A SKETCH OF THE HISTORY OF ONEONTA
By
DUDLEY M.
Herald and Democrat
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1883
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A SKETCH OF THE
HISTORY OF ONEONTA
by
DUDLEY M.
Preface.
In the preparation
of the following pages, I have not attempted to
give a complete
history of the town of
been to put into a
more preservative form some of the facts that have
been derived from
the recollection of the older inhabitants as well as
from family papers,
which, in the lapse of time, would be forgotten
and lost to the
public. This is not so much a history as it is a
sketch of history,
but it may be made a beginning of a more
pretentious
historical work. I have endeavored to make it trustworthy,
and in my efforts
in this direction, I have not relied upon any
information
pretended to be conveyed in the recently published large
"History of
compilation of
gross inaccuracies in which are transmitted to future
times the names of
the good and bad, equally bespattered with praise.
If the names of any
of the older settlers have not received deserved
mention, the
omission is due to the fact that their representatives or
those having
information to give, have withheld or neglected to
furnish facts which
they alone could furnish.
D.M.C.
ONEONTA, _April,
1883_.
_CHAPTER I._
The territory
comprised within the present boundaries of the town of
Oneonta, previous
to the war of the Revolution, was little known
except as the scene
of many a sanguinary conflict between different
Indian tribes which
contended with each other for its possession. The
peaceful possession
of the upper Susquehanna valley from time
immemorial; but
long before the outbreak of hostilities between
tribe from
and laid claim to
the upper portion of the valley as their
hunting-grounds.
From that time, with brief and uncertain intervals of
peace, up to the
close of the Revolutionary struggle, the war between
the contending
tribes was waged with relentless fury. Many a proud
chief and valiant
warrior fell beneath the tomahawk and became the
victim of the
merciless scalping-knife.
Eventually the
strife between these aboriginal tribes terminated in
favor of the
invaders, or Tuscaroras, who thereupon allied themselves
with the Six
Nations occupying the more northern and western portions
of the state. They
formed small settlements, one within the present
town of
near the mouth of
the
and occupied by
Andrew Van Woert; the other on what is known as the
Island on the farm
of James W. Jenks. At both these places Indian
utensils and
implements of war have been found in large numbers; at
both, Indian
orchards of some extent were standing a few years ago.
These Indian
settlements were destroyed by a detachment of American
troops under Gen.
Sullivan, who passed down the river from
in the summer of
1779. Making a dam across the outlet of the lake,
Sullivan succeeded
in causing the water of the lake to rise
considerably above
the common level, when by removing the dam the
stream was greatly
swollen, and upon its current the colonial force,
numbering about
1,000 men, was borne down the valley. It is related
that the natives
had become terrified at the sudden diminution of the
water of the river
and had fled in great haste from their homes,
leaving the way
unobstructed for the safe advance of the patriot
force. Between the
source of the stream and Unadilla, it is supposed
that but few Indian
orchards, cornfields or huts were left standing
near the river. At
the mouth of the Schenevus creek, a notable
exception was made
in favor of the Van Valkenburg family, residing
then on the old Deitz
farm across the river to the east of
Colliersville,
where now may be seen a number of ancient apple trees
of Indian planting,
still in a vigorous and fruitful condition. This
Van Valkenburg
family being half-breeds and friendly to the American
cause, their
property and possessions were not molested.
Sullivan's passage
down the stream was effected by means of batteaux
and strong rafts,
and owing to the windings of the channel, and the
necessary army
luggage, his progress, notwithstanding the increased
volume of water
that bore his barks along, was somewhat slow.
Unopposed by an
enemy, through a country marked with rare beauty of
scenery,
"Each boatman bending to his oar,
With measured sweep the burden bore,"
and with the
advance of this small but daring patriot force, the
Susquehanna valley
ceased to be the permanent abiding place of the red
men. A few
scattered representatives of the once proud Tuscaroras and
derived such
subsistence as the chase and stream afforded, but they
were no longer a
terror to the settlers.
In the expeditions
sent out to the southwestward from
likewise in the
marauding expeditions of the savages against the
frontier
settlements along the Schoharie, the Susquehanna valley,
wherein is situated
the
to both parties.
The old Indian trail, it has been ascertained, from
the Schoharie fort
to the west, passed down the Schenevus creek to its
mouth, there
crossed the Susquehanna, and continued down the northwest
side of the stream,
passed through the
the line of
Main-st., thence crossing the river near the lower end of
the village, it continued
westward on the south side of the stream for
some distance down
the river, on toward the Chemung and the fort at
Harpersfield and
thence down the
"We had gone
on about ten miles farther which brought us as low down
as where Collier's
bridge now crosses the river. Here we imagined that
the Indians were
possibly as cunning as ourselves, and would doubtless
take the more
obscure way and endeavor to meet us on the east side. On
which account we
waded the stream and struck into the woods crossing
the Indian path,
toward a place now called Craft-town." (Priest's
Collection of
Stories of the Revolution, published in 1836. "McKeon's
Scouts in
On the high ground,
a little distance beyond the southern extremity of
the Lower or
years a large ring,
which from the inscription traced upon it, is
supposed to have
belonged to one of
in the possession
of Dr. Meigs Case, and bears upon its outer side
these words and
letters: "Georgius Rex; B.R." It is supposed that the
letters
"B.R." are abbreviations for "
King;
In 1683 two Cayuga
Indians gave the following geographical information
to the justices of
the Documentary
History of
"That it is
one day's journey from the Mohawk Castles to the lake
whence the
Susquehanna river rises, and then ten days' journey from
the river to the
Susquehanna Castles--in all eleven days.
"One day and a
half's journey by land from
falls into the
Susquehanna river,
and then seven days unto the
all nine and a half
days' journey."
"The Indians
demand wherefore such particular information relative to
the
are about to come
there? The Indians are asked if it would be
agreeable to them
if folks should settle there? The Indians answer
that they would be
very glad if people came to settle there, as it is
nigher than this
place and more convenient to transport themselves and
packs by water,
inasmuch as they must bring everything hither on their
backs. N.B.--The
ascending of the
than the
descending."
In 1684, the
Onondaga and Cayuga sachems made an oration before Lord
Howard of Effingham
at
taken. I have
preserved the original spelling:
"Wee have putt
all our land and ourselfs under the Protection of the
great Duke of York,
the brother of your great Sachim. We have given
the
and desire that it
may be a branch of that great tree, Whose topp
reaches to the
Sunn, under whose branches we shall shelter our selves
from the French, or
any other people, and our fire burn in your houses
and your fire burns
with us, and we desire that it always may be so,
and will not that
any of your Penn's people shall settle upon the
the Woods, as you
Sachim of Virginia know, we having no other land to
leave to our wives
and Children."
In 1691, the
governor and council of the
address to the king
of
made:
"
far as the lakes of
It appears that the
ownership of the Susquehanna was the subject of no
little dispute
among the tribes composing the Six Nations.[A] The
Onondagas claimed
the country.
[Footnote A: From a
record of a meeting of the mayor and aldermen of
In an old map found
among the papers of Sir Guy Johnson the Schenevus
creek or valley is
called Ti-ononda-don. The prefix _Ti_ appears to
have been quite
common among Indian names, sometimes used and
sometimes omitted.
Doubtless _Ononda_ is the root of the word
_Ti-ononda-don_. As
the Onondagas had claimed the Susquehanna country,
the Indian
etymologist might naturally inquire whether there was any
kinship between
Tionondaga, Tionondadon, Onondaga and the word
Oneonta. His belief
in a common etymon might be somewhat strengthened
by a quotation from
a "Journal of What Occurred between the French and
Savages," kept
during the years 1657-58. (See Doc. Hist., Vol. I, p.
44*:
[*Transcriber's Note: last digit illegible in original.]
"The word
Onnota, which signifies in the Iroquois tongue a _mountain_,
has given the name
to the village called Onnontae, or as others call
it Onnontague,
because it is on a mountain.")
Perhaps the word
Oneonta may have the same derivation or a like
derivation as
Onondaga--perhaps not. The reader is left to follow up
the query. Among
the Hurons who had been conquered by the Iroquois, a
tribe is mentioned
under the name of Ti-onnonta-tes. The name may have
no relation to nor
any bearing upon the derivation of the word
Oneonta, but that
there was such a tribe, the fact is given for what
it may be worth.]
"At fifty
miles from
to a lake from
whence the Northern Branch of Susquehanna takes its
rise, does not
exceed fourteen miles. Goods may be carried from this
lake in Battoes or
flatt bottomed Vessels through
easy without any
cataract in all that large space."
The last quotation
is from the report of the Surveyor General to the
Lieutenant Governor
in 1637.
The foregoing
extracts appear to contain about all the information
which the
authorities at the provincial capital could glean of the
Indians concerning
the Susquehanna country, as it was called.
