Advocate, Batavia; Elisha Waite, of Adrian. Michigan : Mrs. Newton, of Alexander, is a daughter. Stephen Stilwell was the Pioneer shoemaker ; coming in with a PHELPS ATTO GORHAm's PURCHASE. 540 large family in the fall of the year, for the want of a better tene- ment, he was obliued to rover and make a small addition to a frame raised by Major >v' a ite i'^f shoeing oxen; in which he wintered, and began the ;-liO'.ii'r; u' the new settlers. He was not only a shoemaker, ju. a preicner, and a famous coon hunter. One of a family of emig n^s ;lying at Capt. Gansons, he preached the fu- neral sermon in l.'.e b i-room. This was the first death and burial in Le Roy. The Parmule*' 'i r ily were early settlers. Col. Parmalee, of Wilson, Niaga > .. ity, is one of the survivors. Martin Kclsey. Timothy Hatch, Washington Weld, Isaac Marsh, Hugh Murphy, David Scott, Martin 0. Coe, were in Le Roy previous to, and be- fore the close ot the war of 1812. Mr. Kelsey survives at the a-^e of 70 years ; Mrs. Elmore, of Le Roy, is his daughter. Mr. Hatch died in 1844 ; his widow still survives ; M. P. llatch, of Oswego, is a son of his ; Mrs. Martin O. Coe, of Le Roy, a daughter. Mr. Weld died in 1849 ; Willard Weld, residing near Lockport, is a son of his ; the widow still survives. Mr. Marsh died many years since ; some of the family are residing in Bushville, near Batavia. Mr. Murphy settled first in Cambria, Niagara county; in 1810, changed his residence to Le Roy, purchasing the tract which now constitutes the fine farm occupied by his sons and daughters, border- ing upon the eastern boundaries of the village. He died in 1826. David Scott was an officer of the regular army in 1812 ; now re- sides in Michigan. Mr. Coe still survives : George, Joseph and ("harles Coe, of Le Roy, and William Coe, of Boston, are his sons. Dr. Ella Smith was the first settled physician in Le Roy. Dr. William Sheldon settled there in 1811, and has continued practice up to this period. William H. Sheldon, of Le Roy, who married a daughter of one of the early pioneers at Allen's Hill, Ontario county ; Joseph Garlinghouse ; Lucius Sheldon, of Le Roy ; G. T. Sheldon, of Detroit, and Horatio Sheldon, of Wisconsin, are his sons. Dudley Saltonstall was the first practicing lawyer in Le Roy. Heman J. Redfield commenced practice there soon after the war of 1812; his students, while at Le Roy, were: — Seth M. Gates, of Warsaw, Lucas Beecher of Sandusky, Willis Buell of Zanesville, and Albert Smith of Milwaukee. John B. and Samuel Skinner, and John and Augustus Hascall, succeeded the early lawyers in practice there. In 1810, the first building was erected exclusively for merchan- dizing. It wixs first occupied by George A. Tiffany, a son of one of the early printers at Canandaigua, and by Johnson and Joseph Annin, in succession. Thaddeus Joy, so long and widely known, first as a teamster in the days of " big wagons," on the Al- bany and Buffalo road, then as a mei chant, and in later years, in connection with transportation on the Erie Canal, was merchan- dizing in Le Roy as early as 1810. He went to Buffalo in 1823; I h nf)!! PTIELPS AND GOmiAI^l's rulJCIIASE. now resides ill the city of Now York. Ju(lu;(> Siimucl Dc Vcaux. ol" Ni:i,<(;ir;i l'\iils, now one; of the most we'iiihy and jmblic spirited citizens of all thai ren;ion, had been att,ach(>d to the connnissarv department at I'ort Niagara, and suhse(iuently had conmuMiced mercliandizinu: then;. The winter alter the IJreaking out of the \var, he removed to Lc; Roy, and was enf the citizens of that locality during tlie war. A Presbyterian church was organized in'Le Roy in 181'2. The Rev. Mr._ Tuller was th.> first to oilieiat',> ; the llev. Calvin C. Colton, author of the "Life of Henry Clay," was the first settled clergy- man. The society erected a church in IS-jS. Previous to the or- ganization of this society, religious meetings had been held in a barn near the present residence of Judge Brewster; and subse(|uently. ill a school hou.-'e opposite the residence of Col. Shedd. The P>af)- tists erected a church in 1822. A illethodist society was formed in 1823, Dy Elder A. Seager. An Episcopal church was erected in 182(1. The Le Ptoy Female Seminary was founded in ISHfl. An asso- ciation, the members of which were, A. P. ITascall, Samuel Corn- stock, Lee Comstock, Ezra Rathbuii, S. j\[. Cafes, Albert iJreUster. Jonathau P. Darling, Alonzo S. Upham, Richard ilollister, William S. Bradley, and Euos Bachelor, j)urchased a private residence for the purpose of converting it into a literary institution. The Misses Inghams, having i)reviously l(jcated themsslves in the village of At- tica, as an inducement for'tb.em to remove to Le Rov, the associa- tion took their [nopcrty in Attica in exchange for the building and lotiiiLePioy. The school was immediately started under' their ausjjices, was