The few scattered
natives who remained here after the establishment of
peace, were, in
1795, removed to the reservation at
a part of the
Indian tribes already settled there.
In volume III of
the Documentary History of New York, a quaintly
interesting letter
of the Rev. Gideon Hawley may be found. The letter
is interesting,
because it may be safely regarded as the earliest
authentic writing
respecting this portion of the valley. Mr. Hawley
was sent out as a
missionary teacher to the Indians.
About this time a
good deal of interest was being taken in the
education of Indian
youth. For the furtherance of this design, the
Rev. Eleazur
Wheelock established a school at New Lebanon, Conn., for
the education of
young whites and young Indians. This school
afterwards ripened
into
was sent among the
resulted in the
founding of
similar school
established at Stockbridge,
have been favored
by the influence and good will of the celebrated
Jonathan Edwards,
Mr. Hawley was sent to Oquaga on the Susquehanna.
Oquaga was the
Indian settlement near the site of the present village
of
the Mohawk, across
the mountains to Schoharie, thence along the valley
to Schenevus creek
and westward. As his letter, in the form of a
journal, contains
the earliest account that is known of the presence
of white people
within the present territorial limits of Oneonta, I
hope the quotations
I make from it may prove of some interest. The
letter is dated
July 31st, 1794. The first entry is as follows:
JULY 31st, 1794.
"It is forty years this date since I
was ordained a
missionary to the Indians, in the old
South Meeting House,
when the Rev. Dr. Sewall preached on the
occasion and the
Rev. Mr. Prince gave the charge. The Rev.
Mr. Foxcroft and
Dr. Chauncey of
Mr. Appleton. I entered upon this arduous
business at
Stockbridge, under the patronage of the
Rev. Mr. Edwards.
Was instructor of a few families of
Iroquois, who came down
from their country for the sake of
christian knowledge and
the schooling of their children. These
families consisted of
Mohawks,
and
preached to them on the Lord's day. Mr. Edwards visited
my school, catechised my scholars, and
frequently delivered
a discourse to the children."
This quotation may
serve to show what kind of man this early
missionary was, and
the deep interest then felt in the education and
civilization of the
aborigines. The formality with which the clerical
harness was put on
in the historic
contrast with the
way the missionary to the Indians is equipped
now-a-days.
In the following
quotations the dates are of the year 1753. May 22d of
that year, a party
consisting of Mr. Hawley, Mr. Woodbridge, a Mr.
Ashley and Mrs.
Ashley, set out from Stockbridge for Oquaga.
May 30th, 1753, a
little more than a week after leaving Stockbridge,
the party had its
first view of the Susquehanna at Colliers. As the
journal gives some
description of our valley as it was then--one
hundred and thirty
years ago--I quote freely:
"Our way was
generally obstructed by fallen trees, old logs, miry
places, pointed
rocks and entangled roots, which were not to be
avoided. We were
alternately on the ridge of a lofty mountain and in
the depths of a
valley. At best, our path was obscure and we needed
guides to go before
us. Night approaches, we halt and a fire is
kindled; the
kettles are filled and we refresh ourselves; and we adore
Divine
committing
ourselves to God for the night, whose presence is equally
in the recesses of
the solitary wilderness and in the social walks of
the populous city.
With the starry heavens above me, and having the
earth for my bed, I
roll myself in a blanket, and without a dream to
disturb my repose,
pass the night in quiet, and never awake till the
eye-lids of morning
are opened, and the penetrating rays of the sun
look through the
surrounding foliage.
"It may not be
impertinent to observe that in this wilderness we
neither see nor
hear any birds of music. These frequent only the
abodes of man.
There is one _wood-bird_, not often seen, but heard
without any melody
in his note, in every part of the wilderness
wherever I have
been. In some parts of this extensive country, the
wild pigeons breed
in numbers almost infinite. I once passed an
extensive valley
where they had rested; and for six or eight miles,
where the trees
were near and thick, every tree had a number of nests
upon it, and some
not less than fifteen or twenty upon them. But as
soon as their young
are able, they take wing and are seen no more."
The next extract is
from the journal of May 30th, 1753:
"We were
impatient to see the famous Susquehanna, and as soon as we
came, Mr.
Woodbridge and I walked down to its banks. Disappointed at
the smallness of its
stream, he exclaimed, 'Is this the Susquehanna?'
"When we
returned our young Indians, who had halted, came in, looking
as terrible and
ugly as they could, having bedaubed their faces with
vermilion,
lampblack, white-lead, etc. A young Indian always carries
with him his
looking-glass and paint; and does not consider himself as
dressed until he
has adjusted his countenance by their assistance.
"Mr.
Woodbridge and Mrs. Ashley, our interpreter, could not travel any
further by land. We
therefore concluded to get a canoe and convey them
by water. From this
place [now Colliers] to Onohoghwage is three days'
journey; and how
bad the traveling is we cannot tell.
"May 31st,
[1753.] We met with difficulty about getting a canoe, and
sent an Indian into
the woods to get ready a bark, but he made small
progress.
"In the
afternoon came from Otsego lake, which is the source of this
stream, George
Windecker and another, in a small batteau, with goods
and rum, going down
to Onohoghwage upon a trading voyage. We agreed
with them to carry
the interpreter and Mr. Woodbridge in their
batteau; and bought
a wooden canoe to carry our flour and baggage.
"We soon saw
the ill effects of Windecker's rum. The Indians began to
drink and some of
our party were the worse for it. We perceived what
was coming.
"June 1st,
1753, is with me a memorable day, and for forty years and
more has not passed
unnoticed. We got off as silently as we could with
ourselves and
effects. Some went by water and others by land, with the
horses. I was with
the land party. The Indians, half intoxicated, were
outrageous, and
pursued both the party by water, in which was Mr.
club to strike at
us, and he hit one of our horses. We hastened.
Neither party met
till we arrived at Wauteghe [the name of the Indian
village at the
mouth of the Otego creek] at which had been an Indian
village, where were
a few fruit trees and considerable cleared land,
but no inhabitants.
Here, being unmolested and secure, we all
refreshed
ourselves. But Pallas was the worse for his rum; was so
refractory that Mr.
Ashley's hired man, who had been in the canoe with
him, was afraid. I
reproved him; got into the canoe to keep him in
order; was young
and inexperienced; knew not much of Indians, nor much
of mankind; whereby
I endangered my life."
In 1763, Rev. Mr.
Wheelock made application to Gen. Amherst for a land
grant in the
following words: "That a tract of land, about fifteen or
twenty miles
square, or so much as shall be sufficient for four
townships, on the
west side of
place more
convenient, in the heart of the Indian country, be granted
in favor of this
school. The said townships be peopled with a chosen
number of
inhabitants of known honesty, integrity, and such as love
and will be kind
to, and honest in their dealings with Indians.
"That a
thousand acres of, and within said grant be given to this
school; part of it
to be a college for the education of missionaries,
interpreters,
school-masters, etc.; and part of it a school to teach
reading, writing,
etc. And that there be manufactures for the
instruction of both
males and females, in whatever shall be useful and
necessary in life,
and proper tutors, masters and mistresses be
provided for the
same."
_CHAPTER II._
During the war for
independence, the Susquehanna valley below
Schenevus creek was
the lurking place of Indians and Tories, who, from
this secluded
territory, made many and frequent inroads upon the
settlements on the
Schoharie and Charlotte. Owing to the remoteness of
this section and
the weak condition of the frontiersmen, the trail of
the retreating
savages was seldom followed to any considerable
distance and
consequently but little knowledge concerning the valley
was derived by the
settlers at the former points until the restoration
of peace.
In 1770, an
extensive tract of land was granted to Sir William Johnson
and others, a large
part of which lies within the limits of the town
of Oneonta. This
tract lies on both sides of the
both above and
below the Otego creek. It is supposed the first
settlement within
the town was made upon this patent.[A] It contained
26,000 acres.
[Footnote A: Many
have erroneously believed this patent to have been
the grant made by
the Indian chief to Sir William in accordance with a
dream the latter
had, _i.e._, he had dreamed that the Indian gave him
all of a certain
described tract, whereupon the Indian told him that
he supposed what he
had dreamed must be true, but "be sure and not
dream again."
"Dreamland," by good authority, is said to be in
Herkimer county.]
Some years before
the commencement of hostilities, Henry Schramling,
a hardy pioneer
from the older settlement at German Flats, on the
Mohawk, came into
the valley and made a settlement at a point near the
Otego creek bridge,
but by reason of the troubled condition of the
country after 1775,
Mr. Schramling moved back to the Mohawk for
greater security.