nourishing, and has become, by their uiu'cmitting en- terjnise and perseverance, one of the best 'Female Seminaries in the State. Improving the grounds, and from time to time enlarging the ('(lifice, it now has the imposing appearance of some of the eastern colleges. Few, if any, female institutions in the State have turned out more well educatcfl graduates; many of wheni are. cither at^the head of, or teachers in seminaries in different portions ot the United States : especially in the western .States. One of the founders of the institution lias becume the wife of Mr. Phineas Stanton, a son of one oi' the prominent pioneers of the Holland Purchase, the late Colonel Staiiton, of Middlebury. ii rJIKLrS AND GOEIIAjM'm PURCIIASi:. 551 The aiitlior is indebted to the venerable Simon Pierson, a suiviv- in[i- pioneer dI' liie noiiliern jiuriion of the town of JiO Hoy — the noic^hbftrlinoil of F(^rt Hill — for nnniy early reminiscences of that locality, espi'cially in reference to the interestinir ancient remains which has (fiven to the spot considerable celebrity. The remains found at Fort Hill, were embraced in a previous work of the au- thors, and the public have been made familiar with the subject in other l()rins. Mr. I'ierson's account of early settlement, the author cheerfully and thankfully makes available. Deacon Hinds Chamberlin was a ])ioneer in this, as he had been in other localities. He broke into what was called the north- crri woods, built a cabin, and made ,m opeiiin<^ in the forest, in the neidiborhood of Fort Hill, in 1801. In 1802, Alexander M'J'herson beoamii his neighbor; John, .Jani(;s, Allen, and Alexandor M'l'her- son, jr., are his sons. In 1801, Francis Lc JJarron; descendants principally i-eside in Michigan. In 1801, Cideon Fordham. Also, in 1801, i^'hilemon N(;ttleton ; descendants |)rinci[)ally reside in Michigan. In 1805, these five first settlers rolled up sonte huge b.'isswood logs, at the ibot of Fort Hill, near the brook, and nuule one of lli- mdest specimens ol" a backwoods school house. The first teacher was vVddrew M'Nabb, a Scotchman; the secohd, Siunucl Ciocker ; the third, Major Nathan Wilson ; the last of whom died in 181,'J of the prevailing epidemic; liis son, Nathan Wilson, jr., died from a wound received in battle in the war of 1812 : Steplu'n S. and Jared E. Wilson, of J^e Hoy, are surviving sons. Alexander M'Pherson died in I8\i',i, aged 80 years ; Francis Le Bar- ron in 18;?2, aged 01 years; Philemon Nettleton in 1818, ag"d 72 years; (lideon Fordham in 1821, aged 77 years. David J^e IJarron, Samuel Smith, Ebenezer Parmalee, Jshi Franklin, Aljner Hull, llussell Pierson, Rev. Josiah Pier.son, Philo Piersson, John l^ierscMi, Simon Pierson, Sylvanus Franklin, Linus Pierson, were all settled in the neighborhood before the close of 1810. The first nanied died in 1820, aged 51 years ; two sons are sui)posed to be with the IMormons at Salt Lake. The second died in 18'2!), figed 77 years ; descendants reside in Michigan. The third died in J817, aged 73 years; David W., Harlow and William Pnrmalee are his sons. The fourth died in 1813, aged 02 years; Warren, Watson, Henry, William and David Franklin, are his sons. The nixth died in 1815, aged 70 years; Luther and Adol})hus Pier son, of Ijergen, Edwin Pierson, of Chili, Willis Pierson, of Ogden. and ,Iohn Pierson. of Careyville, are his sons. The seventh died in J)ergen in 181(»; Hamilton W. and Nelson Pierson, of Bergen, Carloss Pierson, of Ohio, and Josia'.i Pierson, of Mount Morris, are his sons. The eighth died in 1820; William Pierso'i, a lawyer in Kentucky, and David B. Pierson, a merchant in Cincinnati, are his sons. The tenth died of the prevailing epidemic in 1813, contract- ed upon the frontier, aged 30 years ; au only son was drowned from i: 552 PHELPS AND GOEHAJIS' PUECHASE. on board the S. B. Washington, on Lake Erie, in 1838 ; Mrs. Flint, of Batavia, is a daughter. The eleventh still survives, re- siding near Churchville. David Frankin, a brother of Sylvanus Franklin, had come in previous to 1809. In March of that year, the two brothers, with their wives and two children, were descending the primitive road at Fort Hill, which ran along upon one side of a deep ravine, in a sleigh drawn by spirited horses. The horses became unmanage- able, set off at full speed, and turning an angle of the road, the sleigh upset, throwing the whole party a considerable distance, with great violence ; David Franklin striking a stump, and receiving an injury that he did not long survive. " This sorrowful accident," says Mr. Pierson, " threw a shade of gloom over our backwoods settlement; for it seemed as if we could hardly do without our neighbor Franklin, who was forward in every good word and work." This, and other accidents that had happened there, induced a change in the location of the road. Touching the advent of our friend Mr. Pierson, he must be al- lowed to tell his story in his own humorous way. REMINISCENCES OF SIMON PIERSON. In October, 1806, in company with my brother, the l",ue Rev. Josiali Pierson, of Bergen, and our families, I started from Ki'.lingworth, Conn,, with a wagon load of household goods, bound for the Genesee country, which we then understood as embracing all west of Whitestown. I was then 28 years old, my brother 26, From Albany to Whitestown, we met a vast number of teams loaded with wheat for the Albany market. On the road, we met De Witt Chnton returning from a western tour. At Whitestown, there were three log-houses, one of them a tavern, kept by Air. Baggs. We then supposed we had arrived at the western verge of civilization, and that we were now coming to a region — " Where nothiug dwelt but beasts of prey, Or men as wild aud fierce as they." they.' here — But which has proved to be a regio;; " The worthy, need,; , poor repair, Aud build them towns and cities there." " * * * * » •' They sow their seed, and trees they plant, Whose yearly fruit su[)plie.s tliei. want ; Their race grows up in fruitful stock, Their wealth increases with tlieir Hock." From Vi^hitestown we passed on, I should think, about three miles, where there was a log school house, and where they were holding a meeting — for it was Sunduy — and they were singing the good old familiar tune — New Jerusalem: — " From the tliird heavens where God resides," &c. PHELPS AND GOEIIAMS PURCHASE. 553 We travelled on the Sabbath, because we were told that travellers had no home but the tavern ; and that they were thronged on that day with those whose society would not contribute to a Sabbath day's rest ; loafers they would be called now that we have got such a word. From Whitestown to Canandaigua, 112 miles, was a new turnpike, much of the way through the woods and very muddy. Once in ten miles was a toll gate where we had to pay 25 cents for poaching ten miles of road. On arriving at the outlet of Canandaigna Lake, we found a small grist-mill, said to have been built by one of our townsmen, Mr. Harris; who, it was said, had brought a half bushel of wheat on his back from Whitestown, for seed. I saw the old man on his return from the Genesee country. His friends in Con- necticut had conjectured that the Indians would use him up, and that he would never reach home again. At Genesee river, we had no way of crossing, but in a wretched scow. On the west side of the river, we saw many Indian huts, from the corners of which was suspended, by braided husks, large quantities of corn. An old Indian told us we were at " Canawaugus." I began to think of toma- hawks and scalping knives. About four miles west of the river, we came to a log tavern kept by Major Smith. Here we found a small man with a very large wife. Says Major Smith to the small man : — " Is that woman your wife ?" " Yes, sir," was the reply. Says the Major : — " How did you get across the river? — I should suppose that your wife would have sunk that old scow." " 0," said the little man, "I went twice for her." Arriving at " Ganson's settlement," now Le Key, we found friends who advised us not to purchase land " down in the north woods," for, said they, " it will always be sickly there ; and the region will never be settled. " But having a brother and brother-in-law at Fort Hill, who had preceded us a few months, we resolved upon going there. Fort Hill was then cov- ered with a dense forest of heavy timber from its base to its summit. Its appearance was that of gloom and solitude, except when enlivened by the music of the water rushing over the falls at Allan's * Creek. Mr. Pierson is now in his 73d year ; his surviving sons are, Philo L. Pierson, of Le Roy, and M. D. Pierson, of Dansville. The prominent ancient remains in Le Roy, other than those at Fort Hill and its immediate vicinity, were upon a bluff, near Allan's creek, a short distance below the village. It was a mound, or tumuli in size, according to Mr. Pierson's recollection, who saw it in an early day, about that of an ordinary coal pit ; others who saw it in an early day, tl^ 'k it was about 15 feet in height, with a base " Mr. Pierson, in corsidcr'.tion of the unamiable character of the person from whoi.i this beautiful Btreani is named, would change it to Mrs. Jemison's Iniliau iiame — " Ginisaga." Other citizens of Le Hoy, would call it " Oatkn " the Indian name for a stream cominf i i^ om between hiijli banks. Tlie latter na.ne would only be ap- plicable to till Uti.ir topogi-aphy of Le Roy and its neighborhood. D; -i.' ;ble iifi some cliange of tJio name of the stream in.'iy he regarded, it would require the co- opersliiiii of those ^.vnerally who reside upon its banks, in its whole extent ; a con- yentional decision that the author lias uot ventured to anticipate. 