After the war he with his brothers, George and
David, returned to
the Susquehanna. It is believed upon good authority
that he was the
first white settler in the town of
departure of the
Schramling family, many years elapsed before any
pioneers were found
venturesome enough to settle in this portion of
the valley.
Abram Houghtailing,
Elias Brewer and Peter Swartz became settlers here
in 1786.
Houghtailing and Brewer came from
Swartz from
Schoharie. About the same date, James Youngs settled near
the mouth of the
Charlotte and Baltus Kimball settled north of the
village on the farm
now owned by Jacob Morell.
About the year
1790, Thomas Morenus[A] settled on the south side of
the river. He was a
German from Schoharie. About the same time
Frederick Brown
came from
formerly owned and
occupied by Eliakim R. Ford. At this time Brown's
house was the only
one standing within the limits of the present
village corporation.
About the year 1795, one Aaron Brink built a
large log house by
the mill pond, or rather between the railroad
crossing on
hotel kept in the
kept in town.
Between Brown's house and Brink's tavern there was only
a common wood-road,
with a dense forest on either side.
[Footnote A: Thomas
Morenus, before settling here, had been a captive
among the Indians,
and had "run the gauntlet" at
terrible scourging
he had received at the hands of the savages left
marks which were
plainly traceable when he had become an old man.]
About the same time
John Vanderwerker built the first grist-mill. This
mill stood some
distance east of the grist-mill now standing in the
lower part of the
village.
In 1791, Asel
Marvin came from
Plains. Shortly
afterwards he removed on a large tract of wild land,
about two miles
from the village, upon the Oneonta Creek. He was a
well-known builder
and lumberman. For twenty-two consecutive years he
rafted lumber to
Oneonta Creek road,
and when the first church edifice was built in
town, he was one of
the trustees of the church society. When Mr.
Marvin moved into
the valley of the Oneonta Creek, the country across
the hill from
Oneonta to Laurens, was almost an unbroken wilderness.
Some years later
than the last named date, Peter Dinninny opened the
first store kept in
Oneonta. The store then stood where the opera
block now stands.
The first school-house was built soon after 1790,
and stood on the
rise of ground near the house of Horace Sessions, on
the south side of
the river.
Previous to 1816,
when the Presbyterian church was built, church
services were
generally held in Frederick Brown's barn. The first
clergyman who
regularly preached here was the Rev. Alfred Conkey, who
was settled at
older citizens as a
very earnest and zealous man, besides being a
person of liberal
culture.
The first white
child born in this town, or the first known to have
been born in town,
was Abram Houghtaling. He was born in 1786.
John and Nicholas
Beams were early settlers to the east of the
village. Elisha
Shepherd came from
settled at Oneonta
Plains. His sons, in after years, became actively
engaged in different
branches of industry, and the Plains at one time
bid fair to become
the most prominent village in town. It contained a
hotel, a store, two
churches and a distillery.
Andrew Parish was
also one of the pioneers of Oneonta. He was born in
settled on the
south side of the river on the John Fritts farm, and
afterwards on the
hill near the "Round Top." From the latter place he
moved to the farm
now owned by his son Stephen, on the south side of
the river. Mr.
Parish reared a large family of children, all of whom
became successful
farmers, and men of business. Andrew Parish was a
justice of the town
for twenty years in succession. He was also a
commissioner of
schools under the old system. In 1809 he put up a
brick kiln on the
Elisha Shepherd farm at the Oneonta Plains, from
which came the
first bricks that were used in town.
Dr. Joseph Lindsay
was the first physician who settled in Oneonta. He
came from Pelham,
in the old
1807. Having
received a liberal education in the advanced schools of
his native state
and at
teacher to many of
the younger people of the country who were
ambitious of
extending their studies beyond the rudimentary branches
taught at that time
in the schools of the neighborhood.
In 1815, Frederick
Bornt moved on the farm now owned and occupied by
his son, on the
Oneonta Creek. He had been a soldier in the war of
1812 and had served
at the battle of Plattsburg. He came from
Before the date
last named, Jacob Van Woert, a Dutchman, and father of
the late Peter and
John Van Woert, came from
farm lately owned
by his son Peter, near the mouth of the Otego Creek.
Asa Emmons about
the same time settled on the south side of the river,
near the
Slade now lives.
Jacob Wolf, the father of Conradt Wolf, had also
settled in the
southern part of the town at about the close of the
Revolutionary war.
Mr. Wolf had been taken as an Indian captive to
captured, was in
the valley of the Mohawk. While extinguishing a fire
which had caught in
a tall hemlock, by night, he was surprised by a
company of Indians,
by whom he was easily overpowered. He at length
escaped from his
captors, and making his way southward, after a long
and perilous
journey, he met with friends on the Tioga river. He
rejoined his wife
on the Mohawk, and afterwards removed to the
Susquehanna, on the
farm now owned by George Swart, southwest of the
village.
Elihu Gifford, with
four sons, came from
first settled at
In 1806, Mr.
Gifford moved to the farm now owned by Henry Gifford on
Oneonta Creek.
About the same time Josiah Peet and Ephraim Farrington
moved into the same
neighborhood. Later, Col. Wm. Richardson settled
further up the
creek and built a saw-mill and a grist-mill.
"
thriving hamlet
soon began to form around them. Col. Richardson was an
enterprising man of
business and took a prominent part in the affairs
of the town. He
served in the war of 1812-15.
When Elihu Gifford
moved to the Oneonta Creek there were only four
"clearings"
in that valley. A Mr. Armitage had made some inroads upon
the wilderness, on
what is now known as the Losee farm; Asel Marvin
had made a clearing
on the James Sheldon farm, and there were others
on Mrs.
Richardson's farm, and where Peter Yager lives. The settlers
along the Oneonta
Creek, after Mr. Marvin, moved in slowly.
About 1804, David
Yager came from
farm now known as
the Peter Yager farm. Solomon Yager, the father of
David, came
afterwards, purchasing his son's farm.[A]
[Footnote A: For
the purpose of showing the increase in the value of
real estate, it may
be mentioned that at the time David Yager sold to
his father, he was
offered a farm lying between
farm of J.R.L.
Walling, containing 150 acres, for $400.]
James McDonald
settled at the lower end of the village at an early
date. Mr. McDonald
was of Scotch descent, and an active business man.
The lower part of
the village was largely built through his enterprise
and at one time bid
fair to become the business centre of the village.
He built a mill and
hotel, and also became an extensive landholder.
James McDonald kept
the first post-office established within the
limits of the town.
The first settlers
were mostly German Palatinates from Schoharie and
the Mohawk. The
German was the language of common conversation, and so
continued until Dr.
Lindsay and Asa Emmons came into the settlement.
At this time the
Emmons and Lindsay families were the only ones that
made the English
their exclusive language.
These German
settlers were a patient and persevering people, and
betook themselves
to the task of felling the forest and rearing homes
for themselves and
their posterity, with a noble and praiseworthy
resolution. Beneath
the sturdy strokes of the axe, the wilderness
slowly but
gradually disappeared around their rude homes, and in the
place of the gloomy
forest, fields of waving grain appeared on every
side to cheer and
encourage the industrious woodsman. The forests
abounded in the
most ravenous animals, such as bears, panthers and
wolves, while along
the river and creek bottoms the ground was at
places almost
literally covered with poisonous reptiles. The climate
was severe, and the
country remote from the frontier, yet
notwithstanding the
obstacles and discouragements that beset them,
these were not
sufficient to cause the settlers to relax their efforts
to rear comfortable
homes for their descendants.
The following story
I have taken from Priest's Collection, for the
reason that the
scene of the exploit is said to have been near our
town boundaries:
"Ben Wheaton
was one of the first settlers on the waters of the
Susquehanna,
immediately after the war, a rough, uncultivated and
primitive man. As
many others of the same stamp and character, he
subsisted chiefly
by hunting, cultivating the land but sparingly, and
in this way raised
a numerous family amid the woods, in a half starved
condition, and
comparative nakedness. But as the Susquehanna country
rapidly increased
in population, the hunting grounds of
encroached upon; so
that a chance with his smooth-bore, among the deer
and bears was
greatly lessened. On this account
the Susquehanna
country, in Otsego county, to the more unsettled wilds
of the
Settlement,[A]
where game was more plenty. The distance from where he
made his home in
the woods, through to the Susquehanna, was about
fifteen miles, and
was one continued wilderness at that time. Through
these woods this
almost aboriginal hunter was often compelled to pass
to the Susquehanna,
for various necessaries, and among the rest no
small quantity of
whiskey, as he was of very intemperate habits. On
one of these
visits, in the midst of summer, with his smooth-bore
always on his
shoulder, knife, hatchet, &c., in their proper place, he
had nearly
penetrated the distance, when he became weary, and having
come to the summit
of a ridge (sometime in the afternoon) which
overlooks the vale
of the Susquehanna, he selected a convenient place
in the shade, as it
was hot, for the rays of the sun from the west
poured his sultry
influence through all the forest, where he lay down
to rest a while
among the leaves, after having taken a drink from his
pint bottle of
green glass, and a mouthful of cold Johnney cake from
his pocket.