35 I ^Ml: 654 PIIEirs AND GOUIIAjfs PUiJClIAST:. of no feet. Trees were growini;; upon it 18 inches in diameter The foxes in Inimnvingintoit h;ul hrou.i^ht out liuman hones, which Jed to an asnenibliniv of the early settlers, on a yiven daj', in consid- erable numbers, who made several excavatioiis in tfie tumuli, and disenterred a large quantity of human skeletons. They were the bones of all ages and both sexes ; some of them judoed to be consid- erable larger than^ the bones of the largest of our own race. \£r ^ee Appendix to sui)])lemcnt. No. 2. Jn a considerable area of the locality ; especially in the immediate neighborhood of Fort Hill, many relics of ancient occupancy have been discovered ; and occasionally evidences of French occupancy. During the Revolution, those who lied from the Mohawk to Canada, and made frequent jourTiies backwards and forwards upon the old Niagara trail, had favorite camping grounds upon the creek in the immediate vicinity of Le Roy village. They had leit considerable plats ol tame grass, which were very convenient for travellers when settlement was tending in that direction ; attracting the deer from the surrounding forest, they were often killed in those little openings. Allan s creek has a fall of over sixty feet, within the corporate limits ot Le Roy village ; thus creating a durable and valuablo water ]U)wer, in the midst of a rich agricultural region, where it is much required. It takes its rise from springs in Wyomino- county ■ passes through Warsaw, JMiddlebury, Covington, Bethany, a cor-' ner ot Stallord, Le Roy, and Wheatland, discharging into the Gen- esee river at Scottsville. It furnishes mill power at Gainesville. Warsaw, Pavillion, Bailey's mills, Roanoke, Northrup's Factory. Tomlinson's mills, Le Roj- ; a mile below Le Roy, Albright's, (now Finch's) mills, Garbuttville, and Scottsville. Le Roy luivingbeen erected from Caledonia in l812, when the war spirit was rife, it \vas named Bellona; afterwards, and in better taste, it assumed the name of one of the original proprietors of the Triangle. William Sheldon was the first .supervisor, Thomas Tuft>-- town clerk Other town officers : — David Le Barron, Philo rierson, IJenjamin Ganson, Ella Smith, John Ganson, Asa Buel Zalmon Turrell, David Bidleeum, Harvey Prindle, Richard Waite' Levi Farnuni, H. Graham Newell, George Terry, Amasa Hascalk Jeremiah Ilascall. At first State election, in 1813, for Governor Darnel D. Tompkins had 123 votes, Stephen Van Rensselaer, 24.' It will be observed by the preceding list of names, and periods of settlement, that the settlement of what is now Bergen had but com- menced along in 1804, '5 and '0. Tiie early road w^as the north and south road already mentioned. The road trom where Roch- ester now IS to Batavia,was not opened through Bergen until 1810. The town was organized in 1818. Tiiuse wliose nanies Ibllow, were PIIELPS AND GORIIAMS PURCIIA-SE. 555 early pioneers, other than those ah-eady named tioinc of them among the earliest : — Levi Bi.<-oll, AkxiiiKk'P IJissol, ]';itiu'k Fouler. Tiiniithy Hill, JoL'l Wii^'ht, Stcplii'ii Everts, David (i. EvL'its, Anuis Hcwi'tt, i'liiiK'jis I'aniialcc, Natliun Field, Jouuli Buell, Uriah Ktlsov, Jedediaii Crosby, [Iiis Hoii Lutlier,a pieseul jun- tiee of the jieaci' in lier- fj;ea, was the first born ill tlie town.] Wielvhain Field, Uriah Crampton, Ashbell OranipVon, Sanuiel Bas.sett, Uarvey Kelsey, M. Wriirlit, Jacob Sjiatiurd, Sen Nathaniel Spallord, Aaron Arnolil, Oliver Avciy. Sanaipl Biiljur, A))el Fuller, Bela Mnn-er, JeNM' I'.arber, James MuniaT. LEVI WARD. Dr. Levi Ward was a native of KilHn<>;\vortli, Conn., a son ol Levi Ward. He studied his profession with Dr. Jonathan Todd, of Guilford, and marrying the dtuiu;hter of Daniel Hand,* settled in practice in Haddain, in 1790, where lie continued until 1807, in which year he emigrated to the Genesee country ; his lamily then consisting of his wife, and four sons, and four daughters, lie was accompanied by his brother, John Ward, and his ftimily. The em- igrants arrived at Le Roy undetermined as to their location ; lallin*'- in with R. M. Stoddard, the then agent of the Triangle, whom they had known in New England, they were induced to cast their lot with a linv old neighbors who had preceded them, in what was then called the "north woods;" then mostly a dense, heavily timbered forest, rugged in all its features; now the smiling tind |)rosperous agricultural neighborhood, contiguous to the Rail Road station in Bergen. Finding temporary (piarters in the newly erected log house of Daniel Kelsey, Dr. Ward erected a small frtimeil house, covering it with cedar shingles, and using riv^ed cedar for siding. The Dr. quaintly observes, that even that manner of building was ahead of the times, and in a region of log cabins, was deemed some- what aristocratic, His brother erected a log house ; both went to clearing land, but it took about a year to :nake an opening sufficient to see out without looking up. It was QU Saturday when the emigrants arrived at their new home in the wilderness ; accustomed to a regular attendence upon public worship, the first business was to provide for religious exer- cises ; a meeting was agreed upon at the house of a new settler ; 14 or 15 persons convened from their scattered woods homes ; prayers * Captain Hand was an officer of tlio Revolution, a highly respected and useful member of society, a professor and promoter of religion. Ho died at an ad\anced age, iu Ciuilford, the place of his birth. r)56 PITELPS AND GORHAM's PURCHASE. were made, a sermon was read, and Mrs. Ward says they " had ex- cellent singino;."* For nine years Dr. Ward was one of the active and prominent Pioneers of his locality ; an etHicient helper in all there was to be done in the backwoods, in religious and school organizations in, the opening of n^w roads, &c. Coming to the new region, to be the founder of a new home for himself and his large family, rather than with reference to the practice of his profession, his practice was only to the extent that the absence of other physicians in tiie new region made necessary. To the labor of clearing heavily timbered land, and subduing a rugged soil, was soon added, as will be observ- ed, a land agency, which made him the founder, or agent of settle- ment in his immediate neighborhood. In 1811 he was appointed an agent or commissioner, to settle the accounts of the commission- ers who had constructed the primitive bridge over the Genesee River, upon the site of Rochester. There was no mall routes, or ]>ost offices north of the main Buflalo road until 1813. In that year, Dr. Ward interceded with the then P. M. General, Gideon Granger, nnd obtained from him authority to transport a weekly mail from Caladonia, via Riga, Murray, Parma, Northampton, to Charlotte, at the mouth of the Genesee River. His compensation was the net proceeds of letter and newspaper postages collected on the route. It was provided in the contract that the P. M. G. would appoint deputy post masters, in any locations the contractor should (lisignate, which were seven miles distant from each other. The plan was put in successful operation. Routes were extended by Dr. Ward, upon the same terms, along on Ridge Road to Oak Orchard Creek ; from Clarkson corners through Sweeden, to Bergen; from Parma through Ogden and Riga to Bergen ; from Bergen to Bata- via.f This system continued until 1820, supplying the early con- venience of mail facilities to a wide, sparsely populated region, when it was superceded by the ordinary contract system. In the war of 1813. in an exigency of anticipated invasion, and a want of arms. Dr. Ward collected all the muskets, rifles, cartouch boxes and bayonets in his neighborhood, and delivered them to Col. Daniel Davis for the use of his Regiment. Twenty-one muskets. and cartouch boxes, and bayonets, and four rifles ; % and besides all * In tlie same year a Congre!i;atioiial Cliurcli was organizoil, the si^ermd one west of Genesee River. The Rev. Allen Hollister, ministered alternately to this chin-ch ari\ti ;liint5 has boon a failiiro. Tlio jiriiicipal leaders wore : — Simoon Dajj;- i^oU, Dr. TlioUci', Thoiiiiis roinid. Many (hvoUini^s wore orecteil, and a impiilalion of about 300 gathe'etl there. The community broke up after an experiment of two years. mm .a^ X^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (AAT-3) 1.0 I.I 1.25 m Uk us M li£ IlilM 111= 1.4 IIIIII.6 V} ^ ^. 7 ^^ sst> V W ^^V'.^ 'M W Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14S80 (716) 872-4503 562 PHELPS AND OtORHAJi's PURCHASE. den Its sub.soil ; and no where does the earth make more bountiful returns for the hibor bestowed upon it. It has become a region of high i)riced and desirable farms. The sites of bark covered \o^ houses and thatched hovels, have now upon them comfortable and even luxurious brick and framed farm houses, and all the appoint- ments of flourishing farming establishments. Good common roads and even plank roads have taken the place of the wood's roads through which the pioneers plodded — more than half the season waded through mud and mire — and over which some of them, as \ye have seen, and their families, were carried hv the good Sama- ritans of the older settlements, who would find them in the dark recesses of the forest, prostrated by disease. Asa Clark, the father of Gustavus Clark, of Clarkson, was from iiast Haddam, Conn., emigrated to Geneseo in 1802 ; soon removed to Avon, where he resided until 1830, He died at Sandy Creek in 1834, aged 76 years. His sons were : —Asa Clark, who resided in Avon until 1S28, when he removed to Sandy Creek, where he was a merchant for many years. He was a representative in the State