[Footnote A: Wait's
Settlement is said to have been in the vicinity of
what now is known
as
"In this
situation he was soothed to drowsiness by the hum of insects,
and the monotony of
passing winds among the foliage around him, when
he soon unwarily
fell asleep with his gun folded in his arms. But
after a while he
awoke from his sleep, and for a moment or two still
lay in the same
position, as it happened, without stirring, when he
found that
something had taken place while he had slept, which had
situated him
somewhat differently from the manner in which he first
went to sleep. On
reflecting a moment, he found he was entirely
covered over, head
and ears, with leaves and light stuff, occasioned,
as he now
suspected, either by the sudden blowing of the wind, or by
some wild animal.
On which account he became a little disturbed in his
mind, as he well
knew the manners of the panther at that season of the
year, when it hunts
to supports its young, and will often cover its
prey with leaves
and bring its whelps to the banquet. He therefore
continued to lie
perfectly still, as when he first awoke; he thought
he heard the step
of some kind of heavy animal near him; and he knew
that if it were a
panther, the distance between himself and death
could not be far,
if he should attempt to rise up. Accordingly, as he
suspected, after
having lain a full minute, he now distinctly heard
the retiring tread
of the stealthy panther, of which he had no doubt,
from his knowledge
of the creature's ways. It had taken but a few
steps however, when
it again stopped a longer time; still
continued his
silent position, knowing his safety depended much on
this. Soon the
tread was again heard, farther and farther off, till it
entirely died away
in the distance--but he still lay motionless a few
minutes longer,
when he ventured gently and cautiously to raise his
head and cast an
eye in the direction the creature, whatever it was,
had gone, but could
see nothing. He now rose up with a spring, for his
blood had been
running from his heart to his extremities, and back
again, with
uncommon velocity; all the while his ears had listened to
the steps of the
animal on the leaves and brush. He now saw plainly
the marks of design
among the leaves, and that he had been covered
over, and that the
paws of some creature had done it.
"And as he
suspected the panther was the animal, he knew it would soon
return to kill him,
on which account he made haste to deceive it, and
to put himself in a
situation to give it a taste of the contents of
old smooth-bore. He
now seized upon some pieces of old wood which lay
all about, and
placed as much as was equal to his own bulk, exactly
where he had slept,
and covered it over with leaves in the same manner
the panther had
done, and then sprang to a tree near by, into which he
ascended, from
whence he had a view a good distance about him, and
especially in the
direction the creature had gone. Here in the crotch
of the tree he
stood, with his gun resting across a limb, in the
direction of the
place where he had been left by the panther, looking
sharply as far
among the woods as possible, in the direction he
expected the
creature's return. But he had remained in this condition
but a short time,
and had barely thrust the ram-rod down the barrel of
his piece, to be
sure the charge was in her, and to examine her
priming, and to
shut down the pan slowly, so that it should not snap,
and thus make a
noise, when his keen Indian eye, for such he had,
caught a glimpse of
a monstrous panther, leading warily two panther
kittens toward her
intended supper.
"Now matters
were hastening to a climax rapidly, when
panther must finish
their hunting on the mountains of the Susquehanna,
for if old smooth-bore
should flash in the pan, or miss her aim, the
die would be cast,
as a second load would be impossible ere her claws
would have sundered
his heart strings in the tree where he was, or if
he should but
partially wound her the same must have been his fate.
During these
thoughts the panther had hid her young under some brush,
and had come within
some thirty feet of the spot where she supposed
her victim was
still sleeping; and seeing all as she left it, she
dropped down to a
crouching position, precisely as a cat, when about
to spring on its
prey. Now was seen the soul of the panther in its
perfection, merging
from the recesses of nature where hidden by the
creator, along the
whole nervous system, but resting chiefly in the
brain, whence it
glared, in bright horror, from the burning eyes,
curled in the
strong and vibrating tail, pushed out the sharp, white
and elliptical
fangs from the broad and powerful paws, ready for
rending, glittered
on the points of its uncovered teeth, and smoked in
rapid tissues of
steam from its red and open jaws, while every hair of
its long dun back
stood erect in savage joy, denoting that the fatal
and decisive moment
of its leap had come.
"Now the
horrid nestling of its hinder claws, drawn under its belly
was heard, and the
bent ham strings were seen but a half instant by
made. It rose on a
long curve into the air, of about ten feet in the
highest place, and
from thence descending, it struck exactly where the
breast, head and
bowels of its prey had lain, with a scream too
horrible for
description, when it tore to atoms the rotten wood,
filling for several
feet above it, the air with the leaves and light
brush, the covering
of the deception. But instantly the panther found
herself cheated,
and seemed to droop a little with disappointment,
when however she
resumed an erect posture, and surveyed quite around
on every side on a
horizontal line, in search of her prey, but not
discovering it, she
cast a furious look aloft among the tops of the
trees, when in a
moment or two the eyes of
met. Now for
another leap, when she dropped for that purpose; but the
bullet and two buck
shot of old smooth bore were too quick, as he
lodged them all
exactly in the brain of the savage monster, and
stretched her dead
on the spot where the hunter had slept but a short
time before, in the
soundness, of a mountain dream.
"
the report of the
gun, were frightened and ran up a tree. He now came
down and found the
panther to measure, from the end of its nose to the
point of its tail,
eight feet six inches in length; a creature
sufficiently strong
to have carried him off on a full run, had he
fallen into its
power. He now reloaded and went to the tree where her
kittens, or the
young panthers were, and soon brought them down from
their grapple among
the limbs, companions for their conquered and
slain parent.
"
night should set
in, lest some other encounter might overtake him of a
similar character,
when the disadvantage of darkness might decide the
victory in a way
more advantageous to the roamers of the forest. Of
this feat Ben
Wheaton never ceased to boast; reciting it as the most
appalling passage
of his hunting life. The animal had found him while
asleep, and had him
concealed, as he supposed, intending to give her
young a specimen of
the manner of their future life; or if this is too
much for the mind
of a dumb animal, she intended at least to give them
a supper.
"This
circumstance was all that saved his life, or the panther would
have leapt upon him
at first, and have torn him to pieces, instead of
covering him with
leaves, as she did, for the sake of her young. The
panther is a
ferocious and almost untamable animal, whose nature and
habits are like
those of the cat; except that the nature and powers of
this domestic
creature are in the panther immensely magnified, in
strength and
voracity. It is in the American forest what the tiger is
in Africa and
other creatures, as
well as of the Indian and the white man."
The German
Palatinates who settled in the upper Susquehanna were noted
for their physical
endurance and their fondness for sports, but the
same can hardly be
said of their desire for intellectual culture.
Perhaps they were
no worse, in this respect, than circumstances made
them. Poverty and
hard work were their portion, and the share was not
stinted out to
them. There were no newspapers, that is, during the
earlier history of
the settlement, published at a nearer point than
with the
unimportant doings of the Dutch burghers--perhaps enlivened
now and then, with
a highly seasoned article, full of indignation
because some
obscure man in
cutting a forest
tree on the manor of
School teachers
were not numerous nor were they well qualified for
their work. School
houses were at a great distance from most of the
homes. They were
both comfortless and cheerless. The snows were deep
in winter and the
weather was inclement. In summer, even little hands
were helpful at
home.
In their sports,
the settlers were often inclined to push a joke to
rudeness, and what
began in fun often ended in a fight. Still, they
were good-natured,
honest people. They were kind to those needing
assistance, and if
necessity became common so did the loaf of bread.
There was no lack
of social enjoyment, for their hardest toil was made
the occasion of a
gathering. If a piece of woodland was to be cleared,
or a fallow, the
male portion of the community united in a "bee" and
the work was soon
done. Perhaps, while the men were thus working
together in the
field, the women had gathered within doors, and were
busily plying their
fingers over the mottled patch-work of a quilt.
In the lengthening
summer twilight the men, coatless and barefoot, sat
in groups on the
front steps or under the low Dutch stoops and talked
of the incoming
crops, the weather or the watery moon.
The forests, all
over the hillsides, where now village streets are
creeping up and
winding across, were frowning with great pines and
hemlocks. The log
road ran in every direction and was no more
exclusive than a
common highway. The "shingle-weaver's" huts were on
nearly every road
and bypath. The most towering pines were regarded as
lawful prize, and
during the winter the men found plenty of employment
and slight
recompense in hauling the pines to mill. Here they were
converted into
lumber, which was piled up by the bank of the river
until "the
spring freshet." On the swollen stream it was rafted to
The "rafting
season" was looked forward to with no little solicitude
by the more robust
and daring of the young men. They waited for the
rafts to be cut
from their moorings with keen anticipation, and the
stories of some of
the rivermen are still well remembered by the older
inhabitants.