legislature of Orleans, in 1834, '5, had been a Presidential Elector in 1828. He still survives, at the age of 06 years. George W and Charles Clark of Buffalo, are his sons. Erastus Clark, of Lima, who in early early years was the mercantile partner of James K. Guernsey, and afterwards established in the mercantile business by himself in Lima. He still survives ; a son and a son-in-law, are his successors in business. Gustavus Clark, who as early as 1800, was a clerk with Minor & Hall, at Geneseo ; afterwards a clerk of James IV. Guernsey in Lima, under whose auspices he commenced busi- ness in Clarkson, where he has resided since 1815, and where he still resides. His wife, who still survives, was a daughter of John ^lerson, one of the pioneers of Avon ; Edwin E., of Clarkson, and Uushrod W. Clark, of Buffalo, are sons of Gustavus ; an only dauf'h- ter is the wife of W. L. G. Smith, of Buffalo. He was a represen- tative from Monroe, in the Legislature, in 1825 ; and was the first 1 resident of the Bank of Orleans; an early Supervisor of Clarkson, and more recently, a magistrate. The daughters of the elder Asa Clark, became the wives of Robert M'Kay, of Caladonia, Ephraim Chapman, a pioneer in Portage county, Ohio, and Chandler Pierson, 01 Avon. REMINISCENCES OP GUSTAVUS CLARK. When I came to Clarkson, in 1815, the Ridge road was but little trawl- led for want of bridges; my first load of goods broke most of the bridges down from Rochester to Clarkson, and the team was obliged to return to Lima viii the south road and Le Roy. That road had been opened before PIIELPS AND GORHAm's PURCHASE. 563 ?.tf^'i°f ™'? '"'! ^'""'T^Y ""if- ^^y ^''^ P""<='P^l business Tvas to pay part goods and part cash for black salts and pot-ash. Henry M'Call a metfntn h"'°" ^'""f!}' ?' ^"^^'-^"^ ''-"^J^- had beenfirsren.aged h S bP.n ^""'T'a' ^^''}''''' %»d Joshua Field, now of Brockjort, had f^ofiuf r^ S''^ ''''1 ""S^ged in the manufactury of pot-ash; in fact, tha was then the staple production of all this region. It was the r^t o r ;f ' ""''"' -^'^ ^^' new settlers had to pay for^store goods or to raise a little money ; ,t was a great help to them ; I hardly know how they could have got along without it. It was a period when hi few of the S rnn 1 1 T'^ "."^ ^^am to Sell. The new settlers would put up a few rnS^'^''','"'^>''"7/"^.™''^'^« ^^-"'^ '^^''' t'^««« who were ^st?on. handed enough, and could raise kettles, would make pot-ash. Upon lands where beech maple and elm predominated, the ashes would almost pay for clearing. Many times when a new settler was under the necessity of rais- ZTZ7' """ T^ .'","'''^ °f '^''' ^'^^'' ^' ^'0^1^ 8« into the forest, chop down maple and elm trees, roll them together, and burn them, for the suoolietmanflr*'!'-''"'!/-" ^''^''*.™S- The proceeds of ash^s ha^e lifpJn ?h T ^^/''^■\'",*h" ''§•«" ^''h t'^e «"™^on necessaries of ite, m the absence of which there would have been destitution. Our pot- fLT ?. ? ■'' M ' "''",^'i "^ *'^' ^''''''' "^<^r and shipped to Montreal. n^IL H '" ^r^''i ^'^ '' ^^ ^ P"'^^ ^^ ^305 pif ton. Lumber. ng, the getting oiit, purchasing and shipping of oak butt staves, was the next considerable business after that of pot-ash, and helped the new set- on ntnTarTet. "' ^"'^ ''' ^"' ^'°'^' "^^ ' ^"-P^"^ '^S^^'- t« «^"^"P- =nSn?'?f.^-!i'"'^ '^''' ™."'h improved soon after 1815, by the erection of substantial bridges over the streams. A post route was established from Canandaigua Lewiston. in November 1815. At first, the mail was car- nod in a small wagon twice a week. In 1820, daily coaches were pu* upon the route; travel increased rapidly; for a few years before the canal was completed, there were coaches almost continually in sight. • ^I!".""" Warren, settled upon the Rid-e, in east part of Clarkson. m 1817 ; still survives, at the age of 80 years. He is the Hither of ISOTE -In Mny 1807, Mr. Wadsworth urgos Mr. Troup Ly letter, to oncoura-o the nanulactmo .. j.o -ash; «iys it will bo a "great help t. noV settles aVircar^ St7 V^7 t!"-;"- /'""l^ ; an,l ,ukls, that Mr. Murray has authorized liSo b' y vo tpnllril / ^ ~:\T; ''"".'""•'Ily I'nagi.io what a spring the two not-a^li ketth's 1 1 ave sent to 1 airfie d has given to the c-rearing „f lancf, unfl what a n^at ac- con.modat.on it 18 connidered by the i.ihabitante. The'situatio. of the 1. alS an s ,'n thiB part ot lie cou,.try ha.s really bee,. di.tres.i..g ; a Ihrn.er .night have 000 b Lis of wl.eat ... h.8 ban., a..d yet not be able t,. buy a j.oun.l of !ea ' Till of 1- tc the nicrehan s have began to take wheat for goo.is, but at a very Icnv price '' •' I fullv believe tha theprorits a fan.ier can n.ake'fmu, the ashes on 'm acra o ,'mbered] f 18 greater than the profits .... a,, a.-re of wheat. I n.uch wish tha? i. e ., de ce .1 1 beh.t.,..o.. toco.iv.nee Lady J?atl. how .nuch the value of her esL t^ vo be „ hanced (,y lac.l.tat.ng the tra.isportation of pot-ash an.l heiu,, to Moutra '' fTIds has relercace to some change in tlio British leveuue laws] ^ ^"^^>^""uii. lihis 564 rilELPS AND GORHAm's TURCIIASE. Capt. Henry Warren, who lias been for many years the popular manager of one of the Rochester and Buffalo canal Packets. At the period he located upon the Ridge, there were settled in north of his locality, in what was called the " north woods," three brothers : Adam, Henry and James Moore. They were Irishmen ; neither of them survives; there are many of their desendants in the noifrhbor- hood ; John and Thomas Moore, early settlers of Loclqiort, were the sons ot Adam. The Hoy family, also Irishmen, were settled in the same neighborhood ; the old gentleman died in 1838 or '9 ; his sons were: James, John, and Robert Hoy; many of the desendants reside in Clarkson. It was pretty much a wilderness north of Kidgein 1817. There had settled along the Ridge in Clarkson: Tj ,j ""'^^'^' ^^ho ^s ""^w living ; had come in previous tc war. John H. Bushiiell was the Pioneer of the neighborhood ; died about five years since ; widow still survives ; Sidney and John Bushnell are his sons ; he was a supervisor and magistrate. Ebenezer Toll, re- moved to Gaines, where he died about fifteen years since. The first tavern keeper at Ladd's corners, was Huysott ; Reuben Downs wa-. an early tavern keeper east of Ladd's corners. John Philips, afterwards sherifi' of Niagara, kept a tavern in the neighbor- hood m an early day. The village of Brockport, was one of the creations of the Erie canal, and is of course not embraced in the Pioneer period. Pre- vious to the construction of the canal, there was at that point— upon the site of one of the most flourishing villages in Western New York— but the farm houses of Rufus Hammond and Hiel Brockway. The village started up under the auspices of Mr. Brockway, and to his extraordinary enterprize was much indebted in all its early yeais. He was a native of Lyme, Conn., settled first in this State at Cattskill, about the year 1800 ; emigrated to the Genesee country in an early day, and was a resident first in Geneva and then in Phelps. Soon after the war of 1812, he removed to the then town of Murray, afterwards Sweeden, and purchased the farms of two or three of the early settlers, at the rate of $12 and 815 per acre. The site of Brockport and its vicinity was then but a region of log houses and small improvements. The locality had no other advan'^ tages than of being the point where a main north and south thorough fare crossed the canal ; and of being in the centre of a region which promised to become, as it has, one of the richest agriculture districts of Western New York. The village took a rapid start after the canal w^as completed, and has had a steady and uninterrupted growth. In addition to other early enterprizes, Mr. Brockway was en- gaged extensively in the packet boat business ; first putting on boats between Rochester and Buffalo in opposition to the old packet line from Utica to Buffalo ; then filling up the portion of that line west of Rochester with his own boats in connection with that line. He made Brockport the centra! locality in reference to packet boat PHELPS AND GORIIAM's PURCHASE. 565 operations at the west ; infused a new spirit of enterprise into the business ; and to him, in fact, have the travelling public been largely indebted for the superior packet boats, and their excellent manage- ment, that have for a long series of years been enjoyed upon The western section of the Erie canal. To part with them and their excellent managers, most of whom have been educated in the school ot Mr. Brockway, (and he was a shrewd judge of men as well of horses, and of the best model of boats,) will seem like parting with old triends ; and yet the event would seem to be near at hand for soon the shrill notes of the steam whistle will be heard along the line, where their horns have so long sounded ; and haste, speed, regardless of comfort, is the order of the day. Mr. Brockway died in 1843, aged C7 years ; of a large family of children — 13 in number — but 4 survive : Charles M., and Nathan K. Brockway, Mrs. Dr. Carpenter, and Mrs. Elias B. Holmes. A portion of the village has grown up on non-resident land that James beymour purchased about the time the canal was constructed. Mr. beymour was an early merchant in the village; the President ot the bank of Rochester; was the fortunate owner of the land on which the capital of Michigan was located ; and is now a resident there. The town of Sweeden was pretty geK./% settled before the con- struction ot the Erie canal, but a large portion of the farms had been but recently commenced. When the town was organized, in 1821 Jere were 330 inhabitants liable to assessment upon the highways' Ihe first supervisor was Silas Judson> the