For a great many
years,
pioneers carted
their wheat. The roads were barely passable and the
trip to
upon which the
produce was carted, were of rough and clumsy make. It
would not be
supposed that the driver would find much pleasure in
making the distance
to market and back on one of these clumsy
vehicles, but the
trip, especially to the younger men, was not without
its enjoyments.
They carried their provisions in a large, round,
wooden box over
which closed a round, wooden cover. They also carried
provender for their
teams and the only necessary cash expense was a
sixpence each night
for lodging. The more sumptuous and less
economical might,
if they chose, diminish their exchequer to the
amount of an extra
sixpence by indulging in a glass of "flip." Nearly
every farm-house of
any pretension on the high road to
hotel, so-called,
if not in fact. Seated at night within these
primitive hotels,
the farmers who had assembled from different parts
told their tales of
prowess--some true stories and a good many lies.
Beside the
ambitious house that gloried in a daub of red paint and
which had been
pushed up to the aristocratic height of one and a half
or two stories,
before which flapped in the wind a wide, white board
with the cheerful
announcement, "Smith's
Beast," stood
a more modest structure. Brown, unpainted,
unclapboarded, it
stood by the wayside. Its log walls were stuccoed
with mud, and in
the wide mouth of the doorway was the brawny
housewife,
bare-armed, peering from beneath a slatternly red
sun-bonnet, while
over the doorway the passer-by read the letters in
red chalk upon a
new pine shingle:
+-----------------+
| "CAKES AND
BEER |
| FOR
+-----------------+
After the farmer
had sold or bartered away his wheat or other produce,
he generally
returned with a load of goods for the village merchant.
_CHAPTER III._
Prominent among the
early settlers of Oneonta was Jacob Dietz, who
removed into the
settlement from Schoharie county about the year 1804.
Mr. Dietz was early
appointed a justice of the peace, and continued in
office either by
appointment or election for a great length of time.
He was active in
the affairs of the town and an energetic man of
business. He was a
long time in mercantile business, and his store,
which was situated
where now stands the brick building occupied by the
First National
Bank, was the center of a lively trade for those times.
Mr. Dietz
accumulated an extensive estate, and reared a large family
of children. He
became the owner of extensive tracts of land, some of
which are now
occupied by the streets and residences of the village.
Some of his
representatives are now living in the west and are
deservedly esteemed
where they reside.
At about the date
last mentioned, one Schoolcraft erected a modest
structure on the
site of the Susquehanna House. Schoolcraft's house
became in a short
time the leading tavern of the community, where poor
grog and worse food
were dispensed to the villagers and wayfarers,
doubtless much to
the gratification of their primitive tastes.
About the same
period, 1804-5, one Joseph Westcott, from the present
town of
Miller. These
stores--Dinninny's, mentioned in the preceding chapter,
Dietz's and
Westcott's--were all of the most primitive order, and,
especially the
first named, contained but a meagre stock of goods, the
stock generally
consisting of a barrel of
violent nature,
several old bull ploughs, a little crockery ware, a
few cooking
utensils, and a small amount of dry goods. There was but
little money and
the merchant's trade was carried on mostly in the way
of barter, the
tradesman exchanging his merchandise for grain, lumber
and shingles.
Early in the
history of the town, a Mr. Walling, the grandfather of
J.R.L. Walling,
located to the east of Oneonta creek, near where his
descendant above
named now lives. One Newkirk also settled on Chestnut
street, on the lot
adjoining
on the farm now
owned and occupied by Henry Wilcox, about the same
time that Jacob
Dietz came into the settlement.[A]
[Footnote A: There
were other families among the settlers by the name
of Hillsinger,
Couse, Whitmarsh, Harsen, Sullivan, White and Morrell.]
At the time of
Swart's settlement the land on the lower end of River
street was covered
by a dense forest of hemlock and maple. Over those
attractive and
well-tilled fields now composing Mr. Wilcox's farm,
roamed at that time
the bear and the panther, and glided with little
molestation
numberless rattlesnakes of the largest and most poisonous
species. The
settlement along the river, below the residence of George
Scramling, seemed
to proceed slowly, as the land below this point was
considered of but
little value, while the heavy growth of hemlock
precluded the rapid
clearing away of the forest. To the north and east
of the village the
hillsides yielded a vast quantity of the more
valuable timber.
For news outside of
the little settlement the inhabitants had recourse
to the _Freeman's
Journal_, at that time published by one of the
pioneers of
journalism in Otsego county, John H. Prentiss. The mails
were conveyed from
one settlement to another by the postman, who
traveled over the
hills and through the valleys on horseback, and made
known his approach
to each post-village by the winding of a huge horn,
which was always
carried by his saddle-bows ready for use.
During the war of
1812-14, the winding of the postman's horn caused
the settlers both
in the village and without to assemble rapidly and
in full force, men,
women and children, to learn the news from the
"
from Oneonta. Some
of them were stationed at Sackett's Harbor and
of Queenstown. But
few of those veterans yet remain to tell
"Of their strange ventures happed by
land or sea."
At the time of its
first settlement, Oneonta was in the old county of
Tryon, which was
formed from
embraced the whole
western portion of the state, from a line extending
north and south
through the centre of the present
to
Oneonta was then in
the old town of
During the period
of which we have written, Oneonta as a distinct town
had no existence.
The
bruisers, it was
sometimes vulgarly called "Klipknocky."[A] This
nickname lasted a
long while, and was known at a long distance from
home.
[Footnote A: On the
banks of the Susquehanna, in
is a thriving
little hamlet known as "Klipknocky Jr." It was first
settled by an
emigrant from Oneonta. While the river was the highway
the most easily
traveled, fugitives from the older settlement found a
landing-place for
their canoes and a safe retreat for themselves at
"Klipknocky
Jr."]
In 1830 the town of
suggestion of Gen.
Erastus Root.
Among the early
inhabitants of Oneonta, whose enterprise contributed
to the development
of the resources of the town, was William Angell,
who soon after his
settlement here became the most prominent
inhabitant of the
village. He built the Oneonta House, where he acted
as host for a
number of years. He was also one of the proprietors of
the
the great highway
from Catskill to the southwestern portion of the
state.
Any attempted
sketch of our early history would be very far from
complete and far
from just, were mention not made of a class of
citizens, some of
whom are still living, whose labors were early
identified with the
history of the town, a part of whom were here born
and here grew to
manhood; a part of whom came to the village while it
was yet an outlying
hamlet, but whose labors have largely aided in
advancing the
growth and prosperity of the community.
Among these was
Timothy Sabin, a native of the town, who, upon
arriving at the age
of manhood, embarked in mercantile pursuits, and
continued to an
advanced age to lend his aid to the management of an
extensive business.
Another of the older class of men of the village
is John M. Watkins,
who was born in Oneonta in 1806. For thirty years
Mr. Watkins was one
of the leading hotel keepers of the village, and
during this long
period in which he acted the part of host, his house
was known far and
wide as the best kept hostelry in this section.
There are many more
"to the manor born" whose names it would be a
pleasure to
mention, but for lack of data which their friends or
representatives
have neglected or failed to furnish, we are compelled
to forego any more
extended notice.
Occupying a prominent
position among those who, at an early date,
emigrated into the
town was Eliakim R. Ford. Mr. Ford was born in
quite young. From
the latter place he removed to Oneonta in 1822, he
then being
twenty-five years of age. He at once embarked in mercantile
enterprises and so
conducted his business matters as to rapidly win
both the confidence
and trade of his fellow citizens. His first store
stood near the Free
Baptist church. From that point he removed to a
store next to the
lot where now the opera house stands, and in 1828 he
again moved into a
store which he had built near the residence of
Harvey Baker. His
late residence and the stone store recently
destroyed by fire
were built in 1839-40.
Dr. Samuel H. Case
settled in the
born in
graduated at the
medical college at
years he has
continued the practice of medicine in the village and
throughout the
surrounding country. There are but a few among the
longer resident
population of the community who have not, at one time
or another, been
under the Doctor's treatment. He built the office
still occupied by
him, in 1832, and his house in 1834--soon after his
marriage--and has
never moved from either since he began to occupy
them. When he moved
into the village, the latter contained only two
painted houses, and
the whole business prosperity of the hamlet was
then centered in
two stores--Dietz's and Ford's--one potash and two
distilleries. Dr.
Case is of
emigrated to
Col. William W.