town clerk. Major M ^'■"'f^ri-^^^®^^^^" officers: Joshua B. Adams, Chauncey Staples. Abel Crifiord, Levi Branch, Zenas Case, Oliver Spencer, Zenas Case Jr., Samuel Bishop, Levi Pond, Sylvester Pease, Daniel J. Avery. Jo^ph S. Bosworth, John Reeves, Peter Sutven, Joseph Randall. The early physicians of village and town, were : -— Daniel J Avery, the father of Daniel J. Avery of Sweeden, Millican John B. Elliott, Elizur Munger, Davis Carpenter, M. D. Levi Pond settled in Sweeden in 1817, purchasing a farm in the north part of the town ; still survives. He has filled the several ottices of deputy sheriff, constable and collector, and in 1833 was one of the representatives of Monroe in the Legislature. He is the lather ot Elias Pond, late collector of the Genesee District. THE CONNECTICUT, OR "100,000 ACRE TRACT." Robert Morris sold this tract to Andrew Cragie, James Wat'-on and James Greenlief, for $37,500. Oliver Phelps purchased an equal undivided half of it in 1794, which he conveyed to De Witt Clinton in 1095 ; it reverted, and Mr. Phelps sold his interest to the 56G PHELPS AND GOKIIAJi's PURCHASE. State of Connecticut, The other half was sold by Mr. Cragie to Charles Williamson and Thomas Morris, and ultimately the title became vested in Sir Wm. Pulteney ; the State of Connecticut and Sir William Pulteney thus becoming tenants in common, in 1808, the commissioners .of the school fund of Connecticut, (tiie purchase having been made out of that fund,) appointed Levi Ward, Jr., who had then recently settled in Bergen, to act in their behalf, and in co-operation with Col. Troup, the local representative of the Pulteney interest, to procure the survey of the tract. This accomplished, in March 1810, Dr. V/ard was further empowered in co-operation with Col. Troup, in behalf of the commissioners of the school fund, to procure an equitable partition of the tract. Israel Chapin and Amos Hall were mutualiy appointed by Messrs. Troup and Ward, for that purpose, and made the partition. Fifty thousand acres of the tract having been vested in the com- missioners of the school fn.nd, in July 1810, they appointed Dr. Ward their local agent for the sale of it. In September of the same year Dr. Ward commenced the sales of farm lots. The sales progressed until 1810 under this agency, when Dr. Ward and Levi H. Clark, purchased of the State of Connecticut all the unsold lands. By agreement, the sales were continued in the name of the State, until the whole was disposed of to actual settler.^. The bonds belonging to the State, have remained in charge of Dr. Ward, until the })rcsent time ; the management of the property for the last ten o: fifteen years, since the retirement of Dr. Ward from active busi- ness, iias(levc'ved upon his son Levi A. Ward. The half belonging to the Pulteney estate, was managed in Col. Troup's agency and that of his successor, Mr. Fellows. The 100,- 000 acre, or as it has usually been called, the Connecticut Tract, is bounded north by Lake Ontario, west by the Holland Company, or transit line, south by an east and west line, a little north of the Buf- falo road in the town of Stafford, and east by the west line of the Triangle. In it, are now embraced the towns of Kendall, Murray, Clarendon, Byron and a small portion of Le Roy, afford and Ber- gen. The whole tract as will have been observed, was settled after the general Pioneer period, and it is one of the localities of the settle, NoTi;. — A singular incident is connected with the title to the 100,000 tract. —After sales had eoninienced and progressed several years, Selh P. Beers, who rejireseiitcd tlie State of Cunuecticut, and Joseph Fellows, the agent of the Pulteney estate, discov- ered, that a deed from one of the early grantors was lost, and not upon record. Jlr, Beers souglit out and importuned tlie grantor to substitule a new one — offered him jSilO.OOO wliich he refuseii, demantling ^'20,000. Another of the early jHoprietors wlio Jiad been familiar wiili all tiie transfers, was upon jail limits in the city of Waslung- ton. Mr. Beers repaired to that city and lie assured hiin ho could find the deed ni Philadelphia. Procuring a carnage, Mr. Beers took him from the jail limits under cover of niglit, conveyed him to I'hiladeljihia, he fountl the deed, and was r jturned to the jail hmits before his absence was discovered. For $1000 tlonated to ^hc finder, title was perfecteil without yielding to the exhorbituut demands of one who was for takiug auvantago of the loss of the deed. PHELPS AND GORHAm's PUECHASE. 5G7 ment of whicli the author lias received but meager remmiscences Benliam Ireston was the Hrst settler, preceded survey and tli, openuig of sales. He went in from «tatlbrd, on the Bullhlo road, and set his family down upon Black creek, without a shelter, while he went through the woods to the then new settlement of Ber