Snow came to Oneonta, a few years after the last
named, and early
engaged in manufacturing. The Colonel was born in the
town of
organization and
welfare of the militia. He was elected to a
colonelcy, whence
his military title. He was elected to congress from
Otsego and
Schoharie counties in 1848. He has been several times
elected to our
state legislature, and has been a member of the third
house many years.
Though not a
resident of the town, yet his business relations have
been such as to
identify the name of Jared Goodyear with its history.
Mr. Goodyear for a
long term of years resided upon the borders of
Oneonta, and from
an early period was largely interested in the
business of the
village. He was born in
removed to
Schoharie county, whence he came to Colliersville while yet
a young man, and
there he resided the remainder of his life. By
persistent industry
Mr. Goodyear accumulated a large fortune, and won
a high reputation
for integrity.
The following is a
column of business cards from the "ONEONTA
WEEKLY
JOURNAL," of July 1, 1841. It is nearly a correct showing
of what the
business of the village then was:[A]
Headquarters at the foot of
Winter goods. Timothy Sabin is now
receiving a fresh supply
of Spring and Summer Goods, comprising a
general assortment
of Dry Goods, Groceries, Crockery,
Hardware, Dye Stuffs,
Paints, Oils, etc., etc., for sale as low
as at any
establishment west of the
examine goods and prices; they are well
selected, and will
be sold cheap for Cash, Produce, or a
liberal credit.
Oneonta, May 13, 1841.
Cabinet and Chair Warehouse, No. 10
Chestnut st., Oneonta.
The subscriber respectfully informs his
friends, and the
public generally, that he has opened a
Cabinet Warehouse at
No. 10 Chestnut st., Oneonta, where he
manufactures and
keeps constantly on hand, a general
assortment of Cabinet
Furniture, comprising Mahogany, Cherry and
Maple work. Also,
a good assortment of Chairs, will be kept
constantly on
hand, and all other articles generally
found at an
establishment of this kind.
N.B. Most kinds of Lumber and grain will
be received in
payment.
Oneonta, Sept. 17, 1840. R.W. HOPKINS
A Card Executed at the office of the
Oneonta Weekly Journal
with neatness and dispatch and on
reasonable terms, Job
Printing of every description.
E. Cooke, Attorney at Law, Oneonta,
John B. Steele, Attorney, &c.,
Oneonta,
Office, in the stone building opposite the
Otsego House,
Mason Gilbert, Hatter,
Cooke & Brown, retail dealers in Dry
Goods, Groceries,
Crockery, Hardware, Iron, Steel, &c.,
&c. Store under the
office of the Oneonta Weekly Journal, Main
street, Oneonta.
Potter C. Burton, dealer in Watches,
Clocks, Jewelry. Silver
and
German Silver Ware, &c., &c. One door north of Cooke &
Brown's Store, Main street, Oneonta.
Timothy Sabin, retail dealer in Dry Goods,
Groceries,
Crockery, Hardware, Iron, Steel, &c.,
&c. Store opposite the
Oneonta House,
Clyde & Cook, retail dealers in Dry
Goods, Groceries,
Crockery, Hardware, Drugs & Medicines,
Dye Woods & Dye
Stuffs, &c., &c. Store nearly
opposite the Otsego House,
Snow & Van Woert, manufacturers of,
and wholesale and retail
dealers in Tin, Sheet-Iron, and Copper
ware, Stoves, &c.,
&c. Over
C. Noble, manufacturer of, and wholesale
and retail dealer
in Beach's Patent Shaving Soap, Beach's
Liquid Opodeldoc,
and Black Varnish, &c., &c.
Robert W. Hopkins, manufacturer of, and
dealer in Cabinet
Ware and Chairs of every description.
Chestnut street,
Oneonta.
Cushing & Potter, manufacturers of, and
wholesale and retail
dealers in Barrels & Firkins, &c.,
&c. Main st., Oneonta.
W.W. Snow's Wool Carding and Cloth
Dressing Establishment.
Opposite E.R. Ford's Store,
Bennet & Smith, dealers in
Nails, and Findings, &c., &c.,
Otsego Co., N.Y.
George W. Andrews, Chair Maker, and House
& Sign Painter,
(
C.G.
Cross, Waggon and Carriage Maker,
Oneonta.
E.R. Ford, retail dealer in Dry Goods,
Groceries, Crockery,
Hardware, Drugs & Medicines, Dye Woods
& Dye Stuffs, Iron,
Steel, &c., &c.,
[Footnote A: The
following advertisement from the "Weekly Journal," of
July 1, 1841, will
show that people were not more honest in former
times than they are
now:
FENCE IN THE FOG.
The fence around the
disappeared very mysteriously during the
past winter.
Whether _strayed or stolen_ it is not yet
definitely
ascertained; but from circumstances
recently developed, the
latter idea seems most conclusive. Rumor
says it has been
tracked going Westward; but still, as the
Church is located
on quite an elevated piece of ground, and
near the brink of
the hill, it is possible that it may have
slid off to the
Eastward.
Any person who will give correct
information where said
fence may be found, or where it was last
seen after leaving
the premises, will be liberally rewarded
by the trustees of
the Baptist society. Any person wishing to
make any
confession in relation to it, may rely
upon having profound
secrecy maintained by applying soon to
_one_ of the Deacons
of the Church.
Oneonta, May 20, 1841.]
From the town book
the following copy of the doings of the people, at
their first town
meeting, has been made:
"At an annual
town meeting held in the town of
Thomas D.
Alexander, on the 1st day of March, present
Eliakim R. Ford,} _Justices in_
Robert Cook, } _said town._
"After the
opening of the meeting by proclamation, it was resolved,
1st, That there be
three assessors elected for said town.
2d, That there be
four constables elected for said town.
3d, That there be
four pound-masters chosen for said town.
4th, That an
amount, equal to the sum which may be distributed to said
town from the
common school fund, be raised by tax for the support of
common schools in
said town.
5th, That the sum
of one dollar per day be allowed to the fence
viewers of said
town.
6th, That five per
cent. be allowed as the compensation to the
collector, as his
fees for collecting the taxes for said town.
7th, That all
circular and partition fences, in said town, shall be at
least four feet and
six inches high.
8th, That widows,
who have no land, shall be entitled to let their
cattle run at large
in the public highways, from the first of April to
the first of
December.
9th, That the
annual town meeting shall be held on the first Thursday
of March. The
following officers were then elected for the town:
_Supervisor_,
William Richardson.
_Town Clerk_, Adam
Brown.
{ John Dillingham,
_Justices of the
peace_ { Jonah Northrup,
{ John S. Yager.
{ John Van Woert,
_Assessors_ { John
Fritts,
{ John T. Quackenboss.
{ Isaac Shepherd,
_Commissioners of
Highways_ { Asel Marvin,
{ William Angel.
_Overseers of the
poor_ { George W. Smith,
{ Samuel Carpenter.
_Collector_, Hiram
Shepherd.
{ Hiram Shepherd,
_Constables_ {
David Sullivan,
{ Emanuel Northrup,
{ Robert S. Cook.
{ Obadiah Gifford,
_Commissioners of
schools_ { Peter Dietz,
{ Joseph Walling.
{ Samuel H. Case,
_Inspectors of
schools_ { Washington Throop,
{ Amos Cook.
_Sealer of weights
and measures_, Eliakim R. Ford.
{ Beers Peet,
_Pound-masters_ {
Joseph Walling,
{ William Dietz,
{ Elisha Shepherd."
In 1835, five years
after the organization of the town, the whole
tax-paying
population of Oneonta was 261. The grand total tax-levy of
the town was
$781.48. The amount of public school money raised by the
town was $100.45.
William Angel was supervisor and David Sullivan
collector for that
year.[A]
[Footnote A: No
historical sketch of Oneonta would be regarded
complete that
failed to mention another name which no one can recall
without a feeling
of good-will. Dr. David T. Evans was born in
business as a
tailor, but afterwards became a well-known and
successful farrier.
He was a famous story-teller and everybody gave a
respectful hearing
to the Doctor's tales regarding the strange
characters he had
known or heard of. At least two generations of boys
have grown up and
gone out from the village who have listened to his
stories. Wherever
those boys are now--scattered far and wide--they
recall no scenes or
events of their springtime without a remembrance
of Dr. Evans and
his tales, none of which were wanting in pith or
amusement.]
In 1840, a
newspaper was established here which was thereafter
conducted by Wm. J.
Knapp for about two years when, owing to poor
health, Mr. Knapp
was compelled to discontinue its publication. It
was the
"Oneonta Weekly Journal."
The growth of the
very slow. The
building of a house in those days was an act of no
little importance.
For ten years there were but few dwellings erected,
and those few were
of a cheap and inferior class. The population
hardly kept pace
with the building. The young went west, and the
number of families
that moved out was about equal to the number that
moved in.
From 1850 to 1860
there was but little building and but a small
increase in
population. There are no accessible figures showing the
population of the
village at the different decades, but the census
returns for the
town may be taken as safe guides in forming an
estimate of the
village population at different periods. In 1830, when
the town was
organized, it contained a population of eleven hundred
and forty-nine. In
1840 it had increased to nineteen hundred and
thirty-six. In 1850
it had slightly decreased, then being nineteen
hundred and two. In
1855 it was twenty-one hundred and sixty-seven.
These are the
figures for the town. If the village population had
increased in the
same ratio, it could not have been far from two
hundred and fifty
when the town was formed in 1830. It is hardly fair
to infer that the
village ratio of increase was quite equal to that
of the town. The
western emigration was made up more largely from the
village than from
the farms. The same cause--lack of profitable
employment--that
has transferred the young men of
plow to the
manufacturing centres, transferred our young men from a
place where no
industry was encouraged, to remote but wider fields of
usefulness.
In 1851 the Albany
& Susquehanna railroad company was organized and
chartered. Samuel
S. Beach and Woodbury K. Cooke drew up the first
notice of the
railroad project and at the same time drew up a notice
of a meeting to be
held in Oneonta for the purpose of enlisting the
interest of
capitalists in the proposed road. These notices Messrs.
Cooke and Beach
caused to be printed and distributed at their own
expense. This
meeting resulted in the formation of the
Susquehanna
railroad company. High hopes of its speedy completion were
then entertained.
But could its projectors have forseen the
difficulties and
obstacles that they had to overcome, and the length
of time that
elapsed before the road was built to Oneonta, they would
have wearied of the
project and abandoned the enterprise. The road was
completed to this
place in 1865--a little more than fourteen years
after the
organization of the company.
An improved
appearance was at once given the village. New stores and
new dwellings were
built. Old, weather-stained buildings were
brightened with
paint, and the Dutch stoop with its half doors gave
place to more
pretentious verandas.
Then about 1872 the
machine shops were established here, and the
village began to
increase rapidly, and new industries were developed.
In 1860, there was
but one newspaper published in the village. That
was the HERALD,
which had been established in 1853 by L.P.
Carpenter, and his
brother, J.B. Carpenter--the former now of the
Morris Chronicle.
L.P. continued the publication of the paper, as
editor and
proprietor, for a long time, and at last succeeded in
gaining for his
journal a firm foothold in the community. He labored
early and late at
the work that was before him--editor, compositor and
pressman--often
beset with discouragements, always feebly supported in
his efforts, but
still hopeful and plucky. He could hardly, in 1860,
have dreamed that
within twenty years, steam presses would be brought
into the same
village to follow in the wake of the clumsy press whose
only motive power
was his own strong arm. But few of our citizens can
now justly
appreciate the obligation the community is under to Mr.
Carpenter for the
large part of his life-work which he here so
unostentatiously
performed.
In 1860 there was
no bank here, and merchants were compelled to adopt
a round-about way
of making exchanges with their creditors. Money was
sent miles away, by
the stage-driver, or by special messenger, to a
bank where at a
round premium a draft was bought. The stores of the
village had each a
general assortment of merchandise, including silks,
broadcloths,
groceries, plows, and schoolbooks. On either side of
Main-st. was a
hard-beaten path, which served for a sidewalk. On the
south side of the
street stood a number of dingy rookeries, in a half
tumble-down
condition. Pigs and cows roamed at large, and were only
known to be home at
supper-time, when old brindle, in more instances
than one, might
have been seen peering through the front window with a
covetous look upon
the family group around the table.
Marked improvements
are now to be observed in every direction. With
the multiplication
of industries, and the introduction of new ones,
calling for the
outlay of more capital and the employment of more
labor, the growth
of the village, in population and wealth, bids fair
to continue. A
comparison of figures is, at least, encouraging. In
1860, Oneonta was a
thriftless hamlet with only about six hundred
inhabitants. It is
now a thriving village with a population of over
four thousand.
_CHAPTER IV._
Calvin Eaton, one
of the first settlers about
the farm now owned
by Isaac Holmes. He came from
uncertain. He was a
famous story-teller. Many of his stories have been
preserved by
tradition, and are now told in the neighborhood with
great zest. His
wife, familiarly known as Aunt Olive Eaton, died about
1844 or 1845, at a
very advanced age, he having died many years
before. They
brought up several of their nephews and nieces, having no
children of their
own, William Holmes, father of Isaac Holmes, being
one of them.
Elder Emanuel
Northrup, a Baptist minister, settled on the farm now
owned by his
grandson, Isaac Northrup, about 1794. He came originally,
it is believed,
from
came last from
Stephentown, Rensselaer-co. His son, Josiah Northrup,
who was afterwards
a justice of the peace for many years, having been
elected at the
first town meeting, a prominent man in town affairs and
a leading member of
the Baptist church, was, at the time of his
father's coming,
about fourteen years of age; he died in 1844.
The farm now
occupied by the
father and son, the
father being the purchaser. He was at that time
about seventy years
of age; he brought with him some apple seeds,
planted a nursery,
raised trees, set out an orchard, and lived to
drink cider made
from the apples. The orchard became quite famous in
the neighborhood,
and was known to all the boys for miles around; many
of the trees are
yet bearing. Upon the death of the father, his son,
Nathaniel Niles,
who had occupied the farm with his father, became the
owner, who lived
upon the farm until his death in 1852, at
eighty-seven years
of age.
in 1797; he brought
his family, and drove an ox-team. He first settled
on the farm now
owned by Enos Thayer, where he lived until 1808, when
he exchanged his
farm with Asa Thayer, another of the early comers,
for the property at
enlarged the house
that then stood upon the ground, took out a
license, and opened
"Strait's Tavern," on the
the old landmarks
for many years; he died in 1822. Two of his sons,
Rufus and
come into the
possession of Thayer, it had been occupied by Daniel
Lawrence, father of
Lewis Lawrence, of
was born.
Robert Cook settled
early upon the farm owned at present by
Cook. At the time
of his coming the Indians were yet frequent
visitors. One day,
as the story is, Cook was at work in the field, his
wife being alone in
the house, an Indian called, and finding her
alone, brandished
his knife, and made some terrible threats,
frightening her
almost to death. Just at this time Cook appeared; the
Indian took his
departure precipitately. Cook seized his gun and
pursued him. He
returned after a little time, and the Indian never
troubled them more.
The place where
Daniel Hodge now lives was first occupied by Samuel
Stephen. His father
John Stephen, made a settlement at Laurens before
the Revolutionary
war.
The Sleepers were
from near
they became alarmed
at the inroads of the tories and Indians, and
returned to
Valley the day
before the massacre. They returned to the settlement
after the war. John
Sleeper had several sons. One, Nehemiah Sleeper,
built a mill below
Laurens on the Otego creek, which was afterwards
known as Boyd's
mill. Samuel Sleeper took up several hundred acres of
land, of which the
farms of Daniel Hodge and Horace White formed a
part. He built a
grist-mill and saw-mill on the Otego creek, just
below the covered
bridge, this side (east) of
said to have been
an active business man, and was quite a noted
surveyor. He sold
his property after some years to one David Smith,
and went to
Ephraim Sleeper,
married Jane Niles, daughter of Nathaniel Niles, and
remained in the
neighborhood. The latter died about twelve years ago
at
Other persons are
mentioned by the old residents as being among the
early settlers.
Samuel Green occupied a part of the farm now owned by
Joseph Bull. A man
named Ticknor, another part of the same farm. One
current in the
neighborhood. At one time a company of Indians was
encamped at the
mouth of the Otego creek, engaged in making baskets
and trinkets of
various kinds.
getting a pair of
silver shoe-buckles made by an Indian who was
skilled in the art.
It so happened that he had not silver enough to
make the buckles.
Two or three of the Indians left suddenly, and
after having been
absent a short time, returned, bringing a handful of
silver.
far away, but he was
never able to find it.--A deer[A] often came
around his house;
he shot at it repeatedly, but was unable to hit it.
An old woman lived
not far away, who was called a witch; he finally
suspected that she
had something to do with the deer; he procured a
silver bullet,
which he put in his gun, and next time the deer
appeared he fired
at it, wounding it badly, but it escaped; he soon
learned, however,
that the old woman was badly hurt.[B]
[Footnote A: The
same story is told of other hunters and other
witches.]
[Footnote B: The
author is indebted to Mr. N.N. Bull for the sketch
relating to
_CHAPTER V._
The first church
organization in town was effected by the
Presbyterians. The
first meeting was held at the house of Fredrick
Brown, January 24,
1800, when John Houghtaling, Henry Scramling, John
VanDer Werker and
James Dietz were chosen elders; William Morenus,
David Scramling,
Aaron Barnes, and James Quackenbush were chosen as
deacons. The
following are the names of the ministers of the church
with dates of
service: Wm. Fisher, 1823-33; Wm. Clark, 1833-37; Jos.
W. Paddock,
1837-42; Fordyce Harrington, 1843-45; Gaius M. Blodgett,
1845.--[Reorganization.]
Eliphalet M. Spencer, 1849-52; Wm. B.
Christopher,
1852-54; Wm. Baldwin, 1854-62; Geo. O. Phelps, 1863-69;
H.H. Allen, 1869--.
The next church
organization was by the Methodist Episcopals. The
first steps towards
forming the society were taken by Nathan Bennett,
Silas Washburn,
David T. Evans, David Fairchild, and David T. Clark.
This society had no
house of worship for many years, and held their
meetings in the
village school house. The first church edifice was
built in 1844. In
1868-69 a new and large meeting house was built and
finished at a cost
of $12,000. Rev. George Elliott and Rev. Wm.
McDonald were the
first preachers. Subsequent ministers have been:
Rev. C.G. Robinson,
1854-56; Rev. W.G. Queal, 1856-58; Rev. S.M.
Stone, 1858-59;
Rev. D.L. Pendell, 1859-61; Rev. Geo. Parsons,
1861-63; Rev. P.Y.
Hughston, 1863-65; Rev. H.N. Van Dusen, 1865-67;
Rev. R.W. Peebles,
1867-70; Rev. Austin Griffin, 1870-72; Rev. I.N.
Pardee, 1872-75;
Rev. W.B. Westlake, 1875-78; Rev. Y.Z. Smith,
1878-79; Rev. A.B.
Richardson, 1879-82;
The First Baptist
society was organized April 6, 1833. At a meeting
called for that
purpose, David Yager was chosen moderator and James
Slade clerk. April
24, 1833, a council was held, of which Elder Alex.
Smith, of
clerk. The pastors
have been Rev. D.B. Crane, 1833-35; Rev. John
Smith, 1836-48;
Rev. H. Clark, 1848-49; Rev. A.B. Earle, 1849-53; Rev.
E. Westcott,
1854-57; Rev. John Smith, 1858-65; Rev. A. Reynolds,
1865-70; Rev. Geo.
R. Burnside, 1871-74; Rev. H. Brotherton, 1874-80;
Rev. P.D. Root,
1880-82; Rev. E.D. Clough, 1883--.
The Free Baptist
church society was formed at the Emmons school house
Feb. 25, 1856.[A]
The council consisted of Rev. A. Wing, D. Green,
O.T. Moulton, and laymen
Joseph Jenks and Harvey Mackey. The meeting
house was built in
1857. The pastors have been, Rev. O.T. Moulton,
1856-61; Rev. H.
Strickland, 1862; Rev. E. Crowel, 1864-68; Rev. G.P.
Ramsey, 1868-72;
Rev. O.T. Moulton, 1872-75; Rev. Peter Scramling,
1875; Rev. M.C.
Brown, 1875-78; Rev. D.C. Wheeler, 1878; Rev. David
Boyd, 1880-83; Rev.
C.A. Gleason, 1883--.
[Footnote A: A Free
Baptist church had been built at the Plains many
years before.]
The first Episcopal
services were held in 1839, by the Rev. Andrew
Hall, a missionary
to Oneonta and Otego. At first the society met in
the school-house of
the village, and afterwards built a chapel on the
lot now occupied by
a part of the Central Hotel. The clergy have been
as follows: Rev.
Andrew Hall, 1839; Rev. Stephen Parker, 1855; Rev.
D.S. Tuttle,
1864-65; Rev. E.N. Goddard, 1865; Rev. Mr. Foote and Rev.
Mr. Ferguson,
1866-67; Rev. Mr. Lighthipe, 1870; Rev. Mr. Fitzgerald,
1873-74; Rev. J.H.
Smith, 1874; Rev. J.B. Colhoun, 1875-78; Rev. J.B.
Hubbs, 1880-81;
Rev. C.D. Flagler, 1882.--The society was organized
under the name of
St. James church, April 7, 1870.
The "First
Universalist Society of Oneonta" was formed Dec. 12, 1877.
The meeting house
was built in 1878-79. The pastors have been Rev.
L.F. Porter,
1877-81; Rev. H. Kirke White, 1882--.
The Catholic
society now numbers about three hundred. Services have
been conducted
heretofore by Rev. J.J. Brosnahan, of Cobleskill, till
July, 1883, when
the Bishop created a new parish at this place and
appointed Rev.
James H. Maney (of St. Mary's Church, Albany), who is
now the resident
pastor. The parish under the charge of the Rev. Mr.
Maney extends from
the Cooperstown Junction to the Harpersville
Tunnel. This
society is about to erect a church edifice on a lot
already purchased
for that purpose.
The "Oneonta
Union School" was organized in 1867. The sum of $5,000
was first voted for
the purpose of building a schoolhouse, and
afterwards the sum
was increased to $7,500. The building was finished
and school opened
in 1868 with Wilber F. Saxton as principal. Mr.
Saxton resigned his
position in 1870, and was then succeeded by
Nathaniel N. Bull
as principal. In 1873 the needs of the school were
met by the building
of a smaller schoolhouse in the lower part of the
district. In 1874
and in 1880 the main school building was enlarged to
accommodate the
increased attendance of scholars. An academic
department was
organized in 1874. The school is attended by about six
hundred pupils, and
twelve teachers are employed. Mr. Bull is still
the efficient
principal, and his labor is shared by competent
assistants.
The business
industries and enterprises of the village consist of a
number of large dry
goods and clothing stores, several shoe stores,
nearly a dozen
grocery and provision stores, two or three bakeries,
confectionery
establishments, flour and feed stores, several builders'
machine shops,
three saw mills, three grist mills, furniture stores,
three large
hardware stores, the railroad machine shops, round-houses,
carriage factories,
coopers' and blacksmith shops, three drug stores,
two well-equipped
printing offices, each of which issues a carefully
edited and well
patronized newspaper--_Herald and Democrat_ and
_Oneonta Press_.
There are two banks--the "Wilber National" and "The
First
National"--both of which are doing a large business and are
under prudent
management. There are a dozen or more lawyers and as
many physicians.
Three roomy hotels care for and furnish entertainment
to the way-faring
public, and another hotel is in course of
construction.
The village is
rapidly growing, and new industries are multiplying. A
desirable water
power could be furnished to drive the wheels of a
large
manufactory--a subject that must sooner or later attract the
attention of some
capitalist. Well-shaded streets and well-kept
roadways add to the
attractions of the village, while its
surroundings of
cultivated fields--of hill-side and plain--of wooded
slopes and
mountains--render the scenery as grand and diversified as
can be found in the
Susquehanna valley.
[Illustration]
*
* * *
*
ESTABLISHED 1853.
HERALD AND
DEMOCRAT.
ONEONTA, N.Y.
A REPUBLICAN
NEWSPAPER,
Devoted to the
interests of Otsego County, of the Second Assembly
District, and of
Oneonta in particular.
The most thorough
local and general newspaper in the county.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY AT
_$1.50 Per Year!_
BY
YAGER &
FAIRCHILD.
*
* * *
*
W.L. & R.
BROWN,
--DEALERS IN--
HARDWARE!
STOVES, RANGES,
_ENGLISH, GERMAN
& AMERICAN_
CUTLERY,
Tin, Copper and
Sheet-Iron Ware.
PLUMBING AND GAS
FITTING.
*
* * *
*
Edwin P. Chapman,
_THE JEWELER._
Diamonds, Watches,
Clocks,
JEWELRY,
SPECTACLES,
SOLID SILVER AND
PLATED WARE,
GUNS, REVOLVERS,
CARTRIDGES,
CUTLERY, MUSICAL
GOODS,
Toys, Fancy Goods,
&c., &c.
Fine Watch, Clock
and Jewelry Repairing a Specialty.
EDWIN P. CHAPMAN,
ONEONTA AND
UNADILLA.
*
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WILBER NATIONAL
BANK
ESTABLISHED 1874.
DAVID WILBER,
President,
D.F. WILBER, Vice-President,
GEO. I. WILBER, Cashier,
E.A. SCRAMLING, Ass't Cashier.
_AUTHORIZED
CAPITAL_,
$300,000.
Capital Stock Paid
in, $100,000.00
Surplus Fund, 49,000.00
Amount of Deposits
reported for Quarter ending October 2, 1883,
$452,948.10.
While the business
of this Bank is conducted in a safe and economical
manner, the
managers aim to please and protect their customers.
The patronage of
the public is respectfully solicited.
BANKING HOURS: From
10 to 12 a.m., and from 1*